Lauren Chriceol is celebrating the Cajun flavours of her childhood at a pop-up kitchen in Newcastle called Louisiana Dreamin.
Gumbo. Crispy prawn po' boys. Creole fish pies. Pork boudin spring rolls. Smoked andouille sausages. Boudin sausage rolls. Jalapeno corn bread. Jambalaya. Pecan pie. These are the dishes Lauren grew up with in Lafayette, southern Louisiana, which is defined by its Cajun and Creole roots.
"Since I was a kid I always wanted to move to Australia. I finally got here about two years ago, and moved straight to Newcastle," she told Food & Wine.
"As soon as I got here I knew this was my place - it just felt perfect - and then I met Alex."
"Alex" is Newcastle chef Alex Hunter. He started his cheffing career as an apprentice at Restaurant II, moving on to Nor East with chef Tony Harrison, Sydney's Quay Restaurant, The Bell Tree, Bennelong at the Opera House, subo, The Edwards and Urban Mess at Bistro Lowlands.
He started his own business, Al's Pasta, during the pandemic and was most recently head chef at Local Connections. Al's Pasta is likely to make a return soon, he says, but for now Louisiana Dreamin is his focus.
When Lauren first met Alex, he mentioned he had an interest in authentic Cajun cooking. Two months' later he had convinced her to do a pop-up Cajun kitchen with him.
"Cajun is life in Louisiana and Lafayette is the hub. It's not just food for us, it's a lifestyle, a heritage," she said.
"There are lots of influences from French Nova Scotia and we have our own music, our own customs, our own food, even a dialect of Cajun French.
"It's a big deal for us, it's our pride and joy. The best way to describe Cajun cooking is spicy, backyard French cooking. It has a background in French cookery and French techniques but with that backyard element.
"It's spicy Southern soul food."
Added Alex: "When I saw what Lauren was doing, I recognised some of the traditional French techniques I'd been taught earlier in my career.
"And the Cajun spiciness is not so much hot spice, it's more of a deep, well-rounded flavour of warmth, with a little bit of heat here and there."
Lauren's traditional Cajun gumbo is a hit with regulars at Louisiana Dreamin, which pops up once a month at Method Brewery in Islington.
"Gumbo is basically a rich, dark smoky stew," Lauren explained.
"You start with your flower root, fry it for 30 minutes to an hour on a low heat, then you add all the vegetables - celery, onion and bell pepper - we call them the holy trinity of all Cajun food.
"We use a mix of light and dark chicken in our gumbo, and then smoked pork sausage and a fresh pork sausage.
"We do po' boys as well at Louisiana Dreamin. They're a big deal in Cajun culture. They're basically a French baguette sandwich stuffed with fried seafood and it's got to have lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles ... we do a house-made spicy remoulade too.
"Everything we do is flavourful. We don't hold back on the flavour."
Alex's traditional American pies are also proving popular: apple, cherry, rhubarb and strawberry, and pecan.
"One of the cool things with the pop-up is that it's become a bit of a hub for Americans living in Newcastle," he said.
"We've noticed that each week we do the pop-up there's another couple from Texas, another couple from Missouri ... it's like we're a beacon."
"I call it my Louisiana lighthouse," said Lauren, laughing.
"I never expected it to turn into this, I honestly thought we'd just make a pot of gumbo and serve it to people for one night."
Louisiana Dreamin will be popping up at Method Brewing again on November 23. Lauren and Alex are returning to the US shortly for five weeks to do a little research.
"We're going to New Orleans and I'll be doing a bit of work experience in a restaurant there - there's so much you can do with Cajun food," Alex said.
"We also do catering now and we're looking to branch out to other venues. We'll do a couple of takeovers next year too.
"It was scary to take that jump and do something on my own without the safety net of a full-time job, but it was time to take a chance on this pop-up kitchen. I wanted to do it justice."
