 |
| Jambalaya. Photo: madaise, Flickr |
Red Lobster this summer became the latest fast-casual chain to dip into the bayou for a promotional menu item, reflecting a mainstreaming of Louisiana flavors many experts attribute to the continuing diasporas of chefs displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Red Lobster, which has introduced many American landlubbers to seafood through its 600-plus locations, recently debuted a "New Orleans jambalaya," made with shrimp, sausage and "Creole seasonings." Earlier this year, O'Charley's tested a Cajun-spiced shrimp salad, while Chili's tried to lure customers by slashing the price of its Cajun chicken pasta. And Uno Chicago Grill set its sights south with a NOLA-beholden menu featuring a shrimp po' boy, bananas Foster and an andouille-sausage flatbread.
"Cajun-Creole is one of the most important regional cuisines in America, and more and more people are more educated about it than they've ever been," says Randy Cheramie, associate dean at Nicholls State University's John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, La.
Louisiana cookery has already flirted with marquee status, becoming a national obsession after Paul Prudhomme blackened redfish at Commander's Palace in the late 1970s. In a misbegotten homage to Prudhomme's innovation, cooks across the country began burning their dishes.
But Cheramie says the Lousiana-trained cooks who fanned out from the state in search of work have lent some credence to the craze, familiarizing folks weaned on green beans and white rice with authentic Cajun and Creole culinary traditions.
"There's no doubt about it," Cheramie says. "We've lost chefs to the four corners of America and beyond."
Cheramie recently dined in Montgomery, Ala., a city that generally draws sneers from Southern gourmands. He had a fabulous meal, cooked -- as he later learned -- by a New Orleans transplant. Louisiana kitchen know-how is suddenly everywhere, it seems: "Good God, it can be any restaurant now," Cheramie says.
With their customers' palates thus trained, chain restaurants are diversifying their menu with Louisiana-style entrees -- none of which particularly impress chefs like Cheramie.
"At least they're thinking about it, and hopefully they're doing right by it," he says. "But people will always come to New Orleans to taste the real thing."
10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks
5 Things You Didn't Know About Turducken
10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate
