Corinne Trang on Vietnamese Pho, Noodles Every Day, and Life

First a little bio on Corinne Trang. She is an award-winning cookbook author, expert on Asian cuisines and cultures, beverage and food consultant, brands and commodities spokesperson, lecturer (NYU, Syracuse, University of Texas, etc...), and chef. A frequent radio and television guest (NPR, Business Talk Radio, Bloomberg, Martha Stewart Living Radio, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Discovery, Lifetime, TV Food Network, and more), she is the Chief East Coast Correspondent for America's Dining and Travel Guide (Business Talk Radio). For the latest on her current book tour, visit Corinne Trang's Tour Dates, and for up-to-the-minute info, follow her on twitter.com/corinnetrang.

Now on to our conversation. For those aspired to pursue a culinary profession, Corinne Trang reveals some interesting nuggets about her road to success that might just help inspire some to get there a little faster. Enjoy.

LovingPho (LP): You have been in many places including in Europe, Asia and the U.S. Which of these places may take the most credit in forming the Corinne Trang we know today?
Corinne Trang (CT): All of the places I've visited-a winery in Burgundy, France, a farmer's market in Capri, Italy, a fishing village in Cebu, Philippines, an artisanal soy sauce factory in Japan, a BBQ joint in Lockhart, TX, or sitting on a sidewalk in Saigon, Vietnam eating pho-have shaped my career on many levels. Every place has something special to offer, and no matter how many times I've gone back to them, I always learn something new. I think what has shaped my career the most is being open-minded and generally curious, and my desire to try new things, and willingness to take a back seat and learn from those more experienced than myself.

LP: Where did you spend most of your younger years growing up, in between Phnom Penh, Paris and New York?
CT: Well at this point, New York (I'm still young!), but seriously I was born in Blois, France, but when I turned 6 months old my father, who is Chinese but born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, decided to take the family back to his home. So we lived there until the war broke out, and about 2-1/2 years later moved back to France. When I was 10, we moved to New York. It was supposed to be a summer vacation, but here I am today, still in New York, the city that never stops.

LP: You were born in France. We'd all like to think that our birthplace has contributed to what we are and do today. How has this formed your current professional pursuit, or maybe growing up in France had little to do with your success now?
CT: Growing up in France had a lot to do with how I think about food. I grew up with a French grandmother who always cooked. Even while running her own business, she always found the time to cook for a rather large family. Going to the farmers market with her was a blast. She'd take my hand, her panier (basket), and we'd go strolling up and down the aisles of the town market. She'd pick up the stinky cheeses, poke and smell them, one after the other. She'd smile and get excited when picking fruits and vegetables.

We'd go to the town butcher for some fresh meat, and the charcutier for cured ham or dried sausage, for example. Then we'd go home talking about the meal she would prepare for dinner that day, all the while eating a warm French baguette just picked up on the way home from the local boulangerie. This was a daily occurrence. Moving to New York was very hard at first, and traveling back to France became really important as a result. The wonderful part was mealtime. We took our time eating, sipping wine (yes I did have glass, even if watered down!) It was not just about eating, mealtime was very much about socializing.

From "Noodles Every Day": Twice-Cooked Egg Noodle Cake With Braised Seafood

LP: Tell us about your time in Europe. What were some of the most memorable things you learned there?
CT: I'm like a sponge. I pay attention a great deal no matter where I am, because if I don't I'm afraid I'll miss something and that would be a bummer! I learned to use my senses-feel, touch, smell, hear, and taste. It may seem like a simple thing to say, but it isn't. I learned to develop my palate simply by trying and remembering.

In Europe every meal shared with friends and family was a pleasurable lesson. In my hometown of Blois, I could be watching my grandmother blind-baking the most buttery, crispy French apple tart, or I could be in Paris standing next to my Chinese aunt deftly chopping a Cantonese roast duck with a cleaver. I could be walking a thousand steps up to the town center in Capri to shop for produce, and walk these same steps down back to the kitchen where I worked as a private chef to make fresh pasta, a daily occurrence. I could be in St. Sebastian, Spain having a delicious meal in a tapas bar where the bartender seemed not to pay attention to what I was picking out of the seafood bar, yet always managed to add it all up when I was ready to pay. I could be strolling along the vineyards in Burgundy tasting the grapes on the vine, or tasting several different types of herring on a smorgasbord and doing shots of aquavit in Stockholm.

The most memorable thing I learned in Europe, and Asia, was to take the time to celebrate one of the greatest pleasures life has to offer, and that is food. It's something you either feel or you don't, I think. Some people eat because it's fuel, taking every ingredient for granted. When I eat, I truly savor every bite and think about it. I want to know why the texture is so. I feel most engaged when I'm handling an ingredient, looking at its shape, paying attention to its color, and smelling its aroma, for example. I love when it talks to me as it sizzles in the pan.

LP: Do you still go back to France often?
CT: I have gone back to France. I do have both my French and Asian side of the family still there. It's been three years since I've gone back now, however, and that's because I've been so busy writing and working in general. I feel restless these days, which means it's time to go back again.

LP: Can you share with us some of your favorite French dishes, if any, and why they're significant to you?
CT: I love crêpes because my grandmother used to flip them in her pan, and immediately look at me with a grin as if to say "see that...want to see it again?" and she'd do it again. By the time I got that lacy crispy golden crêpe, it had been flipped several times over.

Lapin aux pruneaux (rabbit with prunes) was another one of my grandmother's specialties. I just loved the way this sweet old lady used to kill the family rabbits. By the hind legs she'd pick one up, and swing its head against the concrete floor in the backyard. Instantly dead on contact, she'd take a pairing knife and score the skin around the rabbit's neck, and pull its skin off in one shot. She would then gut it, reserving the offals. In the pan, she'd melt butter and brown the meat cut up into eight large pieces. She'd then sautee garlic and shallots in the same pan and return the rabbit along with prunes, a little cognac and some water. Cooked down until tender, the rabbit was absolutely delicious. I do the same dish but instead of thyme I add rosemary. I also loved the Cavaillon melons she'd serve as a starter. She'd split these small fruits in half, remove the seeds, and fill the hollowed out part with Porto. Even as a kid, I was allowed to scoop up the melon with some Porto. I could go on, but you get the idea.

LP: I think the Washington Post first coined the terms "the Julia Child of Asian Cuisine." Of course earning such recognition is really no small feat. Do you remember who originally made this comparison and under what context was it done?
CT: When Essentials of Asian Cuisine: Fundamentals and Favorite Recipes (Simon & Schuster, 2003) came out, it was well received. For me it was like a dissertation, taking on eight very important Asian food cultures and tracing them back to their ancient Chinese roots, demonstrating how similar yet unique they each had become over millenia. Of all the books I've written, this is my favorite. I had a terrific editor who understood that it was an important book. As a result she gave me carte blanche and I was able to write that book the way I wanted to at the time. I handed in more than double the pages I had originally been contracted to write.

When it finally came out. It was instantly recognized as a "masterpiece" (NPR) and compared to The Joy of Cooking, for example. It's also been referred to as a reference book and has been cited in several other cookbooks. I'd love the chance to update it some day, but I fear I would double the pages again! It would take a lifetime and a thousand volumes to explain fully all the wonderful foods Asia has to offer. We're talking about thousands of years of history. With Essentials of Asian Cuisine, I tried and am happy with the results.

LP: How did you feel when first heard or read about this Julia Child comparison? Did you have any problem with it? If so why?
CT: It was truly an honor to be compared to one of the greatest chefs and cookbook authors of our time. I have no complaints, just grateful.

From "Noodles Every Day": Egg Noodle Soup With Five-Spice Duck

LP: You have authored and/or contributed to some very exciting and beautiful cookbooks. Which was your favorite in terms of the creative process?
CT: In terms of creative process the most challenging was Essentials of Asian Cuisine. This is where I got to explore my other passion, photography. All the black and white travel photographs in the book, I shot. I also styled the color food shots, and partially indexed the book. Dealing with cuisines and therefore foreign languages, I was asked by the publisher to work for about three weeks on the index alone. I really got my hands in everything for this book. With The Asian Grill (Chronicle Books, 2006), I wrote, styled, and shot the book myself. Talk about me, myself, and I! I would say I really love the creative process of both these books because I got to wear many different hats. The photography made me see food in a different way. It also made me get up from my desk and walk away from the computer, which is a good thing.

LP: And which are you most proud of after publication?
CT: While Essentials of Asian Cuisine was the most challenging (I call it my baby because I cried many a nights, I couldn't see the end of it!), Authentic Vietnamese Cooking: Food From a Family Table (Simon & Schuster, 1999) is the one I am most proud of because it is my first cookbook. The feeling when I first held the finished book in my hand is something I can't quite explain. "Disbelief," comes to mind. I think I stared at it for a long time, flipping through the pages, not knowing what to do next. I felt excitement and fear at the same time. It was overwhelming. It was also the one thing I knew would make my father proud.

LP: From whom do you find inspiration for actions everyday, either within or outside of the culinary industry?
CT: I find inspiration in my students. I love to teach. I love to watch them trying to figure it out. I too learn from them. I learn how to better communicate an idea, a feeling.

LP: I don't want to get you in trouble, but would love to see your list of top ten chefs. Do you mind sharing it?
CT: There are so many culinary professionals who have and continue to inspire me for many reasons. I get excited about food when I put it in my mouth and it challenges my thinking. That's number one for me. When I can taste each ingredient the dish offers, it's a plus. Food that pleases my eyes and invites me to touch it is what I want; it could be a pulled pork sandwich, foie gras on toast points, or a bowl of pho. And I always say, less is more; simple, elegant, inviting, with discernable textures, flavors, and colors.

Cám ơn bạn đã gửi đánh giá cho chúng tôi! Đánh giá của bạn sẻ giúp chúng tôi cải thiện chất lượng dịch vụ hơn nữa.

5 4 3 2 1

Gửi ảnh thực tế

Chỉ chấp nhận JPEG, JPG, PNG. Dung lượng không quá 2Mb mỗi hình

SUBMIT REVIEW