Quick Bites: Italian Creole

On this week’s episode, we sit down with Loyola University history professor Justin Nystrom to explore the influence that Sicilian Americans have had on New Orleans foodways. Surprisingly, that influence didn’tbegin with the heavy influx of Sicilians who populated the city in great numbers during the late 1880’s. Those rural Sicilians made their mark on the French Market and created the sandwich we know as the muffalatta. Actually, the first wave of Italian immigrants were urban dwellers who arrived on our shores in the 1830’s and became wealthy importers and restaurateurs. Who knew that Commander’s Palace was actually founded by the son of an immigrant from Ustica whose father had Americanized his surname from Camarda to Commander? Or that those same Ustican immigrants were important members of the Southern Yacht Club – taking their leisure racing sloops on Lake Pontchartrain? Not exactly the image you might have in your mind of our Sicilian immigrants.

Food, Drink, Cookbooks, Book, RestaurantPoppy TookerSeptember 27, 2018Louisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Justin Nystrom, Loyola University, Commander's Palace, Southern Yacht Club, Creole Italian - Sicilian Immigrants and The Shaping of New Orleans Food Culture, Pascal's Manale Cookbook, Poppytooker.com, French MarketComment

Dreaming of a Place at the Table

On this week’s show, we take a look at immigration and its impact on the American food landscape.

We begin with Rick Bayless, whose award-winning Frontera restaurants are bolstered by workers who come from immigrant backgrounds. Rick explains how many of his staff members were brought to the country as children and are now facing an uncertain future.

Food, Drink, Dining, Book, CookbooksPoppy TookerAugust 18, 2018Rick Bayless, Frontera, Eddie Hernandez, Turnip Greens and Tortillas, Slavica Park, Comal Heritage Food Incubator, Edward Lee, Buttermilk Graffiti, Poppy Tooker, Louisiana EatsComment

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 recognized blog and book, Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana.

Drink, Dining, Food, CookbooksPoppy TookerAugust 4, 2018George Graham, Acadiana Table, Jarred Zeringue, Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse, Leroy Thomas, Jewel of the Bayou, The Zydeco RoadRunners, Alex Cook, Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana, Chef Jarred Zeringue, Wayne Jacob, Rock'n'BowlComment

It's All Happening at The Zoo

We begin at the Audubon Zoo, where zookeepers forge a nurturing connection with each animal they care for -- especially at meal time. Curators Liz Wilson and Dominique Fleitas invite us along as they make their daily rounds at the Zoo.