The true measure of a Cajun chef is the love and soul they put into each steaming bowl of gumbo, the crowning glory of down-home Louisiana cooking.
At D&G’s American Seafood Caj-ine, co-owner and chef Marion Driver, a Houston native, brings 40 years of experience in the kitchen to every bowl of gumbo he serves.
“You can come into a little place like this and get such a creative meal up to the highest standards of any seafood place in Houston,” Driver said. “I bring love, dedication and perfection to my food. Everything has to go out of the kitchen perfect.”
The small restaurant off Country Place Parkway in Pearland serves so much gumbo that Driver said he sells it by the gallon. He goes through 200 gallons of gumbo a month. The secret to his success: consistency. The real secret though is in the roux, but the recipe is under lock and key.
“It’s a hot item. At least three times a week, someone calls me from the kitchen; they want to know who’s cooking the roux,” Driver said.
D&G’s American Seafood Caj-ine is a scratch kitchen that serves a mix of Southern, soul, seafood and Cajun cuisine. Every Sunday, the restaurant has a line out the door with people waiting for a chance to dig into the soul food buffet, which includes ox tails, turkey necks, skillet pancake cornbread, yams and greens, and pork neck bones.
Driver, a Houston resident, co-owns the restaurant with his daughter, Evangelina Garza, and her husband, Isaias. The Garzas moved to Pearland in 2013 and noticed the city lacked a local soul food and Cajun restaurant.
“I’m raised on his food. I could not satisfy my cravings out here,” Evangelina said. “We noticed Pearland didn’t have an authentic Southern-style seafood Cajun restaurant, so that motivated us to do something.”
The Garzas and Driver opened the restaurant in July 2015, and they already have plans to open a second location in east Pearland.
“You come here, build dreams and open businesses [in Pearland],” Evangelina said.
D&G’s American Seafood Caj-ine 1826 Country Place Parkway, Pearland 713-340-3209 Hours: Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mondays
