Isaac Toups

Chef/Owner of Toups’ Meatery

6-Time James Beard “Best Chef: South” Nominee
Livestreamed from New Orleans, LA
$15

About the Host

Chef Isaac Toups, who grew up in Rayne, LA, in the heart of Cajun country, represents the new guard of Cajun chefs, rethinking this extraordinary cuisine that borrows from such diverse influences. He spent over a decade honing his craft in the kitchens of Emeril Lagasse’s eateries before branching out to open his own highly acclaimed Big Easy restaurant, Toups’ Meatery. There, he turns out refined Cajun-inflected dishes, like meltingly tender Lamb Neck, Confit Chicken Thighs with chicken liver and cornbread dressing, and Heritage Pork Boudin. Chef Toups is currently a finalist for this year’s James Beard “Best Chef: South” Award, and was picked as a Semi-Finalist for the same award in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. He also won Eater’s ultra-prestigious “Chef of the Year” Award in 2014. And, all of you Top Chef fans out there will likely remember him as a contestant on Season 13, where he made it all the way to the finals! Did we mention that his cookbook, Chasing the Gator, was named one of the “Best Cookbooks of Fall 2018” by the NY Times?

About the Event

Chef Toups welcomed us into his home kitchen (via livestream), and taught us how to cook a multi-course Cajun-inspired meal showcasing a few of his favorite signature dishes (see menu below). And, as is always the case at our events, he took plenty of questions from attendees while he cooked and participated in an extended Q&A to close out the night!

What will we be making?

Appetizer: Deviled Eggs with Pimento Cheese and Crispy Bacon

Entrée: Cajun Hot Wings with Pickled Celery and Blue Cheese Yogurt

Optional Beverage Pairing: Sazerac Cocktail

What does my ticket get me?

In addition to getting unlimited viewing access to the recording of the livestream event, where Chef Touups demonstrated how to cook both dishes and answered plenty of questions from attendees, you will receive access to the companion Recipe Book, which includes a complete grocery list and step-by-step cooking instructions/kitchen equipment/ingredients needed to make each dish.

How long does this event take?

This event runs for 1hr 51min from start to finish – 1hr 11min of cooking and 40min of additional Q&A at the end.

What will the yield be?

2 servings of each dish.

What kitchen equipment, appliances, and utensils will be used?
  • Medium pot
  • Medium saucepan
  • Medium frying pan
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • Medium bowl
  • Small bowls for ingredients
  • Sharp knife & cutting board
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Utensils: spatula, tongs
  • Aluminum foil
  • Piping bag or gallon zipper bag
  • Basting brush (optional)
  • Cocktail mixing glass or large drinking glass (for the optional Sazerac)
  • Grater (optional)
  • Jigger or liquid measuring cup (for the optional Sazerac)
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer (optional)
  • Strainer or sieve (for the optional Sazerac)
What ingredients will be needed?

In addition to the following kitchen staples – apple cider vinegar, black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, granulated sugar, kosher salt, neutral oil (e.g. canola or vegetable), onion powder, and red hot sauce – Chef Toups recommends acquiring the following ingredients listed below:

  • Aged cheddar
  • Bacon (optional)
  • Celery
  • Celery salt (optional)
  • Chicken wings
  • Cream cheese
  • Creamy blue cheese or blue cheese crumbles
  • Eggs
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • Green jalapeño sauce
  • Herbsaint or absinthe (optional)
  • Lemon (optional)
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard seeds or ground mustard
  • Peychauds Bitters (optional)
  • Red bell pepper
  • Rye whiskey (optional)
  • Sherry or red wine vinegar
  • Unsalted butter

*Please note, immediately after purchasing your ticket, you’ll receive access to the Recipe Book, which outlines exact quantities of each ingredient from the list above that will be needed to cook each dish.

Member Reviews ( 25 )

Brandon C.

Easy prep instructions allowed us to keep up with Chef and still listen to the actual video
Errol S.

Christopher B.

Great balance of ease and challenge. New skill like boning the chicken thigh while leaving the skin on - yet otherwise a relatively simple preparation. DElicious combination of flavors - I was surprised how good a pan roasted chicken with onions and carrots could taste. Sauce and cabbage brought it to a whole new level, but even without it, the food was great. Just the little technique of letting the chicken rest atop the carrots and onion made a difference in the taste. I will use these concepts in other things. Enjoyed the lentil salad as well - (I always thought I didn't like brown lentils) because of the combination of flavors and textures. Also enjoyed the chef -- he was down to earth and I appreciated he fact that he didn't have favorites and keeps evolving.
Frances K.

Great energy and conversation but would have liked an entree rather than two appetizers. Consider wings not an entree!
Thaddeus S.

Issac was very down to earth, funny, and engaging. I also appreciated the little tips he threw in throughout the show.
Taina R.

This was a great foray into the mind of a celebrity chef. There's not a lot of chef's out there who will go on tours while they are still working in their restaurant, so this chef's stream was a good way of bringing chef toups to us while he is in his element. The kids in the background and his constant hollers/jibes at his wife's expense in between cooking were a perfect mirror to the odd blend of activities that we are experiencing in our own houses across the country. Communication was good, I felt like I was able to follow along well, and moderator was able to slow him down when we needed. I would have liked to have an order of proration because I wasn't sure what ingredients to get out first
Milagros B.

Cletus F.

Very entertaining and informative
Vi P.

We had a lot of fun attending this "class". The live format was very user friendly and I thought Chefstreams did a great job with email communications and with all supporting materials (specifically, the prep and in-class documentation). Having access to the video afterwards is a big plus so we can rewatch a few parts we previously missed. And we have nothing but positive comments about Chef Toups. His personality was warm, genuine and we loved his menu selection. Overall, everything - well done!
Vince R.

I signed up to get the recipe for the wings and then felt the recipe was pretty basic. I also felt that Chef Toups was unfocused in presenting information to the viewers so that we could adequately follow along.
Carlos B.

Chef Toups was easy to relate to. He had a drink with the audience and the food was relatable!
Millard K.

Harrison G.

Accessible dish, so It was convenient to locate all the ingredients and follow along. Also, the chef came across as genuine and personable. I attended a previous Chefstream and had a different experience.
Carrol D.

Kathyrn Y.

I really liked the chef. And both recipes turned out very tasty, I could definitely make again and I liked the combination of colors, flavors and textures (which I think really makes a special dish). My only quibble was that he went pretty fast and assumed we'd done some things ahead of time (like stripping the leaves off the herbs) which were not in the pre-class instructions. Minor detail, just meant I was scrambling a bit
Miss M.

Chef Isaac is hilarious, informative, and down to earth. He does a very good job at letting us know what to do, while still making it fun as well.
Jonah V.

I really enjoyed Chef Toups but I actually felt like Nat really detracted from the vibe. I feel like he was a bit grumpy throughout the whole stream. Not sure what was going on but, particularly in the beginning, the comments about the volume levels and such really came across as more aggressive or irritated than in previous streams I’ve attended. I’d like to suggest that you put this info in an email because it’s essentially general info everyone should have and this way you don’t have to repeat it 8 times while people log in. Again, I overall had a great experience and the food turned out great but the attitude of our usually lovely host left a bit of a dark cloud over things
Dr. R.

I’m a fan of Isaac Toups.
Rolanda W.

Dion S.

Very entertaining and the food was great.
Normand C.

The food was great, the timing was easy, and the chef was insightful and fun!
Faviola K.

Just made me smile and it was amazing!
Mrs. D.

Very entertaining! Great knowledge, excellent food and we loved the Hello Kitty toaster
Ms. E.

Tasty food and a fantastic presence from Chef Toups. He was so down to earth! What a great two hours of desperately needed food and fun.
Dr. H.

It introduced me to techniques and dishes I've never tried before.
For answers to the most common questions we get about our events, check out our CLASS FAQs
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