Chef Reyna Duong

James Beard Nominated, Reyna Duong was at Nordstrom for 10 years and left her last position as a retail Buyer, to begin her path with Neiman Marcus as Michael Kors Senior Financial Merchandiser. It wasn’t long after that, when Duong switched over to the wholesale world as a National Sales Executive. During her tenure as an Executive, Duong worked for Warren Buffet companies and Adidas Group, while working side by side with award winning marketing teams. Duong’s strong background in retail/wholesale, finance, and marketing allowed her to carve a path to entrepreneurship. 

After 17 years, Duong left the corporate world behind to open Sandwich Hag, a Vietnamese restaurant, in honor of her mother. Growing up in her mother’s Southern California kitchen, Duong watched her mother make everything from scratch. It wasn’t until Duong left home as a young adult, that she developed her own cooking techniques and recipes. She recently opened chimlanh, Dallas’ first Vietnamese coffee shop. Being an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, she hired her younger brother with Down Syndrome, who is her most loyal employee. 

Duong has transformed the service industry by building consumer trust through transparency and uncompromising standards. A mission for quality, hospitality, and a strict zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment in her restaurant, and is passionate on community outreach and mentoring artisans and businesses. Duong frequently puts on festivals and events to inspire artisans, entrepreneurs and CEOs to promote inclusion and fair equity in the workforce.

More Info: Reyna Duong

- James Beard Finalist

- Best Chef 2021

- Inclusive Kitchen - Bon Appetit

- Chef Duong on Now This Impact