Juban’s names Joey Daigle new executive chef

Joey Daigle, a Plaquemine native with an impressive résumé, has been named the new executive chef at Juban’s (Map it!). Daigle replaces Jaime Hernandez, who is opening his own restaurant in Asheville, N.C.

Daigle admits he got a late start in the restaurant industry—it wasn’t until he was 23 years old that he began to cook professionally. However, he credits his tenacity for the quick rise in ranks.

“I completely immersed myself in cooking,” Daigle says. “I got two jobs at the start. I was working 65-70 hours a week because I thought I needed to catch up.”

In his first three years in Baton Rouge, he worked in the kitchen full-time at Galatoire’s Bistro and another 35 hours a week at Mansurs on the Boulevard. Daigle then hopped over to New Orleans, working at John Besh’s Dominica during the day and Besh’s Lüke at night. Daigle then moved to California, working as an apprentice with Thomas Keller’s restaurant group in Yountville.

Working with Keller, Daigle says he was given all the tools necessary to succeed. Going west was an opportunity he couldn’t pass. However, he preferred living and working in Louisiana.

“The food, the people … everything was awesome [on the west coast], but something was missing, and I wasn’t as happy as I should’ve been,” he says. “Whenever you put someone like myself who is completely passionate about the job and industry … to have all that at your fingertips and not be happy … I needed to make a change.”

Daigle came back to Baton Rouge, helping his friend and former mentor Nathan Gresham open Beausoleil, before landing the Juban’s gig.

In his new job, the 30-year-old says he doesn’t want to change anything that made the restaurant a Baton Rouge staple. He wants patrons to enjoy those strong, robust flavors of Cajun/Creole dishes in a light, simplistic way so they can experience four or five courses. Moreover, he wants to see his kitchen staff propel themselves in the industry.

“I want to get my cooks as interested as I am,” he says. “My job is to let them know, it’s a lifestyle being a chef. I want everyone who works under me to be the chef of their own restaurant one day.”

For more culinary news from around the area, check out this week’s edition of Dine.