Du Jour with Jeremy Langlois

Since it opened in 2005, there’s been much ado about Latil’s Landing, the fine dining restaurant at lush Houmas House Plantation near Burnside. (See Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte for a peek at the oft-filmed site.) Latil’s Executive Chef/General Manager Jeremy Langlois earned coverage in Esquire and USA Today for the beauty and alchemy at work on the menu, an ode to the Louisiana culinary canon without being hackneyed or over the top. Local ingredients emerge throughout, including fresh herbs and greens from the kitchen garden on the grounds, quail and quail eggs from a local farmer, grits from “Papa Tom” and andouille from Jacob’s, the famed smokehouse in LaPlace. His lamb may be from Colorado, but it’s marinated in Community Coffee, a nod to the chef’s Baton Rouge roots.

Langlois, 28, found his passion for food at age 16, when he worked as a jack-of-all-trades at White Oak Plantation, Chef John Folse’s catering hall. Working outside, he says he watched the chefs enviously—especially that knife part. He asked to work in the kitchen, and one by one, learned each line skill available. Langlois’ personal pursuit for cooking was insatiable, and within three years, Folse made him sous chef at the original Lafittte’s Landing at the Sunshine Bridge. The elder chef also gave Langlois a scholarship to attend the Chef John Folse Culinary Arts Program at Nicholls State University. When Lafitte’s burned and later reopened at Bittersweet Plantation in Donaldsonville, Langlois became executive chef. He was 22.

At Latil’s, Langlois loves boutique wine pairings and lets loose with regular free-wheeling chef’s tasting menus, where foie gras, one of his favorite dishes to prepare (and eat) often appears. To stay sharp, he makes a point of eating in acclaimed restaurants nationwide. Back home, his goal is to remain consistent and build upon Latil’s stellar start. “I’m so lucky,” says Langlois. “I feel like I hit the jack pot.”

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