Du Jour: Diane Zhang, Mediterranean Café

Baton Rouge diners nosh at Café Mediterranean for its tender chicken shwarma and punchy falafel, but afterwards, they walk away with a hidden bonus. Chef Diane Zhang is also a nutritionist who deploys low-fat cooking techniques unbeknownst to patrons. The Café Med co-owner says she uses skinless, boneless chicken, drains the fat from ground beef and lamb and uses no oil in her grape leaves, hummos, baba ghanoush, spinach pie or lentil kafta. “I try to make everything as heart-healthy as possible, but still preserve the flavor and taste,” Zhang says. And she does.

Like so many expatriates, Zhang moved to Baton Rouge from her native China to join her husband, an LSU graduate student. Later, she also entered grad school, earning a masters degree in human nutrition and soaking up knowledge about the importance of living and eating well. She opened the restaurant in 1995, opting for a Mediterranean menu for two reasons: Much of the fare is naturally low in cholesterol, and it was clear the city’s residents knew and loved the cuisine from the hefty line-up of local Lebanese restaurants. After a year on State Street near Highland Coffees, she moved to Third Street downtown where she spent 10 years. Café Med relocated to Southdowns Village on Perkins Road in 2007.

In addition to Greek/Lebanese standards and ample vegetarian selections, Zhang’s menu also includes a smattering of Italian, and a few hard-to-find Turkish dishes, including lamb kofta and Turkish potatoes, a simple, light salad of paprika-dusted potatoes spritzed with lemon.

To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.