Louisiana Eats Meets The Neighbors On Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard

The Southern Food And Beverage Museum sits at the intersection of Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

THE SOUTHERN FOOD AND BEVERAGE MUSEUM / FACEBOOK

It's hard to believe that it has been a whole year since we moved our Louisiana Eats! studio into the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. On this week's show, we celebrate this one-year anniversary by meeting our neighbors in the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard corridor in Central City.

Signed copy of culinary entrepreneur and television pioneer Lena Richard's self-published cookbook, from the John and Bonnie Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library.

CREDIT THE SOUTHERN FOOD AND BEVERAGE MUSEUM / FACEBOOK

Of course, our move wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been for the museum's intrepid director, Liz Williams. Liz joins us to reflect back on a year of fantastic exhibits and reveal what exciting expansions are on the horizon for SoFAB.

Signed copy of culinary entrepreneur and television pioneer Lena Richard's self-published cookbook, from the John and Bonnie Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library.

Liz then takes us out of the studio and across the street to the John and Bonnie Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library, which contains over 11,000 volumes of cookbooks, menus, pamphlets and archival documents. The library boasts the title of the South's largest culinary collection.

From there, we take a walk down the block to Café Reconcile, a community pillar with a culinary and life skills training program that has mentored young New Orleanians for 16 years. Chef Joe Smith remembers when they were one of the few businesses on Oretha Castle Haley.

We also meet our newest neighbors at the Good Work Network’s latest project, Roux Carré. The outdoor food court is home to burgeoning businesses with an emphasis on African American, Latin and Caribbean cooking styles.

For our final stop at the Dryades Public Market, we find Chef Dan Esses inside the enormous hall, which is becoming a hub for affordable food options and local purveyors.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood on this week's Louisiana Eats!