Ghostly Tricks & Treats

Jesse Palmer / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed)

As we creep closer to October 31, Louisiana Eats is getting into the spooky spirit with our annual Halloween episode. This year, we've cooked up some pretty delicious and unsettling tales for you!

We begin with culinary historian Sarah Lohman who travels back in time to share the earliest food traditions surrounding death. Sarah tells us stories of the funeral fare that gives a whole new meaning to being close with one's family.

Next, we bring you to Slidell, where during an interview taping in August the Louisiana Eats crew experienced a haunting – right in the middle of the day – at Palmettos on the Bayou. Executive chef Ross Dover and owner Duffy Ramirez tell us about the restaurant's poltergeists, whom they lovingly refer to as "the Baseball Kids."

Then, we're joined by bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Erin Hayes, whose love of Halloween led them to what is now an international pop-up bar experience called Black Lagoon. Fittingly, their story all begins right here at the Dungeon in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Finally, we go after grandma's long lost potato salad recipe with the help of Mary Ann Winkowski, author of Beyond Delicious: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook.