[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]
CHEF JEREMY CONNER
From his kitchen at the Village Café in Lafayette, Chef Jeremy Conner serves a menu that makes the most of the town’s Cajun roots and the availability of excellent local seafood. As an Alabama native who grew up in Pensacola, Florida, Jeremy always had a close connection with the sea.
“I was well-versed in Gulf Coast cuisine before I moved to Louisiana but still had a lot to learn. Over these five years, I’ve worked Lafayette’s unique flavors and techniques into the menu,” Jeremy says.
As a teenager, Jeremy started cooking professionally in a fast food kitchen before moving on to a beachfront restaurant in Pensacola. Throughout college he continued cooking while trying to figure out which major would set him on the right course. After a few years he realized he had already been practicing his passion, so he completed his two-year degree and went back to cooking full-time.
At the Village Café, he initially worked with 2008 Chef to Watch Jude Tauzin to further refine his skills. “My cooking style is an amalgamation of bright Emerald Coast cuisine and heartier Cajun fare,” Jeremy says. “We really try to incorporate as many local ingredients as we can, so I let them speak for themselves in a very Alice Waters kind of way.”
Over the years, he’s made terrific relationships with some of the farmers and fishermen in the Lafayette area. From the Gotreaux Family Farm in Scott, Louisiana, which grows the flavor-rich and nutrient-dense produce Jeremy needs, to a St. Martinville microgreens farmer, he has surrounded himself with world-class producers. The menu that Jeremy built and continues to perfect showcases the best of Acadiana and Louisiana at-large.
His New Orleans-style BBQ Shrimp is a perennial best seller, as are the Mediterranean Tuna Rolls, which he cold-smokes to give just a hint of mystery. All of his dishes complement the restaurant’s expansive wine selection. While ‘light’ and ‘nuanced’ aren’t words that are commonly used to describe Cajun cuisine, Jeremy is showing his ability to work with Acadiana’s bold flavors and plentiful produce.
Recipe
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]
Click here to meet the 2014 Chefs to Watch.
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”yes” class=”” id=””]
[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]