Support Chef Sam Aisbett to feed people in need.

Marrying the candour of Australian cooking with the plethora of bounty from Vietnam, Chef Sam Aisbett presents a wanderlog of flavours at Akuna, inspired by his eating adventures across the country.

Born in Melbourne and raised in the Whitsunday Islands of North Queensland, Chef Sam has worked with some of Australia’s most iconic chefs including Tetsuya Wakuda and Peter Gilmore.

In 2016, Chef Sam left Australia to forge his own path with Whitegrass in Singapore. The restaurant rose to prominence quickly in Asia, earning a spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list and three consecutive Michelin Star wins. In 2018 he returned to Australia to spend time with family, before finding his way to Vietnam in 2020, where he now calls his adopted home.

Vietnam, with its abundance of novel ingredients and flavours, reignited Chef Sam’s love for cooking after a three year hiatus. “When I landed in Vietnam, I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement like when I first started cheffing. Everything was new to me and I wanted to touch, smell, taste it all.

My head was churning out ideas at full speed and that’s when I stepped back into the kitchen,” shared Chef Sam. And just like that, Akuna was born. Today, with no more than a pair of flip-flops on his feet, Chef Sam travels across Vietnam, eating his way through farm lands and street kitchens.

He seeks out rare and everyday ingredients – think Ostrich and Crocodile meat, Peanut Worms (“Sa Sung”) and more – turning them into Michelin plates that surprise even the most seasoned gourmets. Beyond his love for the inspiring produce in Vietnam, Chef Sam is passionate about expanding the country’s gastronomic footprint and shaping its culinary future.

He is constantly looking for ways to develop the next generation of homegrown chefs, working with hospitality schools to offer on-the-job training programmes and setting his sights on developing a dedicated culinary institution in the future.