Walking into J2 Dining their freshman year, hands full with cups of pre-made matcha, early education sophomores Tarnoor Kaur and Linda Nguyen bonded over their love for the green caffeinated beverage. Now apartment roommates, Kaur and Nguyen opened Chai&Cha on Aug. 30, their own matcha and chai pop-up run out of their apartment.
Chai&Cha recently hosted its second pop-up on Sept. 3 at the first Filipino Student Association meeting, its first pop-up for a large number of guests. The pair sold cups of ube matcha, matcha chai and the founders’ favorites: strawberry chai and vanilla matcha. Kaur and Nguyen prepared everything in their small kitchen apartment.
“A lot of our drinks require cold foam. (We) spend half the morning making cold foams, then making jam, making simple syrup,” Nguyen said. “It’s a lot of food prep and going to the store and buying everything in bulk.”
With just the two founders running their business, Kaur and Nguyen had to limit their menu for time purposes. Developing their menu this summer, the co-founders decided to meet up in Austin to test their drinks.
“We decided to make the drinks on that day (we met up),” Kaur said. “We, ‘a,’ made sure they tasted good and, ‘b,’ figured out the presentation. We picked the drinks we both (liked).”
Despite the effort that goes into creating and marketing a business for young and broke college students, Chai&Cha isn’t the only apartment-based pop-up taking over students’ Instagram feeds.
Once a month, Tanner Tran, a mechanical engineering junior, turns his West Campus apartment into That One Noodle Shop, with a limited number of customers and an email list. Tran’s business has gained attention on social media, granting him more opportunities to grow the pop-up, including a collaboration with Barley Swine, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a set menu.
“One of (Barley Swine’s) line cooks reached out to me asking to do a collab,” Tran said. “I’m working with him right now on a menu for October. We’re still going to do a regular ramen menu, but in addition to that, we’re going to be doing a limited reservation-only set menu.”
However, That One Noodle Shop didn’t start with the craze it’s gained. Tran said he started making ramen when his brother found YouTube account Wave Ramen. Similar to Kaur and Nguyen, Tran began his journey cooking for friends and family. Now, Tran said his menu changes with every bowl he makes.
“I am always trying to chase a better bowl, so I’m always changing,” Tran said. “It varies seasonally and based on my experience. For the Sept. (28) pop-up, I’m working on what I call the ‘Shio and show you mark three’ (the third variation of a previous bowl).”
Founders of both That One Noodle Shop and Chai&Cha agree that the best part of their pop-ups comes from sharing their creations with students, making their day a little fuller, or more caffeinated.
“Food is one of those rare things where it has a very tangible way of improving someone’s day,” Tran said. “If I can be out here serving people food and making their day even just a little bit better, I think that’s an amazing thing.”
Dining and Cooking