Chef Lenora Chong: From Korea to ...
Chef Lenora Chong: From Korea to Building a New Orleans Culinary Empire
From NOLA with the Forstalls by Jonathan Forstall
S2 · E7
Sep 22, 2026
31:18
Episode notes

Chef and entrepreneur Lenora Chong joins Jonathan Forstall on Local Legends to share her remarkable journey from Korea to becoming a driving force in New Orleans’ culinary scene. Arriving in America at just six years old, Lenora grew up surrounded by Korean traditions, Southern soul food, and a father who began teaching her professional cooking techniques at an early age. Lenora opens up about the businesses that failed before she found lasting success, the lessons those setbacks taught her, and how partnering with her son, Larry Morrow, helped turn their complementary talents into the growing Morrow Hospitality brand. She also discusses blending Korean and New Orleans flavors, preserving family traditions around the dinner table, and why food has always been about more than a meal, it’s a way to bring people together.

Now, Lenora is using  ... 

Keywords
new orleans
Chip Forstall
Jonathan Forstall
NOLA
Family
Lenora Chong
Morrow Hospitality
Chef
Korean Food
Creole Food