looking over your shoulder, so to speak, you may well be delighted at how good a cook you can be … and gratified at how good a cook you are regarded by friends and family.

Mel Leavitt The city of New Orleans has produced some of the finest chefs in the world. The only American city to boast its own distinct cuisine, it has spread the Creole word through the hands of master chefs-and Louis Evans was one of the best. Executive Chef of the Caribbean Room at the famous Pontchartrain Hotel for 18 years, and current Chef at the popular Kabby’s restaurant at the New Orleans Hilton, Evans served what some believe to have been the best Creole dishes in New Orleans for over 20 years. His years of expertise have been drawn upon here to present Evans’ own collection of recipes-no secrets withheld or details left out. As Evans says in his book, And you don’t have to be a master chef to pull them off.traditional Creole food with a roux (the base of all Creole soups and sauces),
but to suit the current taste, he lightened the roux a bit. Included are some of Chef Evans’ finest creations: Oyster and Artichoke Soup, Chicken in Champagne Sauce, Crawfish Etouff, Grits Souffl, Crabmeat au Gratin, Red Snapper with Crawfish Sauce, Veal Grillades a la Creole, the famous Mile-High Ice Cream Pie, and many more. There are more than 360 recipes, and each is sure to tingle the taste buds of any lover of Creole cuisine. All categories are covered: appetizers, salads and vegetables, soups, meats, seafood, poultry and game, sauces and dressings, and desserts, and most are easy to prepare with commonly found ingredients. Chef Louis Evans was the first black chef in history to be admitted to the exclusive Order of the Toque, restricted to 100 members nationwide. With an impressive array of four-star ratings from almost every major food critic, he was well known as one of the most creative and skilled chefs in the nation. He passed away in 1990, shortly after completing work on this cookbook.