Chef/Owner
A native of Orange County, California, Vince Nguyen gave up his dreams of becoming a pediatrician when he discovered a talent for cooking. At age 21, he started his professional career at Providence, a two-Michelin star restaurant in Los Angeles. After 2 years in LA, Vince moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked at Castagna, eventually moving up the ranks to become sous chef. It was from his experience at Castagna that Vince grew more interested in the international food scene, which took him to work in some of the best restaurants in the world, including Noma in Copenhagen and The Royal Mail in Australia (under chef Dan Hunter). Upon Vince’s return to the States, he worked as sous chef at Daniel Patterson’s two-Michelin star Coi Restaurant in San Francisco. In 2015, Vince returned to Portland hosting a tasting menu pop-up, Jolie Laide, eventually opening Berlu. During the 2020 lockdown, Vince found food as a way to connect with his Vietnamese heritage and began testing online recipes of traditional Vietnamese cakes. He stumbled upon a recipe for bánh bò nướng and instantly fell in love, sparking his desire to reopen as a bakery. From 2021-2023 Berlu operated as a tasting menu restaurant and Sunday-only bakery. In anticipation of the arrival of his first child in 2024, Vince decided to discontinue the tasting menu and operate solely as a bakery to offer more time to be with his growing family.

Many ask if Vince will bring Berlu back to its original tasting menu format, but he has no desire to do so. He feels fulfilled that in its current form as a bakery, the original intentions of Berlu, which are to express creativity and to challenge ourselves and our guests, are honored.

2022 Portland Monthly Chef of the Year
2023 James Beard Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific