History & Milestones of Le Feu Hospitality Group in Melbourne, Australia

From the journey of Chef Kevin Nguyen…

Kevin was destined to be a Chef. Kevin was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam and for as long as he could remember, food and restaurants were his life. Growing up in his family restaurant, where his father was Head Chef, Kevin breathed the restaurant atmosphere since he was 7 years old – the customers, the cooks, the food.

He fondly recalls his time with his grandmother at her own floating seafood restaurant. Seeing fresh produce coming directly from the water, cooked & served immediately to customers. That was normal.

At 14 years old, Kevin began his culinary journey as a Kitchen hand in the family restaurant. He was a sponge & absorbed everything from the way the Chefs and the Cooks worked, he just fell in love with cooking.

Kevin started his professional training at the Western-Asian Professional Cookery at Viet Giao Tourism College at 16 years old. Shortly after graduation, he landed his first job as a Commis Chef (Junior Chef) at the Sofitel Hotel.

For the next 12 years he worked across Vietnam, Asia & Australia at resorts, casinos and restaurants.

In 2011 Kevin worked under French-Vietnamese Michelin Chef, David Thai and his team at the opening of the An Lam Ninh Bay Villas in Vietnam. That was also the year he met Australian celebrity Chef, Luke Nguyen.

“Both Chefs, David Thai & Luke Nguyen are my greatest heroes. They fuel my passion for Vietnamese cuisine. But it was an intimate conversation I had with Luke and his parents that marked a significant change in me. Since then, I set my goals, pushed myself harder and worked my way up further”, Kevin recalled.

The real Kevin is driven by his deep desire to help people around him. When he discovered how gluten, a protein in wheat, barley & rye have such a significant lifestyle & potentially life-threatening effect on many Australians, Kevin was compelled to do something about it.

“Today, I’m here to share my Vietnamese heritage & love affair with French cuisine to the Australian people. And being able to make a difference to the lives of people suffering from gluten-related health issues such as Celiac disease, just makes me complete”, says Kevin.

…to Milestones of Le Feu Hospitality Group.

Three restaurants and one takeaway store worth $4M… amidst the COVID lockdowns.

“It broke me. As a Vietnamese, my staff were like family, and I had to let them go. How would they survive without income? Everyone relied on me. What else could I do? All I knew was food,” Kevin recalls the darkest moments of his life.

Fast forward one year later, and Le Feu Cuisine is now a multi-location restaurant brand, with locations in Mornington, Moorabbin, and Berwick, alongside Le Feu Baguette in Mornington, specializing in Vietnamese street food. A new Le Feu restaurant is set to open in Flemington next month. The restaurant group is now valued at $4M within just a year.

While many hospitality businesses struggled to retain staff during the lockdowns, Le Feu Cuisine managed to keep over 80% of its team, including re-employing staff from the closed Aspendale location.

Kevin attributes this success to the collaborative decision-making process within the team, sharing that many ideas are discussed via staff group chats. “Everyone has opinions. Many great decisions were made by sharing ideas with the group.” This sense of ownership among the team has proven to be the backbone for staff retention.

Additionally, Le Feu Cuisine is one of the few restaurants accredited by Celiac Australia. According to Celiac Australia, one in 70 Australians has Celiac disease, with 4 in 5 being undiagnosed. A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia indicates that three in 20 Australians believe they are wheat-sensitive, and almost a quarter avoid gluten.

“Many of our customers travel from inner Melbourne and as far as Geelong to dine at our restaurants on the Mornington Peninsula,” says Kevin. “They appreciate that the entire menu is gluten-free, allowing them to relax and enjoy the evening, knowing they or their children are safe.”

Staff love, combined with customer love, is undeniably a recipe for business success.

Le Feu Mornington team 2020