We interviewed and up-and-coming chef sensation, Tway Nguyen – @twaydabae on Tiktok, IG and YouTube. She’s also been named the new host of Tasty’s Making it Big on YouTube. It was fun getting to learn more about her background and how cooking became a part of who she is today.
In the past, she’s gone viral for her traditional Vietnamese recipes like her Thit Kho, the most elite Vietnamese coffee and a 4-Foot Bahn Mi. The two dishes she created as she partnered with Del Monte using their Deluxe Gold Pineapple to make Pineapple Ginger Chicken and Pineapple Pudding!
Interview with Tway Nguyen
What motivated you to start becoming a foodie/chef influencer on social media?
It was never really my goal or intention to become a social media chef, I think it just kind of happened. I’ve always loved cooking and that’s why I went to culinary school– and then I also just love being in front of the camera and making content. So the two kind of just came together naturally, and here we are!
Did your expectations meet reality when you started rising to fame and your videos started to go viral?
I honestly had no expectations for anything. I didn’t even expect any of my videos to go viral to be honest. It just kind of happened, and from the outside looking in and seeing the people that have been getting views on social media, I still didn’t have any expectations. However, I also realized that creating content, and having this as my full time job is actually a lot of work.
Photo Credit: Tway Nguyen
How has this exposure influenced your recipes, especially since culture is so important to you when it comes to cooking?
I don’t think I use my exposure as inspiration. I more so use my culture as inspiration for my recipes, since I usually stick to Vietnamese recipes. My goal has always been to connect people through food and honestly the only food that I really know deep down in my heart is Vietnamese food. The exposure has definitely given me opportunities that I would’ve never thought happened for people that look like me, or just me. So I think that just sticking to my roots and doing what I know best has been the best inspiration there is.
Do you find that you’re educating a lot of your viewers on Vietnamese food and culture? How does it make you feel to be able to do so and do you find it difficult at times?
I definitely know that I’m educating a lot of people on the food of my culture. Even Vietnamese kids come up to me like “Wow when I moved out of college, I followed your recipe and it really made me miss home and like I was home.” I have people that are outside of my culture that married a Vietnamese person and they follow my recipes, and they feel more connected to their partner. There’s a range of people that I connect to and I feel really honored and grateful to even be able to do that, because not a lot of people have the opportunity. The only difficult part I find is when I’m trying to simplify a recipe, only because I want to make my recipe super easy to follow. When I try to simplify my recipe, I don’t want it to be watered down or take away the essence of the dish. By simplifying it, I’m still trying to find ways to make it like the actual dish.
Could you tell us about your partnership with Del Monte and what your recipes have been like using their products, like the pineapple?
The partnership with Del Monte came naturally, because I personally love pineapples, period. Del Monte pineapples are extra sweet, so that’s a plus– and that takes away a lot of the added sugar that I have in my recipes. Vietnamese food also uses a lot of pineapples in their dishes anyway, so it was easy for me to incorporate Del Monte pineapples into my own dishes like my pineapple chicken braise, and there’s also a sour soup that I like to put pineapples in
How has it been being a host on Tasty’s Making it Big? What would you say to folks who have never watched it to get them started?
At first, I was kind of nervous to host a show that has already been hosted by somebody else and so many people love it. I didn’t know what the reactions were going to be, but when I saw the comments on my episodes, it made me feel like “Ok, I’ve been accepted.” So now I’m super hyped about it and very excited. It’s such a cool project to work on, and honestly I don’t even have to convince a lot of people to watch it, because when they hear that I’m making a 20 lb hot cheetoh or a big taki, who wouldn’t want to see that?
What [were] your holiday plans?
For my holiday plans [last] year, I [was able to] be in Southeast Asia. I’m currently in Vietnam right now, but [I spent] my Christmas and New Years in Thailand, which is very exciting!
What’s something you tell yourself to get you through your new normal of being a up-and-coming influencer?
I try to remind myself to be flexible and open minded and that this is an actual job, so take it seriously. When I first started, I let a lot of people’s opinions and perception of me stop me from doing things, but I just have to remind myself that other people’s perception of me has nothing to do with me. So on that note, I think I’m pretty solid.
