What do you get when you
cross a Cajun chef, a sushi roll inventor
(chicken tenderloin maki), an author
of three gourmet cookbooks and a guy
who can whip up a turducken with his
eyes closed? Meet Gary Lirette: the new
owner of Walker’s Donuts, now Wigley’s
Café and Bakery, on Church Street
in downtown Sandpoint.
Lirette, a Louisiana native who describes his upbringing as, “true Cajun
living, which always included a delicious smelling kitchen, wine and a variety
of musical instruments,” seems an unlikely match for a donut chef. But
if you think rolling out confections is the extent of his entrepreneurial dreams,
think again.
“We already have plans to build a totally unique concept behind Walker’s
called Backyard Barbeque,” explains Lirette. Louisiana-influenced savories
will include jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish etouffee, duck bisque and real po’boy
sandwiches.
Lirette, who has lived and cooked professionally in Germany as well as Louisiana,
may also feature rabbit and bratwurst chili and the ever intriguing turducken – duck
stuffed inside chicken stuffed inside a goose.
As for sushi, Lirette is considering opening a small-scale sushi saloon where
premium rolls will be available at shoestring prices. Don’t even get him
started on the tiki bar idea.
As this culinary dreamscape fleshes out, Gary Lirette will see to it that the
old donut shop builds a future as audacious as the etouffee. |
