DOOK: I grew up where all the kids called the restaurant “the playground,” and it’s still the same. They come in, fold napkins, polish silverware, shine glasses, and sometimes race to do it and have fun with their cousins. They also show an interest in cooking, but we don’t force them into that. We want them to go out, do their own thing, and get their own education. But at the end of the day, some of us always find our way back home to the business. WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT RAISING YOUR KIDS IN NEW ORLEANS? DOOK: My wife and I were both raised here. I’ve known my wife, Gretchen, since high school. Besides being close to family, I love raising my kids here because New Orleans has its own way of presenting hospitality and love within the community. I don’t think you can find that everywhere. With our city and its different cultures and backgrounds, everybody is welcoming. Doors are always open. There’s a lot of generational history in the people who are here. Being in a city where people know one another and kind of watch over each other, love is felt. You can also go anywhere here and experience something different. We have a festival for everything, celebrating so many different cultures. My children get a little taste of the world through those experiences before they go out and navigate the bigger world. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD? DOOK: For me, certainly our new show, Dook Chase: A Chef’s Journey , and the companion cookbook coming out in September. I hope people enjoy the show and love it as much as I do, and really get back to cooking in the kitchen and telling those family stories. That’s the key—really sitting down and making sure you’re passing those stories along the way. But also seeing how far we can take that message. I think that’s what’s needed right now: people getting back to the table, sharing stories, and having dialogue, and starting to see how similar we all really are. Something that’s always in our freezer at home is… coffee ice cream. Our favorite New Orleans spots are… Audubon Zoo, City Park, or the riverfront. People would be surprised to learn that… I used to work in the economics and finance industry for about nine years. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d want to be… a musician, although I have no musical talent. Three words to describe my family are… work, prayer, and service.
NOLAFAMILY.COM | AUGUST 2026 13
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