Top Chef winner Hung Huynh won't be in the kitchen when Ava MediterrAegean opens in Winter Park

Ava MediterrAegean, the Winter Park restaurant moving into the old Luma on Park space, won't have Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh manning the kitchen when it opens next month.

Huynh didn't give a reason for leaving only to say that he is no longer involved with the restaurant.

After snagging the Top Chef title back in 2007, the talented, Vietnamese-born alum of Per Se and Guy Savoy spent four years with the EMM Restaurant Group before a well-publicized split.

Huynh even did a stint at Morimoto Asia as chef de cuisine. In 2019, he opened Warrior in L.A., but cut ties with the West Hollywood Asian-fusion restaurant prior to his involvement with Ava.


MILA Group, the folks behind Ava and Mila MediterrAsian in Miami, couldn't comment on Huynh's departure.

MILA corporate chef Daniel Garner (former executive chef at Nobu Beijing and Zuma New York/Miami) and R&D corporate chef Erick Melendez (former head chef at Zuma Las Vegas) were involved in developing Ava's menu of pan-Med dishes with Huynh.

No word on who'll take over executive chef duties now that Huynh is gone, but an announcement is expected soon.

Ava MediterrAegean is expected to open to the public on Feb. 4.

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