Rouses_FINAL-November-December-2017

the Holiday issue Gastreaux team discusses their work.Nick Puletti, a sous chef with GastreauxNomica, moved to Baton Rouge to attend LSU in 2010 and was quickly taken under Rivera’s wing. “We believe in and love supporting each other. Like last night, Ryan did a dinner in Downtown Baton Rouge, and we all showed up for him. I don’t know if it’s arrogance or what, but we believe that we can outcook just about anybody, anywhere.” And he might just be right. In addition to the Gastreaux team, the city’s rich with a plethora of fresh talent.There are the chefs at classic-leaning restaurants pushing their menus in exciting new directions — like Peter Sclafani of Ruffino’s and Chris Motto of Mansurs on the Boulevard. At Chef Kelley McCann’s Kalurah Street Grill, wok-seared shishito peppers and rabbit ragout sit happily side by side on the menu. And a new wave of contemporary gastropubs, like The Overpass Merchant, certainly opens up new vistas for those looking for snappy ways to pair their tea-brined fried chicken sandwich with local beers. Make no mistake about it: These chefs are interested in playing the long game to improve and diversify the city’s dining scene for decades to come, creating a place where tradition and innovation can cook side by side. So Fresh, So Clean Of course, diversifying the city’s dining options also means introducing a variety of straight-from-the-garden ingredients to balance out the less health-friendly explorations. Enter Pat Fellows: founder of FRESHJUNKIE, a GastreauxNomica member and an entrepreneurial dynamo in the city. “I’m trying to cook healthy food in the most unhealthy place in the world,” Fellows teases. FRESHJUNKIE is a restaurant specializing in salads and wraps, and Fellows considers himself something of an expert in the field. “My strength is grilling and coming up with creative, delicious dressings — things that might give people a healthy meal for the first time, but they’re still going to enjoy it. When we started out, we made everything healthy but we never really sold it as healthy. We just had great flavor profiles, and it was kind of unassuming.We didn’t smash them in the face with it.” Fellows also runs Somos Bandidos, a taco joint, as well as a race production company, FRESHJUNKIE Racing, which produces 12 events a year across the Gulf Coast. (Whew.) And where does Fellows pick up his good-for-you fuel for all of these endeavors? Rouses Markets, of course. “I might be the odd man out a little bit with GastreauxNomica because I come from such a different culinary background, but it’s great to be a part of this new guard.” For the People This experimental, devil-may-care attitude towards flipping the script on tradition also extends to the world of catering in the city. Sydney Harkins and Jamie Brown are a duo of fireballs who, with their powers combined, make up the BouillaBabes. And while their company name clearly pays cheeky homage to the traditional

[TOP] GastreauxNomica’s BouillaBabes, Sydney Harkins and Jamie Brown [LEFT] GastreauxNomica’s Nick Puletti [RIGHT] GastreauxNomica’s Pat Fellows

French Provençal seafood stew (get it?), their attitude towards their guests is anything but cheeky. “We never stop cooking, and we’re always thinking about cooking even when we’re nowhere near a kitchen,” says Harkins. “I was cuddling with my dog the other night and texted Jamie to say, ‘Yo, why don’t we put chorizo in this new dish we’re doing?’ It’s that way all the time.” The pair met in April via Rivera (naturally) and immediately bonded over a desire to both support and raise the profile of female chefs in the city. “We were like, ‘People are catching on that women are badass in a male-dominated field, and now that people are getting with the times, let’s capitalize on that!’” Harkins explains. “We’re female- centric and very much female empowerment, right down to our decor. If you look on TV at female chefs, it’s mostly this total ‘Holly Homemaker’ look.We definitely aren’t that.We want to be like your best friend, but better.” The BouillaBabes are also about as populist as they come.Through an innovative pricing model and a desire to work with clients’ budgetary needs in mind, Harkins and Brown are making catering accessible for folks who might’ve never considered it an option. “We’re caterers for the people,” laughs Brown.

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017