Paul Prudhomme

Paul Prudhomme(July 13, 1940 – October 8, 2015), also known asGene Autry Prudhomme,was an Americancelebrity chefwhose specialties wereCreoleandCajuncuisines, which he was also credited with popularizing.He was the chef proprietor of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen inNew Orleans, and had formerly owned and run several other restaurants. He developed several culinary products, includinghot sauceand seasoning mixes, and wrote 11cookbooks.
The youngest of 13 children born to Eli Prudhomme, Jr. and Hazel Reed,Prudhomme was raised on a farm nearOpelousas, the seat ofSaint Landry Parish,Louisiana. His father was a farmer, who struggled financially during Prudhomme's childhood, and his mother was a creative cook.
Previously named afterSaint Paul, as chosen by aCatholic priest, Prudhomme adopted thepseudonym"Gene Autry Prudhomme" during his youth.
His maternal ancestors include earlyAcadiansettlersMartin Aucoin (c. 1651 – 1711) and Marie Gaudet (c. 1657 – 1734).
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 afterward 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 asous chefatLe 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 atCommander's PalaceunderRichard Brennan, Sr.Chef Paul turned the Garden District restaurant into a world-class destination.
In 1979, Prudhomme and Kay openedK-Paul's Louisiana Kitchenin theFrench QuarterofNew Orleans.The restaurant was named as aportmanteauof their names, with Paul working as head chef and Kay as restaurant manager.For a while he attempted to operate the restaurant while still working atCommander's Palace, but the demand in his new restaurant was such that he moved to work there full-time, while also appointingEmeril Lagasseto take over as executive chef at Commanders Palace.In 1980, Prudhomme was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the FrenchOrdre National du Mérite Agricolein honor of his work with Cajun and Creole cuisines.
His cookbook,Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, was published byWilliam Morrow and Companyin 1984. It was given a Culinary Classic Book Award in 1989 by theInternational Association of Culinary Professionals.Prudhomme has been credited with having popularizedcajun cuisineand in particularblackenedredfishduring 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 theturduckeninto American cuisine.
During a summer residence inNew York Cityin 1985, Prudhomme'spop-up restaurantwas 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.Thecity's mayorEd Kochappeared 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 atBaltimore/Washington International Airportafter 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 atLe Cordon Bleucooking school inParis, France, in October 1994.
In 2004, he traveled toGuantanamo Bay Naval Basein Cuba, along with 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of food and seasonings to cook for the troops stationed there.
FollowingHurricane Katrinain 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 Appétitawarded 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 was donated to the John and Bonnie Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library, which is affiliated with theSouthern Food and Beverage Museum.
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" onVHStitledChef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen.
In 1986, Prudhomme's wife, Kay, was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died seven years later on December 31, 1993.
One of his students wasAaron 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-caliberstray bullet while catering theZurich Classic of New Orleansgolf 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 afalling bullet.
Prudhomme died in New Orleans on October 8, 2015, after a brief illness.He was 75.
Prudhomme made five seasons of cooking shows for New Orleans'PBSaffiliateWYES-TV.
Prudhomme also hosted short segments calledThe Magic of Chef Paulwhich were syndicated to news stations across the country. Each segment ended with his catchphrase, "Good cooking, good eating, good loving!"