Leo Nguyen, a purebred Vietnamese originally from Kharkiv, is known today as a successful food blogger, but his path to culinary fame began with many years of experience in the IT field. We talked to Leo about his path to IT, cooking, and why you should add garlic everywhere.
Leo Nguyen, a purebred Vietnamese originally from Kharkiv, is known today as a successful food blogger, but his path to culinary fame began with many years of experience in the IT field. We talked to Leo about his path to IT, cooking, and why you should add garlic everywhere.
Leo Nguyen spent most of his youth in Kharkiv. From the first to the fourth grade, he studied at a Vietnamese-Ukrainian school opened by Pham Nhat Viong, the former founder of the Technocom company, known for its food semi-finished products under the Mivina brand. In his stories, Leo recalls that the name Leonid was given to him by a nanny in childhood, so he was often called simply Leon.
In high school, Leo studied at a physics and mathematics lyceum, and then graduated from the Beketov Kharkiv National University of Urban Economics. At 17, he went to the USA on the Walk and Travel program, which helped him significantly improve his English, which came in handy while working in IT.
Leo started working as a project manager at the age of 22 after attending Spalah School. While Leo mostly worked as a PM, he sometimes served as a business analyst or even a manual tester, which he believes is a common experience for PMs in smaller companies.
At first, working in IT was enjoyable, but over time, things changed. Leo admits that he was most inspired by the great team, but there were also aspects that were depressing, including low salaries, chaos in processes, and the unwillingness of management to change anything. Eventually, Leo experienced severe burnout.
Because of burnout, I didn't want any calls, no meetings, no I hope this email finds you well.
Leo told dev.ua that in January of this year, after a conflict with the CEO of the company he worked for, the first thoughts crept in that it was time to quit everything and try something for the soul. After almost six years of a career in IT, Leo decided to become a food blogger, although he admits that this decision was, to put it mildly, not easy to make.
It wasn't just difficult, it was f*****g.
Leo understood that he had to change something, but fear, stability, and money held him back, as did the opinions of those around him.
I thought for a long time, because life in Kyiv is expensive and you understand that just going nowhere is trash.
Fortunately, Leo's friends were very supportive, although his mother's reaction was more skeptical: "Are you an idiot? Go back to IT," Leo recalls with a laugh.
In June of this year, Leo launched his own cooking blog. He initially ran it on TikTok, but as soon as he saw its growing popularity, he launched an Instagram page.
The main concept of his blog is cooking dishes according to world cuisine recipes. Leo strives to demonstrate the most authentic cuisine possible, although he admits that this is not always easy, since he has not been to most of the countries whose dishes he prepares. To do this, Leo conducts research, monitors culinary creators from different countries. He also dilutes recipes with videos about sauces and his life.
Many people have asked why I started making recipes and filming this kind of content. It's simple, because I love to eat. If you love delicious food, you need to be able to cook.
Thanks to the transition to the field of culinary content, Leo was able to achieve financial success, now his income is higher than when he worked in IT. Interestingly, the experience gained in IT still helps Leo in his new business. He uses the skills of organizing processes, as well as the ability to communicate.
Process organization is definitely the way to go! Hello, Notion, my little one :) The ability to communicate really helps me in communicating with both people who find my blog interesting and employers.
Leo likes to cook Asian cuisine the most: Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and a little Japanese. Among his favorite dishes, he names borscht with lard, black bread, onions and garlic. From Vietnamese cuisine, he likes pho bo (Leo's signature dish), bun cha and banh kuong.
As for the ingredient he thinks is underrated, Leo jokes that it's garlic. He loves garlic and adds it everywhere, although he's noticed that a lot of people in the comments are asking why there's so much of it.
Leo has a dream of opening his own restaurant. He sees it as small, without reservations, and as authentic as possible, like in Vietnam.
Despite the success Leo has achieved in food blogging, he admits that it was very difficult at first, but he advises anyone who has doubts to try their hand at something they enjoy.
At first it will be very scary, like a f*****g, but if you feel that you really want it or really need it (because, for example, you have already turned to ashes from working in IT), then do it! Life is one, it will not cost you anything to try, and if anything in IT you can always return if necessary. Believe in yourself and your inner self, trust your gut guys!
When asked by dev.ua what dishes he would recommend everyone cook to feel the thrill of cooking, Leo answered: pho bo, tom yam, and Korean fried chicken.
