Five Questions with Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort

You don’t have to go all the way to Louisiana for a true taste of the bayou!

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort has been offering authentic Cajun dishes to the Indianapolis area for nearly a decade via a menu that is anything but standard food truck fare. Chef Dan Carter and Sous Chef Cyrus Braud are the architects behind an array of sandwiches that are as unique as the Mississippi Delta.

Catfish, alligator, oyster and more “po’ boy” sandwiches are staples of the truck, and those treats join sides fashioned in just the way Cajun cooks have been preparing meals for decades.

Talk about southern comfort!

Read on to learn more about Chef Dan, Chef Cyrus, their popular food truck and the inspiration for its deliciously eclectic menu below, and be sure to check them out this season at the Statehouse Market!

Q: Your mother was an obvious inspiration for your career, but who else had a hand in setting you on this career path?

A: Chef Dan’s has been around since 2009. Cyrus came to work for me in 2013 as I showed him how to prepare the dishes that my mother and grandmother showed me. My grandmother was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. Those recipes have been in the Carter and Brady families for years, so I brought them to Indy.

Q: Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort prides itself on serving authentic dishes from the bayou and the Mississippi Delta. What do you use for inspiration in creating your menu?

A: My grandmother cooked Cajun food for the family, and I just loved it. So, I created my menu from the same meals I grew up on.

Q: What is your favorite thing about appearing at the Statehouse Market?

A: To hear the [State of Indiana] employees tell me how they love the flavor of the food and how good it is makes me want to appear more.

Q: What are some new items this year that fans can look forward to trying at your food truck?

A: Cajun chicken pasta, shrimp creole, Cajun potato salad and seafood gumbo

Q: Chef Cyrus’ mother often visits the restaurant and prepares authentic New Orleans pralines. What, exactly, are New Orleans pralines and how do they differ from traditional versions?

A: Praline is a candy made with brown sugar, pecans and butter.