< Previous60 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 Chrissy and Tim Nguyen’s simple and elegant Bay Harbor home on Galveston’s West end was designed with the principles of feng shui. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 61 COUNTER CULTURE ‘SIMPLE AND CLEAN’ Bay Harbor kitchen was designed with principles of an ancient Chinese art story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by STUART VILLANUEVA B lack and white. Neat and simple. Those were the two requests Chrissy Nguyen had for her new kitchen in her Bay Harbor home on Galveston’s West End. When she and husband, Tim, met with architect David Mullican, they instructed him to keep the design of the kitch- en — and the whole house — minimal and organized. Mullican followed their instructions and got a lesson from Chrissy in feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging spaces to achieve harmony and balance. Details such as the number of steps in the house, the alignment, or preferred non-align- ment, of doors and the placement of the kitchen sink in relation to the stove — fire and water — had to be accommodated in accordance with the feng shui requirements, Mullican said. “It’s bad luck to line up the doors, and no stairs lead directly to the doors,” Mullican said. “We even had to add an extra step be- cause when we counted them, we needed one more.” The Nguyens wanted a kitchen and dining area to accommodate for their small gath- erings, when it’s just the two of them, and larger groups, including their four grown children, partners and grandchildren. They had the main room of the house designed to include the kitchen and dining room 62 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 COUNTER CULTURE (Clockwise from top left) Glass-fronted cabinets with interior lighting display dishes and serving pieces; Chrissy and Tim Nguyen wanted a kitchen and dining area to ac- commodate for their small gatherings, when it’s just the two of them, and larger groups, including their four grown children, partners and grandchildren; one of two corner pantries pro- vides storage for packaged foods and small appliances; the six-burner Thermador stove features a double-range hood to keep the cooking smells to a minimum. (Opposite, from left) Besides the kitchen, the main room includes the living room and dining room with a long wooden table for larger gatherings; a breakfast nook area is used for more casual dining. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 63 along with the living room. And they had a 14-foot-long white quartz island built in the center of the kitchen, surrounded by dozens of drawers, cabinets and shelves. Nothing is stored on the island top, which is neat, clean and simple as Chrissy prefers. All of the cabinets are white, the window covers are translucent white, the dishes and bowls are white and the floor is white. They chose black faucets for the two sinks and black hardware for the cabinets, which contrasts with the sleek cupboards. The glass-fronted cabinets display dishes and serving pieces, but Chrissy, who is petite, laughed when conceding she has to get a ladder from the nearby closet to retrieve anything in the upper levels. The six-burner Thermador stove is nestled in an alcove with a double-range hood above. Because they often prepare their native Vietnamese foods that require frying, they in- stalled an additional exhaust fan to purify and recycle the air when cooking. The pair of fans are hidden behind a matching cabinet door. One corner of the room is a generous pantry for packaged foods and small appli- ances; a matching pantry on the other end of the kitchen is a coffee/tea station with shelves also filled with adult beverages and cocktail stemware. The couple chose a long wooden dining table next to the kitchen in the open space, with seating for up to 16 people. But they usually sit at the bar/island, where they have eight stools, or use the more casual dining table in the breakfast nook area. The entire back and front of the house are walls of windows, so the family can see the water from any vantage point — even the PHOTO: CO u RT e SY DAVID M u LLICAN ARCHIT e CT AND MYL e S STRAN e PHOTOGRAPHY64 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 Grilled meat on vermicelli noo- dles, topped with grilled pork, herbs, vegetables and dressed with nước chấm (Vietnamese dipping sauce) 1½ pounds pork shoulder, thinly sliced 1 package rice vermicelli Toppings: Cucumber slices, mint, cilantro, dry roasted peanuts For the marinade: 2 shallots, finely diced 3 stalks lemongrass tender (inside part only), diced 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ½ teaspoon black pepper For the nước chấm : ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup water 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2-4 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce 2 fresh limes, juiced, to taste (not bottled lime juice) 1-2 small red chilis, sliced very thin, to taste (optional) For the pickled vegetables: 2 cups carrots cut into matchsticks 1 cup daikon cut into matchsticks ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon organic sugar 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 2 cups, filtered water 2 cloves peeled garlic ¼ ounce peeled ginger, sliced For the marinade: Dice the lem- ongrass. Remove the tough outer pieces and use tender inside bits. Combine all the marinade ingredients and the pork in a bowl. Pork must be coated with the marinade ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate 2-3 hours or marinate overnight for best flavor. After marinating, grill meat and flip continuously to cook evenly. After grilling, brush honey on top and continue grilling for another 5 minutes. For the nước chấm : Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Set aside and cool completely. Stir in the garlic, fish sauce (starting with 2 tablespoons), garlic, lime juice (start with the juice of 1) and chilis. Add more fish sauce and lime juice to balance the salt and citrus to taste. For the pickled vegetables: In a medium-size pot, add kosher salt, organic sugar, rice vinegar, water, garlic and ginger. Bring the pot to a simmer. Take the pot off the heat, allow cool to room temperature. Submerge carrots and daikon under liquid, and allow them to steep for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Store carrots and daikon in a mason jar with the pickling liquid. Keep refrigerated. For the noodles: Soften rice ver- micelli by pouring boiling water over noodles in a large bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and start checking it for tenderness. Differ- ent brands take different times. Drain when the noodles are tender. Rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside. Assemble the bowls: Add ¼ of the vermicelli noodles in a bowl. Add cucumber slices, mint, cilantro and pickled daikon and carrots. Then add grilled pork and top with dry roasted peanuts. Dress the entire dish with nước chấm and serve. COUNTER CULTURE Gulf in the distance, Mullican said. The windowsills are flush with the countertops, so there are no visual barriers to the views. He designed the open living space on a grand scale but it also serves the needs of the family. There is no wasted space. And although the living space and kitchen have a relaxed, coastal feel, there are no obvious signs of the beach or nautical décor. The only piece of art hangs in the transom over a door: Thién Thúy Family — translated as Tim and Chrissy’s Vietnamese names. Both have a fascinating yet traumatic story, as they recount their journeys from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in April 1975 and the end of the war. They fled in small boats and eventually each ended up in Texas. There is some irony they chose to relax in a home on the water. The couple owns a real estate com- pany in Houston but find their serenity in Galveston. “This is the family house, the Nguyen compound,” Chrissy said. “I like it simple and clean, peaceful and quiet, pure and our place to relax.” (From top) A traditional Vietnamese meal of vermicelli noodles, grilled pork and vegetables, known as ; a transom window above the elevator door in Chrissy and Tim Nguyen’s West End home bears their native Vietnamese names.THE BEGINNING OF LUXURY IN PRE-SALES HAVE ENDED! GROUND BREAKS THIS SUMMER Galveston Don’t miss out on a historic opportunity — visit our Sales Gallery today to secure your place in Galveston’s first new condo development in 15 years! 409.974.4537 4918 Seawall Blvd. Suite C, Galveston @nanproperties66 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 DOWN THE HATCH MAKE A SPLASH Serve this bubbly, refreshing spritz at your next summertime gathering F ew cocktails are more appropriate poolside than the spritz, which in German means “splash.” Besides being refreshing on hot summer days, the classic Aperol spritz is prized for the simplicity of its ingredients, which includes Aperol, prosecco and chilled soda. Although the Aperol spritz lately is riding a wave of popularity as a summer cocktail, it has been a seasonal favorite for more than half a century. The Aperol spritz appears to trace back to the 1800s in northeastern Italy’s Veneto region when Austrian soldiers visiting Italian wine producers added water to make a drink lighter, accord- ing to online retailer foundi- nitaly.com. “The history of the name of this pop- ular drink is believed to date back to the 1800s in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy controlled by Austro-Hungari- an Empire during that time.” Visitors and soldiers from other parts of the empire were said to have found Italian wines too strong and so lightened them with a “spritz” (in German) of water, which became known as an Aperol spritz, accord- ing to foundinitaly.com, a retailer of artisan products created in Italy. In Italy, the cocktail is consumed both as an apéritif or after-dinner drink that precedes heavier fare like espresso coffee but also THE ORIGINAL APEROL SPRITZ Aperol Cinzano Prosecco Club soda Mix equal parts Aperol, Cinzano Prosecco and a splash of club soda in a wine glass with ice and gently stir. Garnish with an orange slice. – Recipe by Town & Country J e NNIF e R R e YNOLDS enjoys popularity internationally at any time of day. The drink, characterized by its bright orange color, which is the result of added fruit extracts from or- anges used during the brewing pro- cess, makes it perfect for backyard gatherings and poolside parties. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 67 BOOKING #185695 (Web Code) Premier World Discovery Attn: Galveston The Daily News 1650 So Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite 202 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 877.953.8687 https://res.premierworlddiscovery.com October 21, 2025 9 Days Highlights of Italy’s Amalfi Coast & Rome Featuring a 3-Night Optional Florence Extension TOUR RATES: Booking Discount*: $4549 pp double Regular Rate: $4649 pp double Single Supplement: +$800 *See Reservation info for Booking Discount details BOOKING DISCOUNT! Save $100 Per Person $200 Per Couple* *See reservation info for Booking Discount details. TEXAS GOAT CHEESE PURSE 3 ounces goat cheese 1 teaspoon roasted and finely chopped poblano peppers, skin and seeds removed ½ tablespoon chopped cilantro 8 sheets (5-inch by 5-inch) phyllo dough 1 tablespoon bread crumbs Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, mix goat cheese, poblano peppers, cilantro and bread crumbs. Place 4 leaves of phyllo dough on a flat surface and brush with melted butter. Cover each leaf with the remaining four leaves and brush again with the melted butter. Divide goat cheese mixture into 4 equal portions and spoon 1 portion into the center of each stack of leaves. Form the purse by grasping the opposite sides of the phyllo dough and gathering toward the center. Squeeze center slightly to give form. Repeat process with each purse. Place purses on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter over the top half and place in the oven. Cook for about 3 minutes or until tops become golden brown. Serve with marinated red onion dressing (see recipe). MARINATED RED ONION DRESSING 3 ounces red onions, peeled and sliced into 1 ⁄ 8 -inch rings ½ cup white balsamic vinegar Place ingredients in a small saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in refrigerator for 8 hours. 68 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 TASTE OF TEXAS WE’RE NOT KIDDING This goat cheese appetizer has an earthy flavor and a tangy kick story and recipe by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I t isn’t a well known fact, but the Lone Star State is home to some outstanding cheeses. With more than 370 dairy farms, Texas has come to rank as one of the top five dairy-producing states. While any num- ber of cheeses can be made with goat’s milk, only chèvre is known as goat cheese. Chèvre, which is French for goat or goat cheese, has an earthy flavor and a tangy kick loved by some and abhorred by others. The texture can be creamy and spreadable or dense and crumbly, depending on its age. Central Texas and the Hill Country are overflowing with goat farms and cheese factories, but anyone with access to fresh goat’s milk can make their own. Spindletop Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency in Houston made a locally sourced goat cheese purse as an appetizer with a bou- quet of baby greens and a white balsamic marinated red onion dressing, included in this recipe. PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 69 Home of the Month TANYA JONES, CRS ePro GRI 409.789.7222 Tanya.Jones@garygreene.com Panama Historic Condo SOLD 20032023 Eco-Art Kayak Adventures PaddleandPaintasyouexplorethemarshesandestuariesofGalveston Island.AdventuresareledbyartistsandscientistsandheldSaturdays& SundaysfromMarchuntilDecember.Ages7andolder.Beginners welcome!BookatourToday!artistboat.org/teach-community/ Eco-Art Camps Explore, Observe, Create Yoursummercamperswill experiencetruescienceandart enrichmentwiththecreationof Eco-ArtattheCoastalHeritage Preserve.Ages5-15yearsold. 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