Following the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, Blue Orleans owner and chef Michael Adams and his family made their way to Chattanooga. Before the hurricane, he was in corporate sales for the largest minority-owned industrial supplier in New Orleans. At the same time, he pursued his passion for cooking, having started a catering company, Mo Gumbo. His menu featured many of the foods for which New Orleans is famous – rich gumbos; spicy etouffees and Creoles; mouthwatering po’ boys. But all that came to an end in 2005 when Katrina hit.
In spite of the tragedy, an opportunity was presented, as he, like many, settled into new cities. Adams started working at Papa’s Country Style Restaurant on Amnicola Highway and introduced a number of his Cajun specialties to the meat-and-three menu, he says.
Twelve years ago, he opened Blue Orleans at the corner of Market and Main streets and looks back on his childhood as the impetus for pursuing a career as a chef.
“Growing up in New Orleans was an amazing culinary experience. And over the years, I’ve come to appreciate it even more because of being a chef and looking back at the time that I spent with my heroes, such as Leah Chase of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and Kevin Graham of The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel,’ he says. “They taught me a variety of ways to prepare good New Orleans Creole food.”
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Chef Michael Adams poses inside Blue Orleans.In December, Food Network reality show “Restaurant: Impossible” visited Blue Orleans and gave the Cajun eatery a fresh, new look. Due to a contractual agreement with the show, Adams can’t comment on what took place, but we can tune in Thursday, Feb. 27, at 9 p.m. when the Blue Orleans episode is scheduled to run.