Wednesday, February 21, 2001

Cajun menu growing at Olde Mill

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@TheCitizenNews.com

Cajun cooking is alive and well in Fayette.

With Mardi Gras on the calendar this month, many people set their sights on New Orleans and also find themselves immersed in the unique culinary stylings of southern Louisiana even though New Orleans' Mardi Gras and Cajun food are not directly related.

Now, folks who want a spicy sampling of Cajun cooking can get some without leaving the county, thanks to one of the area's fine dining establishments that has recently been placed under new management.

Kyle Schexnayder, manager of Olde Mill Steakhouse since October, was raised about 25 miles from New Orleans, although his father grew up deep in Cajun country and his grandmother's first language was French, he said.

After moving from southern Louisiana last June, he managed the Malone's restaurant near the airport before coming to Olde Mill a few months later (Malone's and Olde Mill are under the same ownership).

Schexnayder said that the owner, also a big Cajun food fan who spent some time with famed chef Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans a fe years ago, wanted him to put his own stamp on Olde Mill and produce some dishes that he is uniquely familiar with.

The name "Cajun" comes from the Acadians, a French-speaking people who were ousted from Canada in the 1700s and settled in southern Louisiana. Their culture remained fairly isolated until about the 1940s, Schexnayder said.

The peasant-type food produced by these people came about from necessity. "The food consisted mainly of what they could take from the land," he said.

Since they were located near the coast, it was natural that a great deal of seafood would be included. The people also grew a lot of rice while raising chickens and hogs.

Most Acadians have been Roman Catholics, according to Schexnayder, and they have produced a number of meatless dishes.

The biggest step Schexnayder has taken so far is the inception of Cajun specials every Wednesday night for supper, featuring Cajun appetizer and seafood entrees.

The seafood part was not really a stretch, he said, since Olde Mill already had some good seafood dished before he got there.

But since Olde Mill is still, after all, a steak house, he's experimenting with a Cajun-injected prime rib, injecting additional flavoring in a manner similar to a fried turkey.

The new program began Jan. 31, and Schexnayder said about 60 percent of his customers that night ordered specials.

Olde Mill doesn't really have anything special planned in conjunction with Mardi Gras, but Schexnayder thinks this time of year could get people thinking about Cajun food anyway.

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