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Bobby Chinn

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For other people with similar names, see Bob Chinn.
Bobby Chinn
Born
Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealander
Alma materRichmond College (B.A.)
Occupations
  • Chef
  • TV host
  • restaurateur
  • author

Bobby Chinn is an American international chef, television presenter, restaurateur and cookbook author.[1] He is a culinary celebrity across Asia and the Middle East, thanks to his role as host of Discovery TLC's World Cafe,[2] and as a judge on MBC's Top Chef Middle East.[3] He opened two award-winning restaurants in Vietnam – 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.[4]

Early life and education

Bobby Chinn was born in Auckland, New Zealand to a Chinese-American father and an Egyptian mother.[5] His grandfather was Egyptian military commander Saad El Shazly.[6]

Chinn was educated at St. George's College in Cairo[7] and Millfield in England[8] before graduating from the Urban School of San Francisco.[9] Chinn then graduated from Richmond University in London in 1986, where he earned a BA in finance and economics.[10] In 2020 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Liberal Arts from Richmond College.[11]

After graduating, Chinn worked as a research analyst in Boca Raton, Florida, then a hedge fund in San Francisco, before moving to New York City where he worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.[12]

Career

Chinn's culinary career began at the Elka Restaurant in the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco,[13] working under notable chefs Elka Gilmore and Traci Des Jardins. His big break came from Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys, where he worked the pantry for a year.[14] He was part of the opening team at the Coconut Grove on Van Ness Avenue, where he became the saucier, but succumbed to a back injury. He work-staged in France, then returned to San Francisco for back surgery.

In 1996, Chinn moved to Ho Chi Minh City[15] and worked at La Camargue restaurant. Within six months, he had opened his own restaurant, Saigon Joe's, and moved to Hanoi to open another restaurant, Miro. In 1997, he opened the Red Onion, overlooking the infamous "Hanoi Hilton".[16] The success of the restaurant gave him the opportunity to open his eponymous restaurant in 2001, Restaurant Bobby Chinn.[17]

In 2014, Chinn moved to London and launched a modern Vietnamese concept at The House of Ho, which occupies the former site of The 2i's Coffee Bar, Soho.[18] This has now been sold to a group of private investors.

Television

Chinn's television career was launched with his first solo TV show, World Café Asia, on TLC[19][2] – also known as Planet Food on the Discovery Channel – presenting a taste of Asia through traditional street stalls, hawker centres, acclaimed restaurants and hot spots. He was awarded 'Best Entertainment Presenter' at the Asia TV Awards for the series in 2007.[20] The second season, World Café Middle East, had equal success, and he was awarded 'Best Entertainment Programme' by the Asia TV Awards 2010. The show was re-cut and sold to Globe Trekker. He hosted Globe Trekker Food Hour: Ireland in 2014, and Globe Trekker Food Hour: Sicily in 2015. Following the success of his first show, Chinn hosted a second show with Discovery Network, called Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia, a travel cookery series which highlights Asian recipes laced with local history and culture.

Chinn is currently a judge on MBC's Top Chef Middle East.[21]

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 claims that "what Bobby doesn’t know about Southeast Asian food is not worth knowing".[22]

Ambassador roles

  • In 2012, he was appointed WWF Ambassador for Sustainable Seafood.[23] 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.[24]
  • In 2021, he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Naomi Tami Memorial Fund.[25]

References

  1. ^ Sesser, Stan (October 27, 2000). "Hanoi's Red Onion Bistro Has the Heart of San Francisco". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved March 8, 2021. ...Mr. Chinn is...[a]n American citizen...born in New Zealand...
  2. ^ a b "World Cafe 2".
  3. ^ "Top Chef - MBC 1 - MBC.net".
  4. ^ BigHospitality.co.uk. "Bobby Chinn heads to the UK for new Vietnamese restaurant in London".
  5. ^ "Though part-Egyptian, chef Bobby Chinn avoids local cuisine in the kitchen". April 7, 2013.
  6. ^ "A True Culinary Artisan". insight-egypt.com. Insight Egypt. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "Bobby Chinn: What I Did Next". Podtail. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  8. ^ Heiter, Celeste. "The Pharaoh of Fine Dining in the Far East". Things Asian Press. Retrieved August 4, 2003.
  9. ^ "The Urban School Alumni Association". Urban School Blue Notes. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Lippoldt, Karen, "From Wall Street to master chef: Bobby Chinn" Archived 19 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Richmond College Alumni news, October, 2013
  11. ^ "HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS". Richmond. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Post, The Jakarta. "Bobby Chinn: All grown up".
  13. ^ "Culinary Escapades". Telegraph India. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  14. ^ "Chinn up!". BBC Good Food Middle East. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  15. ^ Heiter, Celeste (August 4, 2003). "The Pharaoh of Fine Dining in the Far East". thingsasian.com. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  16. ^ "CNN - y: 'Hanoi Hilton' now holds only painful memories - April 27, 2000".
  17. ^ "full biography". Deborah McKenna. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  18. ^ "THE HISTORY OF THE 2i's COFFEE BAR". June 5, 2009.
  19. ^ "Interview with: Celebrity Egyptian/Chinese Chef Bobby Chinn". ahramonline. April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  20. ^ "Bobby Chinn". Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  21. ^ Ahmad, Tarek (September 19, 2016). "Top Chef Middle East set to dish up Arab talent". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  22. ^ Bobby Chinn (2008). Wild, Wild East: Recipes & Stories from Vietnam. Barron's. ISBN 978-0-7641-6149-0.
  23. ^ "Promoting sustainable seafood production". November 1, 2013.
  24. ^ "Bobby Chinn named Vietnam tourism ambassador in Europe". July 18, 2014.
  25. ^ "Bobby Chinn Goodwill Ambassador". Naomi Tami Memorial Fund. Naomi Tami Memorial Scholarship Fund. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
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