Checkin’ In with Chef Kev
Food is an integral part of the Big Easy experience, so we hired one of New Orleans’ most visible chefs, Kevin Belton.
Chef Kevin has been on local and national television for thirty years. He has written several books and become a go-to guy at culinary institutes in New Orleans and elsewhere. Everywhere he goes, he brings the timeless values but ever-changing face of New Orleans cuisine.
At six feet, nine inches, Chef Kevin needs an elevated cutting surface, and his height was the hook for a TV series, Big Kevin—Little Kevin, made for BBC in England. With cohost Kevin Woodford--a five-foot-seven-inch chef from Liverpool--they explored each other’s regional cuisines. No offense to Chef Woodford, but most of us are pretty sure where we’d rather eat.
We started with a question that must have occurred to everyone who has watched Hulu-TV’s restaurant-set comedy-drama The Bear.
So tell us, are the culinary scenes in The Bear realistic?
Every kitchen is different. It depends on the chef. You set your own precedent. Some chefs are nervous and uptight. Some are calm. If I wanted to explode, I think I’d go off by myself, but that wouldn’t be good television. Personally, I like a calm but intense workspace. If I make a mistake, I’ll let it go. One time, I sat at a chef’s table in a D.C. restaurant. You could see the chef, but you couldn’t hear him. You could tell that he was pretty wound up. People who worked there told me he could curse in four languages!
You’ve cooked on television for years. Do you get the sense that most people just want to be entertained or do they genuinely want to learn a recipe they can cook tonight?
Again, it depends on the chef. I grew up watching Julia Child. Her attitude was, “I want you to be able to cook this. Not imitate it, but make it yours.” But sometimes egos get involved and it becomes more like, “I can make this. Can you?” My attitude is that cooking should be fun and easy.
Have you ever had something go horribly wrong on tv or in-person?
I’m happy to say that after four national television shows, I’ve never had to go back and re-do an episode. One Christmas show, I was planning to make a Yule Log where you roll and ice it. The producer said, “It’s gonna crack.” I said, “If it cracks, it’s a Yule Log with a crack.” But it turned out fine.
One time I was teaching a class and I lost my grip on a gallon of boiling stock. You think you can’t dance! I’ll tell you one thing I always teach my students: don’t wear sandals—only closed-toe shoes.
Where did you acquire your passion for cooking?
My mom was my teacher. I’d watch her when I was a kid, doing my homework at the kitchen table. I picked nearly all the skills I needed. She cooked to relax. It was never a chore to her. Some folks go to the garden. Some knit. She cooked. That was her happy place. It was never, “I have to cook.” The other thing I learned from her was to clean up as I go. To me, if the kitchen’s messy, it tastes messy.
Aside from your family, was there a cook or chef who mentored you?
I had the opportunity to work with Leyah Chase. Her restaurant, Dooky Chase, was the center of the Civil Rights movement in New Orleans. She had so many awards and honors. Dooky Chase was the first restaurant I ever visited. Then I worked a little with Chef Paul Prudhomme and I got to work with Michael Roussel, who worked at Brennan’s and rose from bus-boy to executive chef. They all taught me about food and about how to treat people. Both are equally important.
New Orleans has been recognized for decades as a culinary destination. Growing up there, did you realize its specialness, or did you have to leave the city?
When we traveled, I used to wonder why other cities didn’t have as many restaurants as we did and why they didn’t taste like they did back home.
There’s a growing farm-to-table movement. People are realizing that something picked this morning tastes better and is probably more nutritious than something picked two-thousand miles away. Do you cook according to what’s in season?
The great thing about Southern Louisiana is that the growing season is so long and we can grow so much right here. We can cook fresh every day. Just across Lake Pontchartrain, there are so many farms. And seafood, of course. But all around the country now, I see farmers’ markets springing up, and I see a lot of younger people shopping there, maybe willing to pay a little extra for something picked fresh. That’s encouraging.
The best restaurant lists in New Orleans now include African, South Asian, South and Central American, and much more. I see from your highlighted recipes that you bring a lot of Asian dishes into your repertoire.
When New Orleans was founded, it was by the French, Spanish, Native Americans, and Africans. Then of course the Irish, Vietnamese, and so many others came in. It’s a true melting-pot. You can eat around the world here. I try to check out as many new restaurants as possible.
For those who are unclear, can you explain the difference between Cajun and New Orleans cooking?
The Cajuns were the Acadiens, who were French, but by way of Canada. Cajun was one-pot cooking. New Orleans cuisine started with the French influence from France, but it absorbed all the other influences I mentioned. It’s much more cosmopolitan.
As this is a music cruise, what is your personal taste in music?
It depends on my mood. If I’m coming home from a stressful night, I go to classical music. On my way to work, I’ll check out WWOZ, which is 24/7 New Orleans music.
We’re certainly looking forward to seeing you on the Big Easy Cruise again!
Oh, man, I’m looking forward to being there. There are so many things I love about cruises. One is that someone will come up to me and start talking and other people will join in. Then a day or two later, you’ll see those same folks all sitting together like they’ve known each other forever. Sharing is part of what’s wonderful about cruises.
Last year, I worked on StarVista’s Maltshop Memories Cruise and I met Darlene Love, who sang uncredited on so many big hits like “Da-Do-Ron-Ron.” Now where would I have met Darlene Love if I hadn’t been on that cruise?
Final thoughts?
Maybe folks will get off the ship thinking they should all eat and cook together instead of ordering in and eating by themselves!
- Colin Escott © 2025
Born in England, Colin wrote the definitive biography of Hank Williams, subsequently adapted into a movie starring Tom Hiddleston. He also wrote Good Rockin’ Tonight—Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll. His work has appeared in many magazines, and he has won two Grammys for historical sets. He also cowrote the hit Broadway show Million Dollar Quartet.