By Kaitlyn Shehee
When did you first know that the culinary industry was your career of choice?
It was during college. My family had worked in the culinary industry before in a small restaurant they owned. And I think it was just instilled in me to do it. I started off as a dishwasher, and I was a really good dishwasher [laughs]. I mean, I just did what I was told. Eventually moved up. I met a couple of chefs, started cooking, and it just kind of went from there.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming chefs or anyone who wants to enter the culinary industry?
How would you describe the culinary scene in Lake Charles, and what are you most excited about for the near future?
Within the last three years, man, the landscape. It slowly . . . I can’t say “slowly,” because last year, it elevated quick. Multiple restaurants have opened up, including Crying Eagle’s Lakefront location. And then you hear talks of new places coming in, too. So, the scene has really elevated. I think all the food, all these new restaurants, I think they all kind of define the culinary scene in Lake Charles. Classic French, some of it, then you have a little bit of Texas influence, a lot of local seafood being used. It’s nice.
How has community support been, and what does it mean to have support?
The community support has been everything. The location we have been at used to be a casino, and it got destroyed in 2005. So, for 20-plus years, the location where we [are], it was just an eyesore on the community. We’ve got a lot of community support. We have been busy just about every night. I mean, like, nonstop, and people love the food. We took, like, all the feedback, and when we opened, we kind of took it slow. We didn’t do a grand opening until October. It was a community and a team effort. And I don’t think we could have done it without the community support.
