About us
Created to delve further into Vietnamese cuisine and culture, Nén Light is the spiritual successor of the acclaimed Nén Restaurant (Da Nang) by Executive Chef Summer Le.
The team at Nén is passionate about exploring Vietnam’s culinary landscape and promoting local ingredients. With their trademarked Sto:ry Menu concept, each experience at Nén Light is a multi-sensory journey that aims not only to satisfy the palate, but to touch the heart and provoke the mind of the diner as well.
Summer Le
Founder/Executive Chef
Summer Le spent more than 10 years researching and promoting Vietnamese cuisine as a food blogger before taking on the role of an Executive Chef in her own Nén Restaurant (Danang, 2017) and now Nén Light (Saigon, 2022), focusing on Vietnamese ingredients.
Coming from an intellectual background with a masters’ degree from the Australian National University, Summer is unorthodox, yet respectful, in her approach to the long-established Vietnamese culinary traditions. With the creation of Sto:ry Menu since 2021 – a tasting menu woven with storytelling elements – Summer speaks her mind through the whole experience.
Besides her main role at Nén, Summer is also notable for her presence in other F&B projects domestically and internationally, namely: TV host for VTV & Asian Food Channel, contributor for Phaidon – the prestigious book publisher for the F&B industry, and culinary consultant for international news outlets (New York Times, Food & Wine, NHK…).
Conscious Cuisine
To us, food is more than just what we consume.
Embedded in these ingredients making up our meals are years of agriculture, lifestyle, and hidden stories. When we consciously look at these ingredients, beyond their physical form, a whole new world appears.
Conscious Vietnamese Cuisine (Ẩm Thực Nhìn) is a chance for us to showcase our knowledge and appreciation of our Vietnamese heritage. It is born out of respect for the nature and love for each other.
