On July 3, the 35th annual French Market Creole Tomato Festival will celebrate the bounty of South Louisiana with Creole tomato dishes, a variety of bloody marys, and a fresh crop of programming online, at the market, and at partner locations throughout New Orleans.

In celebration, restaurants throughout the city will be offering their own take on dishes with Creole tomatoes as the star ingredient. One restaurant, Gris-Gris, located at 1800 Magazine Street, will have Creole Tomato Shrimp Remoulade on their menu. I spoke to executive chef and owner Eric Cook about the restaurant and what Gris-Gris has to offer.

Cook was born and raised in New Orleans and, after serving six years in the United States Marine Corps, attended the John Folse Culinary Institute and studied under Mike Roussel, chef at Brennan’s Restaurant in the French Quarter. Cook has served as sous chef and chef de partie at Commander’s Palace and has worked as a private chef, executive banquet chef, and research and development consultant for several national restaurants. He has also served as executive chef for The National World War II Museum’s American Sector, Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House, Tommy’s Cuisine, and N.O.S.H.

Cook opened Gris-Gris in 2018. That same year, the cool and comfortable eatery was voted by Eater New Orleans as Reader’s Choice for Restaurant of the Year and Cook was named Chef of the Year. Other honors include being named 2018 Restaurant of the Year by City Business, listed among the Best Restaurants of 2019 in both New Orleans Magazine and TimeOut.com, and ranking number one for best balcony, best happy hour and best brunch by both Gambit and New Orleans Magazine.

With so many accolades, it’s no surprise that Gris-Gris has quickly become a favorite dining spot among locals.

Cook’s goal, at every turn, is to make the dining experience comfortable and memorable.

“Our goal at Gris-Gris is to serve refined, Southern cuisine and local favorites in a casual and comfortable atmosphere,” Cook said. “Our first-floor kitchen table seats 12 people for an intimate experience with me and my kitchen staff. It’s a lot of fun to get to know our guests while we’re cooking. It’s a big part of what makes Gris-Gris what it is today. We also have a great second-floor dining area, bar, and lots of balcony seating.”

The menu offers many choices. Some of my personal favorites are the chicken and dumplings and the shrimp and gris-gris grits. The chef has a few favorite signature dishes of his own.

“I’m proud of every dish on the menu, but have to say that my signature dish is the oyster BLT—fried gulf oysters, smoked pork belly, tomato jam and arugula. It’s been a customer favorite since day one. Of course, our chicken and andouille gumbo is some of the best in town—it’s all about that super dark roux.”

Like many restaurants, Gris-Gris was forced to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last summer, Cook briefly closed Gris-Gris and then reopened with a reservation-only experience that allowed him to create a unique menu and customized dining experience for small groups. 

Now that businesses are reopening at a rapid pace, Cook is beginning to see a return to standard restaurant operations.

“It’s been so awesome to see how enthusiastic people are to go out to eat—we’ve seen so many family reunions, happy hours with friends, just all so happy to sit down together and celebrate after such a long year,” he said. “It took some effort for our staff to get their groove back and really get used to being very busy again, but now they’re starting to remember what they love about working in this business.”

To celebrate the Creole Tomato Festival, Gris-Gris is offering an exclusive dish for the occasion that is sure to please. 

“We’re offering our Creole tomato shrimp remoulade. The dish is a large Creole tomato stuffed with Gulf shrimp tossed in a New Orleans-style remoulade. My mom used to make this dish, sometimes with crab meat, sometimes with shrimp and sometimes just with fresh greens and creole mustard. It’s a great cool dish for a hot summer day.”

Other dishes on the menu include Mississippi rabbit fricassee, Creole redfish court-bouillon, and chargrilled filet mignon served with oyster dressing, roasted cippolini onions, and a red wine demi-glace.

Gris-Gris: 1800 Magazine St., 504 272-0241. Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.