The page now has more than 1 million followers.Īt the heart of all this is family. As more people tried my recipes, the love and support grew. After a loud “Pi-YAHHHHH,” I said, “Don’t mess with the Cajun ninja!” Soon, people began calling me that, and I officially became known as the Cajun Ninja. In my second video, I did my first chopping of the onion with my hands. The week After the video went viral, I continued posting cooking videos. We’re drawn to dishes and methods that remind us of how our families cooked, so it’s only natural that we’re opinionated. The negativity got to me and I almost deleted the page, but I realized cooking is an interpretation of your own preferences. The comments and messages were also overwhelming because-I can assure you-the feedback wasn’t all positive! Cajuns have strong opinions about gumbo. Within a couple days of the gumbo video going live, it had more than 1 million views. I had about 400 followers then and many of those were my friends and family. Yelling something like “Pi-YAHHHHH!!” was nothing out of the ordinary for me. I’m a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do and run a school called Houma Martial Arts. In it, I threw the trinity into the pot while yelling, “Pi-YAHHHHH!!” I should mention that, because of my father, martial arts is deeply engrained in me. Little did I know, this video would change my life forever. I had a wild hair to record the process and upload the video to the Facebook page. In the fall of 2016, some cool weather came through, and I decided to cook a gumbo. I eventually started a Facebook page where I’d post random, entertaining things but never anything cooking-related. It wasn’t so much the cooking that I loved it was entertaining others. Soon, I was making gumbo, jambalaya, and étouffée. But through years of trial and error, cooking became easier for me. Being the good Cajun mom she is, she’d usually just offer to make it herself and bring it over. I started researching my favorite recipes on the internet, and early on, I’d call my mom to get her feedback. At the time, I was a lead singer in a local cover band and had no intentions of a cooking career. I was in my early 20s when I first tried my hand at cooking, and I didn’t even know the basics. “WE’RE OFTEN DRAWN TO DISHES AND METHODS THAT REMIND US OF HOW OUR FAMILIES COOKED, SO IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT WE’RE OPINIONATED.” I guess that was where I first discovered the entertainment side of food. He would watch Emeril Lagasse almost every night, and occasionally, I ’d sit there and watch with him, taking in every “bam!” along the way. He was more into martial arts movies and football games, but he did have an enormous love for cooking shows. My mom was a registered nurse and worked a lot of night shifts, but when she cooked, you made sure you were there. Don’t get me wrong I’ve always loved to eat, but when I was a kid growing up in Houma, I was much more interested in martial arts and making people laugh than I was in mastering a roux. Once done, remove the chicken and place it on a plate ready to be served.Becoming a popular online cook was never a goal in my life. Add the chicken and simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken broth little by little until fully incorporated into the mixture. Add the garlic and cook for additional minute. Add bell pepper, celery and onions and cook over medium heat for around 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken and deglaze the pot using enough water. Once well combined, increase the heat to medium high and put the chicken back to the pot and cook for about 4-5 minutes. In the same pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter and stir in brown sugar.Deglaze the pot with water and pour it over the pieces. Season the chicken thighs with black pepper and Cajun seasoning. On a heavy, deep pot, heat oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |