Courtesy of Chef Hardette Harris
Abiding by the law of the land, a hungry Louisianan living (or visiting) above the Kisatchie, might—nay must,in the name of all things official—sit down to a spread of crispy fried catfish; collard greens fragrant with the flavors of smoked ham hocks; fried okra from the fields; hot water cornbread; and an oversized, pillowy slice of spiced sweet potato pie, just like Mama makes it.
So says Chef Hardette Harris, creator of Louisiana’s first official meal (designated and outlined in Louisiana’s House Concurrent Resolution No. 88), an ode to the undersung savor of her North Louisiana home.
Harris—who was named one of our Small Town Chefs in 2017—has long championed the distinctive delicacies of the state’s higher regions, bringing true north Louisiana cuisine to diners through special “Us Up North” events produced by her culinary tour and experience company Pure Louisiana Soul.
Her deep attachment to the ethos of home cooking has always kept her at arm’s length from the prospect of a restaurant, preferring instead to focus her efforts on the road—bringing a lovingly baked ham and black-eyed peas straight to people’s kitchen tables as a private chef and educator. “One of the things you won’t ever hear me say is the word ‘restaurant,’” she said, laughing.
[Read our 2017 Small Town Chefs story on Chef Harris, here.]
Which is why she calls her new Shreveport eatery, which opened its doors this past August in the historic Allendale neighborhood, The Kitchen.
“The thing is, my celebration of North Louisiana was so well received, but in the end, people wanted somewhere to go eat my food,” she said.
When the building on 300 North Allen became available, Harris said, it felt like the universe was pulling her in. “A few blocks from here, my grandfather Hardy Walker had a place called The Green Road Inn—a liquor store lounge—and my mom worked there,” she said. “Right down the street, my great-great grandfather Heartful “Hartford” James founded the Shiloh Baptist Church in 1923.
“You never know when your ancestors are working for you and laying a foundation.”
Courtesy of Chef Hardette Harris
At The “Us Up North” Kitchen, Harris continues to resist the structured menu format of a traditional restaurant. “I want it to really evolve into a casual, homestyle place where people can come here, sit down, relax, and eat whatever I’m cooking on the stove.”
A look at the “Us Up North” Facebook page or a quick call (which Harris will likely answer herself) promises the most up-to-date information on daily offerings, where the possibilities range from stuffed bell peppers alongside chicken and dumplings, to Sunday afternoon smothered pork chops with rice and gravy and collard greens. But Harris encourages those approaching her table to simply trust her. Trust that in this one thing, North Louisiana cuisine, she knows best—making “whatever is fresh, whatever is on my heart, whatever people are asking for.”
“The feel is like traveling to the country on a Sunday afternoon to your grandmother’s house,” she said. “You know you’ll have dinner, and you’ll get your plate, and everyone eats the same thing. And if you went to someone’s house on a Sunday, what would you find? Something from the garden. A chicken from a nearby farmer. A lot of vegetables. Speckled butterbeans.”
The butterbeans, she said, are a particular example of how this kitchen and what it stands for goes beyond “soul food,” a category she feels limits the overall spirit of Shreveport’s cuisine. “The butterbeans, it’s kind of weird, but they grow really well here,” she said. “A lot of my customers are older people who have always eaten then straight from the garden, and they’re delighted to see them on the menu.”
While serving the masses in this way was never part of the plan, Harris said it’s brought her small rewards she never quite anticipated. “I’m able to see the people who eat my food, interact with them,” she said. “I’m able to get instant feedback. People come in and are like, ‘This is the food we ate, the food my grandmother ate. If I closed my eyes I couldn’t tell these weren’t my mother’s greens.’ I hear that all the time, and that is everything. It’s like winning an award every single day.”
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