Published September/October 2026 issue
Every year, Louisiana Cookin’ introduces a new class of culinary talent who are reshaping the way we eat, cook and think about food in the Bayou State. This year marks a milestone: the 25th class of Chefs to Watch. The chefs highlighted here have already been surprising and delighting diners in their home cities and beyond, but this award marks our enthusiasm not just for what they’ve accomplished so far but also for what they’re capable of in the future.
This year’s honorees – Sophina Uong of Mister Mao, Adolfo Garcia Jr. of Dolfy’s and Chi Chi’s Chicken & Beer, and Martha Gilreath of Nolita Bakery all in New Orleans; Blake Jackson of Mae & Co. and Heron in Shreveport; Logan Alford of Southern Kreole Cravings & Pastries in Lafayette, and Patrick Teagle of Feliciana in Covington – represent a new generation leading the culinary charge with creativity and purpose. Their food tells stories of heritage and home, global techniques, and a deep love of local ingredients. From modern Gulf Coast cuisine to truly personal takes on soul food and sustainable efforts, each dish goes beyond a chef’s skill, encapsulating their journey and the indelible mark they hope to leave through their food.
Held in an electrifying setting with an engaging community of diners, fellow chefs and industry leaders, the Chefs to Watch Awards Dinner is a celebration of these chefs and a snapshot of not just where Louisiana cuisine is but also where it’s headed. The dinner is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026.
Chef chat with Blake Jackson:
“I’m not really an entree person,” Shreveport’s Blake Jackson says as he looks over the menu at Mae & Co. “I like to order small things because then you get to have two or three of ’em.”
His approach to ordering dinner also describes the have-it-both ways impulse behind his latest culinary venture, Mae & Co./Heron, a split-concept eatery located in Shreveport’s Provenance neighborhood. One of the restaurants two entrances leads to Mae & Co., a cozy oyster bar with an emphasis on Southern snacks. The other entrance welcomes guests to Heron, an art-filled dining room where Blake and his team flex their creative muscles, turning out what he calls “nouveau Louisiana cuisine.” Both restaurants opened in 2024, and the split-concept approach is a perfect fit for Blake, who describes his cooking as “highbrow meets lowbrow.”
After graduating from Ole Miss in 2008 with a degree in foreign policy, he spent several years working for the US Senate before deciding to leave the divisive world of politics. He worked for a gourmet deli in Shreveport and managed a sandwich shop before launching his own catering company, Drake Catering, in 2011. From 2017 to 2025, Blake owned Whisk Dessert Bar, a neighborhood patisserie that delighted locals with its mirror-glazed chocolate mousse domes and seasonal gelati. All those experiences inform the menus at Mae & Co./Heron.
Crowd favorites at Mae & Co. include elaborate bar snacks like crabmeat queso with house-made pretzels and lardon-laced pimiento cheese with Parmesan beignets. At Heron, where menus are printed nightly, one of the most-requested dishes is the Duroc pork coppa steak served with a wedge of Abita root beer-glazed cabbage and a mound of green apple sorrel.
“These restaurants are my way of saying: ‘Here’s everything I’ve worked on, everything that I have learned,” Blake says. “I don’t have a next step in mind, except for continuing to fine-tune everything we do. That’s my next step.”
Learn more about the 2026 Chefs to Watch Dinner here
Heron named a top restaurant by The Adventurist Magazine