Chef Tu David Phu, a San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef and chef-partner at GiGi's, a Vietnamese-influenced wine bar in San Francisco, draws on his Oakland upbringing and the resilience of his refugee parents. His roots trace back to Nước mắm Hưng Thành (in Phú Quốc, Vietnam) where he has his a family lineage rooted in artisanal fish sauce since 1895.
Chef Phu's culinary expertise is a testament to his diverse experiences. He honed his skills in the hallowed kitchens of renowned establishments, ranging from New York's internationally acclaimed Daniel to San Francisco's prestigious 2-star Michelin restaurant, Acquerello. Throughout his career, he absorbed the essence of various culinary traditions, from American culinary excellence to classical European techniques. Yet, a profound connection to what he calls "the memory of taste" led him back to his Vietnamese roots.
“That was a huge turning point for me,” said Phu. “As opposed to looking outward to learn more about food, that’s when I realized I had already learned a lot from my mom.”
- Chef Tu David Phu
by Alix Wall, for Edible East Bay
Embarking on a culinary exploration of his mother's treasured recipes, Chef Tu revisited cherished childhood dishes and embarked on pilgrimages to Vietnam for inspiration. His innovative Vietnamese-California cuisine began to garner recognition in 2016 with his weekly pop-up dining experience, "Ăn." In 2017, the San Francisco Chronicle crowned him as a Rising Star Chef, marking the beginning of a series of accolades.
Chef Tu's culinary journey expanded its horizons when he joined Bravo's Top Chef Season 15 in 2019 and hosted ABC's Taste Buds: Chefsgiving, a program that received a James Beard Award nomination. Currently, he is co-authoring his first cookbook, titled "THE MEMORY OF TASTE," alongside James Beard Journalism Award winner Soleil Ho, a prominent figure in the culinary world.
Publish Date: September 10th, 2024
"The Memory of Taste" is not just a cookbook; it's a celebration of inheritance. It delves into Chef Tu David Phu's journey as a chef, emphasizing the invaluable culinary lessons passed down by his parents, refugees from Phu Quoc. These lessons encompass frugality, zero-waste cooking, and practical gill-to-fin eating. The cookbook features a playful collection of California-Vietnamese dishes like tuna summer rolls and 7-Up nuoc cham, seamlessly integrating Chef Tu's ambitious and modern culinary style with the food wisdom that nurtured him.
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However, Chef Tu's significance extends beyond the kitchen. Guided by his mother's wisdom, passed down through oral tradition, and shaped by his family's experiences of multigenerational food insecurity due to war and poverty, he is committed to food recovery and regenerative practices.
These principles are not confined to the kitchen but extend into every facet of Chef Tu’s work. His commitment to cultural integrity, community wellness, and culinary storytelling drives a body of work that reaches far beyond the restaurant. He co-produced the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Bloodline, which examines his family’s migration story and the cultural biases embedded in food.
At the heart of his advocacy is a dedication to preserving and honoring culinary heritage. From ancestral Vietnamese foodways to traditional craftsmanship, Tu’s work safeguards stories that might otherwise be lost. He supports food access and sustainability through partnerships with organizations like Eat Real, Smart Catch, Postelsia, and the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative. Through Quentin Cooks, a culinary reentry program at San Quentin State Prison, he shares his knowledge with incarcerated individuals seeking a path forward.
Tu also advises Stanford Medicine’s Project Nourish, which addresses the rise of Type 2 diabetes in the Asian-American community through the lens of culinary medicine. In Japan, he works alongside master knife makers in Takefu Village, Echizen—preserving generations-old bladesmithing traditions through his ongoing collaboration with Seisuke Knife.
At GiGi’s, Chef Tu brings all of these threads together. The restaurant becomes not just a space to eat, but a space to remember, imagine, and celebrate—offering a culinary experience rooted in memory, migration, and the vibrant cultural fabric of the Bay Area.