Posts in Food
Recipes Lost And Found
Recipes Lost And Found

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 $250,000 to benefit the same museum that brought them together.

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Cookbooks, Dining, Drink, FoodPoppy TookerComment
The Culinarily Curious
The Culinarily Curious

To write a cookbook, a good author will go to great lengths to perfect a recipe or understand a cuisine. On this week's show, we meet four food writers who are driven by a deep culinary curiosity. You may know Melissa Clark from her weekly column in the New York Times food section or from one of her 45-odd published cookbooks. Melissa joins us, as does Vicky Bennison, the creator of the YouTube sensation, Pasta Grannies.

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Dining, Drink, Food, CookbooksPoppy TookerPoppy Tooker, Louisiana Eats, Melissa Clark, Dinner In One, Vicky Bennison, Pasta Grannies, Emmanuel Laroche, Conversations Behind The Kitchen Door, Marti Buckley, Basque CountryComment
Ella Brennan Award Winners
Ella Brennan Award Winners

New Orleans chefs Susan Spicer and Frank Brigtsen are both culinary icons. They are also back-to-back recipients of the coveted Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award, presented each year by the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. On this week's show, we sit down with both honorees – who each have culinary careers spanning over 40 years – to learn about their successes and the challenges they overcame to become the legends they are today.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats!, Poppy tooker, Susan Spicer, Bayona, Rosedale, Frank Brigtsen, Brigtsen's, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, Ella Brennan, Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement AwardComment
Behind The Rolling Pin
Behind The Rolling Pin

In the last few years, many people have turned to home baking as a distraction, as solace, and for fun. But nothing beats the sweet and inventive creations of a professional pastry chef. On this week's show, we get a peek into the lives and careers of those behind the rolling pin.

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Food, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Bronwen Wyatt, Bayou St. Cake, Kelly Jacques, Samantha Weiss, Ayu Bakehouse, Jacquy Pfeiffer, The French Pastry School, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris HegedusComment
Leah Chase: A Centennial Celebration
Leah Chase: A Centennial Celebration

Twelfth Night 2023 marks 100 years since 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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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Leah Chase, Dooky Chase, Mitch Landrieu, Mark Cave, Historic New Orleans Collection, Edgar "Dooky" Chase, James Beard FoundationComment
Louisiana Eats! 2022 Year In Review
Louisiana Eats! 2022 Year In Review

This week, we look back at some memorable highlights from 2022 and remember those we've lost. We begin with our 2011 conversation with Tennessee Williams scholar Dr. Kenneth Holditch, who died in December. Then, we take you back to Jackson Square, where Today Show co-stars Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager tell us what keeps bringing them back to the Crescent City. That's before we visit a place for tourists and locals alike: Vue Orleans. Finally, we return – with an update – to the backyard garden of Jack Sweeney, a New Orleanian whose okra plant grew so tall that it got the attention of the folks at Guinness World Records.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Kenneth Holditch, Tennessee Williams, Today Show, Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, Vue Orleans, Jack Sweeney, Big Okra, Guinness World Records, Year In Review, 2022Comment
Historical Eats
Historical Eats

What do Antoine’s in New Orleans, Sylvia’s in Harlem, The Mandarin in San Francisco, and the once powerful chain of Howard Johnson’s restaurants all have in common? According to Yale professor Paul Freedman, they are all part of an influential group of Ten Restaurants That Changed America. On this week’s show, we sit down with Paul to discuss his book by that name, which weaves together culinary and social history – from lunch counter dining to the vanguards of haute cuisine.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats!, Antoine's, The Mandarin, Howard Johnson's, Paul Freedman, Ten Restaurants That Changed America, Jim Heimann, TASCHEN America, Menu Design in America, David Cappello, John G. Schwegmann, Poppy TookerComment
A Very Merry Zero-Proof Holiday
A Very Merry Zero-Proof Holiday

It's the time of year for celebrations, and on this week's show, we're bringing the party – but without the booze! Our zero-proof holiday begins with a visit to Dream House Lounge in New Orleans. There, Dr. David Wallace serves up drinks that use adaptogens like kava or reishi mushrooms instead of alcohol. Aside from its delicious drinks and energizing oxygen bar, Dream House is a place where David encourages what he calls "soul-care" – a place for guests to nurture good spiritual and mental health.

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Food, Drink, Dining, SciencePoppy TookerDr. David Walllace, Dream House Lounge, Ben's Friends, Ben Murray, Mickey Bakst, Steve Palmer, Hailey Hosler, Molly Kimball, Melanie Warner Spencer, Drink Fit ClubComment
The Apothecary Around The Corner
The Apothecary Around The Corner

Alcohol in almost any form is one of the oldest medicines known to man. On this week's show, we explore the world of high proof healing. We start with Camper English, author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails. Camper covers everything from mystic botanicals and their monastic apothecary origins to the unusual relationship between syphilis and root beer.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Camper English, Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails, Noah Rothbaum, Darcy O'Neil, Stephanie Haeberlin, Art FarmComment
Tastemaking Legends
Tastemaking Legends

On this week's show, we explore the lives of New Orleans tastemaking legends and meet the next generation who are following in their footsteps. We begin with Al Copeland Jr., who recently memorialized his famous Popeyes-founding father in a book entitled Secrets of a Tastemaker. Written by Chris Rose, Kit Wohl, and the Copeland family, the book shares Al's life story – from his humble beginnings and through its highs and lows.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Al Copeland Jr, Popeyes, Secrets of a Tastemaker, Chris Rose, Kit Wohl, Chef Warren Leruth, Green Goddess, Baumer Foods, Al Baumer Jr., Pepper BaumerComment
Northshore Road Trip
Northshore Road Trip

On this week's show, we’re trekking across the Causeway once again to explore the culinary scene in St. Tammany Parish. We begin at Backwater Farmstead in the rural town of Bush, Louisiana. There, Ross McKnight and his family make foie gras, a luxury food they hope to make more accessible in our state.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerBackwater Farmstead, Jeremy Reilly, Alyssa Reilly, Louisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Restaurant Cote, The Maple Room, Nick Asprodities, The Blue Crab Restaurant, Chef Jeff Mattia, Pyre Provisions, Pyre BBQComment
St. Tammany Taste Quick Bites: Abita Brew Pub
St. Tammany Taste Quick Bites: Abita Brew Pub

Abita Brew Pub is owned and operated by the second generation of the Essaied family who serve delicious American fare in a comfortable, casual atmosphere right on the Abita Springs Trailhead. Every November, the world comes straight to the pub's door when they host the annual Abita Fall Fest, bringing 12 hours of nonstop music, food, and fun. We sat down with Anthony Essaied and his ace volunteer Jamie Foster to learn more about the Brew Pub's story and the Abita Fall Fest.

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Drink, Dining, FoodPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats!, Poppy tooker, Abita Brew Pub, Abita Springs, Anthony Essaied, Jamie Foster, Abita Fall FestComment
Considering Creole, Keeping The Culture
Considering Creole, Keeping The Culture

Do you have a favorite hot spot where your family has gathered for generations? Is it still there? Sadly, when it comes to Black-owned bars and lounges, many have been disappearing from local landscapes – often without fanfare or mention. New Orleans native L. Kasimu Harris has watched with dismay as many of these vital Black establishments have closed their doors in recent years.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats!, Poppy Tooker, L. Kasimu Harris, Vanishing Black Bars and Lounges, Toure Folks, Turning Tables, Vance Vaucresson, Vaucresson's Creole Cafe & DeliComment
St. Tammany Taste Quick Bites: Backwater Foie Gras
St. Tammany Taste Quick Bites: Backwater Foie Gras

Foie gras – that’s French for fat liver. This celebrated luxury food is found mostly in high end restaurants where even a small amount is quite costly. Traditionally, foie gras production has centered in the Aquitaine region of France where for hundreds of years ducks and geese have been carefully fattened in order to produce the large, ivory colored lobes.

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Drink, Dining, FoodPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats!, Poppy Tooker, Backwater Foie Gras, Mailys Dias, Ross McKnight, Dan McKnight, Dorothy McKnight Comments
Where Are You From?
Where Are You From?

Where are you from? While what we eat may reveal our origins, it can also reflect our life's travels from one home to another. Chef Anh Luu was born in New Orleans to parents who emigrated to the United States from Vietnam. She discovered her love of restaurants at the age of 15 when she first began working the line. When Katrina blew Anh and her family to Portland, Oregon, she became a pioneer of Viet-Cajun cuisine – an amalgamation of her Vietnamese and Louisiana heritage. She's now back in New Orleans, serving up her signature dishes at Bywater Brew Pub.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy tooker, Anh Luu, Vishwish Bhatt, Jacqueline Blanchard, Jackie Blanchard, Bywater Brew Pub, Snackbar, SukebanComment
Family Style Food Love
Family Style Food Love

What does family mean to you? For the folks on this week's show, when it comes to food, family means everything. NOCCA Culinary Arts student and Chopped Junior champion Retiba Hagazzi is a perfect example of that. The bright, ambitious teenager learned how to love people through food from her father, Khaled. They share that love with the world every time their food truck, Sittoo's Kitchen pulls up. They join us in the studio to share their story.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerRetiba Hagazzi, Sittoo's Kitchen, Jared Zeringue, Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse, John Gendusa, Jason Gendusa, Khaled HegazziComment
Behind The Rolling Pin
Behind The Rolling Pin

In the last few years, many people have turned to home baking as a distraction, as solace, and for fun. But nothing beats the sweet and inventive creations of a professional pastry chef. On this week's show, we get a peek into the lives and careers of those behind the rolling pin.

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Food, Drink, DiningPoppy TookerLouisiana Eats, Poppy Tooker, Bronwen Wyatt, Bayou St. Cake, Kelly Jacques, Samantha Weiss, Ayu Bakehouse, Jacquy Pfeiffer, The French Pastry Schoo, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris HegedusComment