THE MAN.

As a young boy, I recall my earliest, fondest, and most lasting memories centered on food. Whether it was my dad competing in a community cooking contest, my mom preparing family meals every evening, or PaPaw eating biscuits and mayhaw jelly with me when we visited during the holidays; I cherish those as well as and so many other memories of my childhood. Growing up, my mom and dad encouraged me to make a “happy plate,” meaning I finished all of my food. Needless to say, I always did, and it still “irks” me to waste food. Well, all of those happy plates did their job, and today I find myself blessed to live in New York City and married to the love of my life, Candace Koehl Bourgeois. My time in New York City, has afforded me a network of new friends and family that I look to for inspiration, support, and good times. 

THE CHEF.

 Currently, I work in various types of food media around the USA. However, my career in the kitchen began a long time ago, boiling crawfish, crabs and shrimp at a local seafood shack in Thibodaux, Louisiana. That little stop-and-go joint is long gone, but my love for all things boiled in spicy broth is alive and well. I continued to work in kitchens and catering venues throughout college while attending The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University. Throughout my career, I have been lucky enough to have worked in France, California, Atlanta, St. Thomas USVI, and New York. Every one of these places has influenced the food that I cook each and every day. My roots are in the south, but my goal is to tell the story of southern food through its foodways here in New York, and beyond.

 The Outdoorsman.

The outdoorsman in me, is in many ways, the heart and soul of who I am. Living in New York does not easily allow me to nurture the wild blood that runs through my veins. I often catch myself day dreaming about walking the woods hunting squirrel, or freezing my ass off in a duck blind in hopes to shoot a limit of birds. Luckily, I am able to make yearly pilgrimages back home and around the United States to “feed” that wild side within me. There are few more satisfying moments in my life greater than the ones I have had cooking gumbo post-duck hunts with friends and family. It is not just about the hunt, but rather about putting in the work to harvest your own food for the dinner table. Truly, there are no better meals as intimate and satisfying as knowing exactly where your food came from. Build a duck blind, shoot the ducks, cook, and enjoy with your kin. That is when you start to get it.