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Walk into one of Chef Gabriel Balderas’ restaurants and everything feels natural, almost effortless.
The spaces are warm and beautifully designed. The food is thoughtful without feeling fussy. Conversations aren’t rushed. Neither are the meals.
Everything simply feels … right.
Spend a little time talking with Chef Gabriel, though, and you begin to realize none of it happened by accident.
“There has to be a reason,” he said during a recent conversation for the FUELED Wellness + Nutrition podcast. “There has to be a need. We have to have a greater motive.”
This philosophy touches every decision he makes.
A Childhood Surrounded by Food
Gabriel grew up in the rainforest of Oaxaca, Mexico (pronounced wah-HAH-kah), where his childhood playground was also a pantry.
“I grew up climbing guava trees, mango trees, tamarind trees and getting avocados and oranges,” he said. “Everybody prepares their own food. They process their own ingredients. So that was my upbringing.”
Oaxaca is known for its extraordinary biodiversity and heirloom ingredients, including corn, beans, cacao, peppers and vanilla varieties that families have continued growing for generations.
Gabriel calls it “the cradle of food.”
“For me, as someone who cooks, who has a passion for ingredients and traceability of ingredients — where my food comes from — that’s paradise.”
Building a Life in a New Place
At 16, Gabriel moved to the United States with his older brother. He knew basic English, but not enough to hold a full conversation.
“It was an adjustment period,” he said. “I think everybody goes through a culture shock.”
He began working in restaurant kitchens around age 17, first in Nashville, Tennessee and later in Birmingham, Alabama. The restaurants became more than a career. They became the place where he learned a new language, sharpened his craft and met the woman who would become his wife, Brooke.
He worked in the kitchen. Brooke supervised the front of the house.
“At first, we didn’t really get along,” he said with a laugh. Gabriel described restaurant culture at the time often meant the front and back of the house blamed one another when things went wrong.
“The front of the house would say, ‘You guys are so slow.’ We’d say, ‘Your people make a lot of mistakes.’”
Somewhere along the way, those debates became conversations. A year later, they were married.
Today, Brooke is his business partner as well as his wife. Her influence is woven throughout the design and feel of their restaurants.
Why Shreveport?
Gabriel was preparing to move to New Orleans to help lead the kitchen of another restaurant with the company – but Katrina changed those plans and he was sent to Shreveport instead.
He stayed in Shreveport and within 18 years, he and Brooke raised four children, built two acclaimed restaurants and became deeply invested in the community.
Earlier this year, Gabriel returned to Oaxaca to open his third restaurant, Papalotl (pah-pah-LOHTL), which means “butterfly.”
Alongside the restaurant is something less familiar to most Americans — a food lab, what he first described as a “center of origin.” It’s where ingredients are transformed so every part has a purpose.
“We have the idea of utilizing 100% of the ingredients, not having any waste,” he said.
An orange becomes juice, pulp, citrus oil and eventually citrus salt. Native cacao becomes chocolate, drinks, savory dishes and more. Even the reclaimed wood tables in his restaurants, many hand-built by Gabriel and his team, reflect the same philosophy.
“We’re intentional with the things we make.”
The Lesson Behind the Experience
Talking with Balderas always leaves me thinking about how often we mistake something that feels effortless for something that came easily.
Whether it’s a remarkable meal, a beautiful space, a meaningful career or a strong relationship, the things that feel most natural are often the result of countless thoughtful decisions no one else ever sees.
To hear the full interview with Chef Gabriel Balderas, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition.
Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of Ochsner’s Eat Fit nonprofit initiative. For more wellness content, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition, and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media. Email nutrition@ochsner.org to connect with Molly or schedule a consult with her team.
