Chef

Khai Duong is considered one of the world’s leading Asian chefs and one of the pioneers of modern Vietnamese cuisine

At the forefront of introducing upscale Vietnamese cuisine to the American palate, Chef Khai opened San Francisco's famous Ana Mandara Restaurant in 2000, which drew in locals and tourists alike with its refined cooking and majestic decor. By uniquely combining traditional Vietnamese recipes from his native village of Nha Trang with classic French technique, Chef Khai has created some of the most original and striking executions of modern Vietnamese dishes in the world. Chef Khai now travels every two years to Vietnam in order to reconnect with his roots in search of more Vietnamese culinary inspiration.

In 2012, Chef Khai won the Gold Medal at the International Beijing Culinary Competition, besting 200 other chefs with a “simple” tomato consommé dish made with birds-nest.  "Chef Khai is bringing a modern approach to Vietnam" said Martin Yan, host of the popular ‘Yan Can Cook’ cooking show. “He is one of the most creative, most talented Vietnamese chefs alive today. He is a culinary artist.” He expanded his culinary competition experience by becoming the principal judge for Iron Chef Vietnam.

Chef Khai is not only passionate about food, but in helping others as well. He is the founder of Chefs Without Borders, in which he spearheaded several successful culinary fundraising events for humanitarian causes, co-founded and led the Asian Chefs Association (ACA) for many years, and continues to actively support efforts against human trafficking. For many years during the holidays, Chef Khai has led his fellow ACA chefs in providing an Asian-style holiday meal to thousands of San Francisco homeless in partnership with Glide Memorial Church.