(playful piano music)
- [Woman] Deep in the bayou, on this street, down this road,
in this windowless tin shack, is a restaurant
run by one woman, whose dishes are so good,
you have to wait a year to try them.
- I'm Alzina Toups and I've been cooking Cajun food
for at least over 60 years.
(playful piano music)
(upbeat jazz music)
- [Woman] Welcome to Alazina's.
A Cajun restaurant with no staff and no menu.
Just Chef Alzina and her kitchen.
And it's housed in one of the most unassuming places.
A former welding shop that was once owned by her son.
- I turned this into kitchen because I loved cooking.
And you don't have that big bump in the middle.
- Right.
- My son was in the process of moving to a bigger place
so instead of closing it,
he asked me if I wanted to convert this.
So I converted into a kitchen.
I wanted to be open.
Where I cook and where they eat.
Because they can see what you're doing.
Most of the people that come,
they want to take part in what you do.
Cajun food I think is the best food in the world.
I was raised on it.
To me it's simple cooking.
You start with your bell pepper.
You have onion, you have garlic, a lot of garlic,
celery, and then you saute that in a small amount of oil.
And then you start adding your other ingredients.
Whatever you're cooking, if it's a gumbo or jambalaya
or fried shrimp, what's better than that?
(playful instrumental music)
- [Woman] As good as that sounds,
eating at Alzina's can be tricky.
There are no walk-ins and reservations
can only be made by calling her on her landline phone.
- Thank you for calling.
I didn't want walk-in because I think
I would have been very unhappy.
I live a simple life and this is the way I like my life.
Simple.
No computer, just a simple telephone.
I'm booked up until next year.
I'm always booked up in a year advance.
And I like it better that way.
- [Woman] Over those 40 years, Alzina's has been
pretty successful garnering the attention of magazines,
politicians and celebrity chefs.
People from all over the world have flocked
to Alzina's kitchen for her authentic Cajun food.
But for Alzina, the experience
is all about making people feel at home.
Like a family.
- When people come, it's a tin building.
So they see where we're at and you don't realize
that it's here.
But when they step in the kitchen,
it's a different world.
I really think they're happy.
I feel the peace in the kitchen and then they mingle,
family that haven't seen each other for maybe a year,
two, three years.
It bring happiness to them.
And it bring happiness to me.
I was born to serve, not to be served.
(playful piano music)