17 / 60
WWW.ROUSES.COM
15
REBEL CHEFS
W
e all know that capital cities
across the globe are where the
politicos do their hobnobbing
and cultural landmarks abound. (The
Louvre, anyone?) For those of us who
are constantly hungry, though, they also
often serve as integral touchstones for the
culinary scene of their state or country.
Who could possibly think about heading
to Austin without digging into the most
novel spins on barbecue, or daydream about
Madrid without wondering what tapas the
mad scientist-style chefs are whipping up
these days? Answer: No one.
Now, in Baton Rouge, a new generation
of food innovators are ready to make their
beloved town the next spot that’s a primo
food and drink — ahem— capital for locals
and hungry travelers alike.
“We want to be a food capital city among
capital cities,” chuckles Ryan Andre, a Gon-
zales native who (among other endeavors)
pushed the envelope as the former head
chef for City Pork Hospitality Group. One
bite of any dish he whips up — from saf-
fron rice
arancini
stuffed with smoked pork
to duck ham pasta — and you’ll see why
he’s become a leader of the Baton Rouge
culinary new school. “It’s time to replace
some of the chain restaurants with places
where chefs really get to shine,” he says.
Welcome to GastreauxNomica, Baton
Rouge’s culinary “think tank” and under-
ground test kitchen, where chef-driven din-
ing is the name of the game.
Sound a little off the beaten path? Good!
That’s just how they like it. Andre and
ringleader Sean “Poochy” Rivera of
Driftwood Cask & Barrel are the co-
founders of this novel approach to dining
in a city long focused on restaurants
themselves, not the people in the kitchen
making it happen.
“Chefs spend so much of their lives in the kitchen, away from their
families and out of the spotlight,” Rivera explains. “We want to
showcase the people who put in the sweat.”
Rivera is a New Orleans native who relocated to Baton Rouge after
Hurricane Katrina and recognized the potential for a city that,by and
large, has been heavily rooted in traditional dishes. Today, the self-
designated team of “rebel chefs” (along with a handful of bartenders,
bloggers and other culinary entrepreneurs) are using pop-ups, new
companies and their own in-house menus to introduce guests to
Louisiana flavors reimagined in an entirely new light.
“We really have the best audience for trying new things,” he explains.
With their collective brainpower
and dynamism, it’s not difficult
to imagine the group tinkering
around in a secret bunker into
the wee small hours, taste test-
ing and mixing their way into
new frontiers like some kind
of bland-food-fighting super-
hero league. Need someone to
make the most innovative mac ‘n’
cheese of your life? A Gastreaux
Hero is on the way.Want a party
catered with oysters prepared
in topsy-turvy, delicious ways?
GastreauxNomica powers, unite!
These are the kind of brainy,
rowdy, charismatic people you
want to have a beer (or three)
with at the end of the night.
“Something I know what drives us is this feeling that if
people say we can’t do it, we’re going to try and prove
them wrong,” says Matt Vondenstein, the mastermind
behind the drinks program at Driftwood and a cocktail-
innovating machine. Vondenstein isn’t afraid to be
playful with his drink construction, swizzling up tipples like the
Beyonce, which combines honey-flavored Irish whiskey, ginger-
mint simple syrup and lemon juice. (Vondenstein promises that if
the pop goddess herself comes in and orders the drink, it’ll be on
the house.)
“Baton Rouge has always been overshadowed by New Orleans, and
we want to change that by making Baton Rouge and New Orleans
more like the Twin Cities up in Minnesota,” says Rivera. “St. Paul
is the capital, and Minneapolis is bigger, but they work together to
create this huge culinary community.”
A sense of cooperation and camaraderie radiates whenever the
[RIGHT]
GastreauxNomica’s
Sean “Poochy” Rivera
[BOTTOM]
GastreauxNomica’s
Ryan Andre