Thompson Tran

chef & owner, wooden boat food company
kitchener, canada

Originally from Langley, B.C., Tran’s culinary career began as a dishwasher & busser at the age of 14 at his family’s restaurant. He spent several years cooking throughout the Vancouver restaurant circuit, and at several prestigious food institutions namely Bishop’s and Il Giardino. In 2017, he moved to Kitchener ON to expand his reach for his award-winning flagship sauce Nuoc Cham and Ot (Sweet Chili) and opened 2 restaurants.

Currently, Thompson is the owner and executive chef of Kitchener’s award-winning Wooden Boat Food Company, a hidden gem serving up casual Vietnamese-inspired food in an eclectic and unique industrial restaurant. He believes deeply in sustainability and localism and strives to be zero waste through active leadership and community participation. His restaurant also happens to be one of the only restaurants in the world that is saran, foil, styrofoam & parchment free.