From Tragedy to Triumph: One Man’s Story of Surviving Katrina

A Hurricane Katrina survivor and Louisiana native, Terry Fortia knew he was a good cook, but he never imagined that his culinary skills would one day make him one of the most popular chefs in Hollywood. Fortia has served dishes to many celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Ludacris, Kate Moss, Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, Stevie Wonder and more. As chef-in-residence at Los Angeles’ Memphis restaurant, Fortia’s recipe for success began with pots, pans, and a dash of ambition.

As a child, Fortia was always interested in cooking. She would spend her time watching her grandmother and her mother cook in the kitchen. But it wasn’t until Fortia’s first job as a dishwasher at the New Orleans Petroleum Club that her fate became clearer.

A chef named Carlos piqued her interest by teaching her more about cooking. An attentive Fortia began taking mental notes, building his resume at other restaurants as he explored the world of culinary arts.

“I call [my training] the school of hard knocks. I didn’t think about going to school to be a chef. It just so happened that I got my first job as a dishwasher, and it happened automatically,” Fortia said.

As an adult, Fortia’s life in Louisiana was both exciting and happy. She had found her niche in the kitchen and her conditions were stable. He was even anxious to buy a new house for his wife and her five children.

Hurricane Katrina

Then the news came that a hurricane named Katrina was on the way.

“My wife and I were planning to evacuate with my uncle, but she didn’t want to leave her mother, so we ended up going to her mother’s house and riding out the storm. [over] up there in uptown New Orleans.”

Like many evacuees, her family packed lightly. According to Fortia, the family packed “some clothes, water, food, batteries, flashlights…”

As Fortia was “riding out the storm”, on August 29, the levees separating two lakes breached and inundated approximately 80% of New Orleans, causing power outages and plunging entire communities under water.

After Katrina: The Dream Center

After the storms and flooding subsided, Fortia and her family were living in a back-room shelter for a week, when they heard of a tempting offer.

The Dream Center, a large shelter and religious organization in Los Angeles, CA, was offering families the option to move into their Dream Center shelter in Los Angeles. Fortia hoped to have “cleaner beds, rooms and facilities” where her family could live without separation.

While waiting for his flight at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana airport, Fortia has the opportunity to meet with NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams. Williams introduced himself and began to strike up a casual conversation. “[Williams] he didn’t come up to me like, ‘Are you a Katrina victim?’ He wasn’t looking for something like that. He just started talking like you and I were at a bus stop or something,” Fortia said.

Later that night, William’s broadcast included his interview with Fortia.

The Memphis employees saw Fortia on NBC’s Nightly News and were interested in meeting with him to discuss a possible job opportunity. Shortly after Fortia’s broadcast, they went to the Dream Center and left Fortia’s contact information.

Once Fortia saw southern dishes on the Memphis menu, he said, “This is my thing!”

When Fortia was ready for the interview with Memphis, he got another helping hand.

Actor Windsor Harmon, who plays “Thorne Forrester” in The Bold and the Beautiful, had already spent two weeks with Fortia at the Dream Center and offered to drive him to the restaurant. “He was caught up in disbelief,” Fortia said. Soon after, Fortia was cooking up a storm in Memphis.

“I’m blessed to work here,” he said. “I have my own job and everything, but you wonder what it would be like if the storm didn’t hit. Everyone is trying to get their lives back on track,” Fortia said.

Although the cost of property in Los Angeles is daunting, as a parent, Fortia is pleased that his children are receiving a better education.

“One of the things I like about Los Angeles is the school system [is] better. The worst school here is probably better than the best school. [in Louisiana]And it’s sad to say. The Texas school board would not allow [Louisiana teachers who applied for jobs] teach because they were not qualified. That just goes to show what Louisiana thinks of her children’s education.”

What does the future hold?

Fortia has her sights set on opening a restaurant. She already has a theme and a menu in mind. Her missing ingredient is a partner who shares her vision. Her success is the result of the selfless compassion and generosity of strangers, as well as her strong faith.

“You always have to have faith in God. I knew my God was not going to abandon me. I just knew it was going to come, I didn’t know when, but it came. If you don’t have faith, you don’t.” I don’t have anything. That is what I think.

Nearly a year after Katrina, Louisiana and many other states still look like a war zone. During an emotional press conference on March 8, 2006, country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw said they were “embarrassed” and “humiliated” by the Katrina rebuilding effort.