In all creative pursuits, few things feel more exciting than a good, old-fashioned team-up. From rock supergroups to star-studded films, there’s just something palpably joyful about seeing passionate artisans come together to create something new and, hopefully, exhilarating. This is especially true in the culinary world, when like-minded chefs decide to pair up to design a menu that combines their individual talents and imaginations into something genuinely special.
Such is the case with Evviva, the suave, cozy new Marigny spot that opened last year at the hands of chefs Rebecca Wilcomb and Marcus Jacobs and restaurateurs Heather Lolley and Humberto Suazo. Local gourmands who follow the movements of our brightest culinary talents will likely recognize those names; the chefs worked together for years at Herbsaint, perhaps one of the best eateries in New Orleans for talented chefs to hone their craft.
According to Wilcomb, the project came together naturally. “Heather approached me and asked if I was interested in getting back into restaurants,” Wilcomb said. “I told her I didn’t really know. At the time, I had a two-year-old and just wasn’t really sure what direction I wanted to go in and if it would fit with my schedule as a mom, so we came and looked at the space, which was the former Franklin. We loved it immediately. It’s a great size. Not too small, not too big. We’ve traveled a lot together and have had a lot of really great dining experiences together, so we knew what we wanted out of a neighborhood restaurant, and what we’ve experienced in neighborhood restaurants, and talked at length about what that was like for us and what we wanted it to look like in a space of our own. And then Marcus and I started talking about it, and it all just kind of fit. We did a really quick turnaround, opened up, and all of a sudden, here we are eight months later.”…