‘Heaven just got a little spicier’: Springfield mourns Chef Wayne Hooker of Big Mamou Cajun food fame

SPRINGFIELD — Chef Wayne Hooker ran Big Mamou restaurants for 30 years and fans remembered him Tuesday for more than just his gumbo and jambalaya.

“Chef Wayne was not only a great chef and restaurateur, but a huge personality and big promoter of our City of Springfield,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno wrote in a statement as news of Hooker’s death spread. “Heaven just got a little bit spicier with that excellent cuisine that he brings up there now. May God rest his soul!”