Chili Chick becomes Gumbo Girl while visiting New OrleansBy Madelyn Miller, the TravelLadyEveryone has their favorite food. Mine is chocolate. But every so often, I go on a binge of other foods and flavors. Next weekend, I am a judge at a Chili Festival in Grand Prairie, Texas. I am preparing my palate for the hot stuff ahead. http://www.travellady.com/Issues/March05/1333ChiliCookoff.htm But this past week I was in New Orleans and indulged in Gumbo, a staple of the Creole diet and a menu item on every New Orleans restaurant worth its seafood and sausage.
Maybe it was love at first bite. Or at least first swallow. Chuck's gumbo is a Duck and Andouille Gumbo, priced at $5. And I am not the only one that loves it. His secret recipe recently won a top medal at the 1st Annual Wendell Gautier Gumbo Cook-Off.
I am a nice Jewish girl. When I was growing up, my family judged a cook by their chicken noodle or matzo ball soup. I don’t think I ever even tasted gumbo until I was more or less an adult. Executive Chef/Proprietor Chuck Subra at La Côte Brasserie was raised in New Iberia, Louisiana with a passion for Cajun cuisine, a love of his grandmother’s cooking and an appreciation of the abundant seafood available in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. For More InformationLa Côte Brasserie Helpful Websites Where to Stay Chateau Sonesta Hotel New Orleans What I Wish I Had Known Before I Went to New OrleansThere are two kinds of people who go to New Orleans, those who want to party and those who don’t. If you don’t plan to stay up all night, be sure to express that preference when you check in and request a quiet room, perhaps on a courtyard. Or consider staying outside the quarter if you value a good night’s sleep. I stayed at a to-be-nameless hotel (not in either of the two hotels recommended above) in the quarter and called down to the front desk because of all the noise. They were prepared. They sent up earplugs. That was not enough. Two sleeping pills and six hours later, I learned there was a long list of people who wanted to change rooms. I waited (and slept) all day in my room waiting for another room, wanting to be sure not to loose my place on that special list. The helpful front desk person told me that more people than usual had called down to complain the night before. Best Place To Get Online For Free201 St. Charles in the food court Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm Great GuidebooksFeet On The Street Insight Guides New Orleans Access New Orleans New Orleans 2005 New Orleans Restaurants Stories In Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography Helpful MapMAPQUEST NEW ORLEANS City Map . This large scale detailed street map folds up to 2”x3” I’ll DRINK TO THAT BEST WALKING TOUR Great Tour If you are not familiar with the Segway HT, it is the first self-balancing, electric-powered transporter designed to enhance the productivity of people by increasing the distance they travel and the amount they can carry. The Segway HT uses a breakthrough technology called dynamic stabilization, enabling it to work seamlessly with the body's movements. It operates in any pedestrian environment and is perfect for City Segway Tour purposes. |
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Of course, every self respecting Cajun chef has a secret gumbo recipe and Chef Chuck Subra is no exception. I tried his gumbo at La Côte Brasserie my first night of a week of eating at all the best restaurants in New Orleans, and he certainly set the bar. 
In 2004, Subra participated in the 5th Annual Gumbo Cook-Off for the United Way of Greater New Orleans where he was awarded the Jamie Shannon Award, an honor bestowed on a restaurant or chef whose philosophy and deeds exemplify the charitable giving of the late Commander’s Palace Chef Jamie Shannon. 
Subra obtained a diploma in Culinary Arts in New Orleans and continued honing his skills at some of the city’s top restaurants, including Versailles, Charley G’s and René Bistrot. Later, under the tutelage of French Master Chef René Bajeux, he further developed his culinary skills at the esteemed Windsor Court Grill Room, which was once the only Mobil Five Star and American Automobile Association Five Diamond restaurant in the city. 
Subra later followed Bajeux to René Bistrot in 2001 where he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef. Subra studied Bajeux’s “Terroir” or “cooking of the earth” philosophy, utilizing food from the regions of which they originate, and techniques which bring forth the flavor of the original ingredients. This new philosophy, combined with his love of Cajun cuisine and passion for home cooking, proved the perfect match for La Côte Brasserie’s contemporary Louisiana cuisine.