Suis Generis, a beloved New Orleans restaurant tucked in the Bywater, lives up to its Latin name—“one of a kind.” For more than 13 years, Chef Ernie Foundas and his partner Adrienne Bell have created ever-changing, unforgettable menus featuring rare ingredients and bold, experimental techniques. Over the years, they expanded their vision with the SG Tiki Farm and the Tiki Food Lab, forming a trifecta of innovation, nourishment and immersive storytelling unlike anything in the Gulf South.
Open Friday through Sunday evenings, Suis Generis crafts menus inspired by the exotic produce grown on their five-acre Tiki Farm in Pearlington, Mississippi. Guests are treated to dishes featuring passionfruit, Ghana basil, Thai green frog-finger eggplant and more—many inspired by a trip to an organic farm in Fiji. Soon after, the pair bought their own magical property, where creativity now grows wild.
The farm is also home to the Tiki Food Lab, a bayou-side research center focused on zero-waste cooking, fermentation, and flavor exploration.Drawing from ancestral culinary wisdom, their approach honors every part of the ingredient—peels, stems, seeds and all—transforming cooking into a soulful ceremony. Scraps become broths, compost or another culinary surprise, all in reverence to the land that provided them. Through this process, Suis Generis has virtually eliminated food waste in their operations.
“The great thing about offering fermentation-related educational food experiences,” says Foundas, “is that people are hearing about the benefits of probiotics and fermented foods, but they don’t know how easy it is to implement that at home. You don’t need to buy probiotic vitamins once you learn how easy it is to create probiotic-rich foods on your own.”
Guests also get a hands-on look at the Tiki Farm’s edible landscape. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how interested people are in gardening,” Foundas shares. “We’ve created an edible garden that doesn’t look anything like a traditional farm. It’s great to show people that they can have a food garden on their property instead of just thinking of it as decorations.”
Whether they’re learning how to grow fruit trees in heavy clay soil—“If you show people it can be done, they’re more likely to try it at home”—or experiencing plant-generated music during a sonic dining event, visitors are invited into a world where nature, flavor and creativity collide.
From umami-forward vegan fish sauce tastings to their unforgettable “Smells of Extinction” dinner—featur-ing extinct plant scents paired with a six-course meal—every experience is designed to awaken the senses and stir the soul. There’s even a Kiddie Pool Brunch, where guests lounge in kiddie pools, sip exotic beverages, and savor a six-course brunch with panoramic views of the bayou.
Foundas and Bell aren’t just feeding people—they’re touching lives. “Our greatest joy,” says Foundas, “is watching people be blown away by what they’ve just experienced.”
Learn more at SuisGeneris.com or TikiFoodLab.com. Follow them @suisgenerisnola and @sgtikifarm. Contact Chef Ernie Foundas at 504-338-2986 or ernest558@hotmail.com.
