After realizing his passion lay in cooking and not in the biology degree he had earned, Alex Harrell took his talents to New Orleans, where he spent nearly 20 years honing his craft in some of the city’s most-renowned restaurants. In 2015, Alex opened his own New Orleans restaurant, Angeline, where his clean, sophisticated style of Southern cooking shines on every plate.
Spring ingredients you look forward to cooking with?
Fava beans, fennel, and crawfish
Biggest cooking influence?
My grandmother, and New Orleans-based chef Gerard Maras
Three ingredients you always keep in your kitchen?
Domestic olive oil, sea salt, and a great vinegar are essential.
One thing people would be surprised to find in your home kitchen?
French’s yellow mustard— I really like it on my sandwiches.
Favorite classic New Orleans dishes?
Redfish Bon Ton, gumbo, and shrimp rémoulade
Favorite Louisiana-made ingredients?
Cellar Sea Salt, Poirer’s Cane Syrup, and Jacob’s Andouille sausage
Top 3 favorite New Orleans restaurants (other than your own)?
Patois, Liuzza’s By the Track, and Avo.
First food memory?
I remember eating watermelon with my granddad on his back porch on the farm. Watermelon is still one of my favorites.
Most popular dish at Angeline?
The Rabbit Milanese—it has been on the menu since we opened. Even if I wanted to take it off, I don’t think I could.
Find more great stories like this one in Taste of the South’s March/April 2017 issue!