NEW ORLEANS – AJ and Anna Tusa of the New Orleans Creole Cookery, one of the French Quarter’s authentic Creole/ Cajun restaurants, has welcomed Chef Alex Patout as a partner in the New Orleans Creole Cookery.
“It is with great excitement that we announce the arrival of Chef Alex Patout to lead the kitchen of the New Orleans Creole Cookery,” said AJ and Anna Tusa. “He needs no introduction to those plugged into the New Orleans culinary scene.“
The New Orleans Creole Cookery is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter, circa 1732. The epitome of old-world charm, the New Orleans Creole Cookery offers casual fine dining in three distinct settings including: a traditional, hidden French Quarter courtyard complete with a trickling fountain, a romantic yet rustic dining room and a lively oyster bar. New Orleans Creole Cookery is also considered by some to be one of the most haunted buildings in the French Quarter. “What better surroundings for Chef Patout to work his culinary magic and pay homage to New Orleans’ romance with great Creole and Cajun cuisine?” added the Tusas.
Chef Patout and his wife Marcia ran Patout’s Louisiana Restaurant in the French Quarter for 16 years. Chef Patout was consistently recognized as one of the top chefs in America. Since Katrina, their journeys have taken them to Miami, where they created the menu for a New Orleans-style restaurant, and then back to New Iberia. The Tusas convinced Chef Patout that he needed to be back in New Orleans.
Now the journey comes full-circle, as Chef Alex Patout brings his unique and innate understanding of Creole and Cajun cooking styles to the New Orleans Creole Cookery. Chef Patout says it’s the perfect venue for his return to the city he loves.
“New Orleans Creole Cookery is a wonderful setting for the presentation of this ongoing evolution of cooking which has always fascinated me,” says Chef Alex Patout. “AJ and Anna have a vision for a new direction for this special blending of Creole and Cajun cooking, a vision I share with them. This cooking is always changing and developing, not away from home-style, but embracing and venturing beyond it.”
Patout brings a rich history of family culinary experience to his new position. He was born near Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce in Cajun country. His family first settled the area in 1828, first trying to establish a vineyard and then moving into growing sugar cane. His grandmother owned the Hotel Frederic in the 1900s, where his father and uncle ran “Gene and Gerald’s” restaurant.
Patout hadn’t exactly planned for a life in the culinary arts. But after earning a college degree in accounting, Patout realized his heart was drawing him to his family’s restaurant tradition. He opened his first restaurant in 1978 in New Iberia and began to attract national attention. In 1988 he moved to New Orleans, where he and his wife Marcia opened Alex Patout’s Louisiana Restaurant in the French Quarter, on Royal Street across from the Monteleone Hotel. The restaurant was a mainstay of the Quarter before Katrina forced its closure.
“We can’t tell you how thrilled we are to be able to bring Chef Alex Patout to the New Orleans Creole Cookery,” said AJ and Anna Tusa. “Those who remember Chef Patout’s delicious creations have been hoping he would find his way home to us. Those who have not yet been introduced to his food are in for an incredible treat. Welcome back, Chef!”
New Orleans Creole Cookery is located at 508 Toulouse St.
