CHEF’S TABLE

MC CUISINE

CHEF MICHAEL CHUONG PUTS DOWN ROOTS IN ONE OF CARY’S MOST HISTORIC STRUCTURES

BY ELLIOT ACOSTA ǀ PHOTOS BY MASH PHOTOGRAPHY

THIS PAGE: CHEF MICHAEL CHUONG LEFT VIETNAM AT THE AGE OF 15. HE ARRIVED IN CARY BY WAY OF NEW ORLEANS.

OPPOSITE PAGE: MC CUISINE'S WALNUT PRAWNS. Although MC Cuisine is one of downtown Cary’s newer restaurants, it was built on a foundation laid by history—regarding both its chef and accommodations. Located in the Sams-Jones House at 324 South Academy Street, MC Cuisine’ namesake comes from its owner and executive chef, Michael Chuong. After leaving his native Vietnam at the age of 15, Chuong found his way to New Orleans. It was in the Big Easy that Chuong began to cook professionally, eventually making his way into established kitchens such as The Fairmont, now known as The Roosevelt.

It was the prolific Goodnight family that brought Chuong to the town of Cary. SAS CEO Jim Goodnight, who purchased Cary’s Prestonwood Country Club in 1992, hired Chuong to take the helm of the kitchen there. Building off his reputation from his work there, Chuong opened AN Asian Cuisine in 2006 and solidified his place as a marquee chef in the area. When he left the restaurant in 2012 to pursue other projects, like the celebrated Elements restaurant in Chapel Hill, Chuong always dreamed of returning to Cary—the town he had adopted as his home.

FRONT-ROW SEAT

The Sams-Jones House in downtown Cary sits on the corner of South Academy and Dry streets, across from Downtown Cary Park, so it has had a front-row seat to Cary’s evolution. The town purchased the cottage in 2014, then leased it to various restaurants until it sat vacant in 2016. Constructed in 1902, the house’s Queen Anne cottage-style architecture and link to one of Cary High School’s earliest educators, Andrew Fuller Sams, paved the way for it to be designated a Cary Historic

Landmark in 2017. Soon after, the town government began searching for a new tenant, and Chuong was selected.

Running a restaurant out of a cozy 2,200-square-foot historic cottage comes with its share of challenges, Chuong says— such as the dining room’s compact and intimate environment in this post-COVID world—but he enjoys navigating through the difficulties. And what the house lacks in interior space, it makes up for on the exterior. Its romantic covered patio and expansive front lawn offers MC Cuisine’s guests a seat in the middle of all the action of a sublime downtown Cary evening. “Some days the inside of the house is empty while the lawn is packed,” Chuong says.

A CARY ‘NORM’

The Sams-Jones House’s size impacts more than where MC Cuisine is able to seat diners—it also affects the restaurant’s menu. Its modest kitchen and storage capabilities necessitate a smaller staff and menu. But rather than allowing that to become a detriment to MC Cuisine’s dining experience, it has become a strength by creating the need for an ever-evolving weekly menu that features fresh, seasonal ingredients. Chuong works with local farmers and purveyors to acquire those ingredients. Red drum from New Bern may star on the menu one week, then scallops from the Outer Banks slide into that spot the next week. Even Chuong’s signature dish, walnut prawns, is subject to a temporary change to almond or cashew prawns due to the availability of walnuts.

Chuong transforms these bountiful ingredients by leaning into his culinary training, which spans from Southeast Asian cuisine to classic American and French fare. But even with his extensive experience and knowledge, Chuong often digs into cookbooks, researches dishes online and even watches cooking shows for inspiration. As a result, MC Cuisine serves dishes such as caprese salads with burrata and tempura fried green tomatoes, or Land and Sea sushi rolls, which feature torched beef tenderloin and tempura shrimp with touches of various different cuisines and techniques. “Expect the unexpected,” he says when describing the menu.

The constant changes and seasonal focus are not only great fun for Chuong, but he believes it’s precisely why so many diners return, again and again. In a town that continues to transform, MC Cuisine is becoming one of Cary’s “norms.”

When Chuong arrived in Cary in 1997, he was smitten by its charming vibe. “I didn’t understand Southern hospitality until I came to Cary,” he says. He has made Cary his home, feeding its citizens for decades and raising his family within its limits.

Even though MC Cuisine opened in February 2020—21 days before COVID-19 lockdowns began—Chuong’s adopted home has embraced his new restaurant. “It’s been a dream of mine to come back to Cary to open a restaurant,” he says. “I’m thankful for the support.”

MC Cuisine opens at 5 p.m. for dinner, dine-in and takeout, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Learn more about the restaurant at mccuisines.com.

Note to our readers: There are different versions of this restaurant’s name on its website but Chef Michael Chuong requested that we refer to his restaurant as MC Cuisine.

MC CUISINE’S WALNUT PRAWNS

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS 40 large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup of mayonnaise 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce 2 teaspoons of whole-grain mustard 1 teaspoon of mirin 4 ounces of honey Vegetable oil (enough to fry all of the shrimp) Cornstarch (enough to provide two rounds of dustings of all the shrimp) 4 large egg whites Walnuts (choose the amount you prefer for garnishing the shrimp) ¼ cup of granulated sugar 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter Parchment paper

PRAWN SAUCE DIRECTIONS Mix together the mayonnaise, Sriracha sauce, mustard, mirin and honey until smooth. Refrigerate the sauce for later use.

CANDIED WALNUT DIRECTIONS Heat a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts, sugar and butter, then heat the mixture for 5 minutes, continually stirring (so the sugar doesn’t burn) until the sugar is melted and the walnuts are coated. Immediately transfer the mixture onto parchment paper. Move quickly to separate the walnuts so they won’t clump together. Let the candied walnuts harden for 5–7 minutes.

SHRIMP DIRECTIONS Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Dust the shrimp in cornstarch, then dip them into the egg whites, then return them to the cornstarch for another dusting. Carefully place the shrimp into the pot of hot oil for frying. Once the shrimp have cooked through to a golden brown, dip them into the prawn sauce. Plate and garnish them with the candied walnuts, and serve with rice.