Article: Delta force: Katrina may have overpowered New Orleans, but it couldn't wash away the Big Easy's zingy version of comfort food--buttery sweet potato biscuits, crabmeat po'boys, lemon pudding cake. Mimi Read, who was born and bred there, profiles six local star chefs and restaurant owners who are determined to let the good times--and some great cooking--roll again.

The First Responder

John Besh

Restaurant August

301 Tchoupitoulas Street

504-299-9777

FOUR DAYS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA paralyzed New Orleans, John Besh sneaked back into its barricaded streets. "I thought I could do the most good by feeding people," says Besh, 37, chef and owner of Restaurant August.

By text-messaging friends and family, Besh scrounged up 750 bags of rice, 1,000 pounds of red beans, and several huge stockpots and propane burners. Undaunted by the lack of electricity, he set up a makeshift kitchen in the driveway of his house in nearby Slidell, Louisiana. "We had a boat on a trailer, and we loaded ...

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