Interview with Chef Cori of Unilever Food Solutions

Our FSD Chef Series continues with Unilever Corporate Chef, Cori Boudreaux, as we discuss his career, favorite recipes, and more!

Tell us about yourself.
I got my culinary start at a Cajun restaurant in southwest Louisiana before opening a pair of Cajun restaurants in Texas.  After moving to New Jersey in 2008, I graduated from the French Culinary Institute in NYC in 2010.  

I spent 9 years as Executive Chef at Bank Street College of Education; focusing on providing high-quality, healthy, from-scratch meals.  After leaving Bank Street, I kicked off a program providing meals to an underserved elderly population in NYC before moving into a role in research and development for a plant-based meal company.  I currently work at Unilever where I pair my passion for sustainability and plant-forward cooking with my love of world flavors.

My comfort dish on a gloomy day is red beans & rice.  I'm a huge fan of slow cooking. A pot bubbling away on the stove for hours builds anticipation so by the time it's done and I can eat, I'm in a great mood!

My inspiration comes from the ingredients themselves.  When I'm stuck I like to go to farmers markets and greengrocers.  There will almost always be some fruit or vegetable at its absolute peak just begging to be used, and I'm happy to oblige. 

YES!  Both, if you please. 

Comfort is my driver. There's nothing like eating a home-cooked meal that delivers on flavor and brings me back to being a kid in my grandmas kitchen. 

I grew up in rural southern Louisiana and there was virtually no access to some ingredients that most people in the US would currently consider common.  So when I ate my first mango in New Orleans at 19 years old it blew my mind.  I still remember eating that sweet, sticky, juicy piece of fruit outside under the summer sun. 

Board games!  The more complex the better.  

Plan your career backwards. Start at your retirement party and imagine what you want it to be like. Now that you've got a goal, be disciplined and strive for it.  

1 lb dark roux, oil skimmed and reserved

2 lb smoked Cajun sausage, sliced

2 medium onions, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 gallon water

2/3 c Knorr Ultimate Professional Chicken Liquid Base

2 tsp KITCH 24/7 black pepper

2 tsp KITCH 24/7 cayenne pepper

5 ½ tsp KITCH 24/7 granulated garlic

4 lb chicken pieces – diced boneless skinless thigh preferred

1. In pot, heat oil reserved from roux.  

2.  Add sausage and brown well – oil may need to be added if roux didn’t have enough.

3.  Remove sausage and sweat vegetables in sausage/roux oil.

4.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add sausage.  Cook together 2-3 min.

5.  Add water and chicken base.  Bring to a boil.

6.  While water is boiling, crumble roux into pot.  Stir until any lumps of roux have dissolved.

7.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Add black pepper, cayenne, and granulated garlic.  Stir well.

8.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, 40-60 minutes or until bitterness in roux has cooked out.

9.  Add chicken thigh, bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

10.  Simmer 10-15 mins until chicken is cooked, then season to taste with salt.

Shop for all ingredients, including limited time deals on Knorr Professional Liquid Concentrated Base on Food Service Direct! Follow the links on the specific ingredients or visit our website directly at www.foodservicedirect.com.

And don't forget to follow Unilever Food Solutions on LinkedIn.