A little more than two years ago, Julia Pham had a dream that she was serving dinner to complete strangers in her apartment. She woke up the next morning and Googled a term for it. To her surprise, her dream had a name-pop-up dinners or underground restaurants-and a healthy following.
"The more I looked into it, the more I had this vision of, 'What if I ran a restaurant out of my apartment?'" Pham said. "And it just sort of blossomed from there."
One problem: Pham's Ravenswood apartment was too crammed to host the kind of dinner parties she'd envisioned. So when a bigger unit opened up next door, she immediately called her landlord. Pham's business, Relish Underground Dining, was born shortly thereafter.
The concept is simple: "Basically it's like going to a party and getting a home-cooked meal with lots of new, interesting people," the 26-year-old said. "You're coming into someone's home and they're opening it up to you and they're making you something from the heart."
The Ravenswood resident is no stranger to the food industry. She started her culinary career when she was just 16 at Ba Le Bakery, an Uptown restaurant owned by her aunt, Thuy Nguyen. Her resume quickly grew to include Dolce Casa Cafe in Ravenswood, Ray's Bucktown Bed and Breakfast and West Loop's Little Goat.
Each experience taught her something new and helped shape what Relish is today.
"I think my greatest inspiration is Ba Le Bakery, my aunt's bakery," Pham said, "just because I worked there for six years and got to know the business model and the food really intimately. Working with family is so complex but really enriching."
Pham's relationship with family is complex, too. Growing up, she was shuffled around the country-from Fairfax, Va., to San Jose, Calif., to Orlando, Fla., and finally to Chicago to live with her aunt when she was 16. Though her relationship with her parents is strained, Pham considers her aunt a parental figure and role model.
"She really guided me through some darker times in my younger years," Pham said. "Now that I have a bit more direction and I'm independent, I see how similar we are in our passions and our values. I've watched her grow as she's watched me grow."
Pham found direction in Chicago's restaurant scene, and although she has no formal culinary training, she quickly proved herself worthy in kitchens across the city. But it was in August 2012, when she founded Relish, that she discovered her true calling. The first dinner was a soft opening-Pham invited friends to her home for a formal meal with a suggested donation. Later, she would turn to meetup.com to gather an outside following.
She remembers her first Relish menu like it was yesterday: homemade sesame crackers with cheese and concord grape jam; a salad garnished with candied pecans, blue cheese and berry vinaigrette; chicken lollipops with raspberry barbecue sauce served over rosemary black rice; and whole wheat apple pie with a scoop of orange spice ice cream and a sprig of mint from her garden.
"It was just perfect," she said, smiling. "It solidified the couple of months of trying to build up to this. I just thought, 'Well, if this is what dinners are going to be like, I have a journey to go on.'"
And although her business model is much different from her aunt's brick-and-mortar shop, Nguyen is happy to see Pham discover her own niche.
"She finally found her thing, and this is what she likes-I see that in her," Nguyen said of Pham's growing business.
What started as a four-course dinner party for eight guests has evolved into a 40-person social and culinary experience. Rather than a formal four-course menu, Pham slings finger food and appetizers throughout the evening. While she's busy in the kitchen, her guests are free to mix and mingle.
Feeding more mouths meant Pham needed more hands on deck. This year, she added two members to her team: sous chef Daniel Young and pastry chef Lauren Gill.
"I draw a lot of inspiration from her," Young said of Pham. "Food doesn't have to be so complex always. It can be fun."
Pham is constantly developing recipes based on what's in season at her local farmers market. Relish's locally sourced menu is dependent on her creative process and her relationship with food, especially what she calls "food memories."
"A lot of it I pull from my past and also things that I'm going through," Pham said. "There's usually a story with the menus. I first think about a memory or a feeling, and then I think about flavors that I associate with that. Then I work with what's in season."
Watching Pham construct dumplings, one of her signature dishes, is proof that she's doing what she loves. Her fingers move quickly but carefully as she preps, stuffs and fastens the small pieces of dough before placing them into a bamboo steamer.
Pham's Vietnamese heritage also is evident in her food: Sprouted mung bean salad, coconut lemongrass curry wings, Vietnamese tacos, banh mi burgers and durian almond cream puffs with crystalized ginger all have graced Relish's summer menu.
When it's childhood comfort she seeks, Pham whips up her favorite "junk food" dish: white rice and Vietnamese bologna topped with a fried egg and Maggi sauce.
"I feel like I'm connecting back more and more. I'm weaving in the old parts-the old memories of my life-into the new life, where I'm very proud of it," Pham said. "Rather than feeling disconnected from Vietnamese culture, I feel very connected and empowered by it."
Morgan Olsen is a RedEye special contributor.
This profile is part of a yearlong series about Chicagoans with unique jobs in the arts. Know someone who deserves to be profiled? Email redeye@tribune.com with the subject line "Arts jobs" or tweet us @redeyechicago.
--------------------------------
Want to reserve a seat at the next Relish dinner? Email Julia at peanutbutterjulia@gmail.com. Check out the season's menus at facebook.com/BadAssBabez
--------------------------------
A FEW OF HER FAVORITE THINGS
Pham shares her must-try Chicago restaurants
For BYOB: Pho Lily (5100 N. Broadway) "One time I went on a date there and we brought some gin and ginger beer. I ordered pho and they give you this great plate of herbs to add to your soup. I added some Thai basil and lime into the [drink] and it made a good cocktail."
For super-spicy food: Aroy Thai (4654 N. Damen Ave.) "When you ask for hot, they ask you if you're sure."
For upscale dining: Home Bistro (3404 N. Halsted St.) "They make local seasonal food, and a lot of their produce comes from Green City Market. It's fancy, but also just a cute atmosphere."
For small plates: San Soo Gab San (5247 N. Western Ave.) "When you come in, they give you tons of small plates called banchan. It's so good."
For tacos: Carmela's Taqueria (1206 W. Lawrence Ave.) "It's so tiny, but their al pastor taco is amazing."
For craft cocktails: Violet Hour (1520 N. Damen Ave.) "It's just beautiful in there. They're so thoughtful about everything they put in their drinks."