This week, Louisiana Eats takes you to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where there's always an abundance of music, food, and art. We've got you covered on all fronts.
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The days are growing longer, the jasmine is in bloom, and across Louisiana, we're treasuring the gift of spring before heat, humidity, and hurricane season are upon us. On this week's show, Louisiana Eats is celebrating the tasty treats of springtime!
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Traditionally, the concept of sustainability referred to making enough money to keep a restaurant, or any business, up and running. In recent years, however, the term has expanded to take into account maintaining the environment that provides the raw materials businesses use. This is especially true for restaurants – businesses that would simply not exist if the supply of meat, fish, and plant-based food were not sustained. On this week's show, we hear from two chefs and a farmer who are doing their part to provide for their customers, while finding ways to live in harmony with the planet.
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In many places, the cocktail hour is an honored – even sacred – tradition. And in few places is that more true than New Orleans. On this week's show, we explore the fascinating evolution of cocktail culture in the Big Easy – its past, present and future.
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On this week's show, we meet inventors and pioneers who have changed the way we eat. We begin with the Bayou State's spiciest new business, Louisiana Pepper Exchange. Founder and CEO Chris White shares the story of the amazing engineering feat he accomplished and how it led to the launch of his company.
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Chinese cooking has been a part of the American dining scene since the mid-1800s and remains an integral aspect of the industry today. This week, we take an in-depth look at the Chinese restaurant tradition from a variety of perspectives.
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Since reopening with much fanfare in 2015, New Orleans' St. Roch Market has experienced ups and downs, but the city's second oldest city market is still standing. On this week's show, we meet its new director, longtime vendor Kevin Pedeaux, and learn why that bustling spot on St. Claude is the place to be these days. We also hear from Chef Charly Pierre, who is one of St. Roch Market's biggest success stories, Today, Charly can be found in the kitchen of his own Basin Street restaurant, Fritai.
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March 19th might be just another day in other parts of the United States, but here in New Orleans it's a day when revelers take to the streets in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph. The tradition of food altars dedicated to Jesus' foster father came to the Crescent City in the late 1800s with immigrants from Sicily, where Joseph is the patron saint. What was called Mi-Carême (or Mid-Lent by the Creoles) was a day when fasting was suspended and festivities abounded. On this week's show, we explore the holiday and join in on the celebration.
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On this week's show, we meet New Orleans chefs who have stepped into the spotlight. We begin with Anh Luu. In January, the whole country got to know Chef Anh when she was featured on the eighth season of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, Queer Eye. We also have an extended conversation with New Orleans chef and YouTube star Toya Boudy, whose first cookbook is Cooking for the Culture: Recipes and Stories from the Streets of New Orleans to the Table.
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A lot of magic can be made with nothing more than flour, sugar, and, of course, butter! On this week's show, we explore the magic that some folks are achieving with just that combination.
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While most of the country makes New Year's resolutions that kick in right after January 1st, in Louisiana, there tends to be a slight postponement. That's because Carnival Season, a time of indulgence, kicks off on January 6th with the astounding king cake eating and cocktail drinking that comes with it. So, our resolutions about healthy living and sobriety tend to wait until Ash Wednesday – the day after Mardi Gras. This week, we hear from experts about the merits of clean living.
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Historically, when people consider the roots of classic Creole food, the French are given most of the credit. But lately there has been increasing focus on the African hand that stirred those pots. New Orleans has been blessed in recent years with an influx of young African chefs and restaurateurs who have been busy shedding new light on where our food really came from. On this week's show, we honor those ancestors with the help of New Orleans’ new African culinary guard.
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As Fat Tuesday draws near, we've got a second helping of Mardi Gras fun for you! Most people are familiar with the images of Carnival revelry: the crowds, parades, and flowing libations. But like every other season in New Orleans, Mardi Gras is also all about the food.
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It's Carnival time in New Orleans! But the Big Easy isn't the only place people are celebrating. Just across Lake Pontchartrain sits St. Tammany Parish, a combination of bedroom communities and small towns that embrace nature and a laid-back existence. There, folks in towns such as Slidell, Mandeville, and Madisonville have developed their own unique forms of Mardi Gras merriment. On this week's show, we hear from three of those revelers.
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What makes a food distinctly American? This week, Louisiana Eats explores that topic by serving a heaping helping of Americana – in decidedly Southern-sized portions. We sit down with native son, Burke Bischoff, whose paperback Po'Boy, tells the story of the classic New Orleans poor boy sandwich. We also speak with anthropologist Ty Matejowsky, author of Smothered and Covered: Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary.
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In New Orleans and across our state, we're surrounded by history. Our architecture, museums, and libraries tell us stories of bygone eras. But arguably the best place to get a taste of Louisiana history is in any of our historic restaurants. On this week's show, we look at culinary landmarks that have been dining destinations for generations.
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Twelfth Night marks the birth of the late New Orleans icon, Leah Chase. The culinary legend, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 96, was the undisputed Queen of Creole Cooking and a civil rights activist who changed lives over a bowl of gumbo. On this week's show, we spend the hour honoring Leah's talent, achievements, and lasting legacy.
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From New Orleans to Shreveport, Lafayette to Baton Rouge, Louisiana residents know one thing for sure: we have some good Louisiana eats! And we expect our classics – from the red beans in the pot to the hot sauce we douse over it liberally – to be exactly the same as we remember from our grandmother's table growing up. This week, we take a look at three Louisiana companies that each have satisfied local appetites for the last 100 years.
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Between 1880 and 1920 over four million Italians immigrated to the U.S., with the majority of Sicilians coming through the port of New Orleans. Their influence here can be found in the food and in the language where special words like niespuli and cucuzza proliferate. On this week's show, we survey those Sicilian connections to learn new things about this place we call home.
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For foodies and food lovers, eating is more than just a daily necessity – it's an all-consuming passion. While this can be mostly a good thing, the long term effects of food obsession can have their drawbacks. Nationally prominent comedian and actor Dan Ahdoot knows these downsides all too well. In his debut memoir, Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That's a Dumb Way to Live, Dan examines his emotional relationship with food starting from childhood, and provides both an honest and comedic look at where that has gotten him.
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