Chef Gus Martin: A shining culinary star and author
Long before he became a top chef, New Orleans native Gus Martin had a passion for cooking, something he learned as a toddler while spending time in his grandmother’s kitchen in the Ninth Ward. His mother was also in the restaurant biz.
Martin began working at world-famous Commander’s Palace at age 14, when former executive chef Paul Prudhomme took the youngster under his wing and showed him the tricks of the trade. Three years later, Martin left to serve six years in the army, and then returned to New Orleans, where he began working as a line cook under executive chef Gerard Maras at Mr. B’s Bistro, owned by Cindy Brennan. It was the start of a long professional affiliation with the famed Brennan family of restaurateurs.
He began moving up quickly through the ranks. After Mr. B’s, Martin returned to Commander’s to serve as executive sous chef under the late executive chef Jamie Shannon. His talents were recognized by Ella Brennan, the family matriarch, and his responsibilities increased. Five years later, Martin was promoted to chef de cuisine at Palace Café, another Brennan’s fine dining establishment; he was named executive chef of Palace Café in 1998, the following year.
While at Palace Café, Chef Martin authored a cookbook, Palace Café: The Flavors of New Orleans. He was also concurrently named as the executive chef of Bourbon House owned by Dickie Brennan. When Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse opened, Chef Martin held the executive title to all three of the French Quarter restaurants, which was quite an amazing feat for a young, rising star chef. Later, Martin became the executive chef of Ralph’s on the Park, owned by restaurateur Ralph Brennan. Chef Martin left Ralph’s to become the executive chef of Muriel’s Jackson Square, a title he still holds today. I caught up with Chef Martin recently and asked him about his life as a devoted chef and a foodie who continually creates an ever-expanding repertoire of culinary delights at Muriel’s.
Who first taught you how to cook?
My grandmother and my mother gave me the passion for cooking. My grandmother was from Thibodaux. She came from a large family with 11 brothers and sisters. They lived on a farm and lived off of the land. My grandmother loved to cook. She taught me how to cook my first scrambled eggs when I was two years old, standing on a crate. I still have that pot!
I understand that you started cooking at Commander’s Palace as a young teen, and that you were with the Brennan family of restaurateurs for nearly 30 years; is that right?
Yes, it has been 29 plus years.
What were some of the most important things you learned under Chef Paul Prudhomme and Chef Jamie Shannon at Commander’s, and how does that translate to what you are doing now at Muriel’s?
I was a young man when I worked with Paul. His cooking style reminded me a lot of my grandmother’s cooking, and he was also from the country. He taught me to use Louisiana ingredients but to use more upscale techniques, and to take good local products and evolve them into a more polished dish. Paul kept to his culinary roots, but always found ways to add his own twist. Jamie was one of my best friends for many years—he taught me a lot about life and a lot about how to treat people. He was from New Jersey but he stayed true to Louisiana flavors. Jamie was a very special person in my life and in my family’s life. Other important influences in my life were Chefs Jimmy Smith and Gerard Maras.
What are some of the most popular dishes that you prepare at Muriel’s?
Blackened Redfish with crab stuffing is one of my favorites right now. We make a “killer” gumbo and turtle soup. The puppy drum is one of our signature dishes. It is a very good example of New Orleans’ culinary culture with the pecans and crawfish. A good old southern dish is the double cut pork chop with the southern greens. But it is all good. The crabmeat imperial is a classic, and also one of my favorites.
When you authored Palace Café: The Flavors of New Orleans, I understand that you worked on the project with your daughter, Jeanette. Is she following in your footsteps as a chef and foodie?
Jeanette is definitely a foodie. She is the pastry chef in my house and bakes all the cookies. She is an excellent cook. My son Gus is really following in my footsteps as well. He has cooked at some of the top restaurants in the city, including Dante’s Kitchen, Patois, and Palace Café.
How did you manage to juggle being executive chef of the Palace Café, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, and Bourbon House all at the same time, or were these done at different times?
I was the corporate chef for all three restaurants; I was the chef at Palace Café. Dick Brennan always wanted to open up a steakhouse, so I helped him open the steakhouse in the French Quarter. We went to France together to do the research for Bourbon House, but my heart was always at Palace Café because that was my first executive chef position. But wherever they needed me, I was there.
We are approaching Carnival season once again in New Orleans. What are some of your favorite Carnival traditions? Do you have any special memories of Mardi Gras at Palace Café, since y’all were directly on the parade route?
The best part of the location of Palace Café during Mardi Gras was the excitement of the people. When people come down to Muriel’s, they are here to have fun, especially being in the heart of the French Quarter right on Jackson Square. We have a great clientele that come down to see us throughout the year. We do make mini individual-sized king cakes every year at Muriel’s; it has become a tradition of ours.
Can you recommend anything that is especially good for a Carnival buffet for our readers to prepare?
I like to cook a shrimp etouffée or jambalaya for Carnival. We find a parade route and bring out our jambalaya and etouffée, and of course fried chicken and king cakes.
What is your favorite thing about being an acclaimed, top chef in New Orleans, and how has the culinary scene, in your opinion, evolved since Katrina?
My favorite thing about being a chef in New Orleans is teaching young people the traditions of our culinary history. Cooking is all about making people happy. Katrina was a catastrophe because we lost a lot of great old Creole chefs and we have not gotten them back. There used to be more depth people such as this in our culinary world. We lost a large part of our soul.
What is your favorite dessert in the whole world, and why?
There are so many good desserts, I have to name two: The Peninsula Grill in Charleston, South Carolina, has a great coconut cake. You can order them online. It is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had, a four-layered coconut cake that is absolutely delicious. But I also love bananas Foster, a classic New Orleans dessert that is timeless. ✦
