Paul Prudhomme, who brought Cajun and Creole cuisine to masses around the world as an internationally renowned chef and restaurant owner, died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 75.
Prudhomme is recognized with "revolutionizing" Creole cuisine as the chef at New Orleans' Commander's Palace in the 1970s with
Ella and Dick Brennan, WWL-TV reported. He went on to become executive chef.
Prudhomme and his second wife, K. Hinrichs, later opened K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, which has become a
New Orleans staple, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
"At its peak in the 1980s, Prudhomme's profile cast a shadow even over such culinary legends as Julia Child and James Beard, and there was no restaurant-world precedent for the celebrity he enjoyed," Brett Anderson of the Times-Picayune wrote in 2005.
"The portly chef starred in several cooking shows and home videos, was a regular on local and national TV, appeared on magazine covers and became a best-selling cookbook author a decade before chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, his heir at Commander's Palace, ushered in the age of the celebrity chef. His first of eight books, 1984's 'Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen,' is still widely considered a classic," he continued.
Prudhomme's career expanded as he also dabbled in spice and food manufacturing as well.
The Brennan family praised Prudhomme in a statement it released to Gambit, according to WWL-TV.
"Paul was a joy to work with and he's been an inspiration to all of us in the food world," the statement said. "Cajun and Creole cuisines crashed in the kitchen of Commander's Palace in the 1970s with Paul Prudhomme and Ella Brennan and the Brennan family."
"Prior to that, Cajun food had not been a part of New Orleans cooking. The result was an explosion of spectacular flavors and wonderful cooking that influenced the city, state, country and the world," the statement continued.
Celebrities and friends celebrated Prudhomme on social media.