Paul Prudhomme
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Paul Prudhomme (July 13, 1940 – October 8, 2015), also known as Gene Autry Prudhomme, was an American
celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in printed publications. While television ...
whose specialties were Creole and
Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...
cuisines, which he was also credited with popularizing. He was the chef proprietor of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, and had formerly owned and run several other restaurants. He developed several culinary products, including
hot sauce Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced hot sauce exist. History Humans have used chili peppers and other hot spices for thousands of years ...
and seasoning mixes, and wrote 11
cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...
s.


Early life

The youngest of 13 children born to Eli Prudhomme, Jr. and Hazel Reed, Prudhomme was raised on a farm near
Opelousas :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were ...
, the seat of Saint Landry Parish,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. His father was a farmer, who struggled financially during Prudhomme's childhood, and his mother was a creative cook. Previously named after
Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, as chosen by a
Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, Prudhomme adopted the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
"Gene Autry Prudhomme" during his youth. His maternal ancestors include early
Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...
s Martin Aucoin (c. 1651 – 1711) and Marie Gaudet (c. 1657 – 1734).


Career

Prudhomme opened his first restaurant in Opelousas in 1957, a hamburger restaurant called Big Daddy O's Patio. The restaurant went out of business in nine months, during which time his first marriage also ended. He became a magazine seller initially in New Orleans, and afterwards several restaurant jobs took him around the country. During this period he began creating his own spice mixes and giving them away to customers. In 1970, he moved back to New Orleans to work as a
sous chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command in a kitchen; the person ranking next after the head chef, usually the more hands on manager with regards to training staff and organising the kitchen. Duties and functions The sous-chef has many re ...
at Le Pavillon Hotel. He soon left to open Clarence Dupuy's restaurant Maison du Puy. While there, he met his second wife, Kay Hinrichs, who worked at the restaurant as a waitress. In 1975, Prudhomme left to become the first American-born executive chef at
Commander's Palace Commander's Palace is a Louisiana Creole restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. History Commander's Palace was established in 1893 in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans at 1403 Washington Ave. Emile Commander established a small saloon ...
under Richard Brennan, Sr. Chef Paul turned the Garden District restaurant into a world-class destination. In 1979, Prudhomme and Kay (later his wife) opened
K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen was a Cajun and Creole restaurant in the French Quarter owned by Paul Prudhomme that closed in 2020. Prudhomme and his wife Kay Hinrichs Prudhomme opened the restaurant in 1979. The restaurant is “credited with helping ...
in the
French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...
of
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
. The restaurant was named as a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsCommander's Palace Commander's Palace is a Louisiana Creole restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. History Commander's Palace was established in 1893 in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans at 1403 Washington Ave. Emile Commander established a small saloon ...
, but the demand in his new restaurant was such that he moved to work there full-time, while also appointing
Emeril Lagasse Emeril John Lagassé III ( ; born October 15, 1959) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regio ...
to take over as executive chef at Commanders Palace. In 1980, Prudhomme was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the French
Ordre National du Mérite Agricole The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the ...
in honor of his work with Cajun and Creole cuisines. His cookbook, ''Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen'', was published by
William Morrow and Company William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation News Corporation (abbrev ...
in 1984. It was given a Culinary Classic Book Award in 1989 by the
International Association of Culinary Professionals The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage. History The organizati ...
. Prudhomme has been credited with having popularized
cajun cuisine Cajun cuisine (french: cuisine cadienne , es, cocina acadiense) is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish co ...
and in particular blackened
redfish Redfish is a common name for several species of fish. It is most commonly applied to certain deep-sea rockfish in the genus ''Sebastes'', red drum from the genus '' Sciaenops'' or the reef dwelling snappers in the genus '' Lutjanus''. It is also a ...
during the 1980s. The popularity of the fish was such that commercial fishing of the species was restricted to prevent its extinction. Prudhomme was also credited with introducing the
turducken Turducken is a dish consisting of a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, further stuffed into a deboned turkey. Outside of the United States and Canada, it is known as a three-bird roast. Gooducken is an English variant, replacing turkey ...
into American cuisine. During a summer residence in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1985, Prudhomme's
pop-up restaurant A pop-up restaurant is a temporary restaurant. These restaurants often operate from a private home, former factory, existing restaurants or similar space, and during festivals. Various other names have been used to describe the concept of settin ...
was reported to the Board of Health, which visited the restaurant and closed it before it opened, reporting 29 violations of the city's health code. Prudhomme ignored the order and opened the restaurant anyway, resulting in the Board of Health threatening him with jail time if he continued to operate the restaurant. The city's mayor
Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
appeared with Prudhomme at the restaurant to declare an end to what the media reported as the "gumbo war". The restaurant was quite successful during the five weeks it was open, with lines sometimes reaching four blocks long. Four years later, Prudhomme opened a permanent restaurant in New York City at 622 Broadway, which had queues of up to two hours. In 1992, he was charged with possession of a weapon while trying to board a plane at
Baltimore–Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internatio ...
after leaving a loaded revolver in his carry-on luggage. He later released a press statement saying that he had forgotten it was in the bag. He made a guest appearance at
Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The instituti ...
cooking school in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, in October 1994. In 2004, he traveled to
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
in Cuba, along with of food and seasonings to cook for the troops stationed there. Following
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in August 2005, Prudhomme was forced to close his restaurant. During the restoration efforts, he cooked for free at a relief center for the military and residents staying in the French Quarter; at one point his team cooked over 6,000 meals in ten days. He reopened the restaurant during the following October; the premises were not extensively damaged by the storm. ''
Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center i ...
'' awarded Prudhomme their Humanitarian Award in 2006 for his efforts following the hurricane. After his death in 2015, Prudhomme's personal library of nearly 600 cookbooks, food reference books and technical books on food science were donated to the John and Bonnie Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library, which is affiliated with the
Southern Food and Beverage Museum The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is a non-profit museum based in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a mission to explore the culinary history of the American Southern states, to explain the roots of Southern food and drinks. Their exhibits focus on ...
.


Awards

*
Culinary Hall of Fame Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...
induction


Product lines

Along with being a chef, Prudhomme launched a range of products called Chef Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Blends. The line includes his signature blackened redfish seasonings. The products are sold throughout the U.S. and in over 30 countries worldwide. In 1986, he released two volumes of a "video cookbook" on VHS titled ''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen''.


Personal life

In 1986, Prudhomme's wife, Kay, was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died seven years later on December 31, 1993. One of his students was Aaron Sanchez, who moved from New York to become an apprentice when Sanchez was 16. Prudhomme had a long-running issue with his weight, resulting in his working from an electric wheelchair on occasion. In order to lose weight, he wrote his 1993 cookbook, ''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road''. He deliberately avoided marketing it as a low-fat cookbook in order to prevent customers from being put off by the premise after testing the recipes at K-Paul's Kitchen in New Orleans. In March 2008, Prudhomme was grazed by a .22-caliber stray bullet while catering the
Zurich Classic of New Orleans The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly play ...
golf tournament. He at first thought a bee had stung his arm, required no serious medical attention and within five minutes was back to cooking for the golf tournament. It was thought to have been a falling bullet. Prudhomme died in New Orleans on October 8, 2015, after a brief illness. He was 75.


Books and shows


Cookbooks

*''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen'' (April 1984) *''The Prudhomme Family Cookbook'' (September 1987) *''Authentic Cajun Cooking'' (1984–1989) booklet for
Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...
*''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Cajun Magic'' (September 1989) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seasoned America'' (October 1991) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road'' (October 1993) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pure Magic'' (June 1995) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fiery Foods That I Love'' (November 1995) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Kitchen Expedition'' (July 1997) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Tastes'' (February 2000) *''Chef Paul Prudhomme's Always Cooking'' (January 2007)


Videos

*''Louisiana Kitchen: Vol. 1: Cajun Blackened Redfish'' (October 1986) *''Louisiana Kitchen: Vol. 2: Cajun & Creole Classics'' (October 1990) *''Biography: Paul Prudhomme: Cajun Sensation'' (December 2009)


Television

Prudhomme made five seasons of cooking shows for New Orleans'
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
affiliate
WYES-TV WYES-TV, virtual channel 12 (VHF digital channel 11), is a Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member television station licensed to New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The station is owned by the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Fou ...
. *''Fork in the Road'' (26 episodes, 1995) *''Fiery Foods'' (26 episodes, 1996) *''Kitchen Expedition'' (26 episodes, 1997) *''Louisiana Kitchen'' (26 episodes, 1998) *''Always Cooking'' (26 episodes, 2007) Prudhomme also hosted short segments called ''The Magic of Chef Paul'' which were syndicated to news stations across the country. Each segment ended with his catchphrase, "Good cooking, good eating, good loving!"


See also

* *


References


External links

* * , K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
''Always Cooking!''

Quotes by and about Prudhomme
*
Interview with Paul Prudhomme
''A DISCUSSION WITH National Authors on Tour'' TV Series, Episode #61 (1993) {{DEFAULTSORT:Prudhomme, Paul 1940 births 2015 deaths American chefs American male chefs Businesspeople from New Orleans Cajun people Louisiana cuisine People from Opelousas, Louisiana Chefs from Louisiana 20th-century American businesspeople Chefs from New Orleans