From Normandy to Hội An — by bicycle
At fifteen, John Gallais took a bet with his father: find a job in England. He ended up as a commis chef in a Wiltshire hotel, speaking almost no English. A vocation was born.
Trained at Le Lion d'Or in Bayeux, then the Hyatt Concorde in Paris and Potel & Chabot, John returned to England where his gastropub won Best Pub in the South West. He was runner-up Best Chef in Wiltshire and a Gordon Ramsay School Award finalist.
In 2020, he loaded up a bicycle and rode through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The journey changed everything: cooking means telling the story of places and people. In Hội An, he met Vy Nguyen — a local entrepreneur born in the city — who became his business partner.
Together they built Maison Lucien by hand: reclaimed wood from Vietnamese houses, tables inspired by Parisian brasseries, warm lighting. A bistro that feels like it has always been there.
— John Gallais & Vy Nguyen Chef & co-founders, Maison Lucien
