This edition of Louisiana Eats! takes a look back at the year that was 2021 – its challenges and its losses. Many restaurants and bars have closed their doors in the last two years, but when JoAnn Clevenger announced that New Orleans' beloved Upperline Restaurant would not reopen after initially closing due to the pandemic in March 2020, the entire city reeled with the news. We revisit our conversation with JoAnn from 2016.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we meet some folks who have moved on to new adventures in their lives.
Read MoreThere’s no getting around it – August is HOT down here in Louisiana, so we thought a virtual vacation in Scandinavia just might provide a little chill. We begin with chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. His Scandinavian connection is that although Ethiopian born – he was raised by adoptive parents in Sweden, giving him an unusual world view. The James Beard Award-winner and Top Chef master is also author of the bestselling memoir, Yes, Chef.
Read MoreJohn Kennedy Toole's novel A Confederacy of Dunces is internationally revered for having captured the essence and eccentricity of New Orleans — and for introducing readers to its larger-than-life protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly. On this week's show, we take a culinary look between the pages of the book that, 37 years ago, was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. We begin with Spud McConnell, well known for his portrayal of Ignatius on stage.
Read MoreDo you already have an air fryer on your kitchen counter or are you hoping to receive one as a gift this holiday season? On this edition of Quick Bites we’re diving deep into the hottest of all kitchen appliances and what comes out of them – the air fryer.
Read MoreOn this week’s episode, we take a deep dive into the cuisine and culture of Asia, with an emphasis on China. We begin with Karen Christensen, founder of Berkshire Publishing who has pursued her interest in Asia through the amazing books she’s compiled. Karen shares her thoughts and experiences on all things culinary from East Asia to Afghanistan.
Read MoreOn this week’s episode, we take a deep dive into the cuisine and culture of Asia, with an emphasis on China. We begin with Karen Christensen, founder of Berkshire Publishing who has pursued her interest in Asia through the amazing books she’s compiled. Karen shares her thoughts and experiences on all things culinary from East Asia to Afghanistan.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we gather together some of the best of the cookbook world for some vicarious travel.
We begin with culinary superstar Sean Brock. In his bestselling cookbook, “South,” the award-winning chef breaks down the essential elements of Southern cuisine, from corn bread to shrimp and grits, highlighting regional differences in certain dishes. Sean sits down with us to discuss his book and explain what he’s doing to explore the possibilities of Southern food.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we remember New Orleans culinary dynamo Carl Schaubhut, whose life was cut tragically short on September 9, 2019 at the age of 37 following a five-year battle with cancer. We begin by revisiting our 2017 conversation with Carl, where he tells us about his electrifying career that included opening two critically acclaimed restaurants DTB in New Orleans and Bacobar in Covington.
Read MoreJohn Kennedy Toole's novel A Confederacy of Dunces is internationally revered for having captured the essence and eccentricity of New Orleans — and for introducing readers to its larger-than-life protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly. On this week's show, we take a culinary look between the pages of the book that, 37 years ago, was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Read MoreAmericans waste 373 million pounds of food each day. That’s a pound per person. On this week’s show, we’re talking trash — in a productive way, of course! We meet a few individuals who are working to tackle the widespread problem of food and water waste.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we'll explore the immense influence that Italian foodways had on the development of New Orleans cuisine. We'll time travel through the years of the family-operated Uptown gem, Pascal's Manale. This history, which is now immortalized in Poppy's new book, The Pascal's Manale Cookbook, focuses on two Sicilian immigrant families, the Manales and the Radostas, forebearers of today's Defelice clan, who continue the Manale tradition today. Three generations of family share their stories with us.
Read MoreIn 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!
Read MoreOn 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.
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.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read More
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.
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.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we're celebrating the 4th of July holiday by savoring the remarkable diversity that shapes America's food culture.
Read More
