Page 44 - March & April

42 MYROUSESEVERYDAY MAY | JUNE 2013
A s a Rouses team member, I occa-
sionally come across guests who
forgot their grocery list at home.
They’ll stare blankly around the store,
lost without that tiny piece of paper. But
the first piece of advice from Chef Alfred
Singleton is to leave the list at home. He
says the best part about walking into Rous-
es is finding the best local and fresh ingre-
dients possible. “Let the ingredients create
the recipe; don’t let a recipe limit your in-
gredients.” As we walk through the pro-
duce department, Chef Alfred’s drives his
point home, reaching for asparagus simply
because “the asparagus looks good today.”
So what makes something look good?
“With asparagus, look for green, firm stalks
with closed tips. You want tomatoes that are
a rich red with a sweetish aroma with hints
of fresh cut grass. And look for herbs that
appear as if they were just clipped from the
garden.”
Chef Alfred clearly knows his way around
the Produce Department. And the kitchen.
You might say that cooking came as
naturally to Chef Alfred as walking. His
culinary roots were planted at the age of five
when he started helping out at his family’s
sandwich shop in the lower Ninth Ward.
And whether he is creating dishes for the
menu at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse in New
Orleans or cooking for his family at home,
he has one simple rule: keep it fresh.
I’m an everyday shopper, but I have that
luxury because I work in a grocery store.
But whether you are an everyday shopper,
or go once or twice a weak, Chef Alfred has
the same suggestion, “Look for things that
catch your eye and imagination, and don’t
be afraid to try new things and different
ingredients. When I see those giant
Indonesian prawns in the fresh seafood
case, I’ll grab a couple and experiment.
Shop like a Chef
WITH CHEF ALFRED SINGLETON
OF DICKIE BRENNAN’S STEAKHOUSE
by Shelby Gevry, Rouses TeamMember
+ photos by Frank Aymami