Executive Chef John BeshAcclaimed chef John Besh grew up hunting and fishing in Southern Louisiana, learning at an early age the essentials of Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions. “With all the cultural influences in Louisiana,” he says, “it’s an exciting place to learn about food.” And he should know: years later, fortunate enough to have traveled and studied the world over, Besh has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans, one of the world’s most esteemed restaurant cities -- and he is still learning, growing, and refining his work at the forefront of his industry.
His talent and drive have earned Besh critical kudos from the outset of his career: in 1999, Food & Wine named him one of the “Top 10 Best New Chefs in America.” In 2003, Gourmet magazine included Restaurant August in its “Guide to America’s Best Restaurants,” and in 2006, it cited Restaurant August as one of America’s Top 50 Restaurants. In 2005, Chef Besh received a nomination for a James Beard Award, and he won the Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006. Also that year, he defeated Chef Mario Batali on Iron Chef America on The Food Network, scoring a victory in the andouille sausage battle. The 2007 Zagat Guide rates Restaurant August #1 in New Orleans for both Food and Service.
Besh received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America. His love of classical cooking styles, together with his “born on the Bayou” Creole heritage, drew him to Europe for further culinary exploration and training. In the Black Forest region of Germany, Besh experienced his first exposure to truly localized cuisine, a concept that remains essential to his cooking and menu development. Local farmers and artisans would bring their choicest goods directly to the Michelin-starred restaurant where he worked; brook trout were caught live and kept fresh in the cold stream running deep below the centuries-old building. He also spent time in the south of France refining his classical sensibilities, while the flavorful stews and roasts of the region informed his understanding of his own native cuisine, the Creole cooking of southern Louisiana. The young chef’s early career was interrupted when, as a noncommissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps Reserves, he was called upon to lead a squad of infantry Marines in combat during Operation Desert Storm.
Besh’s appreciation for local ingredients and local cuisine has only increased since Hurricane Katrina, as he considers these essential to the survival of the peoples and cultural heritage of New Orleans. No one is more keenly aware of the fragility of the region’s culinary culture. In addition to getting his own restaurants, the elegant contemporary Restaurant August and chic Besh Steak, up-and-running as soon as possible after the storm [for the benefit of his staff, as well as the morale of his loyal local guests,] he was also instrumental in rebuilding other establishments such as Willie Mae’s Scotch House, one of the city’s venerated culinary landmarks. With his friend and business partner Octavio Mantilla, he acquired the charming and rustic La Provence in Lacombe, Louisiana from his late mentor, legendary Chef Chris Kerageorgiou; and also opened Lüke, a brasserie in the grand New Orleans tradition, a cultural legacy that Besh could not allow to slip away. All the while, he has been the energetic spokesman for the Louisiana Seafood Council, as well as a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance; and a Board Member of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Besh is active in a state promotional program created by Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, who tapped the chef to prepare meals with the media in an effort to showcase the cuisine of Louisiana.
Besh’s European training made him an aficionado of local farmers markets, and he has many friends among the farming and commercial fishing communities of southern Louisiana; in fact, it is not unusual to see their names on his menu items. From farmers who have been working the land in Lacombe for generations, to the newly arrived Vietnamese farmers who provide the delicate baby vegetables for Restaurant August, Besh’s network of local purveyors is the key to his culinary style. In fact, his commitment to sustainable local ingredients has led him to become his own organic farmer: not only has he created an extensive kitchen garden on the grounds of La Provence, but he is also raising his own livestock from Berkshire Pigs to Gulf Coast Sheep to Charolais cattle for the restaurants.
The menu at Restaurant August is both serious and playful, much like the chef himself. Besh takes his food and its preparation seriously, but creates with a whimsical flair: for example, one of his signature dishes on the August lunch menu is the “BLT,” cited by Gourmet magazine, which consists of buster crabs, lettuce, and tomatoes on pain perdu. His signature dishes at dinner include his Hand-made Potato Gnocchi tossed with Blue Crab and Black Truffle; Moroccan-spiced Duck with Creamy Delta Grits, Roasted Duck Foie Gras, and Preserved Quince; and to finish, Père Roux Cake, whose recipe was derived from that of a famed local baker and Catholic priest.
In Americas’s oldest fine dining city, this boy from the bayou has built a thriving restaurant group. Each venture reflects his broad-ranging culinary passions, benefits from his dedication to local products, and – though his palate has taken him around the world – celebrates the multi-faceted cuisine of his beloved southern Louisiana.
Bill Hogarth Dr. Hogarth is the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Fisheries). As Assistant Administrator, he is responsible for overseeing the management and conservation of marine fisheries and the protection of marine mammals, sea turtles, and coastal fisheries and their habitats within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone.
Dr. Hogarth's background and experience has focused on a wide range of environmental, scientific, and marine policy issues. He has held a number of leadership roles for NOAA Fisheries, including Acting Assistant Administrator (February to September 2001) and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (July 2000 to February 2001). He also served as the Southeast Regional Administrator in St. Petersburg, Florida, from May 1999 to July 2000 and as the Southwest Regional Administrator in Long Beach, California, from April 1997 to April 1999. From 1994 to 1997, he held several positions at NOAA Fisheries headquarters, as the Chief of the Highly Migratory Species Division and as senior staff for recreational fisheries issues. Prior to joining NOAA, Dr. Hogarth was the Director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, a position he held from 1986 to 1994.
He holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and M.S. and B.S. degrees from the University of Richmond
Julia produces the entertaining feature for each of the 10 issues
each year of Coastal Living Magazine along with
the Seafood Primer, Dinner in a Breeze, and In the
Coastal Kitchen columns. You’ll find Julia happily multi-tasking, whether
it’s developing and testing recipes, food styling, prop styling, writing,
or checking out the latest seafood restaurant. Often flying from coast to
coast to coordinate location photography, Julia has yet to select
her favorite beach.
Julia is a 1985 graduate of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa
with a degree in communications and minors in English and marketing. While
living in Los Angeles, California, Julia discovered a love for cooking and
returned to Birmingham for a 3-year culinary apprenticeship. While touring
the Southern Living test kitchens and observing studio photography, Julia
decided that Southern Progress was where she needed to work. In 1993, Julia
landed a job in the Southern Living test kitchens where one of her favorite
duties was
food styling.
In 1996, Julia moved to Memphis, Tennessee with her husband and started a freelance career focusing on writing, recipe developing, cooking demonstrations, and event speaking. Clients included Cooking Light, Weight Watchers, Canoe & Kayak, Piggly Wiggly, and Pampered Chef. Julia also co-authored a cookbook with Susan Dosier, fomer executive foods editor for Southern Living magazine. Discover Dinnertime focused on the value of family mealtimes and offers quick, simple recipes for busy families.
In 2000, Julia received her designation as a Certified Culinary Professional from the International Association of Culinary Professions. In 2005, Julia was promoted to Senior Editor at Coastal Living Magazine.
Julia and her husband have 7 and 2 year old daughters
Chef/Owner Donald LinkInspired by his Grandfather, Donald Link began cooking at a very young age. He was working in the kitchen at age 15 washing dishes and soon began cooking After years of experience working in Louisiana restaurants, Donald moved to San Francisco in 1993. After working one year at the wildly popular Cha Cha Cha, Link attended the California Culinary Academy. During this time Donald cooked at many San Francisco restaurants, including the eccentric Flying Saucer, the newly opened Scala’s Bistro, Cole Valley’s Zazie, and at the Elite Café.
In 1995, Chef Link pursued his externship at Susan Spicer’s Bayona in New Orleans and continued on to become sous chef. In 1997, he returned to San Francisco to work with Loretta Keller at Bizou and to open Jardinière with Traci Des Jardin. On the West coast he again refined his style with a more acute appreciation of raw ingredients and a more delicate approach to technique with an emphasis on lightening sauces. This led to an Executive Chef opportunity at the Elite Café in San Francisco’s Fillmore District where he received rave reviews-- being hailed as “the premiere chef doing Creole food in the Bay area;” appearing on local cooking shows and participating in many charity events around Northern California.
Chef Link returned to New Orleans in 2000 to open Herbsaint Restaurant in the Warehouse District--where his non-compromising eye for quality ingredients and local produce underscore his stylish dishes – rich with flavor, while remaining light. Out of these basic principles, innovative yet simple preparations have led to some of the most original and favored dishes in the city at Herbsaint-- whose menu is peppered with house-made staples such as pastas and cured meats from its’ small kitchen. Chef Link learned about acute attention to detail of preparation from his childhood and expanded these ideas with a tireless energy for sourcing and producing ingredients. These ideas and a lot of sweat have converged at Herbsaint to what he can now consider a personal style of cooking. Also reflected on the menu at Herbsaint is the bounty of near and far with rabbits and suckling pigs from nearby southern Mississippi, locally caught wild shrimp and regular shipments of fresh seafood from the West and East coasts.
In the Spring of 2006, following six months of delays due to Hurricane Katrina, Chef Link opened Cochon. Opening Cochon has been a lifelong dream for Chef Link, who grew up in Louisiana’s Cajun Country beside his grandparents in their home. Keeping true to these roots, Link will keep Cochon an authentic Cajun and Southern style restaurant featuring the foods and cooking techniques he grew up preparing and eating. This commitment is evident in the dishes on the restaurant’s menu such as Spoon Bread with Okra and Tomatoes; Smoked Duck Breast with Marinated Green Beans andentrées from the wood burning oven like Rabbit and Dumplings; Louisiana Cochon du Lait with Turnips and Cracklings; and his signature Catfish Sauce Piquant. In addition to the genuine Louisiana menu at Cochon, Chef Link and co-owner Chef Stephen Stryjewski will oversee an in-house “Boucherie,” including house-made Boudin, Andouille, and Smoked Bacon.
This year the world-renowned culinary organization The James Beard Foundation named Chef Link the: Best Chef: South (Link’s second nomination for Best Chef: South) and Cochon was nominated as Best New Restaurant: Cochon-- co/owned by Stephen Stryjewski. The James Beard Foundation award and nomination culminates a string of awards and accolades Chef Link has received since opening Herbsaint Restaurant in 2000 including but not limited to being listed as one of the “top ten” restaurants in New Orleans by the Times-Picayune; featured in the “America's Top 50 Restaurants” Gourmet Magazine in 2006; numerous accolades from the New York Times; and bestowed the honor by New Orleans Magazine for “Best Chef of 2002.”
Chef Jeff TunksChef Jeff Tunks is one of the best and brightest in the ever-growing constellation of new American chefs. There are few who possess as much confidence, extended experience, fine business acumen, and as deep a passion for simply prepared seasonal foods. Underneath a six-foot-three exterior and styled chef whites is a man with the soul of an artist, the passion of a perfectionist, and an unquestionable devotion to running a top-notch kitchen.
Like many in his field, Tunks attended the Culinary Institute of America; unlike many, however, Tunks received the prestigious Frances L. Roth Awardfor outstanding performance. From there, he served an externship under Dean Ferring at the Veranda Club in Atlanta, transferring with him to the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, where Tunks worked at Mistral, a sister restaurant on the complex. There he met his mentor, the classically French-trained chef Takashi Shirmaizu. It was under Shirmaizu’s tutelage that Tunks was introduced to the idea that at the foundation of every great dish must be superior ingredients and solid cooking techniques. Additionally, Shirmaizu’s Eastern influence on Western cuisine became the base for Tunks’ cooking.
Tunks first landed in the nation’s capital in 1987, having been recruited as opening executive chef at the popular River Club Restaurant in Georgetown, where he experimented with varied dishes of the Mid-Atlantic region. In 1991 he ventured west to the luxury seaside resort Loew’s Coronado Bay, where he used the riches of the Pacific to his advantage at the award-winning Azzura Point. Tunks’ next challenge was yet again coastal, this time the Gulf coast. At The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, Tunks secured a “Best Restaurant” rating from Gourmet in 1997 and he earned five Mobil stars for the Grill Room, the highest marks bestowed by the association. The Grill Room was the only new culinary establishment that year to acquire five stars.
Shortly after securing the Mobil rating, Tunks decided it was time to go it alone, taking a team of talented chefs with him from New Orleans. With the opening of DC Coast in June of 1998, Tunks created the perfect stage for his distinctive cuisine. Showcasing ingredients indigenous to the tri-coastal areas, Tunks developed a modern American cuisine all his own. A success from the outset, DC Coast has garnered outstanding reviews from Gourmet (one of the top 5 restaurants in Washington), Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Wine Spectator, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In August 2000, Tunks and his partners launched TenPenh, where they have been delighting diners with Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine. Bon Appétit (1 of the top tables in Washington), Wine Spectator, The Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Departures, and Travel + Leisure have praised TenPenh since it arrived on the DC restaurant scene. September 2003 saw the rise of yet another side of Tunks’ culinary passions, Latin American and the Caribbean fare, with the opening of Ceiba restaurant. Two years later amid great anticipation, in September 2005, Tunks launched Acadiana, featuring modern interpretations of Louisiana fish house classics, a cuisine dear to his heart since his years in New Orleans. It has been named one of The Top 20 Restaurants in America 2006 by Esquire Magazine.
Tunks was named Chef of the Year 2003-2004 by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. He is listed in The International Who’s Who of Chefs. Washingtonian magazine named Tunks and his partners Restaurateurs of the Year in 2005. But never let it be said that one chef is an island. Tunks knows how to build a team to his best advantage. Among those who followed Tunks to Washington from New Orleans were Cliff Wharton, Chef de Cuisine at TenPenh and Chris Clime, Chef de Cuisine at Acadiana, has been with Tunks at both DC Coast and TenPenh, and was the Chef de Cuisine who opened Ceiba. Victor Albisu, present Chef de Cuisine at Ceiba, has worked with Tunks for several years. Over the years, Tunks’ vision and good sense has paid off, as his diverse group of chefs has helped him forge ahead with his dream projects. For example, Wharton, who was raised in The Philippines, was a natural choice for TenPenh, and Travis Timberlake, Chef de Cuisine at DC Coast, brings a strong sense of Mid-Atlantic regional cuisine to the modern American seafood-based menu of DC Coast. One chef, four completely different types of cuisine. A satisfied Tunks can ride his wave.
