Chef Kelly Fields's Louisiana: Where This James Beard Award–Winning Chef Loves to Eat

Chef Kelly Fields describes her food as simple and nostalgic, "pay[ing] tribute to the South's sense of belonging." At her restaurant and bakery, Willa Jean, guests can feel right at home, with low-country Southern dishes like fried chicken with biscuits and Tabasco honey, pimento grilled cheese, and corn-and-crab chowder. Though it's the sweets at Willa Jean that have garnered acclaim for Chef Fields: Banana "puddin'" with Nilla wafers, chocolate chip cookies served with milk, and a peach pavlova are just a few of the desserts on rotation that have helped her win a coveted James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

We got a chance to sit down with the chef to hear all about the food scene in New Orleans—and get an inside look at what she does when she's not working hard at Willa Jean.

Kelly’s Day-Off Philosophy

"I really actually love cutting my grass and working on my house, so I always make sure I have time to do that stuff. Then, I always schedule and make sure I have time to connect with my friends and the people that keep me fueled. Usually, we always go to eat or drink somewhere."

How Kelly Gets the Most Out of Her Days (and Nights) Off

"Generally, I am off on Sundays. I've tried to take two days off per week, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I live right by the river, so I’ll wake up and take my dog to the river, and then cut my grass. Once I'm done with that, I go eat Vietnamese food at Tan Dinh. I'm a creature of habit, so every Sunday that I'm in town and off from work, that's what I do, without fail."

Kelly's Favorite Places to Eat in Louisiana

Bacchanal

"One place we really love going to is Bacchanal, in the Bywater neighborhood. It’s a wine shop with a big backyard where they’re playing live music all the time. So you go and buy a bottle or two (or six), and then you can pick out some cheeses, and they'll arrange a cheese plate for you, and then you go out in the back. You grab wine glasses, make your own little ice bucket, and find a spot in the outdoor area, and just hang out and chill with friends and listen to music. It feels like a party. It feels like you're at your friend's house, having a little gathering in the backyard, even though most of the people you may or may not know. The music changes every day. There's a cellist that plays almost every Monday at 7:30. She plays on a loop and is super great. I like to go see her.

"They've actually launched a really delicious food menu there, too, so we always get snacks and cheese plates. There's a lot of Italian and Spanish influences. Lots of small plates, which is what I usually love to eat—food you can eat with your hands. They always have some sort of pasta that I like, and whatever they're doing with vegetables—it changes pretty regularly—is great. They're just super fresh, and they let the vegetables be the vegetables, rather than going heavy, like most places in New Orleans."

酒吧Marilou

"A bar called Bar Marilou just opened, like, two months ago. It's in the sister hotel to the Ace, right across the street, called the Maison de la Luz. It's run by the Quixotic Projects, a Paris-based hospitality group. They have Le Mary Celeste and stuff like that in Paris. So they brought that Parisian vibe to this new hotel bar, and it's whimsical and super sexy and super fun.

“如果你把一本书从书架上取书,一整面墙opens up, and there's a hidden room back there. The interior is bright, all red, with leopard-print barstools and textural textiles, like velvet and suede. It feels real swanky. Brave Margot is the name of the drink that I am obsessed with there. It’s made with rum, Campari, pineapple, falernum, lime, and absinthe. It's just a super, super fun place, and the cocktails are outstanding."

Compère Lapin

"I end up at the bar at Compère Lapin more nights than not. Nina Compton and Larry Miller are just two of my favorite people. Compton won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2018. She grew up in St. Lucia and came to New Orleans when she was onTop Chef. She fell in love with the city and opened Compère Lapin here. It's a real melting pot of her St. Lucian upbringing and cooking from the islands, married into New Orleans cooking, and really highlights the history of New Orleans cuisine through the islands. She’s got conch fritters that, I think, are super well known. She always has a curried goat on the menu, which is delicious. It's just really smart cooking.

"But there's a dish that's been on the menu there since it opened—marinated Gulf shrimp with roasted-jalapeño jus—and it's another one of those things. It's really, really clean and fresh. It's shrimp, avocado, red onion, lots of fresh herbs, and they pour that roasted-jalapeño jus all around it. I will generally sit at the bar and order an Aperol spritz and a double order of that marinated shrimp. I always prefer the bar because I think it's more social and more fun. I mean, sitting at a restaurant table feels so formal now. I think I'm over it."

Saint-Germain

"I would also recommend Saint-Germain, which opened just a couple months ago. It's another place that's in the Bywater. It's a cross between a formal tasting menu, dining room, and a back courtyard where you can buy a bottle of wine and get some snacks. So it's, like, any mood you're in for dining, whether it's sitting at the bar and having a snack or having a really, really thoughtful, coursed-out meal, that's your place.

“这是由三个家伙,Delaughter,布莱克Ag)uillard, and Trey Smith, who are cooking really smart food. Really delicious. Like pretty much everywhere in New Orleans, it’s super chill. It's dark and moody, but, again, it's a social gathering. All of us—when we eat, we want to eat together."

La Petite Grocery

"La Petite Grocery is a New Orleans institution. If you're coming here, it's not to be missed. My favorite move is to grab a seat at the bar, order a cocktail, and snack on all of the appetizers and sides. The blue crab beignets are an absolute must-order. The gumbo and the baked rigatoni are among my other favorites."

Molly's Rise and Shine

"I would recommend everybody go to Molly's Rise and Shine for breakfast. It's by the same guys who did Turkey and the Wolf, which Mason, the owner, calls 'the most overrated sandwich shop in the US,' because that's just sort of who he is. But it's a bunch of really talented cooks who are just having a really good time with the food they're making, and making food that people want to eat every day.

"Molly's Rise and Shine is their breakfast spot. It's super playful, just like Turkey and the Wolf. They do sweet potato burritos, and the woman doing all the baked goods there is doing a really good job—delicious baked goods. It's super kitschy...like, really silly. It's covered in toys, and it feels like you're inside a McDonald's Happy Meal. They actually do a rip-off of the McDonald's Egg McMuffin, which they call the Grand Slam McMuffin."

Thalia

"Thalia is the new neighborhood restaurant by Kristen Essig and the Coquette team. They have a really incredible cocktail program, and the food is comforting, nourishing, and seasonal. Don't miss the snack platter or anything they're doing with vegetables on the menu. The roasted chicken is phenomenal as well as any of the pasta dishes."

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