Chef Pat Mould is always cooking up something new. The latest from the red-headed chef from Crowley is a new TV show on KADN, Fox 15 or channel 6 on Cox Cable affiliate called Cooking Up A Good Life. Yep, he’s spooning up gumbos and sauce piquantes, but the show isn’t limited to just what’s on the stove top. Mould is as much a part of Lafayette’s music scene, or behind the scene, as he is a cook. Years ago, he established a second music venue at Festivals Acadiens et Creole, now called the Heritage Stage, formerly just known as “Pat’s Tent.” Mould was on the original committee that launched The Medicine Show in honor of Dr. Tommy Comeaux. And he’s been known to play a mean t’fer with The Traiteurs.
The music connection makes a strong showing on Cooking Up A Good Life. Part kitchen magic, part a showcase for local musicians, part arts and cultural exploration, the show puts a weekly face on what makes up the Cajun and Creole culture of Acadiana. “There’s no other cooking or music programing or cultural show that rolls all three into one package,” Mould says. The show is shot every week in the kitchen of a condo at the Carriage House Hotel, right across the street from Mould’s day gig as executive chef of the City Club, in River Ranch.
Mould is no novice in the world of TV. In the mid '80s, Mould was tapped by Jim Olivier, host of Cajun Country USA and Passe Partout, to develop the cooking segment of the shows. Mould went on to produce and cook on Louisiana Cooking and Recipes From a Chef, two food segments on KLFY, TV-10, which aired from 1994-2002. The local programing was followed by a national gig frying turkeys on regional morning shows from coast to coast, with a cameo on right on the street in New York City, cooking Katie Couric’s Thanksgiving turkey on the Today Show. “I love producing TV,” says Mould, a natural comedian, who does as much shtick as he does stirring.
The first episode, which featured Chicken Andouille Gumbo, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, and a story on the solar competition in Washington D.C. featuring ULL’s solar powered BeauSoleil Home aired on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 10:30 a.m. The show will continue to air in that time slot each week. Dec. 20, Mould will create Pear Gorgonzola Sweet and Spicy Salad with Cane Syrup Herb Vinaigrette, and the music segment will feature Zachary Richard, along with an interview with the Francophone star.
Go to the show’s website to view a video of the Dec. 13 show, and for more info.