A Shreveport family upholds more than a culinary legacy
Freeman and Harris Cafe, 1984. Photo by Neil Johnson, Northwest Louisiana Archives, LSU Shreveport
by Kayla Stewart, 64 Parishes
In Shreveport, seafood is central to dining—shrimp is stuffed, catfish is battered, and alligator meat is tenderized, battered, and deep fried. No place carries the city’s culinary traditions with more pride and experience than Orlandeaux’s Café.
When I first met owner Damien “Chapeaux” Chapman, I was midway through a deeply comforting bowl of divinely seasoned seafood gumbo. After finishing my final spoonful, I looked out at Cross Lake, which is the primary water supply for the city of Shreveport. Damien followed my gaze. He noted, “We are the city’s main and longest source of good food, and we sit out on the city’s main source of water. There’s something powerful about that.”
