Luke Nguyen

Owner of 8 successful restaurants in Australia, Vietnam and Hong Kong and producer and host of the famous television series including Luke Nguyen's Vietnam and Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong.

"As a chef and as a restauranteur, you have to tell the story of the dish, it's about the history, the culture, the country and the people. I want to bring the stories of Vietnam's unique cuisine to the world."

At 23, Luke Nguyen launched his first Vietnamese restaurant in Australia. Today, his eight successful restaurants, along with a number of famous culinary series bearing his name, have helped bring Vietnamese cuisine to the world.

Luke was born in Thailand and grew up in Australia. His Vietnamese parents, however, instilled in him a great passion for Vietnamese cuisine. Dishes such as pho, shaking beef (cubed beef steak), crispy fried noodles, beef stew with noodles and broken rice with grilled pork. nurtured him as he grew up and sparked his curiosity about his parents' place of origin. This made him decide to explore Vietnam and, he developed an affection for the country and its people. He was also amazed by the rich and unique cuisine of each region in Vietnam. Consequently, he developed a strong desire to bring Vietnamese cuisine to Australia and the world.

Many people wonder why Luke Nguyen did not inherit his parents' renowned restaurant in Sydney. He said: “In Sydney, I was working with and for a lot of great restaurateurs and chefs who were not just operating a restaurant but also made it more of a dining experience. I wanted to offer the same kind of experience for my customers, from the architecture, the design of the space and the spirit of the cuisine, versus my parents’ restaurant, which is just about the food.”

So Luke established his own restaurant in Sydney – Red Lantern – a place that offered an exceptional culinary experience. The young owner presented culinary showcases in the hope of changing the world's perception of Vietnamese dishes and also making Vietnamese people proud of their cuisine. Within a few years, the restaurant was honoured as the Best Asian and Vietnamese Restaurant in Australia. In 2008, he was awarded the title of "Most Successful Young Vietnamese Entrepreneur in Australia" and received the prestigious "Best Restaurant and Catering Ethnic Business Award."

Luke believes that: “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. I am a storyteller as such through my books and TV shows, I want to bring the stories of Vietnam’s unique cuisine to the world.”

Those who have seen Luke Nguyen's culinary series will find his storytelling style unique and captivating. In "Luke Nguyen's Railway Vietnam” Luke guides Australian and New Zealand tourists from Saigon to Da Lat, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An and Binh Dinh to explore the distinctive flavours of each region through famous local dishes such as grilled frog in bamboo tubes, stuffed snails, Vietnamese crepes, Quang-style noodles, cao lau and chicken rice. Luke describes himself as a tour guide, travelling and cooking together with the tourists to show everyone how wonderful Vietnam is. The series was produced by the Australian broadcaster SBS in 2019 and won the prestigious Best Lifestyle Program at the 25th Asian Television Awards (2020).

Luke feels fortunate and proud to possess Vietnamese heritage and to have grown up in Australia. “I’m delighted to see the great relationship between Vietnam and Australia. I want to spend more time in Vietnam to promote the Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese cuisine to Australia and the world.”