Chef Leon Galatoire
Chef and Author Leon Galatoire is a fourth generation proprietor of Galatoire’s Restaurant, along with other family members and partners. He began his love affair with food at a very young age while spending a lot of his time at is Uncle Buddy’s fishing camp in Empire, Louisiana, south of New Orleans. There he was consumed with the seemingly endless bounty of seafood from the marshes and bayous that fringe the Gulf of Mexico. His uncle was a fabulous cook and taught him to make his first gumbo.
He began his 20 year tenure at Galatoire’s in 1976 where he learned bases, subtleties, nuances, and history of its famous Creole Cuisine during his four year apprenticeship in the kitchen. He then moved to the front of the house greeting guests and working alongside other family members with the day-to-day operations.
From 1991 to 1996, Leon served in Galatoire’s kitchen, this time wearing a different hat as Chef. During this time he also traveled extensively in the Caribbean and was influenced by the cooking of the islands where creole fare first began. In 1994 he wrote "Leon Galatoire's Cookbook" to great acclaim and remains quite popular today!
Leon is now in demand as an instructor, consultant, and for guest chef appearances worldwide. He has cooked for many notables, such as: Mick Jagger, John F. Kennedy Jr., Jimmy Buffett, Bob Hope, and Burnadette Peters.
Susi Gott Séguret, CCP, Director
Seasonal School of Culinary Arts
Susi Gott Séguret, CCP, private chef, culinary school director, wine reviewer, fiddler, photographer, songwriter, hails from Asheville, North Carolina, one of the most alluring food Meccas of North America. In stark contrast to her early background in subsistence farming in the wilds of Appalachia, where staples were bear meat, ramps, hog grease and moonshine, she honed her culinary expertise during a 20-year trek around Europe, where she obtained a diploma in gastronomy from the Cordon Bleu and the Université de Reims, wrote a thesis on taste under the direction of molecular gastronomist Hervé This, and cultivated her own garden in the wheat fields of France.
In 2005 she created the Seasonal School of Culinary Arts as a voice for expanding taste awareness in a land jaded by fast food and fast habits. Believing that the most important moments we spend are those with family and friends around the table, where dreams are born and ideas hatched, where body and mind are nourished and soul is fed, she set about creating an environment in which strangers could meet and bring this common goal to fruition. In the 7 years since its inception, she has employed over 60 chefs, beverage experts and growers to share their intimate knowledge of the ingredients they use to tickle the palate.
In 2008, in search of a way to link her passions for photography, writing, cooking and educating, she discovered the IACP, and has since collaborated with Board Member Jamie Tiampo on a book tracing the elements of gumbo (Room in the Bowl), served as a member of the consulting team for the Website Committee, served as Chair of the Awards of Excellence Committee, and is currently the Chair of Regional Conferences & Grassroots Events as well as Editor for the Food Photographers & Stylists newsletter, Visions.
Additionally, Susi has been active this past year on the Slow Food Asheville Board, where she has chaired the Education & Outreach Committee. She has served for the past 2 years as judge during the Asheville Wine & Food Festival, and is Chef Referee for the continuing series of WNC Chefs Challenges. She has also helped orchestrate the annual North American Truffle Fest, based in Asheville, has guested as a chef at the Organic Growers School and served as a speaker for the Appalachian Regional Commission on Sustainable Agriculture.
Editor of 7 cookbooks, and contributor to several others, Susi writes a series of wine reviews called The Oenophile for WNC Magazine, and has expounded extensively on truffles and other culinary ventures for diverse publications. Her culinary sessions have spread from Asheville to Ithaca, Sonoma and Paris, and attract students from all corners of the globe.
For more information, visit www.schoolofculinaryarts.org.
Jim Anderson
