Chef Albert “Rocky” Lavalais IV walked away from a corporate culinary career to chase something more flavorful and more personal. After two decades in the fine dining world, most recently as executive chef partner at The Capital Grille in Plano, Lavalais now serves up Louisiana-certified Cajun dishes out of a food trailer parked at The Rail Yard Taproom in Van Alstyne, Texas. There, he is making culinary history.
Together with his wife and business partner, Patrice Lavalais, the couple co-owns Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine, a catering and food truck venture committed to bringing the authentic taste of Louisiana to North Texas, and they’re doing it with an unprecedented distinction.
First Outside Louisiana to Be Certified Cajun
In 2024, Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine became the first restaurant or food truck located outside Louisiana to earn both the Certified Louisiana and Certified Cajun designations. As stated on the official Certified Louisiana website, these programs, created by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, aim to promote products genuinely sourced from the state.
“It was about a year-long process,” Rocky says. “Before us, you had to physically be in Louisiana to be Louisiana or Cajun certified.”…