Dustie Latiolais
Cochon Cannery • Breaux Bridge
Like many born and raised in Louisiana, Dustie Latiolais was surrounded by a family who likes to cook. He grew up watching his grandparents cook and went hunting and fishing with his grandfather whenever the season was right.
“The first time I ever made a roux was at the hunting camp. I was about 12 years old, wondering, ‘What are y’all doing?’ So, they were like, ‘Here, stir this!’” Dustie says.
When Dustie was 14 years old, his first job was bussing tables at his great-uncle’s restaurant in Henderson. After graduating high school in 2005, he joined the team at Crawfish Town USA as a line cook for several years, but when he heard about the Louisiana Culinary Institute opening in Baton Rouge, he left to pursue further training.
Dustie returned to Crawfish Town USA in 2011, where he remained as executive chef until last year when he and his wife, Denise, started Cochon Cannery, an entire line of their own creation, consisting of bacon jams, preserves, rubs, and more.
This year, the Latiolaises opened Cochon Cannery’s storefront in Breaux Bridge, which Denise runs on a daily basis, with a little help from their kids now and then. “My wife is my partner,” Dustie says with pride.
Dustie incorporated the flavors of Cochon Cannery into a po’ boy to win the People’s Choice competition at this year’s Acadiana Po-Boy Festival. Dubbed “Not Yo Mama’s Grilled Cheese,” the po’ boy was filled with melted pimiento cheese and Cochon Cannery’s Spicy Bacon Jam and Apple Bacon Butt Rub pork skins.
“I want whatever I produce to be the best it can be, and I want people to enjoy whatever I’m cooking as much as I enjoy preparing it,” says Dustie. “It’s a labor of love. You want to put yourself out on the plate.”
According to Dustie, putting yourself out on the plate is best accomplished with simple but fresh ingredients. “Don’t ever overthink it,” he advises.
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 3 tablespoons Cochon Cannery Bacon Jam*
- 1 pound peeled and deveined fresh Louisiana shrimp, tails removed
- ¼ cup Cochon Cannery Apple Bacon Butt Rub*
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- Okra Tortillas (recipe follows)
- Roasted Corn Relish (recipe follows)
- In a small bowl, stir together cream and sour cream until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add Cochon Cannery Bacon Jam, and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place shrimp in a medium bowl; sprinkle with Cochon Cannery Apple Bacon Butt Rub, and stir well.
- In a large skillet, heat bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté until pink and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve shrimp in Okra Tortillas. Top each taco with 2 tablespoons Roasted Corn Relish and 1 tablespoon bacon jam mixture.
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup okra, cut
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cochon Cannery Bacon Salt*
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- In a small stockpot, bring 1½ cups water and okra to a boil over medium- high heat; boil until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool. Reserve cooking water.
- In the container of a blender, place okra, cooking water, cilantro, and Cochon Cannery Bacon Salt, and start to pulse. Once okra blends, keep blender running for 1 to 2 minutes more to purée into a liquid.
- Meanwhile, place masa in a large bowl. Slowly add okra liquid to masa, and begin mixing it by hand. You may have to add more water or masa depending on the texture. (If the dough absorbs all the water but is still dry and crumbly, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough feels sticky, add more masa, 1 tablespoon at a time.)
- Separate dough into 10 to 12 equal balls, and press with a tortilla press or the bottom of a pie plate.
- In a large skillet, heat bacon drippings over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla to skillet; cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- 2 ears corn, shucked
- 4 shishito peppers
- ½ red onion, diced
- ½ orange bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup Steen’s Cane Vinegar
- 1 pinch Cochon Cannery Bacon Salt*
- Preheat oven to broil. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil.
- Place corn on one prepared pan, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Roast until charred, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Set aside to let cool. Place shishito peppers on remaining prepared pan. Roast until charred, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, add onion and bell pepper. Cut corn in half, shave kernels off cob, and place kernels in bowl. Cut top off shishito peppers, dice roasted flesh of peppers, and add to bowl. Add Steen’s Cane Vinegar and Cochon Cannery Bacon Salt, and combine.
Join Dustie and the other 2018 Louisiana’ Cookin Chefs to Watch for an exclusive six-course dinner at Galatoire’s Restaurant in New Orleans!
