The name for David Chang's empire of New York restaurants, Momofuku, means lucky peach. Chang's variety of luck stems in equal parts from his brilliance in the kitchen and his adherence to Samuel Goldwyn's philosophy: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

After studying at the French Culinary Institute and working for the likes of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Tom Colicchio, Chang opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004. There, he focuses on producing inventive, delicious versions of working-class food. And it works. New York magazine says, "His food is more than cheap and delicious--it is the unique synthesis of his highbrow training with his lowbrow appetites."

From there, Chang has spun off a string of successful restaurants: Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Ko, Má Pêche, and three locations of Milk Bar.

And if that's not enough to keep him busy, he's just introduced a line of Momofuku sauces for home cooks. The Clay Pot Cooking Sauce is a sweet-tangy-spicy mix of lemongrass, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, and habanero chilis. The Momofuku Asian Braising Sauce infuses foods with the delicate sweetness of pear and apple juice, along with sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine, garlic, onion, and habanero chilis. Both are great with chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetables, or tofu. The sauces, which sell for $16 for a 16-ounce jar, are available exclusively on the Williams-Sonoma website. So now the Character Approved Chang's hard work and luck can rub off on us in our own kitchens.

[Images: Williams-Sonoma]