Rouses_FINAL-November-December-2017

REBEL CHEFS

W e all know that capital cities across the globe are where the politicos do their hobnobbing and cultural landmarks abound. (The Louvre, anyone?) For those of us who are constantly hungry, though, they also often serve as integral touchstones for the culinary scene of their state or country. Who could possibly think about heading to Austin without digging into the most novel spins on barbecue, or daydream about Madrid without wondering what tapas the mad scientist-style chefs are whipping up these days? Answer: No one. Now, in Baton Rouge, a new generation of food innovators are ready to make their beloved town the next spot that’s a primo food and drink — ahem— capital for locals and hungry travelers alike. “We want to be a food capital city among capital cities,” chuckles Ryan Andre, a Gon- zales native who (among other endeavors) pushed the envelope as the former head chef for City Pork Hospitality Group. One bite of any dish he whips up — from saf- fron rice arancini stuffed with smoked pork to duck ham pasta — and you’ll see why he’s become a leader of the Baton Rouge culinary new school. “It’s time to replace some of the chain restaurants with places where chefs really get to shine,” he says. Welcome to GastreauxNomica, Baton Rouge’s culinary “think tank” and under- ground test kitchen, where chef-driven din- ing is the name of the game. Sound a little off the beaten path? Good! That’s just how they like it. Andre and ringleader Sean “Poochy” Rivera of Driftwood Cask & Barrel are the co- founders of this novel approach to dining in a city long focused on restaurants themselves, not the people in the kitchen making it happen.

With their collective brainpower and dynamism, it’s not difficult to imagine the group tinkering around in a secret bunker into the wee small hours, taste test- ing and mixing their way into new frontiers like some kind of bland-food-fighting super- hero league. Need someone to make the most innovative mac ‘n’ cheese of your life? A Gastreaux Hero is on the way.Want a party catered with oysters prepared in topsy-turvy, delicious ways? GastreauxNomica powers, unite! These are the kind of brainy, rowdy, charismatic people you want to have a beer (or three) with at the end of the night.

[RIGHT] GastreauxNomica’s Sean “Poochy” Rivera [BOTTOM] GastreauxNomica’s Ryan Andre

“Something I know what drives us is this feeling that if people say we can’t do it, we’re going to try and prove them wrong,” says Matt Vondenstein, the mastermind behind the drinks program at Driftwood and a cocktail- innovating machine. Vondenstein isn’t afraid to be playful with his drink construction, swizzling up tipples like the Beyonce, which combines honey-flavored Irish whiskey, ginger- mint simple syrup and lemon juice. (Vondenstein promises that if the pop goddess herself comes in and orders the drink, it’ll be on the house.) “Baton Rouge has always been overshadowed by New Orleans, and we want to change that by making Baton Rouge and New Orleans more like the Twin Cities up in Minnesota,” says Rivera. “St. Paul is the capital, and Minneapolis is bigger, but they work together to create this huge culinary community.” A sense of cooperation and camaraderie radiates whenever the

“Chefs spend so much of their lives in the kitchen, away from their families and out of the spotlight,” Rivera explains. “We want to showcase the people who put in the sweat.” Rivera is a New Orleans native who relocated to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina and recognized the potential for a city that,by and large, has been heavily rooted in traditional dishes. Today, the self- designated team of “rebel chefs” (along with a handful of bartenders, bloggers and other culinary entrepreneurs) are using pop-ups, new companies and their own in-house menus to introduce guests to Louisiana flavors reimagined in an entirely new light. “We really have the best audience for trying new things,” he explains.

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