Gone are the days when a dinner table needed only to be stacked with salt and pepper shakers, a jar of Tabasco, and a platter of meatloaf. The tide of culinary culture is turning, and Baton Rouge residents have slowly began to expect—from restaurants and their own cooktops—a gourmet touch.

“Baton Rouge has opened up quite a lot,” says Christina Nicosia, executive pastry chef at the Louisiana Culinary Institute. “It’s grown quickly, especially after some of the big storms. That has brought in new ideas with new restaurants popping up with some great, young emerging stars. There’s a lot of fine food around the area.”

To learn more about the culinary adventures stirring up Baton Rouge, check out our article from inRegister’s March issue cover story, available on newsstands now.