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Austin Leslie at Chez Helene in 1974. (Ralph Uribe)
Austin Leslie was impossible to miss, with his captain's hat and pork chop sideburns. His fried chicken was also easy to spot: his birds were sprinkled with chopped parsley and raw garlic then topped with dill pickle slices. He became an international ambassador for "Creole soul food."
The voluble Leslie first gained attention at Chez Helene, his family restaurant on North Robertson Street that he took over from his aunt in 1975. The restaurant was unpretentious but the cooking was spectacular.
"You couldn't fry a chicken better than Austin. You couldn't stuff a pepper better than Austin Leslie," Leah Chase said in 2005.
No one fried chicken like Austin Leslie: Bites from the Past
Blast from the past.