We recently connected with Vivi Nguyễn and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vivi, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Writing is actually where I got my first start as a creative! I’ve been doing it most of my life now.

In high school, I wrote lengthy blog entries about the pure turmoil of teenaged life in a tumultuous household. These pieces were greatly appreciated by a small but loyal subset of peers and internet friends. In college, I sharpened my critical thinking and writing skills while studying philosophy, theory, and poetry. In my mid-20’s, I gained momentum as a poet — I was invited to publish in literary magazines, wrote and read my own work for live audiences, and even attended and produced work through an esteemed writers’ workshops for people of color. For a period of time, I even wrote nonprofit grants for a living. I’d say I’ve always been better at relaying my thoughts via writing than speaking.

But something about creative writing as a career or long-term commitment never sat well with me. I often found myself producing my best, most vulnerable work when I reverberated through states of rage, despair, or a combination of the two. And when I couldn’t put pen to paper, I often experienced a sort of anxious restlessness that made me feel apprehensive to continue the work. This led to feelings of shame.

I turned 30 during the height of the pandemic. It felt anti-climactic to reach an age that has so much lore attached while isolating in my backyard, but it ended up being a beautiful day. As I lit a cigar in my backyard, my partner handed me a small stack of stapled papers: my birthday card. It was filled with a collection of poems in various styles written by various authors, love letters from my friends about what I meant to them.

I felt so filled from that moment that it spurred me to go inside and make my own birthday cake from scratch, (raspberry, blueberry and lemon), complete with an “I’m 30” on top to commemorate the day. After blowing out the candles, I sliced some up for each neighbor’s doors in our building, hoping to spread a little bit of joy to everyone during what felt like a hopeless time.

Maybe it was that moment, or the one where I made my friend’s birthday cake, or all the birthdays I had as a child, that inspired me to become a pastry chef. I don’t know. But at some point I realized that in order for me to be happy, my brain and hands could not be idle. I was not meant to work behind a desk or produce books of poems for a living or be creative through my misery. I was meant to feel and spread pleasure. That’s why I call my business Radical Joy.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Vivi Nguyễn. My pronouns are she/they, I am a nonbinary, Vietnamese femme, and nowadays, I go by just V. I started Radical Joy Bakery (also known as Rad Joy) in the beautiful city of New Orleans, and am now operating out of Chicago. You can find me me via my website (radicaljoybakery.com) or send an email inquiry ([email protected]).

I grew up all across the state of California and have been in and out of the hospitality industry since I was 16. I’m a self-taught chef specializing in cakes and baked goods made with wholesome ingredients in creative and thoughtful flavor profiles. Along with taking on freelance chef projects, I run my tiny but mighty cottage bakery out of my home studio. Some of my past work includes pastries for weddings, birthdays, private dinners, corporate events, mutual aid projects, and more. When I can, I also publish writing and recipes via my newsletter (radjoy.substack.com).

If you were to ask my clients, friends, and supporters what they love about Rad Joy, I’d think they say my food is “intentional”, “balanced”, and “aesthetic”. I care so much about the building blocks and nutrition of my food — an oft-neglected topic in U.S. food production — and use premium dairy, local, organic flour and produce, and even grow my flowers and herbs myself when possible. Growing up, the biggest compliment my family would give a dessert was that it was “not-too-sweet”, so I tend to stay from sugary, sweet flavor profiles, and balance cake flavors out with salt, bitterness, acidity, and even savoriness. For example, my most popular cake I’ve made to date is my cà phê carrot cake, which combines Vietnamese iced coffee flavors with a traditional carrot cake. Lastly, I love making things beautiful (we need more beauty in the world!), and draw inspiration from the natural world, fashion, and everyday objects when adoring cakes and pastries.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society needs to move away from all capitalistic production in general, and I think a good place we can start from is art. Art is everywhere, and is for everyone. Embrace the graffiti in your neighborhood. Take the time to tell kids their sidewalk chalk illustrations are cherished.

If you can afford it, pay your local, living artists for the many hours of hard work they put into their craft. In fact, pay us more if you can! We have a hard time advocating for ourselves and our value.

Can you get a cake from a grocery store chain for $25? Yes. Will it have been made with the same artistry, thoughtfulness, and high-quality ingredients as one from Rad Joy? Probably not.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Truly, all the collaborations I’ve done and will continue to do with other artists of all trades, not just food! I have the utmost pleasure of knowing friends and collaborators who are photographers, videographers, hair and makeup artists, chefs, writers, clothing and wardrobe stylists, installation artists, and more.

I adore and learn so much from them, and it’s always so rewarding to come up with a project and see it through to the end together. Some of my favorite collaborations to date include a retro-themed portrait session, an underground dinner featuring all queer, femme chefs, and a month-long brunch series I organized that brought together up-and-coming creatives and community workers from different industries and walks of life.

This path has taught me that the sky is the limit when it comes to what I can dream up, and that when we come together, the creative community can do anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: radicaljoybakery.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/radicaljoybakery
• Other: radjoy.substack.com

Image Credits
Main image credit (vivi in apron): photo and editing by Alan Epstein Retro cake decorating: photo and editing by Kimberly Ha Vivi in bandana: photo by Alec Ozawa All other images by Vivi Nguyen