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.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreWith a unique history reaching back centuries, Louisiana is a state that lends itself to storytelling. On this week's show, we're joined by two historians to get the true stories behind some common myths and misconceptions. And sandwiched between them, we speak with two authors of historical fiction whose books make our state's past come alive.
Read MoreNew Orleans began her love affair with coffee three centuries ago. Any local of a certain age can remember the grown-ups of their childhood spending hours around the kitchen table drinking a strong French roast blended with chicory. This week we sit down with a cup of coffee and some folks who can tell us the story of coffee in New Orleans.
Read MoreThis week, Louisiana Eats takes you to the Williams Research Center for the Historic New Orleans Collection's 2024 Food Forum, where host Poppy Tooker moderated a panel discussion that delved into the fascinating stories of three of the city's most enduring restaurants – all family-owned and -operated for generations.
Read MoreNew Orleans is one of the oldest cities in America, but its acclaimed cuisine is hardly stuck in the past. Today, the local food scene is bolder, more diverse, and more inventive than ever. That's what food writer Beth D'Addono discovered when researching her latest publication, "City Eats: New Orleans." Beth joins us to discuss the city's talented new guard of chefs and restaurateurs. We also dig into two restaurants featured in Beth's book: Addis Nola and GW Fins.
Read MoreOn this week's Louisiana Eats, we're traveling down south to Argentina! In November 2023, host Poppy Tooker made the long trek to Buenos Aires, where she discovered a cosmopolitan city that sometimes felt like Paris and sometimes seemed like Manhattan. We tour of the city's San Telmo neighborhood, meet celebrity chef Narda Lepes, and sit down with an American ambassador at the Bosch Palace.
Read MoreWhether it's through television, books, or blogs – Louisiana's food culture is reaching audiences far beyond our borders. On this week's show, we meet three unofficial ambassadors who represent our state and cuisine on the world stage.
Read MoreWhile most of the country makes New Year's resolutions that kick in right after January 1st, in Louisiana, there tends to be a slight postponement. That's because Carnival Season, a time of indulgence, kicks off on January 6th with the astounding king cake eating and cocktail drinking that comes with it. So, our resolutions about healthy living and sobriety tend to wait until Ash Wednesday – the day after Mardi Gras. This week, we hear from experts about the merits of clean living.
Read MoreIn many cultures across the globe, food is closely intertwined with spirituality and religion. The Passover seder celebrates the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr marks the end of a month-long fast, with families gathering for a large celebratory meal. And the Christian gospels contain stories of Jesus breaking bread, multiplying loaves and fishes, and turning water into wine. On this week’s show, we meditate on the elemental link between food and faith.
Read MoreChinese 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.
Read MoreMardi Gras is just around the corner. That means king cake lovers only have a matter of days remaining to enjoy a slice of the beloved Carnival treat before Lent begins. But how do you pick the right king cake for you? With hundreds of varieties to choose from, it can be a daunting task. For this week's show, we've reached out to some king cake experts for help.
Read MoreNo matter where you live in Louisiana, it's Mardi Gras time! Carnival is when we all get to suspend our disbelief, don a mask, do or be something outrageous. This week, we explore the many ways people celebrate the season. Abby Roniger's new children's book depicts the joy and excitement of being a kid at Mardi Gras. Sally Asher tells us what it’s like to ride, dance, and roller skate down the parade route. And John LaFleur discusses the Courir de Mardi Gras, a ritual that takes place in rural Creole and Cajun parishes.
Read MoreSince 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.
Read MoreOn Sunday, February 9th, over 100,000 people are expected to pack into New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. This will mark the 11th Super Bowl in the city, tying Miami for most in NFL history. And there's a good reason the big game keeps coming back to the Big Easy: our food and hospitality are second to none. On this week's show, we celebrate iconic Louisiana foods that those swarms of sports fans will be seeking out during their stay.
Read MoreLife in the food biz is often regarded as glamorous and exciting, but in reality, it's a hard life – exemplified by long hours and frequent financial challenges. For many, it's the only life imaginable. On this week's show, we speak with Chef Nathianial Zimet, owner of Boucherie and Bourrée in New Orleans, and Drew Ramsey, whose family has run Hubig's for three generations. Both tell us their tales of tragedy to triumph.
Read MoreTwelfth 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreThe fascinating food business is so multifaceted that it's always changing and evolving. On this week’s show, we look at how delicious new products make it from concept to dinner table and how one simple product turned ordinary folks into food celebrities.
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