Life & Work with Christine Park of los angeles, ca 90010

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Park.

Hi christine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was just a junior golfer who once dreamed of becoming a professional player. But at 18, I was in a car accident that took two years of rehabilitation. During that time, I had to put golf aside, and when I tried to come back, I had to admit my skills weren’t enough anymore. On top of that, I didn’t want my parents to carry the financial burden any longer. So, I decided to look for a new dream.

I tried many different things, searching for where I truly fit. Sometimes, I helped my busy parents at their restaurant as a server. It was always hectic, and new to me, but at least I could make some tip money when I needed extra spending money. One Mother’s Day, when the restaurant was especially packed, I was clearing tables. In that moment, I noticed people laughing, talking, and enjoying their meals together. That’s when it hit me—what I wanted to do wasn’t far away at all. I wanted to create a space where people could pause, feel happy, and share joy.

I could no longer become a golf star, but I realized I could still bring happiness to people—and in return, that gave me a sense of pride and fulfillment. That’s when I knew this was the path I wanted to take.

I went on to study at UNLV, and along the way, I had opportunities to work and build my careers in bakeries and national sandwich brunch cafes. Eventually, I came up with, Wiches on Wilshire as a small takeout spot, which I ran for 10 years. A year ago, we were fortunate enough to move into a bigger location with dine-in space—something I could never have dreamed of without the loyalty of our customers and the support of my longtime employee and dear friend, Kelly.

It has been a long but happy journey. And we’re still learning, growing, and chasing even bigger goals ahead.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My past experience as working as a successful general manager at a well-established company is one thing—but owning a small shop is a completely different world. Still, I learned and grew step by step. Looking back, I think the experiences of growing up in a family where my grandmother’s and parents’ generations all ran restaurants gave me an indirect foundation. On top of that, my 10+ years of working my way up in restaurants, including as a general manager experience, helped me tremendously in building my own business.

When we first signed the lease for our little takeout station, the building manager admitted that space had always been considered unlucky—every business there had failed. She told us she expected we’d be no different. But later, she praised us as the first ones to break that cycle and supported us wholeheartedly when we had the chance to move into a bigger location.

Of course, the biggest crisis that everyone remembers was COVID-19. At first, I thought it would pass within a month, like a mild flu. But the world changed overnight. We never closed the shop, but even when customers came in, we were scared honestly in beginning. To protect them and ourselves, I made my rule to reduce every possible risk of infection. For over two years, my boyfriend and I lived between only two places—the shop and our home—going out only for groceries. We didn’t even when out during that entire time, because I couldn’t bear the thought of bringing sickness into our restaurant.

Before COVID, most of our customers were office workers from nearby buildings. But staying open throughout the pandemic gave us an unexpected gift: we became known to the local neighborhood residents as well. The first two months were painfully slow, but eventually, what had seemed like a disaster turned into a blessing. Our little takeout shop became part of the community, filling the empty space left by office workers with new regulars who lived nearby. That made me proud beyond words.

The second great challenge came more recently, when my boyfriend’s mother was diagnosed with cancer. We had already been planning to expand into a bigger space, but her short battle with cancer and her passing shook us deeply. For a time, we paused our plans. Yet through grief, we also found strength. That experience reminded us of the preciousness of family, the meaning of good food, and the importance of cherishing the opportunities still ahead.

Through these trials, we became stricter about hygiene, more committed to using higher-quality ingredients, and more ambitious in our growth. In the end, the hardships didn’t break us—they made us stronger.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Before we moved to our new location, we didn’t open on weekends. Our focus was mainly weekday lunch service, Monday through Friday. But now, we’re open seven days a week—and with the move, we also added a full coffee menu.

We’re proud to partner with Groundworks, an organic coffee company, to serve only organic coffee bean and tea. To celebrate and spread the word, we started to offer a 50% discount on all coffee drinks and matcha lattes every Saturday and Sunday, all day long, with any in-store purchase with purchase of food item.

We believe our breakfast burritos, delicious sandwiches, and handcrafted coffee make the perfect weekend brunch combination, and we hope this will be a chance for more people to discover us. More than anything, we’d love for this to show how much everyone on our team truly cares—not just about good food, but about being good people, too.

We are located on corner of Wilshire + Western
Our Hours are Monday – Friday 8-6pm
Saturday – Sunday 9 -4pm

What do you like and dislike about the city?
We’re located right at Wilshire and Western, directly across from the Wiltern Theatre—right at the gateway to Koreatown. Los Angeles is a city where so many cultures come together and live side by side, and we believe that spirit is reflected in our menu.

If you take a look at our sandwiches, you’ll see it immediately. We’ve become a part of what we like to call the California fusion sandwich movement, blending flavors and inspirations from many backgrounds. Over the past 10 years, our customers have inspired us in countless ways, and their influence is deeply woven into our menu today.

Pricing:

• Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sandwich 14.99 Roasted Hand Pulled Chicken, Provolone, Pepperoncini, Tomato, Onion, Arugula, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto & Mayo
• Vegetarian Green Monster Sandwich 13.99 Avocado, Hummus, Alfalfa Sprouts, Tomato, Pickled Onion, Pesto, Arugula & Romaine
• Mama Mia Sandwich 15.99 Mortadella, Avocado, Fresh Mozzarella, Balsamic Glaze, Crushed Pistachio, Pepperoncini, Tomato, Pickled Onion, Arugula, Pesto & Mayo
• Asian Chicken 14.99 Chicken, Mandarin Orange, Edamame, Cilantro, Pickled Onion, Sliced Almond, Crispy Onion, Carrot, Red Cabbage, Romaine & Asian Dressing
• Everything Breakfast Burrito 16.99 Sausage, Bacon, Hashbrown, Avocado, Cheddar Jack, Scrambled Eggs, Tomato, Crispy Onions & Chipotle Aioli

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wichesonwilshire.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wichesonwilshire/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiches213/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wiches-on-wilshire-los-angeles-2?osq=Wiches+On+Wilshire