Executive Chef John Valenzuela

Cooking and creating authentic Creole Cajun cuisine is more than a hobby. The owner and executive chef of Quebedeaux’s Cajun Cafe and Quebedeaux’s Boudin & Cracklins has spent years perfecting his passion for flavor. “I’ve been creating dishes for decades. It’s my heart,” he said. “I grew up in South Louisiana, but spent summers in Texas with my grandparents — they’re the ones who taught me how to cook. They taught me about flavors, seasonings, and putting passion into each meal.”

When he turned 18, Valenzuela moved to New Orleans and worked briefly under the direction of the late Chef Paul Prudhomme, something which he says “was the biggest blessing of my career. Working with Paul changed the way I thought about food entirely. He took me under his wing and taught me how to be an executive chef.

​“We cook comfort food at a high level. This is the way we eat food in Louisiana — it’s all about flavor, love and passion in every dish. This is not something we’re going to fly by. This is something we’re building to stay in Central Louisiana for a long time,”