Chefs Across New Orleans Celebrate Cajun & Creole Cuisines During Restaurant Week

A selection of classic New Orleans dishes tempt the eyes, and the palate at Arnaud's. Photo by Denny Culbert.

​There is nothing truer in Louisiana than the idea of connecting over food, and restaurants are the places where we find those connections, old and new. The LRA is excited to kick-off summer and bring back Restaurant Week New Orleans for the 12th year, continuing the celebration of the hospitality industry. The hard work, passion and dedication shown by chefs, and every service industry role in-between, especially through this pandemic, is why people from across the globe come to New Orleans for Southern hospitality and world-class cuisine.
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The LRA’s mission is to preserve our restaurants, to give world-renowned chefs a sanctuary where they can create, and share their passion for food with the community. New Orleans is home to the best Chefs in the industry, and their businesses are the backbone of the local economy. They play a large role in the preservation of New Orleans and their menus pay homage to where it all began—the Mississippi River. Meet three Chefs whose passion for New Orleans lie center of plate. ​

​Chef Frank Brigtsen
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Chef Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s Restaurant has been a member of the LRA for over 30 years, and was the inducted by the board into the LRA Hall of Fame in 2012. His strong commitment to the New Orleans restaurant industry and food culture comes from his mentor Chef Paul Prudhomme.

Chef Paul Prudhomme, the Opelousas native became the first American chef at Commander’s Palace in 1975, after Ella Brennan hired him to take over the restaurant she and her siblings had just purchased. In 1983, the LRA named Chef Prudhomme Restaurateur of the Year. It was at Commander’s Palace that Chef Prudhomme hired Chef Brigtsen and gave him his first real restaurant job.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Chef Brigtsen said. “To be a Chef in America’s greatest food city, and contribute to its evolving culture, has been a distinct privilege. I am deeply grateful.”
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This year, Chef Brigtsen’s Restaurant Week menu goes vegetarian. The 4-course menu has similar flavor profiles of Louisiana’s Creole and Cajun dishes, but takes a different approach by ​giving diners vegetarian and gluten free options. You’ll find a classic stuffed mirliton, but instead, stuffed with hearty roasted cauliflower and eggplant.  
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Chef John Folse
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You may know him for his cooking show “Taste of Louisiana” that aired on PBS in the 90s, or you know him for his hit restaurant Laffite’s Landing in Donaldsonville. Chef John Folse is internationally known as the keeper of authentic Louisiana Creole & Cajun cuisines and cultures. Chefs in today’s top restaurants most likely studied culinary arts at Chef John Folse’s Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, at Nicholls State University.

The St. James Parish native has a love for Louisiana rooted like a Cypress tree. He has been awarded numerous accolades from publications across the globe. In the late eighties, Chef Folse was responsible for introducing Louisiana’s indigenous cuisine to Japan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris. His high-end eatery Restaurant R’evolution quickly became the premier fine dinging establishment in New Orleans since opening in 2012. Collaborating with Chef Rick Tramanto, the pair the chefs have created a place where Creole & Cajun cuisines collide to tell the story of the all nations which influenced our city’s culinary history.

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Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant R'evolution Chef Samuel Peery. Photo credit Restaurant R'evolution.

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​Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant R’evolution, inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel, is Chef Samuel Peery. His Restaurant Week menu offers a broad selection of what makes Restaurant R'evolution unique, giving diners plenty of options to be immersed in modern, imaginative  reinterpretations of classic Cajun & Creole cuisines.

“We’ve included some of the refined interpretations of Louisiana classics that we’re known for, such as our Louisiana Turtle Soup and our Wild Boar Tagliatelle and also added some new items we’re really excited about, like our Gulf Shrimp Gazpacho appetizer and our Gulf Fish entrée with Louisiana corn, chicory greens, shishito pepper and Choupique butter.” 

The short rib boudin, which is not typically served at Restaurant R'evolution, is a unique appetizer created out of pure spark. Chef Peery and his team reimagined the traditional Cajun sausage stuffed with a mixture of pork and rice when they had a family dine-in who did not eat pork. It is a great starter to any of the entrees being offered for Restaurant Week. 

“This inspired us to create a pork-free boudin using beef short rib, chicken, rice and a wonderful blend of spices that honor classic Louisiana boudin flavors while adding a special Restaurant R’evolution flair,” said Chef Peery. “It’s definitely a new favorite dish and one that I encourage everyone to try.” 

Find your “cure for the summer heat,”  as Chef Peery puts it, with their Gulf Shrimp Gazpacho. “The Sun Gold tomatoes give the Gazpacho a wonderful rich hue and it’s finished with a sherry vinegar that we’ve been barrel aging in the restaurant for two years.” 

Finish your dinner with the choice of a Southern Peach Semifreddo or Ice Cream Stuffed Éclair. Chef Peery loves both options, but encourages diners to try the new Southern Peach Semifreddo dessert.

“I equate this to a traditional drunken rum cake but with the added flavors of peach, sweet tea and raspberry,” said Chef Peery. “It’s the perfect summer indulgence.”
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Chef Brian Landry
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Chef Brian Landry of Jack Rose Restaurant, inside the historic Pontchartrain Hotel, is excited for the week of celebration when restaurants are showcasing everything that is uniquely special to their restaurant. The New Orleans native grew up fishing with his family, and has a passion for seafood and Creole cuisine as deep as the Mississippi River. 

“It is such a part of our culture,” said Chef Landry. “Creole cuisine is a phenomenal regional cuisine that pulls from the best of cultures. We have over 1,400 restaurants in our city, who all contribute to that cuisine, so it is ever evolving. We’re always celebrating in New Orleans, always wondering where that next meal is going to be and it's just part of the fabric of the city.” 


Jack Rose’s 3-course Restaurant Week dinner starts with roasted tomatoes and pistou, and finishes with a summer pavlova packed with fresh berries, both to compliment a petit fillet entrée topped with fresh Louisiana crabmeat.  For six years, that passion served the New Orleans community at the historic Galatoire's Restaurant where he was Executive Chef from 2005-2011. He opened Borgne in 2012, and after making a name for himself there, he started a relationship with QED Hospitality, which houses Jack Rose. 

“There is nowhere else but New Orleans to experience the fusion of Cajun and Creole cuisine,” Chef Landry says, “and Restaurant Week is the time to experience it all.” 





Story originally posted on June 20, 2022​

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