Sullivan University Graduate Competes on Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown

When Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Throwdown searched the nation for the some of the best burger recipes to include in their competition, they couldn’t pass up Sullivan University graduate Brigitte Nguyen’s Vietnamese-flavored specialty. Nguyen competed on the Guy Fieri-hosted show in the fall of 2008, and the results of the competition will air on Sunday, January 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

"Being at Food Network, the home of all my favorite shows and television chefs, was unbelievable,” says Nguyen. The studios are gorgeous, the kitchens are pristine, and I was surrounded by a hard-working, fun-loving, gourmet group of foodies! My instructors at Sullivan University always pushed me to work quickly, cleanly, and efficiently and these proved to be valuable skills, given the time constraints and the fact that I was cooking on-camera!”

Nguyen, a California native with Vietnamese heritage, took matters into her own hands when she could not find her favorite Vietnamese sandwich in Kentucky. Always ready for a new challenge, Nguyen headed straight into the kitchen determined to create the ultimate sandwich that combined her love for Asian cuisine with her all-American environment. In 2007, her Vietnamese 5 Spice Pork Burger won the 1st runner up prize at the Sutter Home 17th Annual Build a Better Burger Competition. Her Vietnamese Bistro burger got her noticed by Food Network less than a year later.

Nguyen left her first career as a financial statement auditor to follow her passion for the culinary arts. In 2006, she relocated to Lexington from Los Angeles and enrolled in Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies. 2008 was a banner year for Nguyen, as she traveled with a group of fellow Sullivan students and chef instructors to Beijing to work with Framboise Catering feeding the U.S. Delegation and athletes at the Olympics and later graduated Summa Cum Laude. Nguyen currently does independent catering and bakes pastries for Wine + Market in Lexington.

The NCHS prepares students for careers in the hospitality field by offering five Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees majors and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Students can earn an Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts; Baking & Pastry Arts; Professional Catering; Hotel & Restaurant Management; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration concentration in Hospitality Management. The University also offers Professional Cook, Professional Baker and Travel & Tourism diplomas. All programs of study are taught by highly qualified faculty using the latest contemporary facilities. For more information, visit www.sullivan.edu.