• Comment: There is a shortage of useful sources, and aa plethora of TV gossip column style sources 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 09:43, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Nini Nguyen
BornNew Orleans, Louisiana
Occupation(s)Celebrity chef, author, television personality
Cookbook(s)Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook
Television Show(s)Top Chef: Kentucky

Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. Tournament of Champions (TV series) - Season 5

Last Bite Hotel (Season 1)
Websitewww.chefnininguyen.com

Nini Nguyen is an American chef, cookbook author, and television personality known for her Vietnamese and Louisiana-inspired culinary style. She gained national recognition on Top Chef: Kentucky (Season 16)[1] and returned for Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. (Season 17)[2][3]. In 2024, Nguyen won the series premiere of Last Bite Hotel on Food Network.[4]

Early life and education

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Nguyen was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where her upbringing in a Vietnamese-American family influenced her approach to cooking.[5][6]

In 2004, Nguyen enrolled at the University of New Orleans, only for Hurricane Katrina to arrive a year later, sending her and her family to Baton Rouge, where she entered business school at Louisiana State University (LSU).[7]

Career

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Early in her career, Nguyen started as a pastry chef working in kitchens in New Orleans. She later moved to New York City, working in acclaimed establishments, including the Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park.[8] During her time in New York, Nguyen shifted into savory cooking and worked with Dinner Lab, a culinary pop-up series known for its innovative and experimental dining experiences. She later joined Cook Space, a cooking school in Brooklyn, where she created and led culinary programs.[9]

Television

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Nguyen is best known for her appearances on various cooking competition shows on the Food Network and other platforms. She gained national recognition when she competed on Season 16 of Top Chef, a culinary competition show on Bravo. Nguyen made her Food Network debut on Tournament of Champions (Season 5), where she entered the main bracket by winning the qualifying round.[10]

In 2024, she appeared in Last Bite Hotel, a six-week Food Network series that aired through Halloween.[11][12] She competed on the show alongside other prominent chefs, ultimately winning the season finale on October 29, 2024.[13]

Cookbook

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Nguyen released her debut cookbook, Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook, on August 27, 2024. Đặc Biệt intends to make Vietnamese cuisine accessible to a broad audience while offering unique insights into Nguyen's cultural and culinary background.[14]

Publications

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  • Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook. New York: Knopf. August 2024. ISBN 978-0593535547

References

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  1. ^ "Top Chef Just Announced Its New Cheftestants — And It Turns Out One Is in *Another* Hot Contest at the Same Time". Bravo TV Official Site. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  2. ^ "Everything to Know About Top Chef's Season 17 All Stars". Bravo TV Official Site. 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  3. ^ Corte, Michael La (2024-10-28). "Chef Nini Nguyen's new cookbook is bright, bold and colorful — and one of the best of the year". Salon. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  4. ^ Williams, JaNae. "Kevin Lee's 'Last Bite': How did the OKC chef do in the Food Network finale?". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  5. ^ Makalintal, Bettina (2024-09-09). "Three New Cookbooks Put the Spotlight on the Vietnamese Diaspora". Eater. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  6. ^ "Đặc Biệt with Nini Nguyen and The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen with Yevhen Klopotenko". www.splendidtable.org. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  7. ^ Threadgill, Jacob (2024-09-03). "Chop It Up: Chef Nini Nguyen's "Đặc Biệt" cookbook is alive with color, history and her penchant for giving food something extra". Streetlight. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  8. ^ Kravitz, Melissa (2018-12-04). "'Top Chef' season 16 returns with Cook Space culinary director representing NYC | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  9. ^ "Nini Nguyen". Bravo TV Official Site. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  10. ^ "Tournament of Champions Season 5 Qualifiers round 2: Celebrating versatility". FoodSided. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  11. ^ "Meet the Chefs Competing on Last Bite Hotel". Food Com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  12. ^ "Chefs Cook and Conspire Their Way to Cook Another Day on Last Bite Hotel, Hosted by Tituss Burgess". Food Network. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  13. ^ Williams, JaNae. "Kevin Lee's 'Last Bite': How did the OKC chef do in the Food Network finale?". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  14. ^ Zorn, Nguyen, Nini & Sarah. "Dăc Biêt: An Extra-Special Vietnamese Cookbook". Library Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)