Chef Justin Girouard and The French Press
A native of Lafayette, LA, Justin Girouard entered the culinary world quite by accident in the fall of 2001, when he moved to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans (UNO) and got a part-time job washing dishes at one of the city’s up-and-coming fine dining restaurants, Stella!
Although originally Justin only intended for the job to be a way to pay his bills, he was immediately drawn to the fast-paced atmosphere of the kitchen and to Executive Chef and Owner Scott Boswell’s get-it-right-or-leave attitude.
It didn’t take long for the team to notice his new, hardworking dishwasher, who was always eager to go above and beyond his prescribed duties.
Recognizing his potential, the team took Justin under his wing and began to teach him to cook. Rising from Garde Manger to Sous Chef in two years, Justin dropped out of UNO and turned to full-time cooking as his profession.
Chef Justin Girouard and The French Press
A native of Lafayette, LA, Justin Girouard entered the culinary world quite by accident in the fall of 2001, when he moved to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans (UNO) and got a part-time job washing dishes at one of the city’s up-and-coming fine dining restaurants, Stella!
Although originally Justin only intended for the job to be a way to pay his bills, he was immediately drawn to the fast-paced atmosphere of the kitchen and to Executive Chef and Owner Scott Boswell’s get-it-right-or-leave attitude.
It didn’t take long for the team to notice his new, hardworking dishwasher, who was always eager to go above and beyond his prescribed duties.
Recognizing his potential, the team took Justin under his wing and began to teach him to cook. Rising from Garde Manger to Sous Chef in two years, Justin dropped out of UNO and turned to full-time cooking as his profession.
Chef Justin Girouard and The French Press
A native of Lafayette, LA, Justin Girouard entered the culinary world quite by accident in the fall of 2001, when he moved to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans (UNO) and got a part-time job washing dishes at one of the city’s up-and-coming fine dining restaurants, Stella!
Although originally Justin only intended for the job to be a way to pay his bills, he was immediately drawn to the fast-paced atmosphere of the kitchen and to Executive Chef and Owner Scott Boswell’s get-it-right-or-leave attitude.
It didn’t take long for the team to notice his new, hardworking dishwasher, who was always eager to go above and beyond his prescribed duties.
Recognizing his potential, Boswell took Justin under his wing and began to teach him to cook. Rising from Garde Manger to Sous Chef in two years, Justin dropped out of UNO and turned to full-time cooking as his profession.
In order to refine Justin’s natural abilities, the team sent him to work with Chef Pascal Morel at the Abbaye de St. Croix in Salon de Provence, France. Under Morel’s tutelage, Justin’s skill sets expanded to include not only a new repertoire of dishes, but a fundamental understanding of how a successful kitchen operates.
After Stella’s 2006 renovation, Justin was promoted to Executive Sous Chef. In his new role, Justin took on a new level of responsibility, working with the team to design new systems which kept Stella’s increasingly busy kitchen running smoothly.
In 2009 Justin and his wife Margaret, also a Lafayette native, returned home to open a new staple in the Lafayette restaurant scene. Located in Lafayette’s rejuvenated and thriving downtown district, The French Press serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch in a casual, New Orleans-style atmosphere
In 2020, The French Press was forced to shutter its doors due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Although those were scary times, Margaret and Justin doubled down on their commitment to the restaurant. Moving a mattress into their private party room, the couple sent the word to the community that they were ready at a moment’s notice, day or night, to provide take-out French Press food.
The community heard the message loud and clear. The Girouards spent their quarantine days hard at work. The support from their community and from around the world was truly inspiring. It was then the pair knew it was time to expand.
And in 2023, The French Press opened the doors to their second Lafayette location on the major thoroughfare: Ambassador Caffery.
In 2021, The French Press was forced to shutter its doors due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Although those were scary times, Margaret and Justin doubled down on their commitment to the restaurant. Moving a mattress into their private party room, the couple sent the word to the community that they were ready at a moment’s notice, day or night, to provide take-out French Press food.
The community heard the message loud and clear. The Girouards spent their quarantine days hard at work. The support from their community and from around the world was truly inspiring. It was then the pair knew it was time to expand.
In early 2023, The French Press will be opening the doors of their second Lafayette location on the major thoroughfare: Ambassador Caffery.
In 2021, The French Press was forced to shutter its doors due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Although those were scary times, Margaret and Justin doubled down on their commitment to the restaurant. Moving a mattress into their private party room, the couple sent the word to the community that they were ready at a moment’s notice, day or night, to provide take-out French Press food.
The community heard the message loud and clear. The Girouards spent their quarantine days hard at work. The support from their community and from around the world was truly inspiring. It was then the pair knew it was time to expand.
In early 2023, The French Press will be opening the doors of their second Lafayette location on the major thoroughfare: Ambassador Caffery.
