Vietnamese-American Chef Kevin Tien: Bringing Contemporary Vietnamese Cuisine to the US

Vietnamese-American chef Kevin Tien, head chef of Moon Rabbit restaurant in the US, constantly strives to breathe creativity into contemporary Vietnamese cuisine to reach international standards and inspire new ideas.

Chef Kevin Tien is the head chef and co-founder of Moon Rabbit restaurant in Washington, DC (USA), known for his innovative approach to contemporary Vietnamese cuisine . Kevin studied Finance and has a Master's degree in Statistics, worked in the technology and data field with a high salary but gave it all up to pursue his passion for Vietnamese cuisine.

I had to ask for the support of the Washington, DC Tourism Promotion Center to help arrange a "date... early in the week" when the Moon Rabbit restaurant was not yet open so that I could have more time to talk with this famous young chef with the rare last name Tien. Kevin Tien is considered to be contributing to bringing Vietnamese cuisine closer to American diners with a new look and a lot of creative inspiration.

Kevin Tien (left) serves a Lunar New Year celebration party at the private home of former US Vice President Kamala Harris. PHOTO: PHAN QUOC VINH

In his "young" career, Kevin has made a splash with many restaurant projects such as Himitsu (Washington, DC) which was ranked in the top 50 best restaurants in America by Bon Appétit, was honored by Food & Wine as "America's 10 Best Emerging Chefs" in 2018 and participated in famous TV shows such as Iron Chef and Chopped .

* Can you share a little about your background and journey to becoming a chef?

Kevin Tien: I was born in Louisiana, in a Vietnamese family. I am the first person in my family to be born in the US. Initially, I studied and graduated in Finance, then got a master's degree in Statistics. I used to work as an engineer, data analyst, IT... the salary was quite good. But I realized that I was no longer passionate about this field, so I decided to return to the restaurant business - where I used to work in many different positions to pay for tuition. In this profession, I "found myself" with true joy and decided to stick with it until now.

Kevin Tien has a very friendly smile, "standard" of a service worker. PHOTO: PHAN QUOC VINH

* Is your family still in Vietnam? And do you return to Vietnam often?

Kevin Tien: My paternal side is still in Ho Chi Minh City, while my maternal side has moved to the US. I just returned to Vietnam for the first time last year, and visited many places such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Da Nang, Hoi An, Phu Quoc… I am really impressed with the development of the country and the richness of Vietnamese cuisine.

* What does your Moon Rabbit restaurant mean to you?

Kevin Tien: "Moon Rabbit" is inspired by the legend of the jade rabbit on the moon - a story of sacrifice and luck. I was born in 1987 - the year of the Cat, which is also a connection. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when people could not go out, we also flexibly turned the restaurant into a community food store, providing food packages and meals to the people. The story of the jade rabbit is very similar to what we did at that time, so we decided to use this name for the restaurant.

* How is Moon Rabbit's menu different from other Vietnamese restaurants?

Kevin Tien: We don't serve pho or banh mi - the familiar dishes that everyone thinks of when mentioning Vietnam. Instead, we reinvent traditional dishes. For example, instead of "bun cha", we make "ganh khoai nuong with thit loi" (gnocchi is an Italian pasta, small balls of dough made from potatoes or wheat flour, shaped like small round or oval balls - PV) or Sashimi Hamachi combined with lemongrass, turmeric, coconut milk - inspired by Hanoi's cha ca. I want Americans to see that Vietnamese cuisine is not only limited to pho and other street foods but also modernized and has achieved international standards.

Kevin Tien elevates Vietnamese dishes to a new level. PHOTO: PHAN QUOC VINH

* Do you have difficulty incorporating Vietnamese ingredients into your menu?

Kevin Tien: Yes. Some ingredients are hard to find, like Hanoi gin (Sông Cái Distillery, located in Hanoi, is the first gin distillery in Vietnam, founded in 2018 by Daniel Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American passionate about rural and indigenous development. They created Sông Cái Vietnam Dry Gin, using more than 14-16 types of indigenous herbs hand-harvested from the northern mountains - PV) or some signature beers from Ho Chi Minh City that we have to wait to bring from Vietnam. For dipping sauces, instead of traditional hoisin or peanut sauce, we make our own miso from sunflower seeds and sweet potatoes. This takes a lot of time, some types take 2 weeks to 4 months, but helps create a unique flavor, and is also more friendly to people with gluten or nut allergies.

* Moon Rabbit has been honored by many major American magazines. What does that mean to you?

Kevin Tien: Before Moon Rabbit, I opened Himitsu restaurant in Washington, DC, which was listed by Bon Appétit as one of America's 50 best restaurants. In 2018, I was voted one of the 10 best new chefs by Food & Wine. After that, I also participated in some TV shows like Iron Chef or Chopped . Those experiences were very interesting, not only helping to promote the restaurant but also giving me the opportunity to learn from Master Chefs and contestants. At the same time, I was also proud when Vietnamese dishes were introduced to the audience.

The decoration of Moon Rabit restaurant is simple and cozy, making diners feel like they are visiting a Vietnamese family. PHOTO: PHAN QUOC VINH

* During the startup process, who accompanied and supported you?

Kevin Tien: I have no investors, no bank loans. Everything is from my personal account. That makes things more difficult, but also helps me stick with each step. My family was worried at first, my mother also worked in a restaurant so she knows the hardships of this industry. I once told my lover when I decided to quit my high-paying job to start a restaurant: "It's okay if you want to leave."

But luckily, she used to work in the same restaurant when we were in college, which is where we met and fell in love. So, she later became my wife and understood the nature of the hours in this profession. That helped a lot. If it was someone who had never worked in a restaurant, they would definitely not understand. In the end, everyone supported me as long as I was happy.

* In the future, do you think about expanding the model, building a chain or a high-end restaurant in Vietnam or elsewhere in the US?

Kevin Tien: I had the opportunity to go back to Vietnam for the first time last year and I really fell in love with all the cities here. I was amazed by the development of high-end restaurants in Vietnam. I really want to do something for my homeland, maybe not now, but when my son is older, mature and independent, I will challenge myself to go back to Vietnam and open a restaurant. Of course I still want to do more.

The author took a souvenir photo with Kevin Tien. PHOTO: TGCC

* If your son wants to follow in your footsteps in the future, what advice would you give?

Kevin Tien: I hope my son will choose another career (laughs) because the F&B industry is very harsh. But if he wants to pursue this career, my advice is: take care of your customers and employees. When you care about them, they will care about you and help you go further.

* Do you have any message for young Vietnamese people who want to start an F&B business?

Kevin Tien: Don’t be afraid to ask. When I opened my first restaurant, I didn’t know how to do paperwork, accounting, or human resources. I asked friends, even emailed strangers. Many people were willing to help, as long as you asked. That was the key to overcoming difficulties.

* After all, are you happy?

Kevin Tien : I was happy… until the monthly bill came (laughs) . But looking back, I think it was worth it. I chose the difficult path but it was the path that brought a lot of meaning to my life.

* Thank you Kevin Tien and wish your career to develop more!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dau-bep-goc-viet-kevin-tien-dua-am-thuc-viet-duong-dai-toa-sang-tai-my-18525091218223088.htm