A person looks at the Tik Tok account of Chef Tue Nguyen, (@twaydabae) in Los Angeles on July 24, 2023. Nguyen became a Tik Tok star with Vietnamese linaria during the pandemic. With the world back on the streets, the young chef jumped from the screen to the real world by opening her first restaurant in Los Angeles. 鈥淚 think it was always a dream,鈥� says the 25-year-old chef at one of the tables at Di Di, her newly opened restaurant in busy West Hollywood. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
LOS ANGELES 鈥� Tue Nguyen became a TikTok star by posting videos of herself cooking Vietnamese dishes during the pandemic.
With lockdowns over, the young chef has leaped from the virtual to the real world to open her first restaurant near Los Angeles.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 always kind of been like a dream,鈥� Nguyen, 25, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) at Di Di, her restaurant in the vibrant suburb of West Hollywood.
鈥淏ut鈥� I honestly didn鈥檛 know that it would come this fast.鈥�
Nguyen attended culinary school to learn the basics of the craft but said she truly mastered gastronomy when she tapped into her heritage.
鈥淚 genuinely didn鈥檛 learn how to cook until鈥� I really looked back at what I grew up with. And that鈥檚 the taste of my mom鈥檚 cooking.鈥�
Nguyen, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam with her family as a child, credits her mother and stepfather as her main influences in the kitchen.
鈥淭hey remind me every time that I鈥檓 in the kitchen to cook, to make good food, and to trust your taste,鈥� Nguyen said.
鈥楩ind my taste鈥�
Known on social media as , Nguyen first started posting mukbangs, or videos in which people livestream themselves eating.
But it was her cooking videos that made her genuinely popular on platforms like TikTok.
She began posting on social media just for fun, but she quickly saw that people had an appetite not only for eating but also for learning to recreate the food themselves.
鈥淎nd that was when I realized okay鈥� I鈥檓 going to take this opportunity as a way for me to not only learn but also develop like my style of cooking鈥� and find my taste in the kitchen.鈥�
Unlike other chefs who rise to restaurant fame before they become media celebrities, Nguyen tried the opposite approach and began bringing her online dishes to the real world at pop-up restaurant venues.
The location of her first appearance is where she later opened Di Di.
With hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and millions of likes on her videos, Nguyen doesn鈥檛 think sharing her recipes with the world will hurt her restaurant business.
鈥淎 lot of times my recipes online are very easy to follow,鈥� she said.
鈥淗ere,鈥� she said of Di Di, 鈥渋t鈥檚 more polished.鈥�
鈥楳y story, my heart鈥�
Filled with huge armchairs and golden lamps and decorated with tropical plants, Di Di 鈥� the Vietnamese phrase for 鈥淟et鈥檚 go鈥� 鈥� opened its doors on Thursday.
Nguyen, who takes care of every detail at Di Di, describes her cooking style as a blend of the techniques she learned in culinary school and the taste of her mother鈥檚 cooking she grew up with.
She hopes this personal brand will help her succeed in the competitive Los Angeles gastronomic scene.
鈥淚 have my story. I have my heart. That is really what makes this place special,鈥� she said.
鈥淭his restaurant is about just celebrating the culture that raised me and a picture I鈥檓 really proud of.鈥�