Chef Celeste Gill is once again in the restaurant business.
In May, Gill’s Chef Celeste Bistro opened in the south end of the Main Street Market, 225 reports in a feature from its current issue.
The spot has hosted several different eateries over the market’s 14-year tenure, and it was recently updated to include an open kitchen with 360-degree viewing, group seating, a dining counter and an indoor herb garden.
“People walk in and say it looks like it was always supposed to look,” says Gill, a 22-year culinary veteran.
Gill has been a fixture at the Main Street Market since it opened in 2002. She was one of the original restaurant owners, operating Taylor Made Gourmet from 2003 to 2006 and selling fresh cakes, traditional breakfasts and Southern plate lunches.
In recent years, she emceed weekly cooking demonstrations on Saturday mornings in the market, with local chefs, producers and food personalities preparing original recipes using ingredients sourced from the market.
Gill says her new restaurant’s menu was shaped around dishes that she likes to eat.
Gill originally attended culinary school in Hawaii, developing a passion for baking. It led to a longtime career in food service, largely for retirement communities. She still works as food service director at the Southside Gardens senior living center in Baton Rouge and says that creating restaurant-quality food for the residents and their families is one of her passions.
Gill says the goal with her new space at Main Street Market is to serve foods that are flavorful and straightforward.
“I like a dish that uses good ingredients that blend nicely together,” she says. “You don’t have to overcomplicate a dish. I like things done well, but not fussy.”
