As general manager and co-owner of one of the most popular restaurants in Charleston, YoYo knows it's important to look her best. Read more about her style, her restaurant, and what she's loving at Hampden right now.

Q: What's your favorite color? 

A: Black.

Q: That's so funny, because you said you don't wear black shoes, right?

A: I don't wear black shoes really, but I wear a lot of black outfits. I'm really digging black trousers right now. Also, I don't wear t-shirts really—like not even at home, but I do like a cute black top: feminine, more form-fitting with like a nice trouser. And, I love linen. Yeah, I think linen and silk are like two of my favorite fabrics.

Q: Where did your love for fashion begin? 

A: My love for fashion started from my mother. She is very feminine and she's always very proper, even when she goes to, like, a grocery store. She always looks really good—she gets her hair done, she would wear high heels to go to the grocery store. I remember that. She, you know, always made sure that whenever you leave the house, nobody sees you looking like shit. So always proper. As I got older, I also used to wear a lot of heels. I love them, I still do, but I feel like now that I live in a city that’s a walking city, I like to be comfortable, but also chic.

Q: How are you inspired by your mom? 

A: I feel like in the way that I sit, and the way that I dine now. She was always very proper and I would say even today, I hardly use my phone when I'm out—besides taking a picture of the food that I'm eating. Other than that, I always put my phone away and I like to engage in conversation with whoever I'm dining with. Growing up, my parents were very strict about, like, not watching TV while you're eating and, you know, talking about your day. So it's kind of stayed with me, so when you go out to have dinner with me, you will know that I’ll never check my phone. Unless, of course, it's somebody calling from the restaurant over and over again, then I’ll have to pick it up.

I also love, love, love bags. Bags are like my thing. I learned about Louis Vuitton for the first time when I was three years old. My mom had all these bags that had the same monogram and so I asked my mom about it—she had the backpack, she had the shoulder bag, and all of them were Louis Vuitton. That's kind of how I became obsessed with bags in general. It sounds a little bit pretentious, but I do love luxury goods, and I get that from my mother.

Q: Can you tell us about how you came to Charleston and the story of Chubby Fish?

A: Chubbyfish is my restaurant with my husband. He's from here. He had always wanted to move back to Charleston, and you know, it’s a city that is surrounded by water and an abundance of seafood. A lot of the species out here, you don't really see anywhere else. And I love the sustainability of it, how we can truly work with everything that is around us, including produce. That's why the menu changes very often. It's been such a dream and this is something that we've been wanting to do for a long time. This is our first restaurant, and we've been open for a little under six years. Actually, six years on June 21st!

We met in New York City 16 years ago and have worked together in three different restaurants together. He has always been in the kitchen, while I'm in the front of the house, so I'm the GM as well. I mean together, being in the hospitality business maybe 25 years, we just felt like Charleston was the right move.Opening a restaurant in New York City or San Francisco, it's crazy expensive, and there's no way that we could afford it. Then again, we always wanted to do a seafood concept and also to kind of like teach people how to eat sustainably because it's completely possible. You can eat everything: the fish head, the fish cheeks, the tail, pretty much all of it. We use the bone to make our stocks and sauces and whatnot so nothing is being thrown away here. As you know, our restaurant is really small, so that’s why we're able to do that. We get deliveries every day, and that's why the menu changes all the time. We want to make it fun for the guests and also for the staff. For everyone, there’s a lot of things to learn, including myself.


Q: Sustainability seems like it's very important to you. Do you see that in your fashion at all?

A: Absolutely. This is why I think designer shoes and bags are worth it; they last you for a long time. Buying bags that aren’t real leather, or buying something for like $100, $120 that then lasts you like a year versus, like, I have designer bags that have been with me for like 20 years, you know. They are investments.With fashion, it's kind of hard, and I try to. A lot of things I own, if I don't wear them anymore, I donate them. I don't just throw them away, I donate them, I give them to friends and family, so they're still here. I have so many things I own that have been with me for a very, very long time. I grew up in New York and a lot of the pieces that I had then are still with me.

Q: What was growing up in NYC like? Did it influence your style?

A: When I was living in New York, I definitely followed the street style, which was really cool. It's like people watching, and everybody was so creative, so it was a lot of inspiration for sure. We do wear a lot of black and, you know, black and white, solid colors, nothing too bright because of the weather. You don't see people walking out in December wearing floral prints. I think that's kind of the influence that I get from loving the color black, but also, when in doubt, just wear black. You always know you're good to go with a black outfit.

YoYo's wearing: SACAI Cotton Poplin Dress in Navy Stripe x Navy; MARNI Sling Back in Black/White, Museo Mini Bag in Black/White

Q: Did San Francisco and Charleston influence you in similar ways?

A: When I was living in San Francisco, I really enjoyed not wearing heels anymore: more sneakers and comfortable clothing. I love pants that are a little bit baggy and not super form-fitting. When I was living in New York, it was a lot of form-fitting stuff, because I did a lot of clubbing, hanging out until six in the morning, you know, all that stuff that you do in your 20s. But yeah, San Francisco was a big influence on me in terms of wearing things that are comfortable, you know, but still I feel good in. Then I moved here, and everybody's wearing color. Every house is a different color. It's so much color, and I embrace it and I love it!


Q: What similarities do you see between your love for fashion and food as it relates to creativity?

A: The thing with food is there are certain dishes that are just classic. Like we talked about my love for wearing black; a simple black dress is always good, you know you can wear a simple black dress anytime, anywhere, it doesn't matter what season. With food, there are some classic dishes that you just want: it's good, you don't change it. But also, with our ever-changing menu, it’s similar how fashion's supposed to be fun. I feel like when people tell you, “Yeah, I don't think I can wear that.” Yes, you can! It's how you carry yourself. I feel that's very important. Once you put something on, how you feel is really important. When people say, “Yeah, there's no way I could pull that off.” Yes you can! You just have to wear it with confidence, and as long as you're comfortable in it, I think that's what's important. The same thing with food: you like what you like. Nobody's forcing you to drink wine that you don't usually drink, but it is nice to go out of your comfort zone and try something different. You never know until you put it on! In a lot of ways, fashion and food are very relatable.

Just like this striped dress. I saw it on the hanger, I’m like, “Yeah, I don’t know.” Then, I put it on, and I’m like, “Wow, this is really good!” Then, the clashing patterns: sometimes they work, and again, it’s how you wear it, how you carry yourself.