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Chefs of the Northshore
John Besh. Born and raised on the Northshore, in Slidell, Besh is nationally known and acclaimed. He operates four successful restaurants, three in New Orleans (Restaurant August, Besh Steakhouse and Luke) and one in Lacombe – the lovely La Provence. Besh combines Southern roots, Louisiana ingredients, French technique and Culinary Institute of America training to present beautiful, resonant cuisine. National foodies may recognize Besh from his appearances on “Good Morning America,” the Food Network’s Iron Chef (he defeated Mario Batali) and from the Sundance program, “Iconoclasts,” in which he was profiled with Branford Marsalis. Rene Bajeux. The chef de cuisine at Besh’s La Provence, the French-born Bajeux has been designated as one of 44 French Master Chefs in America by the prestigious Maitre Cuisinier de France organization. The amiable chef is dedicated to the concept of “terroir” cooking, meaning “of the earth,” using local ingredients, many of which he and Besh are growing or producing themselves. Bajeux ran the kitchen at the five-star Four Seasons’ Beverly Hills hotel before moving to New Orleans to take over the Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel in 1997. He opened the much respected Rene Bistrot in 2001 in downtown New Orleans and joined his longtime friend in the La Provence venture in 2007. Pete Kusiw. The owner/chef of Juniper Restaurant in old Mandeville, Kusiw received his culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University. His cooking talents first became appreciated locally at Mandeville’s respected Bechac’s. He wore chef’s hat at English Turn and Money Hill country clubs before opening Juniper, near the Mandeville lakefront, in 2003. After the original location was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, Kusiw moved Juniper to a century-old former bakery on Lafitte Street. His popular take on contemporary Creole makes Kusiw one of the Northshore’s favorite chefs. Marvin Tweedy. A Louisiana native,
David Solazzo and Torre Bagalman. This husband-wife chef team have created one of the Northshore’s best and most popular dining spots with Ristorante del Porto in downtown Covington. New Orleans native Bagalman and husband Solazzo absorbed a sophisticated take on regional Italian cuisine while working in California and have transplanted it to the Northshore. The Times-Picayune food critic has declared del Porto the best Italian restaurant in the New Orleans area. Expect housemade pastas, expertly grilled fish, an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients and some of the best antipasti anywhere. Kim Kringlie. As co-owner and executive chef at the lauded Dakota Restaurant, Kringlie presents sophisticated, contemporary Louisiana cuisine in an elegant setting. The chef worked his magic at The Inn at Jackson Hole in Wyoming and at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas before being named Executive Chef at Juban’s in Baton Rouge. He and business partner Kenneth LaCour opened Dakota in 1990. The two also are partnered in Dakota’s sister restaurant, the acclaimed Cuvee in New Orleans. Joey Najolia. A Northshore native, Najolia is a classically French-trained chef who specializes in bringing together the flavors of Louisiana with the culinary technique and passion of France. With wife Brandi, who manages front of house, Najolia opened Café Lynn in Mandeville in 2007. Najolia earned his Associates Degree of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from Delgado Community College and has worked in numerous kitchens here and abroad, including as sous chef at the noted Windsor Court Grill Room and as chef de cuisine at the Northshore’s acclaimed La Provence. Among other notable chefs on the Northshore: Kirk Dunbar of Palmettos in Slidell; Chuck Fisher, formerly of Fusion Bistro, Dakota and 124 in Mandeville, who now operates Chef’s Table at Fisher Farms; and married chefs/partners Nealy Crawford and Keith Frentz, both formerly of Brennan’s in New Orleans and now owners of LOLA in Covington. Hungry for more? Watch and listen to a Northshore dining slideshow.
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