Chef to Storyteller: How New Orleans Claimed My Why

After 20 years in the kitchen as a professional chef, I spent a year teaching culinary arts at the high school level. I enjoyed the students immensely, but the demands and schedule of teaching didn’t suit a chef who had spent years working nights and running his own kitchen. Ultimately I returned to full-time chef work.

But one of the things we discussed often during professional development sessions were the ideas of “finding your why.” It’s kind of a roundabout way of discussing purpose, and I have always been one to believe that happiness comes from having a purpose. From meaningful work, and connection to your community. From making a difference.

During my years as a chef, I made people – mostly wealthy people – happy. I cooked anniversary dinners, first dates, birthdays, weddings, and celebrity events. I worked with great chefs and at renowned restaurants. But I never felt like I was working in my purpose. Something was always missing.

When I first came to New Orleans, I immediately fell in love with the sense of community here. Unlike many other places I lived or worked, New Orleans was all about deep, meaningful connections. The art, the music, the food, the culture were inextricable from each other. I dove in headfirst.

But the day that changed me forever happened after I attended my first second line. I was lost in a neighborhood I had never been to and had no idea how I was going to get back. A local musician from the Paulin Brothers Band saw me outside of his local bar and told me to come inside. We played a few games of pool, and then he offered me a ride home. About halfway through the ride he pulled off behind a ducked-off cemetery and told me to get out of the car. He said, “he wanted to show me something.” My mind raced. I thought I was going to see myself on The First 48. We walked up to a small shotgun house and he pointed at something – it was a plaque. The house belonged to Doc Paulin, his grandfather and a famous bandleader in New Orleans. Soon, the door swung open and I was offered food and drinks, and then we climbed back in the car and he took me home. And I realized that my why was this city, its culture and community.

When I decided I was getting too old for the 12–18-hour days of the professional kitchen, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted it to center around culture and community. But I also didn’t want to give up working around food altogether. I had been working part-time writing and giving tours for a company based out of Europe, but I wanted to do something deeper – to offer custom experiences – to show the city the way I see it. But I didn’t really know where to start.

As luck would have it, I pitched the idea to someone who thought it had merit, and we formed a small business dedicated to giving neighborhood food tours and customized experiences to offer a truly local perspective on the city. And to give back to the people, businesses, chefs, waiters, bartenders, and musicians who have made my life in this city so rich. 

And we’re inviting you to join us. Come experience our New Orleans with Accidental Cajun Experiences.