Mel Melton
Mojo in the Kitchen
by Philip Van Vleck
Mel Melton fronts the swamp blues outfit Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos, and a good many blues fans are familiar with this cookin' little combo. Cookin', in fact, is the operative word with Mel Melton. A lot of Wicked Mojo fans may not be aware of the fact that Melton is also a celebrated chef who's particularly well known for his Cajun cuisine. This guy is as comfortable in the kitchen as he is on stage.
Melton's culinary pursuits have finally come together in a cookbook that is now available to those who fancy Cajun food. Cookie Boy: The Authentic Cajun Recipes of Mel Melton, came into being thanks to a brainwave from promoter Bill Diers, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who suggested that it was time for Melton to put his Cajun recipes in print. Melton took Diers' advice and proceded to spend about a year sifting through a ton of recipes, sorting out his favorites, and whittling them down from restaurant-size to family-size. The result is a book of Cajun culinary delights that we can whip up to impress our family and friends.
Nowadays, those of us who grew up outside Cajun country know at least a few things about Acadian culture and life in south Louisiana: andouille gumbo, shrimp creole, étouffé, and the other delights of Cajun grub, and Balfa Toujours, BeauSoleil, Charivari, Chris Ardoin, and the other delights of Cajun and zydeco music. That's not gonna get anyone a Ph.D. in Acadian Studies, but it's a giant step ahead of what the rest of the U.S. knew about Cajun culture 30 years ago, when Mel Melton first set foot in Louisiana's bayou country.
In 1969, Melton accompanied a college friend on a summer trip to the friend's hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana. He discovered a culture, food, and music that was a completely new experience. He was so intrigued with Lafayette that he stayed for a few years and even married a Cajun girl.
"Her family first exposed me to Cajun cooking," Melton explained. "I began to learn about Cajun techniques from watching my ex-wife and her parents in the kitchen."
This is an excerpt from issue #93.
