MEET THE CHEFS - MICHAEL W. DeVIDTS

Born in Detroit to diverse parental backgrounds – a mom from Louisiana who cooked Cajun-Creole foods and a dad of Belgium heritage cooking European haute cuisine – Michael began cooking at age 10. He learned both styles and borrowed from both to create meals for family and friends. His grandparents owned restaurants in the area and it was assumed he would "take over the business". Not interested in owning a business that could control him, Michael was far more interested in teaching history.

After the family moved to New Orleans, Michael attended Tulane University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. At Tulane he was part of a program involved with exposing international visitors to a variety of historical information centered on life in New Orleans and southwest Louisiana. All the while he continued his interest in cooking and studied with locals and used what he learned to entertain starving college students and some of these visitors.

In 1975, Michael moved to Atlanta and spent the next six years studying, training and assisting Natalie Dupree. Through her he was fortunate enough to work with culinary greats like Julia Child, Simone Beck and Florence Lin. In 1979, these and other culinary stars and many "wanna bes" assembled and formed the Association of Cooking Schools. The goal of the group was to teach cooking and the fun you could experience.

Returning to New Orleans, he began working on his masters in history and became one of the first licensed tour guides. As a guide, he escorted groups to The New Orleans School of Cooking. After 12 years he realized that teaching at NOSOC would be a perfect job – combining his love of history and his passion for cooking into one work experience. He joined the team on a part time basis, but now works full time teaching daily classes and demonstrating his skills at out of town festivals and special fund raising engagements. These programs have taken him to Grahamstown, South Africa and their International Cultural Festival. There he represented New Orleans and spoke on its virtues through its food history. Then on to the Green Dolphin restaurant in Cape Town for several nights as guest chef. His fund raising efforts have helped the Boy Scouts of fort Wayne, Indiana raise thousands of dollars enabling them to send deserving Cub Scouts to summer camps. He filmed a 12 part series for the BBC titled Lloyd's Louisiana with chef/host Lloyd Grossman and exposed them to the NOSOC and the Louisiana he knows through its food (he has also learned that the series runs in Africa and Australia as well).

Michael is a member of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals), Slowfood, and the Southern Foodways Alliance. All three organizations are dedicated to the learning of the history of cultures through their food and the preservation of these foods.

Kevin Belton | Anne Leonhard | Tom Nagelin