A ground-breaking culinary icon has died.

Paul Prudhomme, the Cajun chef who popularized Louisiana cuisine, was 75.

He died today – after a brief illness.

Prudhomme was one of the first American restaurant chefs to become world famous. His notoriety grew in the early 1980s – soon after opening K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, a New Orleans diner that served up meals of his childhood.

He had no formal training, but Prudhomme ignited a nationwide interest in Cajun food – by serving dishes like : gumbo, etouffee and jambalaya – which were virtually unknown outside Louisiana.

Chef Prudhomme became a sensation at a time when the broad majority of America’s top restaurants served nothing but European food.