About the Author

Luke Nguyen is a renowned Vietnamese-Australian chef, best known for his television series Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam, Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong and more recently Luke Nguyen’s France. Born in a Thai refugee camp after his parents escaped their homeland in Vietnam, Luke’s family made their way to Australia where Luke was raised in Cabramatta. His parents opened and ran a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Cay Du and it was this familial passion for food that first ignited Luke’s interest in Vietnamese cooking. After learning the basics from his parents, Luke trained with a number of respected chefs before opening The Red Lantern restaurant. Since then, The Red Lantern has become one of Sydney’s most acclaimed Vietnamese restaurants. Luke has written six cookbooks: Secrets of the Red Lantern, Songs of Sapa, Indochine, Greater Mekong and The Food of Vietnam and Luke Nguyen's France.

He now bases himself in Ho Chi Minh City, where he runs the city's only professional cooking studio, Grain by Luke, described by him as "a kind of speakeasy cooking school". He continues to have a big profile in Australia, courtesy of his books and the continuing success of his television career.