Ten years, three kitchens, and one rule: amazing service to every customer, every time.
Bayou Fork Kitchen is a low-cost, high-value neighborhood kitchen on Fondren Road serving Cajun and Creole specialties alongside everyday breakfast and lunch plates and fan favorites. Drive-thru, pickup and delivery, Monday through Saturday, 6:30am to 7:30pm.
It started with a corner
store in Memphis
From Mardi Gras Memphis to Fondren Road
The journey began ten years ago, when a senior executive mom and her fine-dining-polished son decided to take a leap of faith and repurpose a corner store into a full-service restaurant and bar in Memphis, Tennessee. On July 5, 2015, Mardi Gras Memphis was born.
With a business motto of “amazing service to every customer, every time,” it did not take long before meaningful relationships developed and a five-star review became a daily occurrence. Partnering with St. Jude, the FedEx World Office, Target House, Rhodes College, the Evergreen Historic District and Crosstown Concourse sealed our place in the Memphis community.
After seven years we returned south to be closer to family. Once back, the French Quarter Food Truck was launched, and later The Quarter Kitchen + Bar. Blake’s experience with Emeril’s fine dining, a business acumen built on a customer-centered treatment model, and a fearless mentality now propel our newest endeavor: Bayou Fork Kitchen, which opened at 10600 Fondren Road in September 2026.
The people behind the pot
Blake, Executive Chef
Trained in fine dining at Emeril’s, Blake runs the line and builds the menu. Eleven years cooking professionally, across Mardi Gras Memphis, the French Quarter Food Truck and The Quarter Kitchen + Bar.
Penny, Owner & Operator
A former senior executive who took the leap in 2015 and has run every kitchen since on a customer-centered treatment model and a fearless mentality.
A literal melting pot
Layered, not just seasoned
Creole spices and bold flavor that keep working on your tastebuds through the entire plate, not a shake of seasoning at the end.
Our own recipes
No handed-down recipe cards. Everything is our own creation, and everything starts with butter melting in a pot or oil in the fryer.