Paul Prudhomme – the famed chef best known for his various PBS cooking shows and national landmark New Orleans restaurant – has passed away at the age of 75.
Prudhomme is widely credited with popularizing New Orleans-style cuisine nationwide, and some even say he’s the man most responsible for the foodie trend that’s given us everything from more exotic menu options to celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain and Alton Brown.
“Paul was the one who not only put Louisiana food…Cajun and Creole food, on the map, but he was also the one who started the American food revolution that flourishes today,” Louisiana chef and radio show host Poppie Tooker said today.
When Prudhomme was named executive chef of the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace in 1975, restaurants nationwide took it as a sign that upscale establishments no longer needed a French chef at the helm in order to be taken seriously.
Prudhomme went on to introduce dishes like the turducken and blackened redfish to amateur American chefs. The latter became so popular that limits had to be imposed in order to keep the redfish from going extinct.
His tremendous influence is currently evident on Twitter, where professional and amateur chefs, restauranteurs and fans of good food the world over are paying tribute to the man brought the flavors of New Orleans to kitchens across the globe.
