It's New Orleans: Louisiana Eats

On this week's show, we speak with three James Beard Award-winners to explore the history and culture of African American cooking and learn how African flavors are inspiring new dishes today. We begin with soul food scholar Adrian Miller, who describes his book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, as love-letter to African-American cooks. Since it was first published in 2013, the book has gone on to receive numerous accolades and was awarded a James Beard for reference and scholarship. Within its pages, Adrian presents a refreshing look at one of America's oldest and most mythologized cuisines. From mac and cheese to red drink, he uncovers the history of soul food and what it means for African American culture and identity.

Whether your dietary concerns are based on weight loss, muscle gain, or heart health, there's so much information and professional advice out there that it's hard to know who to believe or what to eat. On this week's show, we hear from the experts on everything from the current diet du jour, keto, to omega-3 supplements. Internal medicine physician Mignonne Mary of the Remedy Room explains why she has been teaching keto since she first began her practice, and why she believes combining the diet with intermittent fasting may help reduce inflammation in the body.

Reality food TV may be a boon for networks, but what happens to local chefs and restaurants after the cameras stop rolling? On this week's Louisiana Eats, we talk to people who have participated in food TV in its various forms, with varying results. We begin with Helen Freund, restaurant critic and dining editor at Gambit. Earlier this year, she wrote a front-page article about the positive and negative effects food TV hosts like Gordon Ramsey and Guy Fieri have had on local restaurants. Helen fills us in on what she uncovered. Then, we hear from Ragnar Karlsson, whose restaurant, the Trolley Stop Cafe, was featured in the season premiere of "Gordon Ramsey's 24 Hours to Hell and Back." Ragnar's plan was to give his family restaurant a much needed boost, but was it worth it? He explains how excruciating the experience could be and explains how unreal reality TV can be. Finally, Chef Isaac Toups joins us. From his rise to fame on Top Chef to his new series for the Food Network, food TV has been very good to

On this week's show, we meet some people who are working hard to make your weekend brunch an unforgettable experience. We begin with Jennifer Weishaupt, founder and CEO of the Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group. The Ruby Slipper Caf? has prospered and multiplied in a way that Jennifer and her husband Eric could never have anticipated when they opened their very first Mid City location in 2008. She tells us about her ever-expanding breakfast and brunch empire, now serving hungry diners in locations across four states.

On this week's show, we visit the Historic New Orleans Collection's new expansion at 520 Royal Street, the first to house the city's only continuing exhibit about our most famous neighborhood, the French Quarter. John Lawrence, Director of Museum Programs at the HNOC shows us the renovated Seignouret-Brulatour House and galleries, which paint a portrait of the Vieux Carr?, framed by topics like transportation, communications, and commerce.

On this week's show, we're traveling through Acadiana to explore traditional and contemporary Cajun foodways. We begin with George Graham, who shares his obsession through stories of cooking in the region through his nationally recognized blog and book, Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana. Then, we head up River Road to LaPlace to see just what Chef Jarred Zeringue's got smoking at Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse, a beloved institution on the Cajun Coast. We tour the generations-old business famous for its Andouille sausage, and learn about their newly added offerings - from fresh eggs to smoked hogshead cheese and dry roux!And when it comes to touring from coast to coast, musician Leroy Thomas, also known as "the Jewel of the Bayou" makes sure his band, the Zydeco RoadRunners, and his audience, are well fed with home-cooked meals. We speak to Leroy backstage at a recent Thursday night at New Orleans' Rock 'N' Bowl. Finally, we wind through the back roads of Cajun country wit

On this week's show, we look back on bygone New Orleans businesses that "ain't dere no more," but continue to hold a place in the city's collective heart. We begin with Bryan Batt and Katy Danos, authors of Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair. Founded by Bryan's grandfather Harry Batt in 1928, the amusement park was a summer destination for 55 years.

Change is constant, but that doesn't make it easy. On this week's show, we meet some individuals who have transformed their lives or business. The Avenue Pub had been a family business for nearly 20 years before Polly Watts claimed it for herself. It was the kind of place where patrons bought cheap beer and knocked back shots of Jagermeister, but Polly knew there wasn't a future down that road, at least not for her. When she reshaped the menu, she ultimately reshaped the bar into one of the Southeast's best destinations for craft beer.

On this week's show, we look at family businesses that have been finding success through five generations. We begin with Swiss Confectionery, a New Orleans bakeshop that's been in operation for almost a century. Their custom-made delicacies are fixtures at New Orleans weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations.

Ora King is a sustainably raised salmon from New Zealand with a delicious history. On this week's show, we travel to three cities to meet three chefs-all finalists in their 2018 international competition to create the most inventive Ora King salmon dish.

Every July, thousands of visitors from all over the world beat a path to steamy New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail. As Tales kicks off its 17th year, we look at how the organization evolved recently under new leadership and has a whole new mission.

Americans waste 373 million pounds of food each day. That s a pound per person. On this week s show, we re talking trash in a productive way, of course We meet a few individuals who are working to tackle the widespread problem of food and water waste. We begin with Baton Rouge based food industry veteran Susanne Duplantis. Her blog, Makeover My Leftover, offers tips on how to transform yesterday s scraps into today s delicious meal. Next, Lindsay Jean Hard tells us about her her book, Cooking with Scraps, which provides a reference guide for zero waste cooking. Then, Michael Hurwitz of GrowNYC joins us to discuss how highly motivated citizens have been working to make composting a regular part of New York life. Finally, we dive into the tempestuous depths of global water issues. EPA water scientist Eliot Sherman discusses water conservation and its impacts on the food and beverage industry. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

On this week's show, we look at cookbooks as a cultural artifact and biographical portrait. We begin at Kitchen Witch, a store in New Orleans specializing in rare and used cookbooks. With their shop scheduled to close soon, owners Debbie Lindsey and Philipe LaMancusa look back on two decades of business-and some of their biggest sellers.

Coffee, tea, kombucha? What's brewing in your neck of the woods? On this week's Louisiana Eats, we're examining the brewing process from all sides. First, we'll meet Austin Sherman and Alexis Korman, founders of Big Easy Bucha - a kombucha brewing business that has set the Gulf South on fire with innovative local flavors. What's brewing at Big Easy Bucha is a lot more than fermented tea! They're brewing a healthy, social justice revolution.

In this special edition of Louisiana Eats, we celebrate the 151st anniversary of Juneteenth the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. We take a trip to the Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in America that focuses entirely on slavery. The vision for the museum originated with attorney and developer John Cummings, who invested 10 million of his own dollars to help educate the public about the truths of slavery in Louisiana. The Whitney Plantation is one of three surviving Civil War era sugar plantations located in St. John the Baptist Parish along the Mississippi River. There, we join Director of Research at Whitney Dr. Ibrahima Seck, who gives us a personal tour of the property. We make our first stop at a restored nineteenth century Baptist church, where we learn about slavery as viewed through the eyes of children. Not far from the church, Dr. Seck brings us to a large monument engraved with names and information about the enslaved individuals who lived at Whitney. We a

This week, we mark the passing of New Orleans icon, and our dear friend, Leah Chase, who died Saturday, June 1 at the age of 96. We spend the hour honoring Leah's talent and achievements and the legacy she leaves behind. We begin with one of our favorite Louisiana Eats moments: a special day we spent with Leah in 2012, when then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu's office kicked off Carnival season at Gallier Hall with king cake and a lovely surprise for Leah.

On this week's Louisiana Eats we're taking a vacation with some of our favorite people from the food and drinks world.

Although the kitchen has always been the woman's domain at home, it's been a long struggle for the ladies who cook to rise to the top of their ranks professionally. On this week's episode, we're talking with the ladies who have overcome multiple obstacles to reach the top.

Louisiana Eats ventures from land to sea to learn where our food comes from and meet the people responsible for bringing the bounty to our table. We begin in Grand Isle, Louisiana, where we meet the Guerreros family of Grand Isle Sea Farms. Owner Marcos Guerrero and his son Boris welcome us aboard their compact bay boat for a morning out on the water to learn the process of oyster farming Louisiana-style.

When it comes to historic restaurants, there s no place like home if you re lucky enough to call New Orleans home On this week s show, we time travel through the storied past of iconic French Quarter landmark, the Napoleon House. Chef Chris Montero gives us a tour of the historic property, from the bar to the cupola and all points in between. As it turns out, in addition to being an accomplished chef, Chris is also a passionate preservationist and historian. He shares two centuries worth of Girod and Impastato family lore and talks about the future of the establishment. Then, we ll hear from Chef Slade Rushing about how he learned to balance the old and new at Brennan s when the Royal Street mainstay re opened its doors. And sometimes it s the food itself that tells the story. That s the case at the Roosevelt Hotel, where Chef Carl Cushenberry s famous fried chicken is available every Monday. We visit Carl in the kitchen there to learn what elevates his fried chicken to rock star status. But he s not giving a