Who is Justin Wilson? That's a pretty silly question for anyone in Louisiana to ask. Perhaps no public figure is better known or loved during recent times in the Pelican State than Justin Wilson. Curiously enough, Wilson got his start as an industry safety engineer, a highly valued and respected one too, instructing oil refinery workers, dockworkers, and law enforcement officers all over the South. It was this line of work that inspired the Cajun storyteller in Wilson, judging from what Wilson himself has to say: "Way back ...
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Who is Justin Wilson? That's a pretty silly question for anyone in Louisiana to ask. Perhaps no public figure is better known or loved during recent times in the Pelican State than Justin Wilson. Curiously enough, Wilson got his start as an industry safety engineer, a highly valued and respected one too, instructing oil refinery workers, dockworkers, and law enforcement officers all over the South. It was this line of work that inspired the Cajun storyteller in Wilson, judging from what Wilson himself has to say: "Way back when I first started as a safety engineer, I took myself pretty seriously. And I found I was putting audiences to sleep. So, having lived all my life among the Cajuns of Louisiana, and having a memory for the patois and the type of humor Cajuns go for, I started interspersing my talks on safety with Cajun humor. And you know what? My audiences stayed awake." Not only did they stay awake, they chuckled, laughed and roared-and learned their safety lessons. For nearly two decades, Wilson was in heavy demand as master of ceremonies for everything from a supermarket opening to a Miss Texas contest. He recorded an album, The Humorous World of Justin Wilson, which broke all album sales records in Texas' recording history. After that he made four more (all successful), appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, MC'd conventions, parties, political rallies, christenings, and you name it. Although he'd accomplished all that, Justin Wilson still wasn't satisfied-he decided to expand his range of expertise to include the culinary arts, and has enjoyed lots of success in that arena, beginning it all with The Justin Wilson Cookbook. When it was first published by Pelican in1965, it was a cookbook like no other-a Cajun cookbook-and it still stands alone as a masterpiece of Cajun cooking and of culinary expertise in general. Readers will be glad to know that The Justin Wilson Cookbook reflects the Justin Wilson personality-entertaining and authentic. And the meals you cook from this book will go down in your gastronomical memory as the most exciting and interesting ever.
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