{photo credit: Cory Fontenot Photography}
Some chefs find their way to the kitchen early. For Chef Eric Cook, the journey first went through military service before he came across some of the city’s most respected kitchens, and ultimately back home to the flavors that shaped him.
A native New Orleanian and combat veteran, Cook served six years in the United States Marine Corps before coming out of the Gulf War and finding himself back in New Orleans without a clear plan for what’s next. A connection through his oldest sister led him to Brennan’s Restaurant, where he was put to work in the kitchen. He then trained at the John Folse Culinary Institute and worked under Executive Chef Mike Roussel at Brennan’s on Royal Street. The discipline he’d built in the Corps translated cleanly. “Yes, sir” to “yes, chef” was an easy transition.
After Brennan’s, he spent several years at Commander’s Palace, then moved through some of the city’s most well-regarded kitchens — Executive Chef for the National WWII Museum’s the American Sector, Bourbon House, Tommy’s, and NOSH. Over the years, he developed a style rooted in the Southern and Creole traditions, which he grew up with. After twenty years working in other people’s restaurants, Cook was ready to open his own.
In 2018, he opened Gris-Gris on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District. The name is no accident. “Gris-gris is a word everyone growing up in New Orleans knows, even if they don’t know exactly what it means,” Cook had said in an interview with New Orleans Living magazine. “That epitomizes our culture of superstitions and faith, traditions and beliefs that we stand behind, even if we don’t know exactly why.” The restaurant became an immediate local favorite, earning Eater New Orleans’s Readers’ Choice for Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year in 2018, along with New Orleans City Business’s Restaurant of the Year.
In 2021, Cook opened a second restaurant, Saint John, in the French Quarter. Saint John was a “Haute Creole” concept built around the kind of holiday dishes your grandmother only brought out once a year: smothered turkey necks, beef daube, redfish meunière. The restaurant moved through several chapters, including a relocation to the CBD, before Cook sold his stake to his business partner in April 2026.
And in 2024, he released his debut cookbook, Modern Creole: A Taste of New Orleans Culture and Cuisine, a love letter to home cooking and the city that raised him. Besides sharing some of his favorite recipes, he also shares stories from his career, from being a line cook at Commander’s and Brennan’s, to opening his restaurant.
Cook has cooked for the NFL Hall of Fame, the U.S. Marine Corps Ball, the U.S. Navy Ball, and a private dinner for President George W. Bush, the President of Mexico, and the Prime Minister of Canada. He’s appeared on Top Chef New Orleans, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, and After Hours with Daniel Boulud. In 2019, he was named a culinary legend at the ACF Best Chefs of Louisiana.
But the accolades are almost beside the point. Cook is the founder and president of the First to Fight Foundation, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and an active volunteer for Wounded Warriors, The Legacy Foundation, and the American Red Cross. He stayed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina to feed troops and first responders. His story is one of service, resilience, and a lifelong love of New Orleans food. And one thing you’ll notice is that these values show up in every plate that leaves his kitchen.
What’s your earliest memory of eating red beans and rice?
My first memories of eating red beans are from when I was a kid growing up in Arabi. My mom always made red beans on Monday, and so did all the other kids’ moms. We would visit all the neighborhood Moms for free red beans.
Do you cook red beans and rice yourself, or do you leave it to someone else?
I always cook our red beans on Monday, it’s a relaxing day for me and an easy meal for the family.
What has to go in your pot?
Andouille sausage is a must for my pot.
If you could have red beans and rice with anyone—past or present—who would it be?
I would like to sit down with my Dad one more time to eat red beans and talk about fishing and hunting; those were the best Mondays.
When did you realize red beans and rice is more than just a Monday tradition?
I think red beans became a thing as I got older and learned about other traditions of friends, not from New Orleans. We have a special culinary heritage in South Louisiana, and we definitely take it seriously.
What’s the best part of sharing a big pot of red beans and rice with friends or family?
The best part of sharing a pot of red beans is sharing the tradition of coming to the table with friends and family. Red beans are the best way to start your week with great food and great conversations; it definitely gets the week going on a good note.
What does red beans and rice mean to you?
Red beans and rice is important in my life because it makes me feel at home. And home is where the heart is, or in this case, home is where the red beans and rice are.
What does Monday mean in a New Orleans kitchen?
Mondays in New Orleans have their own feeling. The smell of sausage and salted ham cooking in onions, peppers, and celery has a unique way of calming you down. Just knowing what’s for dinner is a big deal, but when it’s Monday, it can only mean one thing: Red Beans and Rice, baby.
Where is your favorite spot in New Orleans?
My favorite spot in New Orleans is definitely Magazine Street. Strolling through the Lower Garden District down to the Irish Channel and slowly working your way Uptown to really get the feeling of living in New Orleans, it’s like a different country every few blocks.
What is your favorite comfort food – your go-to meal?
My mom’s chicken and dumplings is my all-time favorite comfort food, even in my own restaurant.
What’s the best way for someone outside of New Orleans to support you?
Everyone who has visited New Orleans knows it’s a very special place. It has people and a culture unlike any other city in the world. Y’all just need to keep coming back to visit us and keep this city one of the world’s premier culinary destinations.
To stay up to date with the latest information on Chef Eric Cook, follow him online:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emcthecook/
- website: https://grisgrisnola.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grisgrisnola
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grisgrisnola/
Chef Eric Cook’s Gris Gris restaurant is located at 1800 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.
{photo credit: Gris Gris website}
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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