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Chef Rick Tramonto maps out Louisiana moves
By: Lorene Yue August 25, 2010

(Crain's) — Rick Tramonto is looking to start a dining revolution in New Orleans.

The James Beard Award-winning chef announced Wednesday that he is trading the Windy City for the Big Easy to launch a new venture with chef John Folse, who heads up a food manufacturing empire and cooks at Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville, La. The two have created restaurant development group Home on the Range LLC.

"We will try to develop concepts for companies that have wonderful real estate or have (potentially distressed) restaurants," said Mr. Folse, who owns Chef John Folse & Co. There are five or six concepts being honed for Home on the Range's portfolio, ready to be rolled out when the right client comes calling.

The first project will be Restaurant R'evolution in the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans' French Quarter. Mr. Tramonto hopes to have the restaurant open by the time the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicks off in late April.

Restaurant R'evolution will attempt to take classic Cajun recipes — Mr. Folse's forte — and present them in a different format — Mr. Tramonto's expertise. Mr. Folse said the two have been hard at work in the kitchen dissecting traditional Louisiana cuisine.

This looks good. They essentially want to act as chef-consultants to help hotels or existing restaurants revamp their concept, and they plan on doing it here in New Orleans.