NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- Thanksgiving is just a couple of hours away, and you know you’re all thinking about food! All week long, News with a Twist Reporter Kenny Lopez has been meeting with some of our city’s best chefs to hear their Thanksgiving Tales. Today he headed to Mid-City to talk with Isaac Toups of Toups’ Meatery.
Chef Isaac Toups with his knife, is like a samurai with his sword!
“I love knives and fire, so becoming a cook just fits,” he said.
Turkey is out of the question this year for Chef Toups who says pork butt is the way to go.
“Its much better than a turkey. You brine it for 24 hours, rub it with spices, stick it in the oven, and you can’t go wrong. The pork butt is really one of the tastier cuts,” he said.
He’s one top chef. He’s actually one of the “cheftestants” on the new season of Bravo’s hit show, “Top Chef”, which premieres on December 2nd. The show takes place in California, but he’s representing New Orleans proudly. Here’s a preview of the upcoming season:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-13/videos/top-chef-california-west-coast-here-we-come
Although he can’t talk about the outcome of the show, he can talk about his favorite dish to make on Thanksgiving.
“This pork butt is just a snack in my family. I have a big family.”
Speaking of his big family, his favorite Thanksgiving Tale involves his wife Amanda and the first time she met the Toups family.
“Amanda made the mistake of saying she’d never tried a raw oyster before. My dad was shucking oysters and he basically forced her to eat one,” he said.
He said the day continued with more oysters, and shooting guns and Amanda didn’t get scared off, so she was a keeper! Now she has a lifetime supply of pork and other meats made by Isaac.
On December 15 and 16, 2015, Chef Isaac Toups of the Toups’ Meatery restaurant will highlight his sophisticated approach to Cajun cuisine at Food & Wine Magazine’s prestigious Chefs Club which is curated by Editor in Chief Dana Cowin. The innovative new restaurant showcases culinary talents of esteemed chefs through its main dining room and its exclusive Studio experience. Chef Isaac Toups is cooking in the Chef’s Club Studio which seats just sixteen guests.
“What an honor to cook dishes reflecting my culinary heritage at the Chefs Club. I’m pretty blown away to be invited,” Isaac Toups said. The Chefs Club Studio is likened to a place for invention; a place for experimentation. There’s also a Chefs Club location in Aspen, Co. Participating Chefs include California’s David Kinch of Manresa to Hong Kong’s Jowett Yu of Ho Lee Fook, Gabriele Bonci from [Rome’s] Pizzarium and Nick Anderer from Marta, Chef Kyle Connaughton, and Chef Alexandre Couilion.
“I’m also excited for the future of Cajun cuisine because it’s being recognized by the highest level of food journalists in the country,” Toups added. Cowin believes so strongly in the future of the Chefs Club and the experiences it offers that she recently announced she’s leaving her post of 21 years by March 2016, to become Chief Creative Office for that entity. Diners can experience her insider’s picks of the most compelling chefs cooking today. To be part of the fun, and for details leading up to and during the event, follow @IsaacToups, @ToupsMeatery and @Chefsclubny onTwitter & Instagram.
Toups Meatery is located at 845 N. Carrollton Avenue. For menu items, click HERE: