Bill Bensley, Christian Le Squer headline Danang culinary festival

The event is led by designer and artist Bill Bensley, three-Michelin-starred chef Christian Le Squer, and Michelin-starred Japanese chef Junichi Yoshida. The line-up also features guest chefs and mixologists from Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Thailand, alongside Central Vietnamese chef Tuyet Pham.

Artisan Stories opens on June 6 with a beach party featuring gourmet food kiosks, live music, art activities, and a beach barbecue with a bonfire. The program continues with Festival Sunday Brunch at Citron, a Culinary Constellations series at Tingara, cocktail showcases at Long Bar, and a two-night collaboration between Bill Bensley and Christian Le Squer at La Maison 1888.

Artisan Stories turns the spotlight onto the chefs and artists shaping its Art Meets Gastronomy program. Photo courtesy of InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

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“It’s our first annual festival that we hope will help transform the dining scene in Danang, which is already gaining huge attention among foodies and culinary insiders,” said Seif Hamdy, general manager of InterContinental Danang. “We want the festival to give the city a stronger platform to be recognized for its dining talent, cultural depth, and experience-led hospitality on the global stage.”

Few names have shaped luxury hospitality design in Asia as prominently as Bill Bensley. The Harvard-trained architect, landscape architect, interior designer, and artist is known for creating immersive hospitality spaces where architecture, interiors, gardens, and conservation blend into a single experience.

Christian Le Squer owns a French haute cuisine restaurant with a three-Michelin-starred pedigree. Photo courtesy of InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

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For Artisan Stories, Bensley introduces a new painting collection titled Critically Well Behaved: Paintings of Red-Shanked Doucs, Human Vanity, and the Fragile Comedy of Survival. Inspired by Son Tra Peninsula’s rare red-shanked douc langurs, the works place the animals in elegant and humorous scenes exploring the relationship between humans and nature.

One painting imagines the douc as a refined aristocrat presiding over tea while macaques disrupt the luncheon etiquette around it. The collection serves as the artistic inspiration for the two-night collaboration with chef Christian Le Squer at La Maison 1888.

Chef Christian Le Squer is regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary French gastronomy. Born in Brittany, he is executive chef at Le Cinq at Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, which has held three Michelin stars for many years. He also serves as consulting chef at La Maison 1888.

Known for his precise and modern interpretation of French haute cuisine, Le Squer will create dishes inspired by Bensley’s paintings for The Art of Joie de Vivre, a two-night dining collaboration taking place on June 10 and 11.

Chef Junichi Yoshida will present his signature approach to Japanese culinary theater. Photo courtesy of InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

At Tingara, Chef Junichi Yoshida will present his signature approach to Japanese culinary theater. Yoshida was the first chef in Japan to receive a Michelin star for teppanyaki, helping elevate the discipline into a refined chef-led dining experience.

From Okinawa to his Tokyo restaurant, Ishigaki Yoshida, he has developed a style rooted in precision, premium ingredients, and the Japanese philosophy of shuhari—progressing from mastering tradition to ultimately transcending it.

At Artisan Stories, Yoshida will contribute to the Culinary Constellations program before leading An Evening with Chef Junichi Yoshida on June 11.

The festival also brings together chefs contributing to Asia’s evolving dining landscape.

Chef Loïc Portalier, executive chef of one-Michelin-starred Louise in Hong Kong, trained at renowned kitchens, including Epicure at Le Bristol Paris and Restaurant Paul Bocuse.

Vietnamese chef Cuong Nguyen of An’s Saigon presents a style shaped by family memories and contemporary Vietnamese cuisine, while chef Hoang Tung, founder of T.U.N.G Dining in Hanoi, represents Vietnam’s modern fine-dining movement. T.U.N.G. Dining gained recognition in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 51–100 list in 2021.

From June 7 to 10, Portalier, Cuong Nguyen, and Hoang Tung will join Tingara’s Japanese culinary team for collaborative tasting menus under the Culinary Constellations series.

Affectionately regarded by many as a “living encyclopedia” of Hanoi’s culinary traditions, Anh Tuyet has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing the essence of Vietnam’s gastronomic heritage. Born into a Hanoi family with seven generations of tradition, she has steadfastly safeguarded the capital’s cuisine through dishes rooted in refined flavors and meticulous craftsmanship.

Her culinary creations were selected to be served to 21 world leaders during the APEC Vietnam 2017 and earned high praise from the late renowned chef and food critic Anthony Bourdain.

At the Beachside Food Festival on June 7, Artisan Anh Tuyet will present a culinary pavilion celebrating the traditions of Vietnamese cuisine.

Artisan Anh Tuyet will bring a dedicated culinary pavilion celebrating the authentic flavors and enduring traditions of Vietnamese cuisine to the festival. Photo courtesy of InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

Bangkok-based mixologist Ohm Supapat, group bar manager at Fnkytown, will add a cocktail-focused dimension to the festival. Fnkytown Bar was featured on the 50 Best Discovery list in Asia and named Best New Bar 2024 by Bangkok Magazine.

His cocktail showcases at L_o_n_g Bar will extend the festival’s focus on craftsmanship and creative exchange into the evening program.

Artisan Stories takes place from June 6 to 11 at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort.

Source: VNExpress