You might think that the demands of running a restaurant for 25 years (make that 26) might detract from the joy of cooking, or that perhaps ones zeal for great food could become somewhat muted. That could easily be the case, except for one thing: among the customers we serve every day there are some pretty remarkable cooks; and interacting with them helps keep our passion alive.
Cooking for people that love to cook is like being a “musician’s musician” – if you can please them, you know you’re on the right track. And every now and then, they return the compliment by inspiring us. Take Justin Boggs, for example.
We met Justin a few months ago when Behind the Menu recorded a podcast during which we talked about our mutual love for Cajun cuisine over a bowl of jumbalaya. It turns out that Justin, who is a construction management student at Boise State University by day, has been relentlessly pursuing the ultimate red beans and rice recipe. We’ve been cooking red beans and rice for years, and as tradition warrants, it has been a part of our Monday menu – Monday being “washing day” according to regional custom.
While we talked about the chefs and recipes that have most influenced our approach to the cuisine of Louisiana, Justin revealed that his grail quest had led him to make his own andouille sausage. It turns out that nothing he had found commercially available quite nailed the flavor he was searching for. We have to admit that he seemed slightly obsessed, but to paraphrase Barry Goldwater, “extremism in the defense of culinary authenticity is no vice.” We ended our conversation by inviting Justin back to the restaurant to share his recipe with us, once he felt he had achieved his goal.
We knew Justin was making progress when he posted a story on a local food blog, “Mundovore: Eat the World”, detailing his adventures in making his andouille sausage from scratch. You have to give it to the man…he’s a machine. We sensed that a reunion would not be long away.
The other day Justin came by with a container of the fruits of his labor. We took it back to the kitchen, heated it up, and brought out a bowl of our own rice to serve with it. Now, before I go any further with this tale, let me make something clear. We’re not food snobs – but we’ve been around the culinary block a time or two, and we’ve had some damn good food over the years -- some of it we’ve cooked, and much of what we’ve learned has gone into our menu. But Justin’s red beans and rice, particularly his homemade sausage, raised the bar for us when it comes to this traditional favorite. In a word, we were blown away.
By the time we “licked the platter clean”, we were working out a deal with Justin to provide him with 20 pounds of pork for his next run of andouille sausage…in return for some of the final product. Who knows…we might share some of it with the rest of you. Consider it our way of saying thanks for not only bringing us your business, but your inspiration as well. To all the Justins out there, we salute you!