Luke Nguyen was at OpenRice | OpenRice Singapore

Thanks to StarHub’s Hubalicious Food Festival 2010, OpenRIce got hold of celebrity chefs featured in the various food and lifestyle programmes on BBC Lifestyle, Asian Food Channel, Discovery Travel & Living as well as the new Food Network Asia. To kick start, we have Luke Nguyen on video! Luke Nguyen is the chef and owner of the award-winning Vietnamese restaurant, red lantern, and is the author of the bestselling book, secrets of the red lantern and songs of sapa. In his spare time, Luke hosts 13-day culinary discovery trips to Vietnam. He’s a real charmer on set with witty, engaging answers. Let’s check him out!

Charming Luke Nguyen, the owner of The Red Lantern in Sydney, voted as one of the top 80 greatest Australian Gourmet experiences, and believes in ethical eating by using local sustainable and organic produce at his restaurant, will be showcasing his authentic tastes of Vietnamese cuisine, made with the freshest organic ingredients in a dinner. Fun trivia. Do you know that Luke Nguyen was born in 1978 in Thailand, shortly after his parents fled Vietnam as boat people? After spending some time in a Thai refugee camp, his family eventually settled in Sydney, Australia. In 2009, Luke Nguyen and his partner, Suzanna Boyd, founded the little lantern foundation in Hoi An, which gives disadvantaged youths an opportunity to undertake a hospitality training program in little lantern’s operating hotel – restaurant and bar. The non-profit foundation supports disadvantaged and under-educated Vietnamese to improve their lives through vocational training programs that will provide them with qualifications they can apply internationally. It helps to build the opportunities for the disadvantaged youth of central Vietnam to learn the skills of the restaurant, hospitality and tourism industry. The cities of Da Nang and Hoi An are the main population centers for a substantial multi tourism resort developments along the South China Sea coastline. Luke, a refugee from his once war torn country, is helping build the future for the young people of Vietnam. Catch Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam from 5 July, 9pm on Food Network Asia as he takes viewers on a culinary journey through the southern regions of Vietnam, from Saigon, through the Mekong Delta, and north along the coast to the World Heritage city of Hoi An. Seven towns are explored over ten colourful half hour episodes. Luke Nguyen, acclaimed owner and chef of the Sydney restaurant ‘The Red Lantern’, returns to the country of his heritage and prepares dishes in locations that represent the real Vietnam, in all its chaotic vibrancy. Love Vietnamese food? Don’t miss out on these! Try out other these other Asian cuisines as well