Summer Le
Founder / Creative Chef
To shed a new light on Vietnamese cuisine
Created to delve further into Vietnamese cuisine and culture, Nén Light is the spiritual successor of the acclaimed Nén Restaurant (Da Nang) by Creative Chef Summer Le & Experience Designer Leon Le.
This will be their debut in Saigon, showcasing the duo’s unique storytelling style and provides a premium dining experience that explores all the possibilities that Vietnamese ingredients can offer.
Nén is an indigenous and symbolic ingredient in Central Vietnam. It represents our desire to explore our own Vietnamese culture and the belief that even the most humble things can be potential. With the debut of a restaurant under the Nén brand in Saigon, we wanted to create an updated concept: one that is philosophical, modern but also easy to approach. That’s how Nén Light was born.
/light/: An expression in someone’s eyes indicating a particular emotion or mood.
Food is like light. It transcends borders and delivers emotions. Following the trails of food, we can rediscover ourselves – the identity, the soul, the culture – in a new light, honest and modern.
Nén Light – a restaurant without boundaries, in our approach, expression, and observation. This is a place where we invite you to join us on the journey to shed a new light on Vietnamese cuisine, to look at what is with the anticipation of realizing what can be, and will be.
Summer Le is the acclaimed chef behind Nén Restaurant (Da Nang). Late 2020, her creation of Sto:ry Menu marked Summer’s graduation from a conventional chef to her current title: Creative Chef. Coming from an intellectual background, Summer is unorthodox, yet respectful, in her approach to the long-established Vietnamese culinary traditions.
Nén Light is her next brain child. Inheriting what was best of Nén Restaurant, Nén Light is the materialization of Summer’s creativity, resumed after the worldwide epidemic.
With Sto:ry Menu – a tasting menu woven with storytelling elements – Summer speaks her mind and conveys her thoughts 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…).
Leon Le
Founder / Experience Designer
Leon Le is the man in charge of restaurant management, and is Summer’s life and creative partner. He is equipped with a refined palate and a passion for tailoring experiences. Leon is professionally trained as a Sommelier.
Leon loves a good story and is a natural in picking up details that matter. His sensitivity to media with great substance made him a driving force in the creation of Sto:ry Menu and the overall experience at the Nén brand. His involvement goes beyond the food served, helping Nén Light tell its story digitally and physically. More often than not, the audience is engaged with Leon’s work long before being physically present at the restaurants.
team nénriki
team nénriki is the creative studio founded by Summer and Leon in 2021. Specializing in creating high-end restaurant concepts, we aim to have an international presence that leaves a positive impact on world’s F&B industry, carrying unmistakable Vietnamese values.