When looking for a place to retire, Jeanne Strigotte-Bowden used the Internet to do her research. She was living in Los Angeles as a caterer and had also lived in the bay area of San Francisco, where she had worked as a private chef, as well as a caterer, for several prominent people in the area.

“I loved being a private chef because, unlike restaurants, you get to cook something new everyday,” Jeanne Strigotte-Bowden said. “I was blessed to work for people where money was not a limit as far as meal preparation went.”

Growing up as a first-generation American and army brat, Strigotte-Bowden was accustomed to traveling and moving to new places. Born in Norfolk, Va., her family was mainly in the Niagara Falls Area, and she considered moving back there.

“I was tired of being a small fish in a big pond in LA, especially after the writers’ strike,” said Strigotte-Bowden. “I just asked myself how much longer did I want to do that and struggle with the Hollywood ups and downs.”

The mother of five started looking for some place new. She knew that she loved Louisiana’s food and culture. She also knew that she did not want to be anywhere that a hurricane might come, so she started looking at places in the northern parts of the state.

“I started researching demographics of different towns and came across Bastrop,” she said. “I liked what I saw and decided started talking to an area Realtor.”

She found a house she liked and flew to Bastrop to meet with the real estate agent, but the home did not work out. Then she saw the old “Red Shoes Dance Studio” and fell in love; she bought the property and has begun making her home here.

“My kids were very supportive of me and my move,” she stated. “They know that I am able to make decisions with my gut, and I saw potential here.”

Strigotte-Bowden, who at 49 years old moved to Seattle, Wash. to obtain her  culinary degree, has always had a love for food. She was a single mom raising five kids and working but still managed to have a hot meal for her family every night.

“I did a lot of crock pot cooking,” she said. “But, I remember growing up where, at my aunt’s home, the whole day was centered around the preparation of the final meal of the day and cooking just got in my blood.”

She spent three months working in Israel because she wanted to learn how to cook in  orthodox and Middle Eastern styles; she  also spent a season in Alaska.

Strigotte-Bowden recently opened up a small cafe inside Antique Market on the Square called The Wandering Chef Cafe. She will serve light, filling meals at lunch and homemade pastries such as eclairs, cream puffs, cookies, and cakes and pies. She will also serve hot coffee, tea and espresso. She is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and orders will be taken for any item.

On top for having the cafe, she also does private cooking lessons. One of the more popular courses is Courtship Cooking Lessons, where she teaches singles how to cook a variety of meals so that when they do get married they know how to cook something other than sloppy joes and hamburgers. She also will do one-on-one lessons as well as cooking parties.