Hung Huynh facts for kids

Hung Huynh (born January 25, 1978) is a famous American chef who was born in Vietnam. He is most well-known for winning the third season of Top Chef. This was a cooking competition show on the Bravo TV channel. He also worked as the head chef at popular restaurants like Catch and The General.

Early Life and Cooking Journey

Hung Huynh was born in Vietnam. He grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His cooking journey started very young. He learned to cook in his parents' Vietnamese restaurant.

He studied at the Culinary Institute of America. This is a famous cooking school. After school, he worked in top restaurants. These included Per Se and Gilt in New York City. Later, he was a head chef at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. This was before he became famous on Top Chef.

Guest Judge on Top Chef

Hung Huynh did not just win Top Chef. He also came back to the show as a special guest. He was a judge in season four. He also helped with a cooking challenge in season five. In season seven, he helped another chef, Angelo Sosa, in the finale.

Cooking Competitions

In 2008, Hung Huynh took part in the Bocuse d'Or USA contest. This competition helps choose a chef to represent the U.S. in a big international cooking event. Hung Huynh won an award for "Best Fish."

Chef and Restaurant Owner

After Top Chef, Hung Huynh became a very busy chef. From 2008 to 2009, he was a guest head chef at Solo restaurant in New York City. Then, he became the head chef at Ajna Bar in New York City.

Opening New Restaurants

Hung Huynh helped open several new restaurants. These included The General, Catch, and Catch Miami. The General served modern Asian food. Catch focused on seafood dishes.

Later, he worked as a chef de cuisine at Morimoto Asia. This restaurant is in Disney Springs. He also joined Earl Enterprises. This company owns famous places like Planet Hollywood.

New Food Concepts

With Earl Enterprises, Hung Huynh helped create new Asian restaurants. He was a chef and partner at Warrior. This was an Asian-fusion restaurant in West Hollywood, California. He also helped start Asian Street Eats by Chef Hung Huynh. This concept was inspired by street food from Asia. Locations opened in Downtown Disney and at Los Angeles International Airport.

Recent Work

In 2021, Hung Huynh became the head chef at Ava MediterrAegean. This was a new restaurant in Winter Park, Florida. In 2022, he joined Omei Restaurant Group in Orlando, Florida. He became their Director of Culinary Innovation. This means he helps create new and exciting food ideas for their restaurants.