Melbourne’s South East has a secret: Lanterns Viet Kitchen.
After savouring the fresh, invigorating and fragrant flavours of its traditional Vietnamese menu for 2 years, Berwick locals are now willing to share their favourite eatery with the rest of Melbourne.
Lanterns was originally established in 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and it soon developed a reputation for providing food supplies and staples to the less fortunate along with offering a student scholarship program for those who may otherwise have struggled to attend or even stay in school.
Fast forward to May 2019 and a partnership is formed bringing to Lanterns to Berwick with the same values shared in Vietnam – the importance of enjoying a meal together as a way of bringing family and friends closer whilst also including the local community.
It is with this same mindset that chef Tuan runs his kitchen, in the hope that his dishes allow customers to sit and enjoy a meal together with family and friends.
Young Tuan followed in the footsteps of his mum, starting his career in Saigon aged 19, and working in some of the city’s top kitchens. He sharpened his skills and native food knowledge by travelling, making food trips and working for local kitchens whilst also participating in national culinary competitions and picking up several prestigious awards.
Years later, wanting to perfect his skills and spread his wings, he travelled to Melbourne, quickly securing a job at the very fashionable eatery Chin Chin.
With this newfound confidence and ‘cheffing’ know how, Tuan challenged himself by securing work in other great Asian restaurants in and around the CBD such as Sake, Hanoi Hannah New Quarter and Fire Bird.
Combining his love of cooking and his desire to teach young people and offer employment opportunities through the NDIS and similar agencies, Tuan jumps at any opportunity to assist and cook with the local community, most recently the Berwick & Beaconsfield Chamber of Commerce community ‘Food Fun Day’ in partnership with the City of Casey.
Along with his business partners, Tuan took part in “culture day” at Beaconhills College, where students were taught how to cook a Vietnamese claypot and roll rice paper rolls.
Always modest, Tuan acknowledges that it’s a team effort that brings out the best in him and ultimately the food prepared and served at Lanterns.
The Lanterns family is proud of the fact that it has welcomed a wonderful group of young people from GRE8, a service provider which offers a school leavers employment program. The ’Capable Me’ program empowers young people with a range of abilities to prepare for employment after finishing school.
Lanterns Director Robert Costabile said the restaurant has facilitated several work placements for participants and the whole Lanterns team are “grateful to have these talented young adults learning cooking skills in our restaurant“.
Furthermore, two new exciting projects coming soon to the Lantern Australia Group, will offer further opportunities to residents of Berwick and beyond. Keep an eye out for these developments in the next few months.
“The ultimate goal for Lanterns is to change people’s perception about hospitality being just about preparing and serving food,“ Robert said.
“For us it’s more about the community and how we can make a difference to the place where we live and work, and similar to the reputation developed by Lanterns VN, we want to be known for offering our own young adults the opportunity to find their rightful place within the hospitality industry regardless of their range of ability and in spite of employment barriers.“
Keep Lanterns on your radar and visit chef Tuan and the team soon.
chúc ngon miệng (Bon appetite)
