Chef Albert “Rocky” Lavalais IV walked away from a corporate culinary career to chase something more flavorful and more personal. After two decades in the fine dining world, most recently as executive chef partner at The Capital Grille in Plano, Lavalais now serves up Louisiana-certified Cajun dishes out of a food trailer parked at The Rail Yard Taproom in Van Alstyne, Texas. There, he is making culinary history.
Together with his wife and business partner, Patrice Lavalais, the couple co-owns Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine, a catering and food truck venture committed to bringing the authentic taste of Louisiana to North Texas, and they’re doing it with an unprecedented distinction.
First Outside Louisiana to Be Certified Cajun
In 2024, Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine became the first restaurant or food truck located outside Louisiana to earn both the Certified Louisiana and Certified Cajun designations. As stated on the official Certified Louisiana website, these programs, created by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, aim to promote products genuinely sourced from the state.
“It was about a year-long process,” Rocky says. “Before us, you had to physically be in Louisiana to be Louisiana or Cajun certified.”
To qualify, the couple submitted detailed ingredient lists and sourcing records, demonstrating that 90 percent of their core ingredients — including bread, seafood and seasonings — come directly from Louisiana. Even the bread is non-negotiable. “We have to use Gambino’s,” Rocky says. “If we’re making a muffuletta, it’s got to be Gambino’s to be certified.”
Costly Ingredients, Priceless Integrity
Authenticity doesn’t come cheap. A $25 case of Gambino’s bread runs up to $100 after shipping. Sometimes, Rocky or family members drive to Louisiana to stock up in bulk and cut costs. It’s an effort that reflects the couple’s dedication to delivering flavor without compromise — even if it means baking their own seasonings, frying their own catfish and rising at 4 a.m. for dessert prep.
Patrice, who’s also enrolled in culinary school, leads the dessert program and bakes gooey butter cakes from scratch with precision. “Her attention to detail is just through the roof,” Rocky says. Banana pudding butter cake and red velvet butter cake are among their most-praised items, alongside their signature Bayou Catfish, crawfish etouffee fries and Cajun smash burgers made with ground ribeye.
Food With Heart and Hustle
Chef Rocky’s culinary roots run deep. Born in Dallas and raised in Louisiana, he started in restaurants as a line cook, worked his way up to kitchen supervisor and eventually helmed The Capital Grille's high-end kitchen in Plano.
But the journey wasn’t always glamorous.
After the death of their infant daughter, the couple spent four months homeless, living out of hotels, taking showers at truck stops and raising a newborn. Through it all, they kept pushing.
“My wife has always been my hardest critic,” Rocky said. “She’s the one who wouldn’t let me stop.”
Now, Rocky and Patrice aren’t just cooking; they’re building a legacy. Their business, Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine, started as a leap of faith — and a break from burnout. “I used to open and close every day. I’d get home at midnight,” Rocky says of his time in fine dining.
After years of long shifts and missed moments with their daughters, the couple decided it was time to invest in themselves and in quality time. “We sunk all our savings into this,” he says. “Because time is more important than any amount of dollars.”
Still, the couple remains focused on consistency, exposure and building strong customer relationships. “Every time someone says, ‘That was the best smash burger I’ve ever had,’ that’s our return on investment,” Rocky says.
What’s Cooking
Chef Dnoir’s menu is packed with Cajun classics done with detail and punch:
- Bayou Catfish: A crispy nine-ounce filet topped with crawfish étouffée
- Cajun Smash Burger: Ground ribeye, crispy shrimp, Swiss cheese, horseradish pickles and slaw
- Shrimp Po’ Boy: Served on Gambino’s bread with Cajun mayo, pickles, tomatoes and slaw
- Crawfish Étouffée Fries: Hand-cut, seasoned fries smothered in gravy and mayo
- Butter Cakes: In red velvet or banana pudding versions, topped with white chocolate drizzle
And the flavor is no fluke. At the January 2025 Local Profile cover party, hosted by Chef Tre Wilcox at Tre Cooking Concepts. In a timed cooking competition filled with surprise ingredients and team collaboration, Rocky took home top honors. As reported by Local Profile, he bested past champions and cemented his reputation as a chef to watch — not just in North Texas, but beyond.
“You’re only as good as your team,” he said at the event, standing alongside Patrice.
What’s Next?
The couple is eyeing moving into a ghost kitchen in Allen’s Revolver Kitchen, while continuing to cater weddings, private events and corporate functions. “We’re consistent,” Rocky says. “And we knew what we were signing up for when we started it. You know, some months are better than others. But we don’t stop. We definitely got a lot to learn and you know, we're still learning.”
They also have plans to launch a line of in-house seasonings, produced and packaged in Louisiana, that will carry the Certified Cajun seal. It’s one more way to share their culture, their hustle and their flavor with a broader audience.
Until then, you can find Chef Dnoir Cajun Cuisine parked outside The Rail Yard in Van Alstyne, serving up New Orleans flavor with Texas grit. Just be warned: once you’ve tried Patrice’s banana pudding butter cake, there’s no going back.
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