Viet Pham

Viet Pham is a chef and a previous winner of Iron Chef America.

Early life Pham was born in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1979. His parents are Vietnamese and fled the country during the Vietnam War. The family moved to the United States when he was five months old and has lived in the U.S. ever since.

Career Pham attended culinary school in San Francisco but began his career in software. His first chef job was at Casey's Irish Pub Downtown where he was hired in 2006 upon graduating from Le Cordon Bleu. After working in San Francisco, owner Blake Ballard convinced Chef Pham to join Spark Restaurant and Lounge in Provo, Utah. In 2009, Pham opened his own restaurant, Forage, in Utah with co-Chef Bowman Brown. In 2011 Pham received the Best New Chef Award from Food & Wine Magazine. Starting in downtown Salt Lake City, the Pretty Bird brand has expanded to four locations as of the end of 2022. These include the original downtown location as well as Sugar House, Midvale, and Park City.