Kevin Belton Biography
Kevin Belton is a gumbo of French, Native American and African ancestry. His mother’s family has roots in the French- Caribbean island of Martinique and his French-speaking father’s family came from the Bayou Lafourche area of South Louisiana, near Thibodaux.
The self-trained chef began cooking under the watchful eye of his mother and grandmother in the uptown New Orleans home where he grew up. From these talented home cooks Belton learned to prepare the venerable dishes of the city. He loves to share family recipes and personal tips for making seafood gumbo, pralines, shrimp remoulade, chicken Clemenceau and many other New Orleans specialties. Cooking instruction is second nature for Belton, who has spent almost 30 years teaching the foundation of Louisiana cooking to appreciative audiences. In addition to the almost 7,000 lessons he has led, Belton has also offered classes and cooking demonstrations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
He has been a featured chef and guest on numerous food programs including Emeril Live; Ready Set Cook; Life, Love and Lunch; Food Fighters; and Taste of America. In 1999, he was co-host and chef on the BBC series Big Kevin, Little Kevin, which also featured British celebrity chef Kevin Woodford. The series, taped in the United Kingdom and the U.S., aired in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. A companion cookbook, co-authored by Belton, Big Kevin, Little Kevin: Over 120 Recipes from around Britain and America by TV’s Odd Couple, was published by Ebury Press.
Belton has long been associated with WYES-TV, New Orleans’ premier public television member station, as the host of several popular cooking marathons. He is also a past recipient of the WYES President’s Award, which is given annually to individuals, organizations or businesses that have demonstrated exemplary support of public television in the metropolitan area.
In 2014, he joined the WWL-TV Morning Show as the resident chef for New Orleans’ CBS affiliate. He also appears in a series of segments for WWL titled “Today’s Special” and is a weekly-featured reporter.
The chef made his national public television debut in 2014 with NEW ORLEANS COOKING WITH KEVIN BELTON. The 26-part cooking series gave viewers a tasty tour of the Big Easy with dishes celebrating New Orleans’ diverse food influences from Classic French to soul food to German, Irish, and Italian.
As Belton’s popularity continued to rise, two more cooking series with the 6’ 9” chef were produced in the studios of WYES-TV. KEVIN BELTON’S NEW ORLEANS KITCHEN, released in 2018, drew from the bounty of ingredients available in the local pantry – from coffee, to seafood, to citrus, and more. A year later, KEVIN BELTON’S NEW ORLEANS CELEBRATION was launched. The 26-part series shared delicious creations inspired by the vibrant festivals of the city and surrounding region. All three series featured a companion cookbook and Favorites DVD.
In 2014, the American Culinary Federation recognized Belton as one of the top 20 Louisiana chefs and in 2018 the American Culinary Federation named him a Louisiana Culinary Legend. He is also the recipient of a Suncoast Regional Emmy, a Louisiana Broadcasters Association Award, a Telly Award and an award from the Press Club of New Orleans.
KEVIN BELTON’S COOKIN’ LOUISIANA, will premiere on public television stations nationwide in 2021.