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| Lemongrass Skirt Steak Salad, Cilantro Aioli Dressing and Fry Bread |
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| Basil Crab over Garlic Noodles |
"My unique culinary point of view is reflective of today's global "exchange" of cultures, rituals, ingredients and cooking techniques. That said, I am in constant search of my favorite food experiences and I invite you to witness such process and sweet successes." --Ann Vu
Born in Vietnam and originally French educated, my youngest memories are of trips to Saigon’s open markets with the women in my family. We’re talking generations of old world divas whose lives revolved around planning and execution of the most epic eating experiences possible. Their dinner parities for international politicians, military officials, artists and authors were legendary. Center stage was “the family meals” shared with grandparents, and Ong Ngoai (my grandpa) was notorious for being a picky eater. To ensure success, a staff of personal chefs and village vendors were enlisted to share and/or steal recipes and ingredients promising to showcase heritage and culinary creativity.
By 1967, the gravity of war, economic and social upheaval was eminent. My mother left Vietnam, her family and life as we knew it and married an American officer. Bravely, we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, a melting pot of different cultures. So that I would always know “my history”—my mother made authentic Asian foods which we commonly enjoyed along with European and All American favorites as a way of honoring where I came from and what we were all about. My mother also attended ESL classes where she met international friends from Japan, China, Mexico and Jamaica and they formed a weekly food club. Coming together to share treasured recipes and to experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques—just like we had back in our village.
From that premise, my culinary style was developed and I continue to learn and share but now I do so with a more modern approach. Fortunate enough to have homes in Asia, America and Baja Mexico, I hang out with local chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks to learn their different foods and signature dishes. My recipes and menus begin loosely based off of classic South East Asian foods, but my dishes have evolved given regional influences and perimeters of local ingredients. Basically, I take what’s familiar—such as tapas, pasta, grilled meats, puddings and pies…and I Asian fusion them! I also draw from popular restaurant chefs and demystify secrets for creating signature dishes, inspiring my own spin such as Garlic Noodles with Grilled Tiger Prawns, Lemongrass Beef Salad stuffed in Fry Bread, and perfect Chocolate Haupia Pie!
Just as my cooking and entertaining emphasizes shared communal dining with family and friends, my vision for this blog is to simply have fun sharing. Putting myself on here, I hope to help bridge cultural and culinary gaps as we study Asian classic dishes and experiment with global influences.
Enough said, let’s begin our extraordinary journey as we explore "The Food Exchange," my collection of original recipes.
