Editor’s note: This article was published in Grand Traverse Scene magazine’s Fall 2024 issue. Pick up a free copy at area hotels, visitor’s centers, chambers of commerce or at the Record-Eagle building on Front Street. Click here to read GT Scene in its entirety online.
Creole cuisine may not be the first thing people expect to find in Northern Michigan. However, Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen in Elk Rapids continues to surprise and delight visitors with its creole cajun flavors and midwestern hospitality — the type of unexpected combination that allows NoMi businesses to thrive.
Seafood plays a major role in both Northern Michigan and New Orleans cuisine, though the latter offers more exotic (to us Northerners) fare such as crawfish and alligator. Northern Michigan cuisine explores the edges and combinations of sweet and savory flavors while New Orleans favors the spicy.
As the website for Pearl’s explains, “New Orleans cuisine is a rich melting pot of influences and ingredients, and Pearl’s embraces the roots of both Cajun (rural) and Creole (city) styles of cooking.” This month we talked to Chef Ben Cross about his experience at Pearl’s and his thoughts on the food industry as both a challenging and rewarding line of work.
Name: Ben Cross
Business: Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen
Location: Elk Rapids
Background in the food industry: My first experience in the food industry was working at Whitney’s Oyster Bar (in Charlevoix) as a dishwasher. That was it for a few years while I went to school for construction and spent time snowboarding, but eventually I ended up working in the food industry again as a sous chef. Then I graduated from Cadamont Ranch & Club in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and landed my first job as a chef.
Why he started cooking: When I started working in the food industry, the cooks put me to work right away. From there, I quickly graduated up the ranks.
Most popular dish at Pearl’s: Jambalaya. It’s good, but my favorite is the Gumbo. In September we’re offering our “Bourbon Festival Menu.” All items offered have a bourbon spin. The most popular dishes on the menu are the Orange Bourbon Glazed Salmon and the Daniel Boone Stroganoff.
His favorite part about running a kitchen: Locking up and going home. Just kidding. It’s probably the business of running a restaurant. There is never a dull moment.
What do you do when you’re not cooking? Do you still find time to snowboard? Yeah, I still snowboard and my kids do, too. We get passes every winter to Shanty Creek. In the summertime, I spend my free time boating, and I know Lake Charlevoix like the back of my hand. I’m a jack of all trades and very outdoorsy. I like fixing cars, building things, and doing electrical work. I always go hunting in the Fall during deer season.
What do you like about the region where Pearls’ is located? The summertime. Like I said, I love boating. I was born and raised in Charlevoix. Back then, if you were a kid with a bike you felt like you owned the town during the summer.
Where did you learn to cook New Orlean’s style cuisine? Have you ever been to New Orleans? Actually, before Pearl’s I had little experience with cajun cuisine but I welcomed the challenge. Most of my culinary experience prior to Pearl’s was in French cuisine and a little bit of Asian cuisine. Pearl’s was an opportunity to learn and grow as a chef.
I’ve been to New Orleans three times. I’ve been there with my family, and the most recent trip was with the owners of Pearl’s. We went to New Orleans on a food journey, and ended up getting on the last plane to the city before flights were shut down for Covid.
What do you like about the people you work with? Everyone is so distinct. There are so many different types of personalities all working together. The food industry attracts so many different types of people, and each specific job attracts its own type of person.
What’s the most challenging part of being a chef? You never have a “normal” day. Everyday is different and you never know what’s going to happen. It’s always fast paced. The parts of the job I find challenging are also the things I enjoy most about doing this work.