Alice “Ma” Harper has been cooking since she was 12 years old, and at 96, all she has to do is glance at a batch of gumbo to know if it’s up to her standards. Today, Harper continues to steer the ship at her San Antonio restaurant, aptly named Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen, which has been a go-to stop for Creole comfort foods for over three decades.
MySA sat down with the local legend at her treasured eatery to learn more about her story, her restaurant and what keeps Harper going after all these years. During the chat, Harper taught us that it’s never too late to start a new chapter in life — especially when you mix good recipes with a whole lot of faith.
Ma Harper retired from a storied career to open her restaurant
For 21 years, Ma Harper was a mechanic for the United States Air Force, working on fighter jets before opening Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen. But cooking was always a part of Harper’s life, and it’s something she learned how to do early on as the second-born of 16 children in New Orleans.
“If you from New Orleans, you know you learn how to cook ‘fore you learn how to walk,” Harper said. “Cooking comes from inward. You have to have the desire, because it’s not hard, but it’s not easy either.”
After her retirement, the restaurant soon followed in 1991, and over the subsequent 35 years, Harper’s recipes brought her local and national attention, with people traveling far and wide to try a bowl of her famous gumbo…