Since moving to Mildura more than a decade ago, Andy Nguyen’s passion for food as seen him open the popular Mildura Noodle and Pasta Bar, Andy’s Kitchen and will soon open the doors to newest venture, Mr Bun Mi. Ashlee Falvo sat down with the talented chef to discuss his food journey. Pictures: Ben Gross
DURING his apprenticeship in Melbourne, Vietnamese-born Andy Nguyen used to carry a French dictionary around to translate what the head chef was saying to him.
He was determined not to let language barriers get in the way of his dream of becoming a chef, and that determination is paying dividends.
Andy comes from a long line of food lovers.
In Vietnam, his parents and extended family “always worked in hospitality”, having a hand in everything from bakeries and restaurants to takeaway shops.
He credits the family passion and involvement with food for his own love of the industry.
But he says while his parents understood his desire to be in the kitchen, they didn’t necessarily want him to pursue food as a career.
“I came to Australia at the age of 17, and I studied computer engineering at Monash University,” he says.
“To be honest, I didn’t enjoy it. I wanted to learn how to cook, so I sat down and spoke to my parents about changing my career path, and they warned me against it.
“They were worried about how secure my career and life would be in the hospitality industry, but eventually I talked them around.
“That’s when I started my training in commercial cookery through an apprenticeship.”
Andy says he was determined to be a successful chef from the start.
“I was so happy and excited, I just wanted to learn more and more about food,” he says.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything else, all I was thinking was, ‘what can I learn today?’
“A lot of the kitchens I worked in, the head chefs spoke French, so I would carry around a French and an English dictionary with me so that I could learn and understand the words.
“Before I even got to work in the morning, I had a million questions to ask.”
After visiting Mildura regularly with his family, Andy saw an opportunity to contribute to the region’s vibrant foodie culture.
“I loved Mildura every time I visited here, and eventually I knew it was where I wanted my home to be.
“I moved here 12 years ago and I’ve never looked back.
“I knew it could be a risk, but the reward would be worth it – and it has.”
Andy’s first local business venture was the Mildura Noodle and Pasta Bar; off the back of its success came Andy’s Kitchen, with his newest venture, Mr Bun Mi, opening this month.
“We started small – just me and my wife working,” he says.
“That way, if it failed, we weren’t jeopardising anyone else.
“But the businesses have just grown and grown – between the Noodle and Pasta Bar and Andy’s Kitchen, all up we’d employ around 50 people now.
“In the past 10 years, the mentality and the knowledge about Asian cuisine has changed a lot – people used to only order what they knew; beef and black bean sauce or special fried rice, but now they are so much more open minded and taking chances on new dishes – and loving them.”
Andy says his newest offering will be “entirely authentic Vietnamese cuisine”.
“We want the restaurant to have its own identity – when people talk about Mr Bun Mi, we want them to identify it as a Vietnamese restaurant.
“There will be old, familiar flavours, and some dishes that maybe people have never had before; that’s all part of the fun.”
