She is one of several cooks at her restaurants Hanoi on Manning in Kiama and the recently-opened Hanoi in Wollongong.

Tell us about your background as a cook.

I have always been involved in cooking from the age of 10 in Hanoi, but professionally as a full-time cook for only three years.

What's your earliest memory of food?

I remember at around the age of three my mum made caramelised pork belly and the tastes of that dish are embedded in my memory.

What makes Vietnamese food special?

The combination of fresh herbs and spices and the freshest of meat, seafood and vegetables.

What is your favourite dish on your menu?

Grilled pork served in a delicious sauce with vermicelli and fresh salad.

How important are herbs and spices in flavouring Vietnamese food?

The combination of fresh herbs and spices and the multitude of different combinations make them essential.

What distinguishes a Vietnamese spring roll from other Asian-inspired spring rolls?

It's an authentic Hanoi-style spring roll with rice paper to give it its crusty skin, combined with fresh salad and dipping sauce.

How heavily does French cuisine influence Vietnamese?

French had a great influence on our culture, offering us new tastes and flavours and methods of cooking and presentation, plus breads, pastries and beers and wine.

What's your favourite part about being a cook?

The pleasure I see in people enjoying our tastes and having a great dining experience and knowing my team and I have created that memory for them.

What's the strangest experience you have ever had in a kitchen?

One night in Kiama a rice cooker shorted out, taking out the whole restaurant. Luckily an electrician was dining with us and isolated the dead short and (to a roar of approval from) the patrons, power was restored.

What's the secret to eating with chopsticks?

There is no secret to chopsticks, you either can or you can't. That's why we have knives and forks available, just for those who can't!

How do you decide what dishes to include in your menu?

You try to create a balance of dishes that appeal to a wide spectrum of diners - meat lovers, seafood lovers, vegetarians and celiacs and a combination of them all - it's not easy.

What's your go-to dish when preparing a meal at home?

My go-to dish on the one night a week my husband, son and I get to spend together is to tell my husband "go" get some takeaway.

RECIPE | Grilled pork with vermicelli and salad

INGREDIENTS

Pork belly and pork mince marinade

3 spring onions, white part only, minced

2 Asian red shallots, minced

1 ½ tablespoons of honey or

1 tablespoon of sugar

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

225g pork belly with no skin

225g pork mince

Dash of oil

Salad

400g small dry vermicelli

2 green oak lettuce leaves

2 handfuls of mint mixture: Vietnamese mint, perilla, coriander

Dipping sauce (makes 500ml)

2 birds eye chilli, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons of sugar

350ml warm water

3 tablespoons of lime sauce

8 tablespoons of fish sauce

Green pawpaw and carrot thinly sliced

METHOD

1.Combine all marinade ingredients except pork mince and pork belly in a bowl, mix well and divide equally into two bowls

2. Add the oil and sliced pork belly to one bowl, toss to evenly coat the meat. In the second bowl, add the pork mince and mix well. Leave the marinade for 15 minutes.

3. Cook vermicelli for five minutes or until soft but firm, rinse and drain.

4. Wash and drain lettuce and herbs.

5. Combine dipping sauce ingredients and divide into four bowls.

6. Preheat a barbecue or grill to high heat. Grill the pork and pork mince patties until done and the edges are nicely charred.

7. Divide meat into four portions and add to the dipping sauce bowls.

8. Add lettuce, herbs and vermicelli to each of the four bowls and serve immediately. Serves four.