Cochon coming to Lafayette

Chef Donald Link To Open Second Location of Cochon in Cajun Country
Award winning chef returns to his roots

New Orleans, Louisiana – Donald Link, chef and owner of the wildly popular Cochon Restaurant, Cochon Butcher and his flagship restaurant Herbsaint in New Orleans, has announced his plans to open a second location of Cochon Restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana. Joined by Cochon partner Stephen Stryjewski, Link literally returns to his Cajun roots while paying homage to the rich heritage and culture of his Louisiana. Chef Link grew up in Louisiana’s Cajun Country cooking beside his grandparents in their home.

The new Cochon location, being built across from The Village of River Ranch, is situated south of the Vermillion River in the heart of southern Louisiana. Construction of the restaurant will begin in the fall, with an official opening next year. “Chef Stephen and I did extensive research to find the most natural market for our style and plan,” states Link, “but we always came back to Louisiana. It just made sense to bring it all back home.”

The property, surrounded by trees and overlooking the river, will feature a 2000 square foot deck, a bar with eating capacity up to 50, and a dining room larger than the original Cochon in the Warehouse District. Link and Stryjewski will keep the menu filled with authentic Cajun and Southern style foods they have been lauded for, while adding some new dishes that will surprise and delight local clientele. “I am very proud of the food we are crafting at Cochon and I look forward to sharing it with the people who made me who I am today,” comments Link.

Link’s flagship restaurant Herbsaint earned him a James Beard award in 2007 for Best Chef South. Gourmet Magazine has listed Herbsaint as one of the top 50 restaurants in America, and this year Herbsaint was inducted into the Nations Restaurant News Hall of Fame. Cochon was nominated in 2007 for Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation; and was also listed in The New York Times as "one of the top 3 restaurants that count." The James Beard Foundation honored Link’s first cookbook-- Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link’s Louisiana (Clarkson Potter) with their top award for Best American Cookbook. Released in 2009, Real Cajun is a collection of family recipes that Link has honed and perfected while honoring the authenticity of the Cajun people.

From Liz Goliwas Bodet