You wonder how a guy like Cory Bahr can sound so relaxed when he’s got so much going on. The laid-back 37-year-old chef from Monroe, La., is a TV star, appearing on Food Network’s show “Chopped” (which he won); he’s got an acclaimed North Delta cuisine restaurant in his hometown and opened his second — an Italian-influenced spot called Nonna — just a few months ago. He’s also opening a bakery, yet unnamed, this summer; and he’s a former King of Louisiana Seafood (2011) who’s constantly being called to represent his state at food-and-wine events far and wide. But to hear him speak, you imagine him driving down a country road, in no particular rush (maybe that’s because that’s exactly what he was doing when we talked in late January).
Bahr has had enough of cooking contests — he recently turned down an opportunity to be on “Knife Fight,” the Esquire network show. “It’s not really where I’m at in my career anymore. I want to work on what I’m passionate about: gracious service and wonderful food and the people that come along with that. Man, I get out of bed every day and it’s competition!”
Define North Delta cuisine in 20 words or less.
Seasonal. Local. Simple. Basically, what was on my table growing up with my grandparents.
What’s your signature dish?
I really don’t have one. The seasons tell me what my signature dish is. I don’t feel I need one — a signature dish boxes a chef in. I’m constantly reinventing what I want to be and what I want to put on a plate. It’s based on what I can get.
Click here to read the full story that ran in the April issue of SeaFood Business >
