NEW ORLEANS – “Dook Chase: A Chef’s Journey,” a new national cooking series to debut this July from WYES-TV, follows Chef Edgar “Dook” Chase IV as he explores the people, places, traditions and flavors that make New Orleans one of the greatest food cities in the world.
Chef Edgar “Dook” Chase, the grandson of James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Leah Chase, and executive chef of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant visits places and people at the heart of New Orleans cuisine. Then, back in the WYES kitchen, Chef Dook brings those experiences to life as he prepares his own take on iconic New Orleans dishes.
The 26-part series premieres on WYES-TV on Saturday, July 18 at 10 a.m., with an encore airing Sundays at 11 a.m. Viewers throughout the WYES broadcast area can also stream the series on wyes.org, pbs.org and the PBS App. In addition to airing in the Greater New Orleans region and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the series will be broadcast on public television stations nationwide through distribution by American Public Television.
With an emphasis on how dishes and ingredients reflect the city’s history, Dook will connect with chefs who have elevated Creole, Cajun and West African cuisine to the forefront of fine dining in the city. Dook will also visit local Italian, Vietnamese, Indian and Latin American restaurants where chefs recreate the food from their homeland.
Some of the destinations and friends Chef Dook meets along the way in DOOK CHASE: A CHEF’S JOURNEY include:
Angelo Brocato’s, Arthur Brocato
Chapter IV, Chef Gavin Goins
Commander’s Palace, Chef Meg Bickford and Ti Martin
Cochon, Chef Donald Link
Café Reconcile, CEO Kheri Billy and Chef Martha Wiggins
Dakar NOLA, Chef Serigne Mbaye
Dong Phuong Bakery, Lihn Garza
Emeril’s, Chef E. J. Lagasse
Lagniappe Bakehouse, Chef Kaitlin Guerin
NOCHI (New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute), Chef Zoe Chase, GM Gerald Duhon, Chef Jacob Anguino/Chef Rebecca Klaskala
Parkway Bakery and Tavern, Chef Justin Kennedy
Saffron NOLA, Chef Arvinder Vilkhu
Sweet Saint, Kenny Chauvin & Family
Vaucresson Sausage and Creole Deli, Vance Vaucresson & Family, Chef Bunny Young
The series is also the inspiration for a new companion cookbook from Pelican Publishing, which features all of the recipes from the series and more than 125 color photos. Dishes include Whole Trout Cacciatore, Tortilla Soup, Pork Tamales, Sweet Potato Casserole, Vegetarian Banh Mi, Pulled Pork Benedict, Smothered Turkey Necks, Seafood Pot Pie, Crawfish Mac and Cheese, Studed Eggplant with Oysters, Soft Shell Crab on Crab Po-Boy, Bananas Foster Bread Pudding, Lemon Mint Sorbet and many more. The cookbook will be on sale soon at wyes.org.In addition to local restaurant kitchens, Dook’s journey also takes him to Madisonville where his grandmother grew up. During the visit he takes a look at his family’s tradition of preserving garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. In his kitchen the chef will create canning specialties that carry forward those time-honored techniques.
Chase family memories and cooking are at the heart of the series. Dook joins his mother Alva, Leah’s niece Cleo Robinson, and Chef Zoe Chase (Dook’s niece) in the kitchen to share recipes and stories from the restaurant in Treme founded in 1941 by Edgar “Dooky” Chase, Sr. and his wife Emily.
This celebration of New Orleans culture with Dook Chase is a delicious mix of origin stories, legendary dishes, family lore and unique local traditions for a one-of-a-kind look at the food of the Crescent City.
DOOK CHASE: A CHEF’S JOURNEY, a new national cooking series, premieres Saturday, July 18, at 10 a.m. Viewers throughout the WYES broadcast area can also stream the series on wyes.org, PBS.org and the PBS App