Good Love, Great Food
April 2022
Two years ago I had the privilege of sitting down to experience a delicious and carefully curated 7-course meal by Good Love. That meal satisfied my taste and exposed me to new food and culture. Good Love, founded in 2022 by three friends and culinary creatives, is dedicated to the art of cooking, the love of good food, and fostering genuine connections.
What is Good Love?
Good Love is a free-form culinary concept that began in Stockton, California and is steadily expanding into greater parts of Sacramento. The minds behind Good Love are Chef Marc Agtina, Chef Deondre Jones, and operations manager/front-of-house expert Dejah Phomsavan. This trio collaborates to craft unique dishes and deliver memorable dining experiences infused with love. Their cooking and sharing food is a love language, and whether you’re enjoying a sit-down dinner or grabbing a plate from a pop-up, you’re guaranteed to taste the love in every bite.
April 2024
Fast forward two years, and I had the chance to attend a Good Love appreciation dinner, an invitation-only event to thank their patrons and supporters. The menu featured five courses inspired by the owners' Filipino and Lao heritage, incorporating elements of Filipino and Lao cuisine. The table settings, the menu, the ambiance, and the dishes were all exquisite.
I’m still dreaming about the first course: a Pinoy Caesar salad, dressed with spicy Alamang Caesar dressing, crispy garlic, and savory San Joaquin Gold cheese. And that Auro Choco Taco dessert! It had red bean ice cream and black sesame salt atop Auro white chocolate, a product of the Philippines. The highlight was dipping the Auro Choco Taco into the decadent muscovado caramel dipping sauce.
The entire dinner was a treat, and dining with Good Love is always a wonderful experience. I leave every meal feeling satiated and happy. Good Love’s passion for food and warm hospitality truly lives up to their name. I eagerly anticipate seeing Good Love continue to flourish and dining with them again in the future.
Xx - Jeané Tui
Q&A with Chef Marc
I am not only privileged to dine with Good Love, but I am also privileged to personally know the masterminds behind Good Love. I am proud of the hard work the team puts in and the commitment they have to the people they love, but also to the craft and art of cooking and creating one-of-a-kind experiences. After the dinner, I had the chance to do a Q&A with Chef Marc, to get to know Good Love better, find out what inspired Chef Marc to step into the kitchen, and also his vision for Good Love in the future.
What is and who is Good Love?
Chef Marc: Good Love at the moment I’d say is a free-form culinary concept. I wanted to create a platform to showcase and serve whatever crazy food ideas we have. It consists of two chefs: myself, Marc Agtina, and Deondre Jones, along with our manager/front-of-house operations/superwoman Dejah Phomsavan.
Please describe Good Love in 3 words.
Chef Marc: Good Love in three words? Marc Deondre Dejah. Behind closed doors, we put our absolute best effort into any dining experience we provide, from planning to execution. When I think of Good Love it’s always us 3. This is definitely not a one-man job and to have a solid committed team it feels like we’re invincible. We love what we do.
When was Good Love founded?
Chef Marc: We officially did our first private dining experience two years ago in 2022 under the name Good Love. I decided on the name just being a fan of R&B music. A lot of songs mention giving unconditional love to those you care for and it’s what I feel like we do for our food. We’re very early into our concept but I feel like we’re progressing every day. It has always been a passion of mine to somehow start a business and hopefully, this can grow into the vision I have for it.
Who decides what’s on a Good Love menu? Tell me about the process of curating dishes.
Chef Marc: In terms of menu creation, I always try to stay a few menus ahead. As soon as we R&D a menu, I’m already working on the next one. My creativity is a 24-hour thing and any time inspiration hits, I’ll write it down. I’m actively looking for inspiration from anywhere and anything. I’m a big note-taker and I feel as a creative person it’s crucial to write down any idea I have. As a team, we usually just try our best to eat new food to keep our palates up to date. I’ll mention an idea, Deondre will bounce one back and we’ll just hit the lab and see what works. At the very least we always use seasonal and local produce to support farmers.
When did your passion for food & cooking begin?
Chef Marc: If you know me, you know that a huge passion of mine is art. I’m an artist myself and a fan of all mediums of art. It’s funny because I was never like hell yeah I’m gonna be a Chef when I grow up. Fresh out of high school, I went straight to community college and I was taking a few art and design courses. Being young and open to advice I kind of just listened to what was told to me by family, which was that I wouldn’t make any money being an artist. So I went with Culinary Arts. I was like f*ck it, I have an older cousin who is a professional chef so I’ll try it out too. I took pride in whatever kitchen job I was in and just fell in love with the chaos. I still wonder what could’ve happened if I stuck with art though.
Who are some chefs or ppl who inspire you?
Chef Marc: I could make a long ass list and talk about this all day because I love so much people and I’m inspired by so many who aren’t even chefs themselves. But when it comes down to it, like a lot of cooks I would say Anthony Bourdain. I grew up watching him on CNN with my grandma. He was passionate about cherishing the moments you have when you share a meal with someone. It’s always about creating memories with your people and he always reminds me food is a universal love language that we all speak.
What is your goal for Good Love? Where do you see good Love going in the future?
Chef Marc: I get asked this one a lot and I always feel like I sound unsure about it. It would be a dream to have a brick-and-mortar restaurant once we solidify a few core dishes and a clearer concept. Right now my heart is getting in touch with me and Deondre’s Filipino heritage. We’re trying to stay within that realm for now. But at the same time, we’re just enjoying the ride. We’re having a lot of fun doing pop-ups and private dining. We have so many random ideas and this gives us a way to serve it all without staying committed to one concept.
You told me dessert makes you “insecure.” Can you elaborate on that? What do you think makes a good Dessert? Why do you hate or Love making a dessert?
Chef Marc: I have zero problems at all saying that I do NOT know everything. Dessert, baking, and pastry are a whole different game. I respect bakers and pastry chefs so much because it requires a lot more accuracy. When cooking savory foods it's way more easier to cover up mistakes. With desserts, if you f*ck up you start over. Depending on what kind of dessert you’re serving it’s definitely much harder to hide any flaws. It requires a lot more love and patience. I’m kidding when I say I hate making dessert. It’s just not a strength of mine but it’s so much fun learning more about to challenge myself. A dessert to me just has to be sweet enough to give yourself a chance to tap into your inner child. I feel a lot of us growing up have heard “You can’t have any dessert until you finish your veggies!” It’s the way to reward yourself after a good meal.
Be sure to follow Good Love on Instagram here @goodloveca and keep up with their pop-ups and dining events coming soon!
Xx - Jeané Tui
