¹ū¶³APP

CHEF JOHN FOLSE
CULINARY INSTITUTE

AT NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY

Louisiana's Culinary Ambassador to the world

Born and raised in St. James Parish, Louisiana, Chef John Folse, CEC, is respected around the world as a leading authority on Cajun and Creole culture and cuisine. Folse grew up in a family of sugarcane farmers and great cooks, learning at a young age to utilize ingredients from the swamp floor pantry of south Louisiana’s Bayou Country.

Following the success of his Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville, Folse expanded into catering and manufacturing. Chef John Folse & Company is one of only a few chef-owned food manufacturing companies in the United States producing custom-manufactured foods. Folse has also branched into catering and events management which he houses atĀ White Oak Plantation in Baton Rouge.

Chef John Folse has producedĀ several cookbooks in his Cajun and Creole series. He hosts his own televisionĀ cooking show, broadcast on public television stations, and his syndicated radio show Stirrin’ It Up! can be heard nationwide.

As a Certified Executive Chef, a member of the and past president of the , Folse represents the finest in culinary professionalism and has received numerous awards.

In AugustĀ  2010, Folse announced his partnership with Chef Rick Tramonto and the formation of Home on the Range: Folse Tramonto Restaurant Development, LLC. Their first joint venture, , opened in June of 2012 at 777 BienvilleĀ  St. at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans. Restaurant R’evolution offers modern,Ā  imaginative reinterpretations of classic Cajun and Creole cuisine.Ā In November 2014 Folse and Tramonto opened their second joint venture, Seafood R’evolution, in Ridgeland, MS.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Chef John Folse

  • Louisiana Restaurant Association, ā€œLouisiana Restaurateur of the Year,ā€ 1987
  • American Culinary Federation (ACF), ā€œNational Chef of the Year,ā€1990
  • Johnson & Wales University, Honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts, 1992
  • American Culinary Federation, National President, 1994
  • Baltimore International Culinary College, Honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts, 1995
  • Nation’s Restaurant News, ā€œProfiles of Power,ā€ 1995
  • Food Arts magazine, ā€œSilver Spoon Award,ā€ 1998
  • American Culinary Federation (ACF), Louisiana Chef’s Hall of Fame, 1999
  • Antonin CarĆŖme Medal, 2000
  • DiRōNA, Chairman, 2000 – 2001
  • RCA, Board of Directors, 2001
  • National Dairy Council, Chef’s Advisory Panel, 2004
  • RCA, President, 2005‐2007
  • National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, College of Diplomates, 2006
  • Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest, American Judge, 2007
  • Louisiana Governor’s Cultural Economic Development Arts Award, 2008
  • Southern Foodways Alliance, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008
  • Baton Rouge Epicurean Society, Grace ā€œMamaā€ Marino Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011
  • ¹ū¶³APP, Honorary Doctorate of Commerce, 2011
  • BP’s Spirit of the Gulf Campaign Leader, London Olympics, August 2012
  • Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, Marketing Specialist 2008, Chairman 2013
  • Research Chefs Association, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2013
  • St. Joseph’s Cathedral Community Award, March 2014
  • Sister Dulce Foundation Board, current

Chef John Folse & Company

  • TGI Friday’s, Procurement Product Development Award, 1998
  • Research Chefs Association, ā€œPioneers in Culinology,ā€ 1999
  • TGI Friday’s, ā€œFood Vendor of the Year,ā€ 2011
  • TGI Friday’s, ā€œPurposeful Innovation Award,ā€ 2012

Lafitte’s Landing

  • Nation’s Restaurant News, ā€œFine Dining Hall of Fame,ā€ 1989
  • DiRōNA, Award of Excellence, 1996

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