Bobby Chinn is a New Zealand international chef, television presenter, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is a culinary celebrity across Asia and the Middle East, thanks to his role as host of Discovery TLC's ''World Cafe'', and as a judge on MBC's ''Top Chef Middle East''. He opened two award-winning restaurants in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

– Restaurant Bobby Chinn in Hanoi (2001) and Bobby Chinn Saigon in Ho Chi Minh (2011), then relocated to London in 2014 and opened the House of Ho Vietnamese restaurant.

Early life and education

Bobby Chinn was born in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

to a Chinese-American father and an Egyptian mother. His grandfather was Egyptian military commander Saad El Shazly. Chinn was educated at St. George's College in Cairo and Millfield in England before graduating from the Urban School of San Francisco. Chinn then graduated from Richmond College in London in 1986, where he earned a BA in finance and economics.Lippoldt, Karen
"From Wall Street to master chef: Bobby Chinn"
, Richmond College Alumni news, October, 2013 In 2020 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Liberal Arts from Richmond College. After graduating, Chinn worked as a research analyst in

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, then a hedge fund in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he worked on the floor of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

Career

Chinn's culinary career began at the Elka Restaurant in the Miyako Hotel in

, working under notable chefs Elka Gilmore and

Traci Des Jardins Traci Des Jardins is an American chef and restaurateur who previously owned Jardinière, a French influenced California fine-dining restaurant in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Biography Des Jardins was raised on a ...

. His big break came from Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys, where he worked the pantry for a year. He was part of the opening team at the Coconut Grove on Van Ness Avenue, where he became the

saucier A saucier () or sauté chef is a position in the classical brigade style kitchen. It can be translated into English as ''sauce chef''. In addition to preparing sauces, the saucier prepares stews, hot hors d'œuvres, and sautés food to order. ...

, but succumbed to a back injury. He work-staged in France, then returned to San Francisco for back surgery. In 1995, Chinn moved to

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

and worked at La Camargue restaurant. Within six months, he had opened his own restaurant, Saigon Joe's, and moved to

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

to open another restaurant, Miro. In 1997, he opened the Red Onion, overlooking the infamous " Hanoi Hilton". The success of the restaurant gave him the opportunity to open his eponymous restaurant in 2001, Restaurant Bobby Chinn. In 2014, Chinn moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and launched a modern Vietnamese concept at the House of Ho, which occupies the former site of

the 2i's Coffee Bar The 2i's Coffee Bar was a coffeehouse at 59 Old Compton Street in Soho, London, that was open from 1956 to 1970. It played a formative role in the emergence of Britain's skiffle and rock and roll music culture in the late 1950s, and several m ...

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

Television

Chinn's television career was launched with his first solo TV show, ''World Café Asia'', on TLC. For the second season, ''World Café Middle East'', Chinn won "Best Entertainment Presenter" at the Asia Television Awards in 2007. Chinn is a permanent judge on MBC's '' Top Chef Middle East''.

Cookbook

Chin's cookbook, ''Wild Wild East: Recipes & Stories from Vietnam'' was released in 2007. It is both a guide to Vietnamese food and a diary of Chinn's adventures in Vietnam. In the foreword,

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...

claims that "what Bobby doesn’t know about Southeast Asian food is not worth knowing".

Ambassador roles

* In 2012, he was appointed WWF Ambassador for Sustainable Seafood. As WWF's Sustainable Seafood Ambassador for the Coral Triangle, he helped WWF raise awareness on the importance of responsible seafood consumption, particularly in the Coral Triangle region, to help alleviate pressures on coastal and marine environments and dwindling fish populations. * In 2014, he was appointed Tourism Ambassador for Vietnam in Europe. * In 2021, he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Naomi Tami Memorial Fund.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinn, Bobby Living people American people of Chinese descent American people of Egyptian descent American television chefs American cookbook writers Year of birth missing (living people)