Isaac Toups (Author) Isaac Toups has four times been named a James Beard Best Chef of the South Semi-Finalist or Finalist since opening Toups' Meatery in 2012 with his wife, Amanda. He was named an Eater Young Gun of the South, Eater New Orleans' Chef of the Year, and a Top Chef fan favorite. Before opening Toups' Meatery, he honed his skill for a decade as a fine-dining chef at restaurants such as Emeril's Delmonico. His cooking has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, CNN, and Tasting Table, among many other outlets. He is a passionate advocate for the protection of America's wetlandsJennifer V. Cole (Author) Jennifer V. Cole spent nearly a decade getting to know the intricacies of the South at Southern Livingmagazine, where she served as Deputy Editor and where her annual Top 100 Southern Restaurants and Best New Restaurant lists were considered the final word on where to eat in the South. Her writing appears widely in other publications. A native of Mississippi, she spent eight years in New York City, where she annually had live crawfish flown up for her birthday boil--she purged them in her bathtub, to the chagrin of her roommates. She now lives in Louisiana.
"Chasing the Gator is the Cajun Bible. Its recipes are everything
you need to live life like a local--including the attitude. If you
can't live in New Orleans, cooking Isaac's way might just be the
next best thing. And he really knows his way around a pig
skin."--Archie Manning
"Chasing the Gator should come with a warning: do not read hungry.
Isaac Toups' colorful tribute to the traditions of Cajun cooking is
dangerously appetite-inducing and equally enlightening. You may
have to ice your arm after all the roux-stirring, but you'll walk
away with a profound appreciation for the Cajun way of life--a
delicious and authentic piece of American culture."--Danny Meyer,
CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, author of Setting the
Table
"A rowdy, roux-thickened journey into the rich and rustic [Cajun]
culture... from the salty prose to the compelling recipes to the
stunning photographs by Denny Culbert, Chasing the Gator is a
riveting reminder that if what you know about Louisiana cuisine is
limited to the tourist-packed restaurants of New Orleans, you've
barely scratched the surface."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A meaty tour of regional cooking from a New Orleans favorite...
the sharp-tongued chef's first book blends classics and new
creations."--Eater
"A rowdy valentine to Toups' Cajun heritage... he wants every meal
to be a celebration, the kind that yields you a hangover from the
food... Toups lovingly covers the Cajun standards--boudin, gumbo,
dirty rice, Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes--but it's a brash, wild
love, full of bliss and vinegar."--Garden & Gun
"An array of dishes that exemplify the Cajun cooking that Toups
grew up on in south Louisiana as well as the special flair he
brings to them and to life in general."--Associated Press
"An extremely entertaining cookbook and survey of Louisiana
cuisine... Toups' ribald sense of humor shines through in the head
notes and recipe instructions... Expertly written and edited by
Toups and Cole, and full of useful kitchen techniques that readers
can use throughout the year, this is a book that will stay close to
my cutting board until it's covered with flour and
grease."--Nashville Scene
"Are you obsessed with all foods Cajun? This is your time. This is
your book."--Delish
"Each bite will make anyone born in Cajun Country feel right at
home... Chasing the Gator puts his flair for flavor in the hands of
home cooks."--Taste of the South
"If you can't get to Louisiana, this is an excellent
stand-in."--Food & Wine
"If you were to blindfold me and serve me some of Isaac Toups'
food, first of all I'd wonder what the heck kind of shenanigans you
were pulling, but I'd know exactly whose dishes they were. Isaac's
food tastes so unmistakably of a place and a tradition and a
reverence for both of those things, inextricably bound by an
exceptional generosity of spirit. This man knows how to raise hell
in all the best ways, and the trip there--at his restaurants and in
this book--is something close to heaven every step of the
way."--Kat Kinsman, senior food and drinks editor, Extra Crispy
"Isaac Toups gives me hope for the future of Cajun cooking."--James
Carville, the Ragin' Cajun
"Isaac Toups grew up in deep Cajun country. He has been steeped in
Cajun traditions his whole life--it's in his blood, and that's
evident as soon as you meet him... Isaac's rustic and decadent
Cajun dishes take you on a journey through Louisiana that most
tourists never get to see or experience."--From the foreword by
Emeril Lagasse
"It's hard not to be charmed by Isaac Toups, and almost impossible
not to fall for the bold, brave, and unabashedly rich flavors of
his Louisiana kitchens. With Chasing the Gator, Toups spills all
his magical cooking secrets and time-honored traditions, showing
how to make everything from the perfect boudin to his daddy's
famous seafood gumbo. It's a lip-smacking wild ride through the
heart of Cajun country, and there's no better chef I would want as
my guide!"--Gail Simmons, food expert, TV host, and author of
Bringing it Home
"New Orleans chef and Top Chef alum Toups presents innovative Cajun
dishes in this must-have collection of recipes... An outstanding
addition to the storied Louisiana cookbook canon, Toups's volume
deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone who cooks Cajun and New
Orleans cuisine."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Offers fresh takes on Cajun classics, such as chicken and
andouille gumbo and crawfish... Enjoy the ride through the Cajun
prairies, swamps, bayous, marshes, and rivers with Toups as your
tour guide and the fruits of the region to fortify your belly and
delight your taste buds."--New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles
"Takes the reader on a wild ride with plenty of incredible food
along the way, including dirty rice, boudin, and Louisiana Ditch
Chicken... hilarious, opinionated, and a little salty... a fun
read."--Southern Living
"Toups launches his first cookbook with much bravado and no fear.
How often does one encounter a collection with Cajun games in
sidebars (try tomahawk throwing) and more than occasional cussing
spattered throughout?... Toups' authentic voice also relays some
mighty fine (more than 100) dishes, all, as he says, either prairie
or coastal Cajun... The recipes reflect his heritage well: trotters
and white beans, smoked duck gumbo, boiled crawfish, bacon-tomato
braised rabbit. Good photographs accompany."--Booklist
"Toups' form of authentic Cajun cooking comes at you extra-bold and
spicy, like a cat-5 hurricane out of the Gulf. And yet his recipes
in Chasing the Gator are approachable and enabling. This cookbook
is a riveting read, and anyone interested in the heritage of the
American South needs to own this beautifully rendered dive into
grattons, frisseurs, tata bouille, cochon de lait, and roux peas.
Get ready to make the most soul-stirring gumbo you've ever
tasted!"--Matt Lee and Ted Lee, James Beard Award-winning authors
of The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen
Toups "shares his recipes so casually, it's as if he were telling
you how to make duck gumbo over beers in a hunting blind...his 'new
Cajun' approach refers to the ways you can adapt his recipes for
the modern table... Empowering for a cook who loves Cajun
flavors."--New York Times
One of the Best Books of the Year: Garden & Gun, Boston Globe,
Southern Living, Philadelphia Inquirer
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