Andrea Nguyen
{{short description|Vietnamese-American chef}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Andrea Nguyen
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1969}}
| birth_place = Sai Gon, Vietnam
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| other_names = Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen
| occupation = food writer and cookbook author
| years_active = 1997-present
| known_for = Vietnamese cuisine
| notable_works = Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, Asian Dumplings, Asian Tofu, The Banh Mi Handbook, The Pho Cookbook, Vietnamese Food Any Day, Ever-Green Vietnamese
| website = [https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/ Viet World Kitchen] and newsletter [https://andreanguyen.substack.com/ Pass the Fish Sauce]
}}
Andrea Nguyen (born 1969) is a Vietnamese-born, American teacher, food writer, cookbook author and chef living in the San Francisco area. An expert on Asian cuisine and cooking methods, Nguyen has written numerous cookbooks on the food of her native Vietnam, as well as an account of her family's escape during the Fall of Saigon. She writes an active blog, newsletter, as well as articles for newspapers and food magazines and teaches cooking classes throughout the country.
Early life
Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen was born in 1969 in Vietnam and fled with her family of seven when Saigon fell in 1975. Fleeing the communist regime, her family emigrated with only enough belongings for a vacation, but brought with them a notebook filled with her mother's recipes.{{sfn|Kierzek|2014}} They settled in Southern California and attempted to buy foods they were familiar with, but the dishes were mass-produced and not very tasty. Nguyen's mother suggested they replicate foods from their homeland, by making the dishes themselves.{{sfn|Bates|2014}} After a childhood spent in San Clemente, Nguyen attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a B.S. in banking and finance and M.A. in communication management.{{sfn|Duggan|2014}}{{sfn|SpiceLines|2008}}
Career
Upon completing her schooling, Nguyen first worked as a bank auditor and then a university administrator, while she and husband were living in Los Angeles before she began writing restaurant reviews.{{sfn|Duggan|2014}}{{sfn|SpiceLines|2008}}
In 1997, she wrote her first book, an autobiographical tale, Trip to Freedom (1997) which was written to explain her family's migration and the events surrounding the decision to children.{{sfn|Ngo|2016}} Nguyen wrote a letter to pitch an article on her mother's mooncakes to Saveur and they accepted it. She then developed her website and worked on a proposal for her first cookbook.{{sfn|SpiceLines|2008}} She continued writing articles about the food of Vietnam in various newspapers and magazines, like the Los Angeles Times,{{sfn|Nguyen|2016}} Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, and Rodale's Organic Life.{{sfn|Ngo|2016}} Starting fall 2017, she has had a monthly column in Cooking Light called "The Teacher."
Nguyen's first cookbook Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (2006) has been called "indispensable" for those wanting to cook Vietnamese foods, as Nguyen sees culinary history as integrally entwined with culture.{{sfn|McKeever|2016}} Her detailed instructions were clear and precise with photographs and explanatory techniques provided in sidebar.{{sfn|Sutton|2006|p=90}} It was a finalist in the 2007 James Beard Foundation Award, as best Asian cookbook and was nominated for best first book and best international cookbook by the International Association of Culinary Professionals that same year.{{sfn|Ngo|2016}}{{sfn|Fresh Fiction|2010}} In March 2012, both Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and Nguyen's second cookbook, Asian Dumplings were selected as two of seven cookbooks honored in the Asian section of Cooking Light′s Best 100 Cookbooks of the Past 25 Years Award.{{sfn|Ngo|2016}} Asian Dumplings covered a wide array of dumplings from throughout Asia, dividing the recipes by dough and wrapping type. The detailed instructions included line drawings to demonstrate how to form the dough into traditional shapes, as well as sections on sauces, stocks, seasonings and ingredients and various cooking equipment needed to make the dishes.{{sfn|Publishers Weekly|2009|p=136}}
Asian Tofu (2012) was more than a guide to making tofu, as Nguyen included buying guides, as well as tips on selecting ready-made tofu. Her recipes featured both vegetarian and meat dishes, which could use either homemade or store-bought tofu and was noted as an "essential" guide.{{sfn|Campbell|2011|p=145}} With The Banh Mi Handbook (2014), Nguyen added another layer to her history of cooking in Vietnam, showing how the marriage of French colonial staples, such as the baguette were combined with Asian pâtés, barbecue and pickles to create a "delightful balance of tastes and textures".{{sfn|Knoblauch|2014|p=12}} Her 2017 book The Pho Cookbook explores variants in the dish, noting that traditionally pho was a simple, rustic soup, which mirrored the sensibility of Hanoi. As it made its way southward toward Saigon, the dish became sweeter and spicier and more cosmopolitan, with custom additions of sauces and herbs, representing the more capitalist influences of the commercialized south.{{sfn|McKeever|2016}} In 2018, Nguyen won a James Beard Award for Best Cookbook for The Pho Cookbook.{{Cite web|title=The 2018 James Beard Media Award Winners {{!}} James Beard Foundation|url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2018-james-beard-media-award-winners|access-date=2021-07-09|website=www.jamesbeard.org|language=en}}{{cite news|last1=Fort|first1=Ellen|title=Here Are the Bay Area Winners of the 2018 James Beard Foundation Media Awards|url=https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/28/17297124/james-beard-foundation-awards-2018-media-winners-cookbooks-san-francisco|work=Eater|date=April 28, 2018}}
"Vietnamese Food Any Day" (2019) presented recipes, techniques, and know-how to cooks to prepare dishes from American supermarket ingredients. No Asian market shopping was required. It has become the go-to cookbook for many people who crave Vietnamese food and want to fit it into their repertoire any day of the week. Following the release of that book, Nguyen suffered a midlife, menopause-related health scare and retooled her diet and lifestyle to focus on low-meat, plant-driven cooking, which is basis of traditional Vietnamese cooking. The result of her pivot resulted in "Ever-Green Vietnamese" (2024), a cookbook that centered produce from land and sea. Flexitarian modern recipes helped cooks wanting a diversity of healthy dishes in their repertoire gravitated toward the book. "Ever-Green Vietnamese" received a [https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/286795 2024 James Beard Award nomination (best vegetable cookbook)] and won an [https://www.iacp.com/awards/2024-iacp-award-winners/ International Association of Culinary Professional award (best photography and styling)].
Nguyen also collaborates with others. She co-founded the podcast [https://www.everythingcookbooks.com/ Everything Cookbooks] and is working on "Cooking Thai" with multi-Michelin star chef Pim Techamuanvivit, to be released in 2026.
Nguyen is a recognized authority on Asian cuisines and has taught cooking classes throughout the United States.{{sfn|Duggan|2014}}{{sfn|Ngo|2016}}
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|30em}}
=Bibliography=
{{Refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite news|last1=Bates |first1=Karen Grigsby |title='The Banh Mi Handbook': A Guide To A Viet-French Sandwich |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/11/29/366611344/the-banh-mi-handbook-a-guide-to-a-viet-french-sandwich |access-date=7 November 2016 |publisher=NPR |date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515073545/http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/11/29/366611344/the-banh-mi-handbook-a-guide-to-a-viet-french-sandwich |archive-date=15 May 2016 |location=Washington, D.C. |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=Lisa|title=Review: Nguyen, Andrea (text) & Maren Caruso (photogs.) "Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home"|journal=Library Journal|date=December 1, 2011|volume=136|issue=20|url=http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2bf9dc9a-3709-4257-8b1a-b1f081a2a48f%40sessionmgr103&vid=0&hid=124|access-date=7 November 2016|publisher=Media Source Inc.|location=Plain City, Ohio|issn=0363-0277|url-access=subscription |via=EBSCOHost}}
- {{cite news|last1=Duggan |first1=Tara |title=Andrea Nguyen adapts Asian recipes to Santa Cruz availability |url=http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Andrea-Nguyen-adapts-Asian-recipes-to-Santa-Cruz-5893897.php |access-date=7 November 2016 |newspaper=SF Gate |date=November 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805100901/http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Andrea-Nguyen-adapts-Asian-recipes-to-Santa-Cruz-5893897.php |archive-date=August 5, 2015 |location=San Francisco, California |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite news|last1=Kierzek |first1=Kristine M. |title=Andrea Nguyen shares secret to sublime banh mi sandwiches in fourth cookbook |url=http://archive.jsonline.com/features/food/andrea-nguyen-shares-secret-to-sublime-banh-mi-sandwiches-in-fourth-cookbook-b99312771z1-269093891.html |access-date=7 November 2016 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=July 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107192541/http://archive.jsonline.com/features/food/andrea-nguyen-shares-secret-to-sublime-banh-mi-sandwiches-in-fourth-cookbook-b99312771z1-269093891.html |archive-date=7 November 2016 |location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite journal|last1=Knoblauch|first1=Mark|title=Review: "The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches" by Andrea Nguyen|journal=Booklist|date=July 1, 2014|volume=110|issue=21|url=http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1b14a4cd-4068-411f-a4ef-8c49c28774ab%40sessionmgr4009&vid=1&hid=4209|access-date=7 November 2016|publisher=American Library Association|location=Chicago, Illinois|issn=0006-7385|url-access=subscription |via=EBSCOHost}}
- {{cite web|last1=McKeever |first1=Amy |title=In Vietnam, Pho Is a Breakfast Tradition Changing With the Times |url=http://www.eater.com/2016/2/16/10982834/pho-history-vietnam |website=Eater |publisher=Vox Media, Inc. |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527155530/http://www.eater.com/2016/2/16/10982834/pho-history-vietnam |archive-date=27 May 2016 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=February 16, 2016 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite web|last1=Ngo|first1=Quyen|title=The Bánh Mì Handbook by Andrea Nguyen|url=http://www.chopsticksalley.com/single-post/2016/07/04/The-B%C3%A1nh-M%C3%AC-Handbook-by-Andrea-Nguyen|website=Chopsticks Alley|access-date=7 November 2016|location=San Jose, California|date=July 4, 2016}}
- {{cite news|last1=Nguyen |first1=Andrea |title=How to make a great bowl of pho at home |url=http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pho-andrea-nguyen-20161010-snap-story.html |access-date=7 November 2016 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027144745/http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pho-andrea-nguyen-20161010-snap-story.html |archive-date=27 October 2016 |location=Los Angeles, California |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite journal|last1=Sutton|first1=Judith|title=Review: Nguyen, Andrea (text) & Leigh Beisch (photogs.) "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors"|journal=Library Journal|date=November 15, 2006|volume=131|issue=19|url=http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=875d831a-08c1-45d7-9aaf-eb3d18ca47e6%40sessionmgr120&vid=0&hid=124|access-date=7 November 2016|publisher=Reed Business Information|location=London, England|issn=0363-0277|url-access=subscription |via=EBSCOHost}}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|Fresh Fiction|2010}} |author= |title=Andrea Nguyen |url=http://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=23201 |website=Fresh Fiction |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811212346/http://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=23201 |archive-date=11 August 2016 |date=2010 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|SpiceLines|2008}} |author= |title=Andrea Nguyen Talks Vietnamese: Fish Sauce, Lemongrass and the Best Pho in San Francisco |url=http://spicelines.com/2008/05/14/andrea-nguyen-talks-vietnamese-fish-sauce-lemongrass-and-the-best-pho-in-san-francisco/ |website=SpiceLines |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107222338/http://spicelines.com/2008/05/14/andrea-nguyen-talks-vietnamese-fish-sauce-lemongrass-and-the-best-pho-in-san-francisco/ |archive-date=7 November 2016 |location=Los Angeles, California |date=May 14, 2008 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite journal|ref={{harvid|Publishers Weekly|2009}}|author=|title=Review of "Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More," by Andrea Nguyen|journal=Publishers Weekly|date=July 20, 2009|volume=256|issue=29|url=http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=74e2eb53-1210-4b7c-bc16-cb6764040086%40sessionmgr104&vid=0&hid=124|access-date=7 November 2016|publisher=PWxyz LLC|location=New York City, New York|issn=0000-0019|url-access=subscription |via=EBSCOHost}}
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Category:Vietnamese women writers
Category:20th-century American women writers
Category:20th-century Vietnamese women writers
Category:21st-century American women writers