Inside Larry Morrow's plans to create the country's biggest Black-owned hospitality group

Between the lines: New Orleans, which once was home to the country's largest market for enslaved people, has a well-documented history of racial discrimination, a legacy evident today through a stark wealth gap between Black and white households.

• Over the centuries, Black hospitality workers have remained a constant, as Todd Price has written for USA Today, even while white chefs like Paul Prudhomme or Emeril Lagasse came to represent New Orleans cuisine on a national scale.
• But now, Morrow's well-documented goal comes as a new generation of Black chefs, bartenders and other hospitality pros are claiming a different narrative.

What he says: "Service industry, hotels, restaurants, bars — that is what New Orleans is made up of," Morrow tells Axios New Orleans. "When your foundation is strong, you can build whatever you want."

• "Historically, New Orleans didn't look this way when it pertains to hospitality, but it's home," he says. "I wouldn't want to start it anywhere but home."

Catch up quick: Morrow grew up in New Orleans, attending St. Augustine High School before graduating from Bonnabel.

• He briefly attended Tulane University before heading into hospitality.
• His first restaurant, Larry's Po-boys and Wings, closed soon after opening, but he learned a lot from the experience and quickly turned around to start his own events business.
• Another restaurant followed, Morrow's, which would become the de facto flagship in a rapidly expanding empire that now includes the Keith Lee favorite Monday, the French Quarter's Sun Chong and Hide/Seek, Treehouse plus the latest entry, Morrow Steak.
• Another project, Spicy Mango, is due open this fall at the corner of Esplanade Avenue and Frenchman Street, Morrow says.

Zoom in: Morrow hasn't done it alone.

• His mom, Lenora Chong, is the chef at Morrow's, and she's collaborated with him on other projects, too.
• "I've learned all my Southern hospitality from her and watching her in the kitchen and inviting people into her home," Morrow says. "Paying attention to her over the years has impacted me because that's how I built my company."

Yes, but: Working with family isn't easy.

• "It's taught me a lot and matured me a lot to working with relatives. … It can be an obstacle," Morrow says. "I can't walk away from [my mom]. It challenged both of us to learn how to operate with one another."

State of play: When Morrow's latest restaurant opened in the CBD, Eater New Orleans called it the city's "vibiest restaurant yet." Even Megan Thee Stallion visited during her tour stop.

• That's by design.
• "That's what we do. When people come in town, they know. We built a reputation, not just locally but on a national level to where [we] have a lot of visibility prior to coming to New Orleans," Morrow says. "That helps us a lot by having those personal connections not just to the industry, but to people, to culture — everything that makes New Orleans, New Orleans."

What's next: More.

• While Spicy Mango comes together for a fall opening, Morrow is expanding his namesake restaurant, putting in a bigger kitchen, adding seating and giving it "a full makeover."
• He also plans expansion beyond New Orleans and into Houston next year, with Atlanta, New York and Miami to follow.
• But first, he's got a partnership with Essence Fest this week curating late-night entertainment. Get tickets.

Go deeper:

• Larry Morrow to open Caribbean fusion restaurant.
• Sun Chong's gumbo dumplings and crawfish fried rice are worth the visit.
• Toya Johnson-Rushing and Larry Morrow crowned royalty at Six Ward Steppers ball.