Luke Nguyen

Vietnamese-Australian chef who brought Vietnamese cuisine to the world through 9 TV series and 5 cookbooks

Notable Quotes

“As a chef and as a restaurateur, you have to tell the story of the dish; it's about the history, the culture, the country and the people.”
Source: Australian Embassy Vietnam

“My personal mission is to raise Vietnamese cuisine to a level that customers can enjoy the full dining experience, not just something cheap and cheerful.”
Source: Vietcetera

“Vietnamese cuisine can be paired up with great wine too, not just your typical bia hơi.”
Source: Vietcetera

Advice

Tell stories through food

Every dish has history, culture, and people behind it. Chefs and restaurant owners must be storytellers, not just cooks.

Elevate, don't discount

Vietnamese cuisine deserves the full dining experience with wine pairing, not just "cheap and cheerful."

Keep authenticity, modernize presentation

Traditional Vietnamese recipes but in formats that suit international markets — appetizers, mains, desserts, wine matching.

Key Highlights

✓Opened Red Lantern at 23 — Australia's most awarded Vietnamese/Asian restaurant
✓9 TV series broadcast in 150 countries, 5 internationally bestselling cookbooks
✓Youngest inductee into the Sydney Morning Herald's Food Hall of Fame
✓Founded Little Lantern Foundation (Hội An) providing hospitality training for disadvantaged youth

Biography

Luke Nguyen was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1978 after his family fled Vietnam in 1977. They arrived in Australia in 1979 and settled in Cabramatta, Sydney's Vietnamese quarter. He learned to cook from his parents at the family restaurant Phở Cây Du for 15 years. At 23, he and sister Pauline opened Red Lantern in Surry Hills, Sydney — quickly recognized as Australia's most awarded Asian & Vietnamese restaurant. He became the youngest inductee into the Sydney Morning Herald's Food Hall of Fame and won Chef of the Year in Vietnam. He has produced 9 TV series (Luke Nguyen's Vietnam, France, UK, Street Food Asia...) broadcast in 150 countries, and authored 5 internationally bestselling cookbooks. He now owns multiple restaurants including Vietnam House on Đồng Khởi, and co-founded GRAIN cooking studio in HCMC. In 2009, he and Suzanna Boyd established the Little Lantern Foundation in Hội An, providing hospitality training for disadvantaged youth.