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Our Teaching Chefs
Frank Brigtsen graciously
agreed to create the course curriculum for the New Orleans Cooking
Experience and teaches classes on a regular basis. Brigtsen
is at the forefront of a new generation of New Orleans chefs who
are revitalizing Creole/Acadian cooking. Co-owner of Brigtsen's
Restaurant with his wife, Marna, Frank has applied an inventive
personal touch to seven years of training in classic Louisiana
cooking under internationally acclaimed Chef Paul Prudhomme. Patrons
praise his ability to ingeniously incorporate local ingredients
into his unique menu. Brigtsen’s has a long and celebrated
list of honors including:
- 1988, Food & Wine "ONE OF AMERICA'S
TOP TEN NEW CHEFS."
- 1994, "CHEF OF THE YEAR" in New Orleans
magazine's annual poll of local chefs and restaurateurs.
- 1998, James Beard Award for "AMERICAN EXPRESS
BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST
- TOP CAJUN RESTAURANT" in the 2000 Zagat survey.
Chiqui Collier,
a native New Orleanian, has owned and operated a catering company
for over 27 years. Additionally her company specializes in
providing desserts, wedding cakes and baked goods to other area
caterers. She also worked as sous chef and pastry chef for
Ristorante Pastore. Chiqui is the author of “Cookery
N’Orleans Style” featuring New Orleans home cooking,
family recipes and reminiscences of New Orleans. Her
book is featured on the Gumbo Pages website, a favorite site about
Louisiana culture and cuisine. Her classes focus on classic
Creole and Cajun and she’s always happy to have help making
the roux.
Janice Macomber: Janice, or Boo (after her maiden name, Bourgeois) was born and raised in Louisiana’s Cajun country, Abbeville, Louisiana. She learned how to cook during her time living in New Orleans’ French Quarter so she knows both Creole and Cajun cuisine. She was featured in Coastal Living’s June, 2007 issue and has also been in the New York Times. She also has a dish named for her in Washington D.C.’s popular restaurant, Acadiana. It’s called Aunt Boo’s Fish Camp Crawfish Etouffee. Boo is the author of “Tastes, Tails and Tales with the High Priestess of the Bayou”.
Poppy Tooker: Classically trained in the art of cooking by Madeleine Kamman, she was awarded both a chef's diploma and a cooking teacher's diploma in 1985 upon completion of Mrs. Kamman's professional course. As Food & Wine magazine described “She may wear ceramic red beans in her ears and make finger puppets out of crawfish, but her class is certainly no joke. Rather, it compels you to take reams of notes so as not to forget a single nugget of her fascinating culinary wisdom.”
In 1999 Poppy brought the international Slow Food movement to New Orleans by founding the local chapter. With her motto "Eat it to save it!" Slow Food has been a perfect philisophical fit. Through the work of Slow Food, Poppy has been instrumental in reviving endangered local foods such as Creole cream cheese and rice calas. She has served as an international governor with the movement and currently heads the US Slow Food Ark and Presidia committee. In October of 2006 Poppy was awarded the first "Carlo Petrini Slow Food Leadership Award" in New York City.
From the time this culinary activist returned home in the early days following Hurricane Katrina she worked tirelessly to rebuild and restore the historic food ways of New Orleans. Recognized by the Times Picayune and CNN’s Anderson Cooper as a "Hero of the Storm" her wide ranging restoration efforts included Dooky Chase Restaurant, Gendusa Bakery and Angelo Brocato’s Ice Cream and Confectionery; even Patsy the mule got a helping hand so she could return to the city and pull the Roman candy wagon once again. Poppy is the author of the “Crescent City Famers Market Cookbook”, just released in 2009.
Gerard Maras: Gerard Maras has helped shape the new Creole cuisine of New Orleans since 1981, when he arrived to work at Commander’s Palace. The Brennan family soon recognized his brilliance and creativity and had him create the menu for their first Louisiana bistro restaurant, Mr. B’s. Today, Gerard’s BBQ Shrimp and Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes are among Mr B’s most popular and most classic dishes.
From 1998 through 2002, “Gerard’s”, Chef Maras’ own restaurant was the toast of New Orleans. Many of today’s most acclaimed young chefs were trained at Gerard’s, since he is known as a generous teacher with a special touch for nurturing and inspiring young apprentices. After designing the state of the art kitchen at Ralph’s on the Park, and, along with Ralph Brennan, creating Ralph’s distinctive menu, Gerard has concentrated on his family farm located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. A class with Chef Gerard is often noted for the fresh yard eggs and special “fresh picked” ingredients from the farm.
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Click here to view our current class schedule.