Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford has called Commander’s Palace home since June 2008. She was named Executive Chef in October 2020, joining the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Jamie Shannon, and Tory McPhail has since brought her own spin to the New Orleans destination’s New Haute Creole cuisine.

With over 17 years of experience with the Commander’s family of restaurants, Chef Meg (as she is affectionately called) previously served as the Executive Chef of Café Adelaide, the group’s playfully modern Creole restaurant. In her time at the helm of Café Adelaide, Meg was chosen as one of FSR Magazine’s “Rising Stars” (2019) and one of Louisiana Cookin’s “Chefs to Watch” (2017).

Chef Meg comes from a family with strong Louisiana ties—her father is from New Orleans and her mother is from Cut Off, “down the Bayou” – and has a second-nature understanding of the distinctive fl avor profi les of New Orleans and Louisiana. After she graduated from the John Folse Culinary Institute and studied in France for 6 months, Commander’s Palace hired young Meg, who easily kept pace with the busy kitchen. Meg quickly proved to be a budding talent and worked her way up the hot line and into management positions. In her time at Commander’s Palace she has played a critical role in maintaining the restaurant’s award-winning legacy, while simultaneously leading the restaurant into a new era.

On her days off, Chef Meg can be found at large family gatherings with her daughter Stella and husband Richard in tow in Cut Off, Louisiana where food is the center of life.