Haute Creole [ōt ˈkrēˌōl].
Drawing inspiration from simple, sustainable family dishes meant to feed the masses and presenting those flavors in an elevated, yet approachable way.
Saint John showcases the evolution of true New Orleans food, dating back to the 18th Century when Creole cuisine first got its start. We endeavor to evoke the nostalgia of Sunday dinners and old times of celebration, when French Quarter neighbors would go house to house, offering dishes made solely from the season’s crops and catches, and sharing in the celebration of community and good food.
Chef Darren Chabert
Chef Darren Chabert is the new Executive Chef at Saint John, which reopened in Sept 2024 at its new location at 715 Saint Charles Avenue. Chabert’s experience working with flavors from across the globe has helped him enhance the thoughtfully crafted new menu and showcase the many origins and cultures that have made Creole cuisine what it is today.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Darren grew up “with his nose to the stove” in a household where both his Grandmother and Great Grandmother cooked French cuisine for the family. Darren’s Great Grandmother immigrated directly from Paris, France to America, but French wasn’t the only food found in the kitchen. Every Sunday, his family cooked Italian, and other times, they incorporated Cajun flavor with local seafood and produce.
At age 20, Darren joined the United States Army Field Artillery Division. In 2008, ten years later, he returned to New Orleans and became a cook at Emeril’s Delmonico, falling back into the routine of the kitchen and revisiting his French culinary roots. In 2010, a second deployment called Darren back to Baghdad with the Louisiana National Guard. Darren became the Chef at Palace Restaurant in the Joint Visitors Bureau in Baghdad, a restaurant that served dignitaries visiting the area. When ingredients were limited, Darren called on family, friends and fellow cooks back home in Louisiana to send him just what he needed to make Southern standards like Muffulettas and Po Boys for Army Generals.
After returning to New Orleans in 2011, Chabert came back to Emeril’s Delmonico and was promoted to Sous Chef a year later. When Meril was slated to open in September 2016, he joined the culinary team as Executive Sous Chef and held the position until taking over as Chef de Cuisine in 2019.
Darren’s military background and experience in the kitchen go hand-in-hand. Like an old French Brigade kitchen, efficiency, respect, organization and professionalism are tantamount to a restaurant’s success. He brings his memories of Louisiana food traditions and his knowledge of French and Italian cuisine with him to the kitchen at Saint John, combining local ingredients and bold flavors from many different origins to keep the menu fresh and exciting, and serve as a reminder of where the city’s cuisine originally came from.
