I love the smells and flavors of the old south. It brings me back to memories of my mother and I cooking in the kitchen. With eight brothers and sisters, it seemed like the only quality time I was able to spend with her. Although I was born & raised in Oakland, my family's from the south. I learned to cook by watching my mother; all of her best dishes were from recipes passed down from generation to generation. My favorites were the complex dishes, like gumbo, where making a roux base was the first step. It is the foundation and took me years to perfect.

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As a Californian, it's hard to ignore health eating. We have the best produce in the country, so it's easy to source fresh ingredients locally. This is unique to California. Traditional southern cuisine can leave you with a heavy fried-feeling afterward. I've tweaked those same beloved recipes so that they make us feel good inside and out! Bay Area Bayou is true California Southern fusion.