Asked why he left Louisiana for Richmond 14 years ago, Nathaniel Sams pauses.
“Truth?” he asks.
Once assured that we, in the newspaper business, get in a lot of trouble if we swallow lies, he doesn’t hesitate.
“Drugs,” he says.
Back then, in the mid-‘90s, Sams was moving his cooking career forward in the burg of Mandeville, across the causeway from New Orleans, but crack was getting the best of him. So he moved to Richmond to be near his brother, a Baptist minister, and to get crack out of his life.
He did. And 15 months ago, he opened Louisiana Flair with Vicki Dye, his life- and business partner whom he met in 2003 when both worked for Champs Americana. She was a corporate trainer; he was a cook.
Working in the food industry, Sams, 47, had always wanted to own a restaurant.
“When I met Nathaniel, his dream was to own a restaurant,” says Dye. Together, they decided to realize that dream. “He had the dream, and I had the funds.”
So together, the couple took over the little space at the corner of 4th and Grace streets to open Louisiana Flair in November 2006.
It’s a joint venture, top to bottom. Sams and recently-added partner Steve Jamarr Braboy prepare breakfast, lunch and early supper. (They close at 6 p.m.) Dye serves customers and makes sumptious desserts. And all of them get in on developing menu offerings and products to market.
Not all Southerners understand the kind of Cajun/Creole flair that Louisianians gulp down daily. Real gumbo, the kind folks lapped up when Sams worked at Big Joe’s Seafood down home, can take the top of your head off, if you’re not expecting it. The gumbo Sams makes for Louisiana Flair customers is a toned-down version.
“The recipe has been in my family for 85 years,” he says, explaining why recipe-sharing isn’t an option.
Dye is equally proprietary about her Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, but she does drop hint. “Mostly people use cinnamon,” Dye says. “I add nutmeg.”
They guard their truly authentic Cajun recipes, because they are, well, truly authentic Cajun recipes. Anything else is but a poor imitation. To put it bluntly, blackening seasoning doth not Cajun food make. “My gumbo is a four hour process,” Sams says.
Don’t even ask about the French bread. They’ll never tell where it comes from. But, rest assured, it’s no imitation.
Sams recalls a potential competitor who tried to figure it out. “He would order different things. He said his mother worked at Copa Cabana, but when we went down there, no one had an inkling who he was.” According to Sams, the man opened a Cajun restaurant that didn’t last long.
Daily specials beckon specific tastes. “On Mondays, we get a lot of folk who love our red beans and rice,” says Sams. “They come every Monday from all over.”
Open only on weekdays, Sams and Braboy fire up the fry pans before sunrise, readying for the breakfast bunch. In addition to expected morning meats like bacon and sausage, eggs come with catfish or salmon cakes. And Belgian waffles are just the trick for those who depend on a sugar boost in the morning.
Po’ Boys are the real thing. According to Dye, the Buffalo Shrimp Po’ Boy is the hottest item on the menu (pun intended), with the Blackened Chicken Sandwich a close second. And there is a dedicated gumbo contingent.
Sams and Dye are dreaming again. The next spot will be bigger, and dinner will likely run past 6 o’clock. But there’s no rush. Louisiana Flair has barely been around a year.

“This is still a baby,” says Dye. “We going to stay that way awhile.”
               
—Lisa Antonelli Bacon

I am just finishing the blackened chicken po’boy and cole slaw.  I asked for an extra container of hot sauce hoping it would satisfy my craving for something spicy. I am not disappointed!  This sandwich is delicious and the extra kick of the hot sauce is amazing!  Anyone who is downtown at 4th and Grace should give Louisiana Flair a try!

I had lunch at Louisiana Flair the other day and all I can say is: YUM! The catfish po’boy and the bread pudding…can’t wait to eat there again. Only bad thing, they aren’t open in the evenings. It’s be a great place for First Friday dinner.

We just had a meeting catered using Nathan’s food.  It was the best meal we’ve had as a group in years.  Excellent choice, oustanding red beans and rice, cornbread, and Etouffee!!