Funeral held for Louisiana celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The man who brought Louisiana's rural Cajun cooking to the forefront of American cuisine and kept it there for decades has been laid to rest. Chefs in white coats escorted the casket of celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme (proo-DOHM') into St. Louis Cathedral early Monday. Upon leaving the church, chefs in dark suits who worked at his highly successful K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen brought the casket to Jackson Square, where a brass band played a dirge. The largely self-taught Prudhomme — known in particular for his signature blackened redfish — died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 75. He was the author of numerous cookbooks and made scores of television appearances over the years.