Worlds of Flavor Pop-Up Dinner with Nini Nguyen
A Four-Course Dinner from Dặc Biệt: An Extra-Special Vietnamese Cookbook.
November 5–8
Chef Nini Nguyen from Top Chef and Last Bite Hotel will share her Vietnamese and Louisiana influenced menu at CIA at Copia during the Worlds of Flavor® International Conference and Festival. Meet Chef Nguyen for one night only on November 5, and enjoy her menu throughout the weekend until November 8! Exclusively at The Grove. This pop-up dinner, while happening during Worlds of Flavor, is open to the public.
We will be featuring a menu from Chef Nini Nguyen’s debut cookbook, Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook. This special multi-course menu features:
- Scallop Crudo
- Fish Sauce Caramel Glazed Chicken Wings, served family style
- Cabbage and Shallot Salad with NƯỚC MẮM CHẤM, served family style
- Bún chả Hà Nội with grilled pork belly, pork patties, noodles, and pickled vegetables
- Fried Bananas with Coconut Sorbet
$114
An Exclusive VIP Meet and Greet, Cookbook Celebration, and Multi-Course Dinner—One Night Only.
November 5 | 5–8:30 p.m.
Also on November 5, The Grove Restaurant will host a VIP exclusive pre-dinner reception and the opportunity to meet Chef Nini Nguyen in person. Enjoy conversation, hear the stories behind her cooking, and celebrate the release of her cookbook, Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook.
Following the reception, settle in for a special multi-course dinner featuring dishes from the cookbook.
Each VIP ticket includes:
- Exclusive pre-dinner reception and meet and greet with Chef Nini
- Special multi-course cookbook dinner
- Wine pairing experience
- An autographed copy of Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook
For Worlds of Flavor attendees, please note that that this VIP dining experience will be held at the same time as General Session VIII, “Omotenashi: The Culture of Hospitality” with Kyle Connaughton, Junko Sakaguchi, and Mitsuo Nakajima. Please plan accordingly.
$225, limited availability.
About Chef Nini Nguyen
Nini Nguyen is a chef and cookbook author whose cooking is rooted in her Vietnamese heritage and the bold, soulful flavors of Louisiana. After training in kitchens including Eleven Madison Park, she earned national recognition on Top Chef and has since appeared on Tournament of Champions, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Guy’s Grocery Games, Wildcard Kitchen, and 24 in 24. She won the premiere season of Last Bite Hotel. Her debut cookbook, Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook, was released in 2024 and named one of Amazon’s Best Cookbooks of the Year. Praised as “an invaluable guide to the fundamentals of Vietnamese cooking,” the book is both a practical introduction to Vietnamese food and a personal celebration of the dishes, people, and traditions that shaped her and she hosts an intimate 14-seat supper club in New Orleans. (Instagram: @chefnininguyen)