Chef Blaine Guillot’s love for culture and cuisine should be listed as a main ingredient in his authentic Cajun dishes because he doesn’t only see himself cooking them, but also preserving them. “That’s what keeps me going, and loving what I do,” said Guillot, who’s private chef business is growing by catering private events like weddings, parties or baby showers. “If you don’t keep the tradition alive it’s not going to be continued. If you lose one you lose the other.”
Cajun dishes require love. Some can be labor intensive, but this chef’s devotion to making them right means more to him than just cooking – it’s preservation.
“A lot of that is going away,” Guillot said of his dedication to keeping these dishes authentic, fresh and appealing. “A lot of that is going to boxes like gumbo, and if we don’t continue doing this, like crawfish bisque, that knowledge will be lost. The way it was traditionally done is going away.”
Good Cajun cooking takes work, which Guillot said he happily does because he sees himself helping to keep preserve his culture.
It’s why he makes crawfish bisque the right way, which means stuffing crawfish heads with crawfish stuffing and cooking them in a rich, dark bisque.
It’s a gastronomical Cajun-Creole adventure that’s only available during crawfish season.
A lifelong resident of St. Charles Parish, Guillot ranked among Louisiana’s top chefs for 2012 by the New Orleans chapter of the American Culinary Federation. He is a 1999 graduate of Nicholls State University’s John Folse Culinary Institute and apprenticed in the South of France for five months. Five years ago, he started his catering business, which began by doing nonprofit organization events at no charge. He still does about five nonprofit events a year.
Guillot’s passion for the culinary arts goes all the way back to his grandmother teaching him how to cook. Now, he’s trying to pass that heritage along through the dishes he offers through his catering business called Blaine Guillot Private Chef in Ama.
“We do a fine dining experience in your home basically,” he said. “They enjoy it because they can be themselves in their homes. I enjoy it because I enjoy the camaraderie with the different people and see their response to the food.”
The business has been successful because of the quality of dishes that Guillot said he puts on the plate, as well as the extra attention he gives to every event.
His crew also cleans up after cooking. He added, “A lot of people like it.”
Food can be delivered if desired or served hot during the entire event. A customer can customize the menu based on budget by visiting his website – www.privatechefblaine.com. This has become particularly popular for wedding parties these days as more couples choose to cater a more intimate party for 30 to 40 family members and friends.
“I just love meeting different people and different cultures, and love showing the Southeast Louisiana cuisine and preparing it in different ways,” Guillot said. “I use all Louisiana seafood fresh. It might be a little more expensive but it’s a good product. I just enjoy seeing people eating.”
And there is customer interest in his food, which has further fueled his fusion or cross-culture dishes like the “Louisiana crawfish enchilada,” which he will serve at the Alligator Festival. There’s also his “Fish St. Charles” with fish cooked with brown butter and artichoke bottoms topped with jumbo crabmeat, and also his “Blackened Tuna” topped with a mango salsa.
Guillot’s goal is to “continue to make people happy through the food that I prepare. The cooking is timed to ensure food preparation is fresh, and get the full taste of hot, fresh food in its best cooking.”
His menu also includes BBQ dishes, including smoked pork butts, as well as barbecue shrimp. Even his salad is an experience with a spring mix of Louisiana candied pecans, dried cranberries, feta and creole tomatoes served with a balsamic vinaigrette that includes Louisiana’s Steen’s cane syrup.
No Cajun menu would be complete without a dessert, which Guillot proudly offers with his “Bananas Foster Cheesecake.”
It all combines into a menu for life – literally – and why Guillot’s passion for preserving both cuisine and culture resonates so deeply with him.
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