OUR TEAM

Some of the important players who make the service and food what is . . .

Emeril Lagasse, Executive Chef/Proprietor

Chef Emeril Lagasse received his first culinary experience from his mother, Hilda, when he was a boy growing up in the small town of Fall River, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he worked at a Portuguese bakery where he mastered the art of bread and pastry baking. Upon high school graduation, Lagasse was offered a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music, but decided to pursue a career as a professional chef.

Read complete biography in the Emerilology Section »

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Michael Ruoss, Chef de Cuisine

Michael Ruoss grew up in southern Maine where he developed a love of cooking and a keen interest in becoming a chef. After graduating from high school, Ruoss enrolled in a two-year culinary program to hone his skills. After he graduated, he moved to New Orleans to cook in a city rich with culinary heritage. After fine-tuning his skills at two local fine dining establishments, he joined the team at Lagasse's second restaurant, NOLA in the French Quarter as a line cook. He quickly learned the ropes under the supervision of Lagasse, Culinary Director David McCelvey and Chef Neal Swidler. Within a month, he was promoted to sous chef, a position he held for over a year before accepting a sous chef position at the company's flagship restaurant, Emeril's. In October 2002, he returned to NOLA and was promoted to Executive Sous Chef. In September 2004, Michael was chosen to take over the reins at NOLA as Chef de Cuisine.

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David Travis, General Manager

David Travis’ appreciation and love of New Orleans food and culture was a birth rite, with his family presiding over two popular local seafood eateries. The daily rituals he experienced as a kid – going to work with his father, hanging out in the kitchen and back office – would make hospitality and good food a fixture in his life.

Starting as a prep cook at age 13, David prepared food in and around New Orleans, working as a cook and waiter at his family’s restaurant for the next several years. In the summer of 1998, he placed his hospitality career on hold and embarked on a tour of Europe.

Returning from abroad energized by the culture and lifestyle found there, he decided to pursue a different side of the restaurant business, trading his place in the kitchen for the front-of-the-house. In November 1998, he joined Emeril’s Delmonico as a reservationist, working alongside a long line of well known Emeril’s chefs and managers. Over the next four years, David took up various leadership positions, including posts at Emeril’s, NOLA, and Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, before becoming Assistant General Manager at Delmonico.

In December 2007, David was named General Manager of NOLA Restaurant, capping off a fulfilling career at all three of Chef Emeril’s New Orleans restaurants. Happy to be back home at NOLA in the French Quarter – the heart of New Orleans and a place of rich traditions and memories, David looks forward to creating the perfect dining experience alongside Chef de Cuisine Michael Ruoss.

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