Dining

Chef Steven Young is a natural-born chef. A native of New Orleans’ West Bank of the Mississippi River, he grew up in a family of 9 children.

“My mother and grandmother were excellent cooks,” he said. “I was about 7 when I began hanging out in the kitchen watching and sampling, with all those wonderful aromas of gumbo, red beans, soul food and other local traditional New Orleans cooking,” Young recalled.

The sudden loss of world -renowned chef, author and entrepreneur, Paul Prudhomme, in October was a devastating blow to his family, the state of Louisiana, the culinary community and to the millions of people who knew and loved him. Yet, there’s still two Chef Pauls in K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen -- Executive Chef Paul Miller and the spirited presence of his mentor, kitchen collaborator and close friend.

As head chef for K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, the celebrated restaurant Prudhomme and his late wife, K, founded in 1979, Miller keeps the establishment cookin’ in more ways than one.

From a chef’s savory, culinary beginnings to a hugely successful, “sweets” streak along with a return to savory cuisine, Salon by Sucre’s virtuoso Chef Tariq Hanna displays his brilliance and resourcefulness at every turn.

Born in Nigeria and educated in England, Hariq came to the U.S. to pursue studies on track for an architectural career. However, fate had other plans. Instead, Hariq found himself in culinary school. For the next 20 years he enjoyed a thriving career in the culinary arts in Detroit before moving to New Orleans.

Broussard's, one of the French Quarter's premiere French and Creole restaurants, is nearing its first centennial anniversary. With the establishment's spectacular physical renovation in 2013, Broussard's continues to offer decadent dining in sophisticated settings amid an alluring ambiance.

In command of the kitchen, Executive Chef Neal Swidler creates memorable culinary experiences for guests with the freshest, finest ingredients available and the knowledge and background acquired over a 20-year career at the executive level in some of the most acclaimed kitchens in the area.

Corey Jacobs was born to cook! It may have taken the New Orleans native awhile to fully understand the power of his kitchen-calling, but once he knew, he went with it!

Now the executive chef at Desire Oyster Bar in the Royal Sonesta New Orleans, Jacobs initially got into the restaurant biz because he needed extra money for the upcoming birth of his first child. He took a second job at night as a dishwasher in a restaurant and was fascinated by the goings-on around him.