Though he logged decades of service as a New Orleans firefighter, Mike Gowland quickly earned a following for bringing the fire in the kitchen. He's known for his family's Jazz Fest food booth, for besting pro chefs on TV cooking competitions and, more recently, for his Lakeview restaurant.

But a little less than a year after opening, Fireman Mike's Cafe & Sweet Shop has shut down. Gowland said health concerns forced his hand.

"We have nothing to be sad about," he said. "People loved our food, and I'm very proud of what we put out and how hard my family and the staff worked to make this happen. But with everything I’m dealing with it became too much.”

Gowland said he has for decades been contending with diabetes and the day to day of running the restaurant escalated his health issues.

He said the family will continue to operate its Jazz Fest booth.

“That’s something we all come together for,” he said.

Fireman Mike's Cafe opened in October in a tiny strip mall at 203 W. Harrison Ave. It was part of a commercial stretch in Lakeview that is home to a tight cluster of local businesses, and one where parking is scant between them.

His restaurant replaced Chap's Chicken, which relocated to an address just across W. Harrison Avenue, where it is a combination restaurant and convenience store.

Gowland is a longtime New Orleans firefighter who spun his firehouse cooking skills and Louisiana family recipes first into a side business at Jazz Fest and later into high-profile appearances on cooking TV shows. He beat out star chefs to win the 2012 edition of the Food Network’s “Chopped” and competed on other shows.

The Lakeview cafe was the family's first foray into the restaurant business. They served their signature Jazz Fest dishes, like alligator sauce piquant, shrimp and grits and gumbo, plus a menu of po-boys and plate lunches. The cafe doubled as a rolled ice cream shop with an array of other homemade desserts.

The “fireman” part of the name is worked all across the room, with vintage firefighting equipment, a wall painted like a fire truck and a bulletin board to collect and display patches from other departments.

The Gowland family has run their Fireman Mike’s Kitchen booth at the Jazz Fest since 2001.

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