Chef PAUL PRUDHOMME may have brought the flavors of the New Orleans Vieux Carré to presidents and a king, but his deepest satisfaction comes from the food itself.
With a soft Cajun accent and a laugh like the sturdy intricacies of French Quarter ironwork, Prudhomme is at home talking about cooking. He effortlessly weaves his love for freshness, for the perfect spices and seasoning, together with glimpses into his own life. Only glimpses, though—he doesn’t delve too deeply into himself. He is not eager to quantify his achievements, or to rattle off a laundry list of celebrities he has cooked for. He would much rather discuss how not owning a freezer is a way of life.
The youngest of thirteen children on a farm outside of Opelousas, Louisiana, Prudhomme was born into the homespun flavors of Cajun country. He began helping his mother in the kitchen as a boy, eagerly absorbing her ingredients and the way she prepared them. With few words from Prudhomme the scene unfurls—an imaginative and meticulous child brimming over with dreams.
Prudhomme chased those dreams with gusto, cutting his teeth in steaming kitchens across the country. While drawing inspiration from the cuisines he dabbled in, he developed a clear image of the quality of food he would someday serve.
The mother who first sparked his love affair with cooking ultimately drew Prudhomme back to the sultry heat of his home state. In 1979, he and his late wife, K, opened his eighth restaurant.
Nestled in the historic New Orleans French Quarter, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen was the first Cajun restaurant in the city, and arguably the best known today.
Prudhomme has appeared everywhere from Good Morning America to Larry King Live. He’s authored cookbooks, and owns a popular seasoning brand. He was the first American–born chef to receive France’s coveted Ordre National du Mérite Agricole.
Prudhomme may have prepared invitational dinners for Reagan and Clinton, but the presidents’ names didn’t come to him as quickly as one might expect. The king of Jordan once dined at K-Paul’s, Prudhomme says casually enough for the memory to seem an afterthought.
Doubtlessly, though, the chef could recall each intimate detail of the meals he cooked for them.
Cajun cooking is often considered rustic—its ingredients locally grown and relatively simple to prepare. Although it doesn’t fit the traditional concept of haute cuisine, bringing Cajun to the culinary world stage didn’t seem to daunt Prudhomme. His faith in its straightforward essence, in the joie de vivre it embodies, is unshakable. Something of an aesthetic, he takes great pride in the picture his food paints, in the tastes and aromas that so readily evoke passion.
Prudhomme speaks affectionately of the New Orleans he knows, and seems as much a part of the landscape as the long, slow notes of tarnished saxophones in Jackson Square.
Although you’ll never hear it from him, this chef has added more than a little flavor to the fabrics of culinary history. You could call him an icon merely because of his achievements—but Prudhomme would much rather you taste his gumbo and allow your senses to be the judge.
the interview:
What was life like growing up on a farm in Opelousas, Louisiana, in the midst of Cajun country?
I began helping my mother in the kitchen as a very young child, and I continued on for many years with her. I learned from her an enormous amount of great food because she was a great cook.
What made you gravitate towards making your living as a chef?
When I got out of high school, I was absolutely enthralled with the idea of having my own restaurant. The restaurant in New Orleans was my eighth restaurant. I had one in Opelousas, then three more around the country. I was traveling, and I ended up in Colorado and did a restaurant there. The first four failed, but I was learning. And so I decided that I would continue on doing that, and I got a restaurant in Denver, Colorado, and it went really well for the first time. Then I did a second one there and a third one there, so I had three in Denver. Then my mom and dad were sick; they had gotten to a late age, in their 70s. I’d come home maybe twice a year and be with them for a week, week and a half, and when I realized that Mom and Dad were both sick I decided I ought to come home. When you’re the last child and you’re not married, you really feel strongly about your mom and dad—at least I did. So I got rid of the restaurants in Colorado and came back to Opelousas.
When I got out of high school, I was absolutely enthralled with the idea of having my own restaurant.
You and your late wife Kay first opened K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in 1979. What was the influence of Cajun cooking in New Orleans at the time?
They had never heard of [a Cajun restaurant] before. I was the first one to do that. It’s what I’d learned from Mamma, and from having restaurants until they failed and I kept trying, kept trying. This restaurant with my wife was a very successful restaurant.
You’re known for your insistence on only the freshest and finest of ingredients. Why is this so essential to who you are as a chef?
When I was a kid, we had great food. I would work with Mother with it, and it was so good. When I started traveling around the country and seeing things that were frozen I couldn’t believe it, because it was awful. And so when decided to have a restaurant I decided to never have a freezer in it, and I still don’t today. It had to be fresh. We have a refrigerator, but not a freezer.
Over the years you’ve done a lot of traveling to bring the tastes and traditions of Louisiana to the rest of the world. In many ways you’ve become a larger-than-life figure, transcending the space of any one restaurant to embody Louisiana cooking. How would you describe the relationship between your culture and the food you cook?
What really got me was who I am, my culture, and I knew that we had the best food.
I think freshness for cooking is the most important thing, and having the right kind of seasoning to finish it—it’s wonderful.
Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever encountered dining at K-Paul’s?
I was just thinking about him today and I’m trying to remember his name, but there was a king. I don’t know what country he was from, but he came to Louisiana and they had a night at the restaurant that was very exciting. We had security on every ledge. He had probably about 80, 90 people with him. It was a fun event.
What is your favorite dish to serve to family and friends?
I’m very particular—I want fresh food. The best thing I have is what’s fresh and in front of me. If you cook it right and you deliver it right, it’s just absolutely wonderful. I still get food that me and Lori eat from the restaurant, because everything is fresh. We have gumbo all the time—I think we have two containers of it in the fridge right now. It’s a wonderful thing to have it, it really is.
Before opening K-Paul’s, you cooked in many kitchens across America. Which cuisines most influenced your own traditional Cajun style?
When I was traveling and being a cook, I had to do what that particular restaurant did, and I always did that because it was the right thing to do. I’ve always said the best food I’ve ever had in my life was with my mother on the farm, and at K-Paul’s.
I think the rest of the world would say gumbo. It’s one of the things that once people taste it—and I’ve seen this so many times at the restaurant—it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted.
What is the most powerful and passionate ingredient a chef can use?
I think freshness for cooking is the most important thing, and having the right kind of seasoning to finish it—it’s wonderful.
Visual and aromatic appeal—the colors, the aroma of a dish—are widely considered essential to fine dining. How important is this to you?
It’s been my life. I think having great food is the fact that I had—for a long time—580 pounds of body. And so I did the same kind of food and I took it down to less than 200 pounds. It’s just understanding food and understanding how much you should eat.
So you think it’s important to not give up what you love?
Absolutely. There’s no reason to, if you think about it.
Which dish do you think best captures the spirit of the New Orleans Vieux Carré region that you know?
I think the rest of the world would say gumbo. It’s one of the things that once people taste it—and I’ve seen this so many times at the restaurant—it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted.
Outside of the kitchen, what is something you enjoy?
Probably the most important thing in my life is my wife. We got married a year and a half ago, but we’ve known each other for probably 38 years, 35 years, and we’ve always cared for each other. And it’s more than ever now.
Was it a challenge to bring such a heavily regional cuisine to the culinary world stage while staying faithful to its Louisiana origins?
If we have an event somewhere, whether it’s in the country or out of the country or whatever it is, if we’re doing an event with food it comes from the restaurant.
What is New Orleans’ best-kept secret?
There’s so much here—so many great restaurants, casinos. There’s so much in New Orleans that’s very entertaining and that people enjoy. It’s a great city to come and be for a couple of days.
Is there a famous person you would like to prepare a special dinner for?
Anybody that’s nearby and hungry, I’ll be happy to cook for.
