After 26 years in kitchens across North America and Vietnam, Chef Curtis Demyon brings his experience to Westwood, a contemporary wood-fired restaurant in Da Nang shaped by Vietnamese ingredients, open flame and a distinctly personal point of view.
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For Chef Curtis Demyon, cooking has never belonged to one place or tradition. Across a career spanning 26 years, his approach has been shaped by changing landscapes, demanding kitchens and the many culinary cultures encountered along the way. Today, those experiences come together at Westwood, his Vietnamese-inspired contemporary wood-fired restaurant in Da Nang.
His journey began in Vancouver, Canada, before taking him through cities along the west coast of North America. Working alongside chefs with different philosophies and techniques gave him an education grounded less in a single school of thought than in constant observation. From Michelin-starred restaurants to a James Beard Award-winning establishment in the United States, each kitchen sharpened his understanding of precision, discipline and flavour.
One chapter led him far from the rhythm of major cities to a remote island off the coast of northern Canada. Cooking in such an isolated environment required a different kind of resourcefulness. Ingredients, seasons and surroundings became more than creative references; they shaped what was possible. The experience reinforced a principle that continues to guide his work: meaningful cooking begins by paying attention to place.
Rather than defining himself through one cuisine, Curtis has spent his career absorbing ideas from many. Techniques and traditions are not treated as fixed formulas, but as tools that can be adapted thoughtfully. This openness has gradually formed a style that is contemporary yet grounded, technically assured without becoming overly complicated.
In 2022, Curtis moved to Vietnam to become Executive Chef at Elgin Saigon. During his tenure, the restaurant received Michelin Selected recognition twice, reflecting the consistency and clarity of the kitchen under his leadership. Vietnam also introduced him to a new landscape of ingredients, culinary traditions and everyday flavours that would eventually influence his next project.
Westwood represents both a continuation and a new beginning. Built around wood-fired cooking, the restaurant explores Vietnamese ingredients through the lens of Curtis’s international experience. Fire plays a central role, not simply as a technique but as a source of flavour, texture and transformation. Smoke, heat and char are used with restraint, allowing the natural qualities of each ingredient to remain present.
The restaurant’s Vietnamese inspiration is approached through curiosity rather than imitation. Local produce and familiar flavours enter into conversation with methods developed over decades of cooking abroad. The result is food that feels connected to Da Nang while remaining distinctly personal.
At Westwood, Curtis is not attempting to summarise his career on a plate. Instead, he continues to refine it. The restaurant reflects a chef still learning from his surroundings, guided by experience but open to change. After 26 years across continents and kitchens, his cooking has found a new home beside the fire.