During its first stint as a music club, Lafayette’s Music Room didn’t worry much about the food, focusing instead on booking music legends like Billy Joel and Kansas before their careers had taken off. Now, almost 40 years since it’s closing, Lafayette’s is back in Overton Square with a menu so mouthwatering you’ll be asking where your fork is. The Daily Helmsman sat down with cooking creators of the new Lafayette’s menu, Jennifer Chandler and Jody Moyt, to talk about shrimp and grits and a bit of rock ‘n’ roll.
DH: Lafayette’s is back and I’m anxious to know how much the menu has changed from the 70’s to now.
Chandler: We were not able to find a menu beforehand and to be honest with you I’m not really sure if there was much of a menu., and when I asked people that used to be here and were involved with Lafayette’s beforehand, their answer was always like “I don’t remember food.” (both laugh)
Moyt: I know that Lafayette’s was sharing a kitchen with Friday’s at the time. They actually passed food through the window into Lafayette’s.
DH: What were your ideas behind the menu and how did it all get started?
Chandler: We were initially given the idea of a southern inspired menu. Our other restaurant, BB Kings has a strong, kind of down home cooking feel to it. We wanted to kind of just hit somewhere in-between that and upscale dining. A lot of people when they think of Lafayette’s, they think of a New Orleans cuisine. We kind of gave it a little bit of a New Orleans twist. We’re not a New Orleans restaurant. But, when you look at some of our dishes like our shrimp and grits, our Cajun crawfish and our baked oysters, that’s what we’re really going for.
DH: How was it to create the menu and work together? Did you two get along?
Moyt: We spent months working together and really collaborated on it. We both have a lot of experience in different areas. It was a good thing.
DH: When you created the menu did you keep in mind the type of atmosphere that is Lafayette’s?
Chandler: We knew that we needed to have good, shareable food because a lot of people when they come and listen to music come in with a group. That’s why our starters are items that people tend to like and want when they are out listening to music, drinking and sharing food. That’s where our pizza came from because they are a smaller 10-inch pizza that can be so great for sharing.
DH: How are things going so far with Lafayette’s being back?
Moyt: Great. The weekends are just off the charts. Saturday and Sunday brunch are going to be crazy. Normally, we have two folks singing every night. We have someone start at about 6, and then we have another come on at about 9:30 or 10 and that’s more of the rock ‘n’ roll show. But Saturday and Sunday we have music all day. It starts at 11 a.m. and it doesn’t really stop.
DH: What do you hope people take away from the Lafayette experience?
Moyt: Everyone already knows about the music. We are just going to try to build on that. We want people to think of us as a dinner place, as well as a late night show.
Chandler: We want people to come for the music, but we also want people to come for the food and stay. We want to be both for people. That’s why we really put it in Memphis on having good food that people are going to want to try rather than just chips and dip.
DH: Are you trying to make Lafayette’s a family friendly place, or is it a 21 and up venue?
Moyt: We are coming up with a kid’s menu and we don’t want to be stigmatized as someone that shuns children. But once we hit that 9-9:30 mark, it’s not really kid friendly anymore.
DH: Jennifer, I read that you studied in Paris years ago to learn to cook. Was that a big leap to just suddenly leave your regular day job for that?
Chandler: I did, but I was young. I always loved food and wanted to be in the food industry and someone said you need to be able to cook. And I said, okay now is the time to learn. I was probably 23 when I made that decision.
DH: Has creating the Lafayette’s menu been stressful? Are you enjoying your time with the beginning of it all?
Moyt: Of course, but it’s been a lot of fun too. We are in Overton Square! We’re rocking out to live music every night. We have a brand new kitchen. One of the big reasons why I wanted to work here is because it was here.
