Famous New Orleans Chef Struck by Bullet

**kjlaw** · 03-25-08, 08:46 PM

Prudhomme scratched by falling bullet

by The Times-Picayune Tuesday March 25, 2008, 5:53 PM

Noted New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme was setting up his cooking tent on the practice range at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, when he felt a sting in his right arm right above his elbow.

According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, Prudhomme shook his clothing, and a .22 caliber bullet fell from his shirt to the ground.
Col. John Fortunato, sheriff's office spokesman, said deputies believe the chef was struck by a falling bullet, probably shot from somewhere within a 1 1/2-mile radius of the golf course.
The bullet cut the skin on Prudhomme's arm and put a hole in his white chef's coat, eyewitnesses said. But the chef was undeterred by the incident and kept on cooking until he left the course around 3:30 p.m.
Prudhomme was there to cook for players, their caddies and guests of the annual PGA Tour event, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday.
Members of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which produces the Classic, declined comment and referred all questions the sheriff's office, as did a spokesman for the PGA Tour.
Prudhomme, who grew up outside Opelousas, rose to prominence after being named the first American-born executive chef of Commander's Palace in 1975. He landed on the national stage as the chef-owner of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. He is considered responsible for the Cajun cooking craze of the 1980s, which stirred a broader interest in regional American cuisine, particularly the indigenous food of south Louisiana.