The secret to winning a cooking competition from a student who chose the wrong career

Nguyen Ngoc Phu and Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sarah Hooper

photo: shui hypnosis

The judges of the 2025 Taste of Australia cooking competition organized by the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12 decided to award the championship to Nguyen Ngoc Phu, a 27-year-old student, currently in his second year of culinary arts at Saigontourist College of Tourism and Hospitality (Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City).

When fish sauce helps clear away obstacles

To win this honor, Phu surpassed other contestants who entered the direct competition round from Saigon Tourism College, Viet Giao Secondary School (both in Ho Chi Minh City) and KOTO School (Hanoi).

The show has two rounds. The first round requires the judges to recreate the dish of lamb chops with a fish sauce and herbs sauce and Australian macadamia nuts. The second round requires the preparation of a "mystery main dish", with the challenge later revealed to use Australian amberjack.

In both rounds, Phu relied on the "soul of Vietnamese cuisine" fish sauce to handle the smell of lamb and fish dishes he had never had the chance to come into contact with.

Speaking to Thanh Nien , a representative of Saigontourist College of Tourism and Hospitality revealed that they used grapefruit for the mashed potato dish. "As far as I know, Vietnamese grapefruit is one of the fruits exported to Australia but with a very strict process. Therefore, I want to use grapefruit to promote Vietnamese ingredients, combined with the orange fish dish to bring about the fusion of two culinary cultures," Phu shared.

Nguyen Ngoc Phu in round 2

photo: shui hypnosis

It's never too late to start over, and keep at it.

The surprising thing about the winner of the contest is that Phu used to study another major. Initially, Phu studied industrial electronics at Cao Thang Technical College and worked in the same field after graduation.

In addition to his official working hours at the company, Phu also worked as a waiter at a restaurant. During his service, Phu had the opportunity to work in the kitchen and over time, Phu had the idea of ​​changing careers.

"The atmosphere in the kitchen is very cheerful and friendly. Although the work of the kitchen staff is stressful, they still maintain their calmness and work with great dedication to their profession," Phu shared.

Discovering a new direction helped Phu decide to quit his formal job and work full-time at the restaurant, this time in the kitchen.

Excluding the pandemic, Phu has been working for 4 years, and the more he works, the more he loves it and craves new knowledge. Through social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, Phu observes how other restaurants prepare their dishes, and he even saves money to go out to try them out in the hope of expanding his skills.

After gaining experience working in different restaurants, Phu decided to go back to school to learn more about the culinary industry.

When asked about advice for those who are having difficulty choosing a future direction, Phu said that if you face any difficulties, you should still move forward, as long as you feel you have chosen the right path.

"Everyone has a mission in this life. Once you start a job, you must have faith in it," Phu concluded.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-quyet-chinh-phuc-cuoc-thi-nau-an-cua-sinh-vien-tung-chon-sai-nghe-185250412183824783.htm