Folded Hills Tasting Room Lead Alex Lamberth

Meet the Team – 10 Questions with Alex

Welcome to our monthly blog series, Meet the Folded Hills Team, and our April 2023 edition. This is a  little “get to know you” highlighting one of our fabulous team members each month. We will ask them ten questions, find out their favorite FH wine, and even get one of their favorite recipes to pair with it.

This month we are talking with Alex Lamberth, Tasting Room Lead here at Folded Hills.

FH: Hi Alex! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us for our Meet the Folded Hills Team April 2023 edition. Let’s find out a little more about you. Where are you from?

AL: I lived all over the place (Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Hawaii – to name a few) but have lived in Santa Barbara most of my life.

FH:  What are three things you would want to have if you were stranded on a deserted island?

AL: 1. A machete. 2. Endless fire starters. 3. A topographical map of the island.

FH: What is something that most people don’t know about you?

AL: Something most people don’t know about me is that from the ages of 17 to 19, I played semi-professional hockey in New Hampshire. It was some of the best times I’ve had in my life and a profound period of growth for me in my young adulthood.

FH: Is there a show you have binged lately? Would you recommend it and why?

AL: A show I have binge-watched recently is Band of Brothers. I have watched the series a few times now and would absolutely recommend it to anyone. I always take away a new lesson every time I watch it. It shows what it takes to be successful – working as a team through failures and successes. It is also a reminder of the sacrifices the generations before us have made to enable us to live in this beautiful country.

FH: Where is your favorite place to be?

AL: My favorite place to be is in Hawaii. Half of my family is from The Big Island and it will always be my second home.

FH: What is your favorite movie?

AL: My favorite movies are: American Sniper, The Boondock Saints, and Good Will Hunting. Trying to pick just one is too stressful.

FH: When you were in high school…

AL: When I was in high school…I won over $8,000 on a trifecta bet at the Kentucky Derby in 2002. I had to have my mom cash the ticket because I was under 18. Thank you War Emblem!

FH: What is number one on your bucket list?

AL: Number one on my bucket list is to live and travel in New Zealand and the South Pacific for two years. I have been to Australia and New Zealand several times and every time I discover more things I would like to do and come back to enjoy for a longer period of time.

FH: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

AL: If I could have dinner with anyone living or dead it would be Teddy Roosevelt, over a campfire on a weekend hunting trip. He is responsible for most of the land conservation and parks systems we have in place to this day.
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.” – Theodore Roosevelt

FH: Last but not least, what is your favorite Folded Hills wine, and can you share a recipe that you love to pair with it?

AL:  My favorite Folded Hills wine is the 2020 Cluster of Grenache. I love how bright and refreshing it is. My favorite thing to pair it with is the pork belly pizza from Convivo… hot damn!

Thank you Alex. We will have to head to Convivo soon and try that! For our friends and family not in Santa Barbara, see below for a similar recipe that we found…

Stay tuned for next month’s Meet the Folded Hills Team – Ten Questions Monthly Blog Series post. Any guesses who it could be? Who would you love to hear from?

‘Till next time! Hope to see you soon.

Alex’s Favorite Pairing Recipe –
Pork Belly Pizza

4 Servings
Pair with 2020 Cluster Carbonic Grenache 

 

Alex's Pork Belly Pizza

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

¼ cup gochujang
(Korean spicy red pepper paste)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 pound of your favorite pizza dough brought to room temperature
½ to ¾ cup chopped kimchi cabbage drained
8 to 12 ounces pork belly thinly sliced
1 to 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 stalks of scallions thinly sliced on a diagonal

Directions:

  1. Put the oven rack in the upper middle position, put a pizza stone on it, and preheat to 500 degrees F.
  2. To make the sauce, mix the gochujang, garlic, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. The consistency should not be too thick, but thin enough to spread easily on the crust.
  3. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out until it is less than ¼″ thick. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a pizza peel, lightly flour the sheet, and lay the dough on top. Use a spoon to spread the sauce on the dough. Top with chopped kimchi, sliced pork belly, and mozzarella cheese.
  4. Carefully transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven, sprinkle with scallions, and slice. Pair with 2020 Cluster Carbonic and enjoy!

Click on the image below to download a printable copy of Alex’s Favorite Pork Belly Pizza recipe.