Running restaurants is in Ben Herrera\u2019s blood. His love of cooking came from his grandmother and great-grandmother, with his family\u2019s restaurant roots going all the way back to 1910 in Louisville, Colo. His grandparents also owned a restaurant in Boulder, Colo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ChrisBrennanPhoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Herrera\u2019s earliest memories in the food industry were \u201croaming around his grandparents\u2019 restaurant.\u201d He started his first job in the restaurant industry at the age of 15, washing dishes on the weekend. One day, the cook \u201cquit on the spot\u201d and Herrera had to help the restaurant owner keep the operation running smoothly for the remainder of the weekend. Just like that, Herrera was promoted to a cook. The dish washer position went back on the market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After gaining more experience at various restaurants while in high school, Herrera made the decision to attend Colorado State. However, he couldn\u2019t stay away from the industry he was brought up in. He ended up leaving Colorado State and moving to Aspen, Colo., to further his culinary career.<\/p>\n To get some formal training, Herrera attended the Emily Griffith School of Opportunity in Denver to further his culinary training. He then went on to complete an American Culinary Federation apprenticeship at the Westin Hotel to achieve his executive chef credentials. By the time Herrera moved to Lake Charles, he had worked with various different cuisines and in restaurants across the spectrum \u2014 from small and cozy eateries to corporate restaurants.<\/p>\n DeAngelo\u2019s Pizzeria Company<\/b><\/p>\n In 1998, Herrera moved to Louisiana. He opened his first restaurant in 2001, a franchise named DeAngelo\u2019s Pizzeria. Herrera describes this first restaurant as \u201csimply a business endeavor.\u201d As far as franchises go, the goal is to make a restaurant successful and then add more locations. DeAngelo\u2019s was very successful in Lake Charles, but one day in 2008 the building burned to the ground.<\/p>\n Herrera and his former partner Richie Gregory decided to rebuild in the same spot. The next year DeAngelo\u2019s once again became part of the Lake Charles food scene, but it was not to last. The franchise contract was eventually voided and 121 Artisan Bistro was born.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 121 Artisan Bistro<\/b><\/p>\n The name 121 Artisan Bistro (the 121 refers to the address of the building \u2014 121 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive) replaced \u201cDeAngelo\u2019s,\u201d and the house menu expanded to include items such as fish and steak.<\/p>\n ChrisBrennanPhoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPart of DeAngelo\u2019s success was its location,\u201d Herrera says, so he feels fortunate to have been able to secure the location for his restaurant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 121 is a well-established and successful restaurant. But when COVID-19 hit, the business felt the burn just like every other food establishment in the country. Herrera says he was able to get a PPP loan, which gave him the ability to keep paying his employees through the shutdown. Retaining those in management positions was the first priority, and when business picked back up, Herrera made a point to rehire previous employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The PPP funds helped keep professionals in the area from moving away, Herrera says. The money also \u201ckept the community and the economy going.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the payroll of 121 Artisan Bistro was covered, Herrera forged ahead with a plan initiated shortly before COVID-19 arrived on the scene \u2014 The James 710, an all-new restaurant to be located in the old City Market and Deli further down the road on Michael DeBakey Drive.<\/p>\n Herrera says kudos go to general manager Chad Fontenot and his sous chefs Stacy Rogers, Dustin Frederick and Justin Hebert for their work to keep 121 running smoothly and efficiently so he can focus on other projects.<\/p>\n Then Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit in August and October, respectively. Not only did this shut down construction on The James 710, it put 121 Artisan Bistro out of business for a few weeks as well.<\/p>\n However, Herrera says he is very grateful that neither building sustained significant damage during the storms. And 121 Artisan Bistro was one of the first dine-in restaurants to begin operating again after the dual disasters.<\/p>\n The James 710<\/b><\/p>\n The City Market and Deli was struggling due to COVID-19 and a few other factors when it was decided the establishment would close.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chris Dierich, owner of City Market and Deli, and Herrera knew each other because they had been co-workers at Waitr. (Herrera had been one of the two original regional sales directors from 2016 to 2019.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ChrisBrennanPhoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The unique building had always attracted Herrera, who says there\u2019s \u201cnothing like it in Lake Charles\u201d and believes the structure is perfect for a \u201ccool, upscale restaurant.\u201d He had often mentioned his ideas to Dierich in the past but now proposed to make them a reality. Herrera also partnered with Jacques Bourgeois, who he credits with \u201c[building] out [The James] and designer Jonna Mulqueen, of Uncommon Nest out of Denver, for making [it] beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n Once again Herrera named his new restaurant after an address. 710 refers to 710 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive. The \u201cJames\u201d is a reference to his maternal grandfather, with whom he shared a \u201cspecial relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Family is very important, Herrera says, and he will continue to honor his family and heritage in different ways through his businesses. (There is also a tribute to his great-grandmother and grandmother in front of 121 Artisan Bistro.)<\/p>\n Construction for The James 710 was well underway when Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit. As 121 sat empty for the second time in 2020, Herrera says he \u201cwanted to walk away from The James again.\u201d What stopped him was his memory of what happened after Hurricane Rita in 2005.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rita also hit when Herrera was about to expand business. Once Rita exited the area, Herrera \u201cwalked away from restaurant deals [in the works] and went back to DeAngelo\u2019s to [do repairs].\u201d Herrera says he later regretted that decision and \u201cdidn\u2019t want to make that same mistake\u201d this time.<\/p>\n ChrisBrennanPhoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even though Herrera\u2019s house was destroyed, just a \u201cstripped out shell\u201d as he describes it, he decided, \u201cI can either give up or be bullish and say we will make this more beautiful \u2026 more efficient.\u201d So, the work on The James continues and the restaurant will open in February.<\/p>\n While Herrera describes The James as \u201cmore casual than Calla,\u201d the restaurant will still have an upscale vibe. The floor plan of the building is open so \u201cyou are able to see the entire restaurant from where you\u2019re standing.\u201d There is also an open kitchen, and \u201cclean lines\u201d in the design, which make the space \u201cmodern but comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n The menu of The James is described as \u201ca modern American menu with indigenous Louisiana products and cuisine.\u201d Herrera emphasizes he made it a priority to hire chefs with diverse backgrounds. They \u201chave Latin and Asian influences either in their family or past culinary career\u201d so he says diners can expect a fusion of many different types of food.<\/p>\n Herrera scouted staff from the already established 121 and from places as distant as New Orleans and Colorado.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If Herrera thought someone would be good for a job but lived elsewhere and had \u201cLake Charles ties,\u201d he extended the invitation of an interview in the event the person was interested in moving back to SWLA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Much of the essential staff for The James has now been hired. The executive chef will be Wesley Miller from Eunice, and the sous chefs will be Michael Breese and Renda Ruiz, both from New Orleans. And Blakelee Kibodeaux will be the front of the house manager.<\/p>\n Calla<\/b><\/p>\n The founder of Calla, David Sorrells, who Herrera describes as \u201cone of the most talented chefs I\u2019ve ever worked with,\u201d left the restaurant industry a couple of years after Calla opened. His legacy has lived on all of the years since.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/BenHerrera6.jpg\")
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