When he’s not behind his barber chair, Charles Fusilier of New Iberia can be found at his kitchen stove, cooking a hot meal for others.

Owner of Charlie’s Headquarters, Fusilier, a New Iberia native, has spent his entire life cooking, something he started doing when he first made barbecue at his family’s grocery store, Family Quick Stop.

After honing his skills at a young age, Fusilier wanted to provide meals for his son’s football team in 1995.

“I started off just cooking for the pee wee football teams. I did that for a long time,” Fusilier said. “I did a little bit in the community and gave back to the community.”

Though it’s hard for him to choose what he loves about cooking the most, Fusilier noted that the time he spends over a stove cooking something delicious is the fact that he’s able to give it to others.

“The fact that you see that smile on people’s faces asking when I’m going to cook again,” Fusilier said. “I just enjoy cooking for the people and creating taste.”

Fusilier’s favorite thing to cook is his cowboy stew, something that he says people go “hog-wild” over.

“Cowboy stew is where you have everything off the pig,” Fusilier said. “You have the pork, you have the tri tip, pig’s feet, neck bones, potatoes, a little bit of everything.”

Whether it’s his signature stew or another dish, Fusilier noted that cooking in a cast iron pot is his preference, because he thinks it gives it a better flavor and a different taste.

Fusilier enjoys cooking so much that his goal and dream is to have his own food truck in the future.

“To have my own food truck to give back to the community,” Fusilier said.

When Fusilier does indeed open up his food truck, his cowboy stew is sure to be on the menu. All in all, the stew is easy to wrangle together.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork ( your preference)

2 (16 ounce) packages kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes, drained

4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, with liquid

2 (15.2 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, with liquid

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid

1 (10 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables

4 cups water

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pork into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, garlic and onion; cook and stir until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off grease, and transfer the contents of the skillet to a large pot.

Pour the tomatoes into the pot with the meat, and stir in the potatoes, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes with chilies, mixed vegetables and water. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for at least 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

The longer this stew cooks, the better it gets.

Did you enjoy this week’s Chef in the Teche? Are you a cook who loves their community? We want to hear from you. Email us at aaron@daily-iberian.com so we can feature you next.