Cooking for the Culture: Recipes and Stories from the Streets of New Orleans to the Table — Louisiana Eats - Poppy Tooker

The Absinthe Underground

The Absinthe Underground

From the height of its popularity in the 19th century to its modern revival, absinthe has a long and storied history. A favorite pastime of artists, writers, and bohemians, the spirit known as "the green fairy" was subject to a near global ban for nearly a century due to myths about its hallucinogenic effects. Even after those bans were lifted around the turn of the millennium, its wild and mysterious reputation remains. On this week's show, we delve into the mythical world of this once illicit elixir.

Alchohol, Bars, Book, Cocktails, Cocktail Book, Drink, History, SciencePoppy TookerOctober 4, 2025absinthe, Old Absinthe House, Evan Rail, The Absinthe Forger, Marielle Songy, Absinthe Frappé, Ted Breaux, Louisiana Eats, Poppy TookerComment

South of the Border Spirits and Eats

South of the Border Spirits and Eats

With its proximity to Latin America, Louisiana has long enjoyed a treasure trove of delightful food and spirits from south of the border. This week, we take a long look at that bounty.

Drink, Dining, Cookbooks, HistoryPoppy TookerSeptember 27, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats!, Louisiana Eats, Ted Genoways, Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico, Jimena Urrutia, Marcelo Garcia, EmpanolaComment

The Maine Thing

The Maine Thing

Located at the opposite ends of the country, the states of Louisiana and Maine appear to share little in common at first glance. But take a closer look, and you'll see two places that share a passion for their distinct seafood culture – each home to a galaxy of culinary rockstars who elevate their local cuisine. On this week's show, Louisiana Eats takes you with us as we travel to Maine to explore the food scene in the Pine Tree State.

Baking Bonanza

Baking Bonanza

From crumbly cornbread that perfectly complements a home-cooked meal, to warm cookies that can make you forget any problem, baked treats are key to happy eaters everywhere. This week, we celebrate the delicious half-science, half-art that is baking!

Bakery, Dining, Drink, Education, CookbooksPoppy TookerSeptember 12, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, Anne Byrn, Baking in the American South, Jim Lahey, My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work No-Knead Method, Le Creuset, Renato Poliafito, Ciao Gloria, Dolci! American Baking with an Italian AccentComment

The Chinese In New Orleans

The Chinese In New Orleans

New Orleans has long been known for its Spanish, French, and African influences, so it can be easy to overlook the role the Chinese have played in our culture and cuisine since the mid-1800s. On this week's show, we explore the Chinese in the Crescent City – yesterday and today.

Dining, Fishing, Food, History, Restaurant, SeafoodPoppy TookerSeptember 6, 2025Winston Ho, Historic New Orleans Collection, Miss Shirley's, Shirley Lee, Carling Lee, Poppy Tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

Remembering Katrina, 20 Years Later

Remembering Katrina, 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago, on August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina violently swept through New Orleans. The storm and subsequent levee failures brought chaos and devastation to the city and surrounding areas. On this week's show, as we mark two decades since Katrina, we explore how New Orleans residents and businesses were able to respond quickly and creatively to rebuild our city.

Queer Food Stories

Queer Food Stories

Every Labor Day weekend, tens of thousands of members of the LGBTQ community from around the world gather in New Orleans for the five-day party known as Southern Decadence. To celebrate, this week, we bring you stories of culinarians expressing queerness through food.

Book, Dining, Food, History, RestaurantPoppy TookerAugust 23, 2025Southern Decadence, John Birdsall, Kitten N' Lou, Chance in Hell Snoballs, Poppy tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

Ralph's On The Park? Ralph's On The Air!

Ralph's On The Park? Ralph's On The Air!

Brennan's Restaurant on Royal Street is grander than ever – all thanks to the loving care of founder Owen Brennan's nephew, Ralph Brennan. Named one of the 20 most influential restaurant people in the country by Restaurant Business Magazine, Ralph runs some of the city's finest dining destinations. On this week's show, we sit down with Ralph Brennan himself to discuss his life in food.

Alchohol, Champagne, Dining, Drink, Food, RestaurantPoppy TookerAugust 15, 2025Brennan's Restaurant, Brennan's, Brennan family, Ralph Brennan, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Braithe Tidwell, Turtle Parade, Piper Heidsieck, Ryan Hacker, Poppy tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

Dishes (And Drinks) That Define Us

Dishes (And Drinks) That Define Us

The origins of our food and foodways are usually not well known and can sometimes be hard to track down. After all, how do you figure out the origins of something that’s been around for centuries? On this week’s show, we learn the history behind dishes that define our American cuisine and the traditions surrounding them.

Book, Cookbooks, Dining, DrinkPoppy TookerAugust 9, 2025Poppy tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, David Shields, The Culinarians, Fred Minnick, Gabrielle Langholtz, America: The Cookbook, Yong Chen, Chop Suey USAComment

Summer Travel (No Baggage Required)

Summer Travel (No Baggage Required)

Summers in Louisiana tend to linger longer than elsewhere in the U.S., and for many locals, the heat is a perfect excuse to skip town for more exotic destinations. But for those of us who plan to stick around, there are plenty of ways to take a vacation without needing to pack a bag.

Artists, Dining, Drink, Education, Book, FishingPoppy TookerAugust 1, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, Samuel Peery, King Brasserie, The Bell, Exhibition Hub, Titanic: An Immersive Voyage, John ZallerComment

Behind The Bamboo Curtain

Behind The Bamboo Curtain

Although South Louisiana does not provide the easiest growing conditions, when fueled by passion and obsession, it's amazing what can be done. On this week's show, we introduce you to some real alternative thinkers who are successfully cultivating the unusual and the exotic.

Dining, Drink, FoodPoppy TookerJuly 26, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, SG Tiki Farm, Ernie Foundas, Suis Generis, Adrienne Bell, Mark Sanders, Ninth Ward Nursery, Kay Koppedrayer, Cooking With BambooComment

Cocktail Evolution

Cocktail Evolution

Each year in July, cocktailians by the tens of thousands descend on New Orleans for an industry convention unlike any other: Tales of the Cocktail. This week, we take you behind the scenes of the annual five-day event and meet some of the people you might run into there.

Alchohol, Bars, Cocktails, Distillery, Drink, HealthPoppy TookerJuly 19, 2025Tales of the Cocktail, Charlotte Voisey, Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Jackie Summers, Sorel, Tim Etherington-Judge, Health Hospo, Poppy Tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

Kitchen Wisdom

Kitchen Wisdom

Here in Louisiana, intergenerational cooking is a way of life. Who doesn't treasure their great grandmother's gumbo recipe or still use their mom's roasting pan? This week, we talk with Chef Nini Nguyen and Sarah Ahn, two women of East Asian heritage whose families and cultures share that motherly love expressed through food.

Book, Cookbooks, Dining, Food, History, Memoirs, Restaurant, TV, TV ShowPoppy TookerJuly 12, 2025Nini Nguyen, Dac Biet, Sarah Ahn, Ahnest Kitchen, Umma, Louisiana Eats!, Poppy TookerComment

French Connections

French Connections

French culture holds a special place in Louisiana's heart, whether it's music, language, or food! On this week's show, we travel to France virtually and bring home a taste of their lifestyle and cuisine.

Book, Cookbooks, Dining, Drink, FoodPoppy TookerJuly 5, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, Makenna Held, Mostly French: Recipes from a Kitchen in Provence, Alexsandra Crapanzano, Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes, Paris by Mouth, Jennifer Greco, Caractère de Cochon, Dominique RIzzo, Celctica BakeryComment

Rising Horizons

Rising Horizons

A lot of magic can be made with nothing more than flour, sugar, and, of course, butter! On this week's show, we explore the magic that some folks are achieving with just that combination.

Dining, Drink, BakeryPoppy TookerJune 28, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Louisiana Eats!, Juliana Fernandes, Juliana Freire, Juliana's Brazilian Bakery and Cafe, Ralph the Baker, Martha GilreathComment

Louisiana Legends - Part Two

Louisiana Legends - Part Two

This month, as Louisiana Eats marks our 15th anniversary, we're relishing the opportunity to bring you some favorite moments from our archives. We begin with our 2011 interview with the late civil rights activist, Dr. Rudy Lombard. He talks about his role in the 1960 McCrory's lunch counter sit-in and what motivated him to write his seminal 1978 book, "Creole Feast."

Book, Drink, Dining, HistoryPoppy TookerJune 20, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats!, Louisiana Eats, Dr. Rudy Lombard, Creole Feast, Clarence "Buster" Holmes, Barry Martyn, Chef Susan Spicer, Michael Mizell-Nelson, Mildred CovertComment

Louisiana Legends - Part One

Louisiana Legends - Part One

Louisiana Eats hit a major milestone last week – 15 years on the air. That's well over 500 episodes featuring somewhere around a thousand different voices! This week, we bring you three interviews from our archives that celebrate some late, great Louisiana legends.

Dining, TV, History, FoodPoppy TookerJune 14, 2025Poppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats!, Louisiana Eats, Chef Paul Prudhomme, K-Paul's, Chef Frank Brigtsen, Terry Flettrich Rohe, Al ScramuzzaComment

15 Years Of Louisiana Eats!

15 Years Of Louisiana Eats!

On this week's show, we're celebrating the 15th anniversary of our show's debut! We've dug through our archives to bring you some of our favorite moments over the past decade and a half, with an emphasis on Louisiana culture and cuisine. Today's show includes everyone from a voodoo priestess to an oyster shucking legend. We'll take a ride on a New Orleans streetcar and even sip a beer from the first brewery in Shreveport since Prohibition.

Poor Boy Pride

Poor Boy Pride

In 1983, the Louisiana legislature named crawfish as the official state crustacean. In 2008, they proclaimed the Sazerac as New Orleans' official cocktail. And on June 1, 2024, Billy Nungesser, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, proclaimed Blue Plate Mayonnaise to be the official mayo of poor boy sandwiches. On this week's show, we explore some other essential poor boy ingredients.

A Tribute To The Cake Man – Steve Himelfarb

A Tribute To The Cake Man – Steve Himelfarb

On February 5th of this year, Steve Himelfarb, a longtime fixture in New Orleans' food scene and Louisiana Eats producer, passed away at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. On this week's show, we remember our friend and colleague by bringing you extended versions of two interviews with him over the years. We also speak with sound engineer and producer Lu Rojas, who shares stories of Steve's esteemed music career.