Austin Leslie & Chez Helene

Austin Leslie (1934–2005) was the chef of Chez Helene in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans, and his fried chicken — brined, seasoned, battered, and fried to a specific crunch — was considered by many to be the finest in the city for three decades. Chez Helene (opened by his aunt, Helen Pollock DeJean, in 1964) was a neighbourhood restaurant that became a destination, and its fried chicken became famous enough to inspire the television show *Frank's Place* (1987). Austin Leslie was a large, generous, joyful man who cooked with the authority of someone who had been frying chicken since he could reach the stove. He evacuated New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and died in Atlanta on September 29, 2005 — one month after the storm — from a heart attack attributed to the stress and grief of losing his city. His death was mourned as a loss not just of a chef but of a specific knowledge that died with him.

Austin Leslie's fried chicken technique, as documented before his death: the chicken is brined overnight (salt water with garlic, cayenne, and herbs), dredged in seasoned flour (flour, cayenne, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, paprika), and fried in oil at 170°C until the crust is deeply golden and shattering, the interior is juicy throughout, and the seasoning penetrates to the bone from the brine. The specific innovation was the brine — most Southern fried chicken traditions use a buttermilk marinade. Leslie's salt-water-and-spice brine produced a different result: firmer, more deeply seasoned meat with a thinner, crispier crust.

Fried chicken at Chez Helene was served with sides: potato salad, red beans and rice, collard greens, cornbread. Hot sauce on the table. The chicken was the centrepiece but the sides were cooked to the same standard. Cold beer or sweet iced tea.