Chef John Folse's Cajun charisma

Chef John Folse’s motto defines his unique philosophy and exemplifies his accomplishments: “Risk is the tariff paid to leave the shores of predictable misery,” he says with a smile, adding, “The best fruit is not on the trunk of a tree; it’s on the limb. You can’t be ruthless with your risk, but you have to reach out.”

Reaching out is what Folse does best. “My heritage is Cajun and Creole,” says Folse, who was born on Cabanocey Plantation in St. James Parish, La. He learned early the secrets of Cajun cooking lay in the unique ingredients of Louisiana’s swamp-floor pantry.

When he opened Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant in 1978, his mission, was to “take a taste of Louisiana worldwide.” Folse is considered Louisiana’s “Culinary Ambassador to the World,” a title bestowed by the Louisiana legislature. He has so far succeeded with distinction. He introduced Cajun and Creole to Japan, Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, London, Bogota, Taipei and Seoul. He cooked for President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, and was the first non-Italian chef to cook for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. This International success led to his opening White Oak Plantation, with a successful catering and events division.

Cajun Creole Primer Cajun is essentially French Country cuisine characterized by indigenous ingredients and simple one-pot meals. Creole is an aristocratic melting pot cuisine, the product of the intermarriage of seven nationalities — Native American, French, Spanish, English, African, German and Italian — who settled around New Orleans in the late 1600s.

Accolades abound for Folse, including the Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts, the American Culinary Federation’s Antonin Careme medal, and an honorary doctor of Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. But what he really looks forward to is his new position as the president of the Atlanta-based Research Chefs Association, which acknowledged him as a “Pioneer in Culinology.”

From Stovetop to Shelf

Chef John Folse & Co. Manufacturing, founded in 1991, is one of the few chef-owned food manufacturing companies in the U.S. “When I started my manufacturing business, I responded to requests from companies wanting real Louisiana gumbos and jambalayas,” says Folse. “We decided to bring authenticity to our volume feeding. As we’ve grown, companies understand we are, in style and technique, a global manufacturer. We create anything in our kitchens, from Asian to Latin American to Indian. As long as a customer has a need, we have an answer.”

“Our challenge is the availability of authentic flavors and ingredients. You don’t want to eat gumbo in Minnesota if it’s not authentic. With incredible access to information, there’s no reason to have the wrong flavor on the plate,” Folse emphasizes. “If you’re creating a Spanish dish, you must taste authentic Spanish cuisine and understand how they arrived at those flavors. If it’s a Greek yogurt sauce, have Greek people taste it. I didn’t grow up Thailand, so I would never attempt to replicate Thai cuisine without Thai expertise.”

Folse’s original cooking style lends itself to diversity of cuisines. As he explains, Creole is a mix of seven nations bringing their philosophies, cooking techniques, seasonings and spices to the region. “Translating from the stovetop recipe to manufacturing is a big step,” says Folse. “Customers come in, taste something, and say, ‘This would be great in my 3,000 units.’ But how does it translate into the manufacturing process?’”

“The history and success of our company is focused on solving technical problems, says Folse. ”When people tell us something can’t be done, we jump into mega-drive.”

Sourcing ingredients year-round is the greatest challenge to replicating a product, according to Folse “Crawfish is in season for four months. To create an étouffée; with crawfish as a main ingredient, we have to start sourcing that ingredient from around the world, not just Louisiana. We have to consider preservation. Can we maximize shelf life in some way? If it’s a ‘cook-chill’ going into the freezer, can we expect the product will have the same quality in two months? Another great challenge is the use of flavorings and stabilizers to achieve the desired result.”

“Then there’s the cost,” says Folse. “Sure we can do it, but are you willing to pay for it all year long?”

Team Diversity

When it comes to menu development, one team member heads each project and four or five work on it. “We each approach a project differently. It normally comes in first to product development. The client might want a glaze for chicken or fish. They want it a reddish color; they don’t want a smoky flavor,” Folse says, “We try to understand what the customer wants (because) sometimes what they say they want and what they really want are two different things. “We must understand the client’s operational focus. Is this for a fast-food giant needing to replicate this in 3,000 kitchens or for somebody with five units?”

Open team discussion follows, according to Folse. “Everyone has different educational and professional backgrounds,” he says. “Bringing them around a table yields really interesting results.” The team members approach the task from different angles, which inspire ideas and questions. What does this product have to go through to make it to market?

Then the next stage: “Sure we can create it,” Folse states, “but can we help marketing with its challenges and production on the floor? What are the quality issues? Are there critical points coming into play the client should be aware of?” Folse’s team members all travel, read about food and converse with industry leaders, which provide data they bring into new product discussions.