New restaurant brings the bayou to Bartlett
Developer Mason Jambon will open a New Orleans-style restaurant called Ragin Cajun Seafood & Po Boys in former El Idolo at 2740 Bartlett Road. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
Cajun cuisine is coming soon to the Bartlett Station historic district.
Mason Jambon, amid considering a mixed-use venue at the former Bartlett Nursery site, is planning a new venture in Bartlett, this time a New Orleans-style restaurant called Ragin Cajun Seafood & Po Boys.
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Jambon bought the building at 2740 Bartlett Road occupied by the El Idolo restaurant a month ago and will take possession of the property in mid-September. The building sits directly north from W.J. Freeman Park.
“We’ve been looking for a spot for a long time,” Jambon said. “This is a concept that’s near and dear to me. There are a million little neighborhood restaurants around New Orleans, and that’s really what I’m trying to recreate.”
Jambon is from the New Orleans area, having grown up in nearby Gretna, Louisiana. He attended LSU and Loyola University New Orleans and has worked in the restaurant industry since 1987.
“I was just really lucky,” he said. “The first real job I ever had was with the Brennan’s at Commander’s Palace (in Uptown New Orleans). Emeril (Lagasse) happened to be the chef, but he wasn’t famous yet. I stayed with them for 13 years, starting as a food runner and eventually leaving as director of operations.”
He has been involved in the Memphis area with Loflin Yard, Railgarten and Bounty on Broad.
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Michael Waddell
Michael Waddell is a native Memphian with more than 20 years of professional writing and editorial experience, working most recently with The Daily News and High Ground News.
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