Baton Rouge’s missing flavors – Monique Evans is a serious foodie.

Monique Evans is a serious foodie. Her smart phone is loaded with pictures of complex, technique-driven dishes she prepares at home. She gives cooking classes. She’s a frequent patron of the Red Stick Farmers Market and a slow food disciple. She travels extensively, eats out regularly, gets to know chefs and wants something delicious and inspiring at every meal.

For Evans, a Baton Rouge native, the last few years have been promising. A respectable farm-to-table movement has taken hold in the city. A growing fleet of food trucks has inspired loyal crowds and caught the attention of national food shows. Vegetarian and vegan cuisine is peering out amid a landscape long defined by fried seafood and old-school Southern cooking. Evans says she relishes the emerging scene, but she juggles that with another emotion: Impatience.

“I think we’re on the right track, but there’s a lot more to do, and it’s an uphill climb,” she says, puzzled about the continued proliferation of chain restaurants. “There’s a lot more I’d like to see here that you find in comparable cities.” Click here to read more about what tastes Evans and other foodies believe Baton Rouge is missing.—Maggie Heyn Richardson