Christmas And Hanukkah Present And Past

The holidays are here and we’re celebrating family food traditions old and new! 

We begin at the home of Chef Isaac Toups, where he and his family celebrate Christmas Cajun-style! Culminating an eventful year for Isaac— he earned the title of “fan favorite” on Bravo’s Top Chef: California and opened up a new restaurant in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum: Toups’ South — we join the Toups family for an unforgettable meal. After we finish our s’mores for dessert, we gather round for Isaac’s annual reading of “The Cajun Night Before Christmas.”

Next, we get a glimpse of Broadway Christmases past with Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi. Actor and native New Orleanian Bryan Batt and his husband Tom have spent several years working in the theater over Christmas, which has made for some opulent and memorable holidays.

We also celebrate Hanukkah with award-winning author and food blogger Elissa Altman, for whom the holiday season means a unique blend of Hanukkah and Christmas traditions. Elissa shares with us some of her earliest memories growing up in Queens, New York, and what her holiday looks like today.

We continue the eights nights of Hanukkah with James Beard Award-winning Chef Alon Shaya. Alon describes his own Hanukkah traditions, from his family’s origins in Israel, to his childhood in Philadelphia, and finally to his homecoming in New Orleans.