Of Rice and Flavor with Nicole Cabrera

Nicole Cabrera Mills finds the parallels between the Philippines and New Orleans

When Nicole Cabrera Mills sat down with chef Ryan Prewitt to interview for a position at New Orleans’ soon to-open Pêche Seafood Grill 11 years ago, she laid her cards on the table. She had a kindergarten-age son and needed to be able to drop him off and pick him up each day. Her husband, also a chef, was working at a hotel with erratic hours. She needed consistency. “He told me, ‘I get it.’ And we worked it out. It was the first job I’d ever had where they were willing to be accommodating to me as a mom,” she says.

Originally from the Philippines, Mills was more accustomed to the less-accommodating kitchens of New York’s fine dining scene—after getting a degree in the Philippines, she’d moved to New York to attend culinary school and immediately launched her career with Eleven Madison Park. She’d met her husband, who was from New Orleans, in culinary school, and after several years of working their way through Manhattan kitchens, they decided to try the New Orleans scene. They went down to interview—and a week later, Hurricane Katrina hit. After a detour through Los Angeles and then back to the Philippines, they welcomed their son—so they tried New Orleans again. The fateful conversation with Prewitt landed Mills in a prime position.

Since the restaurant opened, Mills’ son has grown, and so has her role—five years ago, when the chef de cuisine position opened up, she knew the timing was right for her to take it.

Mills has also come up with the menu at Pêche. Owned by the Link Restaurant Group, run by chef Donald Link, Stephen Stryjewski, and Prewitt, Pêche was built with a focus on Gulf seafood and the restaurant’s open hearth, so the menu is full of rustic, Louisiana-inspired dishes. Over the years, Mills was able to offer up her own ideas for specials and menu changes. Prewitt, she says, was open to all of it. “He understood my point of view and welcomed it,” she says. You can now see her Asian heritage woven into the menu, especially where there are parallels to be drawn.

“Southern food is very bold in flavor, just like Asian food can be. When I came and got to know Ryan’s food, I found some of the dishes to be very vinegar-forward, which kind of surprised me. I love vinegars—we have so many in our kitchen now. That’s also very distinct in Filipino flavors. There’s sour and many different levels of saltiness in both cuisines,” she says.

Southern food is also strongly tied to rice, as it is in Asia. “I love rice, and there are so many different varieties of rice here in the South. It’s exciting to me to play around with what’s growing right around us,” she adds.

While the dishes at Pêche will always be firmly rooted in the South, Mills says, “I find myself reaching for a little bit of fish sauce to add a little depth to something, or a little bit of soy sauce,” she says. Dishes like catfish with pickled greens and chili broth or cabbage salad with carrots, peanuts, and soy show off her touch. “You might not even know it’s there; it’s just a hint.”

After decades in the US and at least 11 years in New Orleans, Mills finds that her love for Louisiana’s foodways is as strong as it is for Filipino food. Her husband’s family loves to cook, and she finds inspiration anytime they all gather for a feast. “It’s definitely a blended household,” she says.

Meanwhile, at Pêche, the kitchen is now full of women, some of whom are also mothers and immigrants. “I tell a lot of women that they can’t let being a mom stop them from pursuing this career. Or being able to speak English. It can be hard, sometimes very hard,” she says. “But it’s possible.”

Get Nicole Cabrerea’s Recipes

Snapper Ceviche with Coconut Dressing and Sweet Potato Puree

Crab Rice with Alavar and Cucumber

Pickled Shrimp Salad with Asian Pears, Butter Beans, and Peanuts

keep reading

At the Table

A New Way to Beignet

Chef Justin Devillier showcases his savory rendition of a New Orleans classic with his blue crab beignet recipe.

On the Road

New Orleans

From Bourbon Street to bánh mì, there’s a lot to love about the Crescent City.

Cookbook Club

Bookshelf: Nana’s Creole Italian Table

Elizabeth Williams’ New Orleans cookbook, Nana’s Creole Italian Table, invites home cooks to experience Sicilian-influenced Cajun-Creole food.