August 1, 2019 - BigEasyMagazine.com -

Improving access to public transit is one of Chef Madi Butler’s passions, and it shows. Having grown up in Kentucky, where public transit access is limited (to say the least), Butler has seen firsthand how that lack of access can affect communities.

This summer, Butler joins the Rail Passenger Association’s Summer By Rail program. Throughout the summer, she’s been traveling cross-country from Main to California via some of Amtrak’s most well-traveled lines. Throughout her trip, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts graduate is training under famous chefs in some of the top restaurants in the country.

When I caught up with her here in New Orleans, it was at a private tasting at Jimbeaux’s Bar and Grill, which opens in the Central Business District on August 3. Over a delightful menu that included Ponchatoula salad, red bean hummus, oyster flambeaux, roast beef tacos, steak topped with lump crabmeat, and signature cocktails Madi and I talked a little about her passion for rail travel.

Read more: https://www.bigeasymagazine.com/2019/08/01/summer-by-rail-chef-madi-butler-shows-how-rail-travel-can-revitalize-america/