10 Years of Louisiana Eats!

On this week's show, we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of our show's debut!

We've dug through our archives for some of our favorite moments over the past decade, with an emphasis on Louisiana culture and cuisine. The first episode of Louisiana Eats broadcast on June 9, 2010. That year also marked the 125th anniversary of New Orleans’ streetcar line. We look back at our very first field piece, when we took a streetcar ride with the late, great historian Michael Mizell-Nelson.

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What's The Buzz?

The humble little honey bee is one of the most important players in our ecosystem. In one of our favorite episodes from last year, we circle the globe in pursuit of a honey of a tale. We begin right here in our own backyard at the Audubon Zoo. While more exotic creatures may be what draw the crowds, both native and European honey bees can be found bumbling around the zoo's grounds. Curator Dominique Fleitas gives us a tour of the Pollinator Garden and shows us the hives she helps maintain in the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit.

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Saber-Brandishing Bunnies and Tiny Turtles

Since Ralph Brennan and Terry White reopened the venerable Brennan's Restaurant in 2014, they've initiated some new traditions, like champagne sabering in the patio and an annual turtle parade. On this week's show, we speak with general manager Christian Pendleton, who, since the coronavirus shutdown, has been demonstrating the art of sabrage in a series of funny videos posted online. One in particular, which featured him dressed up as the Easter Bunny, became a worldwide sensation

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Quarantine Kitchen Confidential

With the state under lockdown due to Covid-19, Louisiana residents spending more time in their home kitchens than ever before. On this week's show, food columnist and Cooking Up a Storm co-author Judy Walker joins us with ideas and advice on how to make delicious meals during this pandemic, even if you're using a limited pantry.

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April Fool's

This week, Louisiana Eats revisits more cheerful times, with a lighthearted episode from our archives—our April Fool’s Day show from 2017. It’s irreverent. It’s playful. It’s a month
late—and it’s one of our favorites. One of the stories is a joke, but the rest are so wild, you may not be able to separate the fact from the fiction!

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Postcards From A Pandemic

On this week's show, we learn how the restaurant sector is coping with COVID-19 around the state and beyond. We begin with the story of business partners Emery Whalen and Chef Brian Landry. After the coronavirus shuttered their company, QED Hospitality, the duo were able to change gears to keep employees on the payroll and meet a growing need in healthcare.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Keeping Calm By Keeping Busy

Since the coronavirus shutdown, Louisiana Eats has been presenting voices from the hospitality community. This week, we hear from New Orleans restaurant owners and chefs who were interviewed as part of a documentary by filmmakers Jonathan Evans and Marian Gay.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Boosting Morale and Adjusting Business

This week, Louisiana Eats continues its examination of the food industry as it deals with the affects of the coronavirus shutdown. Now that the initial shock is starting to wear off, people are asking: how do we do business when doing business as usual is out of the question? How can we adapt to this constantly changing landscape?

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Tammany Taste Quick Bites: Emma's Famous Pralines

One of the most charming things about Louisiana are the people you find along the way. On this special podcast, you’ll meet a true treasure of the Northshore, Miss Emma Giron, of Emma’s Famous Pralines in Slidell, Louisiana. Miss Emma is a true food hero, who has devoted much of her life to our most emblematic candy creations, the praline.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Service Workers and Food Delivery At a Distance

We begin with Mark Schettler, manager of Bar Tonique and vocal advocate for New Orleans' service workers. When all bars were ordered closed at midnight on Monday, March 16th, Mark switched into activist mode. We hear how hospitality industry workers are dealing with the crisis following the shuttering of businesses and learn how you can help.

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Tastes and Tales From The East

On this week’s episode, we take a deep dive into the cuisine and culture of Asia, with an emphasis on China. We begin with Karen Christensen, founder of Berkshire Publishing who has pursued her interest in Asia through the amazing books she’s compiled. Karen shares her thoughts and experiences on all things culinary from East Asia to Afghanistan.

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Alcohol, Abstinence & Alternatives

Another Carnival season is behind us, and for many, it's a time for fasting and abstinence. In 2016, registered dietitian Molly Kimball wrote an article challenging New Orleanians to give up all alcohol from Ash Wednesday until Easter as a way to reboot and learn how alcohol affects our bodies. In the years since, the #AlcoholFreeFor40 Challenge has grown, with Ochsner Eat Fit programs across the state hosting this community initiative. Molly visits our studio to talk about how the challenge has evolved and the impact it has had on the lives of some participants.

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Mermaids, Music & Mardi Gras

It's Mardi Gras time in Louisiana, so on this week’s show, we're bringing Carnival to you.

We begin with author and songwriter Johnette Downing, who’s also known as “the pied piper of Louisiana music traditions.” Johnette shares her latest album, Swamp Romp, which, among other things, seeks to answer the eternal question, Who put the baby in the king cake?

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Consider The Bean

This week, we shine a spotlight the humble yet mighty bean. We begin with its role as cultural icon–celebrated each Lundi Gras at the Red Beans Parade. When Devin De Wulf founded the Krewe of Red Beans over a decade ago, he had no idea he was creating a Lundi Gras tradition that would develop a cult following. The annual parade has gotten so popular that three bean parades will be marching this year. Devin joins us to discuss the krewe’s expansion from a Lundi Gras marching parade to a year-round institution.

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Culinary Voyages

On this week's show, we gather together some of the best of the cookbook world for some vicarious travel.

We begin with culinary superstar Sean Brock. In his bestselling cookbook, “South,” the award-winning chef breaks down the essential elements of Southern cuisine, from corn bread to shrimp and grits, highlighting regional differences in certain dishes. Sean sits down with us to discuss his book and explain what he’s doing to explore the possibilities of Southern food.

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