The proprietors of Lucky’s Fire & Smoke, Lafayette’s newest restaurant, discuss their unique cuisine which features farm-direct American Wagyu beef, poultry, locally sourced seafood, and plant-based offerings.
Acclaimed chef and author, Jimmy Schmidt, a three-time winner of the James Beard award who created this fine-dining concept along with Lucky’s co-owner, Eddie Khoury, a restauranteur of 30 years who brought this unique restaurant to Lafayette, join our discussion.
Over the years, Chef Jimmy Schmidt’s culinary accomplishments have been consistently recognized. He has been named on the Food & Wine Magazine Honor Roll of American Chefs, Cooks Magazine Who’s Who of Cooking in America, Gourmet Magazine America’s Best Restaurants, USA Today’s 10 Best Destinations in Southern California and awarded a 5 Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. And yes, he has served as guest chef judge on Top Chef.
Jimmy has also published many cookbooks and contributed to Bon Appetit, Cuisine, Gourmet, Food & Wine.
In 2018, Jimmy Schmidt and his team created a new way to enjoy the wonderful flavors of American BBQ with Lucky’s Noble Fire & Smoke. When his longtime friend and colleague, Eddie Khoury, realized the unique concept of Lucky's, he convinced Jimmy to help him bring it to the Lafayette market; Lucky's is the first of its kind to open in the U. S.
Lucky's Fire & Smoke is located at 6774 Johnston Street, Lafayette LA 70503. It offers a Saturday and Sunday Brunch from 10 am to 3 pm, and is open Tuesday through Saturday 5 to 10 pm, and Sunday, 5 to 9 pm. Visit https://luckyslafayette.com for more information. The featured photo is Lucky's stuffed Deviled Egg dish featuring Wagyu beef bacon on top. Lucky's Lafayette location is the first to open in the U. S.
Jimmy grew up in Champagne, Illinois, working on the family farm as a kid, which influenced his appreciation of whole foods and nature, something he only came to realize as an adult. His cooking skills are deeply based on science and influenced by his background in engineering, as his focus is not only on taste but nutrition, extracting the maximum health benefits from each meal prepared.
While in college, Jimmy studied electrical engineering at the University of Illinois and went to France to earn language credits where he took cooking classes for entertainment. While there, he fell in love with food and wine and studied under Madeleine Kamman. He earned a culinary degree from Luberon College and the French Institut Technique du Vin diploma from Maison du Vin in Avignon.
Jimmy followed Madeleine to Boston where he worked for her in the restaurant business for a number of years; he graduated magna cum laude and first in class with a Professional Chef’s diploma from Modern Gourmet. He pursued higher education at Harvard University Graduate School of Business from 1999 through 2001. Madeleine generously shared with Jimmy not only what food was, but the recipes and the chemistry behind great cuisine. Jimmy says, "It lit a fire under me to always reach out to learn more." He's always focused on the science behind cooking and creating great dishes.
Chef Jimmy Schmidt's whole focus is on the science behind the preparation of foods. "You instinctually crave foods in season. They'll all have the highest amount of nutrition and flavor right off the tree and plant. As a chef that focuses on developing flavors, hand in hand with fresh foods comes great nutrition. I ask how can I make this taste better. My scientific research is to understand how things taste better and how can I use culinary techniques to accentuate flavor while also releasing bioactive ingredients that are nutritionally based so that...