RECIPE | Parish Tacos dishes up pearls of wisdom (and tacos!)
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Parish Tacos Chef Will Miles, left, and co-owner Michael Leblanc whip up a batch of Grilled Shrimp Tacos during a cooking demonstration hosted by the Healthier Northshore coalition on Aug. 4, 2025. (Photos by Tory Mansfield/STHS)
The math is simple: fresh = flavor.
Attendees at Healthier Northshore’s latest Eat Well, Live Well cooking demonstration got a first-hand lesson in that heart-healthy culinary equation Monday, courtesy of Parish Tacos co-owner Michael Leblanc and Chef Will Miles, who walked them through the process of making their Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Chimichurri at the Samaritan Center’s kitchen classroom in Mandeville. (Find recipe below.)
The real treat, though – aside from the box of fresh ingredients each attendee was given to re-create the dish at home – just might have been the practical pro tips Miles and Leblanc shared as they prepared their dish. A sampling:
Red onion or white?: “It’s really up to you. You are the chef, so use what you enjoy. There doesn’t need to be any more reason than that.” – MilesOn avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen: “When I’m cooking at home, I’m not trying to make a mess. So: Paper plates are your friend.” – Leblanc On the many-splendored joy of Gulf shrimp: “Shrimp is a fantastic protein. Lay them out in a single layer, they thaw in 10 minutes.” – MilesOn the near-universal appeal of a good chimichurri sauce: “A lot of people say, ‘Oh I don’t like cilantro – but I like that.’ It works.” – LeblancOn using a sharp knife: “The key to a well-cut tomato is a sharp knife. It’s very easy to smush it with a dull knife, which is also very dangerous. … The blessing of a sharp knife is you don’t have to work as hard.” – MilesOn the importance of drying shrimp before cooking: “Moisture is the enemy of crispness.” – MilesOn tortilla preference: “We’re a house divided. I like flour, she likes corn. So we eat corn tortillas.” – Leblanc
Red onion or white?: “It’s really up to you. You are the chef, so use what you enjoy. There doesn’t need to be any more reason than that.” – Miles
On avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen: “When I’m cooking at home, I’m not trying to make a mess. So: Paper plates are your friend.” – Leblanc
On the many-splendored joy of Gulf shrimp: “Shrimp is a fantastic protein. Lay them out in a single layer, they thaw in 10 minutes.” – Miles
On the near-universal appeal of a good chimichurri sauce: “A lot of people say, ‘Oh I don’t like cilantro – but I like that.’ It works.” – Leblanc
On using a sharp knife: “The key to a well-cut tomato is a sharp knife. It’s very easy to smush it with a dull knife, which is also very dangerous. … The blessing of a sharp knife is you don’t have to work as hard.” – Miles
On the importance of drying shrimp before cooking: “Moisture is the enemy of crispness.” – Miles
On tortilla preference: “We’re a house divided. I like flour, she likes corn. So we eat corn tortillas.” – Leblanc
Above all, Miles urged those in attendance to resist avoiding ingredients or techniques solely because they are unfamiliar.
“The worst thing you can do in the kitchen is not try something new,” he said. “Because then you’re not learning.”
The Eat Well, Live Well cooking demonstration series is a quarterly series hosted by Healthier Northshore, a public health coalition spearheaded by St. Tammany Health System, with key support from the American Heart Association. Special thanks for Monday’s cooking demo also goes to the St. Romain Family Foundation, a contribution from which helped supply the ingredients boxes distributed to participants.
A squeeze of Parish Tacos' chimichurri sauce provides the finishing touch.
Attendees of the cooking demonstration were sent home with a box of ingredients to remake Parish Tacos' Grilled Shrimp Tacos at home, courtesy of the St. Romain Family Foundation and American Red Cross.
MORE EAT WELL, LIVE WELL RECIPES
Chef Dave Solazzo of Del Porto Ristorante in Covington shares his recipe for garden-fresh ratatouille with shrimp.
Chef Jeff Mattias of Pyre BBQ in in Mandeville shares the recipe for his Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Carrots.
Chef Gavin Jobe of Meribo in Covington shares his recipe for Roasted Chicken Thighs with a Garden-fresh Vegetable Medley.
Chef Osman Rodas of Pardo's Restaurant in Mandeville shares his nutrient-rich recipe for his Salmon Power Bowl.