Brett Jones
Barracuda | New Orleans
SEPTEMBER 2022
Coming from a family of great home cooks and hosts, Brett Jones began working in restaurants at the age of 16. Wanting to learn more about cuisines beyond what existed at his local fast food chains, Jones taught himself to cook. He was able to pay his way through college at Louisiana State University by working at nearby diners, and after graduating, Jones moved to New Orleans. He jumped around positions in both the front and back of house, eventually finding his way to Dinner Lab, a traveling culinary pop-up experience. Jones became chef and project manager for culinary activations across the country, working with a diverse range of emerging chefs and restaurant professionals across 30-plus cities. After several years, he returned to New Orleans to be the food and beverage manager at the Ace Hotel.
With a longstanding obsession for making tortillas, Jones always had the idea of opening a taco stand in the back of his mind. So in 2019, he set out to open Barracuda, a casual taco concept prioritizing accessibility, quality, and value. The comprehensive menu highlights Sonoran-style, thin flour tortillas piled with inventive local ingredients. Jones launched the first location in Uptown New Orleans, and in 2021, opened a second location across the river in the Algiers neighborhood. He has already broken ground on a third location in Baton Rouge, which is set to open fall of 2022.
