Love for Local

THROUGHOUT CHEF GABRIEL BALDERAS’ cooking career, he has prioritized serving the freshest, most local ingredients he could find. In 2016, he and his wife, Brooke, opened El Cabo Verde in south Shreveport, and it’s been so successful that he plans to open another restaurant—Zuzul Coastal Cuisine—in the near future. Gabriel’s bright, fresh Mexican flavors stand out distinctly against the area’s standard Tex-Mex fare.

Since Louisiana cuisine is, by its very nature, a fusion of the cultures of people who have settled here throughout the years, it is terrific to see that his commitment to serving