When it comes to New Orleans food, you simply can’t go wrong with the classics. Charbroiled oysters, beignets, crawfish bisque. But for chef Ashley Jonique, a NOLA native, you certainly can’t miss when you put a spin on the tried and true favorites.
Known as LetDatGirlCook on Instagram, where she has accrued more than 58,000 followers and fans, including rapper Latto, Jonique has made some one-of-a kind creations. From a cornbread filled with sausage over red beans to shrimp and grits with a bacon twist; dat girl certainly can cook.
“If y’all follow me on Instagram, then you know I get crazy with it,” she said during the “A Twist on NOLA Classics” panel at the Food and Wine stage. “I’m a small person, but I’m very, very greedy, and I have a son who also likes to explore culinary-wise. So I like to make food fun, especially for kids. I’m like a big kid or a mad scientist.”
When asked how she got into remixing the classics, Jonique said she grew up with her mom cooking food the traditional way and, at times, found herself bored. So, as someone who stepped in to help when her mother was at work to make food for her brothers, she decided to experiment.
“I’m very meticulous. I like things a certain way. So it was like, let me explore,” she said.
During the conversation with contributing lifestyle editor Dominique Fluker, she put her skills on display and crafted a vegan po’ boy with fried trumpet mushrooms and the traditional lettuce and tomato toppings on a French bread roll, but with avocado spread on it.
Despite being a remix, the dish was in line with the classics. As Jonique shared, the characteristics of any New Orleans dish include “a lot of flavor, a lot of personality, a lot of colors, and a lot of fresh ingredients for sure.”
When asked what homegrown dish she would recommend, she shared a tip.
“Gumbo for sure. That’s my favorite New Orleans dish. If you can get some crawfish, try crawfish, but for me, it’s gumbo,” she said. “But don’t try everybody’s gumbo. I’d rather you go to the corner store or one of the hood spots because if you go to the French Quarter, it’s like…gentrified. So go to the hole in the wall.”
As for her overall favorite dish, it might surprise you.
“Honestly, it’s not a New Orleans dish. I love ceviche, and I travel a lot,” she said. “So every island that I go to, I make sure that I do ceviche. I ride in my car lot, running errands, doing stuff for my clients. So I eat in the car a lot, and ceviche is one of the things I have to have. I love the citrus, I love all the fresh vegetables.”
Cooking, for many people, can feel tedious. For Jonique, it’s a labor of love. She cares how her creations turn out. It’s not just about how amazing they look, which is necessary due to her online presence, but most importantly, she wants to ensure everything tastes incredible, too.
“People think that it takes a long time, but I love food,” Jonique says. “I don’t expect people to share the passion that I do, but if you can take two hours to do your makeup, this is like me taking two hours to do my makeup. I love the process, I love things that take time because I care. For me, food doesn’t take a lot of time. It’s worth it.”
