Essentials (and Optionals) for New Orleans’ Carnival Season
If you’re planning to roll into New Orleans for Mardi Gras, here are a few things I’ve found that are must-haves (along with a few optional items), for proper participation in the season – and on into the spring festival season that’ll be on its way soon.
read moreChargrilled Oysters
Drago’s Chargrilled Oysters- an unforgettable experience for your taste buds. Take a look at the show provided by the chefs at the grill.
read moreCrawfish Boil at the Home of John Besh
A crawfish boil, a beloved springtime event in southern Louisiana, at the home of Chef John Besh, where he talks about his foundation’s work.
read moreNew Orleans Jazz Fest- and a Recipe for Crawfish Monica, sort of…
A bit of Dianne Reeves at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and a recipe for my version of Crawfish Monica.
read moreHoliday Tea at The Windsor Court
An outing to the holiday afternoon tea at The Windsor Court Hotel
read moreBarefoot – and Beyond – at Broussard’s
Having lunch with Barefoot Wine at Broussard’s, a venerable French Quarter restaurant as part of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
read moreBlending a Grand Reserve Cabernet with Kendall Jackson
I was delighted to receive an invite to a Kendall Jackson wine blending seminar where I tried my hand at blending a Grand Reserve Cabernet.
read moreMeet SoFab – aka Southern Food and Beverage Museum
About a year and a half ago, I became involved with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab) when they published my story Slow Cooking, Jazz and Political Acts, on chasing down a recipe for Okra Gumbo et al, in OKRA, their online publication. The involvement escalated, and a few months after that, I was asked to write monthly articles for OKRA. Philip Dobard, vice president and director of their media projects (SoFab Media)- and fellow NOLA expat living in Los Angeles, saw the articles and looked me up. We met at a coffee shop in Hollywood one afternoon last summer, and Philip laid out the big plans he and the others have for SoFab projects. Last spring, when I was in New Orleans, I visited the museum, and had a chance to meet Liz Williams, director and founder of the museum, and Joe Sunseri, its business manager and archivist. And, of course, since I now write a monthly column at OKRA, I have developed an online relationship with Stephanie Carter, OKRA’s editor- lovely, food obsessed Southerners, all of them. Last weekend, I invited a few of my food obsessed L.A. friends over to meet Philip, and hear him speak while sharing a luncheon which included some favorite dishes from local southern cuisine eateries. Philip Dobard We dined on gumbo from Bourbon Street Fish (I once described this place as a dive, for which I quickly tried to apologize, when my mother said to me “that’s all right, dives are a good New Orleans tradition!”), and macaroni and cheese from Ms. B’s M &M Soul Food, in Inglewood. There was fried chicken from Popeye’s (hey, for the price, you just can’t beat it!), and Norwood Clark- owner of Uncle Darrow’s in Marina Del Rey sent over a pan of his much beloved by me potato salad. Norwood is a good friend and another New Orleans expat, who’s always willing to help out causes having to do with our hometown. He was an active participant in our LAHelpsLA fund raising event in 2010. And finally, I fried up yummy Gulf oyster and shrimp, sent from the Louisiana Seafood and Marketing Board (big thanks to them!), for po’boys (that quintessential NOLA snack) assembled in my kitchen. Oh, and to wash it all down, there was an assortment of wonderful wines brought by Nancy Fishgold, PR rep for Kendall Jackson, who I met last year at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience. Philip gave us a brief history and overview of SoFab, currently housed at the Riverwalk, but about to move to its much larger new home along Oretha C. Haley Boulevard, which was once home to Dryades Market- a bustling open air market established in the 19th century and surviving into the mid-20th century. The boulevard is now home to a growing culinary district, with upscale groceries, a dairy, a bakery, Café Reconcile (a training ground which prepares at risk youth for careers in the restaurant industry) and numerous restaurants. Some of SoFab’s programs and exhibits- well, there are a lot of them- their interests range from food history and culture,to issues of hunger in America, as well as food sustainability and justice- but I’ll give you just a few highlights: They’ve recently acquired the Frances Kuyper...
read moreSo Long 2012- Hello 2013- and Recipe for Vintner’s Salad
2012 year was filled with trips- big thanks to all who invited and/or hosted me in both NOLA and California.
read moreKermit Lynch’s 40th Anniversary Party- Yeh!
A stop off on my way up to Sonoma’s wine country to celebrate Kermit Lynch’s 40th anniversary.
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