Hello, this site was created and maintained by me -- Andrea Nguyen. I'm an author, freelance writer and cooking teacher based in Northern California. This site exists to promote conversation and contribution from Asian food enthusiasts -- as well as curious cooks and eaters! You don't have to be Asian to prepare and/or enjoy the foods of Asia.
A contributing editor to SAVEUR magazine, my work also appears in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications. I've led a tour of Orange County's Little Saigon for Epicurious TV, which aired on the Travel Channel. When time permits, I teach cooking classes at locations such as the Institute for Culinary Education in New York and Draeger's in San Mateo, California.
2007 Finalist |
2007, 2010 Finalist |
2010 Favorite Cookbooks |
Best 10 Cookbooks of 2009 |
Cookbooks and Accolades
My debut cookbook, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, was published by Ten Speed Press in October 2006. A landmark publication with over 175 recipes, the work is the first comprehensive full-color cookbook devoted to Vietnamese food in the English language. Leading food writers have praised the book for its attention to detail, accessibility, and thorough research. I work to demystify Vietnamese cuisine while bridging culinary traditions with contemporary practices.
In 2007, the book was among the select finalists for a James Beard Foundation award (best Asian cookbook). That year, the Vietnamese cookbook also earned two International Association of Culinary Professionals award nominations (best first book and best international book). The 2009 Slate.com food issue included me in their listing of "recipe detectives" who excel at translating foreign flavors for American cooks.
My second book did not focus on Vietnamese cooking. The subject and title was Asian Dumplings -- one of my all-time favorite foods. In May 2009, I launched a site called Asian Dumpling Tips as a companion to the book. Since June 2010, new information on Asian dumplings has resided on Viet World Kitchen -- which has evolved into in an exploration and conversation on Asian food, cooking and culture.
Asian Dumplings was an award finalist in the International Association of Culinary Professionals cookbook competion. It was also selected as one of the best or favorite books by National Public Radio, Cooking Light, and CHOW.com.
I've been interested in digital publications and apps (ebooks) for a while. In Spring of 2011, Asian Dumplings was released as an enhanced ebook with instructional videos to guide cooks through the various shapes. Learn more from this page.
The Asian Market Shopper iPhone app was released by Chronicle Books in May 2011. The app is a handy tool for understanding how to buy Asian ingredients -- what to look for, how to pronounce things, preferred brands.
My new cookbook, Asian Tofu will be released by Ten Speed Press on February 28, 2012. On that date, we'll be releasing the book as a traditional print book, regular ebook (a digital version of the printed book), and an enhanced ebook that's just like the printed book but with video tutorials and slideshows!
Professional Affiliations and Education
I'm a culinary professional and member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), and San Francisco Professional Food Society (SFPFS). I co-founded the Asian Culinary Forum, a educational non-profit based in San Francisco, and serve on its advisory board.
I'm also a proud alum of the University of Southern California, where I earned my bachelor's and master's degrees in business and communication management. (Go Trojans!) As a Rotary International Foundation Fellow, I attended the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where I polished my Mandarin Chinese and ate lots of terrific Asian food.
My culinary training
Since the age of 10 (when I gained a certain command of English), I've been reading and studying cookbooks. I perused cookbooks, both East and West, as if they were novels. I watched PBS shows by Julia Child and Martin Yan and observed their moves and took in their knowledge. I fantasized about doing something in food but first generation immigrants 'don't do that.' I've been a bank examiner, university administrator, and communication consultant. But in the midst of those careers, I cooked and read the classics as well as new interpretations of food, trying to find cultural and culinary links between cuisines. I read Vietnamese cookbooks in English and Vietnamese, trying to figure out how to best present the unfamiliar and 'exotic' to a broad audience of cooks.
To test my determination, I cooked professionally for 1 year in the early 1990s, first at the now-defunct City Restaurant (owned by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger) in Los Angeles, and then in catering. It was the hardest work I'd ever done. Hands down. My father offered to put me through cooking school, a bold move on his and my mom's part since they didn't initially take to me getting a university degree and wanting to work with my hands. But I demurred and figured that I'd be better off in something more conventional so I got a graduate degree and forged a career as a communication consultant for clients in education. I wrote as a freelancer on the side to hone my writing and research skills and eventually built a website and won a cookbook contract with Ten Speed Press for my first work, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. It's the book that I've been wanting to write since I was 10!
I have no formal culinary training. I never went to cooking school. My life-long curiosity about food, cooking, and culture fuels my work. At the end of the day, my aim is to (1) capture the human connections to food and (2) demystify Asian food without dumbing it down.
Feel free to send messages, post comments, and join in the fray. I look forward to e-meeting you.
Please do not copy and re-post content from this site without getting permission from me first. That's a rights infringement and just plain bad form!
