This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to New Orleans to award winning James Beard Foundation, winner, Food & Wine winner and BRAVO's Top Chef Season 11 runner up and Fan Favorite, Chef Nina Compton. This restaurateur is the chef and founder of Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin. We caught up with her to talk about her culinary journey, both restaurants, signature dishes and cocktails and a meal that you can recreate at home. We also talk with her about the challenges that she has faced in running this restaurant while navigating COVID-19 that has effected the hospitality industry.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your culinary journey and how you came to creating Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin?
NINA COMPTON: I grew up in St Lucia and felt the warmth of people coming together over a meal and decided to study at The Culinary Institute of America. Determined to continue learning from the best, I went to work for Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. After too many cold winters I decided to move to Miami where I worked under Norman Van Aken and Scott Conant. With the influence of these gifted chefs, I learned technique and flavor combinations that I could use to cook the food I wanted. I participated in Season 11 of Top Chef and was runner up and Fan Favorite. After this experience I decided it was time to open my own restaurant. An opportunity became available in New Orleans and I decided to go for it! I opened Compère Lapin in 2015 and Bywater American Bistro in 2018, all while falling in love with New Orleans, the Caribbean’s “Northernmost City.”
AM: You have a number of accolades including being a James Beard Foundation Best Chef: South 2018 and Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2017 just to name a few. What does receiving these awards mean to you?
NC: These awards mean a lot to me as a reward for keeping my nose down and working hard through the years. It’s kind of surreal to have your name mentioned in the same categories of chefs I’ve respected all of my life as well.
AM: How do you define your style of cooking?
NC: My style of cooking is the result of taking a St. Lucian girl, training her in classical French and Italian cuisine and technique then plopping her in the middle of the farms and seafood and culinary history of New Orleans. It’s a complete mixtape.
AM: As a chef, how is New Orleans infuse your food?
NC: In so many ways: The history of the food and drinks. The camaraderie of the culinary community here. From the corner poboy shop to hundred year-old bastions of Creole fine dining to the great Vietnamese influence, all you have to do is keep your eyes and mouth open.
AM: We loved seeing you in Top Chef on their 11th season. How was it to compete in this show and what lessons did you learn from it?
NC: It was stressful, you could go home any day for a mistake! But it was a nice break from working every day and I enjoyed it very much. When others were high strung, I decided to relax and have fun with it.
AM: Describe a bit about what guests can expect in terms of the menu and the ambiance for Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin?
NC: Compère Lapin is a little more refined whereas BABs is more of a neighborhood bistro. Both however are made to make the guest feel comfortable. Our servers wear jeans and rolled up sleeves, but serve you with the tepernets of fine dining. Music and an active bar scene at both places add to the fun and casual yet serious about the food, drink, and service vibe.
AM: What are 3 signature dishes at each of these restaurants?
NC: Compère Lapin: Curried Goat with Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Cold Marinated Shrimp with Jalepeno Jus, and Roasted Banana Zeppole with Rum Caramel Sauce.
BABs: Spaghetti Pomodoro, Roasted Octopus with Smoked Potato Puree and Confit Tomatoes, Curried Rabbit with Coconut Rice and peas.
AM: What are 3 signature cocktails at each of these restaurants?
NC: Compère Lapin: The Copper Bunny: Absolut Elyx/ Tequila/ Ginger/ Pineapple/ Jalepeno/ Champagne. Ramos Gin Freeze: A frozen Ramos Gin Fizz.
Melonious Funk: Bolden Vodka/ Melon Shrub/ Citrus/ Spiced Salt.
BABs: Kentucky Mule: A Moscow Mule but with Pinhook Bourbon and house made Ginger Beer.
Any Punch that we come up with daily.
Unique selections of wine from not too heavily represented regions.
AM: During COVID-19, many restaurants have had to pivot on how they served their guests and neighborhoods with pickup and delivery, what did you do during the initial weeks of quarantine?
NC: Everything at least once. We shut down. We did drive thru pop ups with just my husband and me. We did to go and delivery. When we were able to rehire some staff, but still nervous about safety we opened up BABs for only one table per night. It was fun for the guests and us, but that’s not a great way to make money. In July we brought back a limited staff at BABs and are operating at 50% capacity. We're planning to open Compère Lapin in September.
AM: As BABs is open, can you share information regarding the capacity, rules and systems that you have created to ensure guest and employee safety?
NC: BABs is open at a city mandated 50% occupancy. All tables are spaced at least six feet apart. Guests need to make reservations so their info would be available for contact tracing. Everyone’s in masks, including guests unless they’re eating. All surfaces are sterilized repeatedly thoughout the shift. All of the staff are temperature checked daily and know that they can call out sick any time they don’t feel well.
AM: Looking forward and based on how you have had to navigate the past few months, what are your goals for the restaurant as they continue through the summer as well as the fall?
NC: I think the best I can hope for is to break even. The government has made adjustments to PPP that make it more suitable for restaurants, but we could really use more help as an industry or there will be a lot of hardship. We are watching every penny even closer than before, hoping for the RESTAURANTS Act to pass, and hoping for an effective, safe vaccine.
AM: Many people have been cooking a lot more due to COVID-19 and many restaurants have responded by creating meal kits of their favorite meals that people can make at home OR providing a recipe. I know that you recently partnered with Tabasco. Can you tell us about the dish that you created using their sauce and why using this was the perfect complement to this dish? In addition, what is your go to sauce perthe perfect complement to this dish? In addition, what is your go to sauce personally from the brand?
NC: I love adding spice to my dishes, and one of my recent favorite recipes is Hot Honey Butter Chicken which uses the Tabasco Original Red Sauce. I also make a hot honey butter which makes it extra juicy while adding a tangy, sweet, and buttery taste to the chicken. I serve it with a corn and tomato salad for a soulful, satisfying family meal. You can find the recipe here.
AM: What ‘family meal’ means to you and your community in New Orleans?
NC: Family meal is not only important to individual households but also in the restaurant industry, having people surrounded by each other brought together by food. New Orleans is known for its food and culture and the sense of pride, it is only natural to welcome, friends, family and strangers and break bread.
IG @NinaCompton
PHOTOS COURTESY | Nina Compton
Read the July Issue Aug Athleisure Mag #55 and see The Art of the Snack in mag.
