I am Michael Luke, Sr., I was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, and I was blessed to come from a family of great cooks. Southern soul food means a lot to my family. We were taught early on that cooking and sharing a good meal is how we showed our love for one another. My paternal grandmother, Dessie (Honey), told me that as a child in the sharecropping fields, all they had was what they could grow or trade for with the other families. They would gather together after the crops were harvested and have a big meal. Everyone would bring whatever they had to contribute. These meals were what people looked forward to. They were prepared with love. Most of what we know as comfort food can be traced back to that simpler time.

I listened to great cooks in my family and learned the stories they told. I never saw a cookbook until I was a teenager. My folks cooked from memory and passed down recipes by word of mouth. Some of the best recipes, unfortunately, were buried with family members that have passed on. I’ve tried for the last 25 years to collect as many of my family's recipes as I can find. I absolutely love to cook for family and friends and I’ve been cooking for others for over 30 years. I spent several years as a caterer in Shreveport, La. And learned how to serve meals for large numbers of people because of the decade I spent learning institutional cooking. I also have several years of fast food restaurant management experience. I feel as though cooking and sharing a meal is also a way to honor the loved ones that have gone on. It is my passion and my pleasure.

All my dishes are made from scratch with real food ingredients with most being locally sourced. Sharecroppers weren't trading sodium benzoate and natural flavors (aka beaver anal glands, folks) when it came time to barter, cook, and eat! My folks didn’t use non-food food and neither do I. You can expect real butter, real sugar, real milk, real food in all of my dishes.

Disclaimer: if you're counting calories, don't count on us; we use all the butters and all the sugars in our homemade desserts and we make use of lots of cheese and bacon and ham in our mac & cheese! We really are sorry in advance for any extra time on the treadmill...

Authentic comfort food with a little Louisiana flavor, made with love, that warms the soul. Welcome to Lukes’ Soul Food Café where Big Mike feeds you right!