In all creative pursuits, few things feel more exciting than a good, old-fashioned team-up. From rock supergroups to star-studded films, there’s just something palpably joyful about seeing passionate artisans come together to create something new and, hopefully, exhilarating. This is especially true in the culinary world, when like-minded chefs decide to pair up to design a menu that combines their individual talents and imaginations into something genuinely special.
Such is the case with Evviva, the suave, cozy new Marigny spot that opened last year at the hands of chefs Rebecca Wilcomb and Marcus Jacobs and restaurateurs Heather Lolley and Humberto Suazo. Local gourmands who follow the movements of our brightest culinary talents will likely recognize those names; the chefs worked together for years at Herbsaint, perhaps one of the best eateries in New Orleans for talented chefs to hone their craft.
According to Wilcomb, the project came together naturally. “Heather approached me and asked if I was interested in getting back into restaurants,” Wilcomb said. “I told her I didn’t really know. At the time, I had a two-year-old and just wasn’t really sure what direction I wanted to go in and if it would fit with my schedule as a mom, so we came and looked at the space, which was the former Franklin. We loved it immediately. It’s a great size. Not too small, not too big. We’ve traveled a lot together and have had a lot of really great dining experiences together, so we knew what we wanted out of a neighborhood restaurant, and what we’ve experienced in neighborhood restaurants, and talked at length about what that was like for us and what we wanted it to look like in a space of our own. And then Marcus and I started talking about it, and it all just kind of fit. We did a really quick turnaround, opened up, and all of a sudden, here we are eight months later.”
Jacobs concurs with his co-chef. “I think we like a lot of the same stuff,” he said. “We have pretty disparate backgrounds in a lot of ways, but I think we approach food the same way, and we also cooked together for a long time as young professionals who were just getting our careers moving. So we bring a lot of different viewpoints and different experiences in, but I think that we’re in sync on a lot of the ways that we’d like dishes to be and what we like to eat. And I think that there’s a lot of crossover there.”
Seeing Jacobs and Wilcomb partner in the kitchen should be exciting enough, but Evviva also has another trick up its sleeve: a constantly evolving menu that changes daily, depending not just on the creative whims of the chefs, but also the seasonality and availability of the best local ingredients. The result is a restaurant that simultaneously keeps you on your toes with fresh flavors and techniques, but always feels gratifying, especially in a handsome room that also straddles the line between elegance and comfort, perfect for a romantic night out or just a quiet drink and snack at the bar. The fact that Evviva pulls off this balancing act so deftly right out of the gate is a testament to the talent behind it, something rare and delightful in the culinary corners of the Crescent City.
So, if the menu changes daily, what can you expect during an evening at Evviva? The menu is divided smartly into three sections, with just enough options to satisfy most appetites without feeling either overwhelming or sparse. To start off, you might opt for a snack of marinated olives and orange slices flavored with Aleppo pepper, sumac and coriander. Or perhaps an elegantly simple plate of yellowfin tuna carpaccio with tonnato, a sliced farm egg, dill and crispy capers. “It’s nice to have a carpaccio or a crudo or something on the menu somewhere,” said Wilcomb. “I crave them when it’s cold, I crave them when it’s warm. We get these really great farm eggs from Four River pastures. It was just inspired by the ingredients on hand.” And while that particular dish was a one-night-only affair, which is to be expected for a restaurant that changes things up on a daily basis, there are few fan favorites that tend to appear more frequently. One of those is the not-to-be-missed anchovy bread, yet another deceptively simple and rustic pairing of glistening whole anchovies with crushed tomatoes, chili and lemon atop Bellegarde focaccia. “The reason that it’s great is because it’s an umami bomb,” said Jacobs. “I think that a lot of folks aren’t used to just eating anchovies straight like that, or having them be the centerpiece of the dish. But, I think people like it because it is straightforward. It’s well balanced, while still being aggressively flavored.”
Such refined simplicity carries over to Evviva’s larger dishes as well. Take, for instance, a recent offering of pan roasted duck breast with French lentils, chicories, and a Lyonnaise vinaigrette. It’s the kind of dish that allows the ingredients and technique to speak for themselves without being overwhelmed by a mountain of ambitious and perhaps unnecessary components. According to Wilcomb, “We focus on technique and good ingredients rooted in classic dishes. So we went crunchy with the mustardy vinaigrette and the French lentils, and great chicories from River Queen Greens. You just can’t go wrong there.” Similarly, the broiled gulf fish on a recent visit, flavored delicately with green peppercorn butter, feels both light and satisfying. You might also encounter gems like squid ink chitarra pasta with squid ragu, lemon and chilis, or maybe deviled duck livers with onion and mustard espagnole is more up your alley. Whether you’re an adventurous diner or more reserved, there’s a good bet you’re going to find more than a few things to love at Evviva. Anticipating what these two chefs have in store without any foreknowledge is one of the best aspects of its charm, and something that will surely keep many of us coming back.
It’s remarkably refreshing to encounter a neighborhood restaurant that feels perfectly at home in its space, with cuisine that, on any given night, might rival some of the finest white tablecloth establishments in town. “We’re a ‘chefy’ restaurant, and that can be intimidating for some people that maybe aren’t in the restaurant world as much,” said Jacobs. “But when you come in here, you’re greeted with warmth. It’s not uptight, it’s imminently casual, but also still feels like you’re being taken care of, and that goes to the hospitality that we show here. You can come in as you are, and you’re going to have a great time, whether you sit at the bar and have a couple drinks, or if you’re here for a special celebration. It’s really a restaurant that’s for everyone all the time.”
About the Chefs
Chef Rebecca Wilcomb moved to New Orleans from Massachusetts. Wilcomb honed her craft at Herbsaint, where she rose in rank over the course of a decade before opening another Donald Link eatery, Gianna, where she stayed for a few years before deciding to take some time away from the kitchen. In 2025, Wilcomb was called back to the culinary life with an enticing offer to helm alongside her former colleague Marcus Jacobs, and very soon thereafter Evviva opened its doors to excited local diners.
Chef Marcus Jacobs originally hails from Ohio, and found himself cooking in places as far afield as Northern California, where he worked in boutique Humboldt County hotels, to San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe, and even a stint doing farm work in Japan. Eventually, Jacobs found himself in New Orleans to watch the Saints NFC Championship game, and – in true New Orleans fashion – he simply didn’t leave. Taking a job behind the line at Herbsaint, he met and worked alongside Wilcomb for seven years, before developing a number of lauded projects, including the sadly departed Seafood Sally’s and Marjie’s Grill. Last year brought him back together with Wilcomb to open Evviva.
