Chef Nino’s Laughter Meds Monday afternoons at Papa Rocco’s

Chef Nino’s Laughter Meds Monday afternoons at Papa Rocco’s

Papa Rocco’s Restaurant in Gulf Shores will present a free stand-up comedy show, Chef Nino’s Laughter Meds, every Monday thru February from 4-6 p.m.
Neil Anthony Thibodaux, aka Chef Nino, is also a comedian and author from South Louisiana who gained a following among winter visitors here during his stint conducting cooking classes at local Rouses Supermarkets.
“The Snowbirds loved him at Rouses. So I want to give it a shot here to see how it goes,’’ said Papa’s co-owner Kenneth Jones, a former associate of Chef Nino at Rouses.
Chef Nino said he was the marketing chef for 15 years at Rouses and simultaneously worked with Humana Health Care for most of that time. He has also had cooking residencies on the ABC affiliate in New Orleans and FOX 10 in Mobile and also sells Chef Nino spice mixes online (chefninostore. com).
His comedy chops were evident in the titles he chose for his cooking classes, including pastabilities, entrée-preneur, herb-a-4, stewpidity, italianeaux, claim to the flame, and mis-steaken.
“Everyone of the 4,500 appearances I’ve made in 22 years included comedy,’’ Chef Nino said. “I always had a monologue for 10 minutes to start every show. I drew a crowd as much for the funny part as the cooking part of the show.’’
Chef Nino said he hopes to use the weekly two month residency at Papa Rocco’s to launch his career on the stand-up circuit. He will film his G-rated shows to pitch to agents and comedy clubs to launch the next stage of his professional career.
“I have tons of stuff and feel like I am highly qualified to do this,’’ he said.
“If you want to feel better tomorrow you got to start eating better today’’ is one of Chef Nino’s framed quotes, and he experienced a healthcare revolution of his own in 2023 when he stopped drinking alcohol completely and got serious about living a healthy lifestyle.
“Now at 62 years old, I am on no medicine at all. I was able to get off of my blood pressure medicine. I am living what I am preaching and sharing that,’’ he said.
To that end, he recently published a book, “How To Start a Circus,’’ that details his take on starting a dream business, overcoming challenges and discovering how far perseverance and self-belief can take you.
He said in the book that growing up in the heart of South Louisiana paddling his pirogue deep into the bayous catching crawfish, and frogs and hunting for rabbits, squirrels and racoons shaped his life and his future.
A second major life experience was living in the foothills of Italy’s Mt. Etna while serving in the Air Force as a mechanic. During what turned out to be 13 total years in Italy, including 10 years as a missionary after he left the Air Force and earned a degree from Trinity Baptist College, he was able to immerse himself in the Italian lifestyle, where every meal had to be cooked from scratch.
“Thank God for the generosity of the Italian People,’’ he said. “They taught me how to develop from scratch recipes using garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs and ingredients to create the most flavorful, healthy dishes that I have ever tasted. These families literally affected and changed my life forever. Every new recipe is derived through the inspiration of living in South Louisiana and Italy.
“I’ve always thought my mission as a chef-teacher was to teach recipes that are duplicable, even for the beginner cook but interesting enough for the well experienced cook,’’ he added. “I don’t want to impress you with what I cook. I’d rather give you the knowledge and inspiration so that you can go home and impress your family and friends with what you can do for them.’’
Now entering the next stage of his career, Chef Nino will use that same energy and inspiration to send people home from his shows with a belly full of laughter.