Chef Punch aka Hyman Sotello has been cooking in New Orleans best kitchens for the last two decades. He worked under both John Besh, and Chef Philip Lopez before striking off on his own with his New Orleans Cajun Cooking, a mobile kitchen wherein he posts up outside nightclubs and bars to sell fat po boys, hamburgers and pecan-smoked barbecue meats.

He was born in Texas but he’s Big Easy through and through.

We ran into the chef at Super Sunday recently and he informed us that he’s now operating the kitchen at Brother’s Chalmette Market so we took a trip out to Saint Bernard Parish recently to see what the good cook could do in a brick and mortar.

This young hoss can get it.

We’ve been hankering for some fried catfish so we order a po boy and step back into the kitchen where Chef Punch plies his trade. The neat space is larger than it appears from outside, and he and a helper are tidying up after the lunch rush. A meat and three steamline is on offer and most of the eaters vector straight in on old New Orleans classics like pepper steak, stuffed bell peppers and red beans and rice.

But after a pluperfect sausage po boy that we enjoyed from the cook’s skillet last Summer we knew we had to double down, get a sandwich and craft another installment in our 500 Po Boys Series

Two hefty catfish fillets are tucked into a Gendusa loaf that’s been garnished with plenty mayo, lettuce, tomato and dill pickles. Eschewing buttermilk for hot sauce during the dredge gives the fish a pleasant vinegary tang and just the slightest heat. The po boy is a monster; a good solid foot long and an excellent value at just north of seven dollars.

A few bites of spaghetti casserole serve as lagniappe and we immediately question our lunch order as it’s one of the best cafeteria-style Italian hotplates we’ve ever sampled. Is Sotello Italian? Perhaps a dna test is in order.

Chef Punch cooks at Brothers Chalmette Market 7400 W Judge Perez Drive Mon-Fri 9am-7pm.

He parks his New Orleans Cajun Cooking food wagon where he cooks alongside Chef Oscar Barconey at 931 S.Peters Street Fri-Sun 10pm til the food is gone

Watch for a brick and mortar restaurant from this man. He’s currently scouting locations and hopes to be up and running downtown or uptown within the next two years.

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