Chef John Folse, born in St. James Parish in 1946, learned early that the secrets of Cajun cooking lay in the unique ingredients of Louisiana’s swamp floor pantry. Folse seasoned these raw ingredients with his passion for Louisiana culture and cuisine, and from his cast iron pots emerged Chef John Folse & Company.

When Folse opened Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant in 1978 in Donaldsonville, he set out to market his restaurant by taking “a taste of Louisiana” worldwide. He introduced Louisiana’s indigenous cuisine to Japan in 1985, Beijing in 1986 and Hong Kong and Paris in 1987. In 1988, Folse made international headlines with the opening of “Lafitte’s Landing East” in Moscow during the Presidential Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1989, Folse was the first non-Italian chef to create the Vatican State Dinner in Rome. Promotional restaurants also included London in 1991 and 1993, Bogota in 1991, Taipei in 1992 and 1994 and Seoul in 1994. In 1988, the Louisiana Sales and Marketing Executives named Folse “Louisiana’s Marketing Ambassador to the World” and the Louisiana Legislature gave him the title of "Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the World.”

The international success of Folse’s cornerstone property, Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant, spawned the incorporation of several other Chef John Folse & Company properties. White Oak Plantation in 1986 established Folse’s catering and events management division. Chef John Folse & Company Publishing, since 1989, has produced seven cookbooks and numerous works by other authors. “A Taste of Louisiana” is Folse’s international television series produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting since 1990. Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing, since 1991, is one of the few chef-owned food manufacturing companies in America producing custom manufactured foods for the retail and food service industry. A new USDA manufacturing facility opened in Donaldsonville, La., January 14, 2005.

The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., opened in October 1994 and is dedicated to the preservation of Louisiana's rich culinary and cultural heritage. In 2003 the institute broke ground on the new Ruth U. Fertel building. In August 1996 Folse began broadcasting his radio cooking talk show, “Stirrin’ It Up.” In 2001, “Stirrin’ It Up” expanded to a television cooking segment during the 5 p.m. newscast on WAFB-TV Channel 9, the Baton Rouge CBS affiliate.

Exceptional Endings, the pastry division, was launched in 1996 to create specialty desserts, pastries and savories. In May 1999 Folse opened his former Donaldsonville home as the new Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant at Bittersweet Plantation offering fine dining and bed and breakfast accommodations. In 2002, Bittersweet Plantation Dairy opened and offers a full line of fresh and aged cheeses. In 2004, Bittersweet Plantation Dairy’s Fleur-de-Lis and Fleur-de-Teche triple cream fromages won awards at the American Cheese Society Conference in Wisconsin and Fleur-de-Lis won a gold medal at the World Cheese Awards in London. At the 2005 ACS conference in Louisville, Ky., Bittersweet Plantation Dairy won five awards.

Folse has received numerous national and international accolades. In 1987 the Louisiana Restaurant Association named him “Louisiana Restaurateur of the Year.” In 1989 Nation’s Restaurant News inducted Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant into its “Fine Dining Hall of Fame.” In 1990 the American Culinary Federation named Folse the “National Chef of the Year.” In 1992 Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., recognized Folse with an honorary doctor of Culinary Arts Degree, as did Baltimore International Culinary College in 1995. In 1994 he assumed the role as national president of the American Culinary Federation, the largest organization of professional chefs in America. The ACF Louisiana chapter inducted Folse into its “Chef's Hall of Fame” in 1999. In 1995 Folse was one of 50 people recognized in Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Profiles of Power.” In 1996 Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant received the Award of Excellence from Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRôNA). Folse served two terms as DiRôNA Chairman, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1998 Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing received TGI Friday’s Inc. Procurement Product Development Award for assisting in the development of Friday’s Jack Daniels Glaze. In 1998 Food Arts magazine awarded Folse the “Silver Spoon Award” for his sterling performance and contributions to the food service industry. In 1999 the Research Chefs Association named Chef John Folse & Company "Pioneers in Culinology" because of the efforts of Folse's culinary research team. In 2001 Folse was elected to RCA’s Board of Directors and became vice president in 2003. He currently serves as president of RCA. In November 1999 the Acadiana Chapter of the American Culinary Federation inducted Folse into the Louisiana Chef's Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions to the promotion of Louisiana cuisine.

Additionally, Folse received the Antonin Careme Medal in November 2000 and is a member of Chaines des Rotisseurs.

Twenty-five years of culinary excellence later, Folse is still adding ingredients to the corporate gumbo he calls Chef John Folse & Company. He continues to share his culinary talents and expertise with students and the public, promoting Cajun and Creole cuisine worldwide. Folse's endeavors are as diverse as the Louisiana landscape, and he would not want it any other way.