Louisiana Eats

On March 27th, New Orleans lost a beloved member of our culinary community. Alfred Singleton, executive chef and co-owner of the landmark French-Creole restaurant Café Sbisa, passed away at the age of 46. Hailing from the Lower 9th Ward, Alfred was a true local success story. Having a passion for food, but receiving no formal training, Alfred got his education in commercial kitchens while rising q...

On this week's show, we meet inventors and pioneers who have changed the way we eat. We begin with Louisiana Pepper Exchange's founder and CEO Chris White. We also learn about Dr. Calvin Lamborn, known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea, and Leon Godchaux, Louisiana's own titan of the sugar industry in the 19th century

The stock market crash of 1929 marked the end of the Roaring Twenties and the beginning of the Great Depression. Fortunes were lost, unemployment skyrocketed, and food was often scarce. This week, we take a look at some of the ingenuity and heroics that kept people fed. First, we hear from Lance Zaal, the newest owner of the historic Lalaurie Mansion, perhaps best known as the most haunted house i...

From soybeans grown in our northern parishes to shrimp caught off our southern shores, Louisiana is truly the most delicious state in the union. But due to a growing list of obstacles such as climate change, tariffs, and the proliferation of cheap, imported goods, times are tough right now for our farmers and fishermen. Which is why it's more important than ever to get behind the delicious ingredi...

Folks are familiar with New Orleans' home-grown Creole and Cajun cuisines. But the Crescent City is also the perfect place to taste the diverse and vibrant flavors coming out of Latin America. This week, we pay tribute to chefs who are bringing Latin American fare to local tables. First, we sit down with Ana Castro. In January, Ana was named a semi-finalist for the 2026 James Beard award for Best...

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 Cre...

In her book, To Boldly Grow, author Tamar Haspel uses the term "first-hand food" to describe anything you get with your own two hands – meals we grow, fish, hunt, or even forage. According to the Washington Post food columnist, growing and sourcing your own food just makes it taste better. On this week's show, we're getting our hands dirty and meeting some people who are taking a do-it-yourself ap...

It's no secret that Louisiana culture and cuisine have broad national and even international appeal. This week, we look at some local companies that have successfully leveraged a love for Louisiana to expand their operations across the state and beyond. We begin with the cannabis-infused seltzer brand, Louie Louie. Brewed on the banks of the Mississippi in New Orleans, the company celebrates our s...

Agriculture can be a tough business. To quote Will Rogers, "The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn't still be a farmer." On this week's show, we meet three optimists who are revitalizing rural lands and redefining what it means to be a farmer. We begin with Matthew Raiford, who has been spreading the good word of his Gullah Geechee heritage through his book, Bress N' Nyam. Matthew original...

Many of us toy with the idea of committing our life stories to pen and paper. If you're a regular listener to Louisiana Eats, or simply another food obsessed Louisianan, odds are your biography may well take the form of food memoir. This week, we hear from a trio of writers who have been there and done that. First, we catch up with Sara Roahen. Her award-winning memoir, Gumbo Tales: Finding My Pla...

It's Carnival time in Louisiana and we're ready for the party! No Mardi Gras celebration is complete without king cake and everyone has their own opinion on who makes the best one. On this week's show, we speak with the owner of Fleurty Girl, Lauren Haydel. She explains why she only sells Manny Randazzo's king cakes in her stores even though she married a member of the famous Haydel Bakery family....

In his 1975 book, Cooking as Therapy, Louisiana-born doctor Louis Parrish offered some advice for those who felt their lives were in a perpetual state of chaos: "Reorient yourself toward better organization by starting in the kitchen. . . . If you can organize your kitchen you can at least start to organize your life." On this week’s show, we explore all the benefits that come from organizing your...

New Orleans has often been referred to as the northernmost city in the Caribbean. On this week's show, we examine Caribbean culture and cuisine and their influence on both Louisiana and the entire world. First, we hear from Chef Nina Compton of Compère Lapin about the journey from her childhood home on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia to the commercial kitchens of New Orleans – via Jamaic...

Louisianans are blessed with restaurants that have been dining destinations for generations. So whenever a culinary institution announces an ownership change, we tend to get nervous. On this week's show, we explore three restaurants that have changed hands, but whose owners have worked hard to preserve their traditions. We begin with a visit to Middendorf's, the classic seafood house located in Ma...

Anyone who has ever been employed in the hospitality industry knows what a challenge this kind of work can be to one's mental health. The combination of dealing with demanding customers while attempting to carry out multiple tasks all at once can wear out even the best workers. This week, we hear from two doctors who know a thing or two about taking proper care of oneself and avoiding mental meltd...

This edition of Louisiana Eats takes a look back at the year that was 2025 – and there’s plenty to celebrate! First, we hear from mixologist extraordinaire, Chris Hannah. His Jewel of the South tavern, named one the 50 best bars in the world in 2025, serves as both a center of cocktail innovation, and an homage to Crescent City highball history. Then, we mark 150 years of the St. Roch Market, a st...

On December 18th, the great chef, author, and culinary educator Jacques Pépin turns 90 years old. This week, Louisiana Eats celebrates by bringing you our interview with Jacques as he shares stories from his childhood, his education in New York, and the importance of giving back. We're also joined by Jacques' daughter Claudine Pépin and son-in-law Rollie Wesen, who joined the French chef in creati...

Joe Baum was considered by many to be the greatest restaurateur of the last century. Before he died in 1998 at the age of 78, Joe had created no fewer than 50 restaurants. He’s responsible for creating America's first themed restaurants like the Four Seasons in New York's Seagram Building, Windows on the World in the World in the World Trade Center, and the restored Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Cen...

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. We begin with Sarah Lohman, author of Enda...

It's that time of year again where we gather with family and friends to give thanks. On this week's show, Louisiana Eats brings together some New Orleanians we're grateful for. First is Nathanial Zimet. The chef and owner of Boucherie closed his restaurant's doors this summer only to reopen in the fall with a fresh new menu. Nathanial tells us about the change and his ongoing program, Boucherie Fe...

As Louisianans, we count among our blessings an abundance of fresh, local seafood and the fishers who spend their days on boats catching that haul for us to devour. However, people in many places do not have access to such natural resources. And even those of us who do have seen favorite aquatic species on the verge of extinction. This week, we talk with three people who are helping to sustain our...

Many of us in the South were lucky enough to grow up surrounded by women whose devotion to family and culinary skills filled our lives with delicious food. This week, we pay tribute to those flavor mavens with a trio of interviews celebrating Southern women's culinary voices. We begin with Toni Tipton-Martin, who serves as editor-in-chief for Cook's Country magazine, which is published by America'...

What is "real" Louisiana cooking? There's Creole, there's Cajun, and what’s the difference anyway? However you define it, for many of us, it's simply what your mama used to make that made you feel loved. On this week's show, we meet three Louisiana authors whose cookbooks help tell the authentic story of our state's distinctive cuisine. First, we hear from Eric Cook, the executive chef and owner o...

We're creeping closer to Halloween, and Louisiana Eats is spoiling for a fright! We're back with the second episode of our 15th anniversary scare-a-thon, bringing you tales of haunted New Orleans locales and a businesswoman in the French Quarter who's just batty for vampires. We begin with Marita Crandle, author and owner of the Vampire Café and Vampire Apothecary Restaurant & Bar in the Vieux Car...

While Mardi Gras and Thanksgiving are all fine and good, here at Louisiana Eats, our very favorite holiday has always been Halloween! Every October since the show's debut in 2010, we've gotten into the spooky spirit by bringing you stories of the silly, the supernatural, and the downright scary! This week and next, we continue our crystal anniversary celebration by bringing you two special Hallowe...