Luke Nguyen

Luke Nguyen is a well-known Vietnamese-Australian chef and restaurateur. Born at a Thailand refugee camp to Vietnamese immigrants on September 8 1978, Luke is the third of four children. The family emigrated to Australia when he was a year old and settled in Cabramatta in Sydney, new South Wales. He began helping out at the age of five in his parent's Vietnamese restaurant. Luke's father was known as the King of slow cooking, while his mother's speciality were quick stir-fries and rice paper rolls. Luke love and respect for food was recognised immediately. Luke opened his first restaurant, Red Lantern, with his sister Pauline Nguyen at the age of 23 and has gone on to present a number of cooking shows including Luke Nguyen's Vietnam and Luke Nguyen's France. In 2013 he became the judge and host of the first series of MasterChef Vietnam and has written the best-selling books Secrets of the Red Lantern and The Songs of Sapa. An award-winning chef and best-selling author, Luke was inducted into the Sydney Morning Herald's Food Hall of Fame for his cooking and travel programs.