Emeril Goes Gulf Coast

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Food media eyes might be tuned into Las Vegas, watching for the next Super Chef to open in a hotel (or own one like Charlie Palmer), but the real action is further East on the Gulf Coast. Last June Todd English announced that he would be opening a signature restaurant at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in December of this year. Joining him are chefs like Luke Palladino, who opened the Bragozzo at Isle of Capri in Biloxi in October (who previoulsly worked for Todd at the now defunct Onda Ristorante at the Mirage-- see Super Chef p. 104, 118).. Emeril Lagasse just announced that he is also joining the pack. He will be opening a clone of his Emeril's New Orleans Fish House (which is in Las Vegas not New Orleans) in the refurbished Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport, Mississippi in the spring of 2007. Biloxi and Gulfport are only 13 miles apart. Opening on the Gulf Coast makes plenty of sense for Emeril. He already runs restaurants in the South and South-West: three in New Orleans, two in Las Vegas, two in Orlando, one in Atlanta and one in Miami. He has plenty of experience operating inside casinos, and chances are he'll be able to attract the same custoners as they make the rounds of the casinos. He and his wife, Alden own property in Pass Christian, about 10 miles from Gulfport (there house was destroyed but they plan to rebuild). It is a sure-fire way to emphasize that he is committed to the Gulf Coast after his disappearing act after Huricane Katrina devasted the area. Emeril has been criticized in the press for not opening his New Orleans restaurants sooner and not showing up in New Orleans to support the restaurant industry. I am very happy to partner with Rick [Carter] and Terry [Green] and their team at Island View for this exciting project. I receive offers everyday to build new restaurants all over the world, but I chose to open a restaurant on the Gulf Coast because it means a lot to me to be a part of the rebuilding of this community. My family and I have very close ties here - my wife Alden grew up in Gulfport and we have spent a lot of time with our family and friends here, as well as our involvement with the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. Lagasse announced a grant of $25,000 to be awarded to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, a children's museum, by the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. Is the Gulf Coast the new Las Vegas? The answer is partly "Yes". Casinos will always be attractive to chefs because the casinos pay the big bucks for chefs to fly in and consult on a restaurant, and people go to casinos to spend all their money - they aren't looking for a bargain. But the answer is also "No". The whole country is wide open territory for Super Chefs. If David Pasternack opens in Charlotte and Emeril in Gulfport, anywhere with enough population and disposable income could be next. Previous articles: Emeril Leads Space Race? Halloween: Emeril's Delmonico Cookbook Emeril Lagasse Lays Apple iPod Emeril Lagasse: Wine Spectator Award Emeril Lagasse: iPod ReciPods Emeril Lagasse: Carnivale du Vin All-Stars [Hurricane Katrina - complete] [Chefs & Branding - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog