The Dish

Douban Chili Crack Noodles

The Wine

2013 Chacewater semi sweet Riesling
Lake Country, CA
100% Riesling

The Chef

Tin Vuong

What are your favorite ingredients to cook with?
Chili’s. Just because of the spice level and what it does to your food. Brings a whole new dimension to things, it brightens up a lot of things. It just has a very different aroma to it.

Can you explain the process of creating dishes?
I cook things that I want to eat but couldn’t find, especially in the South Bay. A lot of family meals or staff meals become the menu. You cook things that you care for, that you crave, things that are simple and good and thoughtful.

*See all of Tin Vuong’s photos, interview, and recipe at  Chef’s Insight.

The Wine Expert

Ann Rabin Arnold

With this high chili heat dish, I chose the 2013 semi sweet Chacewater Riesling, produced with grapes grown from an organic vineyard in Lake County, CA.  The slight sweetness of this wine compliments the heat of the cracked noodles without overpowering it.

At 2.4 percent residual sugar, the Chacewater Riesling has just enough sweetness to balance its fresh acidity.  The silky smooth tropical fruit leads to a crisp, refreshing finish that pairs perfectly with Tin Vuong’s Beef Shanks and Chili Cracked Noodle dish.

Ann Rabin Arnold is a 3rd generation wine enthusiast, that grew up in the retail wine business, that began with her grandfather in 1938. As Ann reentered into the wine scene, she noticed a niche that was not clearly defined or well represented. This lead her on a path to bring together two of her passions:  wine and organic products.  The dream of representing organic vineyards and wines from around the world is now a reality. On any given day you can find Ann visiting wineries, finding new recipes to enjoy with her family or simply having fun with her 4 year old daughter who may soon be the 4th generation wine aficionado.

You can find Ann on LinkedIn or any of the Organic Wine Exchange‘s social media sites.

Chef’s Insight is a raw, behind-the-scenes look at the culinary process and the people behind it. Photographer Bob Hodson shadows the chef—in his or her restaurant, home kitchen, backyard, favorite farmers market, wherever—shooting editorial style and capturing the details and the process… action on the line, scribbled recipes and plating notes, flashes of knife work, the flip of a pan, the beautiful symmetry of the finished mise en place