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Just Desserts: Getting to know the new Galatoire’s Bistro executive chef, Collin Fontenot

Collin Fontenot is a black-and-white kind of guy. When it comes to his work, his mentality is do-or-die. The new Galatoire’s Bistro chef has invested time in his trade, his kitchen staff and in himself—for the long haul.

But Fontenot has also accepted his peculiar relationship with fate over the years. For instance, he accepted the executive chef position at Galatoire’s Bistro this year on his 25th birthday, April 17. The same day Fontenot enrolled in culinary school at 18 years old, he wandered into a family-owned diner attached to a gas station and got a job working for Chef Chad Jackson in his hometown of Lake Charles. Fontenot would eventually form a relationship with the Jackson family, which led to him to the West Coast just one year later to help Jackson’s brother, Mark, open a restaurant there. 

Fontenot relocated to the San Luis Obispo region on the Central Coast of California at 19 years old, and later Austin, Texas, where he lived for about two years before returning to Lake Charles to help open The Villa. For Fontenot, the moves were more about gaining experience than anything else. 

When he got the job at Galatoire’s in April, he proved his dedication by commuting every day from Eunice to Baton Rouge (roughly an hour and a half drive each way) for 45 days straight before moving to the city in June.

“I’m going to die in the kitchen,” Fontenot says. “I don’t have a retirement game. At the end of the day, I love what I do. I’ve never worked a day in my life.”

For our meeting at Garden District Coffee, Fontenot entered the quiet coffee shop wearing his dark purple chef’s jacket and a matching LSU baseball cap. He was in the middle of working the Thursday morning shift at the restaurant but took a break to grab a mid-morning cup of coffee with us just down the street from Galatoire’s.

He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so the chef ordered a large coffee while we nibbled on our blueberry muffin and dark chocolate muffins. Fontenot says he likes to satisfy others’ cravings, though, by creating his own desserts.

As he avidly describes how his diverse array of experiences led him to Baton Rouge, we can’t help but wonder how others around us don’t turn their heads to listen. The 25-year-old has done more in the past seven years than others do in 20. Here’s a look.

Editor’s note: Answers were edited for brevity and clarity.

What first attracted you to Galatoire’s?
It’s a company that’s been around since 1905, with three establishments. It’s in the capital city of my home state, and in general, it’s a platform. It’s a way to solidify something that already is—the Galatoire’s namesake is already there, and it carries that regardless. More than anything it’s a challenge, it’s an opportunity, and it’s a platform—it’s not too small.

Galatoire’s in New Orleans is an institution that’s been around for more than 100 years. How do you plan to implement your vision at the Baton Rouge bistro while keeping with Galatoire’s longstanding reputation?
From a chef’s aspect, complacency dials in as soon as you stop wanting to change things. There’s a way to understand what [the food] is and understand how to elaborate on what [Galatoire’s] already has and still make the food familiar. To make it familiar to the Galatoire’s menu, while changing some of the aesthetics and changing the progression of the plates, and isolating what can and cannot rotate. Like, the lunch menu is completely drawn up every single week from start to finish, but it’s also about not taking too far of a jump on those types of things. 

What is your kitchen philosophy?
My quote that I live by is: “Your altitude is determined by your attitude, not your aptitude.”

What motivates you to have already accomplished so much at your age?
I constantly push myself. I invest my time and effort in myself and in my trade. Once I started slowing down or felt like I had it down, I felt like I was being complacent, and I’d re-analyze myself every year. My thing is, I may not be doing more than anyone else, but no one else is doing more than me.

What’s your favorite dish to cook?
I like fish and seafood, but I also like the inconsistencies and not having to have a favorite thing.

What’s your favorite dish to eat, then?
Boiled crawfish. That’s a really easy go-to, and at the end of the day my family’s from Mamou, Eunice and Lake Charles. 

How do you approach your staff in the kitchen?
Teamwork makes the dream work. Unit is my favorite word back there. It starts from me in the kitchen—I grew up in the kitchen, so I’m still comfortable on the line. That’s my home. You don’t work for me; you work with me. There’s a big difference in that. You’ll get a lot more out of people when they understand that, and they understand that you’ll go to bat for them. I sacrifice my relationships with the front of house all the time to make sure my kitchen knows that I’ve got them. My guys would die for me.

What’s your vision long-term?
I want to open my own place before I’m 30. It would be a gastropub with American-style food. I have no idea as far as a location yet, maybe a new city. My one must-have, though, is a fireman’s pole from my loft into my kitchen, as I plan on living above my restaurant for a long time. Once I’m comfortable enough to have someone run it, [I’d like to] eventually travel again— I want to go to Europe. Oh, and I’d love to be on Top Chef someday.

One more thing: How do you take your coffee?
Black. Always.


Just Desserts is a 225 Dine feature where we interview Baton Rouge culinary pros about their craft and love of food while, of course, eating dessert—or just coffee, for those who don’t like dessert. If you’ve got a suggestion for a great local dessert to try for this feature, let us know about it in the comments!