Some of my fondest memories as a youth were summers spent in Louisiana. Whether it was walking to Joe Coutee’s for fresh, hot hog cracklin’, rushing to Mr. Kenny’s to get a cherry or lime 10 cent cold cup, picking figs with my uncle Derrick at Ms. Beulah’s for $5 or watching my uncles come back with freshly caught snapper turtle or garfish, these memories will always hold a special place in my heart. I always felt at home in Louisiana, every trip back causing me to take a slow deep breath as I exited the airplane and to myself say “I’m back”.

It’s hard to describe the smell that I experienced, but I knew it when I smelled it, each breath causing all of those memories to rush back. However, none of them would have been possible without one person, my grandmother Irma Lee Ned. Every other summer we would make that three-day drive back to Louisiana, first stopping in Lake Charles at my aunt Poochie and uncle Coon’s house. This stop was multi-purposed in nature with the adults getting to relax a little and catch up on everything, while us kids prepared to feast on Ms. Pat’s freshly made pecan pralines (a recipe I use to this day).

Next stop was Eunice. We knew we were there when we smelled my grandfather’s cigar. This was always a time for celebration, because it was not an everyday occurrence for my grandmother to have all 11 of her children and their children in one spot. It felt like everyday was an event in itself and I remember crabbing in Cameron, I remember cleaning crawfish with my grandmother in the backyard, I remember watching my uncle Larry make his turtle sauce piquante, I remember watching my grandfather and uncles prepare the hogs and chickens in the back.

It was these experiences that stayed with me 30 years later and made cooking as much a part of my life as breathing. This is what I lived. And it is these experiences I try to impart into every dish I prepare – remembering not to add too much salt, stirring the pot often so the gravy doesn’t stick, measuring the water to the first line on your finger when cooking rice, things that seemed inconsequential then but are the best pieces of advice now. I try to prepare each dish as my grandmother would. Hopefully I can make her proud.

Enjoy,

John