Chris Chhoukdean

Owner & Operations Manager at Monsoon

Chris Chhoukdean literally grew up inside Monsoon Seattle while his mom Sophie was busy introducing the city to modern Vietnamese cuisine. After leaving the University of Washington, he moved to Arizona to learn the business from the inside at Chipotle—and then later at Yelp. He then spent time in Edmonton learning the art of dim sum before traveling through Southeast Asia between Vietnam and Cambodia. Toronto followed where he deepened his understanding of coffee while setting his sights on opening a café in Cambodia. That plan was derailed by COVID, but it ended up being a gift as it brought him back to Seattle, closer to family, and where he eventually met his partner Christina. He now runs operations for Monsoon. 

Hometown
Seattle

Previous Jobs
Baguette Box, Chipotle, Yelp

First Restaurant Job
First official job with pay stub was at Monsoon Seattle as a busser with some of the original team.

Favorite Seattle Restaurants
Lioness for date night, D’la Santa, Yi Traditional Korean Beef Soup (a bit outside of Seattle) for a casual meal.

Favorite Late Night Snack
Anything that is broth-y.

Favorite Vietnamese Dish
Nem Nướng Cuốn which is grilled pork rice paper layer out with herbs for wrapping dipped into a fermented peanut fish sauce.

Perfect Day Off
Ski at Snoqualmie Mountain or Crystal Mountain mid-morning, and back home for dinner.

Alternate Universe Career
Newspaper Photographer

Favorite Part of The Pacific Northwest
The cool, crisp weather.

Next Vacation Location
Thinking the south of Italy.

Favorite Movie
The Matrix

What have you learned?
One step at a time.