In this episode, we talk with Chef Paul Arangorin, about the cuisine served at Halter Ranch to accompany their organic Paso Robles wines. Chef Paul also shares some delicious ideas featuring the ingredients from our local CSA pickup, paired with Halter Ranch wines.
This episode covers:
- How cooking with his father growing up influenced Chef Paul to get into cooking.
- The exciting opportunity and challenge of creating a food program to accompany their outstanding wines.
- Chef Paul’s approach to sourcing ingredients from the organic Chef’s garden and other nearby farms.
- Adjusting the menu regularly to follow the microseasons and utilize what is available locally.
- A tasty idea for preparing cantelope and serving it with fish.
- Considerations for creating dishes that pair well with wine.
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Today’s Guest
After graduating from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in 2004, Chef Paul Arangorin gained experience at The Manchester Grand Hyatt and Addison at The Grand Del Mar in San Diego before working forThe Mandarin Oriental in Asia. His travels extended throughout Europe.
After moving back to Paso Robles, Chef Paul worked at Artisan Restaurant and The Restaurant at JUSTIN. He joined Halter Ranch in 2019. Chef Paul’s philosophy extends to living off the land at Halter Ranch. Sourcing from the Halter Ranch property
at their one acre certified organic Chef’s Garden before sourcing from biodynamic farms in the county is key to the food program. Seafood served is always fresh and wild, never frozen or farm raised. Whole animals raised and grazed on property are harvested and nothing goes to waste. Every part of the animal is utilized on the
menu.
The menu changes often ensuring ingredients on Halter Ranch’s menu are of the highest quality and sourced responsibly. This commitment to the micro seasons and locality contributes to the vibrant tapestry of the Paso Robles culinary landscape.
More about Halter Ranch
Located at the far western edge of Paso Robles, Halter Ranch spans 2,700 acres and is an organic estate focused on land, art, and terroir-driven wines crafted from organic grapes. This estate was founded by Swiss entrepreneur and conservationist Hansjörg Wyss and is named in tribute to his mother, Alice Halter.
The vineyard, established in 1996, has expanded to over 200 acres of certified organic grapes, featuring twenty grape varieties planted on the steep, south-facing slopes of the estate, with elevations reaching 1,950 feet. The primary grapes cultivated at Halter Ranch include traditional French varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Viognier, alongside others such as Tempranillo and Vermentino, which reflect influences from different Old World regions.
Visit the Halter Ranch website and follow them on Instagram for more information.
You can also check out my collection of Halter Ranch wine pairings!
What we made
After chatting with Chef Paul, I was eager to do some cooking and pairing to accompany the Halter Ranch wines we had available.
Chef Paul mentioned that the Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc is good with seafood, so I made some of our baked haddock to go with it. We also had zucchini butter pasta (Smitten Kitchen recipe) and corn on the cob with the Grenache Blanc.
The Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc has a vibrant nose. On the palate, notes of lemon and kiwi, along with some good minerality. A white wine with some real depth.
The wine paired well with the zucchini butter pasta as well as the fish.
Chef Paul intrigued me with his suggestions for ways that cantelope could be prepared and served with the Grenache Blanc. I didn’t sauté the cantelope with onions, as he suggested during our interview, but I picked up on his idea of serving the melon with prosciutto. That pairing definitely worked with the Grenache Blanc!
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