Chef Tung, in many ways, has the most challenging job at Viet Deli. Tasked with overseeing quality control and reporting to the board of directors, Tung is responsible for not only ensuring Viet Deli’s restaurants maintain a high standard, but for spreading the word of Vietnamese cuisine throughout the outside world.
“This incredible ambition was initially intimidating, despite me having more than 30-years of experience in kitchens,” Tung admits.
“This high pressure, did, however, rekindle my passion for traditional Vietnamese cuisine, spurring me on with the aim of introducing an abundance of traditional foods to everyone throughout the country.”
Chef Tung explains that, to him, the success of Viet Deli’s ambition is obvious, even after just three years. “This isn’t just in Home Finest,” he explains, “but across all of the Viet Deli restaurants, where the quality of the service and the food satisfy the customers every time.”
This is something that Tung comes back to throughout our interview, the “quality of the food” being produced by himself and the team. Tung explains that, he aims “to ensure that each dish is marinated with traditional aromas and spices. We aim to take your basic herbs and spices, found in any market across Vietnam, and create something new and original, yet heavily embedded in the past.”
When asked how Tung and Viet Deli plan on achieving recognition from the rest of the world, he explains that they want to introduce something new, “not only to the Vietnamese” he explains, “but to tourists too. We want people visiting Vietnam to understand the copious amounts of flavors available in Vietnamese cuisine, along with all of the fresh ingredients used.”
As a leading figure in traditional Vietnamese cuisine, Chef Tung has a range of experiences that have shaped his career, but first and foremost he says, “I owe a lot of my experience to my family.”
He goes on to explain, “I’ve learnt a lot from my wife just from the everyday food. She creates simple, delicious meals daily that make me appreciate the most ordinary ingredients.”
Chef Tung explains that this is the idea he and Viet Deli are trying to replicate, to get to the heart of Vietnam’s home cooked meals. “You’ll find most of our dishes to be inspired by Vietnam’s street food,” he explains, “which are really all family run businesses anyway. This is what we want to introduce the world to, the soul of Vietnamese cuisine within home-cooked food.”