Executive Chef John Besh
August, Besh Steakhouse, Lüke and La Provence in Louisiana Acclaimed chef John Besh grew up hunting and fishing in Southern Louisiana, learning at an early age the essentials of Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions. “With all the cultural influences in Louisiana,” he says, “it’s an exciting place to learn about food.” And he should know: years later, fortunate enough to have traveled and studied the world over, Besh has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans, one of the world’s most esteemed restaurant cities -- and he is still learning, growing, and refining his work at the forefront of his industry.
His talent and drive have earned Besh critical kudos from the outset of his career: in 1999,
Food & Wine named him one of the “Top 10 Best New Chefs in America.” In 2003,
Gourmet magazine included Restaurant August in its “Guide to America’s Best Restaurants,” and in 2006, it cited Restaurant August as one of America’s Top 50 Restaurants. In 2005, Chef Besh received a nomination for a James Beard Award, and he won the Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006. Also that year, he defeated Chef Mario Batali on
Iron Chef America on The Food Network, scoring a victory in the andouille sausage battle. The 2007
Zagat Guide rates Restaurant August #1 in New Orleans for both Food and Service.
Besh received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America. His love of classical cooking styles, together with his “born on the Bayou” Creole heritage, drew him to Europe for further culinary exploration and training. In the Black Forest region of Germany, Besh experienced his first exposure to truly localized cuisine, a concept that remains essential to his cooking and menu development. Local farmers and artisans would bring their choicest goods directly to the Michelin-starred restaurant where he worked; brook trout were caught live and kept fresh in the cold stream running deep below the centuries-old building. He also spent time in the south of France refining his classical sensibilities, while the flavorful stews and roasts of the region informed his understanding of his own native cuisine, the Creole cooking of southern Louisiana. The young chef’s early career was interrupted when, as a noncommissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps Reserves, he was called upon to lead a squad of infantry Marines in combat during Operation Desert Storm.
Besh’s appreciation for local ingredients and local cuisine has only increased since Hurricane Katrina, as he considers these essential to the survival of the peoples and cultural heritage of New Orleans. No one is more keenly aware of the fragility of the region’s culinary culture. In addition to getting his own restaurants, the elegant contemporary
Restaurant August and chic
Besh Steak, up-and-running as soon as possible after the storm [for the benefit of his staff, as well as the morale of his loyal local guests,] he was also instrumental in rebuilding other establishments such as Willie Mae’s Scotch House, one of the city’s venerated culinary landmarks. With his friend and business partner Octavio Mantilla, he acquired the charming and rustic
La Provence in Lacombe, Louisiana from his late mentor, legendary Chef Chris Kerageorgiou; and also opened
Lüke, a brasserie in the grand New Orleans tradition, a cultural legacy that Besh could not allow to slip away. All the while, he has been the energetic spokesman for the Louisiana Seafood Council, as well as a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance; and a Board Member of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Besh is active in a state promotional program created by Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, who tapped the chef to prepare meals with the media in an effort to showcase the cuisine of Louisiana.
Besh’s European training made him an aficionado of local farmers markets, and he has many friends among the farming and commercial fishing communities of southern Louisiana; in fact, it is not unusual to see their names on his menu items. From farmers who have been working the land in Lacombe for generations, to the newly arrived Vietnamese farmers who provide the delicate baby vegetables for Restaurant August, Besh’s network of local purveyors is the key to his culinary style. In fact, his commitment to sustainable local ingredients has led him to become his own organic farmer: not only has he created an extensive kitchen garden on the grounds of La Provence, but he is also raising his own livestock from Berkshire Pigs to Gulf Coast Sheep to Charolais cattle for the restaurants.
The menu at Restaurant August is both serious and playful, much like the chef himself. Besh takes his food and its preparation seriously, but creates with a whimsical flair: for example, one of his signature dishes on the August lunch menu is the “
BLT,” cited by
Gourmet magazine, which consists of buster crabs, lettuce, and tomatoes on
pain perdu. His signature dishes at dinner include his
Hand-made Potato Gnocchi tossed with Blue Crab and Black Truffle;
Moroccan-spiced Duck with Creamy Delta Grits, Roasted Duck Foie Gras, and Preserved Quince; and to finish,
Père Roux Cake, whose recipe was derived from that of a famed local baker and Catholic priest.
In Americas’s oldest fine dining city, this boy from the bayou has built a thriving restaurant group. Each venture reflects his broad-ranging culinary passions, benefits from his dedication to local products, and – though his palate has taken him around the world – celebrates the multi-faceted cuisine of his beloved southern Louisiana.
Linear Mode
