Tuệ Nguyễn looks like she could have stepped right out of a fashion magazine, relaxed California vibes and all. Yet, it’s her deft knife skills and culinary expertise that reveal her true passion for cooking, particularly Vietnamese cuisine. Known as @twaydabae on social media, Tuệ’s cooking videos strike a chord; they feel less like professional tutorials and more like friendly rendezvous in a cozy kitchen. Her journey began during the pandemic when she started sharing accessible versions of her favorite dishes, quickly earning nearly 14 million likes on TikTok.

Raised in Vietnam, Tuệ moved to the US at eight, with little English and a simplistic view of food. After watching Anthony Bourdain’s tribute to her homeland, she recognized the beauty and culture behind Vietnamese cooking. “Wow, this American man loves Vietnamese food more than I do,” she recalls, a light flickering to life within her. Cooking morphed from being just ‘food’ to something intimately shared within families. This revelation shaped how she approached her culinary career.

In 2020, a TikTok demonstrating quick fried rice launched her into the public eye, marked by an infectious energy and her catchy signature “chef’s kiss.” Starting from basic videos to hosting pop-ups in West Hollywood, she seamlessly transitioned into the restaurant scene, with ĐiĐi—her first venture—opening amid a whirlwind of anticipation. The restaurant radiates warmth and hospitality while reflecting modern-day Saigon.

Despite her successes, Tuệ grapples with feelings of inadequacy. “I feel like my biggest obstacle would have to be fighting the imposter syndrome,” she says. Yet, buoyed by her family’s ties and her culinary instincts, she embraces the future with hopes of expanding ĐiĐi back to Vietnam—a dream perhaps still tinged with a sense of disbelief, as she admits: “I honestly didn’t know that it would come this fast.”