Meet our 2020 Small Town Chef Nominees

For the past six years, we at Country Roads have had the  humbling opportunity to dive into the unique and marvelous small town cultures of our region and to celebrate their best kept secrets: their chefs. Every year, we are surprised, delighted, and besotted by the dishes our Small Town Chefs finalists create, and are honored to share their genius with our readers through these pages and through our annual Small Town Chefs dinner. 

This year, as we navigate the challenges of selecting finalists amidst social distancing restrictions and as we anticipate the possibility of having to reschedule our July dinner, our staff is currently brainstorming innovative and interactive "Small Town Chefs" programming that will both celebrate the vital work of our culinary experts in small towns and offer you a chance to try their dishes. 

In the meantime, though, we'd like to take the opportunity to recognize all twenty five of our 2020 nominees—all chefs who have made a resounding impact in their communities—and all chefs who, more than ever, deserve to be celebrated for the work they do. Over the course of the next few weeks, keep watch on our social media platforms and website as we introduce  our nominees and highlight the work of these people who feed us, and who feed us so very well.

Lance Banker of Pot & Paddle Jambalaya Kitchen in Gonzales, Louisiana

Troy Bijeaux of Café Josephine in Sunset, Louisiana

Esther Carpenter of The Elms in Natchez, Mississippi

Paolo Cenni of Paolo's Restaurant and Wine Bar in Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Regina Charboneau of Regina's Kitchen in Natchez, Mississippi

Calvelene Courville of Cajun Restaurant in Kinder, Louisiana

Michael Dardenne of the St. Francisville Inn in St. Francisville, Louisiana

Donna Ewing of Ma Mama's Kitchen in New Roads, Louisiana

Jay Gielow of Café Evangeline in Ville Platte, Louisiana

Jon Gimber & Alex Robertson of Miss Kay's Sweets & Eats in West Monroe, Louisiana

Lauren Guidroz & Major Morel & of Morel's Restaurant in New Roads, Louisiana

Jude Huval of Pat's Fisherman's Wharf in Henderson, Louisiana

Johnnie Landry of Crawfish Town USA in Henderson, Louisiana

Angela Lasyone of Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant in Natchitoches, Louisiana

Victoria Loomis, of "The Gatherin' Girl" food blog, Natchez, Mississippi

Jodi Martin of Geaux Fresh in Minden, Louisiana

Jeff Mattia of Pyre Provisions in Covington, Louisiana

Joey Najolia of Café Lynn in Mandeville, Louisiana

Alex Perry of Vestige in Ocean Springs, Mississippi

John Reason of Backroads Steak & Seafood in Slaughter, Louisiana 

Matias Rojo of Nola Mia Food Truck in Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Wei Wang "Chef Oui" of Aki in Covington, Louisiana

Nathaniel Winters of The Lookout Restaurant at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana