Having no bags of chips or processed meats in his childhood home meant Benjamin Wilt, 29, had to get creative when it came to snacks, and as he aged, some of his meals.
Chef Erik Niel: How a Cajun Kid Helped Build Chattanooga’s Culinary Identity
Chef Erik Niel talks about fishing the way most chefs talk about their mentors. Growing up in Mandeville, Louisiana, he spent his childhood waist-deep in the lakes north of New Orleans, chasing redfish and speckled trout with his dad and brother. “I was just having fun being outside,” he told me. “It ignited a desire to learn how to cook what I caught or killed.”
Posted in News on October 11, 2025