National Culinary Review July/Aug 2023

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CREATE CLEAN

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34

New Orleans Stories

Snippets shared by ACF Chefs and others living, loving and working in ACF’s 2023 convention city paint a picture of this food-focused, musical destination with its rich history and exciting future.

DEPARTMENTS 18 Management

Kitchen designers, chefs and consultants offer suggestions on how to leverage equipment to do more with less labor.

26

30

Main Course

NOLA may be the main draw to Louisiana, but there’s plenty to see and eat farther north.

On the Side

A little about rising star Chef Meg Bickford, who commands the kitchen at the iconic Commander’s Palace.

32

Classical vs. Modern

ACF Chef Donald Douglas Brown prepares red beans and rice in both a traditional and a brunchready, modern form.

42 Health

A chef and registered dietitian offers ways to add more nutrition, color and variety to plates; plus how chefs can work with RDs to plan their menus.

46

52

Segment Spotlight

Independent restaurant owners in NOLA talk about the changing landscape of their culinary scene.

Pastry

Big Easy bakers and pastry chefs share their twists on classic cakes from this Southern city. 56 At

the Bar

A look at a few classic NOLA cocktails and the contemporary versions offered around town.

Cover photo: Jackson Square in the heart of New

RECOGNIZING THE CURRENT AND ACTIVE ACF CHEF MEMBERS WHO ARE FEATURED AND QUOTED THROUGHOUT THE PAGES OF THIS ISSUE

New Orleans Stories

Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, Chef John Folse & Co., New Orleans

Chef Ron Iafrate, Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop, Metarie, Louisiana

Management

Brian Beland, CMC, AAC, Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Jonathan Moosmiller, CMC, AAC, Shangri-La Resort and Golf Club, Monkey Island, Oklahoma

Chapter Close-Up

Chef Anastasia Joyner, assistant professor, Nunez Community College, Chalmette, Louisiana, and president, ACF New Orleans Chapter Chef Paula Sanchez, treasurer, ACFNO

Main Course

Chef Hardette Harris, Us Up North, Shrevepoint Louisiana

ACF Chef Profile

Chef Amy Sins, Langois Culinary Crossroads, New Orleans

ACF MEMBER CONTRIBUTORS

New Orleans Stories

Jennifer Hill Booker (ChefJenniferHillBooker.com) is a cookbook author and owner of the recently opened Bauhaus Biergarten in Springdale, Arkansas. She regularly contributes to NCR.

Chef-to-Chef

Chef Matthew Dolan is the executive chef and partner of 25 Lusk in San Francisco and the author of “Simply Fish.”

Pastry

Chef Robert Wemischner recently retired after 32 years of teaching Professional Baking and Restaurant Management at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. He is a regular contributor to NCR.

Classical vs. Modern

Chef Donald Douglas Brown is a retired electrical engineer and native New Orleanian who recently graduated from Virginia Western Culinary College in Roanoke, Virginia.

Donald Douglas Brown

Matthew Dolan

Robert Wemischner

Jennifer Hill Booker

Editor-in-Chief

Amelia Levin

Creative Services Manager

David Ristau

Graphic Designer

Armando Mitra

Advertising and Event Sales

Eric Gershowitz

Director of Marketing and Communications

Alan Sterling

Contributing Editors

Amanda Baltazar, Robin Caldwell, Jennifer Hill Booker, Lauren Kramer, Howard Riell, Robert Wemischner

Copy Editor

Erica Demarest

American Culinary Federation, Inc. 6816 Southpoint Parkway Ste 400 Jacksonville, FL 32216 (800) 624-9458 (904) 824-4468 Fax: (904) 940-0741 ncr@acfchefs.net ACFSales@mci-group.com www.acfchefs.org

Board of Directors

President

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC®, CCA®, AAC®

Immediate Past President

Thomas Macrina, CEC®, CCA, AAC

National Secretary

Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA, AAC

National Treasurer

Kent Andersen, CEC, CCA, AAC

American Academy of Chefs Chair

Americo “Rico” DiFronzo, CEC, CCA, AAC

Vice President Central Region

Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC

Vice President Northeast Region

Barry R. Young, CEC, CCE®, AAC, MBA

Vice President Southeast Region

Bryan Frick, CEC, AAC

Vice President Western Region

Greg Matchett, CEC, AAC

Executive Director

Heidi Cramb

The National

Review® (ISSN 0747-7716), July/August

6816 Southpoint Parkway, Ste 400, Jacksonville, FL 32216. A digital subscription to the National Culinary Review® is included with ACF membership dues; print subscriptions are available to ACF members for $25 per year, domestic; nonmember subscriptions are $40. Material from the National Culinary Review®, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission. All views and opinions expressed in the National Culinary Review® are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the officers or members of ACF. Changes of mailing address should be sent to ACF’s national office: 6816 Southpoint Parkway, Ste 400, Jacksonville, FL 32216; (800) 624-9458; Fax (904) 940-0741.

The National Culinary Review® is mailed, and periodical postage is paid at St. Augustine, Fla., and additional post offices.

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Convention, convention, convention!

We are so close to the big event in one of my favorite cities of all time. I can’t wait to reconnect with longtime friends and meet new ones, as always. The ACF national office staffers have outdone themselves yet again with an incredible lineup of speakers from New Orleans and beyond, all converging in the Big Easy to showcase their craft and share their knowledge. Many of the speakers at convention are featured in the pages of this issue. I’m also super excited for our competitions following our first-ever National Qualifier Competitions drawing out the best of the best in our industry. This convention will be a bit bittersweet for me as it’s my last as ACF national president this term. While we will be inducting the new board during the President’s Gala on the last night of convention, I look forward to remaining engaged and on the board as immediate past president and chair of the foundation.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done over the past two years to build back our membership and revenues after a devastating global pandemic. The good news is, in the 2022 ACF Annual Report to be shared with members ahead of convention, and which will serve as the basis for my State of the ACF speech that I plan to present during the Board of Governors meeting in July, all of our numbers in every department have gone up compared to last year and even the year before. Thanks to many new property memberships, an increase in chapter compliance and a growth in both professional and junior memberships, we’re seeing membership stabilize for the first time in three years. Our social media numbers have skyrocketed, which helps us with brand awareness in the public eye. Sponsorship numbers have returned to pre-pandemic levels — and that helps us give back to you all. Still, we have work to do.

I’m most inspired by the many students and emerging professionals who have reached out to me and said that it’s been great to see a woman, person of color and pastry chef as their president — that it gives them encouragement and inspiration that in the largest organization of professional culinarians, anything is possible and that representation does truly matter. We have a ton of newer members volunteering in NOLA this year, and that shows a level of engagement that we haven’t seen in quite a few years. Now that the metaphorical glass ceiling has been broken, I hope I’m not the last woman or chef of color to serve in ACF leadership. My charge to you is to stay engaged, step up to the plate and don’t be afraid to aim for the top, where changes and improvements can be made.

In an industry where all of our voices are so needed, use your voice to keep the network, the mission, the representation alive and thriving. We’ve come a long way; let’s keep growing for the future of our federation. Ninety-four years is a legacy to be celebrated; let’s keep the progress of diversity, equity and inclusion going for the growth and betterment of our federation. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be of service to this federation that has served me so well in my 41 years of membership! Let’s go!

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC National President, American Culinary Federation

Culinary

2023, Volume 47, Number 4, is owned by the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) and is produced six times per year by ACF, located at

¡Convención, convención, convención!

Ya casi llega el gran evento en una de mis ciudades favoritas de todos los tiempos. No puedo esperar para volver a encontrarme con mis viejos amigos y conocer a personas nuevas, como siempre. El personal nacional de ACF hizo un trabajo sobresaliente una vez más con increíbles oradores de Nueva Orleans y otras ciudades, quienes se encontrarán en NOLA para demostrar sus habilidades y transmitir conocimientos. Muchos de los oradores de la convención están presentes en las páginas de esta edición. También tengo muchas ganas de asistir a nuestras primeras Competencias nacionales, donde ganará el mejor de la industria.

Esta convención también me traerá emociones encontradas, ya que será la última que presenciaré como presidenta nacional de ACF en este mandato. Si bien estaremos juramentando a la nueva junta durante la Gala del Presidente en la última noche de la convención, espero seguir comprometida y en la junta como expresidenta inmediata y presidenta de la fundación.

Estoy orgullosa del trabajo que hemos realizado en los últimos dos años para recuperar a nuestros miembros e ingresos después de una devastadora pandemia mundial. La buena noticia es que, en el Informe anual de ACF de 2022 que compartiremos con los miembros antes de la convención, y que servirá como base para mi discurso sobre el estado de ACF durante la reunión de la Junta directiva en julio, los resultados de todos nuestros departamentos han aumentado en comparación con el año pasado e incluso con el año anterior. Gracias a los nuevos miembros, la mayor participación en las delegaciones y el crecimiento en las membresías profesionales y junior, estamos teniendo una base de miembros estable por primera vez en tres años. Hemos crecido considerablemente en las redes sociales, lo cual nos ayuda con el conocimiento de la marca. Los números de patrocinio han vuelto a los niveles previos a la pandemia, y eso nos ayuda a retribuirles a todos. Aun así, queda mucho por hacer.

Lo que más me inspira son los estudiantes y nuevos profesionales que se han comunicado conmigo para decirme que les encanta ver a una chef pastelera negra como presidenta. Me dicen que los incentiva y los inspira saber que todo es posible en la organización culinaria profesional más grande, y esa representación es realmente importante. Este año tenemos muchos nuevos miembros voluntarios de NOLA, lo cual demuestra un nivel de compromiso que hacía años que no veíamos. Ahora que se ha roto el metafórico techo de cristal, espero no ser la única chef negra que ocupe el mayor puesto de liderazgo en ACF. Los invito a seguir participando, estén a la altura de las circunstancias y no tengan miedo a apuntar a los más altos niveles, desde donde es posible realizar cambios y mejoras.

En una industria donde nuestras voces son tan necesarias, usen su voz para mantener viva la red, la misión y la representación. Hemos avanzado mucho; sigamos creciendo por el futuro de nuestra federación. Noventa y cuatro años es un número que vale la pena celebrar; sigamos avanzando en diversidad, igualdad e inclusión, apostando por el crecimiento y la mejora de nuestra federación. ¡Siempre estaré agradecida por la oportunidad de haber trabajado con esta federación que me ha dado tanto en mis 41 años como miembro!

¡Adelante! Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC Presidente Nacional, American Culinary Federation

Online Exclusives at WeAreChefs.com

Visit WeAreChefs.com, the official content hub for the American Culinary Federation, for stories and news about ACF members, industry and menu trends, recipes and more.

NOLA Convention Speakers

We’ve been posting short interviews with some of the presenters for the 2023 ACF National Convention, including ACF Chefs Drew Sayes, Danielle Hughes (CS1/Coast Guard), Andy Chlebana, CMPC, and others. We also caught up with ACF Chef Marshall Shafkowitz, who will be presenting at the ACF MasterCraft Culinary Educator Summit a day prior to convention in New Orleans. For the full list of speakers, visit acfchefs.org/ events/convention/presenters.

ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series

The ever-popular ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series continues! Missed a webinar? We’ll post quick recaps, and all recorded sessions are available online.

As Seen on the ACF Chef’s Table Forum

Check back regularly to see who’s in the Member Spotlight. At press time, it was ACF Chef Andrew Prosser, sous chef at the High Roller Lounges at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and owner of a barbecue business called Up in Smoke. Visit chefs-table.acfchefs.org to learn more.

Ingredient of the Month

Each month, we highlight a different ingredient in the ACF’s Online Learning Center. Visit the center at acfchefs.org/IOTM to complete a quiz and earn one hour of continuing education credit toward ACF certification and recertification.

ACF’s Online Learning Center

The Culinary Insider, ACF’s biweekly newsletter, offers ACF news and links to recent articles, plus information about upcoming events, certification, member discounts, competitions, contests and much more. Sign up at acfchefs.org/tci.

Follow the ACF on your favorite social media platforms:

@acfchefs

@acfchefs

@acf_chefs

@acfchefs

@acf_chefs

American Culinary Federation

Check out ACF’s Online Learning Center. There you’ll find NCR quizzes, videos of educational sessions from ACF events, practice exams for certification and more. Visit learn.acfchefs.org to get started and earn CEHs.

Tag us on Instagram!

When posting your delicious creations on Instagram, tag #ACFChefs or send to @acf_chefs and we’ll repost our favorites here and online!

NEWS BITES

Countdown to NOLA!

The 2023 ACF National Convention will take place July 16-19 at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. It’s not too late to register! Join in on the largest annual gathering of chefs, students and foodservice professionals in the country with world-class presenters, demos and a trade show of 80+ sponsors displaying the latest and greatest. Through the pages of this special convention issue of NCR, you’ll see various convention speakers highlighted.

ACF MasterCraft Summit Series

Specialized Certificates will be provided upon successful completion of the written examination. Earn eight CEHs upon attendance at each summit. For the full agendas and to register, visit acfchefs.com/events or download the ACF Chefs app.

Culinary Educator Mastercraft Summit

Sun., July 16

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans

Secondary, post-secondary, workforce development chef instructors and CTE professionals of all levels are invited to participate as we launch our one-day ACF professional development summit just for culinary educators. In a supportive and collaborative environment, we’ll challenge both new and more seasoned culinary educators to expand their areas of expertise, while sharing their passion for teaching future chefs and cooks. Join us for a day of demonstrations, panel discussions and seminars on topics such as curriculum design, culinary competitions, creating advisory boards, mental wellness, industry certifications and technology in the kitchen classroom.

Culinary Nutrition Mastercraft Summit

Download the ACF Chefs mobile app today!

Here’s everything you can do on the app:

• R egister for the 2023 ACF National Convention and MasterCraft Summits

• See the full list of sessions, speakers and sponsors at convention

• Check out the latest ACF news from The Culinary Insider bi-weekly newsletter

• R ead this issue and past issues of NCR on your phone or tablet

• Connect with ACF’s social media channels

• R enew your membership

• R eview your profile information and access a QR code with your info that you can share with others when networking

Sat., Aug. 12

Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Join us for this revolutionary educational summit focused on culinary medicine as we explore the converging worlds of food and health. Now more than ever, it’s important to bring together professionals in both the medical and culinary fields to explore the latest scientific research regarding how diet, nutrition and wellness intersect. At this summit, you’ll gain insight that will

encourage improvements to your menus and the sustainability of our food systems by attending culinary demonstrations, expert panels and in-depth discussions.

Advanced Culinary MasterCraft Summit

Tues., Sept. 12

The Breakers Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida

Master the latest innovations in culinary menus from cuttingedge culinarians during this summit designed for those working

in culinary leadership roles. This advanced level educational experience focuses on menu innovation, fine dining culinary trends, advanced cooking concepts and modern plating techniques.

Advanced Pastry MasterCraft Summit

Fri., Oct. 20

Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, North Carolina

Master the latest innovations in pastry and grow your skills during this educational experience focused on baking and pastry trends, advanced sugar and chocolate innovations, modern dessert theory and more. This summit has been designed for the professional development of all pastry chefs, confectioners and educators and welcomes baking artisans from across the country! This one-day educational event will include demos and lectures by cutting-edge professionals. The sessions have been curated to celebrate the artistry and innovation in the world of pastries while providing a platform for professionals to network and exchange ideas, learn from baking industry experts and share best practices and tips to enhance your creative approach to meet today's evolving pastry menus.

Salut

Students from Landstown High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia, won NASA’s HUNCH Culinary Challenge under the guidance of Chef-Instructor

Suzette Johnson . The students are Seraphina Arnold, Lancelot Advincula, Nathaniel Burson, Ava Ibanez and Ethan Hoffman

“Coldwater Kitchen,” a documentary featuring ACF Chef Jimmy Hill , Michigan Department of Corrections, and three of his students, won the James Beard Foundation’s award for Best Documentary during the awards ceremony in June.

The ACF Los Angeles Chapter recently hosted a dinner and meeting at the award-winning Taverna at The Mar Vista in L.A. Pictured are Executive Chef/ Author Effie

Noifelt, LA ACF Chapter Vice President Lidia

Felix and ACF Chef

Bill Yee , executive director. Chef Noifelt is a member of the chapter and

Congrats to the Membership Drive Winners!

Thank you to the 22 chapters that participated in the Chapter Challenge Membership Drive, which contributed to a gain of 105 new members in two months:

Central: ACF Chefs of Northwest Indiana

Northeast: ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

Southeast: ACF Tampa Bay Culinary Association

The winning chapters each received $500 and will be recognized for their dedication to our membership at convention.

is currently the executive chef at the world-renowned St. Sophia Cathedral, which also holds the annual LA GreekFest, the largest of the Greek festivals in Southern California, for which Chef Yee and his team have cooked for several years. In June, Chef Noifelt was the guest on Chef Yee’s TV program “A Taste of Music.”

ACF Chef Reilly Meehan, CEC, took home a gold medal and earned the title of Global Chef of the Americas, while ACF Chef Chris Bugher, CEC, won a gold medal and earned the title of Global Vegan Chef of the Americas at the Global Chefs Challenge Regional Semi-Final in Santiago, Chile. Both will advance to the Global Chefs Challenge Finals in Singapore in October 2024.

The Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) honored ACF Chef Bert Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT , co-founder/COO of The Sardine Factory in Monterey, California, with the 2023 Hospitality Professional of the Year Award at the annual Awards Gala at Portola Hotel & Spa.

Culinary students and instructors with the ACFaccredited Byron Nelson High School were featured on CBS Saturday Morning News in May.

ACF Chef Fred Griesbach, CEC, AAC , on behalf of the ACF Middle Wisconsin Chefs , presented a check of $2,225 to Lincoln High School culinary students following a fundraiser event.

AAC Dinner and Luncheon

The Board of Governors meeting will be held on Sun., July 16, and the 2023 American Academy of Chefs Annual Induction Dinner will take place on Tues., July 18, at the Marriott Warehouse District Hotel. The AAC Spouses/Significant Other Luncheon will take place on Wed., July 19, at Restaurant R’evolution. Register at acfchefs.org/Convention or through the ACF Chefs app.

LHS HUNCH Team

Competitions and Awards

Finalists from the National Qualifier Competitions held in March will compete for ACF National awards at convention. The full list was published in the May/June issue of NCR. Competitions for national awards will take place on Mon., July 17, and Tues., July 18, at the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). These awards include:

• Chef of the Year

• Pastry Chef of the Year

• Student Chef of the Year

• Student Pastry Chef of the Year

• Student Team of the Year

Other awards presented during convention include Chef Educator of the Year, the Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism, Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement, L. Edwin Brown Leadership, Cutting Edge and Chapter of the Year awards, as well as Presidential Medallions. We’ll announce winners via our social media channels and include a recap in the Sept./Oct. issue of NCR.

ACF Sustainability Corner

Check out the ACF Sustainability Corner with articles and infographics to help educate you, your team and students on sustainable concepts to help minimize cost and increase profit while reducing your carbon footprint. June’s feature offered a broad look at the issue of monocropping, including how monocropping relates to commercial foodservice and the economic term of opportunity cost. July’s topic is “chefs as leaders.” Earn two hours of continuing education credit by completing the quiz on the ACF Online Learning Center. Learn more at acfchefs.org/ sustainability

Introducing the ACF National President-Elect and Board of Directors to be Inducted at Convention

Following the 2023 election in May, Chef Rene Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, was named the ACF National presidentelect after securing the majority votes, which were tallied by Survey & Ballot Systems. Chef Marquis is a native of Maine and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, in 1992. He worked at the Broadmoor Hotel before joining the U.S. Army in 1993. Throughout his 21-year military career, Chef Marquis was a team member and captain of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team (USACAT) and competed in the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany, as well as in several World Cups. He also served as business manager for ACF’s Culinary Team USA when the team competed at the World Cup in 2018 and the IKA Culinary Olympics in February 2020, and he served as a judge for the World Cup in November 2022. Chef Marquis, who has appeared on “Chef Boot Camp” and Alton Brown’s “Cutthroat Kitchen,” is also an approved ACF competition judge and certification evaluator. He has been the recipient of Presidential Medallions and numerous ACF awards. Chef Marquis currently serves as chairman of the board for the ACF Tampa Bay chapter and is a corporate executive chef for Land O’Lakes.

Introducing the 2023 Board of Directors: National Secretary

Chef Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA, AAC, has worked in the foodservice industry for nearly 40 years and currently serves as executive chef/director of Second Harvest Food Bank in North Carolina, overseeing the Providence family of programs he founded in 2006. Anchored by the Providence Culinary Training, an ACF quality program, students work in the Providence Community Meals department to provide meals to hungry children, seniors and other individuals who struggle to provide nourishment for themselves and their families. Chef Bacon is a two-time recipient of the ACF’s Presidential Medallion and has won other awards during his career. This is his second term as ACF National secretary.

National Treasurer

Chef Kyle Richardson, CEC, CCE, AAC, is a professor emeritus from Joliet Junior College, where he taught for 25 years. Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Richardson established himself early as a prep cook and busser branching out into a wide variety of kitchens, including those in hotels, country clubs and bakeries. Today he owns and operates Crescent City Gourmet, a Chicago-area concession, consulting and catering business with a New Orleans twist. Chef Richardson most recently served as ACF National secretary from 2015-2019 and ACF vice president of the Central region prior to that, among other positions. He is the recipient of an ACF Presidential Medallion and many other ACF awards.

Central Region Vice President

Chef Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC, has worked for Michigan State University since 1994, currently serving in the Culinary Services, Student Life & Engagement department. His career experiences also include working for Hilton Hotel in Saudi Arabia as well as for Carnival Cruise Lines and the prestigious five-star Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai. Chef Patgaonkar has served many positions at the local and national level for ACF, including ACF internal audit chair, ACF Chef & Child Foundation’s Central region chair and AAC scholarship chair. This is his second term as Central region vice president.

Northeast Region Vice President

Chef Ray McCue, CEC, AAC, is an associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Prior to joining JWU, Chef McCue worked at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City. He won ACF Chef Educator of the Year in 2015 and is the recipient of two ACF Presidential Medallions, as well as the Cutting Edge Award. He currently serves as chairman of the ACF Rhode Island chapter and is actively involved with World Chefs Without Borders.

Southeast Region Vice President

Chef Bryan Frick, CEC, AAC, has served as corporate executive chef for the Nestle Corporation since 1997, and prior to that, spent many years at Disney. An ACF member for more than 40 years, he has served in chapter leadership roles in Columbus, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida. This is his second term as Southeast region vice president.

Western Region Vice President

Chef Greg Matchett, CEC, AAC, is a chef-consultant with Shamrock Foods. A CIA graduate, Chef Matchett has worked as an executive chef for luxury country clubs, fine-dining restaurants, five-star hotels, gourmet off-site catering and other businesses in the senior living, sports and entertainment, convention center and food manufacturing sectors. He has also served as a chef/instructor and has coached multiple ACF student competition teams. This is his second term as Western region vice president.

Immediate Past President

ACF President Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC, who is currently serving a two-year term as ACF National president, will remain on the board as immediate past president. Chef Brock Brown has more than 30 years of culinary industry experience as an executive pastry chef, culinary educator, culinary competitor, entrepreneur, author and TV personality. Prior to serving as president, Chef Brock Brown served two twoyear terms on the ACF board as vice president of the Southeast region. She was the first African American woman elected to the ACF board in 2017, and the first woman, first African American and first Pastry Chef to have been elected ACF president in ACF’s 95-plus-year history.

American Academy of Chefs Chair

Chef Joe G. Aiello, CEC, AAC, HOF, has been an ACF member since 1977 and an Academy fellow since 1987.

Chef Aiello is a graduate of the CIA and has held numerous ACF board and committee positions, including ACF National treasurer and ACF bylaws committee chair. Chef Aiello is currently serving his second term as AAC vice chair. For the past 30 years, Chef Aiello has held various positions in the hospitality industry as a chef in hotels, country clubs and food management. He has owned and operated Apropo Catering, a multi-faceted foodservice management and special events company, for more than 20 years.

The new slate will serve a two-year term after being installed during the President’s Gala on July 19 at the 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans.

In Memoriam

We regret to announce that ACF Chef John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC, HOF, passed away in June. Chef Kinsella was a longtime active member of ACF; he served as ACF National President from 2005-2009 as well as ACF National secretary and chair of the Chef of the Year Committee. He also served as ACF Culinary Team USA manager in the late ’90s and early 2000s following years of competing in various international competitions, including the Culinary Olympics and Culinary World Cup. For the past 15 years, Chef Kinsella served as president of Smart Chefs LLC, a chef consultancy. Prior to that, he was the senior supervising chef at Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Chef Kinsella was a graduate apprentice from the Grosvenor House, London, where he worked under French Master Chef Rene Le Bec, one of Auguste Escoffier’s apprentices. Earlier in his career, he also worked at several prestigious properties, including the Gourmet Room, Madam Prunier of London, the Grosvenor House London, the Royal Hibernian Hotel Dublin and Le Palmier of Brussels.

Chef Kinsella won numerous accolades and awards, including receiving Her Majesty’s ARmed Forces Combined Services Medal for services to the culinary profession and being inducted in the Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of Chicago Disciples of Escoffier. He also earned an honorary doctorate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University and a doctorate in foodservice from the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) for his work in equipment and kitchen design development strategies.

Chef Kinsella's career of more than 55 years was dedicated to elevating the fields of culinary arts and education, along with his relentless drive to develop young talent. As an active Fellow and past officer of the AAC who was honored for outstanding leadership in the culinary industry at an AAC event in 2008, Chef Kinsella was a staunch supporter of the AAC culinary scholarship program in helping future culinarians obtain the education they need and desire to excel in the culinary industry. For a previous Q&A with Chef Kinsella about how he worked with his son, visit WeAreChefs.com

ACF Thanks Our Loyalty Partners

Automation Nation

Foodservice consultants detail how to save on labor costs with the latest equipment

By Howard Riell

For foodservice establishments dealing with labor issues and seeking to improve overall operations, the right pieces of kitchen equipment can provide some valuable solutions.

Indeed, equipment that eases the need for handson labor can play an important role in an operation’s success at a time when employees are hard to find, expensive to train and often difficult to retain. Still other units can strengthen product consistency and help maintain all-important temperatures.

“It’s an exciting time in the foodservice industry,” says Khaled Halabi , FCSI, director of design, Northeast/Central region for CiniLittle International, Inc., based in Germantown, Maryland. “Consumer preferences for consistent and high-quality food, the desire for wellness within the foodservice environment, the need to tighten the budget in this world of increasing inflation and costs, and of course the diminishing foodservice workforce, have made it necessary for equipment and technology to join forces, so to speak, to bring imaginative yet efficient ideas to market.”

Three critical areas where equipment can provide the most effective assistance, according to industry veterans, are in labor savings, product consistency and temperature controls.

LABOR SAVINGS

ACF Chef Frank Turchan, CEC (above), campus executive chef at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, points to “pizza robots to build pizzas readyto-cook.” He also favors robots used to cook fries or

manage the fryers based on the product being cooked. Chef Dan Follese, founder and chef of Food Trend Translator based in Tallahassee, Florida, recommends kitchen tools “that offer safety to a lesserskilled kitchen employee, like a mandolin that keeps your fingers safe.” He also feels that some of the most innovative items are combi ovens and ventless rapidcook ovens.

For Karen Malody, FCSI, principal of Culinary Options, LLC, in Portland, Oregon, “It seems like old news to stress the impact that combi ovens can have on a kitchen … but I will say it anyway. Whether cooking on low heat all night, precooking burgers and chicken breasts for a quick grill finish at the point of order or baking eggs in advance for quick assembly of breakfast sandwiches, these ovens are quintessential multitaskers.”

Halabi advises chefs looking to make equipment upgrades in order to save on labor cost that it is important to consider both long- and short-term cost/benefit ratios. “There are definitely a lot of ways to save on labor costs that don’t necessarily mean ripping out your existing equipment and purchasing the newest and the best out there,” he says. “Is the newest and best what your operation needs? Will you be able to weather a potential hit on your bottom line as you incur the expense of new equipment (and) training on that equipment? How far out will it be before you achieve a savings on labor costs?”

One operational resource that can be easily implemented, Halabi continues, is POS software to manage staffing levels for weekly rosters. “This

will help identify potential labor-reducing areas and allow you to make necessary adjustments to your labor force.”

MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY

According to Halabi, consistency of product and the subsequent reduction in ingredient waste are crucial elements for today’s kitchens. “Any way you can ensure that product is consistent time after time is a win for everyone from operator to patron, and even trims food costs and wastage that ultimately affect the bottom line.”

Programmable vending allows for minimal waste and virtually no discrepancy in portion or allotment of ingredients needed for the end product, says Halabi. “In fact, pouring nozzles for alcohol, super-automatic espresso machines and beer-tap-pouring systems all work in much the same way, as do recipe-measuring scales and recipe-connected scales.” Quantity control allows for consistency and reduced waste, he adds. “Combi ovens, pizzabots and robots all help with consistency, as well.”

Chef Turchan recommends an oven with a cloud system “where I can program equipment and control from a single laptop,” he says. “Then we can program recipes into the units, and the staff have to load and press a button for the proper cooking temp and color.”

A new pizza dough stretcher that precisely emulates hand-stretched skins, Malody explains, can allow a pizzeria to produce “perfect” pies without requiring the skill and time of hand-stretching. “I am also a great believer in double-sided — sometimes called clamshell — grills. These amazing pieces of equipment produce consistent, perfect results in a fraction of the time required on flat-top or char grills.”

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

When it comes to controlling temperatures, Chef Follese says there are “a lot of advances in this category, with temperature and timing sensors built into containers (and) apps that set reminders.”

Managing cold storage temperatures has been made easier with the introduction of connected kitchens inputting information into logs accessible online through software portals, Halabi points out.

“Instead of writing down walk-in temps as time intervals on a clipboard in the kitchen, you now have

access to historical data going back months on the temperatures of all units that are cooling from walkin boxes to merchandisers in the front of house,” he explains. “Some units have control mechanisms to mitigate a rise in temperature by locking the operation of the unit.”

The bottom line, then, all but presents itself: In the right hands, and given a bit of a budget and some savvy management, innovative equipment can come close to serving as a panacea for many contemporary kitchen woes.

From top: Chef Dan Follese, founder and chef of Food Trend Translator based in Tallahassee, Florida. Bottom: Karen Malody, FCSI, principal of Culinary Options, LLC, in Portland, Oregon.

ACF NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER LA012

By Amelia Levin

The ACF New Orleans chapter was founded in 1972 under the name Les Chefs des Cuisine de la Louisiana and transitioned to become part of the ACF in 1982. The chapter’s name formally changed to ACF New Orleans (ACFNO) in 1991.

Throughout the years, the chapter has showcased some of the best culinarians in the industry. Some of the first chefs in the area to band together were the legendary Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse . The chapter has also included such recognized chefs as Kevin Belton, Frank Davis, Leon West, Frank Brigtsen, Susan Spicer, Paul Miller, Carl Tippen, Frank Sclafani Sr., Ruth Varisco, Mary Barthlomew, Ph.D., Tory McPhail and Tom Beckman , among others.

However, with the pandemic, membership shrank heavily, says ACF Chef Anastasia Joyner (left), a culinary professor at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, Louisiana, who has been a member of ACFNO for nine years and most recently served as secretary before being inducted as president in January for a twoyear term. “We did not disappear completely; we went online and had meetings on Zoom.”

Still, she says, “we’ve been slowly trying to get back to inperson meetings and we don’t always have a space to meet each month. The pandemic cut many

of our community activities short and alienated many young people. My goal is to rectify these shortcomings. Working with young people through their education paths has given me a great deal of insight into and empathy toward what young people deal with today that I did not at their ages. I hope to create an environment that can support and uplift young people within our community.”

At press time, the chapter had just held a meeting hosted by newly Certified Sous Chef Kevin Lacap (opposite), the chapter’s secretary, at the Pan American Life Center on Poydras Street, where he works for Sodexo. The discussion centered mostly around convention and how to support volunteer efforts.

Conventions and Events

ACF Chef Paula Sanchez , the chapter’s treasurer, who has been a member of ACFNO for more than 20 years, recalls a few past conventions held in New Orleans over the years, including most recently in 2018 when the chapter sent many student and professional chef volunteers to help out with all facets of the event.

Also prior to COVID-19, ACFNO enjoyed many chef-driven, ACFsanctioned events. In the 1990s, the ACF-sanctioned Louisiana Gold Culinary Classic drew many chefs from near and far, Sanchez says. Many chapter members have cooked at Jazz Fest.

More recently, the Best Chefs of Louisiana has been the go-to event for

culinary prowess in the state. The event, which features about 30 to 40 wellknown Louisiana chefs in a high-end, tasting festival format, has been held each year in different locations in the Metro New Orleans area, including an old airport hangar in New Orleans East and on the campus of Tulane University.

Chef Joyner, who cooked at Surrey’s and Muriel’s in NOLA and served as the head chef for the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps out of Mobile, Alabama, before moving into culinary education, was awarded Best Chef of Louisiana in 2019 and in 2020, but the event in March that year was canceled due to the pandemic. Chef Joyner has been part of a group working to bring it back.

“It’s a great fundraising event, where scholarships are given out to local community colleges,” says Chef Joyner, whose students have been the recipients of such benefits. In addition to teaching at Nunez, Chef Joyner also helps manage

and mentor ProStart teams in culinary arts and management competitions.

Giving Back

Fundraising and philanthropy have long been part of ACFNO’s history. “Giving out scholarships and supporting the Chef & Child Initiative has been two of our main goals,” says Chef Joyner.

Chef Sanchez uses one (or technically two) words to describe the chapter: “brotherhood/sisterhood.” “We have our differences for sure,” Chef Sanchez says, “but when the chips are down, we come together to work for the common goal. We’ve always helped when chefs have been in need, during illnesses or during storms and COVID.”

She is just one of many chapter members (and affiliates) who have traveled the state to help cook for those in need after major hurricanes, most recently after Hurricane Ida. “We went to Lafitte, one of the hardest-hit areas and

Board of Directors

Chairman of the Board

Jon Petrie, CEPC President

Anastasia Joyner

Vice President

Eric Mark, CEC, CCE Secretary

Kevin Lacap, CSC Treasurer

Paula Sanchez

Sergeant of Arms

Ron Iafrate

Left: ACF New Orleans chapter Secretary Kevin Lacap, CSC, hosted a meeting recently at his workplace at NOLA’s building; Right: ACFNO President Anastasia Joyner (far right) with ACF Chef Amy Sins (middle), executive director of Fill The Needs, during a disaster relief effort in the area.

cooked almost 1,000 meals a day with other volunteers, working outside with big crawfish pots and barbecue pits,” she says. She’s also helped chef members apply for and earn grants through the ACFEF Disaster Relief Fund . Chef Sanchez is now retired but keeps busy volunteering her time and cooking expertise in that way.

Chef Joyner says her main goal is to grow the membership, which at its peak included 300 people. Currently there are about 50 members.

“I have long been enchanted with the message that the ACF has carried for many years about boosting the next generations,” says Chef Joyner. “I hope to see that message taken to heart and fully supported at every level of the organization.”

Fun Facts About ACF Chef Anastasia Joyner, the New President of ACFNO

Q: What are your favorite dishes from the area?

A: All things seafood! Being close enough to New Orleans, growing up in the panhandle of Florida, we were exposed to such delicacies as shrimp or crawfish jambalaya and seafood gumbo.

Q: Is there a lesser-known NOLA dish you love to tell people about?

A: Yes! The fact that the area has a variety of cuisines available! The area in and around New Orleans supports many communities, from the thriving Filipino community in St. Bernard Parish to the sought-after Vietnamese community supported in New Orleans East, and the growing Lebanese community making headways in the greater New Orleans area. There are also far more vegetarian and vegan options throughout the region than perhaps ever before. Our scene is growing and thriving!

Q: How did you get into the culinary world?

A: I never intended to be a chef or a culinarian. My aspiration was to become a high school band director. I wanted to create halftime shows that kept rear ends in seats. I became a server, and later a cook, to facilitate my musical aspirations (mostly because I didn’t own the horns I played). It wasn’t until I worked alongside graduates of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) that I came to understand what this industry had to offer and the artistic outlet it could be.

Q: When/why did you join ACF?

A: I became interested in the ACF while in college. The local chapter hosted a Certified Master Chef exam and my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I volunteered to learn more about the process. During that endeavor, I met Certified Master Chef Lyde Buchtenkirch-Biscardi. She inspires me to this day.

Q: What’s something people may not know about you?

A: As a late-onset type 1 diabetic of 15 years, I hope to normalize the differences that we have in life experiences as humans within our industry. I am very open and honest about my day-to-day struggles in the hopes of normalizing the differences we may all experience.

ACF New Orleans chapter members and volunteers supporting Mercy Chefs after Hurrican Ida.

FOR THE LOVE OF OYSTERS (AND WHY THEY MATTER SO MUCH)

By ACF Chef Matthew Dolan

be urban legend, but I have only really eaten two perfect oysters, and I have two children. Noodle on that as we talk about something less silly and more tangible.

The humble oyster serves many purposes and asks for nothing. While sequestering carbon and filtering millions of gallons of seawater, oysters provide food and jobs and help build watersheds providing barriers from storms and tides. Not to mention, they are perfectly delicious. It’s difficult to dismiss the joy of a crisp beer and as many oysters as you can handle on a warm summer day.

Since oysters are known as an aphrodisiac, we trust that we will get lucky when we eat them. That’s quite a responsibility. The aphrodisiac part might

The oyster farmer is a pioneer, a tradesperson and an environmental steward. Oyster farming is a relentless job. What is lesser known is what the oyster farmer must navigate environmentally. Human intervention, industry and any neighboring effort can cause great harm to these small delicacies if the water itself is tainted. All of the oyster’s surroundings influence the nutrients it receives; both the water and algae will have a direct effect on flavor and growth rate, as well as overall health. It is a labor of science, love and awareness. What is important to realize is that each individual oyster will filter up to 50 gallons of seawater each day. As if they weren’t already remarkable.

Regionally, oysters vary. My first real job was in New York City; we served the virginicas of the east, which once were massive and shored up the East River. They are great, but in my opinion, they stand in the shadow of the sweet and delicate oysters of the Pacific Northwest.

The Gulf oyster found in New Orleans is not for the light-hearted. Robust in flavor and meatier than most, the oysters might have the West Coasters concerned. But the true oyster lover, connoisseur and brave of heart will see this meaty bivalve as an unsung hero.

What I find truly fascinating about Louisiana’s oysters is how they thrive in the estuaries. While being at times daunting in

size and meatiness, the oysters remain mild due to their seeding phase in the waters where saltwater and freshwater meet. Oyster farmers then move them to private growth beds and leases for development, allowing for further cultivation.

The New Orleans oyster, sometimes referred to as the Plaquemines Parish oyster, is not the prudish Pacific oyster. It’s not the briny oyster of the East Coast, nor is it France’s fabled Belon oyster, dubbed by some as the “king of all oysters.” These oysters are no quick slurp; you have to chew it a bit more. But that meatiness — more similar, perhaps, to a quahog clam — also opens up more culinary options. New Orleans oysters are often fried or broiled as they can withstand hot temperatures without losing integrity. Gulf Coast chefs know how to use their native oysters for a killer po’boy, appetizer or soup. And unlike other oysters that might pair better with wine or champagne, the Gulf oyster is more beer-friendly to me. When I lived in the Crescent City, fried oysters with Cajun remoulade and a local beer meant more to me than paying the rent.

My hope for oysters today and for the future is that governments will offer

oyster farmers better subsidies, like other fisheries receive. That might make oyster prices come down a bit and make it easier for us chefs to offer them on our menus. There are all sorts of incentives for windand solar-generated electricity; but what do we give back to oysters who are actually cleaning our oceans and providing us with fresh air? Not to mention, they’re a sustainable source of protein. Given all this, the oyster’s multiple purposes should never be dismissed.

ACF Chef Matthew Dolan is the executive chef and partner of 25 Lusk in San Francisco and the author of “Simply Fish.” Though he has been cooking since the age of 14, Chef Dolan received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. His culinary journey has taken him to Helsinki, New York, New Orleans, the Napa Valley, Divonne les Bain in France and countless consulting appointments worldwide. Chef Dolan is an arts and cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State, has been featured at the prestigious James Beard House on three occasions, was a contestant on “Beat Bobby Flay” last year, earned a coveted Michelin Star and continues to make numerous television and radio appearances. A loving husband and father to two beautiful humans, Chef Dolan will showcase the Gulf oyster and demystify the shucking process in his presentation at 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans.

Left: Shucked oysters with a tequila, yuzu and ginger mignonette by ACF Chef Matt Dolan; Right: Chef Dolan shucking an oyster (credit: Anne-Claire Thieulon).

US UP NORTH

US UP NORTH

Lesser known than the Creole and Cajun dishes of NOLA, this regional cuisine’s an important part of Southern foodways

Lesser known than the Creole and Cajun dishes of NOLA, this regional cuisine’s an important part of Southern foodways

By Robin Caldwell

Louisiana is a cozy state that can be traveled from one end to the other in a little over six hours or driven from one side to the other in about three hours. Every inch of it — no matter the direction — is a culinary haven filled with an abundance of food choices to satisfy the pickiest of palates. A single four-hour drive from New Orleans, the recognized culinary hub of Louisiana, to Shreveport could introduce you to another cuisine that is every bit as interesting, tasteful and diverse.

ACF Chef Hardette Harris and Chef Anthony Felan enjoy educating about the distinct flavors and foods of the northern end of Louisiana. Chef Harris is the founder and operator of Us Up North, an educational and culinary business that supports the heritage of North Louisiana foodways. Chef Felan is the owner and executive chef of Fat Calf Brasserie, an upscale Southern restaurant in Shreveport.

Chef Harris was born in Minden, a small town near Shreveport; Chef Felan was born in Dallas but as a child returned with his parents to their native Shreveport. Both chefs received French classical training, and they use the techniques to offer North Louisiana on a plate. What exactly makes North Louisiana cuisine different from their southern kin’s Creole and Cajuninfluenced food? “Creole and Cajun culinarians cook and eat those cuisines in our region all of the time, but they are not indigenous to our region,” says Chef Harris, noting that the everyday meals consumed in North Louisiana depend on a heavy dose of the area’s agriculture and aquaculture, making freshwater seafood, pork and fresh vegetables important staples.

“There are a lot of Italian, Greek, German and even TexasMexican foods here. Our cuisine looks a lot like what is considered Southern cuisine.”

In her Us Up North kitchen and cafe, Chef Harris serves a limited menu based on traditional dishes from the region, prepared in the same generations-old manner, for schoolchildren, corporate

groups and tourists. As the owner of an atypical restaurant, Chef Harris often has the opportunity to take her history show on the road, escorting groups on tasting tours of the region, where they get to eat and learn about the influences of enslaved Africans, Native Americans and immigrant settlers.

In a relatively short period of time, Chef Harris has become an ambassador of the region’s distinct flavors and foods. It began with a step out of her comfort zone, asserting to author Adrian Miller, winner of a James Beard Foundation Book Award, that the people “up north” in Louisiana ate differently. Convinced that she was right, Miller quoted Chef Harris and included her recipe for purple hull peas in his book, “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.”

Ultimately, Chef Harris had the idea to invite Miller to Minden for a book signing and community dinner to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as well as celebrate North Louisiana food. From that night, what started as an idea would soon become

From top left: ACF Chef Hardette Harris, owner, Us Up North; Chef Harris’ collard greens (credit: Jim Noetzel); Chef Anthony Felan’s smoked bone-in pork chop with crispy potatoes, yellow wax beans, tomato salad and salsa macha (credit: Judd Smith).

official. In one unanimous vote, House Concurrent Resolution No. 88 named Chef Harris’ menu the official meal of North Louisiana . She claims to be the only chef in the state to successfully create and have Louisianan cuisine become a state meal, and the second in the country to do so.

The official North Louisiana meal consists of one appetizer, a mini Natchitoches meat pie, and several meat options including fried catfish, barbecue smoked sausage, baked ham and fried chicken. Vegetables include collard greens, cabbage and turnip greens seasoned with smoked pork (ham hocks or neck bones). Pinto beans, purple hull peas and butter beans are on the menu. The side dishes are a simple baked sweet potato, rice with gravy, potato salad and fried okra. Skillet cornbread is also a favorite in the area. Desserts include pecan pie,

sweet potato pie and peach cobbler. Chef Harris even added condiments: mayhaw and plum jelly, homemade pepper sauce and cane syrup.

“Essentially, we’re talking about food seasoning food and a flavor unobstructed by product, much in the manner of Edna Lewis,” says Chef Harris.

Chef Felan also built his restaurant and menu with respect to the community in which it is located. “It’s diverse. People from all walks of life live here,” he says. He wanted a place where people from multiple generations, income and professional statuses and cultures could convene in an informal and unpretentious atmosphere.

In that regard, Fat Calf’s menu pays homage to his family. “My mom’s dad grew all of his own food,” Chef Felan says, noting that his maternal family favored slow-cooked and fermented German food. “He canned everything,

Chef Anthony Felan of Fat Calf Brasserie in Shreveport, Louisiana (right), and his hazelnut macaron with foie mousse and apple butter (left).

like sauerkraut.” On the other hand, Chef Felan’s father’s family favored Spanish foods, which was a reflection of their heritage.

Some of those influences work their way into Chef Felan’s dishes, which he describes as French-inspired Southern. The eclectic mix includes roasted beets and yogurt; five-spice pork belly burnt ends; smoked bone-in pork chop served with crispy potatoes, yellow wax beans and tomato salad; crispy duck breast with orange gastrique, pine nut farro salad, candied bacon and collard greens; and strawberry and rhubarb pie for dessert.

Both chefs featured, along with other regional culinarians, are working to establish Shreveport as a culinary destination. “Without community and family support, I’d be just another guy behind a stove,” Chef Felan says.

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ACF Chef Hardette Harris serves a variety of Northern Louisiana staples at her small private chef space, Us Up North, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

CULINARY ROYALTY

The rising star at Commander’s Palace leads the legendary restaurant into the future //

By Howard Riell

Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford was tabbed early on in her career as “a spitfire in the kitchen,” a “ball of energy,” a “chef to watch” and a “rising star.” As executive chef of Commander’s Palace since 2020, she is helping to redefine the fabled New Orleans restaurant. We met with Chef Bickford to learn more about her backstory and future vision.

Q: How are you helping to bring this legendary restaurant into the future?

A: It has always been about pushing the envelope of Creole cooking, evolving it, elevating it. We mine the depths of Creole cuisine; it feels endless to us. It does seem that for us, that evolution comes in waves. For New Orleans, too. Ella Brennan pushed New Orleans’ food forward back at Brennan’s in the 1940s through the 1970s. She did it again in the ‘80s with Paul Prudhomme . Then again with Emeril . And so many others at that time — Frank Brigtsen , Susan Spicer in the ‘90s — were pushing things forward. Jamie Shannon and Tory McPhail certainly continued that evolution. Right now feels like a very exciting time culinarily. Lots of people in New Orleans are pushing and doing new interpretations. It is one of those waves of creativity that have happened a few times before. We are in one

now. We are thinking of what we are doing now as the ‘new haute Creole.’ My team is pushing and creating exciting evolutions of New Orleans and Creole and Cajun cooking that are exciting.

Q: How have you changed the menu?

A: We change the menu on an almost daily basis. The management team at Commander’s is comprised of some of the most hardworking and dedicated people I've had the pleasure to work with. Our operations team is a very collaborative and creative group, constantly pushing our business to new heights, and I am always impressed and proud of what we accomplish together.

Q: Who or what has been the greatest influence on your approach to cuisine?

A: My family. Boiling seafood, shrimp, crabs and crawfish was always a big family affair. Fried oysters and oysters on the half shell are a Christmas Eve tradition. My grandmother had a huge pecan tree in her front yard, and gathering and cleaning the pecans was always something she and I did together. We would then make pecan pies, little hand-sized pies; I loved it, and them. My mom’s roast beef for po’boys is the best, better than any roast beef I’ve ever had. Getting to make that with her as a

Chef Meg Bickford (left) was promoted to executive chef of the legendary Commander’s Palace in New Orleans (right).

kid was a real learning experience. She still makes it better than I do. Watching my grandmother make blood stew was powerful. I still kick myself for not writing it down. We were at a family boucherie and she collected the blood from the hog, stewed it down into this rich black stew, and served it over rice. Tasting that changed my life.

Q: How have guest expectations at Commander’s Palace changed?

A: I hope guests take away a memory — a memory of our team making them feel special and welcome. We take our profession seriously and believe the way we serve our guests matters. The level of professionalism is important to us. Our guests have entrusted us with some of their most important special occasions, whether it be a surprise engagement or an 80th birthday dinner. Our mission is to make each and every occasion the most memorable it can be, and for our guests to feel pampered. And of course we want them to have fun. We make sure of that with festive balloons on the tables, secondline bands and our immensely knowledgeable and hospitable team. We are in the business of creating dining memories.

Q: How do you envision the future of New Orleans’ cuisine?

A: The future seems hidden in the past. Studying New Orleans and Louisiana cooking inspires me to see where the past can intersect with the future. The possibilities seem endless. I want to dive deeper into all the influences on our cuisine. Creole cuisine has always and should always evolve, and our team gets excited about different flavors and ingredients that are shaping cuisine all over Louisiana right now. We are not about standing still. I am eager to keep moving it forward with the Commander’s team.

With more than 12 years of experience with the Commander’s family of restaurants, Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford has called the Commander’s Palace kitchen her culinary home since June 2008. She took on the role of executive chef in October 2020, previously serving as chef of Cafe Adelaide. Chef Bickford comes from a family with a father from New Orleans and a mother from “down the Bayou” in Larose, so both Cajun and Creole influences run in her blood. On her days off, she can be found at large family gatherings with her 4-year-old daughter, Stella, and husband, Richard. She is a graduate of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute and a presenter at the upcoming 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans.

Classical

ACF Chef Donald Douglas Brown is a retired electrical engineer turned recent culinary graduate from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia. A New Orleans native who moved to Southwestern Virginia 25 years ago, Chef Brown says he’s still a New Orleanian at heart and chose to showcase his hometown favorite dish, red beans and rice . “My father is a native New Orleanian; his parents were from San Antonio, but my grandmother adapted to New Orleans well and I grew up in her kitchen,” he says. For the classical version, Chef Brown followed his grandmother’s recipe, starting off by sweating the “holy trinity” of finely diced onion, bell pepper and celery in butter and then adding seasoning meats (pickled pork, tasso and andouille sausage). “You then add your red kidney beans soaked in water overnight and eight cups of water per one pound of beans. Bring that to a boil for 10 minutes and then reduce it down to a simmer for about two hours.” Chef Brown adds extra seasoning in the form of cayenne pepper, Tabasco, bay leaf, parsley and black pepper (excluding salt because of the meat). To thicken the pot liquor, he takes out some of the beans, smashes them and stirs them back in during the final cook time. He serves the red beans with cooked white rice in a ratio of one and a half cups of beans to one cup of rice for the perfect appetizer, side dish or main course.

Modern

For a modern version of red beans and rice , Chef Brown found inspiration in an eggs Benedict, but swapped out the English muffin for sticky rice shaped into a disc. He drew more inspiration from his wife’s Honduran background for the bean portion, cooking the beans without the meat but still with the “holy trinity” and seasonings and pureeing it akin to frijoles refritos. He then shaped the pureed beans into a disc mold, setting it atop the rice. Using the same meats from the classical version, Chef Brown made a forcemeat with a bit of egg that he also shaped into a disc and pan-fried. Three sauces round out the layered, brunch-friendly dish: two coulis made out of red and yellow bell pepper and a thick brown sauce made by reducing the pot liquor. A perfectly poached egg tops everything off.

For recipes, visit wearechefs.com

CLASSICAL

CLASSICAL MODERN vs.

Photo credits: Eli Schopp

STORIES New Orleans

A snapshot of the food and folklore of ACF’s 2023 convention city // By the Editors

The Big Easy. N’Awlins. NOLA. There are many different ways to refer to New Orleans, but only one love that’s shared by all for this boisterous, music- and food-fueled capital.

It’s been nearly two decades since Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flooding ransacked the city. There are parts being rebuilt still. Even the cuisine of New Orleans — with its strong traditions and deep roots — continues to evolve. Fine dining has become street food in places. Street food has become fine dining in others. And the influx of cultures near and far continue to shape the cuisine. Here, we share stories from ACF members, convention presenters and other natives about favorite New Orleans dishes and changing landscapes for a snapshot of the city’s rich past, changing present and bright future.

Creole, Cajun and Beyond

A local legend shares a bit about the foundation of NOLA’s historical cuisines

By Howard Riell

Celebrated Louisiana native Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, (left) was imbued early on with the wisdom that the secrets of Cajun cooking lay in the unique ingredients of Louisiana’s swamp floor pantry. That same wisdom tells him that the cuisine he loves so much is — inevitably — changing.

“New Orleans is a mélange of cultures,” Chef Folse says, “from the indigenous Native Americans to the French, Spanish, German, African and Acadian settlers who arrived in the 1700s. Englishmen came, as well as Italian immigrants, in the 1800s. These cultures and cuisines merged — and are still merging — to create the flavorful foods we enjoy today.”

Chef Folse, president and CEO of Chef John Folse & Co. in Gonzales, Louisiana, and founder of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, an academic college of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, explains that the term Creole is believed to have derived from the Latin word creare, meaning to create. Over time, Creole was used to describe everything in Louisiana from people to food and even furniture.

“Today, we define Creole as anyone born on Louisiana soil from the intermarriage of Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese and Hispanic who have contributed significantly to the culture and cuisine of Louisiana,” says Chef Folse, who has produced 10 cookbooks in his Cajun and Creole series. “Many nations and cultures still seek Louisiana today, and they greatly impact our way of life, language, food, customs and music. Louisiana will always be a rich, culinary melting pot of customs and cuisines.”

With each new culture that arrives, of course, follow new ingredients. Today, grocery store shelves are filled with everything from various sauces to moles, dried chiles, spices, vegetables, fruits and peppers from other distant lands.

Three of Chef Folse’s favorite dishes, which he refers to as the “trinity of Louisiana cooking” are seafood gumbo, crawfish étouffée and jambalaya. “I think most of us are familiar with the trinity of Louisiana ingredients: onions, celery and bell pepper, plus garlic, which we refer to as the Pope,” he says. “Gumbo came from the cooking pots of African slaves. Étouffée is a gift from France and Acadia. Jambalaya was born from the paella pans of Spain. These cultures greatly impacted the foods we enjoy today. And this is the trinity of dishes that every visitor to Louisiana wants to taste during their Louisiana sojourn.”

Chef John Folse has been a longtime proponent of Louisiana cuisine and is a keynote speaker at the 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans in July.

From top: Crawfish etouffee; a NOLA brunch; red beans and rice; Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOF, tastes a seafood jumbalaya with students at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

The Changing Mystique of NOLA Cuisine

Two local chefs share their views of what’s popular today

By Howard Riell

In myriad restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs throughout New Orleans, people are talking about the mystique of the city’s famed cuisine — and how it is changing.

In Chef Jean Pierre (J.P.) Daigle’s view, the secret of that mystique can trace its roots back to the extraordinary variety of cultures that have helped make the cuisine.

“And it’s because we have the greatest river on the planet,” suggests Chef Daigle, who has served as an instructor at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, for the past 13 years. “Millions of years before there was a New Orleans, cultures were lining up at the mouth of the Mississippi, and every culture that comes down it or has found it has contributed to that culture, to that incredible gumbo of food culture down here. That's why it is so iconic.”

Chef Daigle is quick to point out that that influx of cultures via the Mississippi River has not stopped. “There are, like, seven cultures that are the main cultures to Cajun/Creole food,” he says. “Right now you are seeing in New Orleans Vietnamese culture and Honduran culture becoming strong points for the same reason. It’s really interesting.”

But as much as NOLA cuisine remains rooted in tradition, it is also deeply rooted in change.

“If you look back to how American modern cuisine happened, you had baby boomers who studied with French, classically trained chefs,” says Chef Daigle, who has worked for four James Beard Award-winning chefs and clocked time in the kitchens of famed NOLA restaurants Commander’s Palace, Café Adelaide and Brigtsen’s. “Then Paul Bocuse came along and he took all that stodgy stuff away and made these lighter, cleaner dishes. And all these chefs who have worked with French chefs, the people who are retired and passing away right now, said, ‘Why can’t we take our food that we grew up with and elevate it to that?’”

These days, Chef Daigle continues, younger chefs in NOLA are exploring less haute cuisine and moving toward more approachable, casual and eclectic food pairings — including street food fare. “We‘re worn out from taking our culture from lowbrow to highbrow food, and now we have flipped it. So you are going to see a lot of that,” he says.

Grilled muffaletta sandwich at Napoleon House (credit: Paul Broussard); Rosemary barbecue shrimp by Chef Susan Spicer at Rosedale; Students at the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI).

From top: Broiled oysters from Dicke Brennan’s Bourbon House; two students working in the teaching kitchen at NOCHI; a spread at the awardwinning Southern Asian fusion restaurant Maypop (credit: Paul Broussard).

Another reason for the popularity of that approach, Chef Daigle believes, is that diners today are looking for more intimate experiences. “One of the hottest places in New Orleans is the Mosquito Supper Club,” he says. “They are basically just doing old-school Cajun/ Creole [dishes] that have become harder to find in New Orleans because we went through that whole Louisiana contemporary thing throughout the ‘90s and 2000s. We had an economy collapse and now people think, ‘I don’t want to get dressed up. I just want to go and eat good food with my friends.’”

ACF Chef Ben Sarrat , executive chef of the New Orleans Country Club, agrees. The city’s food culture “used to be very heavy and very classically French,” he says, “but it is definitely evolving in a good way with farm-fresh ingredients and chefs that are not afraid to step out of the box.”

According to Chef Sarrat, who was born and raised in NOLA and has spent the last 29 years working in the kitchens of a variety of New Orleans outlets, from short order to fine dining, hotels and country clubs, points out that a lot of young chefs are bringing “new twists to classic dishes, and innovating in great ways. If you look at a classic dish like oysters Rockefeller, your mind immediately goes to six oysters covered in green goop on a platter, but it is really a lot more. I have seen it done in a very refined way — from poached oysters and peeled liquorice root and crispy oyster salad on spinach with Pernod peppercorn vinaigrette all the way to a po’ boy sandwich with Herbsaint spinach, mozzarella and crispy oysters.”

Of course, Chef Daigle concludes, there is still a place for fine dining as long as there is business culture. “But I think that’s becoming a little bit fewer and far between.”

Gumbo Tales

Two ACF chefs detail the ways they love and cook gumbo, the unofficial dish of NOLA

By Howard Riell and Amelia Levin

What a lot of people, including many chefs, don’t understand about NOLA cuisine — and what might, in fact, surprise them if they found out — is the vast number of ways to make gumbo.

“People and chefs, all of whom are from here, know about gumbo, but what you think you may know is not what someone from Lafayette knows, or someone from the Westbank whose parents come from Lafitte know,” says ACF Chef Stewart Redhead , executive chef and food and beverage director, Bayou Oaks Golf Course, City Park, New Orleans, who likes to make his gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage.

There are a large and complex set of variables involved. For example, diced tomatoes or tomato paste? Or no tomato at all?

“That depends on the area you’re from, or whether it’s seafood or meat,” says Chef Redhead, who began cooking professionally in 1998 at the famed Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans in the French Quarter, and later worked as executive chef at the W New Orleans (now Le Meridien) in the early 2000s. “Some will say no tomato in the meat, and only in seafood.”

Another variable is roux, a mixture of flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces. “The generic versions

Clockwise from top: Steamed crawfish; Po’ Boy sandwches from Parkway; Gumbo Zaire from Praline Connection; Crawfish boil.

are bronze, milk chocolate and dark chocolate,” Chef Redhead points out, but there are many shades in between, and each gumbo requires a specific shade.

“The amount of roux or thickness of gumbo depends on the type,” he says. “The Gumbo World Cookoff in New Iberia says the roux has to be made on site and served that day. That is a big no in my book. I believe a really dark roux needs to rest overnight in the cooler and be served the next day.”

In fact, Chef Redhead insists that his gumbo takes three full days to make. “Day One is your stock overnight, except seafood. On Day Two you make the gumbo and then let cool and rest overnight in the fridge. Then on Day Three it can be served.”

Redhead also employs what he calls a two-roux method. “The first is tan, not quite milk but not as light as bronze. Then I add a dark chocolate roux. The first is for thickening, and the second is for flavor and color. The more you cook the flour the less thickening power it has, and that dark roux can be bitter and strong.” –H.R.

ACF Chef Ron Iafrate, owner of Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop in Metairie and sergeant at arms for the New Orleans chapter, has been serving up the New Orleans staple at his 55-seat, full-service restaurant for more than a decade. Although he’s a Rhode Island native, Chef Iafrate first fell in love with Cajun cuisine while working the state’s annual Cajun Festival (now referred to as Rhythm & Roots) with then-mentor ACF Chef Fred Faria , who brought him into the ACF fold in the ‘80s. It was later, while working for a national hotel chain opening a property in New Orleans that Chef Iafrate had the opportunity to set up shop in the Big Easy. That he did 23 years ago, and never left.

In 2012, he opened his own place when he “didn’t want to work for someone else anymore, but I didn’t want to leave New Orleans. I chose to stay in Metairie because of the food culture and Mardi Gras and the people, and our spot became available,” says Chef Iafrate. “We’re the first or last exit before you hit New Orleans, depending on how you want to look at it.”

He chose gumbo as the hallmark dish of his restaurant after winning first place in a gumbo cookoff with other ACF Chefs participating. The secret to his signature dish’s success, Chef Iafrate says, is all in the roux. Well, that and “using wholesome, local ingredients and cooking with love and soul.”

But about that roux: Chef Iafrate says he always sets a timer for three minutes, just in case he gets distracted when making it and so it doesn’t burn. “The first rule of thumb is a good dark roux, that’s what gives gumbo a lot of its flavor,” he says. “You want to be constantly stirring if you can until it’s just past peanut butter color.”

Various shots of seafood gumbo with okra

Onions, peppers and celery go in next “to cool down the roux a bit. My secret is I then add the Cajun seasonings so the heat from the roux opens up those flavors, just like my Grandma told me to pinch seasonings before adding them to a pot. The heat and oil brings out the homestyle flavor.” Chef Iafrate’s blend includes paprika, oregano, basil and cayenne pepper. Everything’s simmered for at least four hours and then ideally served later in the day or the next day to allow “the flavors a chance to marry together.”

Chef Iafrate prefers “a thicker gumbo” with tomatoes and okra, which is more in line with Creole-style. “Cajun gumbo is a bit thinner and there’s no tomato in it,” he says. The Cajun version also gets a sprinkling of file powder at the table, rather than the simmering of okra for the thickener.

Chef Iafrate adds the protein toward the end; he offers a seafood version and a chicken and sausage version. His “mumbo gumbo” is a combination of the two with a little file added at the end, Cajun-style. He prefers to make “microbatches” of gumbo

so there’s always a fresh supply at hand, and it leads to lots of little nuances each time, much to the delight of his regular diners.

Chef Iafrate even offers a gluten-free gumbo — he has since the beginning. “When I was working at a hotel, no chefs wanted to cook for this young girl who came in because she had celiac disease, but I was talking to the mother and she was like, ‘I have to feed my kid.’” That experience stuck with Chef Iafrate ever since, so “right out of the gate” when Gumbo Stop opened, he offered a gumbo made with a rice flour-based roux. Nowadays, with the wider availability of gluten-free flours, he uses his own house-made blend. “Someone put me on a gluten-free dining app early on,” says Chef Iafrate, so he’s had a steady stream of happy gluten-free customers over the years.

While Chef Iafrate is well known for other dishes — crab cakes, fried chicken, red beans and rice and “Creole scampi,” a dish influenced by his Italian heritage and featuring local shrimp — it’s the soul-satisfying gumbo that keeps bringing hungry diners back. - A.L.

“I chose to stay in Metairie because of the food culture and Mardi Gras and the people, and our spot became available. We’re the first or last exit before you hit New Orleans, depending on how you want to look at it.”

ACF Chef Ron Iafrate, owner, Ron's Gumbo Stop

ACF Chef Ron Iafrate, owner of Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop in Metairie and sergeant at arms for the New Orleans Chapter; Roux forms the base for gumbo, which can be made with or without tomatoes and served with cooked white rice or even a side of potato salad.

Washday Beans

The story of red beans & rice

By ACF Chef Jennifer Hill Booker

Meals consisting of beans and rice have played a major role in many cultural dishes across the globe and can be found in Asian, African, Caribbean and Central and South American cuisines. After all, when served together, beans and rice offer a nutritious, filling and inexpensive meal. Considered the unofficial dish of New Orleans, red beans & rice (as it’s often written) distinguishes itself from the others with the use of red kidney beans cooked with smoked meats or sausages, aromatics, hot sauce, spices and plenty of TLC.

Looking into the history of this beloved Creole dish and how it became such a local favorite, “The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 7: Foodways” (ed. By John T. Edge) cites a couple main theories as to how red kidney beans or “red beans” arrived in the American colonies. One is that they were brought over by West African slaves who were sold in North America. Another is that red beans came over with Frenchspeaking refugees fleeing the Haitian Revolution of the 1790s. Although the jury’s still out when it comes to which theory can be proven, we do know that by the turn of the 19th century many Creole recipes were written almost identically to the way people make their pot of red beans and rice today.

Traditionally, red beans and rice are eaten on Mondays in New Orleans more than any other day of the week. The explanation is firmly rooted in tradition, thriftiness and as a time saver for busy housewives. Sunday dinners of 19thcentury New Orleans would often revolve around a baked ham. After the meat was sliced from the hambone, any leftover scraps of ham, along with the bone itself, were used in the next night’s meal, thereby extending the weekend meal to Monday. Plus, Monday was the usual laundry day for most New Orleans households, and the hand-scrubbing of clothes involved a lot of time and attention. Red beans and

rice was an easy washday dinner because it requires very little oversight.

Mondays may no longer be washday in New Orleans, but you’ll still find most restaurants offering a bowl of savory red beans and rice to kick off the week, often served with a slice of cornbread or a piece of French baguette and sometimes grilled sausage. Regardless of how it’s served, red beans and rice remains a hometown favorite proven to have stood the test of time.

Musing About Mirliton

A look at a lesser-known dish from down South

By Howard Riell

A somewhat lesser-known NOLA dish that ACF Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, absolutely loves is mirliton and river shrimp casserole. “I love this dish because it’s delicious and brings such vivid childhood memories to mind — so much so that I can almost taste it,” he says. “What makes this dish unique are the two primary ingredients: mirliton and river shrimp. You may not have eaten the

Clockwise from top: Red beans and rice with sausage from The Spotted Cat Food & Spirits in NOLA; white rice and Camellia Brand red beans, which ACF Chef Jennifer Hill Booker uses in her red beans and rice recipe; Opposite: Raw mirliton, a type of squash also known as chayote.

succulently sweet river shrimp that arrive each June with the rising waters of the Mississippi River, but they are delicious. River shrimp are much sweeter than their saltwater cousins.”

Mirliton, which originated in Mexico, is known by many Americans as chayote squash or vegetable pear, and by the French as christophene. The vegetable was brought to Bayou Country by the Canary Islanders, called Los Isleños, who relocated to Louisiana when Spain took ownership of New Orleans from France.

“Here, we take a traditional vegetable of Bayou Country and give it a different twist by mixing it with shellfish,” says Chef Folse. “The result is a delicious, simple dish that is fit to feed any crowd.” It is also “very easy to prepare.”

KEEPING JOY ON THE PLATE

Dietitians help chefs balance nutrition and health with good taste and flavor // By Lauren

Kramer

If there’s one trend that doesn’t seem to be dwindling, it’s diners’ quest for healthier foods. Some are wrestling with weight gain, heart issues and diet-related restrictions while others are simply choosing healthier lifestyles that include more nutritious whole foods. Working at the front lines of menu development and innovation, chefs are in a unique position to meet those needs. So how do you craft complex, delicious and beautifully presented dishes that meet the requirements of nutritionconscious diners? For many chefs, the answer lies in working with registered dietitians who can help make the adjustments needed to ensure menus are nutritionally balanced.

Healthier cooking goes well beyond simply reducing butter, sugar, cream and salt content, says ACF Chef Leah Sarris, RD, LDN, MBA , director of culinary marketing and education at Wild Hive, a New Orleans-based consultancy dedicated to helping people live better through food and agriculture.

“The more modern approach to healthier eating is not to demonize anything, and to remember that there’s room for every ingredient,” says Chef Sarris, one of the developers of the culinary medicine program at Tulane University. She

has also served as executive director of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute and taught culinary nutrition at Johnson & Wales University, her alma mater. “But there are principles we can teach that can be used across the board and that can help chefs serve great plantforward dishes that just happen to be good for people.”

Chef Sarris remains inspired by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi , an Israeli chef whose meals are vegetable-driven and innovatively prepared. “He’s a perfect example of a chef focused on rebalancing the plate,” she says. “The old-fashioned approach to healthy eating was to substitute chicken breast for roasted chicken or to switch to a fatfree dressing or a healthier sauce. These days, we’re focusing on new menu items where the vegetables are the star of the plate and the protein is more of the garnish. We’re building great flavors through seasonings, spices, citrus and vinegars, and we’re highlighting innovative cooking techniques like sous vide.”

The key, Chef Sarris says, is to add bold, new dishes without extracting the old favorites that diners love and don’t want to relinquish. “If you want a cheeseburger, you want a cheeseburger,” she says. “You can try and turn it into something healthier but it’s not going to

ACF Chef Leah Sarris will be facilitating a panel presentation on “The Future of Food & Health; Nutrition & Culinary Medicine” at the 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans in July. Visit acfchefs.org/events convention to register. Chef Sarris will also be presenting at the ACF MasterCraft Culinary Medicine Summit in July (for more information visit acfchefs.org/ACF/ Events/Summits

be the same. So keep the cheeseburger — just don’t eat it every day!”

Chefs can seek out and work with dieticians to help build menus for consumers seeking more nutritious meals, as well as those with food allergies or dietary restrictions (see sidebar). “Dietitians help ensure that chefs are serving food that will keep their clients healthy, and some dietitians that are trained in culinary arts can take it a step further and help ideate or train chefs on more plant-forward approaches to cooking,” Chef Sarris says. “We can also get down to a more granular level,

and help chefs understand where to find monounsaturated fats, and how to source vegetarian proteins that contain fat and fiber.”

Chef Sarris suggests avoiding those little hearts on menus or other logos from years past that designate healthierfor-you dishes. “When people see that, they’re automatically turned off because they don’t think it will taste good or that they’ll be as satisfied if they order that dish,” she says. “If we just have great options on the menu that are also good for you, more diners will select those.”

Left: Roasted carrot salad with raspberry vinaigrette; Right: Whole grain toast with goat cheese, raspberry bacon jam and egg.

Chef Sarris’ motto is that while there’s room for everything on the menu, the key is balance. “Keep the indulgent menu items but incorporate some new, beautiful, plantforward meals as well. If we can get to a point where 80% of the menu features lighter, healthier options, then we can normalize a plant-forward approach.”

The role of chefs in changing how and what diners eat cannot be underestimated, Chef Sarris emphasizes. “We chefs are at the front line for millions of people who have heart disease, are diabetic or pre-diabetic. Because chefs are feeding people and driving fads, they can have an even bigger impact than doctors in promoting dietary change.”

How to Partner with a Dietician

A Q&A with Chef Wesley McWhorter, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Q: How do I find a dietitian to partner with?

A: Begin at eatright.org, the academy’s website, where you can search by location and then look at the specialties of the dietitians in your area.

Q: How might a dietitian help me update my menu? What kind of things might the dietitian recommend?

A: There’s a common misconception that dietitians take everything enjoyable and make it disgusting. That’s completely untrue — we are not the food police. We’re there to show you how to incorporate deliciousness in the plate. Chefs know flavor and pairing, and a dietitian can suggest adding some things and reducing others to create dishes with healthier nutritional profiles.

Q: Will a dietitian help me determine the nutritional profile of dishes?

A: Dietitians can provide data on the exact nutrients, or more holistically, they can help chefs understand the proportional balance of each dish — the ratio of vegetables to protein, for example. This can help chefs save on the bottom line, too, because a lot of the things that are good

for us are not as expensive as the ingredients chefs are using. Animal proteins tend to be really expensive, but by using more legumes and vegetables we can save money. Many chefs are trained to make the protein the focus of the plate. As dietitians, we highlight the beauty of the fiber-rich food that’s so good for us. It’s not about dieting, but rather about balancing out the proportions.

Q: Can a dietitian help me identify dishes that are glutenfree, vegetarian, etc.?

A: Any time there’s an allergy, heart issues or restrictions due to chronic conditions, a dietitian is the person to talk to to make sure the diner is getting what they need.

Q: What other things can a dietitian help me with?

A: Dietitians can help make nutrition enjoyable. There’s this diet mentality where people think, ‘to be healthy I have to be miserable.’ It’s not true. Dietitians are really good at working with chefs to keep joy on the plate. We help chefs navigate ingredients to make food enjoyable, but also to benefit the health of their diners. It’s a beautiful marriage: ensuring the enjoyability of a dish and its nutritional profile.

Left: Quinoa bowl with sauteed shrimp, feta and pickled red onion. Right: Pork tenderloin with raspberry balsamic sauce, pickled raspberries, roasted vegetables and brown rice.

Do you have WHAT IT TAKES?

The ACF can help you turn your passion into a profession. Certify your culinary skills today.

Get started at acfchefs.org/certify .

Big Easy Branches Out

New Orleans chefs are pushing the boundaries when it comes to new riffs on traditional favorites //

By Amanda Baltazar

A lot of tourists come to New Orleans, Duhon says, just for the food, and they can find everything from the legacy restaurants serving Cajun food to fine-dining interpretations of classics and a thriving street food scene with food trucks and mom-and-pop operations.

Celebrating eclecticism

Chef Sophina Uong moved to the Big Easy in 2019 and two years ago launched Mister Mao, a restaurant boasting an eclectic menu.

The demographics of New Orleans are changing. Outsiders are flocking to the city, unsure exactly of what they’re searching for, but once they arrive, they find they like it. Then they put down roots, create a business, and for some, that business is running a restaurant. And those restaurants are becoming more diverse. Gerald Duhon is the executive director of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) and has spent his entire life in New Orleans.

“The New Orleans culinary scene has reinvented itself over the years; it’s gotten a little more international and a little more open to different interpretations,” he says, pointing out that there are now restaurants with food from Senegal, Israel and India.

“We lean into Mexican, Indian and Southeast Asia,” she says. A look at her menu reveals a diverse swath of dishes, from harissa octopus with fresh corn grits, sunchoke, shishito pepper and watercress to seared Gulf tuna with cumin yogurt, green papaya pikliz, pickled jicama and lentil crisp.

Chef Uong grew up in the Bay Area and says that exposed her to a lot of ethnic foods, so now she “wants to introduce people to new flavors.” However, she adds, “we’re not your typical New Orleans restaurant so you have to be open to new things.”

One of those new things is spice at higher levels that some diners may not yet have experienced. “We give people a warning — we’re not for everyone,” she says. She relies heavily on dried spices, garlic powder, Tabasco, vinegar-based hot sauces, hot chile pastes and purees with serranos and ghost chiles.

In tandem with the eclectic food, the dining experience at Mister Mao is unconventional. “The restaurant is loud and boisterous,” says Chef

Uong, pointing out that someone once even compared it to a Mexican disco. Between 5 and 7 p.m. there’s a roving cart featuring small dishes, with a more traditional dining experience later on. The roving cart features overflowing variety: lumpia; shrimp dumplings; hush puppies with caviar; grilled paneer with tandoori spices; grilled fish skewers

with tzatziki. It’s all in the name of fun. “Nothing is authentic,” says Chef Uong. “With a diverse menu, anything goes.”

Cooking from the heart

Chef Mason Hereford (a 2019 James Beard semifinalist) recently opened his third restaurant, a dinner spot called Hungry Eyes, offering “unpretentious

Opposite: Expect both the spice levels and the energy to be high at Mister Mao’s (credit: Paprika Studio); Chef Sophina Uong introduces diners to new flavors (credit: Paprika Studio, James Collier); Clockwise from top left: Mister Mao menu items, including pickled mulberry Pani Puri with fiery mint water; Niman Ranch pork shank; dark chocolate tart with cocoa cookie crust, black garlic ganache, malty peanut brittle, coconut cream, rice crispies and candied cocoa nibs; and a brunch spread (all credit James Collier, Paprika Studios).

‘80s luxury,” he says. This complements his two other restaurants, Turkey and the Wolf, a funky lunch spot (named in 2018 as the “No. 1 Best Restaurant in America” by Bon Appetit magazine), and Molly’s Rise and Shine serving breakfast. The expanded collection of restaurants has provided “new opportunities for his employees to grow and evolve with the company,” Chef Hereford says.

“We're just cooking what we love to cook,” he adds. Dishes include fried bologna sandwich and hogshead cheese tacos. His style, he says, “is very flavorforward. Subtlety is not my game. I like things that taste really bright and bold and fun. I like to be surprised.”

With three restaurants under his belt, Chef Hereford's role is more one of oversight, but he says he also does guest chef appearances and wrote a cookbook last year, “Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans,” which was nominated for a James Beard Media Award this year. He misses cooking, he says, “but I’m always excited about what we have going on. I'm not lacking opportunities for creative output.”

Clockwise from top left: Chef Mason Hereford celebrates the '80s in his restaurant design at his newest restaurant, Hungry Eyes, and at the famed Turkey and the Wolf; Chef Hereford’s wedge salad and carrot yogurt.

Chef Marcus Woodham opened The Bower four days before COVID-19 closed down the country, then a month later, he reopened his doors. He didn’t offer takeout, though he did add an outdoor area at the back, turning a 60seat restaurant into a 200-seat spot, he says. He's since tented that area and is thinking of making it permanent.

Sourcing locally

Right next door to The Bower is Birdy’s, a lunch spot that Chef Woodham opened in 2021.

He loves working in this city. “New Orleans was always the mecca of food for me,” he says. Since moving to the city in 2007, Chef Woodham has been cultivating relationships with local farmers whom he supports as much as possible.

Menus at both restaurants are ingredient-driven and determined by the seasons. He works closely with Sugar Roots, a farm that grows produce exclusively for him. The relationship works both ways: The farm tells him what they’ll grow for him, but Chef Woodham can also tell them what he'd like on his menus.

His favorite things to cook include barbecue, “low and slow,” he says, “cooking big cuts of meat.” He also really likes the pasta-making process, gumbo and jambalaya. As for The Bower, he says he really enjoys the pasta dishes and the raw fish or raw scallop applications.

Having variety on his menus keeps him and his staff on their toes, but regulars appreciate it, too, he says. “They come back for their favorite dishes but they come back for new things, too. And for me, it keeps me young and keeps me thinking. I want to be in the kitchen, I want to always be creating.”

The diversity is key to the future of the city’s culinary scene, in Chef Woodham’s view. “New Orleans is such a melting pot, and we’re selling ourselves short if we sell only one thing.”

Clockwise from top left: Shots from The Bower’s papardelle, Chef Marcus Woodham and tuna tartare (Credit: Sam Hanna); the bar at The Bower (Credit: Randy Schmidt); Chef Woodham’s basil spaghetti (Credit: Sam Hanna).

ACF CHEF AMY SINS

Owner, Langois, and Founder/Executive Director, Fill The Needs

By Amelia Levin

ACF Chef Amy Sins didn’t know just how drastically her life would change days after Hurricane Katrina when the levees broke. A New Orleans native who grew up in “Cajun country,” Chef Sins had lived through many hurricanes and tropical storms, but nothing like this one.

“My house was on the levee break of the 17th Street canal, so if you were watching the news, and you saw the helicopter dropping the sandbags, that was my backyard,” she says. “We had about eight feet of water in the house. Basically the house was filled with water, mud and goo.”

It was a New York fireman who reassured her that life would go on and she would get through this. “He put his hand on my shoulder and he goes, ‘I know what you're thinking,’” she says, doubting that he did. “He said, ‘You don’t know where to start.’ And then he goes, ‘Pick a corner, start there, and everything will fall into place.’”

Little did she know that that’s the advice she would give years later to so many other victims of hurricanes, storms and floods as founder and exeutive director of Fill the Needs, a disaster relief organization she has built up from a bootstraps Facebook group (more on that in a bit). But that day she did as she was advised.

The metaphorical “corner” Chef Sins started with was her collection of handwritten family recipes all covered in mud. “Our entire family lived in a four-block area — my grandparents, my in-laws, my aunts, uncles, and we all lost

handwritten recipes,” she says. “So we started digging them out of the mud and drying them in the sun. I said to myself, next time I evacuate, I want everything in one book that I can rescue.”

That’s how her book “Ruby Slippers Cookbook: Life, Culture, Family and Food After Katrina” came to be, along with her subsequent culinary career. A graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in communications and journalism, Chef Sins always had food in her blood with an Italian grandmother, a family of cooks and the fact that she grew up in such a rich culinary destination. Collecting family and community recipes and writing the book combined both passions.

“It was a therapeutic healing process for me because it was about resiliency and rebuilding through food,” she says. “It kind of became a documentary of the people that I met because if you’re in South Louisiana and you’re at a grocery store, you don’t ask the person in line ahead of you what they’re cooking because you’ll be there for an hour and a half.”

After publishing the book, there was no turning back — and certainly no going back to her corporate job. “There's a point when you see what I saw where you go, what else have I got to lose?” says Chef Sins, who at the encouragement and support of her husband, enrolled in classes at the French Culinary Institute and latched on to various culinary mentors to become a self-taught chef and restaurant owner. She bought a building in the French Quarter, renovated it and opened Langois, hiring a strong team of chefs and cooks to literally learn from on the job at the full-service restaurant. That year was 2011, five years after Katrina.

The “huge risk” she says she took turned into a success; Langois earned strong local praise and top listings on travel sites. But at one point, it all became too much. “About five years ago, my mom got brain cancer, and I realized I was working so hard that I never saw my family,” Chef Sins says. “I was at the point where I could not continue to work at that pace and not miss very important things.”

She took a break to travel the world with her mom in the short time she had left, during which time Chef Sins had an epiphany and returned to morph Langois into “an interactive dining and educational culinary experience” with a focus on corporate events — essentially a high-end private dining business offering classes and catering services. Chef Sins and her team — many

of the same chefs and cooks who worked with her at the restaurant but are now on a contract basis — have cooked for both smaller groups and major events associated with Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and, most recently, the 2023 Masters Tournament, held in Georgia. Outside of running Langois, Chef Sins educates about Cajun and Creole traditions and disaster relief at conferences and conventions, including the 2023 ACF National Convention, where she will talk about how chefs can safely and effectively help out during a disaster. She joined ACF’s New Orleans chapter in 2014 and has remained active, attending many conventions, events and meetups.

Chef Sins is often found smiling and laughing, chatting up everyone she bumps into and explaining that she does NOT use tomatoes nor “mix land, sea and air in the same pot” when making gumbo. She jokes that her tombstone will say “I died of bread and gravy.” Chef Sins has garnered many friends from all walks of life because of her bubbly personality and fierce, NOLA-style loyalty to all of her connections, near and far. Many of these connections have been made outside of the culinary industry through her extensive disaster relief work.

“In 2008, there was a big flood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and my husband and I had just gotten resettled back in the house after Katrina, and we're watching the news and I looked at him and I said, ‘Maybe we should go and help,’” Chef Sins says. She connected with some local folks to set up a community kitchen out of Knights of Columbus Hall, where she also brought in therapists and musicians to raise spirits. Chef Sins went on to do the same for several other hurricanes and floods. In 2016, there was another disastrous flood in Louisiana and by then Chef Sins had a Facebook group set up and many more connections and resources. The Fill the Needs group was able to source trailers that they loaded up with bottled water, sanitation supplies and vacuum-sealed frozen prepared meals from restaurants in New Orleans that they rethermed for thousands of people in a large civic center using crawfish boil pots. “Everybody wanted to help and so we ended up giving out over 100,000 meals in 19 days.”

Her organization took on a more formal setup after that success with a website, NGO status and a regular fundraising stream. “That was also the first time, even in all the years I had been running my restaurant, that I felt like I had earned the title of Chef,” she says. “Because when you manage a team of 50 chefs

from all of these New Orleans restaurants in a kitchen the size of a warehouse with tilt skillets and you put out 30,000 meals in a day — well, let’s just say I never in my wildest dreams would have said this would be me 10 years ago.”

Chef Sins has won several awards for her disaster relief efforts; most recently, she was named Citizen Diplomat of the Year by Global New Orleans and she was nominated for the Woman of Purpose Award by Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a society for women in hospitality. At press time, that award had not yet been announced. Today, she continues her volunteer work while running Langois, and she loops in her communications background as host of WRBH’s “Dinner Party” FM radio show, where she interviews many local chefs and restaurateurs.

“A bland press kit bio cannot prepare you for the contagious joy, southern charm, and barefoot shenanigans of Chef Amy Sins,” her website’s chefamy.com About page reads, offering the perfect summation. “She’s a mischievous host and fanatical food explorer in constant motion.”

Sweetness of the South

Exploring the decadent cakes of New Orleans // By ACF Chef

Robert Wemischner

The baking scene in New Orleans these days goes way beyond the three B’s of desserts — bananas foster, beignets and bread pudding — although practitioners of the oven arts certainly gain inspiration from these Big Easy staples.

Take Chef Charlotte McGehee , ownerbaker of Debbie Does Doberge, a cake company with two brickand-mortar locations in the city (Bakery Bar and Debbie on the Levee), who recalls her initial fear about messing with the classics. “I was so nervous at first that people wouldn’t accept our new iconoclastic versions but have been heartened by the generosity and support for what we do, which is to add a touch of whimsy to the classics,” she says. That classic is doberge cake (with varying pronunciations, among them, do-bosh and do-badge), created in the 1930s by New Orleansbased Beulah Ledner based on the

model of the Hungarian dobos torte. For this layered dessert enclosed in a layer of fondant, McGehee’s versions include the traditional flavors of chocolate, lemon and caramel, but she goes beyond that.

“At Bakery Bar and Debbie’s on the Levee, we feature [doberge] flavors as diverse as red velvet, cream cheese king cake and sweet potato spiced latte, among others, taking something traditional and expanding it into numerous contemporary versions,” she says.

Chef Eka Soenarko, pastry chef at Jack Rose, a restaurant in the Pontchartrain Hotel, recreates her version of the mile high pie — a dessert created in 1960 by the Pontchartrain’s then head baker Annie Squalls — into something akin to a baked Alaska.

“Never wishing to forget the longtime Mardi Gras traditions of our city, I created an homage to two quintessentially New Orleans icons — king cake and Carnival season,” Chef Soenarko says. The pie reflects a bit of her own South Asian background with its layers of ube, mango ice cream and pistachio. “Here we draw upon the traditional colors of Mardi Gras — purple, orange and green — in a sweet context, and then top it all off with a drizzle of rich, dark chocolate sauce, poured tableside,” she says.

For a twist on traditional bread pudding, Chef Soenarko starts off with brioche, flavors the pudding with caramelized white chocolate and pairs the pudding with Bosc pear ice cream, warm pear praline sauce and candied spiced almonds. And for a stepped-up cheesecake, Chef Soenarko pairs a Basque-style version with a fruity and spicy Spanish Rioja wine-infused dark cherry compote on the side.

Pastry Chef Jeremy Fogg , owner of Mae’s Bakeshop, a popup concept he started during the height of the pandemic, draws upon family recipes steeped in the South’s sweet traditions — coupled with his fine dining background as pastry chef with Emeril’s restaurants — for his various contemporary creations.

Chef Fogg’s version of baba au rhum, a rum-soaked yeast cake, harkens back to the time when the area around New Orleans was a center for sugar production and rum was the locally made byproduct. Chef Fogg uses aged rum in his version of the French

classic, which is made from a rich dough studded with dried cherries, apricots and pistachios. Some of that deep dark rum combined with the juice of Luxardo cherries is flamed tableside for an extra bit of drama — and a boozy kick.

Chef Fogg puts a spin on his grandmother’s biscuits, replete with self-rising flour, Crisco and buttermilk, by laminating the dough and then serving the biscuits with butter sweetened with local molasses. Subscribing to the philosophy that “more is more” in the sweets world, he has created a king cake monkey bread,

Opposite: Monkey Bread King Cake by Pastry Chef Jeremy Fogg of Mae’s Bakeshop; Clockwise from top left: Pastry Chef Eka Soenarko’s mile high pie at Jack Rose; McGhee’s Samoa and Peppermint Paddy layered cakes.

a true mashup served with a bananas Foster dipping sauce.

Chef Kaitlin Guerin , a Louisiana native and owner of Lagniappe Baking Company, recalls her time sitting around the table and gives a nod to history when dreaming up desserts. “In my baking, I try to incorporate the foodways of the South with the essential influences of Black women who have kept culinary traditions alive in the region,” she says. “You can’t talk about the history of ingredients local to the region without acknowledging the contributions of women who have kept those ingredients alive in the food.”

Chef Guerin is referring to such Black women chefs as Edna Lewis , Leah Chase and the aforementioned Squalls of the Pontchartrain Hotel, who Guerin describes as the “unsung heroes of the culinary scene whose stories were largely left unspoken.”

Her artful pastry boxes blend a variety of classic and modern interpretations that rotate seasonally depending on what

produce she can get from her farmers market friends. “There may be a slice of cake, a take on a local combination, a tart including peak seasonal produce, a yeasted product and a lagniappe in the box,” she says. ‘Lagniappe’ refers to the French-Creole word used to connote something extra and unexpected, a bit of a gift given to her customers.

“I approach these boxes as an artist would approach a painting, being inspired by what’s best at the moment, whether it’s a sweet potato pie made with lacto-fermented sweet potatoes topped with a poblano pepper crème for a slightly savory umami edge or pickled strawberry-pepper olive oil cake with lemon-thyme buttercream,” she says. “Creativity abounds in this city with chefs paying homage to what has come before, but not without evolving the traditions and moving the art forward. I see [my favorite 300-plus-year-old oak tree in a city park] as a symbol of the culinary life here with deep roots built on the work of often hidden innovators — a reminder of the spiritual ancestors of the food I cook now.”

Clockwise from top left: Chef Kaitlin Guerin and her mousse cakes and sweet potato pie.

Thank you to our 2023 ACF National Convention sponsors!

As of press time here is the list of those who are making convention possible. Download the ACF Chefs app for more details about our sponsors and to see the list of exhibitors for the trade show.

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Custom Sponsors

Sazeracs to Sipsmiths

Classic and Modern Cocktails in New Orleans’ Vibrant Bar Scene // By

Lauren Kramer

If there’s one city that’s synonymous with great cocktails, it’s New Orleans. Here, the cocktail tradition has flourished for generations, with libations that have become national favorites. Today’s mixologists continue to add new, creative twists and variations to old staples, while maintaining a healthy respect for the original ingredients that defined those cocktails. And there’s plenty of room for innovation.

“Even iconic cocktails like the Sazerac have room for variations and twists,” says Andrew Snyder, viticulture and enology program director and distillation science professor at Grayson College in Denison, Texas, and a presenter at the ACF National Convention in New Orleans in July. “Whether it’s a variation on the syrup, brand of alcohol or the garnish, classic NOLA cocktails continue to evolve. And as long as there is a mixologist with a Boston shaker in their hands, they will continue that evolution.”

Speaking of the Sazerac, New Orleans’ official cocktail is named after the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy. The Sazerac contains two locally created ingredients, Peychaud’s bitters and Herbsaint, and while the drink is still evolving in the hands of new mixologists, some things should never change. “Don’t even think about substituting Peychaud's bitters or you’ll be run out of town with a French 75!” Snyder says. “Rinse a chilled glass with absinthe, then muddle the sugar, water and bitters. Add rye and cognac,

fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled, garnishing with lemon peel before serving.”

At Bayou Bar in New Orleans, Bartender Jamie Pulford takes the Sazerac one step further, adding duck fat for an umami bomb of a cocktail. Bayou Bar’s duck fat Sazerac features smoked duck fat-infused Sazerac rye with other traditional ingredients like Peychaud’s bitters, Herbsaint and a touch of sugar.

“The duck fat creates a luxurious and silky texture and lends a unique savory note to the rye whiskey,” Pulford says. To infuse the fat into the rye, “we use a method known as ‘fat washing.’ This is when you infuse whiskey with an ingredient to add new layers of flavor. When the ingredient is fatty, like brown butter or bacon fat, the cocktail becomes richer.”

Snyder points out that another classic NOLA cocktail, the French 75, has a history dating back to World War I. Created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris by barman Harry MacElhone, the drink got its name for its heady combination of gin, Champagne, lemon juice and sugar — a cocktail with such a kick that at the time it was compared to the French 75mm field guns used in the war. To prepare, combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker, fill

with ice and shake vigorously. Strain the cocktail, top with Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

The Hurricane, a rum-based cocktail, goes back to the World War II era, a time when rum was being imported to New Orleans from the Caribbean, but bourbon and Scotch whisky, the main ingredients of cocktails popular at that time, were hard to come by. With rum readily available, bartenders had to get creative, and the Hurricane was born: a sweet alcoholic drink prepared with lime and orange or lemon juice, passion fruit puree, simple syrup and grenadine that’s shaken with ice, strained into an extra large, curvy glass over fresh ice, and garnished with an orange half-wheel and a preserved cherry. Legend has it that the first Hurricane debuted at Pat O’Brien’s, which still serves the famous drink to this day.

One of the oldest cocktails is the Ramos Gin Fizz, named for Henry

Charles Ramos, according to “New Orleans Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of

Over 100 Recipes

Inspired by the Big Easy,“ by Sarah Baird. Ramos was a tavern keeper who moved to New Orleans in 1888 and helmed the Imperial Cabinet Saloon. His sweet, citrusy and creamy gin fizz earned national recognition by 1900 and today is more widely recognized as a brunch-only beverage. For the heavy work of shaking the cocktail until the egg whites stiffened — a task that can take 12 minutes — Ramos had up to 20 bartenders. Known as the ‘shaker boys,’ they rotated to share the task and to keep up with customer demand for this popular NOLA classic. To prepare, place gin, simple syrup, heavy cream, lemon and lime juice, orange flower water and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake without ice. After, add ice and shake again until well chilled. Strain into a glass and top with club soda.

The Pimm’s Cup is another classic cocktail from the Big Easy, said to have been invented in the early 1800s by James Pimm, who owned a London oyster bar. His original version was composed of gin, quinine and a mixture of herbs, but the classic Pimm’s Cup today is a combination of Pimm’s No. 1, lemonade, lemon juice and a garnish of fruit and basil. According to Baird’s book, the cocktail has been a staple since the 1940s at 200-yearold-plus Napoleon House on Chartres Street. But at Bakery Bar, bartenders have created a twist on the classic; the Abolish the Monarchy cocktail features Pimm’s, Lillet Blanc, Green Chartreuse and lemon. Bartenders there first rinse the glass with cucumber bitters, then add the other ingredients before shaking

the mixture and straining into a coupe glass and garnishing with an orange peel shaped into a crown.

Tujague’s restaurant, established in 1856, and known as New Orleans’ second-oldest drinking establishment and the first “standing-only” bar in the city, according to Baird, is also the birthplace of the Grasshopper, a minty sweet cocktail that gets its green hue from crème de menthe. Bartenders there make the drink by combining green crème de menthe, crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, brandy, heavy cream and whole milk and shaking vigorously. The drink is then strained into a Champagne flute and topped with a little more brandy.

Health Benefits of Lean Pork

NCR Quiz

July/August 2023

By Robert Penry

Fill the Needs, a disaster relief organization founded by ACF Chef Amy Sins, was able to prepare about how many meals for those in need after a disastrous flood hit Louisiana in 2016?

a. 10,000

b. 30,000

c. 50,000

d . 100,000

ACF Chef Eric Mark, CEC, CCE, holds which leadership position on the Board of Directors of the ACF New Orleans (ACFNO) chapter?

a. Sergeant of Arms

b. President

c. Secretary

What does Jamie Pulford, bartender at Bayou Bar in New Orleans, add to the classic Sazerac to make it an umami bomb of a cocktail?

a. Duck fat

b. Tr uffles

c. Foie gras

d. Miso paste

All the following are examples of critical areas where equipment can provide the most effective assistance except for which one?

e. L abor savings

f. Product consistency

g. Temperature controls

h. Staff training

Which New Orleans-based chef authored “Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans” and currently has three restaurants located in NOLA?

a. Chef Sophina Uong

b. Chef Marcus Woodham

c. Chef Mason Hereford

d. Chef Carlotte McGehee

According to Gerald Duhon, executive director of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute, the New Orleans culinary scene has reinvented itself over the years, gotten a little more international and is open to different interpretations.

a. Tr ue

b. Fa lse

Pastry Chef Eka Soenarko uses ube in her version of the mile high pie to add which of the traditional colors of Mardi Gras?

a. G reen

b. O range

c. Purple

d. W hite

Chef and Louisiana native Kaitlin Guerin utilized what French-Creole word, meaning something extra and unexpected, as the name of her baking company?

a. Bour re

b. L agniappe

c. A llons

d. Envie

d. Vice President

Which chef is credited with creating the official meal of North Louisiana established by the passing of House Concurrent Resolution No. 88?

a. ACF Chef Amy Sins

b. ACF Chef Hardette Harris

c. ACF Chef Paula Sanchez

d. ACF Chef Anastasia Joyner

Who is the current executive chef of Commander’s Palace, a New Orleans institution and landmark since 1893?

a. Chef Jamie Shannon

b. Chef Tory McPhail

c. Chef Meg Bickford

d. Chef Susan Spicer

According to Khaled Halabi, FCSI, when looking to make equipment upgrades to save on labor costs, it is important to consider only the long-term cost/benefit ratios.

a. Tr ue

b. Fa lse

In Louisiana, the mixture of finely diced onion, bell pepper and celery is known as what?

a. Sofrito

b. Holy Trinity

c. Battuto

d. Mirepoix

With their flavor being greatly affected by the water and algae they filter, oysters can filter up to gallons of seawater each day.

a. 5

b. 15

c. 25

d 50

Which cognac-based cocktail, blended with Peychaud’s bitters and Herbsaint, is known as the official cocktail of New Orleans?

a. Sidecar

b. Stinger

c. Sazerac

d. Spritzer

See the rest of the questions, finish the quiz and earn four CEHs toward your certification on ACF’s new Online Learning Center at acfchefs.org/olc

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