Colorado Springs residents may soon indulge in the varied and complex flavors of Louisiana cooking as Perriteaux’s nears its grand opening.
The mind behind the new restaurant may be a familiar one for Colorado Springs’ foodies: Jason Miller. He was the head chef at Springs Orleans, a “rustic, warehouse style” restaurant that provided a taste of New Orleans within the Mining Exchange downtown. After local attorney and hotelier Perry Sanders Jr. and partner John Goede sold The Mining Exchange, including Springs Orleans, in 2022, the restaurant closed; an Italian restaurant, Oro, now operates in that spot.
Recommended Stories
▶
Now, Miller is partnering with Sanders, also the owner of the Famous Steakhouse downtown, and turning his attention to what he sees as a prime location.
The two had not been in touch for some time after the demise of Springs Orleans, Miller said.
Moe Serato, who worked with chef Jason Miller at the Springs Orleans downtown, works inside Perriteau’s, the new Louisiana restaurant on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The restaurant will open later in April at the old Zorbadillos Heavenly Greek location near Memorial Park. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)
But intrigued after hearing Sanders, a Louisiana native, mention he wanted to revive a concept like Springs Orleans, Miller broke the ice.
Text messages flew, notifications rang and soon enough, Miller and Sanders toured the former location of Zorbadillos Greek and Mexican Restaurant at 604 S. Union Blvd. in the area of Memorial Park. The building, despite standing vacant for several years, was in remarkably good shape, Miller said.
The location’s potential was immediately obvious to Miller.
“This is the prime location for us to do something within (the Louisiana) flavor and all of those same kind recipes, as well as to make it a little more modern, a little more hip to what diners typically want nowadays,” Miller said. He wanted to create a space where “people can feel a little bit more free to have a good time in here and let their hair down.”
“This is a lot more akin, in my mind, to a neighborhood restaurant or a neighborhood po’boy shop in New Orleans or Louisiana,” he said.
There is no set opening date, but Miller estimates Perriteaux’s will be up and running in weeks. He said many smaller kitchens set an unrealistic opening date and rush things in the final stretch, something he wants to avoid.
Chef Jason Miller, former chef of Springs Orleans downtown, stands inside the former Zorbadillos Heavenly Greek restaurant near Prospect Lake on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, where he and Perry Sanders are opening a Louisiana restaurant called Perriteaux’s. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)
Perriteaux’s will be more than just a Cajun restaurant. Rather, it will encompass all of the flavors Louisiana is known for. This includes Cajun, which can be spicy enough to turn some people away, MIller said, but also Creole foods and po’boy sandwiches.
Miller joked that people hear “Cajun” and think it means enough spice to “blow your face off.” But on a scale of one to 10, Miller said they’ll be at a six. Customers can always ask for more spice, he said, adding the kitchen will have “no problem” doing that.
In opening a “Louisiana-style” kitchen, Miller believes he’s found a happy medium between a specific focus and trying to be a “Southern” kitchen. This allows him to focus on flavors and dishes he is well acquainted with after spending many years immersed in Louisiana’s diverse food culture.
“We’re not a Southern food restaurant, because that becomes the entirety of the Southeast, and that’s a lot of stuff to cover,” he said. “I’m not going to try to claim that we can do justice to that.”
The restaurant’s location on the southeast side of Memorial Park may surprise some. Miller said there’s a perception that the area is “scary.” He disagrees and thinks the restaurant could help make Memorial Park an even bigger recreation hub for the city.
“There’s no boarded-up buildings and cops running around with guns drawn … (The park) is already pretty popular,” he said. “It’s only reaching its potential when there’s events.”
Miller has some plans for the surrounding area as well. The building next door may one day play a complementary role to Perriteaux’s, but official plans are not set in stone. The other building will require a lot more work to get ready, Miller said.
For the time being, he is focusing on the food.
“The places that do really great food … are places that focus on a small scope of things and do them really, really well,” he said.
Dining and Cooking