This week, Louisiana Eats takes you to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where there's always an abundance of music, food, and art. We've got you covered on all fronts.
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In many places, the cocktail hour is an honored – even sacred – tradition. And in few places is that more true than New Orleans. On this week's show, we explore the fascinating evolution of cocktail culture in the Big Easy – its past, present and future.
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Chinese cooking has been a part of the American dining scene since the mid-1800s and remains an integral aspect of the industry today. This week, we take an in-depth look at the Chinese restaurant tradition from a variety of perspectives.
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Since reopening with much fanfare in 2015, New Orleans' St. Roch Market has experienced ups and downs, but the city's second oldest city market is still standing. On this week's show, we meet its new director, longtime vendor Kevin Pedeaux, and learn why that bustling spot on St. Claude is the place to be these days. We also hear from Chef Charly Pierre, who is one of St. Roch Market's biggest success stories, Today, Charly can be found in the kitchen of his own Basin Street restaurant, Fritai.
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March 19th might be just another day in other parts of the United States, but here in New Orleans it's a day when revelers take to the streets in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph. The tradition of food altars dedicated to Jesus' foster father came to the Crescent City in the late 1800s with immigrants from Sicily, where Joseph is the patron saint. What was called Mi-Carême (or Mid-Lent by the Creoles) was a day when fasting was suspended and festivities abounded. On this week's show, we explore the holiday and join in on the celebration.
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On this week's show, we meet New Orleans chefs who have stepped into the spotlight. We begin with Anh Luu. In January, the whole country got to know Chef Anh when she was featured on the eighth season of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, Queer Eye. We also have an extended conversation with New Orleans chef and YouTube star Toya Boudy, whose first cookbook is Cooking for the Culture: Recipes and Stories from the Streets of New Orleans to the Table.
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Historically, when people consider the roots of classic Creole food, the French are given most of the credit. But lately there has been increasing focus on the African hand that stirred those pots. New Orleans has been blessed in recent years with an influx of young African chefs and restaurateurs who have been busy shedding new light on where our food really came from. On this week's show, we honor those ancestors with the help of New Orleans’ new African culinary guard.
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It's Carnival time in New Orleans! But the Big Easy isn't the only place people are celebrating. Just across Lake Pontchartrain sits St. Tammany Parish, a combination of bedroom communities and small towns that embrace nature and a laid-back existence. There, folks in towns such as Slidell, Mandeville, and Madisonville have developed their own unique forms of Mardi Gras merriment. On this week's show, we hear from three of those revelers.
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What makes a food distinctly American? This week, Louisiana Eats explores that topic by serving a heaping helping of Americana – in decidedly Southern-sized portions. We sit down with native son, Burke Bischoff, whose paperback Po'Boy, tells the story of the classic New Orleans poor boy sandwich. We also speak with anthropologist Ty Matejowsky, author of Smothered and Covered: Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary.
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In New Orleans and across our state, we're surrounded by history. Our architecture, museums, and libraries tell us stories of bygone eras. But arguably the best place to get a taste of Louisiana history is in any of our historic restaurants. On this week's show, we look at culinary landmarks that have been dining destinations for generations.
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Twelfth Night marks the birth of the late New Orleans icon, Leah Chase. The culinary legend, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 96, was the undisputed Queen of Creole Cooking and a civil rights activist who changed lives over a bowl of gumbo. On this week's show, we spend the hour honoring Leah's talent, achievements, and lasting legacy.
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From New Orleans to Shreveport, Lafayette to Baton Rouge, Louisiana residents know one thing for sure: we have some good Louisiana eats! And we expect our classics – from the red beans in the pot to the hot sauce we douse over it liberally – to be exactly the same as we remember from our grandmother's table growing up. This week, we take a look at three Louisiana companies that each have satisfied local appetites for the last 100 years.
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For foodies and food lovers, eating is more than just a daily necessity – it's an all-consuming passion. While this can be mostly a good thing, the long term effects of food obsession can have their drawbacks. Nationally prominent comedian and actor Dan Ahdoot knows these downsides all too well. In his debut memoir, Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That's a Dumb Way to Live, Dan examines his emotional relationship with food starting from childhood, and provides both an honest and comedic look at where that has gotten him.
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The elves are busy in Santa's workshop at this time of year! So as we head into the big holiday gift-giving time, Louisiana Eats is talking with some home-grown, Louisiana elves for delicious inspiration. We speak with Jady Regard of Cane River Pecan Company, visit New Orleans chocolatier Christopher Nobles of Piety and Desire Chocolate, and celebrate 40 years of Orleans Coffee with Bob Arceneaux.
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In our increasingly fast-paced world, traditional foods and foodways often have trouble competing with speed and convenience. But never fear. All over the planet there are people working to save the superior flavor, nutrition, and cultural significance of heritage foods. On this week's show, we introduce you to some of our greatest heritage food warriors.
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Who taught you how to cook? Perhaps it was a favorite family member or Julia Child on public television. Maybe you devour cookbooks on the weekend just for fun. The education of a professional chef can be just varied – be it a formal degree or on-the-job training. On this week's show, we explore culinary learning.
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A recipe can be more than a guide to making food. On this week's show, we meet culinary detectives who are using recipes to unlock the past. We begin with the inspiring story of humanity preserved through recipes from the time of the Holocaust. Chef Alon Shaya joins us to share the story of a family cookbook he encountered while visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and how it led to a collaboration and friendship with Steven Fenves, a man who survived the horrors of that time. Through their Rescued Recipes project, Alon and Steven have raised over $500,000 to benefit the same museum that brought them together.
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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! Guests include culinary historian Sarah Lohman, who travels back in time to share the earliest food traditions surrounding death, and bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Erin Hayes, who discuss their Halloween-themed pop-up bar experience called Black Lagoon.
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The way we eat and talk about food is linked to our individual and collective identities. On this week's show, we look at the origins of some of our favorite foods and common misconceptions about them. We speak with journalist and food historian Lolis Eric Elie, author Anya von Bremzen, and playwright and stage director Eva Doumbia.
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Less than an hour's drive from New Orleans' French Quarter, Baton Rouge, and Mississippi's Gulf Coast is Lake Pontchartrain's Northshore. The charming towns of Madisonville, Mandeville, and Abita Springs are filled with hospitality and delicious dining opportunities. On this week's show, we cross the Causeway to visit our Northshore neighbors.
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