Ashley Schuler, The Herald News
Published 5.14.2024
FALL RIVER — His culinary talents have taken him all round the world, but a piece of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s heart will forever remain in his hometown.
So when a new restaurant venture inspired a recent visit by the Fall River native and his Emeril Group team to his old stomping grounds, Lagasse was happy to take the lead.
“My wife said that I’ve never had a bigger smile on my face. … I was truly home,” Lagasse said following his multi-day trip to the SouthCoast in late April.
Looks like you can take the boy out of Fall River, but you can’t take Fall River out of the boy — not even one who’s amassed an impressive career over the past three decades as cooking icon, author, TV show host and restaurateur with 10 restaurants and counting under his apron strings.
Lagasse’s never forgotten where he came from.
‘Hometown hero’: Emeril Lagasse makes surprise stops in Fall River. Here’s why he was here.
A tribute to the Portuguese culture
His humble beginnings growing up Portuguese in a little house on Baker Street, working the festa circuit in a Portuguese marching band, and cultivating his cooking chops in a small kitchens across the city all serve as inspiration for the upcoming 34 Restaurant & Bar, Lagasse’s first Portuguese restaurant, set to debut in New Orleans this fall.
“I grew up eating that sort of food and experiencing that kind of culture, so a lot of my influences in my cooking is not only my mom but where I grew up,” he said.
A collaboration with his son E.J. Lagasse, who has taken over as chef patron of the flagship Emeril’s, 34 is described as his family’s love letter to Portugal. “It’s a tribute to my mom and to the Portuguese culture and people,” he said.
According to Lagasse, he began cooking with his mother, Hilda Medeiros, at an early age and credits her for fostering his interest in the culinary arts. Now he’s looking to share those Portuguese culinary traditions that were passed down to him with a wider audience — and with a “modern twist.”
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