The Harvard Common Press

Marcelle R. Bienvenu grew up in Acadiana in a household centered around food, cooking, and writing.  After graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now ULL), Marcelle worked as a researcher and consultant for Time-Life Books, contributing to a book on Acadian-Creole foods in the Foods of the World series.  Before the publication of that book, Cajun cuisine had not been well known, nor had much been written about its history. Marcelle says, “I realized that people from other areas didn’t have gumbo almost every week, or seafood boils, or great dishes like jambalaya, and I was very curious about this.” 
Once her work on the book had been completed, Marcelle began working for Ella Brennan at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Her food-writing career took off after her time at Commander’s Palace. While there she realized that she could combine her love of food and writing, keep alive the old traditional recipes of which she is so fond, and help readers have a good time cooking. Later, she opened Chez Marcelle, a restaurant known for its Cajun and Creole specialties. She has written or co-authored several cookbooks, four of these with celebrated Cajun chef Emeril Lagasse.  Marcelle writes for Louisiana publications including the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in which her weekly “Cooking Creole” column appears.  She lives with her husband on Bayou Teche, in St. Martinville, Louisiana.