Chef Lanney Smith has reached highs most only dream about, but his lows have been night terrors come true.

His energy is infectious, his Cajun charm endearing. When he talks about touring with The Rolling Stones , cooking jambalaya, gumbo or crawfish, the joy is palpable.

His disposition belies a man who has lost a wife and a daughter and was wiped out twice by hurricanes. Or that, for eight seconds, he died.