Baton Rouge native Paul Dupré grew up on his grandmother Elsie’s pies and missed them terribly when he went off to college—so much so that he was determined to make them himself.
Dupré tells 225 Dine that it was only through trial, error and “many, many” phone calls with his grandmother for the tricks of the trade, he mastered the art of pie-making.
He considered culinary school, but instead chose the hands-on route, learning in kitchens around the city under chefs like Ruffino’s Peter Sclafani.
After longtime Government Street fixture Honeymoon Bungalow shuttered last year, Dupré decided to take the leap into business. Currently, the space is a construction zone, but he’s hoping to finish transforming it into his own restaurant, Elsie’s Plate & Pie, by early fall. He lives just around the corner from the shop, so he’s invested in giving it a friendly, neighborhood vibe.
“I want it to be the kind of place where you don’t just come in, grab a meal and leave,” he says. “If you’re a family, you can come in and eat dinner and have dessert and feel comfortable enough to be relaxed. If you’re coming in with your buddies, you can have a couple drinks and just hang out and not feel rushed in and out the door.”
Dupré describes the concept of Elsie’s Plate & Pie as a full-service restaurant with a pie-focused menu. Apps and entrees feature plenty of elevated Louisiana dishes, from po-boys and boudin sandwiches to crawfish bisque and “Louisiana lollipops” made with Gulf shrimp, andouille sausage and a roasted garlic rosemary topping.
But the star of the show, naturally, is the pie. And Dupré will be serving it up in all forms: An apple pie skillet topped with ice cream; a Southwestern-inspired pot pie with smoked chicken and a trio of jalapeño, poblano and red peppers; and even an after-the-boil-style crawfish pie with corn and potatoes.
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