Fort Worth gas station welcomes Always Cooking NOLA restaurant

In the small grill of a gas station in the west suburbs of Fort Worth, the chef thinks about the month of June.

“Two years ago last week I came to Fort Worth and prayed to the Lord,” said Damian Crockem, a New Orleans native finding a Texas clientele for his Cajun cuisine.

“And June was also when I lost my boy.”

In 2017, before Crockem came to Texas to marry now-wife Christina, he lost a son to gun violence in East New Orleans.

But now, the start of summer also marks new hope. That’s the month he stumbled upon a vacant grill in a rundown convenience store and transformed it into a West Side outpost of Cajun classics: Always Cooking NOLA, 5001 River Oaks Blvd.

Damian Crockem, left, left New Orleans two years ago to join now-wife Christina and open Always Cooking NOLA, a Cajun takeout stand in a gas station grill in River Oaks, presented on June 1, 2024.
Damian Crockem, left, left New Orleans two years ago to join now-wife Christina and open Always Cooking NOLA, a Cajun takeout stand in a gas station grill in River Oaks, presented June 1, 2024. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com

In addition to the usual burgers and tacos, Always Cooking NOLA sells shrimp, crawfish, etouffee, jambalaya, catfish, soft shell crab, fried pork chops, boudin and po-boys on New Orleans bread.

The name was his son’s idea, Crockem said.

“My son, bless his soul, said, “Dad, man, you always cook!” That’s how I came up with the name Always Cooking.

Crockem has been cooking almost non-stop since it opened, even without any sign except for a banner on the front of the 72-year-old gas station. And even that gets lost among all the vape store signs and beer and cigarette ads.

Fried catfish, jambalaya, greens and spicy Cajun potatoes at Always Cooking NOLA in River Oaks, showing June 1, 2024.
Fried catfish, jambalaya, greens and spicy Cajun potatoes at Always Cooking NOLA in River Oaks, featured June 1, 2024. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com

First, people in River Oaks started talking about Always Cooking. Then foodie groups on Facebook took off. Now delivery orders are pouring in.

The mood is early Chevron.

The restaurant has only one Formica table in a storage area near the drinks fountain. On the other hand, you have the choice among 12 cases of refrigerated drinks.

The classic gas station grill success story is that of Chef Point Cafe, which started out serving orange duck with motor oil in Watauga before moving to Colleyville.

Like Chef Point, Always Cooking is a superb overachiever with a likeable chef.

Crockem, a former chef at New Orleans casino hotels and French Quarter cafes, prepares an incredible selection of delicacies at the counter alongside patrons purchasing lottery tickets.

It serves creamy Cajun pasta. grilled shrimp, Cajun ribs, and crawfish mac and cheese, as well as little-known breakfast dishes here like catfish and grits.

Side dishes include collard greens, spinach and Cajun-spiced boiled potatoes with Crockem’s own seasoning.

Even the small side salad is meticulously cut and looks much more appealing than in some mid-priced restaurants.

Always Cooking NOLA serves great food in a simple setting with a table in a River Oaks gas station grill, featured June 1, 2024.
Always Cooking NOLA serves great food in a simple setting with a table at a River Oaks gas station grill, featured June 1, 2024. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com

Its “Treme Sixth Ward” seafood spring rolls combine crab with shrimp, crawfish, bacon and dirty rice.

If it is closed the day you pass or call, it is to go to New Orleans for more provisions and bread.

Crockem said he was in New Orleans two years ago, praying for help and strength when, “20 minutes later, I got his number,” pointing to his wife, Christina .

When she had to take out a short-term title loan from a lender across River Oaks Boulevard, he saw the grill for rent.

“We’ve been busy ever since,” he said.

His recipes come from “the spirit within me,” he says. He tried half a dozen different combinations before settling on the recipe for seafood rolls.

A fried catfish fillet was huge and lightly breaded. It’s either a starter or a po-boy.

The greens are Southern sweet. The jambalaya is outstanding, loaded with chicken and sausage.

Crockem said his next goal is to add a food trailer for events. But he wants Always Cooking to remain a two-person business and not grow enough to need staff.

He calls himself the “NOLA Cowboy Chef.”

“I became a Cowboy,” he said with a smile, holding up a New Orleans Saints victory sign and referring to the Saints fans’ nickname.

“But I’m still a ‘Whodat?’ fan all day.

Always Cooking NOLA is open 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; 504-688-9548, facebook.com/alwayscooking.nola.

A banner on a dilapidated convenience store in River Oaks is the only sign reading Always Cooking NOLA, introduced June 1, 2024.
A banner on a dilapidated convenience store in River Oaks is the only sign reading Always Cooking NOLA, featured June 1, 2024. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com

This story was originally published June 3, 2024, 5:30 a.m.

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Bud Kennedy is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Eats Beat” food columnist and live stream co-host. In print since 1985 and online since 1992, he has written more than 3,000 columns about coffeehouses, barbecue joints, burger joints and places to eat in Texas.
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