Honest Food

FROM FOOD NETWORK STAR TO FOOD & WINE’S BEST NEW CHEF, CORY BAHR IS A TRAILBLAZER WHOSE NEWEST VENTURE, PARISH RESTAURANT & BAR, RECENTLY OPENED ITS DOORS IN MONROE.

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRAD ARENDER

What does it mean to be from Louisiana? What makes Louisiana unique?” Cory Bahr—restaurateur, outdoorsman, culinary ambassador for the state of Louisiana, and many other splendid designations—has trudged through the obvious answers and landed on the one that led him to the name of his new restaurant. “We have parishes! Every other place has counties.” Not only was the name available for a LLC, the building has a sign built upon the roof which stands like a monument. Imagining ‘Parish’ glowing in the sky to guide customers to his restaurant was a serendipitous moment. Driving by the alligator-green neon sign at night is like stumbling upon a daydream. Expect its electric eye to press you into a space that gradually becomes something between restaurant and movement.

Bahr needs no introduction. From TV’s Food Network Star to Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef,” he’s a local trailblazer, whose exposure has garnered the attention of top names in the culinary world. Even after taking two years off after spending his entire twenties and thirties in the kitchen, multiple offers continue to arise to open restaurants in several major US cities, but Louisiana keeps calling him back. “Monroe is always home,” he says. As a chef, Bahr’s driving force is his passion for food that he believes extends beyond the restaurant. Through Parish Restaurant & Bar, he wants to give Monroe the type of place and food he thinks the city deserves.

Though it would be merited, he claims, “It’s not the Cory Bahr show.” Since the restaurant’s conception, his focus has been scouting for the right team and building everything around the capabilities of that team. “They are what is most important,” says Bahr, “This may be my restaurant, but it’s not about me.” It’s about staff, like the indispensable front house leader Victoria Smith, the self-titled “therapist, mom, bandaid, pep talker, ass kicker.” If there is a fire, Smith puts it out. If there is a birthday, Smith readies the birthday candles in her just-in-case fanny pack. Initially, when she heard Bahr was in search of a dream team, Smith applied for event coordinator. She didn’t expect to have a significant role in the restaurant. She didn’t even really want to get involved in the restaurant business after witnessing the strain it put on her sister and mom. But after only one conversation with her, Bahr, inspired, offered her the leadership position. “I saw it in her that this is what she needed to do,” Bahr says. Only two weeks in and working overtime, Smith attests this is the most challenging job she has ever had. There were moments when she thought, “I can’t do this.” When everything that could go wrong did, Bahr kept encouraging her. “We’re a family, and I would go to bat for anybody,” says Smith. Learning and teaching one another has been the key to such camaraderie. “This restaurant is here to last, and I want to build a family here. If the staff loves this place, so will the community,” affirms Bahr. With this philosophy, a family meal is served before the Parish doors open with the intention of keeping the staff as comfortable as guests. Worth the cost and effort, Bahr explains that he wants his staff to receive a hardy meal in case they are not able to adequately fuel before for the long work nights.

While most restaurants begin at the door, Parish begins outdoor, specifically the right wing of the building. At night, a string of globe lights illuminate four raised garden beds growing tomatoes and herbs. A Sea A Sea Island Forge fire pit centers the space, awaiting cooler temperatures and promising toasted marshmallows. Tucked toward the back of the building is a mini orchard of fig, Meyer lemon, peach and banana trees. But most unexpected and impressive is Parish’s very own beehive, courtesy of Jennings Apiaries. “The restaurant is a partnership between a lot of people and the community,” says Bahr. The culmination of many people’s hard work is even more apparent in the building’s interior. Sleek African mahogany wood tables and chairs were custom crafted by Kyle Snellenberger, owner and founder of Ouachita Antique Woods. The egg-white walls carry contemporary mishmashes of eclectic portraits and dreamlike mixed media pieces from local and regional artists such as Butch Anthony, Jason Byron Nelson, Sue Sartor, and Courtney Wetzel. Bahr’s attention to detail, assisted and executed by designer Gregory Hudgins, plays with texture and whimsy. The main dining area nods to the building’s conserved 1950’s mid-century mod framework while also mixing in contemporary references, for example: in the lounge area, original Eames Zenith chairs gather around a mod-style wood table which stars a gilded, roaring T-Rex centerpiece. Smith, originally from California, finds Parish’s intricate space refreshing, because it represents nuanced and exciting ideas; ones that only serve to enhance the beloved ‘Roe City. “The building told me what the restaurant wanted to be,” says Bahr, who worked with developer Jason Thomas to preserve the outstanding building, including the garage and garage door, now a second dining room area. Being in the building gave Bahr a sense of possibility. From décor to utensils, “it all goes together,” he says. Happenstance and serendipity guided his decisions in creating a small and focused restaurant with a fresh, fun and fluid menu.

At 4:15 p.m., forty-five minutes before the restaurant opens, Bahr’s staff, armed with a notepad and pen, huddle around him and a plate of Parish’s signature 44 Farms Double Double cheeseburger. Bahr describes the dish—layers of meat, bacon jam, grilled onions, American cheese, special sauce and house-made bun grilled with beef fat—and then finishes with: “Y’all, get in there and get yourself a bite.” An eager staff have-at-it. “This is what animal style burgers wish they could be,” comments a Parish server. The idea is to educate the staff about the dishes, the simple ingredients, and how the food is sourced and transformed. It’s also important that the staff is excited about the food; “To do that food wiggle that happens when you eat good food,” adds Smith. “Our customers are second right now,” says Bahr. “You can’t put your customers first until your crew is fully in love with what you’re doing, and I think we’re getting there.”

You better believe the love is there! All of Parish’s ingredients are honest, and the menu is true farm-to-table, tweaked and changed daily based on what is locally and regionally sourced. Smith categorizes the food aesthetic as “simple ingredients singing,” a fact not to be taken lightly especially when Parish’s yellowfin tuna is dropped off directly from a ship boat captain. Bahr’s food mantra—“just make delicious food with no boundaries”—is represented in every dish. Multi-national and regional cuisines meet at the center of perfection and ingenuity. When it comes to the menu, each ingredient is given its due. No dish has a signature name; customers just read a list of ingredients. Sous Chef and self-proclaimed “kitchen nerd” Katy Aker recommends the iceberg appetizer: two wedges of iceberg lettuce, onion, blocks of bacon, tomato, ranch and dill. “I can wax poetic about the different dishes, but I’m massively in love with this crunchy iceberg salad. It’s eleven out of ten for me,” she says. Sous Chef Jamie Ryan King, whose food motto is “whatever it takes,” highly recommends the in-house smoked meats, particularly the pork belly, which goes on top of a kimchi fried rice, grilled Chinese broccoli, spiced peanuts and sambal. The short rib, another 44 Farms delicacy, is served with Peruvian chili, crispy sweet potatoes and cashew dukkah. Bahr is particularly proud of his pasta dishes, mainly because Parish pasta is made from scratch, daily. Try BayouLife’s favorite: pappardelle, duck sugo, roasted mushrooms, and Grana Padano cheese.
Attention to detail does not just stop at the food. Their wine menu is a full page (front and back) of “by the glass” wines, “bubbles,” rosé, whites and reds. Cory and Victoria have tried every wine on the list, so customers are encouraged to ask for recommendations. They barrel-age their own whiskey, filter their water and ice and serve artisanal sodas, including Mexi-Cokes! Down to the Third Coast coffee that should accompany any of their desserts, try the lemon pie, pecan crust, toasted meringue or raspberry sorbet; Parish is about letting the product stand out. “People need to expect more from the area. This includes its restaurants,” says Smith. “People should expect more so that every restaurant is held to a higher esteem.” Smith believes dining is about having an experience in order to build a culture of food.

When Bahr thought about places he wanted to embody, at the top of his mind were Doyle and Yvette Jeter, owners of Enoch’s Irish Pub & Cafe. “They always built a great culture. I want to be a place like that, where the people are as important as the business,” says Bahr, emphasizing that Parish is a place to grab a cocktail and appetizer, meet friends, enjoy life. It’s art, culture, drink, food and a good time. An entity in its own right, Parish wants to become an exception. “We’re here to take risks,” says Bahr. They may be in the restaurant business, but they are doing more than just cooking. They are breaking all the stereotypes for the sake of reinvention. Become a parishioner of Parish and congregate around honest and meaningful food.

Parish Restaurant is located on 318 North 2nd Street, Monroe, LA. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see the daily source ingredients of their menu. Keep an eye out for brunch, wine tasting, gluten-free fried chicken and venison and other game dishes in the near future. Make a reservation online via resy.com or call 318-376-2423. Ask about renting the garden or garage room for private parties.