A Flavor Explosion at Southern Kreole Cravings & Pastries

On any given Saturday, a red food trailer with the image of a tall chef hat-wearing culinarian with the company name — Southern Kreole Cravings & Pastries —can be found at Parc De Oaks in Lafayette.

A few feet from the cooking rig, a group of people sitting at picnic tables underneath large oak trees devour chicken wings.

These people, with white Styrofoam containers in front of them, are smacking their lips and licking their fingers and eating everything on these wings—even the fat and gristle.

Chef Logan Alfred, 33, sits in the big red mobile kitchen grinning. He knows the wings prepared by his team are good, better yet … awesome.

“Those are the Crack wings. What you are looking at is my number one seller.”

Alfred could be considered the Pied Piper of chicken wings in the Lafayette area considering his growing following.

What makes these wings, well, addictive?

“They are sweet and savory. Our wings are flour-breaded and deep-fried. Then, we toss them in a specialty sauce called Crack Sauce,” Alfred explains.

Cooking under the trees or in home kitchens brings peace to Alfred’s soul. His ultimate satisfaction, other than being a proud family man, is watching the faces of people who eat his food.

“I feel great. I feel like I blessed them. You can tell they have not had the flavors I create before by looking at the expressions on their faces,” he said.

Alfred’s foray into the culinary world started at Northside High School. He was part of the ProStart Program and caught the attention of Chef Terryl Jackson who worked at Prejean’s in Lafayette. Jackson helped Alfred get a job at the restaurant.

When he graduated from high school, Alfred enrolled at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge. Chef David Tiner and Chef Jeremy Coco continued his education.

While in school, Alfred worked in three Baton Rouge area restaurants.

Several years after graduating from culinary school, Alfred got a job cooking on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. After eight years of working in that environment, Alfred understood the impact of a good cooked meal on people.

“I cooked for hundreds and hundreds of offshore staff. They loved the food. I was able to help the morale of the crews,” he said. “Every time it got rough for them, they would smell food in the galley. You would see their faces light up.”

When the oil industry started taking a beating, Alfred decided to bet on himself. Using his own money, Alfred set up a food rig and hit the road. He also started catering.

“Back on land, I started creating too,” he said.

The Crack wings are not the only food items that Alfred features.

Alfred’s menu includes loaded seafood fries (shrimp and crawfish étouffée cheese sauce over French fries), fried catfish and an assortment of dishes he cooks based on breaking traditional dishes down and rebuilding them his way.

Alfred is proud that his team gets requests to cook in people’s homes.

“Oh, our ribeyes, loaded mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, onions and mushrooms get us called back to cook over and over,” Alfred said.

Inspiring souls is what drives Alfred. He is happy to share his unique flavors with anyone looking for palate inspiration

“That’s why I tell people all the time — we create food that satisfies the soul,” he said.

Try This!

1 | Philly Cheesesteak Quesadilla

Chef Alfred figured the best way to satisfy a food lover’s palate is to stuff shredded ribeye steak, peppers, pepper jack cheese, a five-cheese mix and a few other significant foods and seasoning between two tortillas. Survey says … heck yeah!

2 | Jacked-Up Chicken Sandwich

There is no fooling around with this sandwich. It is made big, tastes big and will fill a belly. Fried or grilled chicken breast with pepper jack cheese, onions, lettuce, bacon, tomatoes and jalapeños. Oh … and Chef Alfred tops it all with a spicy ranch drizzle.

3 | Fried Crack Cauliflower

There is no better way to eat veggies — even those with no distinguishable flavor — than when they are seasoned, fried and served. Sweet and savory are the flavors that dance on your palate with this dish.

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