Countdown to Dan's Bubbles: Meet Chef Cédric Vongerichten

Esteemed chef Cédric Vongerichten will be bringing his talent and impressive selection of seafood from Manhattan to the Hamptons when his restaurant, Wayan, participates in Dan’s Bubbles at Nova’s Ark in Water Mill on August 6.

RELATED: Dan’s Bubbles 2022: What’s on the Menu August 6

This will only be his first time participating in the Dan’s Taste Summer Series presented by Yeildstreet, but his 20-plus year career in the food industry has been legendary. Originally from Thailand, Vongerichten would spend days in his father’s kitchen before attending the Culinary Institute of America in Upstate New York.

Since then, his career has taken him around the world. He’s worked for chefs across London, Barcelona, and Hong Kong, among others, before settling in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood with the grand opening of Wayan in February 2019.

Cédric Vongerichten Talks Dan’s Bubbles & More

“I grew up around food,” says Vongerichten. “I was exposed to the food industry and being in the kitchen ever since I was nine years old. I studied a lot and went to a cooking school to get where I am today.”

Wayan is a French-Indonesian restaurant that offers an extensive menu with seafood and beverage options, with a heavy presence of Southeast Asian cuisine. Vongerichten started the restaurant with his wife Ochi, who he met while studying.

The establishment offers a large selection of small and large plates for both lunch and dinner, including octopus a la plancha, crispy baby squid, crescent duck, and lobster noodles. Two of their most popular dishes are the black pepper lobster noodle and chicken satay.

Wayan also offers brunch every weekend between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and has a beverage menu that features more than two dozen options ranging from beer and wine to cocktails and sake.

According to Vongerichten, one of the main concepts behind the restaurant is that you learn and experience new cuisine through travel and the places that he’s visited over the years have all left their mark on Wayan in one way or another.

When it comes to this weekend’s event, Vongerichten won’t be pulling any punches and plans on serving one of Wayan’s best, and most intricate dishes. He’s positive that the dish and event will be a success.

“The theme is fried chicken and seafood and we’re going to go in the direction of seafood, which I personally love,” he says. “We’re going to do grilled shrimp skewers served with a tomato-based chili sauce that has some lemongrass in it, it’s very aromatic. Some ginger spice, garlic chips, and lime zest as well.”

In addition to his time in the kitchen, Vongerichten enjoys sharing his talent with the world through his heavy presence on social media. He currently has 17,000 followers on Instagram where he shares images of delicious entrées from Wayan and Perry St. multiple times per month.

Wayan is at 20 Spring Street in Manhattan. For more information visit wayan-nyc.com

Dan’s Bubbles will be held 7–10 p.m. August 6 at Nova’s Ark, 60 Millstone Road in Water Mill. Visit DansTaste.com for tickets and more information.