The person who "ignites the passion" for Hue cuisine.

Born into a family of educators with a tradition of love for literature, Ms. Hoang Thi Nhu Huy herself is an educator and writer. Having absorbed many humanistic values from her family, she skillfully incorporates them into everyday products, transforming food into works of art.

However, it wasn't until she was 44 years old, due to a family tragedy, that culinary artist Hoang Thi Nhu Huy changed her life's direction, choosing cooking as a profession to make a living. She recounted that in 1981, while teaching literature in Quang Nam, her mother-in-law in Hue had an accident. She requested a transfer but was denied, so she had to quit her job to care for her mother. Facing difficult times, she applied for jobs everywhere but was rejected every time.

At that time, she did all kinds of jobs, from writing and cooking to raising livestock and farming. During this period, she and her sister received funding from the Schzmith Foundation to open a class teaching domestic skills to many women in Hue . This work allowed her to both pass on her skills and learn new ones, accumulating more experience for herself every day.

In 1996, the Saigon Morin Hotel announced job openings, and she applied for a kitchen staff position. After a two-hour interview, she was selected and sponsored to attend Vietnam's first industrial culinary training course, organized by Saigontourist in Ho Chi Minh City. After a year of diligent study, she graduated at the top of her class.

Every day, she toils by the fire, surrounded by smoke, sweat, and the bitterness of life. Her hands, once accustomed to holding pens, now have to handle chopsticks, knives, cutting boards, pots, and pans... in the hustle and bustle of the food business, causing her to break down in tears more than once out of self-pity.

Fate smiled upon her. One day, while busy preparing food for a wedding reception at the hotel, she was unexpectedly approached by the manager of the Saigon Morin Hotel. He asked if she spoke French and scheduled an interview for 2 PM in his office for a trip to France. She arrived at the appointed time. After the interview, the French representative turned to the hotel manager and said, "Madam Huy has a truly wonderful father. He taught his daughter French, and even after 26 years without having the opportunity to use it, it's still very good." Following that interview, she was selected to go to France to further her professional development.

She packed her bags again and set off for the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France to "seek guidance from a master." There, another stroke of luck came her way. After only a week of studying at the school, the headmaster invited her to his office and suggested she participate in an international culinary competition organized by the French Academy of Culinary Arts. She hesitated, knowing she wasn't yet qualified, and gave two reasons for declining. First, the entry fee was very high, and she couldn't afford it. Second, the kitchen equipment was too modern for her to use, and she would be confused when preparing the dishes. The headmaster smiled and said the school would help with both.

At that time, she was interviewed by a team of 20 culinary PhDs from the French Culinary Academy about her knowledge of cooking and culinary culture. Afterward, she drew a topic, selected ingredients from the storeroom, and wrote a recipe to submit to the judges. The exam was both closed and open-ended; meaning the main ingredients and cooking methods had to be exactly as given, while other knowledge was left to the contestant's discretion and creativity. Surprisingly, Ms. Hoang Thi Nhu Huy surpassed nearly 670 contestants from around the world to win the 1998 International Chef Competition at Le Touqet Paris Palace, and was awarded a medal and the title of Honorary Member by the French Culinary Academy.

After completing her studies in France and returning home, she continued working in the hotel kitchen. Then, another opportunity arose that led her back to teaching when, in 2000, she was selected by experts from the LUX Project to be the Head Culinary Teacher at the Hue Tourism Vocational School, right in the kitchen of the Saigon Morin Hotel.

"Good wine needs no bush," and word of Mrs. Nhu Huy spread overseas. Several overseas organizations and tourism schools invited her to teach and interact with them. From then on, Mrs. Huy had more opportunities to travel and showcase Vietnamese cuisine.

Overseas, she designed many menus using poetry, which impressed diners and made the food taste even better. Once, she received a phone call from a Vietnamese expatriate who said they cried after reading her writings. Their longing for home was intensely rekindled by dishes that seemed ordinary but embodied the soul of Hue cuisine. It is this love of food that has created her own unique culinary style, preserving tradition while constantly innovating to make it richer and more appealing.

Since 1996, Ms. Nhu Huy has produced numerous CDs of films on professional teaching and cultural exchange for television stations, such as: Culinary culture in the Vu Lan Festival, Culinary culture in the Mid-Autumn Festival, Hue's eating style, Distinctive features of Hue cuisine, Hue's Tet (Lunar New Year) culinary culture, etc. She has also collaborated with many international organizations, such as UNIDO, NAV, JICA, etc., in programs helping poor women improve their skills in food processing, such as: processing shrimp paste using clean technology; processing bread and pastries in individual household production; providing nutritional guidance for HIV patients, etc.

For Ms. Nhu Huy, glory was intertwined with hardship in life when, in 2002, her husband suffered a stroke. So, at the same time, she had to care for her husband, earn a living, and continue pursuing her passion for culinary arts.

As recognition for her perseverance and creativity, Ms. Huy continued to receive numerous prestigious awards and commendations, such as: the International Culinary Medal and honorary membership in the French Culinary Academy, the title of Outstanding Vietnamese Teacher, the title of Talented Vietnamese Woman from the Vietnam Women's Museum, the title of Vietnamese Woman Overcoming Difficulties selected by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (2007), the title of "Living Human Treasure" honored by the Vietnam Folk Arts Association, and the titles of Outstanding Artisan and People's Artisan bestowed by the President of Vietnam…

During the 2011 Hue Festival, the Hue Salted Rice Feast – a research project she had been nurturing since 1999, using salt grains she had preserved for over 10 years with a family secret recipe – restored the cultural value of ancient Hue cuisine, astonishing many tourists and introducing to the world this unique and unparalleled beauty of traditional Hue cuisine.

In her culinary videos showcasing Vietnamese cuisine, through her skillful hands and eloquent, expressive delivery, artisan Hoang Thi Nhu Huy has left a lasting impression on viewers across Vietnam and the world, portraying a Hue woman who has dedicated her life to honoring and promoting Vietnamese gastronomy.

In early 2025, I had the opportunity to visit An Chi Vien Garden (Thuy Bang, Thuan Hoa District), where she chose to live out her retirement. She still preserves artifacts like bowls, pots, and pans from her life as an artist, enough to create a culinary museum for future generations. In her garden, filled with various green plants and herbs, when visitors come to her home, she often introduces each ingredient used to cook Hue dishes; the magical combination of ingredients and spices passed down from her ancestors creates dishes unlike anywhere else. She guides visitors in preparing Hue dishes through hands-on training, a method of experienced culinary artistry that makes visitors feel confident and able to recreate Hue dishes when they return home.

At over 70 years old, Mrs. Nhu Huy should have retired. Yet, night after night, she diligently edits her 1,000-page book titled "Culinary Love"—a book that serves as an "encyclopedia" of Hue's unique cuisine, and represents her unwavering dedication to passing on her culinary skills to future generations.