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Andrew Le (chef)

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Vietnamese American chef

Andrew Le (c. 1984) is a Vietnamese American chef based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Le was awarded the Honolulu Magazine's Hale ‘Aina Award for the "Restaurateur of the Year" in 2017. He was also named as a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist in 2023 and 2024.

Personal life

Le was born circa 1984 in Honolulu to Raymond and Loan Le, both of Vietnamese descent. Andrew has two older brothers - Anderson and Alex - and on younger sister - Allison. Fleeing the Vietnam War, his mother went into labor on a refugee plane headed toward Arkansas with Andrew's eldest brother causing the plane to make an emergency landing at Hickam Air Force Base. After Anderson's birth, his parents stayed in Hawaiʻi.

Education

Le graduated from the Saint Louis School in Honolulu in 2001. After graduating high school, he moved to New York to attend The Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated in 2006.

Career

After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, Le moved back to Hawaiʻi and started working with Chef George Mavrothalassitis at his Michelin star restaurant, Chef Mavro. During his time at Chef Marvo, Le also was trained by James Beard Award semifinalist Chef Kevin Chong. Later on, Le became the Sous Chef at Chef Mavro.

In 2011, Le, with the help of Honolulu Magazine's dining editor Martha Cheng, launched several pop-up dinners and booths at farmers markets to test his restaurant idea for The Pig & The Lady.

In 2012, Le was named the Rising Star Chef awardee by StarChefs.com. Also around 2012–2013, Le went to study for seven months at the restaurant Rich Table, which is located in San Francisco and was also nominated in 2013 for the James Beard Best New Restaurant award.

In 2013, Le opened a brick and mortar location for The Pig & The Lady in Honolulu's Chinatown.

In 2015, Le filmed with Anthony Bourdain for Bourdain's series Parts Unknown.

In 2016, Le opened another restaurant in Ward Village, Honolulu called Piggy Smalls, which was a spin off of The Pig & The Lady. Piggy Smalls closed in February 2023 due to staff shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2017, Le was awarded the Honolulu Magazine's Hale ‘Aina Award for the Restaurateur of the Year. In 2018, Le, along with chef Eddie Huang and chef Roy Choi, were flown out to Hollywood, California by Warner Bros. to cook a pop-up dinner to help promote the film release of Crazy Rich Asians. In 2019, Le opened a second location for The Pig & the Lady in Tokyo, Japan.

In January 2023, Le was named as a Hawaiʻi semifinalist for the 2023 James Beard Awards in the Outstanding Chef category. In March of that same year,The Pig & The Lady won Gold from Honolulu Magazine's Hale ‘Aina Award for best Vietnamese.

In January 2024, Le was a James Beard Award semifinalist for the category of "Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific." In that same year, The Pig & The Lady won Gold again from Honolulu Magazine's Hale ‘Aina Award for best Vietnamese.

References

  1. ^ Taketa, Mari (2017-01-27). "The Pig & The Lady: From Farmers Market Pop-Up to the City's Hottest Restaurant". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  2. ^ Team, HONOLULU Magazine (2016-09-25). "2017 Hale 'Aina Award Winners: The Best Restaurants in Hawai'i". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  3. ^ Maeda, Grace (2023-01-25). "These are the Hawaiʻi Semifinalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  4. ^ Taketa, Mari (2024-01-24). "7 Hawai'i Chefs and Restaurants Are 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalists". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  5. ^ "The 2024 James Beard Awards Semifinalists | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  6. ^ "Andrew Le". Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  7. ^ Taketa, Mari (2018-11-06). ""Crazy Rich Asians" Flew This Hawai'i Chef to Cook a Feast in Hollywood". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  8. ^ "Honolulu's award-winning modern Vietnamese restaurant, The Pig & The Lady, opens doors in Ebisu". Japan Today. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  9. "Leeward: Chef Andrew Le: From Pop-up to The Pearl | University of Hawaii News". manoa.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  10. ^ Taketa, Mari (2023-02-10). "Piggy Smalls Closing Because of Staffing Shortage". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  11. Taketa, Mari (2017-06-13). "Will Hawai'i's Thriving Dining Scene Bring Michelin Ratings to Our Restaurants?". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  12. "The 2023 James Beard Awards Semifinalists | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  13. Team, HONOLULU Branded Content (2024-03-20). "ICYMI: The Pig & The Lady x Hau Tree Hale 'Aina Collab Dinner presented by First Hawaiian Bank and Mastercard". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  14. Team, HONOLULU Magazine (2024-08-28). "2024 Hale 'Aina Award Winners: The Best Restaurants in Hawai'i". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
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