Phoenixville Creole/Italian Chef Earned His Chops in New Orleans

Fenice Creolo Executive Chef John "MacJon" DeLuca has been cooking Cajun, Creole and Italian cuisine since before he opened his first restaurant in the heart of New Orleans.

So what's a guy like that doing in Phoenixville, thousands of miles away from the city where streets are called "rue"?  "I'm a Chester County guy," DeLuca says proudly while taking a break to talk to Patch in the spacious, breezy bar area of the new Fenice Creolo restaurant in the Village at Eland Center on Kimberton Road/Rt. 113. Fenice Creolo opened in February.

How would you described the food you serve here?
"We're a fusion between Italian, Creole and Cajun, all shaken up and dumped on to a table. It's not like I'm taking raviolis and and jambalaya and putting them in a blender.  I'm saying our menu has a variety and an assortment of those dishes."

What's the difference between Creole and Cajun?
"Cajun is really down home. It's more of your backwoods kind of cooking. They're not really into pretty they're just really into a whole lot of spice. Creole is more along the line of French.  It's a little bit more sophisticated, a lot more butters and wines are being used."

Is cooking this cuisine fun?
"Yeah. I've been doing it for quite a long time. I've been doing it since 1979. I opened two restaurants in the French Quarter. I met Paul Prudhomme by reading an article. Called him up, got into an argument with him about 'blackened' versus 'Pittsburgh.'  He had to meet me.  He flew me down there (to New Orleans).  After spending half a day with him I came back with a lot of money in my pocket and an opportunity to open two restaurants and I went back down a week later and opened up Mr. B's at the corner of Royal and Iberville.  Then while we were waiting for equipment and delays, he grabbed the lease on a little building out on Chartes, 415 Chartes as a matter of fact, and we opened up K-Paul's."

So how did you end up here in Chester County?

I'm from here. My house is a stone's throw over the hill, (meaning) where I was living at the time when I went down there to do that.  I restaurant in Schwenksville with Jerry Davis called the Weldon House.  Jerry and I were partners for about seven years but when I had the chance 'to dance on Broadway' you, know cook in New Orleans, I had to take that address."

How does Chester County compare to New Orleans?

It's culture shock but then again I really understand the world here and the people. I breathe the environment, it's part of me you know and I just feel very comfortable here in Chester County.

Fenice Creolo is open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner with a Sunday a' la carte brunch menu. It's a BYOB (liquor license application is pending). Two can eat (a lot) for dinner for well under $60.