Paul Prudhomme, American chef, restaurant owner, died at 75

  Dead Famous

Paul Prudhomme, born in July 13, 1940, and died on October 8, 2015, also known as Gene Autry Prudhomme, Paul was an American celebrity chef whose specialty was Creole cuisine, and who was credited with popularising the cuisine.

He was the chef proprietor of K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, and had previously owned and run several other restaurants.

Paul developed several culinary products, including hot sauce and seasoning mixes, and wrote a number of cookbooks.

The youngest of 13 children, Paul was raised on a farm near Opelousas, the seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

His father Eli Prudhomme Jr., was a farmer, but the family struggled to make ends meet during Prudhomme’s childhood.

Paul was named Paul on his birth certificate as a priest thought he should have the same name as a saint, but he instead went by the name Gene Autry Prudhomme during his youth.

Paul had a long running issue with his weight, resulting in him working from an electric wheelchair on occasion.

In order to lose weight, he wrote his 1993 cookbook, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Fork in the Road, which he deliberately avoided marketing as a low-fat cookbook in order to prevent customers from being put off by the premise after testing the recipes at K-Paul’s Kitchen in New Orleans.

In 1986, Paul’s second wife, Kay, was diagnosed with lung cancer. After seven years, she died on December 31, 1993.

Paul Prudhomme died in New Orleans on October 8, 2015 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Lori.