Until the Food Network and PBS glommed on to him, John Folse was one of the most famous chefs few ever heard of. Food historians and serious students of Cajun and Creole food knew, though.
They knew he had cooked for four presidents and was the first non-Italian chef to cook for the pope at the Vatican. And he had breakfast with His Holiness at his private home in Castel Gandolfo.
“People ask ‘What’s the big deal cooking for the pope?”‘ Folse said. “And I say, ‘Well it’s never rained on one of my outdoor events since.”‘
And with that, Folse was off and running, challenging his audience at Johnson & Wales University to rise above what anyone tells them they can’t do.
The internationally renowned Cajun chef visited Denver Thursday as part of the university’s Community Leadership Distinguished Visiting Faculty program.
In addition to hosting a PBS television program, Folse owns a publishing house, bakery, dairy, culinary school, a food manufacturing facility and a fine dining restaurant and B&B, Lafitte’s Landing, in Donaldsonville, La. He also owns a 13-acre catering facility in Baton Rouge.
Folse deliberately anchored his major enterprises in the predominantly African-American town of Donaldsonville, about 60 miles outside of Baton Rouge, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
He settled there, he says, because it reminds him of his roots. He hires and trains from the local community.
“I was born in Louisiana where 10 of us grew up in a Cajun swamp cabin,” Folse said in a softly accented voice. “My mother died when I was 6 and my father raised us. He never remarried. He taught us that the most important thing you have is your reputation and your name. He taught us a strong work ethic and a strong sense of family.
“The people here in Donaldsonville are an extended part of my family. They come from the bayous just like me, and I want them to have the opportunities I had. Family. That’s what I’ve built my life on.”
Has he ever.
Folse also has Cajun – yes, Cajun – restaurants in China, Russia, Italy, France, Hong Kong, London and Taiwan, and of course, the one in Donaldsonville. People who have eaten at his restaurants will tell you it’s worth driving from Denver to Donaldsonville to eat there. One of them is Jim Griffin, university vice president and a long-time friend.
“I’m just blown away by him every time I hear him,” he said at the conclusion of the program. “I think the students really appreciated his candor, and were impressed by what he has achieved. I’m consistently impressed.”
In addition to an autobiographical introduction and a brief history of Louisiana’s Cajun/Creole history, Folse’s presentation included a demonstration of how to make two Cajun favorites, seafood gumbo and jambalaya.
The 90-minute presentation was enthusiastically received. As various white-coat-clad culinary students gathered around Folse for photographs, recent graduate Chris McKenzie was among the motivated. McKenzie, who has oversized tattoos of corn, artichoke, grapes, avocado and apple on his arms, says Folse comes closest to what he wants to be.
“I want to own a commissary kitchen with tight quality control that would make the products I’d use in my restaurant,” he said. “And like chef (Folse) I want to employ people who are often overlooked in restaurant jobs, people with disabilities.”
Folse, with an effervescent gregariousness typical of Cajuns, got his greatest response, however, when he expanded on the difference between Cajuns and Creoles.
“Cajuns, first exiled from France to Canada, then forced out of Acadiana by the British (who renamed it Nova Scotia), made their way to French Louisiana,” he said. “They ate what they could from the land and the swamps – crawfish, shrimp, oysters, possum, squirrel, fish. And they made their food in one pot so they could eat it over rice.
“Creoles grew out of a mix of Native American, French, British, Italian, Spanish German and African blood, lived in New Orleans, where they had access to butter, steaks, the best seafood, bakeries and fresh produce. They ate pan-sautéed eggplant with crabmeat. We scooped out the inside of the eggplant, filled it with bread and seafood stuffing and called it dinner.”
Folse particularly made a point of acknowledging the South’s indebtedness to other cultures, such as pasta from Italy, sausage from Germany, and various foods from Africa.
“We gave them slavery, and in return they gave us gombo (the African word for okra, a main ingredient in Cajun gumbo), file powder, black-eyed peas, watermelon, yams, rice and grains. Think about that.”
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of giving cultures credit for their culinary contributions.
“It’s equally important that you give yourselves credit for what you’ve achieved and can achieve.”
For more information about John Folse, go to jfolse.com.
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-954-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
When Louisiana chef John Folse visited Denver’s Johnson & Wales campus recently, he discussed the roots of Cajun foods. Seafood gumbo is the premiere soup of Cajun country, and it is known worldwide as the dish to eat when visiting south Louisiana. Every Louisiana home has its own unique ingredients and methods for cooking gumbo. This is his. Serves 12.
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced bell peppers
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 pound sliced andouille sausage
1 pound claw crabmeat
1 pound (about 35 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup frozen cut okra
3 quarts shellfish stock, kept warm
2 cups sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
2 dozen shucked oysters, reserve liquid
Directions
In a seven-quart cast iron Dutch oven (or an enameled cast-iron pot), heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until brown roux is achieved.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend in andouille and sauté an additional 3-5 minutes.
Stir in claw crabmeat, 1/2 cup shrimp and okra. Slowly add hot shellfish stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30 minutes. If necessary, additional stock may be used to retain volume.
Add green onions and parsley. Season to taste using salt, cayenne and hot sauce. Fold in remaining shrimp, lump crabmeat, oysters and reserved oyster liquid. Return to a low boil and cook approximately 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over cooked rice.
Pork, Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya
Louisiana chef John Folse prepared and served this dish to students and faculty at Johnson & Wales University during a guest lecture last week. He told how, in the early 1700s, Spanish settlers in New Orleans brought their famous paella. Since the traditional Spanish ingredients for paella were not found in South Louisiana, the recipe was adapted to indigenous ingredients. Oysters and crawfish replaced clams and mussels and andouille took the place of ham. The new dish was influenced by many different cultures, including Africans, who named the dish “Jambon a la yaya.” Yaya is the African word for rice.Serves 6.
Ingredients
1 pound cubed pork butt
1 pound cubed chicken
1 pound sliced andouille
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced bell peppers
1/4 cup minced garlic
7 cups chicken stock
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt and black pepper to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
4 cups uncooked long grain rice
Directions
In a two-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté pork 30 minutes or until dark brown on all sides and beginning to stick to bottom of pot. This process is very important as the brown color in jambalaya comes from the meat.
Stir in chicken and andouille. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry 10-15 minutes. Tilt pot to one side and ladle out all oil, except for one large cooking spoonful. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Continue cooking until all vegetables are well caramelized, being careful not to scorch them.
Pour in stock, bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir in mushrooms, green onions and parsley. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
If desired, slightly over-season dish since rice has not yet been added. Add rice and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover and cook 30 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Do not uncover except to stir. When cooked, stir and then steam 10 minutes.
