Louisiana Eats

On this week’s podcast we speak with the proprietor of a local beignet bistro, Bernard Stolberg. His charming little Garden District shop on Magazine Street between harmony and 8th has become quite popular with the locals and tourists alike for its fabulous beignets, and full bar. Usually there is an assortment of businesspeople, college students, and dog lovers soaking up the atmosphere and enjoy...

On this week's show, we take a journey into the Ice Cream Underground to uncover the magicians taking America's favorite dessert to new heights right here in Louisiana. We begin with Sam Caruso, who has overcome a host of challenges to find a sweet opportunity with Laozi Ice Cream. Then, we meet Rahm Haus Ice Cream's Jillian Duran, who draws on her fine pastry-making skills to create batches of ic...

The old adage is that a woman's place is in the kitchen. Despite that well-worn saying, it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that women began finding their place in the restaurant kitchen. For this week's show, we gather together a powerful group of females who are breaking barriers and setting new standards for excellence in their fields. We begin with Nina Compton of Compére Lapin...

Just across Lake Pontchartrain, in the quaint little downtown of Covington there’s a charming yellow cottage filled with English tradition and taste. That’s the English Tea Room, established in 2002 by Jan and Tim Lantrip. Guests of the establishment experience one of the finest High Teas to be found anywhere on this side of the pond! When we sat down with Jan and Tim, we knew we were in for a spo...

On Thursday, Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday to commemorate the effective end of slavery in the United States, just days before the June 19 anniversary. This week, to mark the occasion, we revisit our 2016 trip to the Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in Louisiana that focuses entirely on the lives of enslaved people. The Whitney Plantation is one of three surviving Civ...

One of the most popular forms of literature today is the memoir. These days, folks with barely three decades under their belt are writing their memoirs, but on this week's show, we hear from four wise women who relate a lifetime of memories along with valuable lessons learned in theirs. We begin with Southern baker and activist Lisa Donovan, whose book, Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger is a raw, hones...

Over the last several years, the dining category of breakfast and brunch have simply exploded across the nation. On this week's show, we’re looking at the popular weekend ritual in New Orleans and beyond. We begin with Jennifer Weishaupt, founder and CEO of the Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group. The Ruby Slipper Café has prospered and multiplied in a way that Jennifer and her husband Eric could never...

The beignet. That simple square of fried dough is undeniably one of the Crescent City’s most famous foods. Few visitors leave town without a ceremonial dusting of powdered sugar that occurs with every beignet bite. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the ubiquitous donut has been sold from French Market stands accompanied by steaming hot cups of café au lait. Twenty-first century chefs and restaurat...

Building a cookbook is a lot of work. From recipe testing to photography sessions to finalized editing – the process can be grueling. On this week's show, we hear how it gets done from beginning to end and meet some authors who fell in love with cookbooks at an early age. Brazilian-born New Orleanian Ana Riehlmann was four years old when her grandmother, Voinha, helped whet her appetite for the wr...

Cajun Nation is a Louisiana made seasoning blend that is catching fire in the world of flavor. Created by brothers, Alfonzo and Troy Bolden who grew up on a working plantation in the 1970’s, their voyage from sharecropper’s cabin to owning and operating a successful seasoning business makes for quite an amazing tale. The distinctive red cans of Cajun Nation seasoning deliver an authentic taste of...

If you've ever had a New Orleans poor boy then you know it's all about the bread. Real New Orleans French bread is something you can't get just anywhere, or at least that's what we thought. On this week's show, we get down to the dough of it and see what's happening with bread in the Big Easy. We begin with Graison Gill. For years, Bellegarde Bakery has been milling and baking fresh bread for over...

It's full on festival time in the state that knows how to fest better than most – except once again, due to pandemic restrictions, there are no fests right now. Though with vaccines widely available, and the recent easing of Covid-19 rules, a future with safe public gatherings suddenly doesn’t seem so implausible. Inspired by WWOZ and local restaurants whipping up everything from cheesy crawfish b...

Children's picture books often contain stories that grown ups can benefit from too. That's certainly true of Andrea Wang's new picture book, Watercress, an autobiographical tale of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage. With illustrations by Jason Chin, Watercress takes taste memories to new highs and lows as Andrea recalls a moment in her childhood when her family for...

From beignets to poor boys, gumbo to jambalaya, and crawfish to boudin, Louisiana’s cuisine is as eclectic as it is delectable. On this week’s show, we explore our state’s rich food culture, based on centuries of Creole and Cajun traditions. We begin with New Orleans native and Southern Food & Beverage Museum founder Liz Williams. She spent many years researching her award-winning book New Orleans...

One of the hidden gems of St. Tammany Parish is the Tammany Trace. Originally a well-traveled corridor for the Illinois Central Railroad, today the Trace travels 31 miles through five Northshore communities – accessible only by bike, foot or horse. Across the street from the popular Mandeville Trailhead in Old Mandeville, Sarah and Billy Rieger are waiting to welcome you at Rieger’s On The Trace....

One of New Orleans' greatest treasures are the legacy businesses that have kept locals wined and dined for generations. On this week's show, we learn about two institutions that share both an area code and the devotion of family required to keep a legacy going.   We begin with Deirdre Barrow Johnson and her husband Kenneth Johnson Jr. of Barrow’s Catfish . Deirdre is the third generation of t...

Located just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, the area widely known as Louisiana's Northshore is a mere 40 minute drive from the French Quarter. As close as the Northshore is geographically, in every other way it is a world apart. Made up of multiple small towns, each with its own identity, St. Tammany Parish is a wonder to wander – which is exactly what we’re doing on this week’s show....

Food is an inspirational muse for artists of all disciplines. On this week's show, we explore the many intersections of food and art from the visual to the written word. We begin with muralist Zac Maras who recently turned the exterior of Toups Meatery on North Carrollton in New Orleans into a riotous celebration of Louisiana foods. The story behind the mural is the subject of a new documentary by...