The inspiring story of Luke Nguyen

The Ethnic Business Awards were created by Mr Joseph Assaf AO to recognise the contribution of migrants and Indigenous Australians to the business landscape and the economy at large. Every year for more than three decades the Ethnic Business Awards have featured the stories of our incredible finalists who arrive, strive and succeed. Here we feature the story of an amazing entrepreneur Luke Nguyen.

In 1977, Luke Nguyen’s family escaped Vietnam by boat to Thailand in search of a new life. Upon arriving in Thailand, they were sent to live in Thai refugee camp. It was in one such camp that Luke was born.
A year later, Luke’s family journeyed to Australia but it was not easy as they had very little language skills, no financial backing and cultural differences to overcome. Luke didn’t see much of his family growing up, as they were working up to three jobs at a time just to make ends meet.
Luke’s parents were in the business of wholesale foods back in their home country and they worked with market vendors and growers, so it was only natural that they turned to food once more to make a living in Australia. They owned restaurants in Cabramatta, in Sydney which is known as the hub for the Vietnamese. Luke, having grown up surrounded by his culture and cuisine, was always learning about his heritage and recognised his own passion and wanted to share it with others.
However, starting a business with minimal savings and no help from banks either was not an easy task. There was a fear of failure and lack of support from many people around him, but it did not stop him from doing what he was meant to do. By the time he opened his first restaurant, Red Lantern, he only had a $100 left over, and on opening night he realized that the restaurant wouldn’t be making money for a while. “I would never put myself in that position today; but sheer heart and dreams got me to that moment and it happened, my dreams came true! Word of mouth about Red Lantern spread like crazy, and we became busier and busier. We’ve never looked back.” Said Luke when reflecting on those early days.
In only the first month of opening, Sydney Eats Guide awarded ‘Red Lantern’ the “Best New Restaurant” title. It was attracting crowds of people from all over Sydney, and people loved the authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Luke credits word of mouth as the main reason why his restaurant became locally and nationally known.

Following further exposure via his involvement with the Ethnic Business Awards, Luke was approached by SBS and in 2005, the restaurant appeared in an SBS Documentary ‘Heat in the Kitchen’. A few years later, Red Lantern published a cookbook which Luke himself wrote alongside his sister and her partner. After that, Luke wrote his own book called the ‘Songs of Sa Pa’ which was described as a vibrant essay of Luke’s journey and captured the beauty of Vietnam and their people’s deep connection with food.
Luke became a sensation as a gastronomic traveller as well. He took groups of people on culinary adventures through Vietnam, all the way from towns in the Sapa Mountains, to ancient cities in Hoi An down to Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
In 2010, Luke expanded into the production and media business in order to produce his own cooking and travel shows. His first show ‘Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam-Series 1’ received so much praise, that it allowed his team to make another season of it. He wrote another cookbook, and his new food series aired in over 150 countries. Luke also featured as a guest on MasterChef.
The Red Lantern restaurant also continued to be a favourite of many in Sydney. By 2012, exactly a decade since he started his first restaurant, Luke and his team opened ‘Red Lantern on Riley’ and ‘Red Lily Cocktail Bar’ in Sydney.
Red lantern has won the ‘Best Asian Restaurant’ award by Restaurant and Catering Association many times. It won the ‘Best Vietnamese Restaurant’ title in the 2009 Restaurant Catering Awards. Luke himself has a few honours to his name as well. He was the youngest person inducted into the Sydney Morning Herald’s Food Hall of Fame for his role as a presenter and creator of a television series. He has also been awarded Chef of the Year in Vietnam. Luke was also asked to be the representative of Asian Australians to continue to build a bridge of understanding between the West and Asia.
An excerpt for Luke’s speech on winning the well deserved Ethnic Business Award in 2008:-
“It was not until I won the Ethnic Business Awards that I came to realise my achievements and all the hardships and obstacles I went through to get there. It was the first time that I was put in a position where I could look back and actually become proud of what I had done. For a young migrant man that had nothing but a passion for food and culture, winning the award made all the hard work and all the sacrifices that I took worthwhile.
The morning after the award ceremony, I received phone calls, emails and flowers from businesses from all over Australia sending their congratulations – it was all very overwhelming. When the awards ceremony was televised internationally on the Australia Network, that’s when I began to receive business proposals and opportunities abroad. It has been endless and the exposure priceless.
I would urge all business owners big or small to nominate themselves in the Ethnic Business Awards. Nominating your business allows you and your team to look at yourselves and recognise all the great work you have achieved.”

Tune in to this year’s Awards to see more stories of inspiration. They are televised nationally on SBS, NITV and Aurora Community Channel. For broadcast times – please visit the Ethnic Business Awards Facebook Page.

Luke Nguyen - Chef, Author, TV Presenter and Winner of the Ethnic Business Awards 2002