After growing up in family-owned Randolph’s Restaurant in Golden Meadow, Louisiana—started by his grandmother and father—Cheramie took over the reins in 1981. He made his mark on the business by specializing in upscale south Louisiana regional cuisine. At the helm of Randolph’s, Cheramie enjoyed local and regional acclaim as a hallmark of great food for 20 years. In 1999, the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University offered Cheramie an adjunct professorship teaching classic French cuisine. Upon the sale of his restaurant in 2001, he was asked to join the full-time faculty.
Through the Southern United States Trade Association, Cheramie taught top chefs from across the world about the art, tradition, culture and methods of Cajun, Creole, southern and soul food cuisine. Through this program, Cheramie has taught chefs from 38 countries. He coached six American Culinary Federation student hot-food teams to five bronze medals and one silver medal in regional competition. He also coached individual students in the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition, in which his students won five consecutive regional championships and went on to the national finals in Napa, California. Two students coached by Cheramie ranked fourth nationally in that competition. In 2011, the American Culinary Federation recognized Cheramie as one of the top 25 chefs in Louisiana, and he is a certified food service educator.
Cheramie’s knowledge and experience in southern regional cuisine is extensive and focused. He is the executive director of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. When not teaching, coaching or cooking, Cheramie can be found regionally, onstage pursuing his first love as a professional actor working the stages of New Orleans and performing voice work for commercials, industrial films, museum tours and audio books.