Real Talk: Building Resilience and Turning Challenges into Positive Change

Juliane Caillouette-Noble, The Sustainable Restaurant Association: Summer, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. This is for our Real Talk series, where we share stories with chefs and restaurateurs around the world, talking about different issues that we’re facing. First of all, could you introduce yourself for our audience? Tell them where you’re from and a little bit about your beautiful restaurants. 

Summer Le, Nén: Thank you for having me today. My name is Summer. I'm the Founder and Executive Chef of Nén. Right now, we have three Nén restaurants: one in Da Nang, which is the original restaurant, one in Ho Chi Minh City and one newly opened in Tokyo, Japan, three weeks ago. 

Juliane: Congratulations. 

Summer: Thank you so much. And Nén Da Nang is Vietnam’s first recipient of the Michelin Green Star in 2024, last year. 

Juliane: Amazing. Let’s come back to that in our conversation, because I want to hear more about that experience for you as a chef, and with a fairly new restaurant. 

One of the things that you’ve said in some of the writing about the restaurant is that your philosophy embodies the spirit of Da Nang’s people, which you've talked about as being resilient, adaptable and appreciative of nature’s gifts. Tell me a little bit more about those words that you’ve chosen — resilient, adaptable and appreciative — and how they influence what you cook at Nén. 

Summer: So, you know, the geography of Vietnam is that it’s a very thin and long country. And Nén is right in the middle, in central Vietnam, which unfortunately means we are exposed to typhoons every year, hitting directly on our coast. As a native Da Nang person, from a very young age I've been very sensitive to natural disasters and how resilient we must be — not only to survive, but also to thrive — with such geography. But also, thanks to that, we have very abundant sources of seafood. 

Resilience is like a lifestyle — our way of living. Being adaptive means that we take what nature gives us and we make do with that. We have an abundance of seafood in the summer. That's why Vietnamese people, especially in central Vietnam, make fish sauce during the summer, using seafood, and then survive the typhoon season by using that fish sauce. It applies to home-grown vegetables as well. We eat a lot of vegetables and fresh herbs, so we’re very adaptive to what nature gives us. 

And the last keyword is being appreciative of nature. Because we live with a lot of hardship compared to people in the north and the south, we’re very appreciative of what we have, and we try not to waste anything. Even small amounts of food can last a family through very difficult times. 

Juliane: I love those three words, and I think they really capture the spirit of what we think about when we talk about sustainable hospitality — building a resilient restaurant and a resilient hospitality business, being adaptable, being flexible to what's possible and to your circumstances. And I love that idea of being centred on appreciation. 

You talked about being familiar with typhoons growing up, and obviously we're seeing an increasing number of climate-related impacts — stronger storms, more frequent storms, all of these things. But the other thing that comes to mind when you talk about resilience is being able to build back when you’re knocked down. When you think about running a business and needing to be resilient as a business owner, what does that mean to you in today’s climate, particularly for running a restaurant that’s centred on sustainability? 

Summer: I think without resilience, we wouldn’t be here anymore, let alone opening in Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo. It comes down to willpower. Because we’ve overcome so many hardships, we know that nothing can really stop us — it’s just our minds. We have to stay strong mentally, stay focused, stay true to ourselves, and follow what our hearts tell us to do. 

So far, the most difficult challenge was COVID. Da Nang was locked down from the beginning. The first case of COVID in Vietnam was diagnosed in a Da Nang hospital, and for two years we basically had to close the city. 

Juliane: Wow. And you were a brand-new restaurant at that point, weren’t you? 

Summer: We opened in 2017, so only three years old. Basically, we went bankrupt at that time. When we came back, we decided to move to Ho Chi Minh City because Da Nang wasn’t ready yet. It was extremely difficult. We had to move the whole team, the whole restaurant, the whole kitchen. We rented a truck and took everything, driving to Saigon. Without resilience — if we weren't central Vietnamese people — maybe we wouldn’t be here. 

Juliane: And look at what you’ve done since then. Now you've just opened in Tokyo. That persistence, that drive to keep coming back, is really powerful. 

Summer: One of my favourite sayings is “grow or die,” especially living in central Vietnam. It’s not even an option to just be stable — anything can happen any day — so it really is grow or die. 

Juliane: That’s such an important lesson across this industry, globally. Sustainability is a huge part of that for businesses. Your style of cooking and purpose as a restaurant is all about Vietnamese cuisine, especially hyper-local and lesser-known ingredients. Tell us a bit about that; what does that mean for menu design, and how often do you have to rewrite or rethink your menu based on what’s available? 

Summer: It happened very naturally for me because I’m very curious. In central Vietnam we have a lot of farms — it’s in our blood. When I look at a plant, like a banana plant, people usually only eat the fruit. But there are so many varieties. We use the leaves — how about the flower? Recently, I discovered that banana trees have edible roots, and they’re quite delicious. If even I, as someone from central Vietnam with banana trees at Nén Phong, didn’t know that, then the potential is endless. That excites me every day. There are so many ingredients and stories to tell. I change the menu not because of sourcing issues, but because I want to tell more stories. 

Juliane: Do you have more stability with seasons because of where you're located?

Summer: Yes. In Vietnam we only have two seasons: sunny and wet. It’s not as clearly defined as in Japan or the West, so seasonal menu changes aren’t really a concept here. But because we use local and sometimes very rare ingredients, we often have to grow them ourselves. The challenges aren’t seasonal — they’re different. 

Juliane: I know you call your menu a “story menu,” centred on creativity and zero waste. You’ve even done a dish turning eggshells into noodles — is that right? 

Summer: Yes. I have very strange ideas, but it all comes down to concept. I work from a big idea and then go deeper. The noodle dish was from Story Menu No. 7, which told the story of my younger days in Japan. 

One of the first lessons I learned in Japan was mottainai — the sad feeling of wasting something. That really resonated with me. In Vietnam, wasting food is a big no-no, given our history. So, I wanted to bring that concept into the menu. I looked at what was left over from the other eight courses and put everything into one dish — eggshells, prawn shells blended into noodles, egg whites fried with chicken essence. The texture is slightly sandy, just enough to keep you curious and eating. 

Juliane: Talk to me about running a restaurant now. How have the last eight years tested you and what have you learned? 

Summer: We opened in 2017, so it’s been over eight years. My relationship with Vietnam has grown so much. At the beginning, I was naïve — I just wanted to open a Vietnamese restaurant. I didn’t think deeply about ingredients, culture or sustainability, Over time, I realised my responsibility as a Vietnamese chef and as a pioneer in fine dining. Especially opening in Tokyo, for the first time presenting our culture to an international audience, I had to refine our narrative and really understand my own identity.

Juliane: You mentioned responsibility — you were the first Michelin Green Star recipient in Vietnam, a female Vietnamese chef, a business owner, a parent. That’s a lot. 

Summer: I see the Green Star as a responsibility. People now look at Nén and ask about the future of Vietnamese cuisine. Sustainability, for me, is multi-layered — it’s about moving forward without losing our identity. Balancing international standards, especially with Japanese partners, while staying true to our roots is a daily challenge. The systems make sense, but following them blindly means losing who we are. 

Juliane: Do you find that motivating or overwhelming? 

Summer: I love challenges. A good game is a difficult one. Our mission at Nén is to unlock potential, and I want to see how far I can go with this brand. 

Juliane: What’s next for Nén? 

Summer: From day one, we wanted to build a brand — not just restaurants, but a Vietnamese fine-dining concept. There are so many things to introduce: coffee, ingredients, subcultures within Vietnamese cuisine. I’m curious about products, maybe beverages, coffee, tea. Vietnamese robusta is three times stronger than arabica — it’s like lightning fuel. 

Juliane: Finally, when you think about the future, how do you see sustainability fitting in? 

Summer: When I think about sustainability, I think about people — their mindset and mentality. I hope to contribute to educating younger chefs and restaurateurs in Vietnam. I can’t do much alone — it takes everyone. I was inspired early on by chefs like Dominique Crenn. She visited Nén in 2018 and encouraged us to keep going, saying it was the future of gastronomy. That kind of inspiration can change an entire country’s cuisine. 

Juliane: And now you’re becoming that inspiration for others. Thank you so much, Summer. I loved hearing your story and sharing it. 

Summer: Thank you so much. 

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel and learn more about Nén here. 

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