LUFU to expand with French Quarter seafood restaurant
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LUFU chef Sarthak "Shan" Samantray speaks to a table of diners. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
LUFU has only been open in downtown New Orleans for about a year, but the team behind it is already expanding with new restaurants.
Why it matters: That growth, co-founding partner Sarthak Samantray tells Axios New Orleans, is because "we started off as a family, and we help the members of our family grow."
The latest: The LUFU team, which also includes Aman Kota and Sachin Darade, has already backed the opening of Dingtea Downtown, a boba shop that opened earlier this summer.
- They next plan to open the doors at Cajun Flames, a seafood-focused restaurant on Decatur Street in the former Saint John space, early this fall.
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Zoom in: Samantray, Kota and Darade received formal culinary training in their native India, and after separately landing in New Orleans, they found they missed cooking dishes from home.
- At the time, Samantray was cooking at Jack Rose, Kota at the Rib Room and Darade at the Hyatt Regency, Samantray says.
- LUFU, which stands for "Let Us Feed U," started as a pop-up, with Darade joining later, and quickly built a following even without a steady location. Though they eventually found one at the Pythian Market, the venue closed shortly after.
- They finally secured a CBD space and opened a true brick-and-mortar restaurant last summer, and it's already receiving accolades.
What they're saying: "This kind of love and support, I don't think we would have received it anywhere else than New Orleans," Samantray says. "This place is so full of culture and people here have a very diverse mindset."
- That means Samantray doesn't run into picky people here, he says.
- "People love all kinds of food and us being here, they're giving us such great energy."
What's next: The next restaurant, Cajun Flames, will be a departure from the regional Indian cuisine the team focuses on at LUFU.
- But that's on purpose, Samantray says.
- LUFU is "the story of us and our roots," Samantray says. "Cajun Flames reflects the … story of LUFU in New Orleans and what we've learned so far and gained from this city."