Caren – aka Atomic Chick – bribed Bosko with an offer of shrimp tacos in hopes he might be willing to do a consult. She wanted to transform a bare room in her home into a Tiki bar. Bosko agreed, came to her home in Upland, and gave clear and decisive ideas, all while Fabio, her husband, took furious notes. Not too long after, Caren and Fabio’s first home Tiki bar was established.
Eight years ago, Caren and Fabio moved from Upland to Riverside. So they dismantled the bar, split it in half, and reconstructed it as the Chi Chi Lounge. One might be tempted to believe that the Chi Chi Lounge is named after the popular macadamia nut Tiki concoction, but Chi Chi references Caren and Fabio’s little ones – their chihuahuas Ruby, Billy, and Sadie. Sadie was the social one during my visit. She even posed for a pinup.
Read the rest of the story in Polynesiacs: Tiki at Home, page 242.
Chi Chi Lounge, Riverside, California
