A Celebration of Louisiana: Land & Water
The Second Paesh Culinary Event Complete!
The newsletter for the Louisiana Dinner Party is here! Whether it’s Creole or Cajun dishes, the food in Louisiana always holds a praline sweet spot in my heart. This day was special not only because it was the first 6-course plated dining experience, but also a surprise reveal of the Paesh website! Guests experienced a taste of Louisiana in Chicago. Let’s recap the evening.
Make it stand out
The Inspiration
My opinion may be controversial, but I believe the cuisine of Louisiana is the most expansive, diverse, and delicious cuisine that is uniquely American and reflective of its complex and interwoven cultural history. Many other cuisines in the United States have a complex, nuanced history such as Soul Food, BBQ from the Big 4 (Texas, Memphis, The Carolinas & Kansas City), Tex-Mex, or even Gullah/Geechee cuisine. The cuisine of Louisiana is an iconic, global culinary staple. While maintaining its unique culinary flare, the evolution of Creole and Cajun cuisine continues with its fusion with Korean, Vietnamese, and Senegalese restaurants in Louisiana to the exciting delight of diners. Creole and Cajun fusion cuisines are the definition of continuous innovation.
Louisiana, in particular New Orleans, is near and dear to my heart because of the cuisine, the people, its charm, and the artistic expression captured in the music and various media of art. For these reasons, Louisiana was selected as the cuisine to celebrate in a 6-course menu that featured classic dishes, culinary interpretations, and the art of story-telling with each course. The cuisine of Louisana is so vast there can easily be parts 2, 3 & 4!
What’s On The Menu?
First thing first, guests were welcomed with the signature cocktail of the evening, The Magnolia. Name after the state flower of Louisiana, I crafted a cocktail with a relatively mild flavor profile ahead of the night’s bold flavors. Rice is an important crop not only to the cuisine & state of Louisiana but also to the United States. Using a blend of unfiltered rice wine, Riesling, and Asian pear-infused simple syrup each glass was topped with the state fruit of Louisiana, strawberries. It was important to me to set the stage of intentionality with each dish for the evening including the libations.
When you think of Louisiana cuisine, whether French or Creole, French cuisine most likely comes to mind. With culinary features such as remoulade or beignets, the infamous roux for étouffée or gumbo, or even the city of New Orleans, which was a territory capital of France before the state incorporation of Louisiana, France is inextricably tied to the cuisine of Louisiana. However, throughout the complex, (to put it lightly) history of colonization and immigration of multiple ethnicities, Creole and Cajun cuisines are influenced and linked with Africans (e.g. Senegal, Benin, Mali), Indigenous communities (e.g. Natchez, Chitimacha, Houma), Acadians, Haitians, and Spanish.
Creole vs. Cajun Cuisine
Is there a friendly competition? Do tomatoes belong in gumbo? If you ain’t sneezing, is it seasoned? Whew, the opinions and friendly jabs on the internet and in person are entertaining to me, especially as an outsider but a culinary enthusiast nonetheless. So what better way to celebrate than with both Creole and Cajun cuisine? The dinner theme of land & water pays homage to the game meat-centric and smoky flavors of Acadian-influenced Cajun cuisine. Turducken, for example, is a labor of love but so delicious! Maybe Turducken will make an appearance for guests in the future. Seafood-forward, aromatics present, and French, African & Indengious influenced Creole cuisine is beautifully delicious and possesses an ancestral connection that is special for so many. I can’t forget one of the iconic culinary treasures of Louisana, crawfish. It was only right to include crawfish étouffée on the menu!
The MENU
Before I go any further here, we’re friends, right? I tend to lean toward Creole cooking styles with my seafood gumbo which contains tomatoes and filé (ground sassafras leaves). However, I prefer no tomatoes with chicken and sausage gumbo or jambalaya, which is reminiscent of Cajun versions. Hopefully, my love for both culinary cuisines keeps me neutral and a friend to everyone in Louisiana. :) For that very reason, I created my blend of spices, named LaBon Seasoning, my family name which loosely translates to “The Good” in French and celebrates both Creole and Cajun cuisine.
LaBon Seasoning
A Bold & Spicy Flavor Medley of The Louisiana “Holy Trinity” Garlic & Spices
A little goes a long way! Add LaBon seasoning to shrimp & grits, seafood boils, or along with a generous pinch of coarse kosher salt to a dry-aged New York Strip steak.
LaBon Seasoning-MilD
A Flavor Medley of The Louisiana “Holy Trinity” Garlic & Spices
She has a lil’ kick! Packing bold flavor with less heat, Paesh Seasoning-Mild is perfect to use generously in gumbo, étouffée, fish, or veggies. It’s great for everything!
PAESH SEAsoning