Willa Jean

Opened in August 2015, Willa Jean celebrates Southern sensibilities with fresh, local ingredients. Named after Chef Partner Kelly Fields’ grandmother, who inspired her to pursue her passions, the restaurant and bakery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week, and offers Saturday and Sunday brunch.

Kelly F.
Business Owner
Kelly Fields is the Chef Partner of Willa Jean in New Orleans’ Central Business District.

Growing up in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Kelly discovered her passion for cooking and baking at an early age. After baking for iconic New Orleans chef Susan Spicer and graduating from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, she returned to New Orleans where she began working as pastry chef at Restaurant August. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced her to leave and she pursued travel in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, even landing in San Francisco, where she helped open Martin’s West.

After working as the Executive Pastry Chef overseeing all of the pastry programs within the BRG Hospitality Group, Kelly fulfilled her dream of opening a Southern-inspired restaurant and bakery, Willa Jean, in 2015. Willa Jean has received local and national recognition, such as Louisiana Cookin’s “Bakery and Beyond” award and Travel + Leisure’s list of its favorite bakeries around the world.