Who: The 2025 season of The Wright Museum’s lecture series, “The Wright Conversations”- kicks off with a conversation with Nina Compton, Chef/Owner of award-winning restaurant Compère Lapin in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. Her second restaurant venture, BABs, is in New Orleans’ “Sliver by the River” Bywater neighborhood.
What: In this legendary series moderated by Wright President & CEO Neil A. Barclay, luminaries such as Nina Compton weigh in on the most pressing issues of our time. This installment of the series includes a cooking demonstration and signed cookbooks, which will be available for purchase
Where: The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History 315 Warren Ave., Detroit MI 48201 313-494-5800
When: September 13th @2p – 4:30p – for tickets and information, visit thewright.org
Why: The Wright Conversations is a curated collection of events featuring dynamic speakers chosen by the President & CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum, Neil A. Barclay. Dedicated to bringing insightful and robust conversation to the Detroit community, the series addresses critical topics in the areas of civic engagement, art, history, and culture.
About Nina Compton
Born and raised in St. Lucia, Nina grew up with the flavors and beauty of the Caribbean. Upon completion of secondary school in England, she returned home where she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. Her wary but supportive parents arranged an internship with a friend’s hotel in Jamaica where she fell in love with the creativity and camaraderie of the kitchen. Leaving the cozy, warm winters of the Caribbean, Nina chose to move to chilly Hyde Park, NY to study at The Culinary Institute of America.
Trained in the French tradition at the Culinary Institute of America, Nina mixes the rich culinary traditions of New Orleans with those of her Caribbean roots. She was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s "Best New Chefs 2017.” Along with receiving a rave review from The New York Times, Compère Lapin was named “Best New Restaurant” by both New Orleans Magazine and The Times-Picayune. And then in 2018, she took home the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: South" (she had been named a finalist for the same award the previous year).
Nina began her career at Daniel in New York City, alongside Chef Daniel Boulud. From there, she joined Norman Van Aken in Miami at Norman’s. Next up, was a stint with Philippe Ruiz at Palme d’Or at the historic Biltmore Hotel. Then Nina moved to Casa Casuarina in Miami Beach where she rose to the rank of executive chef. Before settling in New Orleans, she was chef de cuisine at the Italian restaurant Scarpetta at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. There the “Gnocchi Queen” worked with celebrity chef and restaurateur Scott Conant.
About the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was founded in 1965 and is in the heart of Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center. The Wright Museum’s mission is to open minds and change lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture. And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture — the museum’s 22,000 square foot, immersive core exhibit — is one of the largest, single exhibitions surveying the history of African Americans. The Wright Museum houses over 35,000 artifacts and archival materials and offers more than 300 public programs and events annually.
Media Contacts:
Char Yates, Dir. Media Relations
cyates@thewright.org
313.494.5839
Kelly Miner, Marketing & Communications Manager
kminer@thewright.org
313.494.5865
###