ABOUT US

Executive Chef/Owner

Raised in Seattle with roots in California and Vietnam, Helen Nguyen has always had a passion for food. As a first generation Vietnamese woman, Helen spent her childhood cooking with her mother and taking in both the flavors of her heritage and the American influence surrounding her. Her path to professional kitchens was a long one, but after many years working in real estate in Seattle, she moved to New York to pursue her culinary dreams, diving head first into one of the top kitchens at Restaurant Daniel. There she trained with the Feast and Fetes catering and private events team for 3 years.

Though trained in classic French cuisine, Vietnamese comfort food is where her heart resides.

Helen started combining the two and sharing her love for food, culture and community via her monthly Pop-Ups. After a few years of temporary kitchens, she set her sights on opening her first restaurant. She found a space, took a year to get ready and the plan was to open on March 13th 2020. With the pandemic, she had to reassess and quickly shifted to takeout/delivery as well as hospital and community meals. She became an active member in the community, not only making meals for organizations such as Heart of Dinner and More Than a Meal, but visiting the recipients and hand delivering their meals. These organizations hit home for Helen, who grew up in low income housing herself. She is deeply committed to providing meals for the community. Helen finally opened Saigon Social, serving Vietnamese comfort food with a twist, for full dine-in service in March 2022. She was named a 2022 James Beard Award Semi- Finalist for Best Chef New York State and she remains an active participant in community organizations.