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Chef Chris McKenna is an Edmond native who has moved from cook to journeyman chef to executive chef and now chef-owner (with Richard Ly) of Bayou & Barrel, a new Cajun-inspired restaurant on the west side of OKC. Inspired by his maternal grandmother, McKenna started cooking garden-fresh ingredients very young, and that coupled with his love of Chef Justin Wilson's television shows, started him down the path to hospitality pro. Rather than go the formal schooling route, McKenna's career has been shaped by his on-the-job-training approach to the back of house and his natural curiosity about food, techniques, and cultural dishes.

McKenna has worked in some of the metro's most popular restaurants for 20 years, including Stella, Packard's, and Clark Crew BBQ, including his lone front-of-house gig at County Line Barbecue (now Carletti's). In the episode we get a couple County Line ghost stories, and yes, the building is famously haunted -- if you're inclined to such belefs. With Bayou & Barrel, McKenna finally gets to cook his food, beginning with what was a staple of Packard's success in the mid-teens: his redfish with étouffée. He's been helping Chef Ly get Kaizume open, and now he's switching roles to oversee the opening of Bayou & Barrel in mid-June. They're using the old Taqueria El Camino social media accounts for now -- the new spot replaces the Mexican joint he and Ly bought earlier this year.