Chef John Folse is the owner and executive chef of his Louisiana based corporations. His Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville is recognized as one of the finest restaurants in and around New Orleans. White Oak Plantation, in Baton Rouge, houses his catering and events management company, "Voila!" Louisiana's Premier Products, his cook and chill plant in New Orleans, manufactures soups, sauces, entrees and meats for food service and retail establishments across the country. Chef Folse is the author of numerous books and publications available in bookstores nationally.

John is respected around the world as an authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture. He hosts his own national television cooking show on PBS. He has taken his famous "Taste of Louisiana" from Hollywood to the Great Wall of China, opening promotional Louisiana restaurants in Hong Kong, Japan, Beijing, London, Paris, Rome, Bogota, and Taipei. In 1989, Chef Folse was invited to create the first ever Vatican State Dinner in Rome, and while there had a private audience with Pope John Paul II. In 1990, Chef Folse was named the "National Chef of the Year" by the American Culinary Federation, the highest honor bestowed upon an American chef. In that same year, his Lafitte's Landing was inducted into the "Fine Dining Hall of Fame," one of ten restaurants in America honored with this prestigious award. In 1987, Chef Folse was selected as "Louisiana Restaurateur of the Year" by the Louisiana Restaurant Association and in November of 1988, the Louisiana Sales and Marketing Executives named him "Louisiana's Marketing Ambassador to the World." In 1988, Chef Folse made international headlines by opening his "Lafitte's Landing East" in Moscow during the presidential summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. This opening represented the first time an American restaurant had operated on Soviet soil. Immediately following this venture, John hosted ten Soviet chefs for the first Soviet-American Culinary Exchange.

Chef Folse is the recipient of numerous culinary awards and recognitions, and has been honored by local, state, and international governments for his continuing efforts to showcase America's regional cooking around the world. His most prestigious acknowledgment to date was Nicholls State University's decision to name their new culinary program in his honor. An Associate of Science in Culinary Arts degree program will begin in January of 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts degree program beginning in January of 1997. Nicholls State, his Alma Mater, is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. For additional information on our organization you may locate us on the Internet at http://www.jfolse.com.

A Taste of Louisiana Home
Louisiana Cooking with a Change of Heart ••  Bed & Breakfasts of the Bayou State ••  Fairs & Festivals of Louisiana
Plantation Celebrations ••  Historical Louisiana Food Towns ••  The Evolution of Cajun & Creole Cuisine ••  Holiday Specials
Recipes ••  Chef John Folse ••  Chef John Folse Cookbooks •• Underwriters ••  Credits
LPB Interactive ••  Chef John Folse & Company •• PBS Online