Chef Paul Prudhomme, owner of the upscale Cajun New Orleans eatery K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, has died, according to the chief financial officer of his spice company.
Prudhomme, 75, died Thursday morning, Tiffanie Roppolo of Magic Seasoning Blend told NBC News.
"Arrangements are pending and family is still being notified," she said.
Prudhomme has been credited with popularizing Cajun and Creole cuisine internationally. K-Paul's opened in New Orleans' French Quarter in 1979 and was named after his wife, Kay Hinrichs Prudhomme, and himself.
Prudhomme was also a prolific cookbook writer and hosted five national cooking shows on PBS over the years. His line of spices, Magic Seasoning Blends, are sold nationally.
In 2005, The New Orleans Times-Picayune called Prudhomme the "most famous American restaurant chef in the world. " His first of nine cookbooks, "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, " published in 1984, is seen as a classic, according to the paper.
According to his website, Prudhomme was the youngest of 14 children. He received numerous accolades, including restauranteur of the year from the Louisiana State Restaurant Association in 1983.