Following the story of New Orleans food means many great meals and toggling between topics to try to keep up with a field that’s constantly in flux. It also means spending time with people who make their living in hospitality and pour so much of their energy, personality and convictions into the work.
The past year has been a difficult one in the hospitality industry. Yet there were also so many examples of the heart and soul, the ingenuity and generosity that people bring to this field.
They help demonstrate what I love about New Orleans: connectedness, character and a culture you can experience through something as immediate as a meal.
Let’s hear from a few of them below.
Dock to door with Mr. Shrimp
![NO.mrshrimp.adv_272.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/15/615ae214-b898-5b81-91ec-8859a0bdc52a/64138b9168c63.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Larry Thompson Jr., left, aka "Mr. Shrimp," thanks Clesi's Restaurant & Catering co-owner James Clesi after dropping off 200 pounds of shrimp at his catering location on Bottinelli Place in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
I’d heard a lot about Mr. Shrimp before I met him. He's a niche distributor of local seafood, serving a circle of restaurants and families who share an effusive regard for what he brings alongside the product.
The name Mr. Shrimp is now the personification of Larry Thompson himself. It's a business he built with few resources beyond personal drive, charisma and devotion to connecting New Orleans people to one of their passions, local seafood.
![NO.mrshrimp.adv_276.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=150%2C110 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=200%2C147 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=225%2C165 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=300%2C220 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=400%2C294 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=540%2C397 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=640%2C470 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=750%2C551 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=990%2C727 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C760 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C881 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C979 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1084 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f8/7f80a5fd-723d-5d4a-81f6-5d6ab061e73c/64138cd883f8f.image.jpg?resize=1680%2C1234 2008w)
Larry Thompson Jr. is known as Mr. Shrimp, the name of the business he's built bringing shrimp from the docks in Lafitte to the doors of restaurants, home cooks and events around the New Orleans area. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
While many point to a disconnect between consumers in this seafood-loving city and the fishing families who actually catch and provide this bounty, Mr. Shrimp is creating a uniquely personal bridge from dock to table. His approach is minting a lot of fans along the way.
![NO.mrshrimp.adv_268.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ea/eea9f0e6-3108-5055-8021-1b9350a3c303/64138b854be18.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
The messages come in all day long from restaurants, home cooks and hungry fans of Mr. Shrimp, the business Larry Thompson Jr. has built bringing shrimp from the docks in Lafitte to customers around the New Orleans area. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
“When I saw this could be done right and the impact it was making on people, that gave me a purpose,” Thompson told me. “To see the smiles on people's faces — that's the thing, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think they feel that connection, too.”
![riverwalk ext](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=150%2C107 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=200%2C143 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=225%2C161 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=300%2C214 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=400%2C286 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=540%2C386 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=640%2C457 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=750%2C536 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=990%2C707 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C739 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C857 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C952 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1054 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/89/889dc108-8310-11ee-8171-63c2b0d57c39/6553aa0b7ee01.image.jpg?resize=1703%2C1216 2008w)
Larry Thompson, a.k.a. Mr. Shrimp, has a stand for hot boiled and fried seafood called Mr. Shrimp's Kitchen at the Riverwalk Outlets mall. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
In November, Thompson opened a permanent outlet with a stand in the food court at the Riverwalk Outlets mall (500 Port Orleans Place). Mr. Shrimp’s Kitchen has a menu of boiled shrimp, fried seafood plates and po-boys, seafood pasta and other dishes from his repertoire, and it has a view of the river and an outdoor dining deck to take it in.
“It's a boil at the mall. I don’t know anyone else who is doing that at a mall,” Thompson told me.
I don’t know anyone else just like Mr. Shrimp.
Seizing the season with Jason Seither
![no.seithers.adv.0002.jpg](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=150%2C95 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=200%2C127 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=225%2C142 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=300%2C190 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=400%2C253 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=540%2C342 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=640%2C405 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=750%2C475 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=990%2C627 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C655 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C760 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C844 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C934 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/8f/e8f25038-84f8-5d47-96a5-4e186cf92750/6421af7113870.image.jpg?resize=1809%2C1145 2008w)
Jason Seither has built a multi-faceted business around local seafood from his Harahan restaurant Seither's. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
During Lent, the region’s unofficial but undeniable seafood season, I worked up a series of stories on seafood traditions done a bit differently. This was an opportunity to spend more time with a restaurant operator I’ve long admired.
Jason Seither first came to attention for his Harahan restaurant Seither’s Seafood (279 Hickory Ave., Harahan, (504) 738-1116). It was initially a pretty conventional local seafood joint.
![BR.crawfish.adv1153.jpg](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=150%2C208 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=200%2C277 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=225%2C311 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=300%2C415 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=400%2C554 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=540%2C748 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=640%2C886 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1038 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1370 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1433 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1661 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/d4/3d4016bb-913c-5b5a-9802-c3ce427b093b/63dd88af45a3d.image.jpg?resize=1223%2C1693 1333w)
Jason Seither, owner of Seither's Seafood, holds freshly boiled crawfish at his restaurant on Hickory Ave. in Harahan Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
But in 2009, he set up a booth at the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, where vendors stretch the limits of po-boy possibilities with far-out sandwiches. Seither found his muse.
“I’d always been creative, into drawing, music,” he said. “I never knew food could be my outlet of expression.”
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Jason and Tara Seither with their SeitherÕs Seafood Voodoo fish and chips po-boy (blackened redfish with slaw and ZappÕs Voodoo potato chips), the Best Seafood Po-Boy during the 15th Annual Oak Street Po-Boy Fest 2023. They also won for their killer beef po-boy (sirloin tip with gravy and potato sticks). (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
His restaurant has since transformed into a fun, outdoor oasis of live music, traditional seafood and delicious original creations. Crawfish remains Seither’s jam, and during the season, he’s always on the move, boiling it outside Zuppardo’s Family Market in Metairie and running the epic boils at the Maple Leaf Bar. Underlying it all is a generous spirit and an unbounded culinary gusto.
![no.seithers.adv.0018.jpg](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=150%2C99 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=200%2C132 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=225%2C148 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=300%2C198 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=400%2C264 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=540%2C356 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=640%2C422 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=750%2C495 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=990%2C653 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C683 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C792 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C879 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C974 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/33/0339f850-985b-5fd9-af8e-6e169983ab49/6421b0bc21070.image.jpg?resize=1772%2C1169 2008w)
Hank Staples (center) digs in to the crawfish at his music club the Maple Leaf Bar, where his friend Jason Seither prepares a communal batch of hot boiled crawfish on Sundays during the crawfish season. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
“I first learned about crawfish as a kid at home, watching my dad and my uncle prepping the boil, then having everybody gather. I saw the way it brought everyone together,” Seither told me. “I do a lot of crawfish now, but seeing people come together here and just loving it, that’s the full circle. That’s what it’s all about.”
Love, spice and roux at Thai NOLA
![NO.thai.adv_593.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=150%2C102 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=200%2C136 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=225%2C153 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=300%2C204 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=400%2C272 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=540%2C367 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=640%2C435 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=750%2C510 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=990%2C673 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C704 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C816 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C907 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1004 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/d5/1d53d5a9-920c-5f35-994a-8ecb20f042ba/64f2442190137.image.jpg?resize=1745%2C1187 2008w)
Husband and wife team, Gerald and Benji Butler, hold up flags of their native countries they keep on display in the bar area at their Thai NOLA restaurant in New Orleans on Monday, August 28, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
In a New Orleans East strip mall, I was delighted to discover a new family restaurant story told with Thai basil and Creole roux.
Thai NOLA (5931 Bullard Ave., 504-300-7884) is a traditional Thai restaurant with a strong vein of Creole New Orleans running through it. It’s a reflection of the relationship between husband and wife, an extended family reaching back to Thailand, and New Orleans East neighbors now connecting with familiar comforts and learning about new flavors under this roof.
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A table of food at Thai NOLA in New Orleans on Monday, August 28, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Gerald Butler grew up in Hollygrove on his mother’s Creole cooking. His wife, Benji, grew up in the restaurant kitchen her mother ran in Buri Ram, a city in the Thai interior near the Cambodian border.
Her mother, Sutitong, died during the COVID pandemic in 2020, and this lit the spark in Benji to open her own restaurant as a tribute.
![NO.thai.adv_542.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/a6/1a60b246-2256-5ca3-9e02-686d1b408d1d/64f242e939c91.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Gerald and Benji Butler are surrounded by some of their homegrown herbs at their Thai NOLA restaurant in New Orleans on Monday, August 28, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
“Since I was a baby, I was with her cooking, this cooking is in me,” she said.
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A plate of red beans and jasmine rice at NOLA Thai in New Orleans on Monday, August 28, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Today, dishes like the pad ga pow stir fry and the bright, tangy tom yum soup run alongside specials drawn directly from her husband’s family tradition, like red beans (with jasmine rice) on Mondays and a Friday gumbo that always sells out.
St. Roch Market’s next chance
![roch 5.jpeg (copy)](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=150%2C107 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=200%2C143 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=225%2C161 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=300%2C214 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=400%2C286 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=540%2C386 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=640%2C457 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=750%2C536 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=990%2C707 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C739 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C857 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C952 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1054 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/29/229b0072-5bd9-11ee-88ca-dbfb2c425631/6500e79f87b84.image.jpg?resize=1703%2C1216 2008w)
Kevin Pedeaux of CR Coffee is one of the original vendors at St. Roch Market. In 2023 he became the food hall's operator. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Kevin Pedeaux, of CR Coffee Shop, was serving coffee in St. Roch Market (2381 St. Claude Ave., (504) 267-0388) the day it opened as a food hall back in 2015. In the time since he’s seen the St. Claude Avenue landmark thrive in its modern incarnation, and he’s seen the ways it fell short.
St. Roch Market was poised to close over the summer until Pedeaux stepped up to take over the lease of the city-owned property and become its new operator.
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Aritza Garcia opened her stand Aritza's Kitchen to serve Cuban dishes at the St. Roch Market food hall. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
To him, the stakes are stark: Either the food hall can live up to its potential, or the historic building will again languish and a gateway for new food businesses will close.
“There are too many things in New Orleans that need action, and here’s one thing that I can do, because I know the business, because I know the building. I can’t complain about what else should be better in New Orleans if I had a shot to keep the market going and didn’t take it,” he told me.
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A lunch crowd looks over the different stands at the food hall St. Roch Market in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
He’s up against formidable challenges, but he’s also focused on the best of St. Roch Market that he's seen as a vendor. It's the energy of a public market, where people drawn for different reasons find themselves on common ground.
![roch 8.jpeg](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=150%2C107 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=200%2C143 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=225%2C161 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=300%2C214 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=400%2C286 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=540%2C386 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=640%2C457 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=750%2C536 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=990%2C707 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C739 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C857 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C952 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1054 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/70/37046cef-b8ec-551a-a498-a5e404cb0131/6500e7a6f0c93.image.jpg?resize=1703%2C1216 2008w)
Tung Nguyen serves a bowl of pho with smoked meats at his stand Slow & Pho in St. Roch Market in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
“The whole point is the mix of people, the mix is what makes the magic happen,” Pedeaux said. “Having chefs in close proximity from all over the world is a recipe for really interesting things to happen.”
The past and future with Larry Morrow
![NO.sunchong.adv_107.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=150%2C99 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=200%2C131 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=225%2C148 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=300%2C197 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=400%2C263 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=540%2C355 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=640%2C421 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=750%2C493 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=990%2C651 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C680 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C789 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C876 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C970 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/eb/bebf9881-5123-5545-8062-406440c37c42/646691e356965.image.jpg?resize=1776%2C1167 2008w)
Restaurant entrepreneur Larry Morrow and his grandmother, Sun Chong, inside Sun Chong restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Thursday, May 11, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Sun Chong (240 Decatur St., (504) 355-0022) opened in the French Quarter last spring with a hip-hop soundtrack, an Asian-inspired menu, eye-catching cocktails and a lush Korean design motif that feels immersive in its depth and style. It also came with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for legacy.
![NO.sunchong.adv_114.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=150%2C105 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=200%2C140 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=225%2C158 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=300%2C210 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=400%2C280 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=540%2C379 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=640%2C449 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=750%2C526 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=990%2C694 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C726 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C841 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C934 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1035 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/50/25047d82-c4aa-5c9a-bd14-33e356860a4c/646691f7e2161.image.jpg?resize=1719%2C1205 2008w)
Corriane Ruffin makes a cocktail dubbed I Love You at Sun Chong restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
It’s the latest from restaurateur Larry Morrow, or Morrow’s, the lounge Treehouse in Central City and Monday Restaurant + Bar in Mid-City. He named Sun Chong for his grandmother, and shared their story.
![NO.sunchong.adv_118.JPG (copy)](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/46/44614816-03b3-11ee-ab29-2f0a4107ec90/646691ffde153.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Fish in a boat has whole fried snapper wrapped around chunks of fried fish at Sun Chong restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Morrow is a 7th Ward native from a family that blends Korean and Black heritage.
His grandmother was living in Seoul when she met Morrow’s grandfather, an American serviceman stationed in Korea. Interracial relationships were not widely accepted in Korea back then, the family recalls today. After their daughter Lenora was born, Chong decided to leave for the United States to seek a better life and opportunity for her child.
![NO.sunchong.adv_106.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=150%2C196 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=200%2C262 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=225%2C294 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=300%2C392 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=400%2C523 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=540%2C706 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=640%2C837 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=750%2C981 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1295 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1354 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1570 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/47/e47153ca-82ec-5c25-a22a-b9b0cef8e6fa/646691dd74fdd.image.jpg?resize=1259%2C1647 1333w)
Restaurant entrepreneur Larry Morrow and his grandmother, Sun Chong, inside Sun Chong restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
“It’s about respect, honor, integrity,” said Morrow said of his regard for his family’s story. “My grandmother left everything behind to come to America and build something for her family.”
Morrow has more local projects on the boards, including Morrow’s Steak, taking shape at 1001 Julia St. in the Standard, an apartment tower that is part of the South Market development.
Friendships propel and preserve High Hat
![NO.highhat.adv.0575.jpg](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=150%2C97 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=200%2C130 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=225%2C146 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=300%2C195 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=400%2C260 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=540%2C351 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=640%2C415 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=750%2C487 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=990%2C643 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C672 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C779 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C865 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C958 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d9/ad90e66f-7ac5-58f6-9fb7-213066178951/64e8fdb84f2aa.image.jpg?resize=1787%2C1160 2008w)
High Hat Cafe co-founder Adolfo Garcia gives a congratulatory hug to Ryan Iriarte, who with Fredo Noguiera, bought the Freret Street restaurant, in New Orleans Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA
High Hat Café (4500 Freret St., 504-754-1336) opened at the right time back in 2012, just as Freret Street was revving up as a hot restaurant row. It quickly acquired a timeless feel, connecting to deep-running Southern flavor and anytime hospitality.
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The High Hat Cafe in New Orleans, photographed the year it opened in 2011.
A big part of that was Chip Apperson, the co-owner who ran High Hat day to day.
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Even though Chip Apperson sold High Hat Cafe, he returned to the Freret Street restaurant he co-founded to greet customers, and set up the dining room before opening, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Apperson’s personality has been a big part of the restaurant, and that goes beyond the Delta influences that this Memphis native put on the menu. Perpetually clad in shorts, no matter the weather, with his reader glasses hovering low on his nose, Apperson was the calm, warmly welcoming presence at the door to greet people.
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Chip Apperson talks with Chris Allen as he gets his usual Friday lunch of a po-boy and beer at High Hat Cafe on Freret Street in New Orleans Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
High Hat Cafe came about because Apperson’s longtime friend, the chef Adolfo Garcia, basically goaded him out of retirement to start something new together. But this year, Apperson really was ready to retire and he and Garcia sought buyers for the restaurant.
They found the right ones in Ryan Iriate and chef Fredo Nogueira, who in turn are longtime friends who together worked for Garcia at his long-gone Latin American restaurant RioMar.
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Passing the torch: High Hat Cafe founders Adolfo Garcia (left) and Chip Apperson (far right) sit with the restaurant's new owners Fredo Noguiera and Ryan Iriarte and manager Stacey Means. Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Iriarte later worked at High Hat for its first 10 years; Nogueira is executive chef for Cure Co., overseeing the Freret Street neighbors Vals and Cure and also Cane & Table.
It was the kind of handoff High Hat’s regulars could only have hoped for; and behind it all are friendships running through the business.