Based in New Orleans, Nola Boils is South Louisiana’s premier catering company. They specialize in the very best on-site seafood boils and provide first-rate local cuisine.  This small team provides large seafood boils and a down to earth NOLA experience.

The Praline Connection began as a home delivery service targeting career women who were too busy to prepare home cooked meals for their families.  Curtis opened their first location on Frenchman Street, in New Orleans, LA in 1990 and the rest has been culinary history. The Praline Connection serves "down-home" Cajun Creole style soul food at affordable prices and features three generations of "Pure-D-Goodness". Their New Orleans Pralines are handmade daily in the old fashioned, spoon dripped method, using only the finest ingredients.

Funny thing is Moore knew zip about the industry before strapping on his aprons "Did that scare us? Of course it did," explains his partner, Praline's vice president. "For me to go in a totally different direction was very frightening."  Why the restaurant business? Moore, the company's president, says they found a niche in soul food. In April 1990, Moore retired from BP and traded in his corporate attire for a chef's hat.

Now Moore has an extension of his restaurant in the airport and two candy stores. He also has an online candy store where gift baskets are available for purchase.  This year Curtis Moore is going to be at the 31^th Annual French Quarter Festival and be a part of the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch. He has also been known to serve his NOLA cuisine at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Accolades:

• Co-Owner and President of Praline Connection
• Featured in Food Network’s “Food Paradise: Meatloaf Paradise” – Meatloaf with a Cajun twist
• Featured in the New Orleans  Jazz and Heritage Festival
• Catered for Air Force 1 & 2 under Presidents Bush and Clinton
• Guest Chef representing City of New Orleans in Taste of NewOrleans Jazz  and Food fest for 21 days in Dubai UE
• Taste of New Orleans Fest In Durban South Africa - Guest Chef

A true New Orleans family recipe turned into a business in 2010 when Kristen Preau, “Jambalaya Girl,” started Cook Me Somethin’ Mister as a new NOLA food brand, packaging her Dad’s recipe for Jambalaya as an easy to make seasoned Jambalaya Rice. Kristen grew up cooking Jambalaya in the large, multi-gallon cast iron pots with her Dad at her brother’s ball games and at events throughout the city. What inspired her to make her Dad’s recipe into the Jambalaya Rice was a result of her response to Hurricane Katrina. Evacuated in Louisville, KY, Kristen and her family took their cast iron pots, traveled the country to college tailgates and served jambalaya to raise money for New Orleans. The fundraiser was wildly successful (over $100,000 raised), but for the fact of how much people LOVED the jambalaya is what got her thinking . . . “could I make a business out of my Dad’s recipe?” 

 Cook Me Somethin’ Mister Jambalaya Rice is now distributed in six states, including 10 Sam’s Clubs, 5 national foodservice distributors, over 100 grocery stores and specialty stores and online at CookMeSomethinMister.com. Their products are proudly made in New Orleans and are specially blended by Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends. It is a family business with Kristen, her Dad Paul and her brother Kevin working together. And the “Jambalaya Girl” is represented with a caricature of Kristen wearing her signature fork earrings, printed on hundreds of thousands of bags of Cook Me Somethin’ Mister Jambalaya Rice.

 Accolades:

•        Featured on Food Network for Guy Fieri’s Tailgate Warriors
•        As seen on ESPN & The Cooking Channel
•        Feature story in Specialty Food Magazine
•        NFL selected Cook Me Somethin’ Mister’s Jambalaya to be served at the NFL VIP Tailgate Party for      
           Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans
•        Featured food vendor at New Orleans festivals, such as Wednesdays at the Square
•        Sponsor of New Orleans charities and foundations, such as Tipitina’s Education

In April 2015, recently named one of the Top 3 finalist for New Orleans Entrepeneur week 

Troy Brocato was born in Melville, Louisiana in the heart of Cajun County.  After high school Troy joined the US Navy where he served his county in Desert Storm as well as Desert Shield he feed thousands of soldiers daily.  After his enlistment ended, he returned to Louisiana and headed to New Orleans.  He was mentored by World Renowned Chef and Troy's Uncle, Chef Paul Prudhomme.  Troy worked at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen for 12 years.  In 1995, he left K-Paul's to start his own dream and opened The Flamingeaux Café in August 2005.  Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina hit three weeks later and destroyed the restaurant.

Troy continues to cook and cater for the people of New Orleans by catering private events as well as festivals. Some Special Events include NBA Cares 2007 and Super Bowl Blvd 2012.  In 2009, Troy was given the opportunity to prepare breakfast and lunch for the staff at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He prepared over 4000 meals for the staff over the course of the month-long festival.

Troy's passion for cooking has won him recognition from local food critics. The Times Picayune chose his Shrimp and Grits to be the best Food at the Voodoo Experience in 2008.  He was voted one of the top 5 Cajun Foods in 2011 by WWL TV.  In 2013 won Gumbo Competition at the Treme Gumbo Festival.  As Troy likes to say, his food speaks for itself.