Born and raised in the culinary hotspot of New Orleans, Co-owner and Chef Alison Vega Knoll had a natural draw to cooking from a tender age. Weekends and holidays were often spent with ‘Mamere,’ Alison’s French grandmother, who beautifully blended the art of traditional French cooking with the rich Creole flavors of New Orleans. Alison’s curiosity lured her to the kitchen, eager to learn how to make her personal favorites like Oysters Rockefeller, Trout Meuniere and Crawfish Bisque

In true French Creole fashion, eating in the Vega household was an experience to be savored, and while thorough meal planning was requisite, entertaining was a necessary ingredient. As a teenager, Alison was known to host elaborate dinner parties for her friends, so it was no surprise to anyone that she traded in her aspiring career in film studies to become a chef. One day, in her post-grad role as front of the house manager at The Little Greek Restaurant, Alison stepped in for a no-show line cook and that was when her real epiphany hit. Assured she wanted to be a chef, her passion and talent landed her a job at Bayona, where she apprenticed under acclaimed New Orleans chef Susan Spicer.

Alison’s expertise in cooking Mediterranean food was reaffirmed when she was hired as executive chef at Zissis Greek restaurant, where she modernized classic Greek dishes and received a 4-star rating from the Times Picayune. After working in a local Creole restaurant where she hired her husband Chef Andrew Knoll, the two moved on to refine their skills in classic French cooking, while working for renowned French chef Daniel Bonnot.

While working for master chefs like Spicer and Bonnot, Vega developed an undeniable confidence to fuse classical techniques with her own insight. And in November 1996, an inspired 27-year old female chef made a bold move and opened Vega, the first successful tapas restaurant in New Orleans. Vega specialized in small plates, where quintessential Mediterranean cuisine was thoughtfully fused with traditional Louisiana-style cooking.

After a successful seven-year run, Alison sold Vega in 2003 when she, her husband and two sons moved to the island of Antigua. Five and half years later, her family (she now has four sons) and love for the Caribbean have grown. In November 2009, Alison and her husband Andrew opened The Larder, Antigua’s first gourmet retail outlet specializing in freshly-prepared meals and high-end catering. Vega has launched a successful fusion restaurant before, and the Larder promises to be a perfect marriage between Andrew’s love for Creole cuisine and Alison’s accomplished Mediterranean-style cooking.