Village of 'Chefs' - VnExpress

In Quang Nam province, 270 households with over 1,000 chefs in Dien Tho commune, Dien Ban town, work as catering services for clients in many provinces and cities in Central Vietnam.

As the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon approached, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Quy's establishment in Chau Lau village, Dien Tho commune, received dozens of calls ordering feast sets. After advising customers, Mrs. Quy finalized the orders, recording the number of sets, menu, time, and delivery address on a large board.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy is preparing beef rolls with mushrooms. Photo: Dac Thanh

Chau Lau village has the highest number of catering businesses in the commune, with 50 households. Large-scale establishments like Mrs. Quy's can serve 2,500-3,000 meals per day.

More than 15 years ago, in addition to her work as a teacher, Ms. Quy and her husband noticed a huge demand for catering services, especially for weddings, funerals, housewarmings, and festivals. Meanwhile, the local area had a readily available supply of diverse, fresh, and reasonably priced food. "Dien Tho and neighboring communes raise free-range chickens, and coastal establishments supply fresh seafood. The Dien Ban area has the Thu Bon River flowing through it, with many alluvial plains and rice fields where farmers grow many crops and raise beef cattle," she shared.

Mrs. Quy was renowned for her excellent cooking, so she was often hired by many families in the village to cook feasts. She cooked in a traditional, rustic style, but her food presentation wasn't very appealing, so she had to learn the trade in various places. Once she became skilled, she hired many people to help her cook for memorial services and housewarming parties in Dien Tho commune and neighboring communes.

She believes that a delicious feast must first and foremost ensure food safety and hygiene, followed by regional flavors and eye-catching presentation. Word of her success has spread, and Ms. Quy's catering service has expanded to Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Da Nang , and Hue. While a typical 10-person meal at a restaurant costs 1.8 million VND, customers who hire Ms. Quy's catering service pay only 1.3 million VND.

Besides catering, the couple also runs a rental service for tents, tables, chairs, and sound systems. Starting from nothing, Mrs. Quy now owns 4 trucks and 7 warehouses covering over 3,000 square meters, with investments totaling billions of dong. Many people from other regions have sought employment and apprenticeship opportunities from her, and have now opened their own businesses.

Order sheet from Ms. Quy's establishment during the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: Dac Thanh

In the final days of the year, Mr. Truong Van Thong's Bong Huong food establishment in Chau Lau village is also bustling with orders. From inside the house to the yard, more than 10 people are busy with pots and pans of vegetables and fruits placed on nearly a dozen blazing industrial gas stoves.

At over 9 am, the order for 50 trays of food was completed. The food was wrapped in nylon, packed in styrofoam boxes, and loaded onto a truck to be transported to Da Nang for the year-end party at lunchtime. "There's no competition or vying for customers in the village. Each establishment has its own menu. Whoever cooks well, provides professional service, and offers reasonable prices will be known," Mr. Thong said.

Previously, Mr. and Mrs. Thong worked in agriculture and didn't have much money left over. Now, thanks to their catering service, their family's finances have improved significantly. Initially, they prepared the meals themselves, but as orders increased, they couldn't handle it all, so they hired more local workers and expanded their service area.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, a cook at the establishment, said that her family still cultivates 6 sao (approximately 0.6 hectares) of rice fields, but on weekends and holidays, she cooks for hire, earning between 400,000 and 500,000 VND per day. In the month leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), she works 10 days, earning nearly 5 million VND, equivalent to almost four months' worth of work tending two sao of rice fields.

Villagers in Chau Lau prepare the dish. Photo: Dac Thanh

According to Mr. Mai Phuoc Thanh, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Dien Tho commune, the commune has 3,450 households, mainly engaged in agriculture, but is famous for its cooking. More than 20 years ago, the commune only had four households providing catering services, but now there are 270 households, including nearly 20 households providing large-scale services and organizing events.

Catering services not only generate high income for service providers but also create jobs for many rural workers. On weekends with many weddings or holidays, over 1,000 local workers are employed in catering services. To improve the skills of these workers, the commune regularly organizes training courses and issues cooking certificates. Households providing catering services must register to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Dac Thanh

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