Braavhearts
#Braavheart: Chinook
Meet Chinook, a driven busy girl who strives to achieve her goals in life while attaining a beautiful glow both inside and out!
1. First of all, can you introduce yourself and what you do in a few sentences?
My name is Chinook Vandecasteele, 25 years old and running the restaurant Ohana in Schoten since July 17th this year with my boyfriend. Inspired by our many travels, we serve dishes and cocktails with influences from all over the world.
Next to that, we have the Hawaiian inspired pop-up Aloha in Antwerp at the docks since 2018. At the moment I'm also working on building my own webshop. Traveling is my passion and that is definitely the thread in everything I do and where I get my inspiration from!
2. Do you have a quote/slogan in life?
Good vibes only! I strongly believe that if you radiate good energy, it's easier to expect it back. Making sure people enjoy themselves and have a good time, that's what we want to take care of and what life is all about!
I also have the Karma sign tattooed on my forearm because I also strongly believe in 'what goes around, comes around'.
3. How do you manage to maintain a healthy work/life balance?
At the moment it's still a bit difficult because we only opened Ohana quite recently, but I'm definitely working on it. Next week I will start training with a personal trainer. I love Yoga, Pilates, fitness, hiking, skating and snowboarding. At the moment I don’t have time to practice all my favourite sports.
Besides that, traveling remains my ultimate way of recharging the batteries, get inspired, and time to reflect and plan the next steps. Running a business with your boyfriend is not always easy but we can switch relatively well between a professional relationship and a private relationship!
4. What is the ultimate relaxation for you?
A sportive walk outdoors, with my boyfriend to clear our heads and enjoy nature and each other. Often this is also the ideal moment to get things straight or to talk things over.
On the other side, I really like to dance! Going to festivals during summer is the yearly highlight. Too bad it's been so long now…
5. What brings you peace after a busy/hectic day?
At the end of a busy, hectic evening it's a great pleasure to receive good reviews and nice reactions from people, I get a lot of satisfaction from that!
I’m a person that needs to recharge during the night and really need to have a sufficient amount of sleep. After a busy evening, I crawl right into my bed.
6. What are your objectives on a professional level?
My ultimate dream is to be able to leave Belgium and starting a tropical beach bar abroad. Next to that, I want a booming webshop that sells “aloha-vibes” goods internationally.
I would also love to write a recipe book together with my boyfriend (who is the chef in our restaurant for those who haven't figured it out yet).
7. How do you combine this with your private life?
This is very difficult because we always go all-in. Either we go super hard at work or we pack our bags and travel for months. Our life is like: go hard or go home. In the future I would really like to have a baby and raise this baby in a tropical country where it can enjoy the sun, sea, beach, and nature. That's why we are working so hard to hopefully expand that business abroad within a few years.
8. If you could give a 1 (ultimate) tip to other ambitious women, what would it be?
Just do it! You're going to have to work very hard for it, but you have to do it yourself, no one is going to do it for you. But don't let anyone ever stop you from actually doing it!
Always think 'what is the worst case scenario?' and is that really so bad?
9. Which book do you think is an absolute must-read for our Braavheart community?
At the moment I don't have time to read books but I do listen to podcasts on a regular basis. Those of 50 Coffees and Fast Forward Amy are absolutely recommended!
10. Who do you think should not be missing from our #Braavhearts section?
Lore Janssens from Oh Yaz. She is a superwomen.
