As Long As You Feed People, You'll Be Fine
By Ann Buchner
Photo Sophie Geraghty
Nahji Chu on Family, Food and Finding Her Way
Before dessert, we'd travelled from a refugee camp in Thailand to a bustling restaurant in Potts Point, with a few detours through business, family, spectacular success, public failure, reinvention and one very famous disco ball.
That was the joy of Collabor8Women's July Signature Dinner at Lady Chu.
In a conversation that was equal parts hilarious, provocative and deeply heartfelt, restaurateur and entrepreneur Nahji Chu joined Collabor8Women founder Samantha Theron to share the stories behind the headlines.
True to form, Nahji was funny, fiercely honest and completely unapologetic, revealing the resilience, humour and heart that have shaped her remarkable journey.
Here are a few moments that stayed with us.
Q: You've lived so many different chapters already. When you look back, who shaped the person you've become?
My grandmother shaped everything. She left Vietnam with nothing but determination. She found work in Laos, then walked back to collect her family before making the journey again together.
Whenever I think something is difficult, I think about her. That's where my resilience comes from.
Q: Your aunt gave you some advice when you first arrived in Australia that stayed with you.
She always said, 'Work for yourself.'
We came from a family of small business owners, and she believed the best way to build a life was to create your own opportunities.
She also told me, 'As long as you feed people, you'll be fine.'
I've never forgotten that.
Q: When you launched Miss Chu, what did you hope to build?
I wasn't trying to build another restaurant. I wanted to build one of the world's great food brands.
Some people laughed at that ambition. I never saw anything wrong with aiming high.
Q: The collapse of Miss Chu was very public. What did you learn?
You learn to read every contract.
Success brings opportunities—but also risks you don't always see coming.
If I could give one piece of advice to anyone building a business, it would be this: get good legal advice and understand exactly what you're signing.
Q: Many people would have walked away from hospitality after that experience. Why did you come back?
Because I love it. Hospitality gives me a way to represent my culture, my community and my values.
Restaurants aren't just places to eat. They're places where people meet, celebrate, debate, connect and feel they belong.
Q: Lady Chu feels different from many restaurants. Was that intentional?
Absolutely. I wanted this whole street to feel alive.
I grew up surrounded by festivals, outdoor dining, theatre and community. I've always believed hospitality can create culture. That's what I wanted to build here.
Q: Finally, what keeps you moving forward?
We hold each other up.
I know that sounds like a cliché.
But so is a sunset.
You do the work because it's the right thing to do.
You give because you can.
And because that's the kind of world you want to live in.
Sometimes the most memorable conversations aren't about business success.
They're about the values that continue to shape us long after success—and setbacks—have passed.
Our thanks to Nahji Chu for an honest, generous and thought-provoking conversation.