Du Jour: Dustie Latiolais

Chef Dustie Latiolais cut his culinary teeth as a teenager working at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf in Henderson, the well-known Cajun fry house owned by his uncle, Pat Huval. Like many who end up in the restaurant business, Latiolais began in the trenches, busing tables and washing dishes as a green 14-year-old who had no idea that food would be his calling. Now at age 23, he’s executive chef of the Hilton Garden Inn in Baton Rouge, and likes the idea of fast-tracking his way to other Hilton properties worldwide. By 16, Latiolais was on the fry station at Pat’s, followed by a two-year sous chef stint at Crawfish Town USA. By then, the food industry clearly beckoned, so he enrolled in the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge for official training. He excelled in his courses, volunteered at charitable events and landed first place at the Baton Rouge ACF cooking competition (student category) in 2008. Along the way, he worked in the kitchen of Tsunami, and after graduation, landed a job as a sous chef at Baton Rouge’s downtown fine dining eatery, Stroube’s. Click here to read the whole story. To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.