Linda Tao
MD, FACC, FACP, ABOIM
Duyen Hackett creates food magic. Taste bud singing, eye candy gorgeous, and HEALTHY food magic. No wonder she was on the list of food capital Hong Kong’s top female chefs. No wonder all the accolades from the film industry’s cast and crew. Duyen’s ability to be creative in making yummy food to suit a wide range of tastes, to nourish one person, or a cast and crew of 200 (and on a budget!) allows those of us in her orbit to be at our best, and to work at our best.
I am a cardiologist and a wellness physician, and we are so proud to have Duyen as a part of the SetWellness Team. There are different routes to wellness. Food gives us our energy, it affects our mood and helps us repair. With her additional training and certification with the renowned Institute of Integrative Nutrition, Duyen’s magic pairs food we want to eat with food that nourishes us in all the best senses of the word. She is a treasure!
Michelle Han
Former ITN/CNN newscaster
I was Duyen’s first client some 30 years ago in Hong Kong. Already then her food was innovative, delicious and beautifully presented but at the same time still had the sense of a home cooked meal rather than restaurant. Since that first dinner Duyen has catered my 50th and 60th birthdays and she has promised to cook at my funeral. It will be worth dying for!
“Duyen has catered my 50th and 60th birthdays and she has promised to cook at my funeral. It will be worth dying for!”
Tim Coddington
Executive Producer (Crazy Rich Asians)
Co-Producer (Marco Polo)
UPM (Black Hat)
Duyen has catered for 3 major movies for me all in Asia. Each had its own challenges and difficulties which Duyen handled proficiently and professionally. None of these countries had freelance catering crew, catering trucks or existing caterers. All three films needed local and western catering as well as the multi nutritional and dietary needs of actors and actresses.
Blackhat: On the move every day in Hong Kong. Constant schedule changes. No base to work form and having to cope with street environments.
Marco Polo Season 2: The conditions were challenging in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Staff had to be recruited from the civilian world. Supplies and suppliers were limited. The catering numbers were 700 – 800 per day. Two main units shooting side by side on studio lot and location.
Crazy Rich Asians: Kuala Lumpur; Penang; Langkawi and Singapore. 2 countries and 3 islands. Again no set up available in either country. This was also a shoot constantly moving. 35 locations over 43 shoot days.
John Pennoti
President of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
Producer (Crazy Rich Asians)
I, along with all of our international cast and crew, arrived in Malaysia with palpable excitement and a little bit of trepidation. We had a humongous task to pull off and not just because of the compressed pre-production timing, language barriers and extraordinary logistical hurdles to overcome. How on earth would we make sense of the new food experiences and simultaneously meet the needs of crew members from 30 countries?!
Enter Duyen Hackett Catering; chef, caterer and all around problem solver extraordinaire. Duyen meticulously and tirelessly sourced the most amazing local crews and the highest quality food products. Together, they crafted consistently thoughtful and diverse meal creations - all under her strict watch, with firm, demanding but always loving care. Our ethnically diverse crew was satisfied meal after meal. And just as notable, she pulled these daily miracles off within the confined serious budgetary restraints!
The production then moved onto Singapore, with yet more logistical and sourcing challenges. By this point we took for granted that Duyen would work her magic. And of course we were never disappointed. Seamlessly building another local crew, kitchen solutions and yet again, varied cuisine options, once again she met every challenge with grace and deliciousness. She just cares so deeply about doing great work.
Duyen is by far one of the key elements to our successful production. A producer’s dream! I can’t wait to do it again.
“Duyen is by far one of the key elements to our successful production. A producer’s dream! I can’t wait to do it again.”
Duyen and her team did an outstanding job providing catering for nearly 400 people on the Pacific Rim 2 China shoot. I received numerous compliments on the food from cast, crew, producers, and invited guests, some of whom said it was the best catering they had ever had on a film shoot. The food ranged from catering staples like salads, pastas, and breakfast staples, to special Southeast Asian inspired far such as Vietnamese pho, Hainan chicken rice, and curries. And this was accomplished in a regional city in China with limited supply of Western ingredients.
Aaron Shershow
Line Producer/UPM (Pacific Rim 2 China)
Duyen planned and executed a fantastic cocktail and standing dinner event for 200 guests. The food was exceptional, as was the organisation. Highly professional and efficient, I would thoroughly recommend her and her team.
Nick Buckley Wood
Asia Director of Galerie Thaddeus Ropac
Russel Wong
Celebrity Photographer
I have had the pleasure to dine at the dining halls when Duyen was cooking during Marco Polo and Crazy Rich Asians. There was always an amazing variety of food from Vietnamese to Italian to Middle Eastern foods. Always a pleasant surprise when it’s meal time not to mention how delicious every dish is!
Duyen Catering kicks ass! I had the pleasure of working with Duyen and her catering staff in Hong Kong on Ghost in the Shell. Her team was phenomenal in providing us not only delicious meals but some of the most supportive craft service staff in the biz. Our schedule was primarily night shoots so keeping the crew’s energy and spirits up throughout the night usually falls on the food they consume. Clean, healthy, light yet filling was required for the humid nights and they did not fail. I can’t wait to see what creations Duyen Catering will whip up the next time I have a production in Hong Kong. Thanks Team.
Kwame L Parker
Production Manager (Ghost in the Shell)
I have worked with Duyen on private dinners, client dinners, and larger home events over a period of 10 years. Her breadth of food genres and creativity is astonishing, from Eastern to Western, hors d’oeuvres, mains, picnics, and desserts. The food quality, taste and presentation never fails to command ‘oohs, ahhs and mmmms’ from all who experience it. And her decor is always original, over-the-top in its splendour, and tailored to the specific occasion. She can cater to a wide range of budgets, making everything appear first class. I cannot recommend her more highly, and am envious of the events she does where I am not present!
Deborah Mei
Partner at The Raine Group LLC
Film catering can be a balancing act. Nutrition with enjoyment, comfort food without carb-overload, meals that satisfy a diverse group of palates and energy needs. Duyen’s catering is the oasis in the middle of any shoot day. Consistently delivering the highest quality and flavours, with the commitment and ability, to present an immaculate buffet in remote and challenging locations for hundreds of exacting, famished crew and cast. I have had the pleasure of enjoying Duyen’s expert cuisine on film shoots in Malaysia, Singapore, and inner-western China. Never compromising quality, freshness or presentation. And crucially, never monotonous.
Andrew Cochrane
Production Supervisor
Crazy Rich Asians, Mulan