Meet Chantal Partolan | Chef/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chantal Partolan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chantal, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I don’t typically use the term “give up”; I try and think of it more as “pivoting.” When things get difficult and I introduce the idea of changing course, I take an assessment of my energy levels and morale first. Usually by then, my body is already showing signs of exhaust mentally and/or physically. I think about what my motivations and intentions were in the first place, and if they’ve changed, have they changed for the better? Are they realistic? Am I still honoring and valuing myself or am I sacrificing my well-being for others? If the pros outweigh the cons, I make adjustments to keep going in a way that’s more sustainable for myself. Otherwise, it’s time to move on.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography but never pursued any form of art as a career until now. I fell into the corporate route almost straight out of college, working my way from administration to HR/recruitment across four different industries over the course of six-ish years. I always knew the corporate life wasn’t for me and that I probably wouldn’t do it my entire life, but it provided stability. It actually was a company-wide layoff at my last job that pushed me into officially launching my business.

I started Bik-Lun as a passion project; a creative outlet where I could incorporate all of my artistic interests on my own timeline. Cooking, photography, graphic design, and textiles all culminated into hosting a meal series called “Have You Eaten Yet?”, which is one aspect of this journey I’m most proud of. I was doing them quarterly until I realized how much time and thoughtful intention they really take for me to be satisfied with the outcome, so I only host them once or twice a year now. But they’re still one of my favorite parts of the business. I picked up on doing pop-up events and collaborations with local creatives and meeting communities this way has been such a joy. I know it took hard work on my part to get here, but sometimes I just feel lucky that others are interested in getting to know me or what I do. It’s maintaining the interest that can sometimes feel challenging, especially with social media being such a large part of marketing ourselves and trying to keep up with trends, while also staying true to ourselves and our brand.

Bik-Lun, at its core, is Chinese-Filipino-inspired food, a reflection of my upbringing and travels with an emphasis in seasonality. From pop-ups, to private events, to catering, each menu is different and thoughtfully curated toward the occasion. Though my menus change, my main goals will always stay the same: to make you feel welcome and to leave you with a memorable bite.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some people forget or don’t identify with the fact that Long Beach is in LA County, but I’m definitely taking us there! By the way I talk about it, you’d think I’m from Long Beach but I’m just a girl who found herself and built her life there.

It’s difficult for me to narrow down all the places and activities I love and would want to show someone – as seen by the millions of places I’m about to list, and not to mention the handfuls of places that have unfortunately shuttered – so bear with me.

For breakfast/pastries/coffee we’re going to hit up Doly’s Delectables, Colossus, San and Wolves Bakeshop, Zuzu’s Petals, Gusto Bread, and Gemmae Bake Shop. For lunch/dinner we’re doing Selva for Colombian food, Sesame Dinette for Vietnamese, Charm Siam for Thai, Phnom Penh for Cambodian, Bar Becky for Italian-American, and Sushi Nikkei for Japanese-Peruvian. I’m going to show you a range of spots for drinks, from guided sake tastings at Sake Secret, to the best beers at Ambitious Ales, to fantastic rotating cocktail menus at Baby Gee, to fun local dives like Shannon’s, where we’ll definitely “shoot the root” (iykyk). Retro Row, the corner of 4th St. and Termino Ave., and East Village Arts District are fun hubs to walk around, as they house really wonderful small businesses. On the topic of taking strolls, I personally love walking around neighborhoods like Belmont Heights and Bixby Knolls to look at all the cute houses. Long Beach Walls/Art Renzei hosts artists all over the city to create murals that are fun to seek out in pockets around town. And if it’s the weekend, we’re going to walk through the Bixby Farmers Market and Marina Farmers Market.

The community is very diverse and booming with talent that we see folks continually showing off through pop-ups, collaborations, community events, etc. It’s part of why I felt confident enough to launch my business there. There are the folks who have residencies – Our Spot Coffee + Goods @ Wine on 2nd, Solis Bagels @ Bixby Farmers Market, Loquat Oysters @ Bixby Farmers Market, Reinne’s Place @ Open Gallery (while they wait to build out their brick and mortar), Got Your Back @ Selva, and Hamburgers Nice @ Good Time. I can’t even begin to list the folks who don’t have residencies but who do pop-up frequently from week-to-week all over the city. We’ll find ‘em.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom, who my business is named after, has always been the driving force for a lot of the decisions I’ve made in my life. She’s always given me the freedom and trust to figure out my own path. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have had the courage or confidence to delve into the creative space like I have.

Instagram: @bik.lun

Other: Substack: chantalpartolan.substack.com

Image Credits
Chris Luu, Megan Jane Burgess