Meg Bickford

The Climb

Technique and regional identity were built together at John Folse Culinary Institute, where Meg Bickford’s training sat inside the grammar of Louisiana cooking. That foundation carried into Executive Chef work at Cafe Adelaide in New Orleans, Louisiana (2015–2020), a run that put her cooking in public view and sharpened it under restaurant pressure. In 2020, she moved to Commander's Palace, where she is Executive Chef today, carrying a grounded command of regional cooking into a room known for precision, polish, and continuity.

Today

At Commander's Palace, the menu is built on Louisiana flavor first, with memory and invention working in the same register. Miso & Sugarcane Shrimp Coated Redfish shows that approach plainly: Creole and Cajun flavors meet Asian notes without losing the dish’s Louisiana center. It’s a useful example of how the kitchen expands local vocabulary without flattening it. Dirty Duck Confit works in a different key, but with the same control of contrast. Sweet citrus and sour orange pepper jelly are set over Louisiana heirloom pumpkin au gratin, roasted apple salad, white bean crisp, and a “dirty” andouille duck jus, creating a dish that balances brightness, richness, and savory depth. Jumbo Lump Crab Stuffed Crab takes the same attention to texture and local specificity and pushes it into a more layered build: a Pontchartrain blue crab shell overstuffed with chilled Louisiana jumbo lump, crisp fennel, mirliton, Louisiana citrus and tarragon infused olive oil, Cajun caviar-crab fat aioli, and hand pounded filé gremolata. The result is generous, but deliberate. Speaking about the dish, Bickford said, "The dish is a lot of fun. It’s a lot of great Louisiana flavors. In our kitchen, we cook with alcohol a lot, and this dish was a fun exploration of that." She added, "Lime daiquiris are the perfect cocktail—they’re three ingredients, they’re so wonderful and refreshing—so this is really just in honor of that."

Signature

Meg's signature dishes include Miso & Sugarcane Shrimp Coated Redfish, Dirty Duck Confit, Jumbo Lump Crab Stuffed Crab, and lime daiquiri lacquered shrimp.

In Their Words “The dish is a lot of fun. It’s a lot of great Louisiana flavors. In our kitchen, we cook with alcohol a lot, and this dish was a fun exploration of that.”

Recognition

Meg's honors include Rising Stars and Chefs to Watch.