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CREOLE CAJUN CHEF
Good Cooking, Good Eating & Good Living!!!
LuxLife Magazine Best Creole & Cajun Recipe Creator 2025
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Veal more versatile
Veal is found on many New Orleans menus, not just the Italian restaurants. Veal is the meat of calves as opposed to beef, which is from...

Tommy Centola
Mar 31, 20193 min read
Dressing up Filet Mignon
The premier cut of beef is the Filet Mignon, translated tender fillet. This is the most tender cut of beef, due to the inactivity of the...

Tommy Centola
Mar 24, 20193 min read
One last cookout for great Labor Day
Labor Day is the unofficial last day of Summer. For many across the country, school starts on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Labor Day, the...

Tommy Centola
Mar 10, 20193 min read
Key Lime
Summertime is when most people take vacations. One of my favorite vacation destinations is Key West. You can not think of Key West...

Tommy Centola
Mar 3, 20193 min read
Leap into something new with Frog Legs
First things first, frog legs taste like a cross between chicken and fish. Their mild flavor has people believing that they taste like...

Tommy Centola
Feb 24, 20193 min read
Chicken can be versatile
I feel that chicken often gets a bum rap. It is an inexpensive meat and many often turn to chicken to stretch their budget. It is easy to...

Tommy Centola
Feb 17, 20193 min read
Getting Creative with Catfish
When I first arrived in Searcy, one of the first places my sister-in-law took us to eat was an all you can eat Catfish Buffett. Catfish...

Tommy Centola
Feb 10, 20193 min read
Preparing perfect pasta
Pasta is a dish that is often introduced early in our childhood. The softness of the pasta makes it a great meal for a child who is...

Tommy Centola
Feb 3, 20193 min read
Blackberries drive summertime memories, recipes
Blackberries are a great summertime treat. Growing up, my grandmother had a blackberry bush in her yard. Every summer, I spent time...

Tommy Centola
Jan 27, 20193 min read
Plan ahead for your 4th of July picnic
The fourth of July is a great day for a picnic. Many towns have firework displays to celebrate the nation’s birthday. It’s a great day to...

Tommy Centola
Dec 9, 20183 min read
A Different take on Cooking Class Dishes
There are many of things to do in the city of New Orleans. One of the popular attractions is the New Orleans School of Cooking. Located...

Tommy Centola
Dec 2, 20183 min read
Desserts do not need to be Complex
Everyone loves dessert. Whether it is chocolate, fruits, pie, cake or ice cream, most people has a sweet tooth. Many would like to eat...

Tommy Centola
Nov 25, 20183 min read


Quick Kabobs for Father’s Day
June 18th is Father’s Day. I would love to honor my father with some of his great recipes. However, he did very little of the cooking in...

Tommy Centola
Nov 11, 20183 min read
Focusing on Tomato Sauce
In the late 1800’s, large number of immigrants from Sicily began to settle in south Louisiana. Many stayed in New Orleans to establish...

Tommy Centola
Oct 28, 20183 min read
New Orleans is melting pot of culture
I grew up on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in New Orleans. There are many great restaurants that non locals don’t know about...

Tommy Centola
Oct 7, 20183 min read
Cooking with Shrimp in the Kitchen
Shrimp is the most popular seafood. It is a seafood that freezes well, so you don’t have to have a fresh supply locally to eat quality...

Tommy Centola
Sep 30, 20183 min read
Pork Dishes sure to be a favorite
New Orleans is not known for their pork dishes. Barbecue restaurants are just starting to make their mark. This past March, I was part of...

Tommy Centola
Sep 23, 20183 min read
Honor Mom with meal on Mother’s Day
My first weekend that I was no longer working in the restaurant business was the weekend of Mother’s Day. This was intentional. Mother’s...

Tommy Centola
Sep 16, 20183 min read
Down Home Favorites
New Orleans is known as a city with great restaurants. However, not all of the great cooks are found in restaurants. You can find a great...

Tommy Centola
Sep 9, 20183 min read
Crabmeat versatile in the Kitchen
One of the easiest ways to elevate a dish is to top it with crabmeat. In New Orleans, many dishes that are topped with crabmeat are given...

Tommy Centola
Aug 26, 20183 min read
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