Behind The Swinging Doors: Inside The Kitchen At Emeril's

Before Emeril Lagasse became a household name with the use of a certain exclamation, he was building a foundation in New Orleans. After his tenure at Commander's Palace, he opened his flagship restaurant, Emeril's, in the Warehouse District of New Orleans. Except for a brief period of renovation post-Hurricane Katrina, Emeril's has been open for nearly 25 years, always serving their signature dish, Emeril's New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp with Petite Rosemary Biscuits.

Behind the Swinging Doors: Inside the Kitchen at Emeril's (Slideshow)

We stopped by the Emeril's kitchen at 1 p.m. on a Friday. The dining room is filled with a mix of tourists and locals, some families, and some couples. The kitchen is nearly the same size as the dining room. It's an open kitchen with bar stools along one side facing into the kitchen. Diners can chat with Walter George, a line cook who mans the grill and plates burgers on the side of kitchen that's most on display. 

"The swordfish was excellent," one woman mentions to him. While snapping a few photos of him, he requests to be on the front page.

Looking around, the kitchen seems relatively empty, but that's only because with the amount of space they have, everyone is spread out with plenty of room to work. Chef de cuisine David Slater runs the show. He's been part of the Emeril's family of restaurants since 2001, and in his current position since 2008.

David Slater

The chef de cuisine has also worked in the kitchens of Restaurant Cuvée and the Windsor Court Hotel.

Communication

Line cook Alec Fatherree talks across the kitchen. While most of the conversation revolves around lunch service, it's not unusual for service to be peppered with sports talk: "Did you see that Missouri game last night?"

Click here for more behind the swinging doors at Emeril's.

Jane Bruce is the Photo Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @janeebruce.