NEW ORLEANS – Mister Mao says everyone should turbo-load your brat summer with their Aug. 19 BBQ MONDAY guest chef pop up featuring Lawrence Weeks from Louisville, Kentucky. Enjoy the best of both worlds with a special a la carte menu featuring our guest chef’s plates AND Mister Mao favorites.
Lawrence Weeks dedicated himself to cooking when he was a child growing up in a Creole-Cajun household in Louisville, Kentucky.
His professional career began in 2010 after finishing culinary school. Weeks worked under multiple James Beard-recognized chef Todd Richards at The Pig and The Pearl in Atlanta, where Richards encouraged him to “find his roots in food.” When Weeks returned to his home state, he started Locals Only: a Louisville pop-up that focused on local people, products and food. In 2021, Weeks became the Executive Chef of North of Bourbon where his cooking now connects the city of New Orleans with his unique uses of Southern ingredients in unexpected ways.
Weeks, a partner and Executive Chef for Ensō, leads the culinary team behind this new concept. Chef Weeks has curated a menu that reflects his passion for Japanese culinary technique coupled with his long-standing ties to Southern cuisine.
Menu highlights include…
STICKY PORK RIBS
bourbon sugar cane glaze, Sancho sugar, crispy garlic, cilantro
DRY AGED BEEF SALAD
Blackhawk Farms flank steak, savoy cabbage slaw,
fish sauce buttermilk dressing, crispy onion, toasted rice powder
CAROLINA GOLD MUSHROOM RICE
paprika mayo, benne seed dressing,
golden raisin syrup, pimenton picante, herb saladse)
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