When acclaimed Boston chef Dustin Brien mistakenly applied for a job as a line cook at Salu restaurant on Magazine in Uptown New Orleans neither he nor the equally confused owner understood what either of them was thinking. Once they got the confusion sorted out, the restaurant owners decided to ditch their plans to hire a chef they had lined up and put their chips on Dustin. It turned out to be a good bet. Chef Dustin shook up the menu (and, insider tip: he’s in the process of changing it up again) and moved the restaurant from tapas to bistro.

Half a block down Magazine Street the owners of Salu decided to convert their restaurant Byblos into a Mexican restaurant under the stewardship of ex-Emeril’s, ex-Guillermo Peters disciple Richard Papier. Thus was born Arana and the brothers-in-arms team of Chef Richard and Chef Dustin.

These young chefs are at the top of their game. Their love of food, entertaining, and life itself (whether or not they choose to remember it) shines through this entire sparking conversation at Salu.