Seth Temple
Le Chat Noir | New Orleans
SEPTEMBER 2022
Seth Temple is from Lake Charles, Louisiana, where his parents raised him on locally-sourced ingredients and Cajun cooking. He attended the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University and in 2015, was awarded a summer scholarship to the internationally lauded Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France. There, he worked at several concepts within the school’s hotel, Le Royal, adding French technique to his Louisiana cooking style. He moved to New Orleans and joined the opening team of Kenton’s before becoming sous chef of Couvant.
At age 26, Temple needed a change of pace and a fresh dose of inspiration. He bought a one-way ticket to London and was hired at the Michelin-starred, hyper-local restaurant, Lyle’s. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Temple to return to New Orleans, he began working at Bearcat Cafe, helping Restaurateur James Reuter update their brunch-friendly menu. Anxious to incorporate more flavors and techniques from around the world, Temple started popping up at Bearcat with an original menu, focusing on katsu sandos and binchotan-grilled vegetables. When Reuter and Temple came across an old burlesque club for sale, they transformed it into a restaurant, but kept the name—Le Chat Noir. Temple opened Le Chat Noir in 2022 as executive chef, and ever since, has committed to sourcing at least 70 percent of his ingredients locally. Dishes like his wood-fired, risotto-stuffed quail with Aztec spinach and poultry jus are innovative and modern without losing that Louisiana connection.
