With food ‘to die for,’ Louisiana-raised chef opens new Boise restaurant. Order this.

Jody Charles moved 2,000 miles to Idaho as a teenager, but he’s never forgotten his roots.

New Iberia, Louisiana, is where his mom first taught him how to boil rice in their home’s kitchen. Hometown cooking is what inspired him to start doing occasional catering and pop-up events six years ago in Boise.

So when Charles, 33, opened a restaurant last weekend, it was the culmination of a lifelong journey — and the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

“It’s always something I wanted to do,” Charles explains. “And once I moved here, I wasn’t able to get half the things that I grew up around in Louisiana. I wanted my kids to be able to taste and see what I come from. Eating here is way different than eating in Louisiana.”

Louisiana Soul Bayou restaurant — or LSB, as he calls it — held its grand opening Saturday and Sunday at Chow Public Market, 7609 W. Overland Road at the Boise Spectrum.

The fast-casual menu will be a satisfying blend of Cajun, Creole and soul food, he says. That means po’ boy sandwiches and gumbo, but also fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, candied yams and collard greens.

LSB will share seating with other Chow tenants such as local chain Good Burger. Delivery is a future possibility, Charles says, but LSB will start with dine-in and takeout only.

As a pop-up eatery, LSB’s top seller was po’ boy sandwiches, Charles says. He doesn’t expect that to change. They’re loaded with fried chicken, shrimp — even catfish. “The shrimp po’ boys are to die for,” he says.

Devour his New Orleans Fried Shrimp Po’boy for $13, including Cajun fries. And maybe bring a friend. “For most people, they can share with two people and be fine,” Charles says. “Once you see the po’ boy — they’re humongous. I promise you, people always walk away with part of the po’ boy.”

He also recommends gumbo. Chicken and sausage gumbo ($8) comes with potato salad and a cornbread muffin. Or for $9, try the shrimp, chicken and sausage variety.

Do not forget to grab a $5 order of hush puppies on the side.

“A lot of people like to take it and dip it in the gumbo, man,” Charles says. “That oniony flavor of that hush puppy —people love it.”

Depending on the day, Charles will have other delicacies, too, he says. “The specials I’ll do is more the crawfish etouffee, and like a fried oyster po’ boy, eventually.”

LSB will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, but closed Mondays.

And if you’re concerned that LSB’s Cajun-laced cuisine might set your tongue on fire? Stop worrying, he says.

(Uh, chef? You were born and raised in Louisiana. Might that affect your perception of your food’s heat level?)

“It has flavor but no spiciness at all,” Charles insists. “I have a lot of people that think it’s going to be really spicy. I always keep a couple (bottles) of Tabasco on my countertop.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 2:36 PM.