Posts in Dining
Halloween Spooktacular

Darkness falls across the land, and Halloween is close at hand. This week, we're getting into the spooky spirit by touring some of Louisiana’s most paranormal locales.

We’ll begin at the center of New Orleans’ supernatural history, the French Quarter. Lisa Blount of Antoine’s Restaurant gives us a tour of their ghostliest sites. 

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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

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Hot Ham And Cold Beer

Whether it “ain’t der no more” or it’s a holiday tradition, iconic brands have a particular staying power over New Orleanians. We love the foods and flavors of nostalgia. On this week’s show, we look back at some favorite brands of the past, and celebrate others that are still thriving!

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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.

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Back In Class

On this week’s show, we're going back to school for no ordinary education. 

We begin with Chef Jeremiah Tower, whose book, Table Manners, offers a 21st century guide to being a better host and guest. Jeremiah’s lessons on etiquette — and “techiquette” — come from a decades-long career owning and operating restaurants from California to Hong Kong.

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Listening To The Flip Side Of History

To tell a truly engaging story, you have to dig deep beneath the surface. When it comes to radio storytelling, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, are masters. Through projects like Lost and Found Sound and Hidden World of Girls, the independent producers tell stories for NPR and online "from the flip side of history."

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Le Grand Hoorah On The Cajun Prairie

Louisiana Eats is on the road again, this time to Evangeline Parish, where residents show pride for their French, Cajun, and Creole heritage through their food, music, and traditions. On this week's show, we participate in the annual Le Grand Hoorah celebration, while hitting many iconic spots along the Cajun Prairie.

We begin in downtown Mamou, where our gracious host Valerie Cahill gives us a grand welcome at the historic Hotel Cazan. Then, we grab breakfast down the road at the charming Krazy Cajun's Cafe. Don and Judy Secia serve up stories of Mamou's annual Mardi Gras celebration with a side of calas.

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Nourishing Change

The South has a rich and varied food history, but too often it's reduced to stereotype. On this week's show, we explore the influence of the South on America’s culinary identity, and the central role African-American and immigrant cooks played in its formation. 

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Victuals And Spider Legs

On this week’s show, we take a sonic journey through Appalachia to explore the history and legacy of its unique foodways.


We begin with Troy Ball, whose hobby as a moonshiner became a means of helping her family survive financial ruin. Troy’s memoir, Pure Heart, tells a very personal story of raising two special needs sons while becoming the first legal female moonshiner in Southern history.

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An Ocean Of Cocktails

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.

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Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

On this week's show, just in time for the Fourth of July, we're celebrating the good old-fashioned American barbecue and the even older tradition of curing meat for preservation and eating.


We begin with Rien Fertel, author of The One True Barbecue, who demystifies the role of the pit master in the tradition of whole hog barbecue in Tennessee and the Eastern Carolinas. Rien’s exhaustive research led him to some of the smokiest and most storied barbecue shacks in America. But you may want to keep your distance, if those pigs catch on fire, it won't just be the fireworks exploding! 

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Ranchers, Farmers And Fishermen Of The Mississippi Watershed

On this week’s show, we take an in-depth look at the unlikely conservationists who work along the Mississippi River watershed.

We begin with author Miriam Horn, whose book Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman profiles five people who sustain production while preserving their environment. Miriam joins us to talk about her discovery — that there’s much more that unites Americans than divides us.

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Delta Hot Tamales

On this week’s show, we travel to Greenville, Mississippi for their annual Delta Hot Tamale Festival

  

We begin by speaking with author Julia Reed, who participates as the festival’s official Pizzazz Consultant. Julia’s writing has graced the pages of NewsweekThe Wall Street Journal, Vogue Magazine and Garden and Gun. She shares memories of the very first Hot Tamale Festival and the significance of the hot tamale in the Mississippi Delta.

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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.

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Louisiana Eats Tours Farms Afield And At Sea

On this week's show, we hit the road to tour a variety of farms that do everything from growing fresh produce to raising colonies of honeybees. We begin with a tour of Mahaffey Farms in Princeton, Louisiana, where Evan McCommon has been converting his family's timber ranch into a biodiverse farm. The changes have been slow, but his resolve steady as the 1,100 acres change from a dense forest to an open savannah.

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Angling For Dinner: Louisiana's Catch And Cook Program

On this week’s show, we’re traveling from Lafitte bayous to French Quarter kitchens for a look at Louisiana’s Catch and Cook Program. Under Catch and Cook, charter fishing groups can bring their catch to a participating restaurant, where the chef will prepare their fresh-caught fish to order.

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