Dumplings - Back to Basics - includes profiles and recipes of chefs specializing in dumpling dishes

Art Culinaire, Fall, 2002

Wong and his sons chef, Angelo Sosa also a lean Georges disciple trekked throughout Thailand and Vietnam, working and eating their way through Southeast Asia for nearly two months before restaurant's opening. This journey exposed both chefs to the local flavors of the region infusing them palates and senses while keeping their European techniques. This synergy of both worlds is evident in Wong's cuisine.

Gutenbrunner

Kurt Gutenbrunner is the conductor of the culinary score that is making Wallse a "Top Ten" hit. Named after the village in Austria, the destination is known for the incredible "Austrian fare" served mightly, However, Gutenbrunner does not particularly care to be pigeonholded solely for cooking Austrian Guisine instead be believes the totality of the dinning experience is what is most important "Personality in the dinning room, personality in how you do your business, and how you created your food. I have an Austrian passport but it doesn't mean my whole life has to be red, white, and red."

As if owning one restaurant isn't enough the newly opened Cafee Sabarsky is were crowds join the queue for "real coffee" and anticipate a selection of Viennese pasty as well as savory fare Emulating the famed kaffechauses of Vienna, the cafe accommodates the taste buds of Klimit and Kokoschka fans visiting the Neue Galerie, a collection of German and Austrian art and design. The simple menu is broad enough to satisfy the "most have goulash" die hards. Due to the limited space, most of the production for the cafee in done at Wallse and brought uptown.

"I never think that being a chef ends at the kitchen door," Gutenbrunner states with conviction. The belief that he has to be involved in all aspects of the restaurant is nothing new since becoming a chef/owner. To understand the relationship and needs of both the dining room and the kitchen is a concept that Gutenbrunner has always thought every chef should grasp.

While he is prod to be Austrian, he also takes pride in his multi-ethnic international staff. The team, a melange of Japanese, Russian, German, French, Swiss, African, and even American, is like a family who even shares precious weekends together that they can make knodel as well as Gutenbrunner himself in is no surprise that there's more going on in the kitchen than spatzle and speck Seldom will a salad be served without the obligatory drizzle of pumpkinseed oil, a flavortal Austrian staple.

The ever busy Gutenbrunner works with his beautiful wife, Yasmin With the patience of a same, she is responsible for keeping his chaos organized at Wallse and balancing life at home. Somewhere between running uptown and downtown, he plays father to his twin toddler girls, while scheduling visits to see his son in Austria in addition to the recent birth of Cafee Sabarsky, the couple is expecting another daughter in August.

This determined chef states. "It took me a long time to [finally] open my own restaurant if an happy I took my time". Passionate and driven, he has the necessary buzz of energy to keep his busy life balanced while incredibly searching for more to do With many upcoming projects in the works, he has solidly planned his feet on terra firma in New York.