Meet the Chef —
eMeril lagasse
MY MotHer HIlDA
inspired me to cook.
I worKeD At A portUGUese BAKerY
when I was in high school. I
learned how to bake bread and pastries.
ICoUlDHAVeBeen
amusician. I was offered a full scholarship
to the New England Conservatory of Music, but chose Johnson
&Wales culinary school instead.
ellA BrennAn
brought me to New Orleans. I
was the executive chef at Commander’s Palace for
seven-and-a-half years.
I openeD MY FIrst restAUrAnt
in 1990, in
the Warehouse District New Orleans, just a few blocks
away from what’s now the Rouses Market. It was a
Cadillac dealership then. My second restaurant was
NOLA, in the French Quarter. There’s a Rouses by it, too.
I HosteD More tHAn 2,000 sHows
on
the Food Network and Cooking Channel.And I’m a
correspondent for Good Morning America.
I'Ve Been A GUest JUDGe on BrAVo's top
CHeF,
and this past season I did a segment with Paul
Prudhomme, the Commander's Chef who preceded
me when I came to New Orleans... (he left to open
K-Paul’s) and Tory McPhail, the now executive chef at
Commander’s.
BoUDIn, BoUrBon & Beer
are three of my favorite
things. That’s also the name of one of my foundation’s
fundraisers. Rouses is a sponsor. Like they say, “locals helping
locals.” BB&B is the same weekend as Carnival du Vin, our big
charity wine auction.
YoU CAn Get A GreAt CUlInArY eDUCAtIon
worKInG In A restAUrAnt or BAKerY lIKe I DID
but I wanted kids to also have the opportunity to learn in school.
My foundation supports a four-year high school Culinary
Arts program at the New Orleans Center for the
Creative Arts (NOCCA).
photo by
Sara Essex Bradley
the
Chef
issue
8
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
MAY | JUNE 2014
