Paul Prudhomme facts for kids
Prudhomme in 1983
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| Born | July 13, 1940 Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Died | October 8, 2015 (aged 75) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Cooking style | Cajun cuisine, Louisiana Creole cuisine |
| Spouse |
Kay Hinrichs
(died 1993)Lori Bennett
(m. 2010) |
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Current restaurant(s)
K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen (New Orleans)
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Television show(s)
Fork in the Road (1995)
Fiery Foods (1996) Kitchen Expedition (1997) Louisiana Kitchen (1998) Always Cooking (2007) |
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Paul Prudhomme (born July 13, 1940 – died October 8, 2015) was a famous American chef. He was known for making Creole and Cajun foods popular around the world. He owned a restaurant called K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. Chef Paul also created many cooking products, like hot sauce and special seasoning mixes. He wrote 11 cookbooks, sharing his amazing recipes.
Contents
Growing Up in Louisiana
Paul Prudhomme was the youngest of 13 children. He grew up on a farm near Opelousas, in Louisiana. His father was a farmer who faced tough times. His mother was a very creative cook.
Paul was first named after Saint Paul. But when he was young, he started using the name "Gene Autry Prudhomme." His family history includes early Acadian settlers. These were people who moved to Louisiana from Canada.
Chef Paul's Amazing Career
Starting His First Restaurant
In 1957, Paul Prudhomme opened his first restaurant. It was a hamburger place in Opelousas called Big Daddy O's Patio. It closed after nine months. After that, he traveled around the country. He worked in many restaurants and learned a lot. During this time, he started making his own special spice mixes. He would give them to customers as gifts.
Becoming a Top Chef
In 1970, Paul moved back to New Orleans. He worked as a sous chef at the Le Pavillon Hotel. Soon after, he became the head chef at Maison du Puy. There, he met Kay Hinrichs, who later became his wife.
In 1975, Chef Paul became the first American-born executive chef at Commander's Palace. This is a very famous restaurant. He helped make Commander's Palace a world-famous place to eat.
Opening K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
In 1979, Paul and Kay opened their own restaurant. It was called K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The name "K-Paul's" was a mix of their names. Paul was the head chef, and Kay managed the restaurant. Their restaurant became very popular. Chef Paul even hired Emeril Lagasse to take over at Commander's Palace.
In 1980, France honored Chef Paul. He was made a Knight of the French Order of Agricultural Merit. This was for his great work with Cajun and Creole foods.
Sharing His Recipes with the World
His cookbook, Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, came out in 1984. It won an award for being a "Culinary Classic Book." Chef Paul is famous for making cajun cuisine popular. He also made "blackened redfish" a very popular dish in the 1980s. This dish became so popular that fishing for redfish had to be limited. This was to protect the fish. Chef Paul also helped introduce the turducken to American cooking. A turducken is a chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey!
A Chef's Adventures
In 1985, Chef Paul opened a temporary restaurant in New York City. It was very successful, with long lines of people waiting to eat. Four years later, he opened a permanent restaurant there.
In 1994, he visited the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, France. In 2004, he traveled to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He brought thousands of pounds of food and seasonings to cook for the troops there.
After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Chef Paul's restaurant had to close. But he cooked for free at a relief center. He made over 6,000 meals for military members and people in the French Quarter. His restaurant reopened in October that year. He received an award for his help after the hurricane.
After he passed away in 2015, his large collection of cookbooks was given to a special library. This library is part of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
Chef Paul's Awards and Products
- He was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.
Chef Paul's Magic Seasoning Blends
Besides being a chef, Paul Prudhomme created a line of products. They are called Chef Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Blends. These include his famous blackened redfish seasonings. You can find these products all over the U.S. and in more than 30 other countries. He also made cooking videos called Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen.
Chef Paul's Personal Life
In 1986, his wife, Kay, became sick. She passed away in 1993.
One of his students was Aaron Sanchez. Aaron moved from New York to learn from Chef Paul when he was 16.
Chef Paul had a long struggle with his weight. Sometimes he used an electric wheelchair to get around. To help with his weight, he wrote a cookbook in 1993 called Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road. He wanted to show people how to cook healthier.
In 2008, Chef Paul was at a golf tournament. He was cooking when a stray bullet lightly hit his arm. He thought it was a bee sting at first! He was fine and kept cooking.
Paul Prudhomme died in New Orleans on October 8, 2015. He was 75 years old.
Books and Shows by Chef Paul
Cookbooks
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen (1984)
- The Prudhomme Family Cookbook (1987)
- Authentic Cajun Cooking (1984–1989)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Cajun Magic (1989)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seasoned America (1991)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road (1993)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pure Magic (1995)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fiery Foods That I Love (1995)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Kitchen Expedition (1997)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Tastes (2000)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Always Cooking (2007)
Videos
- Louisiana Kitchen: Vol. 1: Cajun Blackened Redfish (1986)
- Louisiana Kitchen: Vol. 2: Cajun & Creole Classics (1990)
- Biography: Paul Prudhomme: Cajun Sensation (2009)
Television Shows
Chef Paul made five seasons of cooking shows for WYES-TV, a PBS station in New Orleans.
- Fork in the Road (1995)
- Fiery Foods (1996)
- Kitchen Expedition (1997)
- Louisiana Kitchen (1998)
- Always Cooking (2007)
He also hosted short segments called The Magic of Chef Paul. These were shown on news stations across the country. Each segment ended with his famous saying: "Good cooking, good eating, good loving!"
Images for kids
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Prudhomme in 1983
