Chef John Besh, owner and creator of six restaurants in the New Orleans area including the American Sector at the World War II Museum; La Provence in Lacombe; Domenica; August; Besh Steak; and Lüke, has a new venue — television.

His new series is currently being produced at WYES-TV studios and is being produced by veteran cooking show producer and Folsom resident Terri Landry. The series of 26 shows will air in 2011; locally first, then nationally on public television. They tape two shows per day with two or three dishes per show.

At Monday afternoon’s taping, Besh made two dishes: potato gnocchi with crabmeat in a pan sauce and grilled redfish with sweet corn. Unlike some shows, Besh cooks everything from start to finish, without a pre-cooked dish waiting in the wings for “show.” He said it adds authenticity to the process.

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The potato gnocchi, or dumpling, is a time-consuming, yet intriguing dish and delicious. “When I was in cooking school, I made gnocchi for weeks,” he said. While preparing the dish, he boiled peeled and chopped potatoes into large pieces and gave a lesson in potato boiling. “You should be able to cut the potato wedge with the dull side of the knife,” he said. The potato should still be firm but done and not squishy. When mixing the ingredients together, the mixture should not stick to your finger.

Besh, who had been awarded numerous accolades in the industry, including the coveted James Beard “Best Chef in the Southeast” award, Food Arts’ Silver Spoon Award and Food and Wine magazine’s Top 10 new chefs, offered advice to budding chefs. “Keep things simple,” he said. “Simplicity is the key. The more I cook, more I lean on simplicity. As a rising chef, I cooked to impress. Now I cook for other people, to make people happy.”

Besh’s philosophy is apparent throughout the show. “Food is the common thread that brings us all together, both in the kitchen and at the dining room table.” He is also a believer in quality ingredients and fresh whenever possible. “Great food comes down to great planning with the best ingredients possible,” he said.

The amiable host cooked and talked at the same time while taping, not from a script but simply and concisely explaining what he was doing. Occasionally, yes, the professional did misspeak, but he would simply freeze, start the procedure over and restate the step he was doing. His personal favorite dishes? Gumbo in the colder months and light, fresh food in the spring and summer.

Landry said he is very professional and easy to work with. He said the same about her. “I just do what she tells me to do,” he said. The home touches on the set are there for a reason; they belong to Besh. Even the artwork and pictures of his family are included, just as they are in many family kitchens.

CHEF JOHN BESH’S NEW ORLEANS is produced by WYES in New Orleans. The executive in charge of production is Jim Moriarty; executive producer is Beth Arroyo Utterback; producer and director is Terri Landry; and associate producer is Dawn Smith.

Included is the potato gnocchi recipe, printed with his permission. It also appears in his cookbook, “My New Orleans: The Cookbook.”