Lily Hoa Nguyen is the owner and Executive Chef at Vietnamese Foodies
Born in the North of Vietnam and raised in the vibrant surrounds of Ho Chi Minh City, Lily Hoa Nguyen’s love of cooking developed early in life. As a member of a big family, five-year-old Lily started cooking as part of her household chores, quickly learning flavours and techniques and perfecting her skills to become the best cook in the family by the tender age of 13.
Leaving Vietnam in 2012, Lily lived briefly in Paris and Istanbul before relocating with her young family to Dubai in 2016. Upon arriving in Dubai, Lily was excited about the gastronomic diversity of the emirate but saw a real gap in Dubai’s culinary landscape when it came to authentic and delicious Vietnamese food. In response to this gap, Lily started to share her passion for Vietnamese cuisine with Dubai foodies through private cooking classes, quickly building a strong and loyal following. Wanting to do more and share Vietnamese food even further to more people, Lily opened Vietnamese Foodies’ first location in JLT early January in 2018 and thanks to popular demand, a second location in Downtown Dubai in mid- 2019, third in April 2021 within Time Out Market Dubai, and fourth in December of 2021, within Nakheel Mall. In August 2022, Vietnamese Foodies opened its fifth location in Dubai Hills Mall.
As founder and executive chef of Vietnamese Foodies, Lily ensures that all dishes are lovely prepared to the highest standards, following traditional Vietnamese techniques and only the freshest whole food ingredients, spices and aromatic flavours.
Under Lily’s guidance, Vietnamese Foodies has garnered multiple awards including a number of Time Out Dubai Awards. In 2022, Lily was named on Caterer Middle East’s Women in F&B Power List.
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Written by Lily Hoa Nguyen
Authenticity in cuisine is more than just a trend; it serves as a bridge connecting people to a culture’s essence
Written by Lily Hoa Nguyen
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