Chef Victoria ‘Tori’ Loomis, a Louisiana native, found her passion for cooking as a small child at the heels of her father. As a young adult she continued to develop her appreciation for nature and created deep-seeded memories connecting the land or lake, directly to the table. She honors the effort it takes to bring a meal from harvest to the plate, and that respect is evident in every meal she prepares. She has a deep rooted appreciation for bringing people together, to gather, and to #EATGOODFOOD.
Chef Victoria ‘Tori’ Loomis, a Louisiana native, found her passion for cooking as a small child at the heels of her father. As a young adult she continued to develop her appreciation for nature and created deep-seeded memories connecting the land or lake, directly to the table. She honors the effort it takes to bring a meal from harvest to the plate, and that respect is evident in every meal she prepares. She has a deep rooted appreciation for bringing people together, to gather, and to #EATGOODFOOD.
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Through my passion for food, gardening and the pursuit of wild game, I have cultivated a greater understanding and a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
I grew up around hunters, but It wasn’t until I began hunting that I realized the extreme disconnect that often exists between what we eat and where it comes from.
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Growing and harvesting my own food has been a process that has been empowering and humbling all at once. I am reminded of how interwoven our lives are with the natural world, and the cyclical nature of life and death.
from field to table
with Chef Tori Loomis
Chef Victoria ‘Tori’ Loomis, a Louisiana native, found her passion for cooking as a small child at the heels of her father. As a young adult she continued to develop her appreciation for nature and created deep-seeded memories connecting the land or lake, directly to the table. She honors the effort it takes to bring a meal from harvest to the plate, and that respect is evident in every meal she prepares. She has a deep rooted appreciation for bringing people together, to gather, and to #EATGOODFOOD.
As an avid outdoors person and nature enthusiast she practices the concept of taking things in their natural state and making them enjoyable. Tori is passionate about telling authentic stories through food. She believes whole heartedly in the power of influence through food, art and the human connection. Having attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute, Tori has spent the last fifteen years in the restaurant and hospitality industry telling those stories.
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Tori is proud to have been recognized by Country Roads as a 2020 Small Town Chef Nominee.
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Articles of interest
Hunt & Gather
From vegetarian to wild game mastermind, Chef Victoria Loomis advocates for mindful eating
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In 2010, Victoria Loomis was a recently-divorced newly-turned vegetarian just starting culinary school; in 2020, she spends at least two months out of the year at a hunting camp and has become an advocate for ethical meat consumption. The years in between have seen her in restaurant kitchens, hunting lodges, taking a year off professional cooking to paint, and now working with friends on a series of pop-up drive-in movie events, exploring the boundaries of hospitality in a changed world. Sit with her for an hour—over a meal she’s prepared, if you can swing it—and you’ll see how this transition, dramatic on the surface, fits into her story of pursuing creativity where it leads and developing and communicating reverence for the natural world.
How Owning It Gave Me Permission to Be Me
December 10, 2019
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I arrived at the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute anxious to learn, grow, and find my tribe within the industry that I call home. I was a little apprehensive about whether that could really happen in just one day. But here I was, at the James Beard Foundation’s Owning It, in my favorite city, ready to dive in. Owning It’s primary goal is to empower women who are emerging leaders in the restaurant and hospitality industry. This event covered everything from finance 101, visioning exercises, and an opportunity to network and connect with other women in the industry. Every aspect of the program far exceeded my expectations.
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Early in the day, we were asked to complete an exercise titled “Conquering Fear.” Ironically, I was a little shaky as I opened my workbook. The first section required me to answer prompts to help identify my fears, and after a few moments, I was already second-guessing my initial thoughts. Rachel Sheerin, our keynote speaker, made her way over and said, “Hey, don’t scratch things out. You have permission to own all of this.” I thought, “Wait, I have permission to be me?"
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