In a gastronomical switcheroo, New Orleans restaurateur Edgar “Dook” Chase IV makes his Food Network debut Thursday night, but he won’t be cooking a lick.
Rather, the mastermind behind multiple Crescent City dining spots including the famed Dookie Chase’s will be front and center as resident expert for the New Orleans-shot, freshman reality competition series, “Family Recipe Showdown.”
Joining Chase on the Southern Food and Beverage Museum set will be Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer in the role of host.
‘Family Recipe Showdown,’ featuring Octavia Spencer and Edgar ‘Dook’ Chase IV, was filmed at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.
“Meeting Octavia on set, she focused me. This is something that she does day in and day out. For me, a chef, I know food. I know recipes. I know that part of it, but in front of a camera, I was able to learn so much from her,” Chase said by phone last week. “And, not only did she teach me, she just gave me that confidence and that comfort level. So that connection of me and her working together was great.”
Chase and Spencer had initially met virtually on a Zoom call with part of the ‘Showdown’ team. Unbeknownst to Chase, this was actually his show audition.
“We started talking about food childhood memories. I had some I shared, and Octavia had some that she shared. And when you start talking about food and childhood memories, you realize how similar we all are growing up,” Chase recalled. “There’s always a food experience, there’s always a food memory. No matter if you are a celebrity or you’re a chef, everyone has those memories.”
According to the show synopsis, “each episode welcomes family duos to the kitchen as they prepare their most cherished recipes for a $10,000 prize.”
Together, Spencer and Chase will sample dishes before being joined in the final round by a rotating panel of guest judges and Spencer’s celebrity friends — including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Eric Stonestreet, Tina Knowles, Kandi Burruss, Tim Gunn and Al Roker with his daughter Leila.
Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV, concessions at Yulman Stadium on the Tulane campus in New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
In taste-testing the families’ finished products, even the well-seasoned chef Chase said he did digest a few new ideas.
“My grandmother (Leah Chase) was 96 in that restaurant reading cookbooks. So every day, we experience someone else’s cuisine, someone else’s culture, someone else’s tradition we’re learning,” he said. “It gave me a sneak peek of how other people grew up. What were their celebrations? What were the times that they were having growing up? What meals did they have at this occasion? What meals did they have at this occasion?
“And you learn from that and you take from that. So as a chef, yes, I learned from each and every dish that was displayed in front of me.”
Even with all the Chase family’s treasured recipes, it didn’t take long for him to respond on which one he’d bring to the show if he were competing.
Edgar “Dook” Chase IV tells the story of art pieces on the walls of his new restaurant Chapter IV in downtown New Orleans. As at his family’s Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, all are from Black artists. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
His choice is meaningful: gumbo.
Anyone who’s cooked a gumbo, affirmed Chase, knows you cannot cook a small pot, so it’s a necessity to invite people to the table to enjoy the dish.
“My grandmother often said gumbo helped change the course of America. Even from the Civil Rights days where you had the leaders, both Black and White, walking through that door, we fed them gumbo,” Chase said. “Presidents and celebrities that came through that door, we fed them gumbo. Our neighbors, our community, we fed them gumbo. Welcoming people back after natural disasters, we fed them gumbo in celebration.”
Having gained on-camera experience through his “Showdown” stint, Chase has his eye on more such projects in the future.
“I love what this (show) means, to what food does for people and conjuring up those memories that they have growing up,” he said. “Those memories last a lifetime. You want each generation to have the same memories or experiences that you grew up with. So I hope this show continues on. I hope to be a part of it because I think this one is that important.”
