15 Years Of Hauntings - Part 1

Charlotte Smith Hamrick / Flickr

While Mardi Gras and Thanksgiving are all fine and good, here at Louisiana Eats, our very favorite holiday has always been Halloween! Every October since the show's debut in 2010, we've gotten into the spooky spirit by bringing you stories of the silly, the supernatural, and the downright scary! This week and next, we continue our crystal anniversary celebration by bringing you two special Halloween episodes featuring moments old and new from the past 15 years.

We begin with Chef Greg Picolo, whom we spoke with for our very first Halloween show back in 2010 and then again in 2019. It seems like no matter where Greg goes, paranormal activity keeps following him!

Or is it just that nowhere in New Orleans is safe from hauntings? Greg's tale leads us to one Mid-City restaurant whose specters' hijinks have remained consistent through three different owners. Celeste Bergeron McCann and Chef Greg of Vessel's two former iterations⁠ – Christian's and Redemption, respectively – tell us about their paranormal experiences with the building's more malevolent spirits.

Next, we delve further into the supernatural with Manbo Sallie Ann Glassman, who has been practicing Vodou in the Crescent City since 1977. She tells us about the role food plays in ceremonial Haitian Vodou and describes the Day of the Dead / Fèt Gede celebration she leads in the New Orleans Healing Center every November 1st. We also go into her botanica to see some of the unusual elements the Vodou priestess brings into play.

Hear an extended version of our conversation with Sallie Ann in our 2014 Halloween episode.

Then, New Orleans writer Scott Gold recommends some spill-chilling dishes to serve at your Halloween party – a menu that, when first broadcast in 2014, gave rise to a true Emily Litella moment.

Finally, we learn the art of obituary-writing from the emissary of eternal rest, John Pope. For nearly 50 years, John has marked the deaths of countless New Orleanians with his well-researched and poignant obituaries. In 2015, he compiled an anthology of 123 of his most memorable obits into his classic volume, "Getting Off at Elysian Fields," which was recently released in paperback.