Creole Calling
While working as a teenager at Jimmy John’s in Louisville, Lawrence Weeks had a life-changing conversation with his manager. Weeks, always fascinated with the idea of becoming a chef, expressed an interest in attending culinary school so he could start living out his dream. Weeks was encouraged to go for it, and he did just that, enrolling at Jefferson Community and Technical College and beginning an impressive and steady rise through the cooking world.
“Instead of most people who would have discouraged me, he told me I should go do it,” Weeks says. “Ever since then, that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Weeks grew up in the Middletown area and is a graduate of Trinity High School. As a young child, Weeks watched his mother and grandmother prepare food for family and other guests and saw the happiness their meals brought so many. Weeks began to absorb their teachings while becoming a fan of the PBS show “Great Chefs – Great Cities,” which highlighted regional cuisine from across the country.
“My mother was always a great host, and we always had a lot of people over,” Weeks says. “She was the one who brought everyone together with a great meal and decorated tables. My grandmother would spend a lot of time with us throughout the year, and she would cook all day long. I would be under her watching what she was doing. She taught me so many things. As a kid, I was watching cooking shows instead of cartoons. I absorbed a bunch of knowledge and didn’t even know it from a young age.”
After culinary school, Weeks moved to Atlanta to work with Todd Richards, a well-known chef and four-time James Beard Award semifinalist. He later moved closer to home, landing in Lexington to work with another James Beard nominee, Ouita Michel.
“One of my biggest accomplishments was making it through the path I have,” Weeks says. “When I lived in Atlanta, I slept on the floor for a year. I had a television and my knives, and that was it.”
Weeks always had a desire to return to his hometown, and did just that as the executive chef at North of Bourbon, a restaurant and bar that blends Louisville, bourbon and New Orleans into a unique Southern dining experience. During his tenure, North of Bourbon was named to The New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America list for 2024, and Weeks earned his own James Beard semifinalist recognition for Emerging Chef that same year.
“I knew I wanted a James Beard nomination and to be nationally recognized for being one of the best,” Weeks says. “I felt validated after so many years of hard work and struggling. I can’t put it into perspectiv
e how hard I worked to get that. It felt rewarding to be recognized in that light. It’s my biggest individual accomplishment.”
Recently, Weeks worked as the executive chef at Enso, a Japanese-Southern fusion restaurant, also in Louisville. As the sister restaurant to North of Bourbon, Enso became well known for its innovative items, with its menu largely created around Weeks’ vision.
Now, Weeks has capitalized on that momentum with Murray’s Creole Pub, his first solo venture as chef and owner. Murray’s opened in December 2025 and is located at 1576 Bardstown Road in Louisville’s Highlands. Its atmosphere offers two distinct experiences: casual pub downstairs and fine dining upstairs.
“What we are is a multi-experience Creole pub,” Weeks says. “Downstairs is casual dining and more of a neighborhood pub feel with British and Creole classics. Upstairs is the fine-dining aspect with white tablecloths and a heavy French Creole emphasis. We want to have an experience for everyone, whether you want to just come and have a burger or you’re celebrating a special occasion.”
Murray’s is also deeply personal to Weeks, who strives to honor his family lineage both in the name and in the menu.
“We opened Murray’s Creole Pub to honor my two grandfathers, who I’m named after,” Weeks says. “They both wanted to be chefs, but in that time period, things did not allow them to be head chefs in the kitchen, so I always say I’m living out their dreams.”
Weeks says it had always been his plan to break out on his own as he strives to foster the next generation of local chefs and keep talent in Louisville rather than seeing them leave for bigger cities. The experience of working for so many others gives Weeks a unique perspective on handling his employees, and he wants them to be well treated.
“I have a pulse on the service industry,” Weeks says. “I look at other industries and see what they’re doing and bring some of that in. Traditionally, this has always been a grueling job that isn’t very rewarding or lucrative. I try to provide something so people don’t get burnt out. We take care of our people so they feel good about working here.”
Moving forward, Weeks is focused on building up Murray’s and making sure its reach goes beyond what happens inside.
“For now, my short- to midterm goal is to get Murray’s up and going and make it a viable and sustainable business,” Weeks says. “Ultimately, my goal is to work with food advocacy groups to eliminate anybody struggling for access to food.”
Murray’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. For more information, visit murrayscreolepub.com or follow @murrayscreolepub on Instagram.
