John Gravois

Like everyone else who grew up in South Louisiana, John Gravois was raised on some of the world's greatest comfort foods. His mother, Joy, was a masterly host and cook, celebrated for her gumbos and jambalayas. As Gravois prepared to leave Houma, deep in the bayou country south of New Orleans, to go off to the University of Missouri, his mother began to write down her precious recipes rarely shared and closely guarded so that he would have a taste of home with him wherever his career in...See more

Like everyone else who grew up in South Louisiana, John Gravois was raised on some of the world's greatest comfort foods. His mother, Joy, was a masterly host and cook, celebrated for her gumbos and jambalayas. As Gravois prepared to leave Houma, deep in the bayou country south of New Orleans, to go off to the University of Missouri, his mother began to write down her precious recipes rarely shared and closely guarded so that he would have a taste of home with him wherever his career in journalism should take him. Gravois began that career at his hometown Houma Courier in the 1970s. After college, he covered politics for The Houston Post in Austin and Washington and later became an editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he's been since 1995. Building on the legacy of recipes from his mother, he has accumulated recipes from extended family and in-laws for a collection that forms the heart of this cookbook. See less