i. Biography
He has said, “I grew up in a swampland trapper’s cabin.” That background stays attached to John Folse’s work as a useful frame: a Louisiana cook shaped by wet ground, low fire, and a sense of place that reads through the food. The result is a style grounded in bayou rhythm, market logic, and family table scale—direct, regional, and identifiable as his own.
The Path
Training at American Academy of Chefs (AAC) gave John Folse a formal base before his career widened through restaurant ownership, media, and industry work. As owner / restaurateur at Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in St. James Parish, Louisiana (from 1978), he anchored his name to a restaurant that could carry a broad Louisiana point of view. Later, as owner / restaurateur at Bittersweet Plantation Dairy in Louisiana (from 2002), he extended that same approach into another setting. His work also reached beyond the dining room. As marketing specialist at Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board in Louisiana, John Folse worked inside the state’s ingredient conversation as much as its public identity. In 2012, he became executive chef at Restaurant R'evolution in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today, John is host of Stirrin' It Up! (culinary radio show), host of Stirrin' It Up (television version on WAFB TV), and owner / restaurateur of Folse Market (since 2019), with roles that keep him moving across kitchen, broadcast, and retail.
The Work Today
Folse’s current work functions as a connected set of formats rather than a single title. At Folse Market (since 2019), his name sits on a physical site again, where food is exchanged as product, idea, and daily practice.
Signature
John's signature dishes include Death by Gumbo, A Taste of Louisiana, and Can You Dig It. The names point to a kitchen that uses humor and force in equal measure. They read as dishes designed to be remembered, discussed, and repeated—built from Southern flavor with a public-facing sense of theater.
In Their Words “I make 10 or 12 ratafias: some with loquats, some with kumquats and other Southern citrus.” “I think it’s probably the most photographed or tweeted of all my dishes.” Those lines show a cook working with variation, with seasonal fruit and Southern citrus, and with an awareness that some dishes operate in more than one register. They are made for the plate, but also for the image, the recounting, and the shorthand that builds around a dish once it enters circulation.
Acclaim
John's honors include Benny Award for Best Cookbook (2015), Louisiana Chef's Hall of Fame (1999), Silver Spoon Award (1998), National Chef of the Year (1990), and Louisiana Restaurateur of the Year (1987). Read together, they map recognition across different parts of the trade: restaurant work, authorship, and chef identity, with each award marking a point in a long public record.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of John
What is John Folse's current role?
As of 2026, John Folse is Executive Chef.
Where did John Folse train or study?
John Folse trained at American Academy of Chefs (AAC).
What recognition has John Folse received?
Benny Award for Best Cookbook (2015).
