Executive Chef, The Expat in Athens
Kenny Nguyen, 28, brings his talents and enthusiasm for cooking to The Expat’s kitchen in Athens, where he’s served as Executive Chef since the restaurant’s COVID-19 hibernation reemergence. But Nguyen found himself in the kitchen long before his current position.
“I started getting in trouble a lot as a kid and being shoved into a kitchen with my grandma,” says Nguyen.
The repercussion for unruly behavior didn’t have the intended effect. Instead, Nguyen found a love for cooking during those moments, a love that stuck with him.
Nguyen studied pre-pharmacy in college but dropped out to follow his passion and go to culinary school. He’s since worked in kitchens like Ruby Tuesday’s and Seabear in Athens.
Also in Athens, Nguyen and a few of his restaurant industry friends created The Side Hustle, a local pop-up food stall that works with local farms, partners with local businesses, and donates a portion of its proceeds to Georgia and Athens-based organizations, such as the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement and Southern Fried Queer Pride. This past year, a brunch pop-up in February raised $650 for Mutual Aid Athens, and another one in September raised more than $3,700 for the Bayou Fund and IDA Relief for Small Black Neighborhoods.
Nguyen’s experience working locally for The Side Hustle carries over into his position as Executive Chef at The Expat.
“If I didn’t have the support of the community, then I wouldn’t even be anywhere,” says Nguyen. “So now that I can make my own orders, I feel like I have a responsibility to get it from them as much as I can.”
Nguyen works with local farms, like Woodland Gardens, Ladybird and Collective Harvest, to source fresh ingredients for The Expat and foster a greater sense of community in the area. Ultimately, catering to others and creating dishes he loves is what fuels Nguyen’s passion.
“That’s why I’ve been cooking for over 10 years now. I just love this industry,” he says. “I just love serving people.”
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