NOSH’s “Young Guns Series” is an exciting line-up of events spotlighting up-and-coming Vietnamese Chefs

NOSH’s “Young Guns Series” is not another four-hands chef event. It’s a celebration of Vietnam’s coming-of-age culinary scene and its rising local talent.

This year, NOSH returns with a “Young Guns Series (YGS)” featuring six up-and-coming Vietnamese chefs - Sous Chefs and Chef de Parties - from some of Saigon’s most well-loved restaurants such as Elgin, OKRA Foodbar, Mua Craft Sake and The Jetty. Unlike previous NOSH events that last just a day or two, this year’s series spans a whopping eight events over four months (June 5th to September 30th), so there’s no excuse to not make it down.

The concept is simple: chefs are paired together and take turns cooking in each other’s venues. Together, they promote, elevate and learn from each other. More importantly, the boost in confidence and public recognition is undeniable when a Sous Chef emerges from behind the counter to greet a room full of hungry diners. For Sabastion Smith of CHU Hospitality (organiser of NOSH), he believes that “young chefs are the future of the industry and that it is “our responsibility to ensure they grow.”

This year’s “young gun” chefs of Saigon (Photo credit: NOSH Saigon)

NOSH Young Gun Series is this year’s only consumer-driven culinary event that spotlights up-and-coming talent. Why is this important?

The industry plays an important and active role in spotlighting up-and-coming talent and we can see this in the likes of Chef Sakal’s annual Escoffier Young Chef Challenge as well as Vietcetera’s Rising Chefs Challenge in Vietnam. However, these are trade events, which are not open to the public. That’s where NOSH, this year’s only consumer-driven event that spotlights up-and-coming culinary talent, comes in. 

So, why is it important for consumers to recognise the talent of these budding young chefs? The reason is simple: demand and supply. Consumers need to be confident in local Vietnamese chefs and their cuisine and vice versa. If not, chefs leave the industry or the country i.e. Brain drain, a common phenomenon in the past in Southeast Asia where Eurocentric ideals of fine dining reigned supreme.

Similarly, for the past decade up till the present day, Vietnam’s high-end culinary scene rides on a predominantly foreign pool of talent - foreign chefs, overseas-educated chefs and those who have worked abroad. To be fair, it is not uncommon for the birth of an industry to be driven by foreign expertise. They enter the market, impart their knowledge and the rest is history. With Vietnam’s dining scene still relatively nascent, it is natural and understandable for its culinary talent pool to be well... more colourful.

But, that’s slowly changing with locally-trained and educated Vietnamese chefs such as Thuan Tran of ESTA Saigon, Cuong Nguyen of An’s Saigon and Chef Hieu of Mia Saigon, at the helm of their respective restaurants. An’s Saigon and ESTA even clinched MICHELIN Select awards at this year’s inaugural ceremony, proving that such international prestige can be achieved in spite of and not because of foreign training, education or experience. Finally, relatable role models for young chefs in the industry to aspire towards with the confidence that their culinary pursuit will not be in vain. And, while I will not go as far as to say the field has been levelled, it’s definitely a lot more inclusive and exciting. 

On the back of this boost of confidence for young chefs in Vietnam, NOSH’s Young Guns Series could not have come at a better time.

Say hello to this year’s “Young Guns”

Duy Dinh and Khoa Tran - Chef de partie at Elgin Saigon

Chef Khoa is one-half of Elgin’s talented Chef de Partie duo. Khoa found his calling in a culinary career by chance and has since spent time honing his skills at reputable establishments in the city such as The Reverie and A by Tung prior to joining Elgin. His passion for cooking stems from his joy in taking care of his family through home-cooked meals. His caring presence in Elgin’s kitchen brings the team together for every service.

Chef Duy is the other half of Elgin’s talented Chef de Partie duo. He leads by example through his strong work ethic and unwavering determination. He plied his skills at Renkon and Sake Central before making his way over to the team at Elgin. His father has been his inspiration for his culinary journey and is the driving force to achieve his culinary dreams. He is the anchor that steadies the ship when service gets rocky.

Chef Sy Nguyen - Chef de Partie at OKRA FoodBar

Chef Sy Nguyen, Chef de Partie at OKRA FoodBar (Photo credit: OKRA FoodBar)

Chef Sy Nguyen is Chef de Partie at the popular local neighbourhood hot spot - OKRA FoodBar. Best-known as Head Chef Jamie Celaya’s ‘right-hand man’, Chef Sy Nguyen has been an integral part of OKRA FoodBar since the first day and spent 18 months alongside Chef Jamie giving birth to the OKRA concept, menu and everything in between. Despite a rocky start, OKRA Foodbar emerged from the other side with raving reviews, fully sold-out evenings and most recently, a MICHELIN Select award at this year’s MICHELIN Award ceremony in Hanoi.

Coming from Vung Tau, Chef Sy has a penchant and palette for seafood and locally-sourced ingredients from Vietnam. Prior to joining OKRA Foodbar, Chef Sy worked in Monkey Gallery and Jarden Des Sens.

Hoang Phuc - Sous chef at Mùa Craft Sake

Chef Hoang Phuc is the Sous Chef of Vietnam’s first made-in-Vietnam Sake taproom - MÙA Craft Sake restaurant. When talking about starting his dream of becoming a professional chef with a passion for cooking since childhood, he fell in love with the kitchen once his friend invited him to take a class in Restaurants - Hospitality Management. On the path of pursuing a career as a chef from 2015 to now, he has worked in small to professional kitchens, from European kitchens to Asian kitchens. The cooking style that he is aiming for is Vietnamese flavour and used the advanced cooking techniques of other cuisines to develop his Vietnamese dish, each dish must bring the spirit and cultural elements of Vietnamese cuisine.

Visit NOSH’s Facebook Page or Instagram for more information and the latest updates.

Chef Duy Nguyen - Resident Chef at QUE Kareem

Chef Duy is a culinary prodigy whose passion has taken him around the world. He is currently Chef – QUE by Kaarem and has previously worked at Rose's Luxury, holding Jr Sous chef position (1 Michelin Star) USA, Lutèce USA, Culinary Stagiaire (2 Michelin star) USA he has earned repute in the kitchen as well as recognition among the food critics. His use of bold flavours and fresh ingredients make every dish as detectable as the next.

Chef Hiep Truong - The Jetty Thao Dien

Young, talented and hungry, Chef Hiep Truong is the Head Chef at The Jetty. The former Sous Chef and right-hand man to award-winning Chef Julien Perraudin at Quince Saigon, Chef Hiep quickly climbed the culinary ranks to the helm of his own kitchen. A Culinary Arts graduate from the Saigon Tourist Hospitality College, Chef Hiep has worked in some of the city’s most well-loved restaurants including Noir, Mad House and Quince (of course) where he honed his kitchen skills and techniques. A fervent believer in the simplicity and naturalness of ingredients, Chef Hiep brings to the table contemporary takes on global cuisines gleaned from his multiple restaurant stints in Saigon.

• For more NOSH’s Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

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