Food is Life For Chef Karlos Knott
He eats, drinks, dreams and lives food and beverage, while the rest of us benefit from his obsession.
Karlos Knott, co-owner, chef and president (though he doesn’t really go by that last title) of Bayou Teche Brewing and Cajun Saucer pizza in Arnaudville, spends his work days and nights thinking about and making beer and pizza. What does he do in his off time? “I cook, I drink. I read about cooking and drinking. I watch YouTube videos, and Netflix shows about cooking and drinking. I dream about things I haven’t eaten or drank yet,” says Knott.
That passion bordering on obsession is front and center in every bite of Knott’s Neopolitan-style pizza.
Knott and his family opened the brewery, situated on Bayou Teche, in 2009 on property purchased by his parents in the 1970s. A restaurant was in the original plans, but at the time, it was illegal in Louisiana to operate a restaurant at a brewery. After much lobbying of the ATC commissioner by Knott and fellow brewery owners, the laws were tweaked, and in 2017, food was quickly added to the beer menu. This enabled the food-obsessed Knott to bring Cajun flavors and sensibility to wood-fired pizza.
Knott was born and raised in Lafayette and later, joined the Army, where he was stationed in Germany. Knott says he ate, drank and toured his way through Europe with his wife, Stephanie, and son, Cory.
“We lived with a German family in their farmhouse,” says Knott. He was later transferred to Fort Lewis in Washington state. “The food, the coffee, the wineries and breweries were an extension of everything I tasted and learned in Europe. I was cooking nearly every day, trying to innovate, adding Cajun techniques and flavors into everything I made. I also learned how to brew beer, working on new beers, and innovating flavors that would pair with our cuisines and lifestyles.” When they first opened Bayou Teche Brewing, Knott brought his brewing knowledge to the business, serving as the company’s first brewmaster.
“All of this work and research culminated in my winning the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off this year,” says Knott, who is planning an expansion of the current brewery and a second location in downtown Lafayette — with a brewery, tiki bar, Cajun Saucer and pinball arcade — in the works at the Hotel Lafayette. “Being crowned the King of Louisiana Seafood was one of the happiest days of my life.”
Louisiana Shrimp Smothered in a Champagne Étouffée
With the Champagne stock, this étouffée is delicious served over rice, grits, buttered pasta, fried fish, polenta or slices of focaccia.
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serves: 4
375 ml Champagne
2½ sticks Irish butter
2 onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 pound of Louisiana shrimp with shells
1 teaspoon 210S
2 tablespoons Ultra-Sperse
Pour Champagne into a saucepan. Add shrimp shells, onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Simmer for one hour. Strain and discard shrimp shells and vegetables.
Sauté more onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic in butter until very soft. Add the 210S, more garlic and stock you made earlier and heat, stirring. Keep at a gentle simmer until you’re happy with the taste and texture.
Add shrimp. Poach shrimp for 2-3 minutes, until cooked. Remove shrimp, and whisk in Ulta-Sperse and chives.
Karlos Knott
Hometown: Lafayette
Item in your kitchen that means the most to you: The first cookbook my wife got me, “The Frugal Gourmet” by Jeff Smith. My well-used copy is nearly 40 years old. One of the first presents my wife ever got me, and really was the start to my path as a chef.
Favorite music to cook by: The Beatles. It reminds me of my mom. She was 10 years younger than my dad, 18 years old at the time The Beatles played “Ed Sullivan.” When my dad was home, we’d all listen to old country or Cajun albums on our giant record player. When he was at work, it was The Beatles.
Bayou Teche Brewing & Cajun Saucer Pizza
1002 Noth Lane, Arnaudville
bayoutechebrewing.com
337-754-5122
@bayoutechebrewing @cajunsaucer
