- 9 hours ago
NOLA chefs in conversation about the city's kitchen culture.
Step inside the heart of New Orleans' culinary scene with curator and acclaimed chef Nina Compton and celebrated chef Kenneth Temple for an unfiltered conversation about the culture, creativity, and traditions that make the city one of the world's most influential food destinations. From neighborhood kitchens and family recipes to the evolution of modern Creole and Southern cuisine, this session explores the stories, people, and flavors that continue to define New Orleans. Expect candid insights, personal experiences, and a deep dive into the passion, resilience, and community that fuel the city's vibrant food culture.
Step inside the heart of New Orleans' culinary scene with curator and acclaimed chef Nina Compton and celebrated chef Kenneth Temple for an unfiltered conversation about the culture, creativity, and traditions that make the city one of the world's most influential food destinations. From neighborhood kitchens and family recipes to the evolution of modern Creole and Southern cuisine, this session explores the stories, people, and flavors that continue to define New Orleans. Expect candid insights, personal experiences, and a deep dive into the passion, resilience, and community that fuel the city's vibrant food culture.
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00:00Hey, all right, so one of the things that makes New Orleans unlike any other culinary destination
00:07is that every neighborhood, every family, and every kitchen has a story.
00:12The city's food culture is built on generations of tradition, shaped by countless influences
00:18and carried forward by chefs who continue to honor the past while creating something entirely on their own.
00:25Our next conversation offers an inside look at the kitchens, the culture, and the creativity
00:30that have made New Orleans one of the most celebrated food cities in the world.
00:35And I know y'all know that because I know y'all done been to some of these delicious restaurants
00:39in New Orleans
00:39and I don't think there's anything better. Am I right? Okay, I feel like I'm right.
00:50So curating this next conversation is going to be Chef Nina Compton.
00:55We saw her earlier today whose remarkable career has become part of New Orleans' modern culinary story.
01:01Originally from St. Lucia, Chef Compton has earned national acclaim for seamlessly blending Caribbean flavors
01:08with Louisiana traditions through her award-winning restaurants and acclaimed culinary vision.
01:14Joining her is Chef Kenneth Temple.
01:18Okay, Chef Kenneth, okay, period.
01:20A New Orleans native, cookbook author, television personality, and one of the city's most recognizable culinary ambassadors.
01:28Through his recipes, media appearances, and storytelling, Chef Temple has introduced audiences around the country
01:34to the bold flavors and the rich traditions that define New Orleans cuisine.
01:39Together, they'll take us behind the scenes of one of America's most influential food capitals,
01:43sharing the experiences, inspirations, and community that continue to shape every plate.
01:49We want to please enjoy this NOLA Kitchen Confidential Conversation.
01:54And they're going to be out here in just a second, okay?
01:57She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:01She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:05She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:11She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:16She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:19She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:21She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:22She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:22She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:25She's going to be out here in just a second, okay?
02:27us. I'll be back. Mic check. Good morning, everybody. I'm going to put my glasses on
02:40because as you get older. Uh-oh. You got to start eating your carrots. I have to keep
02:45them on. So I have Chef Kenneth Temple, who is a native New Orleanian who is now living
02:53in Dallas. Yes. He is a chop champion. Yes. And an author of a book. Yes. Southern Creole,
03:01Recipes from a New Orleans Kitchen. So I'm going to kick it off with that book because I just
03:07published my first book last year, which is a process. So if you want to tell your audience
03:13your inspiration behind the book and the process, because I think people don't understand how
03:18long it takes to actually do a book. So you had a publisher backing you. I did. I'm
03:24self-published. Oh, wow. So that's even a... So I'm the publisher. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So
03:29good morning. Y'all kind of far. Y'all want to come close. There's only a few of us in
03:35here. Y'all want to come close to have a little family conversation? No. I love y'all anyway.
03:42So the cookbook, right? I mean, you're a chef. You got talent. You got recipes. You want
03:47to create a cookbook? Sure. I wrote the cookbook a lot earlier than I expected. So I knew I
03:52had that chopped opportunity coming. I knew I had one. So people follow success. So I
03:58didn't want nobody to only follow me on Instagram, follow me on Facebook at the time. TikTok and
04:03YouTube was, yeah, YouTube was YouTubing. But like, okay, let me create something so people
04:08can have something to follow by. So within five months, I wrote the recipes, developed the
04:14recipes, shot the recipes, tasted the recipes. I hired somebody off of Fiverr to edit it and
04:22format it for print. I went on Amazon so they can distribute it. So you can still find the
04:26book on amazon.com or you can go to my website, kendertemple.com. And I took all those photos
04:33on an iPhone. On an iPhone. On an iPhone. That's incredible. Every food picture, 75 recipes are
04:41all on an iPhone. The only pictures that's professionally shot is the cover, the front
04:45and the back. That's it. It's such a process. When I did my book, and of course, we had two
04:53different paths. But I think for me, it was, I wanted to leave my mark, leave my history, which
05:00a book definitely does. But the process of writing the footnotes and the inspiration behind each
05:08recipe, it's a lot. And I think people think that you just crank this out in two days, but it
05:14takes
05:14a long time. So as a chef, we can get chefy with recipes. My goal was to simplify it. So
05:24I wanted
05:24somebody who was a novice cook to be able to pick up the recipes, feel confident and
05:28execute, right? So even the pictures, like I went around New Orleans and took shots of
05:34Frenchman Street and different little, in a French quarter, just different little segments
05:39of the city, just to add that touch. And it was just basically my story of becoming a kid
05:46who just used to crack eggs with his dad on the counter when he was baking to man like I
05:53became something in the industry. So that was my homage to do that book. And I said,
05:5720 years later, when I look back on this cookbook, I want to still be proud of it. Not feel
06:01like
06:01I just threw it together, but still feel proud. And nobody really knows it's on an iPhone that
06:05I took all those photos.
06:06I had no idea. You completely had us fooled. But I think it's something that as chefs, being
06:12creative, and I think for you, it is really about preserving your heritage, which is very
06:19important, especially in New Orleans, because I think most people either love to eat or they
06:25love to cook.
06:26It's a balance. I love to do both.
06:29Yeah.
06:30Yeah.
06:30So tell me, what is your fondest memory growing up as a child in New Orleans? What is your three
06:38fondest food memories?
06:40Food. Woo. Okay. Food. I will go. So every Easter, I don't know what restaurant we used
06:49to go to, but every Easter, we'll go somewhere to go eat. And they had the buffet. And I ate
06:55this particular Easter. I ate eight eggs Benedicts. So I was so in love with runny eggs. Like to
07:03this day, I still eat Ovie's eggs. I ate so many eggs Benedict, I got sick.
07:10Too many eggs.
07:11Too many eggs. Too much going on in that little bitty eight-year-old stomach. I'll punish that
07:15buffet. So that'll be one. Two, second food memory would probably be when my dad taught
07:20me how to make his brownie recipe from scratch. I'm a chocoholic, so I love chocolate.
07:25Okay. And it's his?
07:27It's his recipe.
07:28Okay. Yeah. So if you look at my cookbook, it's called Childhood Brownies. So that's his
07:33recipe. And then three childhood memories. Ooh, I like this. It's on the spot. How old is
07:42childhood?
07:43It could be any age.
07:44I would say the last and final would be when I silenced my culinary class the first time
07:51I stepped in the kitchen. So I only got into cooking, y'all, because it was like, oh, what
07:56you going to do when you graduate from high school? I should probably have an answer for
08:01that. But I didn't. And so I ended up, I had a cousin that went to Nickel State. I was
08:06like, okay, Nickel State closed. They got a culinary program. Let me go there. So I was
08:10still a kid kid. I wasn't these chopped junior champions and foodie kids. So they said, pick
08:16a recipe, any recipe you want, and cook it. And we all going to try it. The whole class shut
08:22up when I tried my, when they tried this dish. I thought I bombed. You know, you, you, you,
08:27you want to hear some, mm, mm. I didn't hear none of that. Everybody raved over the dish.
08:33What was the dish?
08:34It was a boiled shrimp rummy lad. I never boiled the shrimp and I had no idea what a rummy
08:39lad even was.
08:41And you nailed it.
08:43And I nailed it.
08:43You nailed it.
08:44And I silenced the crowd. And that was the, the moment I realized that silence is a sexy
08:49sound in the room. Because if you feed somebody and they talking, you may have hit them in
08:55the back of their mouth, but if they shut up while they eating your food.
08:58They're, they're enjoying it.
08:59Yeah.
08:59They're enjoying it.
09:00They savor in the moment.
09:02You talked about your dad's brownies. Your mom is in the audience.
09:05Uh-huh.
09:06Does your mom have a specialty?
09:08Spaghetti and meatballs.
09:09Okay.
09:11Spaghetti and meatballs.
09:13Spaghetti and meatballs.
09:14Spaghetti and meatballs.
09:14Let me tell you, so right, one of my, one of my recent clients right now is a private
09:18chef is, um, the, the current Superbowl MVP, uh, Kenny Walker.
09:24I mean, my, my version of Spaghetti.
09:26That boy texted me the same day, son, them Gettys and meatballs.
09:31Say shout out to moms.
09:33That's where it all started.
09:33He wants it every day.
09:34Yeah.
09:35He wants it every day.
09:36Yeah.
09:36So what is one New Orleans dish that you cannot get enough of?
09:41That's not fair.
09:42That you could have every day for the rest of your life.
09:46That's not, not fair at all.
09:48Just one.
09:49Put me on the spot.
09:52Because it's hard.
09:54Every day?
09:55Every day.
09:57Every.
09:59Grits.
10:00Grits.
10:01Yeah.
10:02Cheese grits.
10:03Cheese grits.
10:04I agree with that.
10:05Because you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hungover, brunch.
10:11You can put anything with it.
10:12Fish, chicken, uh, meat.
10:15You can even fry it up a different way.
10:17And then if you want to get fancy, you could probably make it sweet and make like a, a sweet
10:21grit cake.
10:22Yeah.
10:23So it got diversity to it too.
10:24So we don't get bored eating the same thing every single day.
10:27I agree with that.
10:27So as a chef, you've been doing this for a very long time.
10:31What, what is the advice you wish you had as a young chef or young cook that somebody
10:38told you that you wish you found out earlier or you figured out for yourself?
10:42Make mistakes.
10:44Yeah.
10:45Make mistakes.
10:47One of my, uh, my internship was at Zia's, Zia's restaurant.
10:51If y'all go, go check out Zia's restaurant.
10:54On the wall, every kitchen has their, their 10 commandments.
10:57We'll call it 10 commandments.
10:58Every job should have their 10 commandments on what to do.
11:00And one of them was make mistakes.
11:02And as a, as a, as a chef, as a cook, obviously you don't want to make a mistake because
11:07if
11:07I burn your food, you with your crew, you got to wait.
11:12Damn.
11:13Yeah.
11:14Make the mistake, learn the lesson.
11:15You won't make the mistake again.
11:17Yep.
11:17Cause especially in today's society, even more now than ever, everybody wants to be perfect.
11:22That's why social media, nobody shows you the struggle.
11:26Yeah.
11:26I'm at essence fest y'all.
11:27Yeah.
11:29Well, I, I think for a lot, a lot of people, especially the young chefs, there's, they have
11:35access to a lot of information.
11:37They have YouTube, they have Instagram, they have Google.
11:40We didn't have that as chefs coming up.
11:43So I think for us, the expression of asking questions or making mistakes was, I guess, more
11:50encouraged.
11:51And I think now because they have access to everything that they feel even more pressure
11:56not to ask questions or make, or make mistakes.
11:59Absolutely.
12:00Yeah.
12:00And that's, and that's the, the mirage, right?
12:02Is that the person who you follow, who you think has it all together.
12:06If you, if you saw them doing that shoot that looks so good and saw the imperfections, you
12:12will realize you should allow yourself some grace and get those imperfections.
12:17And it's fake.
12:20Yeah.
12:21Like it looks good because everybody wants to put their best foot forward.
12:24But before we got cut and looked all polished, there was some errors that happened and everybody
12:30make a flaw.
12:30We all human.
12:31And you just got to make your mistakes and then learn burn the chicken, burn the brownies.
12:37Yeah.
12:38Almost set the house on fire.
12:40Don't set the house on fire.
12:43Don't set it on fire.
12:45Almost set it on fire.
12:47And then you'll realize, don't do this again.
12:49Cause last time do this, cook on the lower heat, open the door, you know, something, all
12:54the different things.
12:56There's also a lot of variables when you're cooking.
12:58And I think for a lot of people, it's, especially with this young generation, they want everything
13:03to look perfect, but they're not thinking about how it tastes.
13:08And for me, when, as a chef, I, I want things to be very well seasoned.
13:13Yes.
13:14I love my salt.
13:16I love my spice.
13:17Come on.
13:17And it, it doesn't have to look the prettiest, but it has to taste like it has some care and
13:24some love put into it.
13:26Believe that.
13:26Yeah.
13:27And I think that's the biggest thing that I always tell my, my, my cooks is that make
13:33it like you're making it for your grandmother.
13:34Hopefully you love them.
13:36That's, that's the part, right?
13:38Hopefully you love your grandma.
13:39That's the part.
13:40Yeah.
13:40Because when you, when you think about things and you're being more thoughtful about that,
13:44the food tastes the best.
13:46Absolutely.
13:46And I think that is something that the look is the secondary part for me.
13:51Yes.
13:51Believe that.
13:51Now me and you, we, we, we, we old enough to have went to some of these Michelin star restaurants,
13:57some of these raved about restaurants and the food looks glorious.
14:01It is culinary arts.
14:03Yes.
14:03But it tastes like sand.
14:07Yep.
14:07I much rather go to a hole in the wall, get something that, that looked like my grandma
14:12made it rather than to go to some of these fancy upstart restaurants because the flavor
14:16profile is not there.
14:17Yeah.
14:17I agree.
14:18And, and, and it didn't cost me all my legs to eat.
14:20Yeah.
14:21And I'm full.
14:24So what, what are the, I mean, I've been living in Yorns for over a decade now.
14:30All right now.
14:31And I'm seeing a lot of the, the restaurants evolve a lot more than I've seen when I first
14:39moved there.
14:40And I think the celebration and what I love about New Orleans the most is that this, this
14:45city embraces chefs.
14:48Yes.
14:48It embraces people in the hospitality industry and everybody wants you to win.
14:53Yes.
14:53Um, so where do you see New Orleans in the next 10 years above water, hopefully yes above
15:00water, but I, I hope new Orleans gets more recognition for what new Orleans is.
15:06It's the only original cuisine in America.
15:09I agree.
15:10Yes.
15:10That's French.
15:11Yes.
15:11That's Spanish.
15:12Yes.
15:12That's Italian.
15:13But new Orleans has all of those combined into one.
15:16It is the only, you got the Indian, you got the indigenous Americans all blended into this.
15:21Because everybody, that's why we love cornbread so much.
15:24All things corn, grits and all that.
15:26So I see New Orleans just continuously elevating what we know.
15:30Like, um, chef Ashley, she just made like sushi for her, like a shrimp and grits.
15:35Yep.
15:36So it wasn't just shrimp and grits, but it put the twists on it.
15:38The, the imagination, the cultural fusions, continue to find those fusions where you can
15:44learn a little bit from this culture and their technique.
15:46Cause that's all cooking is.
15:47It's technique.
15:48That's all life is actually.
15:49It's technique.
15:50And so you learn a little bit of this technique and then blend it with your style and flow
15:53and present it, you know?
15:55Yeah.
15:55And I think that the beauty of this city is that there is, there are so, so many influences
16:00that you can pull from.
16:02Yes.
16:02From so many.
16:03And there's also even more influences still coming in.
16:07Absolutely.
16:08Um, you know, there's the Vietnamese culture.
16:10You look at the Honduran culture.
16:11There's a lot of people that are still coming into this city and they're adding their little
16:16footprint as well.
16:17So the gumbo pot.
16:18Yeah, exactly.
16:19And I think that's what makes New Orleans so unique because we're one of one and not
16:24everybody has that.
16:25And when people talk about when they come to New Orleans, they love the people, number
16:31one, and they love the food and the culture.
16:34Not many cities can say that.
16:36That's a fact.
16:37If you go to New York, people like, oh, the Empire State Building or Central Park, they're
16:42not talking about the food or the culture.
16:43New York has 12 million people and almost every nationality lives there.
16:49But nobody gets excited about the food and the culture in New York or somewhere else or Chicago.
16:54So we are really truly special and set aside.
16:59And we keep on evolving as more and more people keep on adding their footprint.
17:04And I think the cooking demonstration today of showcasing shrimp and grits, which everybody
17:09in New Orleans is familiar with.
17:11But to have these chefs do this dish, different flavors that I have never tried, the way that
17:21Chef Ashley, I would have never thought to do the grits with the shrimp inside and made
17:25a sushi roll with it.
17:26That was very creative.
17:28And I think that's what I love about the chefs there is that they really embrace that because
17:34the people are listening and they want to try and they're inquisitive.
17:40Yes.
17:41Yes.
17:41I mean, we're a very creative bunch down here.
17:43It's just tough that sometimes in order to get the recognition or the shot up, you have
17:47to leave.
17:48Yeah.
17:48You have to leave home because there's so many people, as much as we love holding on to
17:52the heritage and the culture, everybody seems to do the exact same thing.
17:56Now, even in Dallas, if I tell you, if I see another black restaurant open that's selling
17:59fried catfish and chicken wings, come on now, y'all.
18:03We got too much heritage to just lean on just that.
18:08Put a little twist to it.
18:09Find a little cultural fusion.
18:11But you think because they want to play it safe?
18:14It could be that.
18:15But it's you competing with your neighbor and your neighbor competing with your grandma
18:20and your grandma competing with your auntie.
18:22Y'all are selling fish, fish plates and chicken.
18:24But can somebody sell red fish instead of catfish?
18:27Can somebody find another fish to add into the market?
18:30And so, as much as New Orleans continues to evolve, I just pray that we continue to play.
18:37Yep.
18:38You know, because we have the creativity.
18:39We see it.
18:40When we get an artist of any kind that gets on a national stage, we push the culture.
18:45Oh, yes, we do.
18:46Yes.
18:47So, but we got to leave the city sometime in order to push the culture.
18:51So, I think we just continue to push and continue to be as great as we are, pull from the
18:56influence.
18:57But just remember, we got one of the strongest cultures in the world.
19:00I agree.
19:01And what is the one thing living in Dallas that you wish you had that's here in New Orleans?
19:07The people.
19:08The people.
19:09The people.
19:10When I tell you I got to make my neighbor speak to me, good morning.
19:16How you doing?
19:18All right.
19:19You know, but when you're down here, I'm about like, all right.
19:20All right.
19:21Like, it's cultural hospitality.
19:23I'm not trying to come to your house and kick in your door.
19:25I'm just, how you doing?
19:27How you doing?
19:28So, that wave and how people are is, that's why people fall in love with the culture.
19:33The people are warm.
19:34And then it translates into the food.
19:36That's why it's called soul food.
19:37Yes.
19:38I, it, it, that was one of the things that when I moved here and walking in my neighborhood
19:45and just everybody.
19:47Yes.
19:47Good morning.
19:49People, if they're driving, they'd stop and let you pass.
19:52Yes.
19:53Most places, they just.
19:54I'm about to knock you.
19:55I'm about to run through you.
19:56Yeah.
19:56Exactly.
19:57And it reminds me a lot of the Caribbean.
19:59So, everybody that comes to my restaurant from the Caribbean, they are so excited to be here
20:07because they say it reminds me of home.
20:09Yes.
20:10Not just the buildings, but the people and just the mannerisms and kind of like the laid backness,
20:16but also like the friendliness and just people that they're, they're curious.
20:22Yeah.
20:22You know?
20:23Well, you know, New Orleans is the northernest part of the Caribbean.
20:26So, I mean, all that, we all countries because when I leave the city, everybody asks me,
20:30are you Jamaican?
20:31I mean, no, but if you want me to go a little bit into it, man, again, but no, I'm
20:36from the
20:36city.
20:36I'm from New Orleans.
20:37No, no, I ain't no, I ain't no Jamaican now.
20:39But that's, you know, that's how people just culturally fuse everything.
20:42But yeah, it's warm.
20:43We're inviting.
20:44We lay it back.
20:45We'll feed you.
20:46We treat you like we know you and your mom and them for years, you know, and you go outside
20:50and it's transactional.
20:52Yeah.
20:52And I think that's what makes the city so different because people stop and take, they
20:58take a second.
20:59Yes.
20:59You know?
21:00And I think when you talk about in every aspect of the city, there's some kind of music or
21:07food or something going on that catches your eye and people want to share that with you
21:11where people are always talking about food or some kind of event or a second line.
21:16It's just a celebration of life.
21:18Oh, yeah.
21:19I believe that.
21:19And we do it the best here.
21:21Yeah, we'll find a reason to celebrate and cook you a little something, something.
21:24You know, so like I said, as my background being with pro athletes, like when you meet
21:28these people who people glorify because they don't feel, they feel warm, they feel connected
21:33because this isn't just a city.
21:37Let me tell you, so I've met a lot of celebrities, cook for a lot of celebrities, right?
21:41People expect you to kind of be all on them.
21:44Like, oh my God, you are who you are.
21:45But in New Orleans, we feel like we are our own celebrities.
21:48Right, right, right.
21:48You know, hey, all right, you know, man, guess who I saw today, you know what I mean?
21:52Like, but we're not running into you, just grabbing you and, you know, just doing the
21:57most.
21:57We kind of be like, all right, how you feel?
21:59So people can feel comfortable and let their guard down and just be.
22:03Yeah.
22:03Instead of having their guard up and they, and when you interact with them today, some
22:07of the meanest people you meet, but if you meet them in the city, they're relaxed,
22:10they're comfortable and be like, man, great person.
22:12And I love how everybody mixes together, you know, and I remember I had one of my cooks
22:19who is Trumbone Shorty's cousin and she's like, yeah, I know him.
22:24And I'm like, wait, that's your cousin?
22:26And she would show me pictures and it's just, you know, everybody is connected creatively,
22:32whether it's your, you're a part of the Chase family or your, your cousin is a musician.
22:38It's like, we're all connected and we're sharing energy and things that we're very
22:43passionate about.
22:44And I, and that's what I really love about this city because nobody is above or below.
22:49Everybody is just one of one.
22:51We want love.
22:52Yeah.
22:53Now imagine if we put that together with an economic plan.
22:57We're not going to go there today.
22:58I'm just saying, I mean, there's strength in numbers.
23:01You know, I have to hear from my elders about how the Clayborne Corridor used to be the black
23:06wall street of the city.
23:07But now it's adjacent to the hood.
23:10Now I, if we just switch out thinking just a, we were talking about backstage, not 110,
23:16but we just switch it 30, 30 degrees to, to more unity instead of fighting because we
23:20all intertwine with each other.
23:22We just put a little bit more into building each other up instead of being the old Hamish
23:27crabs in a barrel.
23:28Yeah.
23:29We can do a whole lot more.
23:30I agree.
23:31I think definitely, like you said, strengthen numbers, also giving people access to information
23:37education, education about things.
23:39You know, financial stability is definitely one that I would like to see more in this city
23:44where people are, you know, that want to open a restaurant, given the information on
23:50how to develop a business plan.
23:52What, what does real estate prices look like?
23:55What is, you know, building a restaurant, give people the access out so people can own property,
24:03they can develop industries and keep things in the city and not have other companies from
24:09the outside, let's invest in the people that live here and that are from here and give them
24:15the tools to develop bigger industries and not have these, you know, tech companies coming
24:21in and, and driving, you know, real estate prices up or gentrification.
24:26And I think that is the thing that I definitely don't want to see in this city is the mass
24:31gentrification of, of a lot of the neighborhoods that we want to preserve.
24:35And one of the, one of the discussions I'm having tomorrow is with Cosimo Harris, who did
24:40a project on disappearing black bars in New Orleans, because he was talking about shining
24:47a light on this, on this problem that we're having where these black bars are going out of
24:54business or they're getting run out because of the prices are going up, but people are
24:59understanding that those bars are for the community for, you know, practices or whatever
25:06it is.
25:07Yeah.
25:07So if we lose those things, we're losing part of our identity.
25:10And that is something that we have to make sure we address in this city.
25:14As we develop, we're keeping things and we're preserving things and not becoming this, you
25:20know, generic diluted culture.
25:22Yeah.
25:23And I think a lot of that starts at a city council level, right?
25:26Because the city council allows the gentrification to happen.
25:29So you move into one, you move into a city with so much culture, but two, then you move
25:35into a neighborhood with the culture.
25:37And now you're mad that you're hearing music late at night.
25:41Right.
25:41You shouldn't move into this neighborhood, but then, but then we need the money.
25:45So then you push the people out who make the community.
25:48You're about to have red beans and rice with no red beans.
25:50Right.
25:51And that's, that, that for me, I saw a lot of that happen during the pandemic where
25:55a lot of people were moving down here and they were like, oh, I love New Orleans.
25:59And then when people were again, being themselves, they're like, I don't want this part of the
26:04culture.
26:05And I said, you can't pick and choose.
26:06Right.
26:06That is the culture.
26:07That is the culture.
26:08So what you see is what you're going to get.
26:10You can't, you know, separate things because then what's the point?
26:14Right.
26:15You know, and I see a lot of those things happen where you talk about things like Super Sunday,
26:20where people are only showing up for that, but not understanding that is something that
26:24is a very personal protected space.
26:26Yes.
26:27So when you're entering those spaces, you have to be respectful.
26:30You can't just be taking a picture here and there.
26:33Right.
26:33You have to be respectful of those people because this is their time and their moment and you're
26:39entering their space.
26:40Absolutely.
26:41Because the Super Sunday is the honor of Social Aid Pleasure Club.
26:45The Social Aid Pleasure Club works out of a bar in your neighborhood or a space rented in
26:54your neighborhood to get ready.
26:56That footwork just don't happen on Sundays.
26:58Now we got to practice.
26:59You know what I'm saying?
27:00I make sure the footwork look good when I come out.
27:02So, yeah.
27:03But that's where, again, if we come together a little bit more, we can own the neighborhoods
27:09more, right?
27:09Because I was here for Katrina.
27:11Everybody got a check.
27:14But Grandma didn't own the spot.
27:16Right.
27:17And if Grandma did own, we're not coming back.
27:19So we sold it.
27:20Right.
27:20And so they rebuilt it.
27:21They flipped the script.
27:22And now you don't have anything to say about your community no more.
27:26You can just drive by with your kids and say, that used to be the house.
27:29It looked different back in the day.
27:31Yep.
27:31So that's what I mean.
27:32If we just shift our 30% to more unity.
27:36Yeah.
27:36Because everybody know everybody.
27:37And I think that that is also something that you see in very small cities where people
27:44that are from here, that's all they know.
27:48Yeah.
27:48And to get displaced is a very sad thing.
27:50Because we're seeing a lot of those things also in the Caribbean where all the beaches
27:55are bought by the hotel.
27:56So the locals now cannot get access to the beaches.
28:00Used to be able to just walk down to the beach and go have a little good time.
28:02So what we're seeing is that the hotels and these developments that are happening, the
28:10locals don't get access to it.
28:13And we are giving the most beautiful beaches, the most beautiful access to people that don't
28:20even live there.
28:21And that is a very sad moment.
28:23And we're seeing this in all different communities because then, you know, the second line, once
28:29they get moved around, then it doesn't hit the same.
28:33That's a fact.
28:33So we kind of have to preserve those things because our culture doesn't have a price tag.
28:38And we need to know what is for sale and what is not for sale.
28:42And we need to protect those things.
28:44And that's a very important thing that we need to address in any community because once
28:49people start to take things out of that, yeah, you're taking the essence, no point
28:54intended, but you're taking the essence out of it.
28:56You're literally taking the essence out of it.
28:57And that is the thing that we don't want to do because then people sort of say, well,
29:01things have changed or it used to be like this.
29:03Nobody wants to hear that.
29:04That's a fact.
29:05Yeah.
29:05And I think the thing is, we think we don't have any power.
29:10I mean, I know they wanted the vendors here today, but there was a agreed upon community
29:16standstill not to support a particular vendor.
29:20And they felt that.
29:22So your strength is in your dollars and in your money.
29:26So if we, again, 30%, we could start at 2% and just see how that goes coming together.
29:34Because in the restaurant community, we're a tight community.
29:36Everybody knows who everybody is.
29:37Because that's why when you hear a friend's restaurant didn't close down, it's like,
29:40damn, there was good people that actually had good food, had great service.
29:43But you got priced out of your community.
29:45Got priced out.
29:46And I think that is the thing that I find with a lot of chefs is that it's important to
29:50ask
29:51questions, like you said.
29:53Don't be afraid to say, hey, my restaurant's not really doing well.
29:58I need some advice.
29:59Yes.
29:59And I think that is something we talked about backstage is putting the ego aside and helping somebody
30:06that may be lost or doesn't have an answer to something that you can help them with.
30:11Because it's, I see that the more restaurants we have, the more jobs we have, the more money
30:17that we're bringing in.
30:19A lot of things change when you have restaurants in those communities.
30:23So I think if we're able to have these communications with each other, share information, also, you know,
30:30spotlight people that don't have any access to it, you know, that don't have a building, you know,
30:38do a collaboration with them at a restaurant and give people access to those things because
30:42not everybody has a social media person or they can afford to do these events.
30:47But, you know, showcase those things I think is really important.
30:51So whatever you can do just to bring people along with you, then go for it.
30:56And go for it, yeah.
30:57I think New Orleans could truly also benefit from more food halls.
31:00So we have one same rock.
31:03If we had a few of those scattered throughout the city, uptown, downtown, the east, especially the east,
31:08the east we need to love.
31:09If you have more of those, now you can get more vendors in the spots.
31:13Because, look, a Winn-Dixie or a mall or something shut down.
31:18There's some commercial building that's available for sale.
31:21If we could flip that into a spot where the vendors has less cost on lease, now they get a
31:29shot.
31:30There's actually a guy that did that in Dallas in one of our communities.
31:34Instead of him flipping the Winn-Dixie into another big chain, he sold into almost like a swap meet.
31:40Oh, wow.
31:41So now there's a bunch of different vendors from within the community who can go there, rent affordable,
31:45they can put on for their community, and they can grow their business to be a footstool to the next
31:49level.
31:50Right.
31:50But you've got to think like that.
31:52Again, 30%.
31:53Yeah, I think that is the biggest thing is giving people just the opportunity to eventually open a restaurant or
32:02do a little pop-up.
32:04I think anything that you can just do to get forward-facing is really important.
32:07Absolutely.
32:08And the opportunity is the first step.
32:10Yeah.
32:10And I think also people need to understand that there's more money in corporate.
32:15Everybody wants to open up a restaurant, but what happens if you just specialize in corporate sales?
32:20Somebody got to feed all these beautiful people that came into the city.
32:24Somebody got to work with the tourism community.
32:28Somebody.
32:29There's more money to be made where we all don't have to try to be getting water out of the
32:33same bucket.
32:34Yeah.
32:34There's plenty of water in the city, but you just have to think outside of the box.
32:38Yeah.
32:38And I think because everybody thinks that a restaurant is the only way that you can do that, like you
32:44said, a private chef, corporate.
32:46Yeah.
32:46There's a nutritionist for the pelicans.
32:50There's just so many things that you can do in this industry that there is life beyond a restaurant.
32:57Absolutely.
32:57You can also consult on some of those things.
33:00So there's more to things than just having a restaurant.
33:03And I think now a lot more people are doing these avenues.
33:08And YouTube channels and everything else, I think, is definitely ways to do that.
33:13Yeah, because you're talking about the avenues have opened up, right?
33:16Obviously, the first time you graduated from culinary school, they asked, well, what restaurants you want to open up?
33:20Just because you can cook don't mean you should open up a restaurant.
33:23Yep.
33:23And with YouTube, it used to only be you had to go through the Food Network to get on.
33:28But now you can go through YouTube and build your own channel, have your own creativity, create your own brand
33:33in your own market,
33:34and then flip that into something massive for the people.
33:37But if you don't push your limits of what you can accomplish, you'll never know what's actually available to you.
33:45I agree.
33:45That's why it's good to travel.
33:46Even if you don't have a car that can get far, go drive six hours to Houston.
33:50Yeah.
33:51Go drive six hours to Florida.
33:52Go drive six hours to Arkansas.
33:54Like, just go and just see other communities.
33:57I agree.
33:57And get inspired.
33:58Because traveling matures you.
34:00It definitely does.
34:01It exposes you a lot of things.
34:03Yes.
34:03So as we wrap up, Chef, what is the one thing or two things that you most look forward to
34:10this weekend?
34:12Sleep.
34:14And getting to spend time with my family.
34:16That's nice.
34:17That's nice.
34:18Well, shout out to mom in the crowd.
34:20Shout out to mom.
34:21Shout out to my nanan.
34:22Shout out to my friends.
34:23See y'all up in here.
34:24You heard me?
34:24Yeah.
34:25Just good to see family again.
34:27Good.
34:28And thank you for having me, Chef.
34:30Thank you, everybody.
34:31Thank y'all.
34:32All right.
34:32Let's give them a round of applause.
34:33Thanks so much.
34:34We're going to wrap up this stage and we'll be back at 1 o'clock.
34:38You know, y'all did great.
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