This Sunday is Mother’s Day. While local restaurants will be buzzing with menu specials and turning tons of tables for brunch and lunch, 225 Dine asked a few Baton Rouge chefs and foodies about the favorite dish their mother used to make. A few of them even told us how they were going to celebrate this weekend, too.
Jim Urdiales, Mestizo. “My mother is full-blooded Cajun-French. My favorite dish she made was simple—it was a roast with rice and gravy, cream-style corn and a biscuit. I was happy, happy, happy when she made that.”
Nathan Gresham, Beausoleil. “The dish I remember most is shrimp and grits, but probably my favorite was this savory-style bread pudding. It was this bread and cheese casserole she would make for brunch. She made it with Bunny Bread. There was cheese in every layer. It’s delicious and simple. She still makes it when I go home.”
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Elton Hyndman, Nino’s. “My absolute favorite was something she made up. We called it spaghetti pie. She would take leftover spaghetti, cottage cheese, eggplant and parmesan cheese and put that in a baking pan with tomato sauce and mozzarella on top. I would go crazy when she made it.”
Sean Rivera, City Pork Deli & Charcuterie. “I loved my mother’s Venezuelan tamales. It had pork, chicken, green olives, dates and raisins, and it was cooked in a banana leaf. That was something we always had, a Mother’s Day tradition.”
Teresa Day, IEatBR. “[My husband and I] always have a big fancy lunch for our mothers. We used to take them to Nottoway Plantation, but we don’t get to do that too much anymore. So, now, we bring out all the fancy antique plates. We have printed menus. This year, I’m making barbecue-glazed shrimp with a risotto and summer squash and crème brûlée. We won’t let the mothers do anything. It’s our time to treat them well.”
Matt Reed, Reed’s Cakes and Catering. “My favorite is my grandmother’s beef stew, which became my mother’s. It was the first dish my mom ever taught me how to cook. We lived overseas when I was a kid, in Singapore, and when we came home to Georgia every summer, it was a 33-hour trip. When we arrived, that was the first thing I smelled. It was what my grandmother would be cooking. I still love it to this day. I’m going to visit my mom in a month, and she told me she’s already working on making it for me.”
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Renee Dugas-Molbert, Baton Rouge Epicurean Society. “When I think of Mother’s Day, I immediately think of my mother’s home-cooked dumplings. It’s just great comfort food, and it was always better the next day.”
Kathy Mangham, Gourmet Girls. “My love of cooking started with my grandmothers. One of my favorites was homemade pasta with which we made veal tortellini in a rich cream sauce. It’s pretty labor intensive, but I’m really looking forward to preparing it this Sunday.”
What are some favorite dishes your mother used to make? Tell us about it in the comments.