SB PERSON OF INTEREST
BY ELIZABETH DEAL
FRANK HARRIS
M
eet the man behind the food. Frank Gaines Harris, IV, is the owner of two of Shreveport’s most beloved restaurants: Frank’s Pizza Napoletano and Frank’s Southern Kitchen. Harris grew up cooking at home with his mother, Peggy, and at the family’s hunting camp, Pecan Brake, on Catahoula Lake with his dad, Frank Gaines Harris, III. Harris is a graduate of Loyola College Prep and the University of Mississippi. One summer during college, he took a Tulane University sponsored six-week trip to Paris and this is when he started to get serious about food. He later graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in New York, always on the Dean’s List, and spent a few months training at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Harris then worked for Chef John Folse and Company as the Executive Chef of White Oak Plantation in Baton Rouge, specializing in Cajun and Creole cuisine. He traveled to Taipei, Tiawan, with Chef Folse to open Lafitte’s Landing East in the Taipei Hilton, a promotion of the cuisine and culture of Louisiana.From Baton Rouge, he moved to Dallas, where he was first the Line Cook and then Chef de Cuisine at the iconic five-star restaurant, The Riviera. During this time, he also worked part-time in pâtissier and charcutier for L’Epicurien. Harris completed an eleven country, around the world culinary journey, writing several food and wine related articles for D Magazine in Dallas. He then worked under world-famous Chef Fabio Pichi at Cibreo in Florence, Italy, experiencing cooking in an intense, immersive restaurant while learning about the traditional cuisine of Tuscany. It was during this time that he ate a lot of woodfired
38
JUNE 2021
| SBMAG.NET
pizza and began dreaming about a future Napoletana pizza restaurant in Shreveport. He ultimately moved home to Shreveport to be near family. “Good, different things were starting to happen here, and I wanted to be part of that,” says Harris. He started Jour de Fete, a private catering business (where his specialty oysters were in high demand). While catering a party, he met his future business partner, Brian Flournoy. Together, they made Frank’s Pizza Napoletano a reality and a few years later they opened Frank’s Southern Kitchen, specializing in Louisiana Cajun and Creole dishes. On being a business owner, Harris says everything comes down to the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He keeps this foremost in mind for everything he does: food quality, wine list choices, music selection, atmosphere, and the way employees and customers are treated. “I make plenty of mistakes and I don’t always hit the mark, but I sure do try!” His business philosophy also includes “hire the best people you can, guide them and let them do their job!” Beyond his accolades and culinary talent, Harris is known for his larger-than-life personality and friendly and welcoming way. He and his wife, Melissa, have a son, Gaines (Frank Gaines Harris, V), a rising junior at Caddo Magnet High School, and three spoiled dogs, Bocce, Scout, and Bella. Harris has also been a beekeeper for many years but is now taking some time off.
Our spirits, our souls, and our stomachs are all fortunate that Frank Harris has made this area his home.
