Donald Link is an Uptown guy. The James Beard Award-winning chef, president of The Link Restaurant Group and Lake Charles native took to life among the oaks when he moved to the city from San Francisco after completing culinary school in 1995.

“I love the trees, the people, the park,” he said. “There’s a real sense of community, and I can walk anywhere — Whole Foods, shops, restaurants. It’s the best.”

To illustrate his point, Link recounted the day last winter that New Orleanians collectively regard as “Snowpocalypse,” when he ended up playing a round in the snow on the Audubon Park golf course with a couple of buddies from the neighborhood.

“It was an amazing day,” he said.

Link and his wife, Cameron Link, purchased their elegant home on a broad street shaded by the draping boughs of

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