Creole Cuisine: African American Contributions is a celebration of the
influence of African-American chefs and restaurateurs on Creole cuisine
and food culture in New Orleans. This exhibit is based on and expands
upon one existing currently in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum as
well as draws on the book Creole Feast for inspiration.
Cover of Creole Feast (1978) by Frank Lotz MillerSouthern Food and Beverage Museum
In the book Creole Feast, published in 1978, Chef Nathaniel Burton of Broussard’s and oral historian and civil rights activist Rudy Lombard opened the doors to some of New Orleans’ top restaurants, revealing to the reader that the creators of Creole haute cuisine were not Creole persons of European descent but, instead, African American. The book presents chefs from some truly elite restaurants, such as Galatoire’s, Broussard’s, and the Caribbean Room, who, with few exceptions, remain today almost unknown to the contemporary public. While these men and women cooked in the days before “celebrity” chefs were hailed as masters of their art, Burton and Lombard celebrated these chefs, honoring and preserving their legacies with this account.
Austin Leslie
Of the chefs featured in this exhibit, Austin Leslie is one of the few who attained what would today be considered “celebrity” status. This is in part because of the nationally syndicated television show “Frank’s Place”, which aired only briefly but was based on Leslie’s restaurant Chez Helene, but also because of his delicious fried chicken, which he learned to perfect at an early age.
Creole Soul Cookbook Creole Soul (2000) by Austin Leslie and Marie Rudd PoseySouthern Food and Beverage Museum
Leslie began working at Portia’s Fountain in New Orleans when he in high school, and it was there that he learned to cook fried chicken garnished with a sliced dill pickle. This recipe is among those featured in Leslie's 2000 cookbook.
Austin Leslie serving gumbo at the New Orleans' Food Festival by Austin Leslie, Marie Rudd Posey, and John & Bonnie Boyd Hospitality & Culinary LibrarySouthern Food and Beverage Museum
After a stint cooking at the Hot Shoppe in Washington, D.C, Leslie returned to New Orleans and in 1964 went to work as a full-time chef at his aunt’s restaurant, Chez Helene, in the Seventh Ward. Here, the menu ranged from Creole haute cuisine to soul food. In 1975, his aunt retired and sold the restaurant to Leslie, and after a while he chose to relocate the business to the French Quarter because of increasing neighborhood crime. This restaurant closed in 1995.
Austin Leslie with his set-up for fying his world famous chicken by Austin Leslie, Marie Rudd Posey, and John & Bonnie Boyd Hospitality & Culinary LibrarySouthern Food and Beverage Museum
In Creole Feast, Leslie describes his chicken preparation:
"The first time I cut up a chicken I was working at Portia’s. The chef there, Bill Turner, asked me where I learned how to do it. I said I learned from my mother at home…I learned all about fried chicken from Bill Turner, too. It’s the easiest job in the kitchen. You can tell by the sound when fried chicken is done. If you listen to it, you can hear how the sound of the grease crackling in the fryer changes. Then you know it’s time to bring it up. I never cook it well done; I never cook any meat well done. What I do is take the blood out of it first—while the chicken is frying take a pair of tongs and squeeze each piece. Squeeze it till it bursts to let the blood out…"
Creole Soul Cookbook Photos of Austin and his Signature (2000) by Austin Leslie and Marie Rudd PoseySouthern Food and Beverage Museum
For a brief six months, Austin Leslie opened the restaurant "N'awlins" in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Creole Soul Cookbook Creole Soul backcover (2000) by Austin Leslie and Marie Rudd PoseySouthern Food and Beverage Museum
After the closure of his restaurant, Austin Leslie went to work with Jacques Leonardi at Jacques-Imo's. There, Leslie stayed by the fryer and made his famous fried chicken, but after five years, he left to become a mentor for young chefs at Pampy’s. Austin Leslie died in Atlanta after being evacuated from his house after Hurricane Katrina. Leslie had spent two days in his attic before evacuation and had a high fever. The first post-Katrina second-line in New Orleans was the funeral procession for Leslie.
This exhibit has been made possible due to contributions from the John & Bonnie Boyd Hospitality & Culinary Library, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, the Southern Foodways Alliance, Rise Delmar Ochsner, Leah Chase, Wayne Baquet Sr., and the Newcomb Archive and made possible with funding from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.
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