Hand-crafted Products From Chef John Besh - Besh Restaurant Group Brings The Taste Of Louisiana To The Table

If you live in New Orleans, you're likely to see the chefs of John Besh's restaurants-August, Besh Steak, La Provence and L�ke, at the farmers markets picking produce they'll serve up later that day in sophisticated preparations. While it's easy to buy the same ingredients, most home chefs find it impossible to create the same satisfying flavors that come out of Besh's kitchens-until now, that is. Long passionate about bringing the intense flavors of Louisiana products and richness of New Orleans' culinary culture to his guests, Besh is reaching out across the country with a new line of hand-crafted products that deliver fresh flavors and subtle seasonings right into the hands of home cooks.

"These products are things that we use in our kitchens and that we want people to take home and use," says Besh. This idea sounds easy, but it turned out to be quite complicated translating the freshly-made, small-batch recipes of Besh Restaurant Group kitchens into a mass-produced product line that will be carried by Whole Foods and other grocers from coast to coast beginning this fall. "I'm used to adding a pinch of this and a little bit of that, but in the research and development kitchen, everything is measured to one-hundredth of a gram," Besh explains.

Translating restaurant kitchen recipes to the factory setting turned out to be simple, however, compared to the challenge of finding local growers, canners, and dairy producers who could supply the necessary quantity of ingredients without sacrificing quality. It's not that hard to buy a couple of bottles of cane vinegar or red pepper jelly, but when it comes to buying whole palettes and drums of high-quality, local products, things become more difficult. "I feel like I've become this liaison between the big factory and the little farmer," says Steven McHugh, Corporate Executive Chef for Besh Restaurant Group and Project Director for the line of compound butters, seasoned salts and rubs, dressing, and sauces. He has found himself teaching small-scale suppliers of everything from local wildflower honey to pepper jelly how to produce and package larger amounts.

In order to supply enough fresh herbs for the line of compound butters, Besh Restaurant Group partnered with a local Vietnamese church to create an herb garden within easy picking distance of the restaurants and factory kitchen. "We are committed to working with this group and buying all their products, and they are using our commitment as a catalyst for community development," says McHugh. This relationship also reflects a long-standing culinary passion of Besh himself, who has been introducing Vietnamese flavors at August for years. "It's not like we just decided to do some fusion," says McHugh. "There are so many cultures in New Orleans-French, Spanish, Italian, and now, Vietnamese and even Brazilian. It's part of who we are."

The line of spiced sea salts-including a French Country Herb Sea Salt with sage and large flakes of European salt; an Asian Spiced Sea Salt with hints of soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sesame seed; an Italian Hearty Herb Salt with mint, garlic, rosemary and basil, and a classic Creole Spiced Sea Salt-expresses the internationalism of New Orleans' culinary culture. In contrast, Besh's line of vinaigrettes, which includes Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette, Louisiana Sugar Cane Vinaigrette, and Wild Flower Honey and Creole Mustard Vinaigrette, draws inspiration from the region's country roots.

The Besh Restaurant Group Hand-Crafted Product line also offers two dressings and dips- Heirloom Tomato and Green Garlic Dressing and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. "One of our salt mixes and a vinaigrette or dressing combined with a few fresh ingredi