Preston Nguyen: Pressure, Leadership & Staying Grounded (Part 2)

In Part 2 of Confessions: Beyond the Food, the conversation shifts from winning… to what it takes to sustain it.

After early success, the real test isn’t talent — it’s leadership, discipline, and how you show up when people are counting on you.

Preston Nguyen opens up about what it’s like leading in high-pressure environments — from running kitchens at international music festivals to working alongside chefs from different cultures where systems, expectations, and communication all change.

We talk about the reality behind “success”:

• The pressure that comes with it
• The responsibility of leading teams older and more experienced than you
• The discipline it takes to stay grounded when everything is moving fast
• Leading high-performance kitchens under pressure
• Cooking for VIP guests at international festivals
• Adapting to different cultures and kitchen systems
• The hidden pressure of early success
• Treating staff with respect in a high-stress industry
• Blending old-school discipline with modern leadership
• Staying grounded through faith and family 

Preston also shares his approach to leadership — blending old-school standards with a new-school mindset, treating staff with respect, embracing criticism, and constantly pushing himself to grow.

For him, success isn’t just about winning.

It’s about staying rooted in what matters:
Faith.
Family.
And creating a real hospitality experience — for both guests and the people beside you.

This episode is about character, growth, and what it actually takes to lead at a high level.

Transcript

Welcome Back And The Stakes Rise

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Confessions Beyond the Food. I'm your host, Nancy Redlin. Let's dig in and get inspired.

Cooking VIP Service In A Field

SPEAKER_01 0:11

If part one sounded like a fast rise, this is the part that people don't talk about. Because winning early doesn't simplify your life. It actually can complicate it. Now there's pressure, expectations, and people watching how you move, how you lead, and how you show up. And in this industry, that matters because kitchens can be brutal. Egos are very loud and standards are high. And how you treat people that gets tested every single day. What stood out to me about Preston isn't just about what he's done, it's about how he he's chosen to do it. He doesn't run from criticism. He leans into it. He doesn't cut corners even when no one would notice. And he holds himself to a standard that honestly can be isolating. Because doing things the right way all the time, that's not always the easiest path. And it's definitely not the most popular one. But for him, it's simple faith, family, and giving people a real experience, not just a meal. Not performative, not for show, real. So this part of the conversation is about leadership, identity, and what it actually costs to stay grounded while everything around you is moving fast. So let's talk about that and meet Preston again. Hi guys, welcome back to Confessions Beyond the Food. So we have a part two today. Um, if you haven't seen Preston's other podcast, um, you need to check it out to get the backstory um of his story. But we're gonna talk a little bit more today about music festivals and uh looking forward and all the things. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you very much. We're so excited to have you. So let's jump in. So you were an executive chef for an international music festival for several summers, cooking in VIP tents for guests paying upwards of$10,000 per ticket. Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 2:16

40,000 actually.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

40,000? It was. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Crazy.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

So, how does cooking in that environment different differ from a traditional kitchen?

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Oh, it's completely different. Um, for one, it's in the middle of a grass field, so they actually have to truck everything out there. So all your ovens, all your stoves, all your refrigeration. They literally wheel it all out into like it was three hours away from London via train ride. So all in the middle of a grass field. And if you forgot to pack something, it's like, sorry, like we just can't get you anything. Um, so you had to be smart with your ordering, like you had to order very far in advance, make sure you plan everything. But even from the customer aspect, I mean, when you're cooking for guests that pay$40,000 for the experience, that better be the best dang food you are ever putting out in your life. You taste everything, you double check everything. Something doesn't look right, remake it. Because these people, they need to have the best experience that they can pay for.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

So, how many people would you have per group?

SPEAKER_02 3:18

I would say per night, we were averaging anywhere between 80 on a slow night and almost 200 on one of our busy nights. Um, but in terms of groups, we'd have anywhere from couples to, I think the biggest group I saw was a group of 16, which in my head I'm like thinking dollar signs of my, oh my gosh, that's like a quarter of a million dollars worth of tickets just walked in. So um, there's a lot of pressure with cooking for that. But at the same time, when you're executing to the level that everybody's in their flow state, everybody's doing great, you're confident in the food that you're giving out.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Wow. I'm curious, what was your what was the coolest dish that you made?

SPEAKER_02 4:01

There was a lot of cool ones over there. I don't want to give away too many secrets, but the way we were cooking our mushrooms over there, I mean, we had a wood fire grill going and just having the smoke infuse to it and all the spices we were using and some of the techniques. I mean, something that I had never seen before. Um, especially that working with different ingredients. Um, over in the UK, I mean, they're gonna use different ingredients than us. There's different names for stuff. Like there was a culture shock for me. I was like, what's rocket? I've never heard of what rocket is, and so the here in America, it's arugula. I was like, I would have never guessed that in a million years. And so not only just a culture shock, but having those cool ways of prepping different dishes, um, seeing the guest reaction because it was an open kitchen. So you can see the live reactions of your guests in real time. And it's really nice to be able to see all their smiles while they're eating.

Global Kitchen Culture And Adaptation

SPEAKER_01 4:55

That's fascinating.$40,000 a ticket.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Wow. Makes you nervous.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

So you were working alongside chefs all over the world. What's one cultural influence that really stuck with you?

SPEAKER_02 5:09

Learning the different ways people operate is really cool. Learning all the different kitchen roles as well. Like in the in the US, like your cutting boards, for instance, you have your different colors, like, okay, yellow is raw chicken, red is raw meat, etc. Well, in the UK, it's almost polar opposite, where red is like cooked meats and yellow is for bread. And so having to adapt and know that there's culture differences, like me and the chef from uh South Africa, we both have the same rules. Versus the UK, they're different. And so we're over here breaking down chickens and stuff. We're next to each other, we're both using the yellow cutting board, and we got yelled at their hey, you need to use the proper cutting board and we're. But at the end of the day, we had to actually Google and we're oh, okay, it is different here. Um, and then learning like everybody's different ways of prepping stuff, like their different techniques and those the the small things like culture, like different ways people drink coffee, at what times or how much um is one of my favorite things to learn. Um, so I really enjoyed being surrounded by a good plethora of different chips.

Surreal Moments Behind The Main Stage

SPEAKER_01 6:16

So, what was the most surreal moment from these festival kitchens?

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Being able to see all the music live from your expo pass. Basically, it's the expo pass and it's an open kitchen in a tent, which is really awesome, open restaurant, everything. And about a hundred yards away is the main stage of the festival. And I got to witness Cold Play Live, which was one of my favorite bands growing up. Um, and so being able to not only run a busy service, be in your flow state, work alongside awesome chefs, serve a bunch of very awesome customers, and get to witness one of my favorite bands growing up. I mean, that was a surreal experience that not a lot of people are gonna enjoy in life.

Leadership Styles And Respect In Kitchens

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, that's amazing. So, what did running those kitchens teach you about leadership?

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Everybody's different. You're gonna come across people that don't operate the same way as you. Um, so from a managing standpoint, you need to understand your staff. Um, everybody's gonna tip differently. Some people, you need to be hard on them. And that's the bet like myself. I operate best when people are are harsh and giving me very, I guess, strict feedback because it's very direct and I know how to improve now. Versus some people, you gotta be a little bit more gentle, like kind of tender them a little bit, and they're still gonna succeed. And especially from everybody being from different countries, I mean, understanding through different dialects or different accents. Like there's a chef from Spain, his Spanish and my Spanish are different. So some of our words, we're like, what is that? But at the end of the day, we're all there to have the same goal. But obviously, when you're working an 18, 20 hour shift, emotions are gonna be high. So you gotta take a deep breath, be like, okay, my anger's not towards you. Let's just reset, continue service kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

I'm curious, what is your temperament?

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Definitely during service, I am very serious when it comes to the actual running at the kitchen. I'm sure every once in a while, like, oh, I'll crack a joke every now and then. But when it's actually like go time, very locked in, very serious about the matter. Um, I try not to take BS from anybody. I'm like, look, we're here to have, we're here to offer these guests a experience they're gonna remember. At the end of the day, it's not who can produce the dish the fastest or who can cut the fastest. It's are you doing your job enough to where you are giving the guests that experience? Because at the end of the day, that's what matters, is giving those guests the hospitality, the escape from the world that they're coming here to experience. That's our goal here. And if you're not being able to do that, I mean it'll let you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

It's so interesting, like the old school chef versus the new school chef, there's a lot of differences.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

There is. Yeah, so old school is very French brigade style, like very respected chain of command, which I agree with. And it's very much whatever the top person says goes. While I do agree with a lot of that, I don't agree with abusing your staff at all. Because at the end of the day, we're in the hospitality industry. You need to treat your staff as if they're also somebody you're being hospitable for. So, as a leader and as a chef, you need to cook for your staff. Show them that you appreciate them. You need to have your one-on-one times with them and be like, hey, I I've noticed that some things are kind of popping up in your life. How can I help? kind of thing. And honestly, from both a staff level and a leadership, it builds that bond with your team. And I know the first time a chef ever talked to me that way, and they're like, hey, are you okay with sit down and talk? I felt like not only I was working for somebody I can trust, but also it made me inspired to work harder. So I wouldn't let that guy down. And so when you're working in these industries, at the end of the day, work hard, push, but you also need to treat your staff with respect like their family.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

I love that. And I love to see, I mean, you can definitely see the difference in just the up and you know, the up-and-coming chefs. And I love that I think there does need to be an order of where to go. You've worked hard to get to the top, and also there does need to be a chain of commands. So everybody's not just running around doing whatever they want. Exactly. So, um, but hearing your people and seeing them not just as a chopping, you know, someone that chops, I mean, but really, you know, investing in them, I think that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 10:33

Exactly. And especially with the turnover rate this industry has, I mean, when you find a good person that's gonna go into the fires of battle with you, you need to hold on to them. Because at the end of the day, if you treat them like crap or you treat them just like as a replaceable person, they're gonna leave. They're gonna go off and find somewhere that eventually does treat them like that family and gives them the that respect that they need.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Uh that's what I love about this industry is that you can start as a dishwasher. And we have seen people start as dishwashers that are now executive chefs of really cool concepts. And I think that's the one of the coolest things about our industry. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

So and it's people from all walks of life. Like it's people in culinary school, or it's people trying to start a new beginning from maybe something they did in the past. The kitchen and the hospitality industry is literally open to everybody. Like there's a place for everybody. Um, and when you find a good environment that actually does treat you like that, like it's it's a nice industry to be in.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Yeah. It's not necessarily, I mean, there's definitely levels that you can hit. There's a path, which I'm sure you liked as a as wanting to be an architect, you know, the that I know that there's a path, but also just, I mean, you can go way off the bat.

Sponsor Break And A Shift To Identity

SPEAKER_02 11:50

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's literally a place for everybody. I mean, if you want to go for Michelin or you want to go for a super successful, awesome mom and pop restaurant. I mean, there's literally an outlet for everybody. And you're never gonna run out of ideas because this place is huge and there's ideas everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Quick pause to thank W3Sales for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking for inspiration and food service, from the details that shape the space to the products that elevate the experience, W3Sales new online catalog is built just for that. Explore and shop anytime at W3Salesonline.com.

Pressure After Winning Young

SPEAKER_01 12:26

That's awesome. So, okay, so I want to talk a little bit about um pressure, identity, and growth. So, what's a pressure you carried early in your career that people probably didn't realize?

SPEAKER_02 12:39

Being thrown into the deep end right away was definitely a shock for me. Having so much pressure of, okay, y'all are about to win a championship. You need to cut everything out of your life. Like, no more um just fooling around or doing whatever. You need to actually take this seriously. Uh, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance of being the youngest world food champion. And that pressure, even after we won it, it's like, okay, you're the youngest champion now. People have a target on your back. Now you gotta go work at nice restaurants, and you you're gonna have people looking down on you because they're, oh, this kid won a championship. But that wasn't him, that was just luck. So there's that pressure of being able to work with people that are gonna look down on you, work with people that are gonna doubt your credibility, and having that pressure of the title of World Food Championship at the age of 19. Um, it definitely changes a lot of the aspects from a learning thing, too. Because in culinary school for our final exam, for instance, uh, when I turned in my dish, I was like, Chef, can you give me all of the harshest critiques? It's like I would love to know how I can do better. And his response was, it was an honor to taste your food. I have nothing to say. Which at the end of the day, I'm like, I know there's something I could have done better. So it definitely changes a lot of aspects of from a learning and a working aspect after that championship.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

So, um, what's something about success that surprised you, especially achieving it so young?

SPEAKER_02 14:10

With that, um, it's definitely interesting to see how many doors it opens and uh doors that I never knew even existed. I thought the only way to get successful in this industry is okay, you work your way up. You start off at the very bottom, you go to Sioux Chef, eventually you get to that exact chef position after 10 to 15 years of putting in the work. While there's other outlets to do that nowadays, you can have social media, you blow up your following there. There's cooking competitions of TV shows, you can still do the restaurant outlet, but now that the world is changing in a way to where they offer you all these different outlets, you're able to almost do whatever you like. As long as you're you find a good thing that works, you're willing to put in the work for it and really trust that it's all going to be good in the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

So is there a version of yourself you've had to let go as you've grown?

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Um, back then I used to really love playing video games. Like I used to play with my friends all the time, and that was kind of my big personality, especially being an architecture. I'm on the computer all the time. I had to do a complete 180, no more video games, no more sitting at a desk and doing that part of stuff. And honestly, I did lose a lot of my friends because that's kind of how I had built myself up. So I had to basically restart, find people in some form of hospitality industry because they're gonna be the ones that understand your hours, your work ethic, all of these things, because not a lot of people outside of the industry understand that. So I had to let go of all my friends, my hobbies, uh, picked up a lot more physical activities like going to the gym or like trying to rock climb or different things that are gonna help me in the kitchen as well. Um complete one-inty shift from what I was doing before.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

Do you feel like you kind of lost your youth a little bit or you had to grow up too fast?

SPEAKER_02 16:03

A little bit being thrown into that competition and having that pressure, it definitely made me grow up a lot quicker. Um, I no longer had this leisure of going slowly through culinary school, going slowly through restaurants and just taking my time. Now it's okay, you're on a world stage. You need to start performing like a world champion, you need to know all these things right away. Um, and so it definitely pushed me to learn all of these things at a much quicker rate than I would have normally.

Redefining Success With Faith And Family

SPEAKER_01 16:32

So let's look forward a little bit and backwards. I'll start off. Looking back, what did 18-year-old Preston get right? And what did he underestimate?

SPEAKER_02 16:42

Thing I got right back then was trusting my family. Uh, me being very new to this industry, I didn't have a clue as to what was going on. Honestly, when my dad was like, hey, we're gonna sign up for this competition, I was like, I don't want to sign up for a competition. I don't know how to cope that well. Like these are these are executive chefs. I'm gonna get murdered. Um, so definitely at the end of the day, trusting my parents, their wisdom, their experience was definitely the best thing I had going for me. And the thing that I could have done better is understanding the plan. As much as I wanted to take things at my own pace, um, I was pretty resistant at times where it's like, well, maybe I don't want to completely dive into this culinary thing. Maybe I just take it slow. Um, but looking back, I mean, there's there's opportunities I I probably missed out on um because I didn't want to fully commit right away. And I mean, that was scary for me. Like I was still relatively new to this industry. I didn't know if this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life yet. Um, I was like, well, maybe I do still try to do real estate or something like that. So it kind of goes hand in hand. It's like, yes, I'm glad that I ended up trusting them, but I could have trusted them more, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

It does. So, what does success mean to you now, beyond trophies and TV?

SPEAKER_02 18:01

I think success for me now is basically sticking to the core principles that have made me who I am, um, which is my faith in God, my faith in my family as well, and overall the food that and hospitality that we give out to people. Um, so success to me would be able to execute those three things of my faith, family, and food and open up some form of concept where I can build a community, I can have my parents and my siblings alongside me in this endeavor. I love working with my family. Like that's something that a lot of people tell me that I'm lucky for is having such supportive and not only supportive but talented family as well. I mean, every single one of my family members is a world champion in their own regards. And so success is being able to show the community our service, our love and our faith in God, being able to work alongside my parents. And at the end of the day, as a chef, I need to be able to create the kinds of foods that I want and the foods that I know is gonna be making people happy and giving them that hospitality experience that they're wanting.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Wow. I love that, Preston. I love that there are people like you out there that value those things. I value those things too. And just to have your platform and to have your influence. I mean, it's I mean, it's incredible. Like, I mean, it makes me really happy that that that's what you value. And especially at such a young age to realize the importance of all of that. And yeah, just to share, to share your faith and just into this industry that's really tough.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

It is, it's very tough for sure. Um, I've I've had many uh people that I've worked with, they're like, oh, like it's okay to swear, or it's okay to smoke with us, or it's okay, and those things just don't align with my faith. And it's been hard because it alienates you. Like people don't want to go out drinking with you, or they don't want to go out smoking, or they just don't want to include you in their circles because if they think that I'm judging them. But it's like I'm not, I'm here for the things that I believe. I'm gonna uphold what I believe, and that's defining my character.

What Comes Next And A Hard Confession

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Those are I really hope that my boys, um, I have 12-year-old twins, and I hope that these are the things that are instilled to them. I don't think, I don't know if they'll be in this industry or not, but um, wherever they go, I hope that they say the same types of things because your parents did a really, really good job. They did. So instilling those values for you. So what chapter of your journey do you feel like you're just beginning? What's next?

SPEAKER_02 20:48

Ah man, I feel like this is where the it's funny because in my generation, people say, Oh, you're an adult, but are you an adult or are you an adult plus? Because people say, Oh, when you turn 18, you're an adult, but in reality, we don't know anything. There's so much about this world that we still don't know. There's so many life experiences we don't know. Um, and so I feel like I'm finally, now that I'm 23, I'm transitioning from that college age individual where I'm getting to explore and go do all the learning I want to do to now. It's like I need to focus in on the business aspect of it. I need to start building my brand to where this is gonna be my lifelong career. Like I really need to start focusing on the things that are gonna keep me here in this industry.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

And you're so old. 23.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Yeah. Well, I'm an old man at heart.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

So yeah, your mom was just saying that. So, no, that's that's great. So, and you're about, you know, 25 people usually hit a little quarter life crisis. You're probably just a little ahead of the curve on that one. Just a little bit, yeah. Just a little bit, just a little bit. Well, again, I've just really, really enjoyed getting to know you better. And I I know our audience, whether you're in the industry or not, it, you know, should definitely listen to part one. And and yeah. And then also um look at your social media, follow him, see what he's doing. I mean, I want to live vicariously through you, Preston.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Well, follow along. Um, we're our social media is the culinary code, and we're about to start launching our family brand as well. So you'll be able to follow my family along. Um, all five of us are talented in our own regards. And so follow along.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Yeah, that's a whole nother podcast, guys. So um stay tuned for that. But um, I can't let you leave. I know you confessed on the last one, but we got to get another confession from you. Of course.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

Um, so one of my actually, this is the very first year where I switched to professional cooking. Late at night, I was making a dish and I was distracted on the phone. I was like, okay, I was talking, whatever. And uh my knife had slipped. And much to my mom's anger, I had actually wapped off a good portion of my thumb clean off. And my mom was furious at me. She's like, I brought you into this world with all 10 fingers. You better grow that finger back. Like, I am not letting my baby not have all 10 fingers. Thankfully enough, five years later, my thumb actually did grow back.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Okay, how far I mean you you can barely tell. You can't tell.

SPEAKER_02 23:19

I don't know, but literally you cannot tell. But there was a good like half of my nail was clean off. And it was so deep into the thumb to where I could see my bone. And the doctor's like, yeah, this is not gonna grow back. You're gonna look like this for the rest of your life. And if you're back, I mean, thankfully, uh, through God's healing and um me just making sure it's taken care of. I mean, it grew back. And I think that was a reality check for me that this industry that I am changing into, going from architecture to the hospitality, it can be a dangerous industry. I mean, you're gonna get burned, you're gonna get cut, you're gonna get injured in this line. And so I feel like that was kind of a reality check for me that it's like, hey, you need to make sure this is the kind of career you're wanting to get into.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

I've seen, I mean, and I'm just on the sales side, but I saw one time this guy do this blender demo and he lost his finger. I mean, right, I was just like, oh my gosh. So I mean, it is it's no play play. I mean, that's why we, you know, have all the protective apparel and things like that. Yep. So, but I'm glad you fought for your mom and the fear of your mom probably got that helped help with that get the every kid that's grown up with a Latina mother.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

I mean, you know, do not make mom angry. You will get a chunkla to the back of the head if you do.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Well, um, you have really good um parents, and um, I'm just really thrilled to have you on and um hope hopefully we'll get to meet your whole family.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Awesome. Sounds good. Thanks for having me.

Where To Follow And Final Ask

SPEAKER_01 24:55

Thanks for joining. For more inspiration, follow our social media at W3Cells. Please like, comment, and subscribe. You know, all the things we would love to connect with you.