Du Jour: Craig Harrington, Harrington’s Cafe

Crawfish pie is one of the most emblematic dishes in the Cajun/Creole culinary canon, but it’s not easy to find on local menus. Craig Harrington tapped into its subsurface popularity when he made it the standing Wednesday special at his eponymous downtown restaurant. “That really got us going, and helped put us on the map,” says Harrington, a Lafayette native. “The recipe came from my wife’s aunt down in Pierre Part, and you know, they know how to cook down there.” Harrington’s Café on Florida Street opened in 2000 and was the realization of a longtime dream. As a young man, Harrington worked in Cajun butcher shops, including Helo’s (Heleaux’s) Grocery in Youngsville and Earl’s in Lafayette, where he learned to confect thrifty plate lunches and boudin with speed and aplomb. Later, he signed on as a fry cook at Ralph & Kacoo’s in Lafayette, working his way up over the years through the restaurant’s regional locations, including two in Baton Rouge. The idea of his own place kept gnawing, however, and by the late nineties, he went for it. Click here to read the rest of the story. To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.