Name: Justin Devillier

Restaurant Name: La Petite Grocery, Balise

City/State: New Orleans, LA

Website: www.lapetitegrocery.com, www.balisenola.com

Brief description: Justin Devillier is the Chef/Owner of La Petite Grocery and Balise in New Orleans, and the 2016 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef South. He grew up fishing in the waters off Southern California but returned to his long-standing family roots in Louisiana in 2003. At the helm of La Petite Grocery for a decade, he helped to rebuild its infrastructure after Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, he and his wife Mia were able to buy the restaurant, housed in a century-old building with a storied history. In the kitchen, Justin puts his creative spin on traditional New Orleans cuisine, with dishes like Turtle Bolognese and Blue Crab Beignets. His second restaurant Balise, named after the first French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River, opened in the Central Business District of New Orleans in early 2015. Set in a 19th century Creole townhouse, Balise's menu celebrates New Orleans as a port city and its unique access to a wide variety of ingredients.

Media Contact:
Charlotte Strode
charlotte@polishedpigmedia.com