An Acadiana restauranteur and chef has died following a plane crash while on a hunting trip in California. Lionel Robin is fondly remembered in his community and his food crawfish etouffee was once featured on the Food Network. Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette said he has known Robin is whole life.

“He married one of my cousins. He was a great, great man. You couldn’t get a better person than that. Anybody that went to him for help, if possible, he’d help them,” said Collette.

Robin had owned and operated Robin’s Restaurant in Hersonville for about four decades but had recently been working as the hospitality chef for Tabasco Pepper Sauce. Collette said Robin had a passion for hunting.

“We talked a lot about his hunts in California. He’d bring pictures, and he’d kill ducks over there. He had a very good friend over there and he’d go hunting with him just about every year. It’s something he wouldn’t miss,” said Collette.

Collette said Robin was a happy guy and his crawfish etouffee was so popular, he canned the dish and it was distributed around the country.

“It’s not often you see this guy without a smile. He was that kind of a person. The restaurant, when he had it open, was one of the top three restaurants in St. Martin Parish. The food was fantastic,” said Collette.

Robin was 70 years old.