New Orleans chef to visit Page & Palette

My New Orleans: The Cookbook is Chef John Besh’s celebration of the food he loved as a boy growing up on the bayous, refined in his years of study in America and in Europe, and brought home to his beloved city. It is here he has passionately thrown himself into the rebuilding of post-Katrina New Orleans, and to the making of his restaurants, Restaurant August, Lüke, Besh Steak, La Provence and Dominica – indelible parts of the city’s restaurant landscape. My New Orleans is also a photographic journey of Besh’s personal past and a celebration of the city’s iconic food imagery. As Besh writes: “This book is the story of a dreamy, starry eyed boy brought up in the shadows of New Orleans, surrounded by cypress knees and tupelo trees, good dinners and great friends. Memories of my childhood, both good and bad, have etched themselves deep into
my soul: everything that I cook and eat, see and smell, reminds me of where I come from and more or less dictates where I am going.”

In My New Orleans, Chef Besh tells the enduring story of preserving the region’s rituals and livelihood through raising food well, cooking it with joy, and being mindful of the fragility that swirls around the city many Americans love most. It offers a unique culinary history of the city and its cooking while Chef Besh celebrates the advice that ensures success for the home cook. His recipes preserve New Orleans’ traditions and ingredients: Seafood Gumbo, Crawfish Étouffée, Jambalaya, Crab Bisque, Beignets, Watermelon Pickles, Fried Oysters, Red Beans and Rice – these New Orleans classics are joined by some of Chef Besh’s more contemporary dishes featured in over 200 recipes.

When the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina threatened New Orleans’ fishermen, farmers, shrimpers and oystermen, it was Chef Besh who led the way to preserve and protect the region’s unique culinary heritage and its local ingredients. My New Orleans explores Besh’s life post Katrina, which ultimately further shaped his identity as a chef. He became obsessed with seeking out ingredients that encompass the flavors of the city and region – not those shipped in from all corners of the US. My New Orleans tells the story of how John Besh became a leader of the new generation of New Orleans chefs who dedicate themselves to the singular cuisine of the city each and every day. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of My New Orleans will be donated to Café Reconcile, a New Orleans-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing at risk youth an opportunity to learn life and interpersonal skills, and operational training for successful entry into the hospitality and restaurant business.