Shan Samantaray on Building LUFU NOLA From The Ground Up | Say More with Carla Pesono

Описание: Shan Samantaray is a co-owner and executive chef at LUFU NOLA, and his path to opening one of New Orleans’ most exciting Indian restaurants was anything but traditional 🔥. We sit down with Shan to talk about moving to New Orleans from India, meeting his future business partners by chance, surviving COVID layoffs, and turning pop-ups cooked out of an apartment into a full-scale restaurant rooted in intention, grit, and community. He shares how those early years shaped his leadership style, his respect for collaboration, and his belief that food should always be about feeding people first.

We also dig deep into Indian cuisine beyond the clichés: regional cooking, street food, and why LUFU doesn’t label itself “authentic.” 🌍 Shan breaks down how New Orleans seafood, seasons, and culture influence the menu, what it meant to land on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list 🏆, and why this city’s openness and humanity made it the perfect place to build something lasting. This episode connects the dots from apartment-prepped pop-ups to the moment LUFU was recognized by the Michelin Guide, and everything in between 🍽️.

Say More with Carla Pesono is a bold, unfiltered podcast where food personality Carla Pesono sits down with the most interesting chefs, musicians, artists, and community figures—from New Orleans and beyond. A former TV news anchor turned food creator and media personality, Carla brings her newsroom curiosity and kitchen-table honesty into every conversation. It’s not about small talk. It’s about the full story—the messy, inspiring, real stuff people rarely get asked. Let’s pour a glass & Say More.

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