Louie, Redhead Lady are still cooking

Louie & The Redhead Lady has left the building on Blaize Avenue in Bay St. Louis, but Louie Finnan and his wife, Ginger, definitely are still on the Coast.

“We closed a little over a month ago, the last Saturday in October,” Finnan said. “We just weren’t busy enough there.”

At the Ole Towne restaurant, Finnan had been serving up such regionally inspired dishes as Eggplant Algiers, fried green tomatoes topped with boiled shrimp and remoulade, and Terrebonne Chowder, as well as heaps of charm and laughter. The Finnans’ restaurant first opened in the French Quarter then moved to Mandeville before moving to the Bay in late 2015. In 2011, Guy Fieri had featured the Mandeville restaurant in the “Quirky Classics” episode of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.”

The Food Network is playing another role in the Finnans’ lives, but Louie isn’t at liberty to say much right now.

“We just got through filming something for Food Network,” he said.

Currently on their plate is a fundraiser for both the Magnolia Business Alliance and the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center. Dinner with Louie and Ginger is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Mary C., and for $50 per person, diners can enjoy a Finnan menu of eggplant fingers, chicken gumbo, chopped salad with a homemade vinaigrette, prime rib with cauliflower and baby lima beans, and bread pudding. Louie and Ginger will demonstrate cooking the dishes. Tickets are available at www.magnolia-ba.biz/dinner-with-louie--ginger.

As for the future, the Finnans have another venture planned.

“I’ll be opening something Jan. 1 in Gulfport,” Finnan said. “It will involve breakfast and lunch.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Louie, Redhead Lady are still cooking."