If you’ve ever been in a restaurant out-of-state and spotted the descriptor, “Cajun-style” on a menu, you most likely rolled your eyes or even scoffed, “This oughta be good.”
Louisiana is a state that takes great pride in its traditions, not least of which is inimitable cuisine. Poboys, gumbo, boudin—they’re ours. But with the Food Network, Cooks Illustrated, and other media outlets bolstering the craze for gourmet food, the pressure increases on the magicians behind those bold flavors, crisp breadings, and dizzying aromas to share their secrets.
While specific recipes remain heavily guarded, there has arrived a flock of young chefs making waves in the Louisiana culinary scene—some without a pedigree, of all things. And while the grand institutions remain (who could imagine New Orleans without Commander’s Palace or Galatoire’s?), the newcomers do not come as zealous adherents or copycats. With a careful read of tradition and an itch to innovate, they’re here to define contemporary Louisiana cuisine.
Maurepas Foods opened its doors only a year ago, but it has already mastered the feel of the neighborhood favorites so popular in the Crescent City, finding its niche in the Bywater area, which has enjoyed a renaissance as a hip, young community sprinkled with renovated Creole cottages and classic period architecture.
Maurepas’ menu incorporates the past creatively. “The biggest tie to the historical sourcing and application for food in New Orleans is that we really are paying tribute to that Creole style—big city surrounded by big agricultural base,” explained Chef Michael Doyle. Maurepas sources meats and vegetables from agricultural areas that directly surround the city; but when it comes to cheeses and spices, the sources are more exotic.
“New Orleans is a port city, and with this importation culture we have the freedom to think globally while still being really grounded.” In terms of the menu, this translates into such items as goat tacos with pickled green tomatoes and cilantro harissa or duck salad with pickled leeks, smoked tomato dressing, and farro puffs.
ROOT, another recent addition to New Orleans’ culinary landscape, presents modern American food—no narrower category can describe the exertions of this ambitious kitchen. Chef Phillip Lopez, who trained in the city under John Besh, sees influences in New Orleans beyond the obvious Creole, infusing his quirky but masterful dishes with Vietnamese and Cuban touches he sees in the city’s culinary groundwork, as well as techniques culled from Spain and France.
Baton Rouge may not have the gourmet density of New Orleans, but the capitol city has more than its share of passionate young chefs, many hopping onto the recent trend of tapas restaurants. At Zolia Bistro & Enoteca, situated in the midst of Baton Rouge’s ever-growing downtown, Chef Brant Palazzo works with prolific restaurateur Louis DeAngelo to “meld rich Italian traditions with familiar local flavors and techniques,” yielding ambitious small plates—such as tuna tartare or rosemary shrimp with a Tin Roof amber beer reduction—and a wide variety of meat and cheese boards.
The revolution continues in the state’s small towns, too. At Hot Tails in New Roads, Chef Cody Carroll sees the current movement in Louisiana food as “turning back towards what Louisianans grew up on.” Carroll was raised on a farm in the Louisiana countryside, where he noticed that the techniques and foods his grandparents talked about had all but disappeared from the upcoming generation’s culinary conscience, replaced by fast foods and chain restaurants.
Carroll strives to replicate the methods he learned from older generations, from homemade salt pork to utilizing “a cool spot in the kitchen” rather than a walk-in cooler. He hopes to save true Louisiana cooking from the dusty archives. “They haven’t really seen it in the last twenty years. It’s a whole new generation that has never seen that. With all these food shows, they’re looking at all these people not from Louisiana focusing on our cooking. As chefs, we’re having to show everyone how this cooking came about and what it tastes like.”
As Louisiana’s reputation as fertile ground for contemporary cuisine takes shape, Maison Madeleine in Breaux Bridge has seized an opportunity. “Our long-range mission is to create a nexus of Acadian culture, hospitality, and culinary excellence,” said Walt Adams who, with innkeeper and partner Madeleine Cenac, is embarking on the establishment of a Secret Supper series on the grounds of this intimate country inn near Lake Martin. “Our goal is to provide a venue for up-and-coming chefs who’re doing creative things within the farm-to-table tradition,” explained Adams, “and to do something that reflects progressive, contemporary Acadian culture in its best light.” Beginning in October, Maison Madeleine will begin showcasing the achievements of a different visiting chef each Sunday. The inn provides a professional grade kitchen and an authentic outdoor setting in which the young and restless chefs of the Gulf Coast and the middle South will showcase their contemporary creativity. Intimate and beautifully presented, each dinner will accommodate thirty to forty guests with four courses, wine pairings, and personal attention from the region’s rising culinary stars.
Louisiana’s food legacy is deep and wide. But it’s only partially written; the dishes that stand the test of time will always remain integral parts of our regional character. But by embracing the ongoing evolution of our culinary traditions, we avoid the fate of Lot’s wife by continuing to look forward. By embracing not only the gifts afforded by our Gulf Coast home, but also those presented by the vast world beyond, Louisiana endures as a tantalizing point on the map, and a great place to sit down at the table.
Details. Details. Details.
ROOT
200 Julia Street
New Orleans, La.
(504) 252-9480 • rootnola.com
Mon.—Thur.: 11 am—2 pm; 5 pm—2 am
Friday: 11 am—2 pm
Sunday: 12 pm—2 pm; 5 pm—2 am
Hot Tails
1113 Hospital Rd
New Roads, La.
(225) 638-4676 • hottailsrestaurant.com
Mon.—Thur. & Sat.: 11 am—9 pm
Friday: 11 am—10 pm
Sunday: 11 am—3 pm
Maison Madeleine
1015 John D. Hebert Drive
Breaux Bridge, La.
(337) 332-4555 • maisonmadeleine.com
