The August summer night in Alabama, humid and hot, replicated a midsummer night in New Orleans as the Bright Star restaurant’s annual “Night in New Orleans” arrived back in Bessemer for its 2026 edition. The Bright Star event started in 1989 with Jamie Shannon of Commander’s Palace as the guest chef. The late Bright Star co-owner Jimmy Koikos got the idea on a visit to Commander’s after he met and befriended Shannon. Jamie Shannon continued to travel to Bessemer for the event until his death in 2001. A series of chefs has followed; the thing that connects all of them is a stint at Commander’s.

Eric Cook has been the chef for “Night in New Orleans” since 2022. He was the founder and executive chef of popular New Orleans Magazine Street eatery Gris Gris and, later, Saint John in the French Quarter. For this year’s event, Cook was joined by Bradley Marshall, the former chef de cuisine at Gris Gris. I was sad to learn that Cook made the difficult decision to close Gris Gris, effective July 31, so I had the opportunity to eat his food less than a week after he closed his flagship New Orleans restaurant (he had previously left Saint John). I look forward to seeing where he’ll land next.

For the Bright Star event, the menu always consists of classic Bright Star offerings in addition to the New Orleans menu of the guest chef. Anne, my companion for the dinner, stuck to her Bright Star favorites and I gladly checked out the New Orleans offerings. It has been a few years since I attended “Night in New Orleans” and it was good to be back and to see the crowd that arrived for the festivities. The servers were slammed, but cheerful. Our server, Lisa, was experiencing her first “Night in New Orleans” and handled it like a pro. I have noticed through the years that the chefs, who occasionally circulate through the dining rooms, seem to be having as good a time as the guests. Live jazz kept the room hopping and the energy up.

Oyster BLT

Anne started her meal off with a platter of crab claws – plenty to share – while I opted for Chef Eric’s signature Oyster BLT. The BLT is a deconstructed version of the classic sandwich with smoked pork belly (B), arugula (L), and tomato jam (T) embellished with fried oysters from the Gulf of Mexico. After that appetizer, we each passed up the salads for a cup of Bright Star’s singular seafood gumbo, one of the best gumbos around.

As tempting as Chef Eric’s braised lamb and double cut pork chop dishes sounded among the entrees, I opted for his cast iron snapper, served with tomato sauce, popcorn rice, and charcoal lemon, with flavors reminiscent of so many meals I’ve enjoyed in New Orleans through the years. Anne stuck with another of my favorites, Bright Star’s beef tenderloin Greek-style; it looked amazing, as always, but I enjoyed my delicious fish and knew that the tenderloin would be there next time I drop by.

Dessert for me was Chef Eric’s buttermilk biscuit peach shortcake with Chilton County peaches and Chantilly cream. On any given day, you can’t go wrong with Bright Star’s dessert menu and Anne’s slice of chocolate almond pie was a reminder why I always leave room for dessert at the Bright Star.

Cast Iron Snapper

It’s always good to be at the Bright Star, a 2010 James Beard Award-winning American Classic that will be celebrating its 120th Anniversary in 2027. And to be able to enjoy award-winning chef Eric Cook’s New Orleans flavors there was a special treat. As we left, the jazz was playing, a crowd was waiting in the lobby for their seating, and the revelry reminded me that I need to plan a trip back to New Orleans soon.