Louisiana Eats - Poppy Tooker

Quick Bites: Bean The Change You Want To See In The World

In this Louisiana Eats Quick Bite episode, we travel to Denver, Colorado for Slow Food Nations with our friends from Camellia Brand beans. With the theme, “Food For Change,” Slow Food USA gathered together many of the world’s greatest thinkers and influencers to further their goal of good, clean food for all. For three days in July 2018, Denver’s Larimer Square was the hotspot for tasting and talking – from the Taste Marketplace to panel discussions and cooking demonstrations, we’re taking you there!

Ten Restaurants, Four Seasons

Ten Restaurants, Four Seasons

On this week’s show, we take an in-depth look the evolution of restaurant dining in the America and speak with the co-owner of one the nation's top restaurants.

We begin by exploring two centuries of historical and cultural changes with acclaimed Yale historian Paul Freedman. His book Ten Restaurants That Changed America weaves together culinary and social history, from the innovators of roadside dining to the vanguards of haute cuisine.

Food, Drink, Dining, Book, Cookbooks, RestaurantPoppy TookerSeptember 30, 2018Louisiana Eats, Food, Drink, Poppy Tooker, Paul Freedman, Julian Niccolini, Jim Heimann, Ten Restaurants That Changed America, New York's Four Seasons Restaurant, TASCHEN America, Menu Design in America

Quick Bites: Italian Creole

Quick Bites: Italian Creole

On this week’s episode, we sit down with Loyola University history professor Justin Nystrom to explore the influence that Sicilian Americans have had on New Orleans foodways. Surprisingly, that influence didn’tbegin with the heavy influx of Sicilians who populated the city in great numbers during the late 1880’s. Those rural Sicilians made their mark on the French Market and created the sandwich we know as the muffalatta. Actually, the first wave of Italian immigrants were urban dwellers who arrived on our shores in the 1830’s and became wealthy importers and restaurateurs. Who knew that Commander’s Palace was actually founded by the son of an immigrant from Ustica whose father had Americanized his surname from Camarda to Commander? Or that those same Ustican immigrants were important members of the Southern Yacht Club – taking their leisure racing sloops on Lake Pontchartrain? Not exactly the image you might have in your mind of our Sicilian immigrants.

Food, Drink, Cookbooks, Book, RestaurantPoppy TookerSeptember 27, 2018Louisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Justin Nystrom, Loyola University, Commander's Palace, Southern Yacht Club, Creole Italian - Sicilian Immigrants and The Shaping of New Orleans Food Culture, Pascal's Manale Cookbook, Poppytooker.com, French MarketComment

Following Fish Tales From Antarctica To Barataria Bay

Following Fish Tales From Antarctica To Barataria Bay

On this week’s show, we’re celebrating all things pescatarian across Louisiana. To begin, we travel from Port Sulphur to Barataria Bay for a taste of authentic Louisiana seafood with the Landry family of Don’s Seafood. The Landrys host us at their fishing camp and share stories that have been passed down through the generations.

Quick Bites: A Legacy of Service at the Kemper-Williams Residence

Quick Bites: A Legacy of Service at the Kemper-Williams Residence

The Historic New Orleans Collection, is a great jewel in the crown of the Crescent City. Founded in 1966 by General L. Kemper and his wife, Leila Williams, the collection today includes a museum and research center encompassing ten historic French Quarter buildings. At the heart of the HNOC is the Kemper-Williams residence, a house museum, which allows visitors to experience life as the General and Leila lived it there for decades.

Food, DrinkPoppy TookerSeptember 19, 2018Historic New Orleans Collection, General L. Kemper, Leila Williams, French Quarter, Kemper-Williams residence, Lydia Blackmore, HNOCComment

Culinary Empire Builders

Culinary Empire Builders

On this week’s show, we follow three chefs on their journeys from cooks to culinary entrepreneurs.

We begin with New Orleans chef Alon Shaya, who recently launched a new company, Pomegranate Hospitality. Alon describes his path, starting from unassuming culinary origins in Philadelphia, to his tenure at Domenica, and finally, to the evolving theory of Diasporic foodways that underlies his two new modern Israeli restaurants, Saba and Safta.

Restaurant, Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerSeptember 15, 2018Chef Alon Shaya, Alon Shaya, Pomegranate Hospitality, Domenica, Saba, Safta, Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's, Chef John Currence, John CurrenceComment

Suicide And Rebirth At Tales Of The Cocktail

Suicide And Rebirth At Tales Of The Cocktail

The suicide of Anthony Bourdain in June sent shock waves through the world, but especially the industry he loved. Since then, the conversation about mental health in the hospitality community has come into sharp focus. On this week's show, we speak with individuals close to the issue who gathered in New Orleans in July as part of Tales of the Cocktail's new Beyond The Bar initiative. Intended to help the hospitality industry take care of its own, Beyond the Bar offered compelling seminars on wellness and recovery.

Stories From The Back Of The House

Stories From The Back Of The House

Behind every great restaurant is a great chef. But that chef would be nothing without the scores of people in the front and the back of the house who turn a meal into a memorable experience. On this week's show, we get to know two unsung heroes of hospitality in New Orleans.

Food, Drink, Dining, RestaurantPoppy TookerSeptember 1, 2018Serigne Mbaye, Commander's Palace, Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Cliff Hall, New Orleans Fish House, Tory McPhail, Sterling Constant, Antoine's Restaurant, Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Edwin Edwards, Rick BlountComment

When Chefs and Anarchists Meet - Slow Food Nations Denver

When Chefs and Anarchists Meet - Slow Food Nations Denver

On this week's show, we're bringing listeners along to Slow Food Nations 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The event celebrates slow and sustainable food systems through summits, workshops, and a street festival.

Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerAugust 25, 2018Slow Food Nations, Richard McCarthy, Paolo di Croce, Raj Patel, Alfonso Rocha, Rick Bayless, Massimo Bottura, Slow Food International, Professor Raj Patel, Alfonso Racha, Check Rick BaylessComment

Dreaming of a Place at the Table

Dreaming of a Place at the Table

On this week’s show, we take a look at immigration and its impact on the American food landscape.

We begin with Rick Bayless, whose award-winning Frontera restaurants are bolstered by workers who come from immigrant backgrounds. Rick explains how many of his staff members were brought to the country as children and are now facing an uncertain future.

Food, Drink, Dining, Book, CookbooksPoppy TookerAugust 18, 2018Rick Bayless, Frontera, Eddie Hernandez, Turnip Greens and Tortillas, Slavica Park, Comal Heritage Food Incubator, Edward Lee, Buttermilk Graffiti, Poppy Tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

Acadiana Road Show

Acadiana Road Show

On this week's show, we're traveling through Acadiana to explore traditional and contemporary Cajun foodways. We begin with George Graham, who shares his obsession through stories of cooking in the region through his nationally recognized blog and book, Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana.

Drink, Dining, Food, CookbooksPoppy TookerAugust 4, 2018George Graham, Acadiana Table, Jarred Zeringue, Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse, Leroy Thomas, Jewel of the Bayou, The Zydeco RoadRunners, Alex Cook, Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana, Chef Jarred Zeringue, Wayne Jacob, Rock'n'BowlComment

A Feast for the Senses

A Feast for the Senses

This week’s show is, in a word, sensational. Join us as we delve into the many ways that our other four senses experience food.

We begin in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Their food photography exhibit, A Feast for the Eyes, runs the gamut from still lifes to the avant-garde. And it’s on view at LASM through September 16.

Drink, Dining, Food, PhotographyPoppy TookerJuly 28, 2018Louisiana Art and Science Museum, A Feast for the Eyes, Molly Birnbaum, Scott Gold, Pinky Harris, Chef Pinky Harris, LASM, Sandy Skoglund, Ryan Lee GalleryComment

A Shot of History Mixed With Inspiration at Tales

A Shot of History Mixed With Inspiration at Tales

It's July in New Orleans, which means two things: scorching temperatures and the hottest event in the spirits world — Tales of the Cocktail! On this week's show, we look at the annual summertime conference that brings the international cocktail scene to the Crescent City.

Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerJuly 21, 2018Tales of the Cocktail, Maggie Campbell, Privateer Rum, New York Times, Robert Simonson, The Old Fashioned, Charlotte Voisey, William Grant and Sons, Carousel Bar, Marvin Allen, The Old-Fashioned, Hotel MonteleoneComment

It's All Happening at The Zoo

It's All Happening at The Zoo

We begin at the Audubon Zoo, where zookeepers forge a nurturing connection with each animal they care for -- especially at meal time. Curators Liz Wilson and Dominique Fleitas invite us along as they make their daily rounds at the Zoo.

Food, Drink, Dining, Cookbooks, HistoryPoppy TookerJuly 14, 2018Audubon Zoo, Marsh Dog Treats, Louisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Brandon Schultz, Liz Wilson, Dominique Fleitas, Reggie Morris, Cooking for TwoComment

World Cup of Liquors

World Cup of Liquors

Every four years, World Cup fans join together in the spirit of international competition. On this week's show, we raise a glass to intercontinental camaraderie by tasting five exotic spirits produced across the globe.

Food, Drink, HistoryPoppy TookerJuly 6, 2018Derek Sandhaus, Baijiu Toast, George Nemec, Count Eduardo Branca, Fernet Branca, Johnny Schuler, Pisco Porton, Mizu Shochu, Jesse FalowitzComment

America - The Delicious

America - The Delicious

On this week's show, we're celebrating the 4th of July holiday by savoring the remarkable diversity that shapes America's food culture.

Cookbooks, Dining, Drink, Food, HistoryPoppy TookerJune 30, 2018Sarah Lohman, Gabrielle Langholtz, America: The Cookbook, Linda Meyers, George Meyers, Kate McDermott, Piechiatrist, The Art of The PieComment

Culinary Revolutionaries

Culinary Revolutionaries

On this week's show, we discuss sustainable food policy with culinary revolutionaries from around the world.

While growing up, Michel Nischan spent a lot of time on his grandfather’s farm. So the thought of eating fresh food was second nature to him. Now he's focused on changing food policy on a federal level.

Drink, Dining, History, SciencePoppy TookerJune 23, 2018Michel Nischan, Wynnie Stein, Moosewood Collective, Edward Mukiibi, Richard McCarthy, Louisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Slow Food USA, 10000 Gardens in Africa ProjectComment

Breaking The Bonds of Silence: Louisiana Eats Tours The Whitney Slavery Museum

Breaking The Bonds of Silence: Louisiana Eats Tours The Whitney Slavery Museum

In this special edition of Louisiana Eats, we celebrate Juneteenth — the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Drink, Dining, Food, Juneteenth, HistoryReggie MorrisJune 16, 2018Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, Juneteenth, Whitney Plantation, John Cummings, St. John the Baptist Parish, Dr. Ibrahim Seck, Haydel family, Sybil Haydel Morial, First Lady of New Orleans, Witness to ChangeComment

Happy Birthday, Louisiana Eats!

Happy Birthday, Louisiana Eats!

On this week's show, we’re celebrating the 8th anniversary of our show's debut!

We're digging through the archives for some of our favorite moments from the past 8 years, starting from the very beginning. The first episode of Louisiana Eats broadcast on June 9, 2010. That year also marked the 125th anniversary of New Orleans’ streetcar line. We look back at our very first field piece, when we took a streetcar ride with the late, great historian Michael Mizell-Nelson.

Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerJune 8, 2018Voodoo Spiritual Temple, Cakebread Cellars, American Harvest Workshop, Pauline Patterson, Stephen Patterson, Finn McCool's, Great Raft Brewing, Michael MIzell-Nelson, Priestess Miriam Chamani, Miriam Chamani, Napa ValleyComment

Not Your Typical Cup of Joe

Not Your Typical Cup of Joe

There’s nothing like a cup of good, hot coffee. On this week's show, we look at the art of the coffee bean in our state and beyond.

We begin with a local favorite—PJ’s Coffee—which Phyllis Jordan founded 40 years ago. Phyllis reflects on the early years, when she became the first commercial iced coffee purveyor in New Orleans.

Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerJune 2, 2018Louisiana Eats, Food, Drink, French Truck Coffee, Steampunk Coffee Roasters, Dub Rogers, PJ's Coffee, Phyllis Jordan, Geoffrey MeekerComment