225 Magazine [February 2023]

DIGITAL

WHAT DO THESE TWO HAVE IN COMMON?

FENTANYL KILLED THEM LAST NIGHT.

No matter where or when, just one hit, one bump, or one pill could be laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl. More than 50x stronger than morphine, fentanyl has quadrupled overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish. Just 2 mg (0.0004 tsp) of fentanyl will end your life. Do you know what’s in your drugs? The difference is life or death.

IT’S TIME TO SOUND THE ALARM

SO YOU WANT to work in the film industry— or at least learn about it? For this month's cover story, we went behind the scenes of the booming movie-making business in Baton Rouge, which brought in more dollars in 2022 than in any year in recent history. A major contributor is the Baton Rouge Film Commission's executive director Katie Patton Pryor, shot by staff photographer Collin Richie for our cover. Pryor's job is to promote Baton Rouge as a film location to a worldwide industry. To learn more about how she and other creative professionals are making movie magic in the Capital City, turn to page 24.

Roll the credits

THERE WERE SNAKES in the field. Dozens of them, maybe more, slithering undetected through the tall grass. And someone needed to remove them so no actors or film crew would step on them.

This was one of the Capital Region film sets of The Magnificent Seven. My husband, Adam, worked on the production back in 2015, and I’ll always remember him telling me about how the film employed professionals who were trained in the safe removal of hazards like these.

It was my first window into the mind-bending world of filmmaking—and just how many unsung heroes it takes to make movie magic happen. It’s no wonder they call it the “production” industry.

In a roundabout way, that industry is what brought me to Baton Rouge. Adam moved to Louisiana over a decade ago to pursue a film and television career. (I followed him here not long after for a job at an awesome magazine called 225.)

Today, he works as a director of photography, camera operator and filmmaker. But just as many of the film workers featured in this month’s cover story told us about their own career paths, getting there has been quite an adventure.

As most do, he started as a production assistant. He’d call me with stories of picking up Tom

Colicchio from the airport and driving Emeril Lagasse to set while working on Top Chef. He’d come home from film sets with stories about what Reese Witherspoon or Denzel Washington were like in real life. Along the way, he dabbled in the editing, visual effects and costumes departments. And yes, you even can spot him as an extra in movies like 2 Guns and 22 Jump Street

But it was all in pursuit of his true dream: becoming a director of photography and filmmaker. Now, he and a friend are wrapping up their first independently produced feature film.

Watching him pursue this dream is why I always get a little teary watching awards shows like the Oscars. It’s the speeches that get me.

Last month during the Golden Globes, Everything Everywhere All at Once actor Ke Huy Quan gave the most moving speech as he accepted the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. It was about starting as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom nearly 40 years ago—and then going a long time without getting another role. About wondering if he’d ever get another opportunity. Wondering if he’d ever feel seen. Now, he’s won or been nominated for more than 50 awards for the movie.

Jennifer Coolidge shared a similar speech about how it was the little jobs that kept her going for years before her recent blazing comeback.

For most of us, watching movies and TV is a magical escape. But it takes immeasurably hard work to make them that way. And for the cast and crews, it likely took a lot of risk-tasking, sacrifice, hoping and dreaming—sometimes years and years of it—to get to that set.

When Adam and I go to the movies, we’re often the last ones in the theater. It’s because he always has to watch the credits roll. He’s looking for the names of his friends and colleagues, or an up-and-coming person whose work he admires.

But I think it’s also an ode to the names that roll after the director’s and actors’ names do. After all, without the production assistants, grips, locations managers, script supervisors or background actors, the movie wouldn’t get made. Even the great Steven Spielberg started as a production assistant.

And the rest, as they say in show biz, is history.

Deciding the best

The Best of 225 Awards ballot officially opens Feb. 27. But first, you get to decide who’s on it! Write-in nominations are open now through Feb. 8. The people and businesses with the most nominations are the ones that end up on the ballot. That means the power is yours to ensure all your favorite restaurants, bars, shops and personalities are eligible to receive an award. Head to 225batonrouge. com/bestof225 to make your picks. And then, join us on Feb. 27 at Solera for our official voting kick-off. We’ll have sangria, tapas and lots of “I Voted” stickers. Find info at bestof225votingkickoff. eventbrite.com. Can’t wait to see you there!

Welcome, Laura

I’m so proud to introduce Laura Furr Mericas for her first full issue as 225’s new managing editor. Laura is a Baton Rouge native who has been reading 225 since she was in high school. She moved away for a while to write and edit for publications like Houstonia magazine, and her work has appeared everywhere from Texas Monthly to Architectural Digest Pro. Lucky for Baton Rouge—and 225—she recently moved back to town. She’s been an important contributor to our team for the past year, and now we can’t wait to see her make her mark on the magazine.

Jennifer Tormo Alvarez 225 Editor

Publisher: Julio Melara

EDITORIAL

Chief Content Officer: Penny Font

Editor: Jennifer Tormo Alvarez

Managing Editor: Laura Furr Mericas

Features Writer: Maggie Heyn Richardson

Digital Staff Writer: Olivia Deffes

Digital Content Editor: Dillon Lowe

Staff Photographer: Collin Richie

Contributing Writers: Cynthea Corfah, Tracey Koch, Benjamin Leger, Zane Piontek, Domenic Purdy

Contributing Photographers: Ariana Allison, Amy Shutt

ADVERTISING

Chief Digital Officer and Sales Director: Erin Pou

Account Executives: Manny Fajardo, André Hellickson Savoie, Jamie Hernandez, Kaitlyn Maranto, Audrey Taunton, Cassidie Tingle

Digital Operations Manager: Devyn MacDonald

Advertising Coordinator: Brittany Nieto

STUDIO E

Director: Taylor Gast

Multimedia Strategy Manager: Tim Coles

Corporate Media Editor: Lisa Tramontana

Content Strategist: Emily Hebert

Account Executive: Judith LaDousa

MARKETING

Marketing & Events Coordinator: Taylor Falgout

Marketing & Events Assistant: Hillary Melara

Events: Abby Hamilton

ADMINISTRATION

Business Manager: Tiffany Durocher

Business Associate: Kirsten Milano

Office Coordinator: Sara Hodge

Receptionist: Cathy Varnado Brown

PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Production Manager: Jo Glenny

Art Director: Hoa Vu

Senior Graphic Designers: Melinda Gonzalez Galjour, Emily W itt

Graphic Designer: Ashlee Digel

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Audience Development Director and Digital Manager: James Hume

Audience Development Coordinator: Ivana Oubre

Audience Development Associate: Catherine Albano

A publication of Melara Enterprises, LLC

Chairman: Julio Melara

Executive Assistant: Brooke Motto

Vice President-Sales: Elizabeth McCollister Hebert

Chief Content Officer: Penny Font

Chief Digital Officer: Erin Pou

Chief Operating Officer: Guy Barone

Chairman Emeritus: Rolfe H. McCollister Jr.

©Copyright

2023 by Melara Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved by LBI. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Business address: 9029 Jefferson Highway, Ste. 300, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Telephone (225) 214-5225. 225 Magazine cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited material—manuscripts or photographs—with or without the inclusion of a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

TOP STORIES

1 2 3

In 2022, some of Baton Rouge’s most exciting new restaurants opened. Here’s a rundown

COURTESY JACKIE HAXTHAUSEN

Reader’s notes

On our profile of photographer Jackie Haxthausen:

“Yesssss the ultimate artist with a camera! Jackie’s mind is incredible and we are lucky enough to witness it!”

—@amy.clover.girl, via Instagram

ARIANA ALLISON ARIANA ALLISON ARIANA ALLISON

Overpass

COLLIN RICHIE

Baton Rouge holiday activities: How to make the most out of the most wonderful time of the year

—@dprothman, via Instagram

About A Cup of Joy Eatery & PlayYard, a new coffee shop and kid-friendly play area: “Needed in BR! ”

—@prochargeev, via Instagram

Analytics and comments are from Dec. 1-31, 2022.

Feb. 8 is the final day to write-in your nominations for the annual Best of 225 Awards. Nominations opened last month at 225batonrouge.com/ bestof225, with readers deciding who will be on the 2023 ballot. Residents of the 225 area code can submit nominations for as many award categories as they’d like. (And you’re not required to fill out the whole ballot.)

SAVE THE DATE

Feb. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m., is our Best of 225 Voting Kickoff Party at Solera. Eat paella and tapas, drink Spanish wine, beer and sangria, and, of course, be the first to vote on the newly unveiled ballot! Find tickets and more info at bestof225votingkickoff.eventbrite. com. Thanks to our sponsors Solera, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge and European Wax Center.

Generations of care

We’re here for you and your family through the stages of life, with the strength of the cross, the protection of the shield. The Right Card. The Right Care.

Get out the nominations!

Re: Finding fare at gas stations and convenience stores: “Food N Geaux on the corner of O’Neal and Old Hammond should be on this list. Some of the best fried fish around.”

& Hub’s creative

February Sugar RUSH

Desserts that hit the sweet spot this month

THE CONVERGENCE OF Carnival season and Valentine’s Day makes February Louisiana’s de facto dessert month—a time when sampling sweets and treats is practically required. Of course, king cake occupies our thoughts until midnight on Fat Tuesday (this year, Feb. 21), and Valentine’s Day, planted squarely in the middle of the month, triggers anticipation for chocolatey gifts and desserts.

There are all sorts of sugar rushes to enjoy around Baton Rouge right about now, but a good place to start is Spoke & Hub, the year-old cyclingthemed diner in Mid City. The place has its own free-standing dessert bar, a spot intended to welcome kids and adults with goodies like the Colossal Banana Split, Strawberry Shortcake Parfait, Brownie Mountain Shake and other soda fountain concoctions.

“We saw the dessert bar as a place for kids to maybe come hang out while adults are at the table,” says Stephen Hightower, managing partner of City Group Hospitality, which opened Spoke & Hub last February. “It’s a place where you can get a slice of one of the daily pies or cake specials or have something like our ice cream nachos.”

OTHER SWEETS WE LOVE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Sweet Society’s Strawberry Croissant

Fresh strawberryand custardfilled croissants, sprinkled with powdered sugar

Find it on Facebook

Bonjour Baton Rouge’s Chocolatedipped strawberries

Fresh berries dipped in delectable chocolate

Find it on Instagram

Maison Lacour’s The Clam House-made puff pastry in the shape of a clam, filled with vanilla ice cream, raspberries and raspberry sauce maisonlacour.com

DiGiulio Brothers’ Red Velvet Cake

A classic cake with fluffy cream cheese frosting made by local baker Nannette Mayhall digiuliobros.com

SoLou’s Tabletop

S’mores

Heat and eat over a tiny flame at your table—perfect for sharing eatsolou.com

Those nachos’ star ingredient is Spoke & Hub’s housemade vanilla soft serve ice cream, which is plopped atop waffle cone crisps and gilded with Oreo crumbles, hot fudge and cherries. It’s an interactive experience set to deliver both smiles and sticky fingers.

The menu also includes shakes and floats, feel-good throwbacks made with everything from root beer and pie to cake pieces and even real beer. Diners can order them embellished with an original syrup developed for the restaurant’s uber cool Brakes Bar, located just outside. spokeandhubbr.com

—MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON COLLIN RICHIE

Spoke

milkshakes

DIGITS

Feb. 4

The official start of Baton Rouge’s Carnival parades

THE THIRD ANNUAL Krewe of Oshun Parade and Festival is the season's first local Mardi Gras parade, rolling Feb. 4 at noon. One of the city's newest parades, it will travel through Scotlandville, moving west along Harding Boulevard, then heading south on Scotlandville Avenue and east on 72nd Street, terminating at 72nd Street and Howell Boulevard. Organized by community organization North Baton Rouge Now, the event’s 2023 theme is “We are Black Excellence.” Following that parade, the Mystic Krewe of Mutts rolls downtown on Feb. 5 with the theme “Jurassic Bark: An Adventure 43 Years in the Making.“ The local season wraps up with Spanish Town Mardi Gras on Feb. 18 downtown with the theme “Man I Love Flamingos.“ Find the full calendar of parades on page 76.

Never too old to mold

A popular adult leisure class returns to BREC

AMONG BREC’S MANY adult enrichment classes is a chance to get your hands dirty—in a rewarding and artistic way. From January through June, the Baton Rouge park system holds its Warmth of the Earth Pottery Program at BREC’s Sharp Road Park three mornings per week. Adults gather to shape and mold clay into bowls, figurines and other personal expressions with support from an instructor. Paint and glaze your final product, which will be fired for later pickup. brec.org

TRY YOUR HAND

Warmth of the Earth Pottery Program is held through June 29, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30-11 a.m.

BREC’s Sharp Road Park Adult Leisure Center is at 501 Sharp Road.

25 million

POUNDS OF BEADS estimated to be thrown during Mardi Gras in New Orleans each year. In 2018, workers famously removed 93,000 pounds from the city’s storm drains, triggering significant discussion on the environmental impact of cheap plastic throws not just in the Crescent City, but in cities across Louisiana and the Gulf South that host Carnival parades. While a growing number of groups encourage participants to recycle beads, including krewes like Mid City Gras and organizations such as the Salvation Army in Baton Rouge, most throws are swept up by municipal trash crews or fall into storm drains.

—Eighteenth Judicial District Court District Attorney Tony Clayton, when discussing the arrest of Addis police officer David Cauthron, who caused the death of Brusly High School students and cheerleaders, Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill, and the serious injury of Dunn’s brother, Liam, after Tyquel Zanders led police on a high-speed chase. Zanders is accused of stealing his father’s car in Baton Rouge. The fatal accident occurred when Cauthron, in pursuit, blew through a red light and hit the cars the teenagers were driving. Cauthron has been charged with negligent homicide, and Zanders has been charged with manslaughter.

“I certainly hope the legislature totally revisits police pursuit laws. This was over a young man who took his daddy’s car.”

Buzz feed

Tailgate with

State of City

Mayor Sharon Weston Broome delivered her annual State of City address last month. Here are a few key stats she drove home.

$56 million

The amount of federal funding the parish plans to put toward drainage. The mayor also announced plans to create a stormwater advisory committee.

21%

The decrease in citylimit homicides as of Dec. 22, 2022. Broome added that police recently received a 13% pay raise.

Flavor forward

The taste trends for 2023 are in. Experts both near and far say local foodies should expect to see brine, or marine-inspired flavors, across menus this year—and that’s no big stretch here in south Louisiana. Meanwhile, tamarind is expected to be the ingredient of the year. The fruit (and its paste) is used in everything from chutneys to desserts, as its sweet-sour flavor profile changes depending on what it’s mixed with.

Seeing green

LSU partnered with cannabis education firm Green Flower to launch four nonaccredited online medical cannabis education certificate programs in January. The state anticipates more than $400 million in legal cannabis sales by 2025, according to LSU. lsu.edu and green-flower.com

Fresh catch

New Orleans-born Barracuda Taco Stand opened its patio doors in late December, joining D’s Garden Center and Parker Barber in the mixed-use space on Government Street, which formerly housed Garden District Barbecue and Garden District Nursery. The alloutdoor dining spot is known for its straightforward tacos, bowls, and chips and dips, plus seasonal margaritas and scratch-made tortillas. Chef and owner Brett Jones founded the concept in 2019 with locations in the Uptown and Algiers neighborhoods of New Orleans, but says he always planned for a Baton Rouge location. eatbarracuda.com

Culinary shake-ups

On Jan 4., celebrity chef and restaurateur Jay Ducote left Guaranty Media. It ended his relationship with Gov’t Taco, which he founded in White Star Market in 2018 before opening a brick-andmortar in 2020. That same day, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux founder Brandon Landry announced he, too, was transitioning out of his role as CEO. He will now serve as chair of the company’s board. Scott Taylor, the company's former president and COO, has been appointed to replace Landry.

Jordan Ramirez, a co-partner in the new Zee Zee’s, which opened in late 2022 in the former George’s under the Perkins Road Overpass. It’s a direct nod to the late Zee Zee Gardens, which operated across the street for decades.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to take an older institution, fix it up and bring back an old neighborhood name.”

–

‘Investing in women, period’ ‘Investing in women, period’

Local activists are taking on period poverty in schools and beyond

BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

A WOMAN’S MONTHLY period is a basic part of life. Without it, humanity would cease to exist.

Cue the embarrassment. The scarlet cheeks. The burning desire to find something else to read—and fast!

Even in 2023, menstruation remains an awkward topic rarely uttered in mixed company. But it’s one that’s on the minds of a growing number of activists in south Louisiana. They’re calling attention to an issue that’s been

plaguing women and girls for years: An alarming number of females living in poverty lack the financial resources to purchase basic menstrual products. It often results in missed school and work, as well as the risk of urinary tract infections and other health issues.

“Until very recently, this issue has been very hard for people to talk about,” says Sherin Dawud, co-founder of local nonprofit Power Pump Girls, which champions what’s referred to as period equity.

“But the moment you’re like, ‘What would I do if I went months and months without tampons and pads and had to deal with my cycle?’ you get someone’s attention.”

Period poverty is felt across a wide range of ages, especially now with some girls experiencing a first period at a much earlier age than in past generations. Starting around the 1970s, studies across the globe have recorded a 3-monthper-decade drop in the onset of puberty in girls. Louisiana families

in poverty often cannot afford to purchase period products for the household’s women and girls, and these products can’t be purchased with SNAP benefits.

One in 5 menstruating teens struggles to afford period products, while 4 out of 5 either miss class or know someone who misses class because they do not have access to period products.

Women and girls in the Capital Region are facing these challenges, too.

INSIDE: Why Baton Rouge doesn’t celebrate on Fat Tuesday

Deirdre Mwalimu, founder of Network of Women NOW

PERIOD POVERTY BY THE NUMBERS

1

Dawud and fellow cofounder Raina Vallot have spent the last few years spreading the word about period poverty in Baton Rouge. With motos like “Investing in women, period,” it’s one of the nonprofit’s main planks. The group is working with national manufacturers of period products, and has plans to launch a small grant program that will distribute such products to community groups in Louisiana this spring.

Similarly, Baton Rouge activist Deirdre Mwalimu and her organization, Network of Women NOW, held its inaugural drive for period products last fall. Mwalimu hopes to make products available to college students in need.

“One in four college students face period insecurity,” Mwalimu says. “When we give feminine hygiene products to the LSU Food Pantry, for example, they’re gone within 24 to 48 hours.”

Some Louisiana activists and elected officials are bringing attention to the issue across the state, as well.

Last year, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into the law the removal of the “pink tax” in Louisiana, which meant period products would no longer be subject to state sales tax. The law went into effect July 1, 2022, and included a local option for municipalities to also remove their sales tax, which has

since taken place in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans. Dawud and Vallot were among the activists who worked closely with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Aimee Freeman, (D-New Orleans), to get the bill passed in 2021.

In this year’s legislative session, Freeman will re-file another period poverty-related bill she last tried to get passed in the 2022 session. The bill would encourage public schools to make free menstrual products available to students. In 2022, it successfully passed the House, but stalled on the Senate floor and was not voted on before the session ended.

Freeman says that while she worked with a strong coalition to get the pink tax lifted, and successfully garnered bipartisan support in the House for the free menstrual products in schools bill, it may be challenging to get the bill passed this year.

“It can take years, sometimes, for a quality piece of legisla tion to get passed,” she says. “I plan to make it one of my five non-fiscal bills. But this is an election year, and I have no idea what will happen.”

There are currently 14 states and local jurisdictions with proposed legislation to ensure menstrual products are

22 million

Poverty-stricken women in the U.S. can’t afford menstrual products

18 months

About how much earlier girls are reported to be starting puberty as of 2020 compared to 1970

readily available in school bathrooms. But most of these bills don’t correspond with funding, leaving it up to school districts about how such programs will be implemented. Similarly, the Louisiana bill doesn’t come with funds to support the purchase of products. It’s unclear at this point how it would be paid for. Activists say it should be considered just like other bathroom supplies.

“It’s essential the same way toilet paper and paper towels are found in every restroom—because they’re necessary,” Dawud says.

In the meantime, Power Pump Girls and the Network of Women NOW are continuing to raise awareness and hold product drives.

Mwalimu says Network of Women NOW is collecting donations of period products at The Red Shoes and Athleta.

Dawud says the Power Pump Girls are also launching a new initiative this spring that will address one of the other issues related to period poverty: education. She says they’ve been deliberate about not broaching anything that could be construed as controversial, like sex education. Rather, the program is intended to help young people who lack resources and parental direction to understand what’s happening in their own bodies.

“It’s going to be a fun, modern, relatable education course that talks about what menstruation is and what hormones are,” Dawud says. “We think about families that might have a single dad, and know it will be helpful for them and others.” networkofwomennow.org and powerpumpgirls.org

Local groups like Power Pump Girls hold regular drives for period products that they distribute to the community.

Sherin Dawud and Raina Vallot, founders of Power Pump Girls

PHOTOS COURTESY POWER PUMP GIRLS

SOURCES: The New York Times; Harvard Health Publishing; A national survey by the PERIOD nonprofit

Fat chance

Could Baton Rouge be on the cusp of a Fat Tuesday celebration?

DESPITE NEW ORLEANS’ and Acadiana’s unique traditions on Fat Tuesday, Baton Rouge’s Carnival celebrations are over by Mardi Gras Day. Why?

Parades in the Red Stick typically end the weekend before Mardi Gras, after the Krewe of Southdowns Flambeaux Parade and the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade roll on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, respectively.

Travel is a big reason, Paul Arrigo, the recently retired president of Visit Baton Rouge, told 225 in an interview last year. For many in Baton Rouge, no local celebration could be as appealing as New Orleans’ “Greatest Free Show on Earth.” For others, the long weekend is a chance to jet off on vacation.

But that could change.

“I’m confident that in the near future there will be enough demand to either move the dates of parades to Mardi Gras Day, or we’ll see a new parade forming to run on Mardi Gras proper,” Arrigo says.

After all, the city has seen new parades launch in recent years, with Mid City Gras forming in 2018 and Krewe of Oshun launching in 2020.

Visit Baton Rouge and the city itself do not plan the parades. This shift would likely be driven by a few industrious locals, like those who built Baton Rouge’s Mardi Gras scene from the ground up decades ago.

Born in Baton Rouge and raised in Southdowns, Dr. William Gladney started the Krewe of Southdowns Flambeaux Parade in 1988 after returning from his medical residency in New Orleans. His goal: Bring a little taste of New Orleans’ Carnival to Baton Rouge.

“The spirit of New Orleans really touched me,” Gladney says.

Today, Southdowns incorporates elements of Crescent City parades, like the flickering torches known as flambeaux. But Gladney says the parade is held the Friday before Fat Tuesday for a reason.

“I would be crushed if I was stuck here on Fat Tuesday knowing Carnival was going on somewhere else,” he admits. “I’d want to be there instead!”

He has his own thoughts on why Mardi Gras Day isn’t as big in Baton Rouge. He feels the city doesn’t have as strong an identity as others when it comes to Carnival. He also attributes New Orleans’ deep Catholic roots to Mardi Gras’ foothold there.

Still, he thinks the soul of Mardi Gras will continue its journey up the river.

“Carnival is a cultural holiday and at the roots of what Louisiana is,” Gladney says. “It pulls people together. If you’re big, you’re tall, you’re rich, you’re poor, you’re Black or you’re white … it unifies people.”

A version of this story was originally published in 225 Daily in March 2022.

FOUNDING FIGURES

How often do new parades form? Two launched in recent years. Here’s when our local krewes were founded.

1976: Krewe Mystique de la Capitale

1981: Spanish Town

1988: Krewe of Southdowns

1998: Krewe of Orion

1999: CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts

2001: Krewe of Artemis

2018: Mid City Gras

2020: Krewe of Oshun

Baton Rouge’s all-female Krewe of Artemis rolls downtown

This Month @ BREC [FEBRUARY]

BLUEBONNET FOREST PLANTING VOLUNTEER

PROJECT Bluebonnet Swamp

Conservation Area

Feb. 4 | 9 a.m.-noon

SWEET TOOTH DESIGN Ben Burge Park

Feb. 9 | 6-7 p.m.

ART UNWINED: CLAY SWEETIES!

Drusilla Lane Park

Feb. 10 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.

I HEART MY ZOO DAY Baton Rouge Zoo

Feb. 11 | 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

SWEETHEART NIGHT

Independence Event Center

Feb. 11 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.

PLUS NIGHT

Highland Road Park Observatory

Feb. 11 | 7-10 p.m.

ART INTENSIVE WORKSHOP: MONO PRINTING

Baringer Art Center

Feb. 13 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

ZOO & ME MORNINGS Baton Rouge Zoo

Feb. 14 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

ARTIST’S STUDIO: PAINTING – ACRYLIC OR WATERCOLOR Baringer Art Center

Feb. 17 | 9:30 a.m.-noon

FAMILY GAME NIGHT Cedar Ridge Drive Park + North Street Park

Feb. 17 | 6-7:30 p.m.

SUNSHINE SOCIAL: CAJUN CARNIVAL

Milton J. Womack Park

Feb. 17 | 6-9 p.m.

SOLAR VIEWING

Highland Road Park Observatory

Feb. 18 | noon-2 p.m.

MARDI GRAS MASK PAINTING

Independence Community Park

Feb. 18 | noon-2 p.m.

GLOW IN THE PARK: KICKBALL Baker Park +

Independence Community Park

Feb. 24 | 6-7:30 p.m.

BREC.ORg/thismonth

NOW

FOR SUMMER JOBS!

SATURDAY MORNING STUDIO: OVER THERE! A LANDSCAPE IN THE ART OF COLLAGE

Milton J. Womack Park

Feb. 25 | 10:30 a.m.-noon

GEAUX FISH! CATFISH RODEO

Central Sports Park

Feb. 25 | 7:30-11:30 a.m.

INCLUSIVE ARCHERY

Milton J. Womack Park

Feb. 28 | 6-7 p.m.

Kenny Nguyen

IF YOU ASK entrepreneur Kenny Nguyen what the biggest problem facing the Capital Region is, you might be surprised at the answer.

It’s neither crime, nor traffic nor the brain drain of young talent, he says. Sure, those problems are real, but they’re not the root cause.

What Baton Rouge really struggles with, Nguyen believes, is confidence. And he’s been on a crusade to improve the city’s collective self-esteem by crowing about its assets and untapped potential, through his ThreeSixtyEight digital branding company and Assembly Required event series, which brings together diverse communities over topics that can transform the city.

The Baton Rouge native says the Capital City has long struggled to find its own identity, constantly describing itself against others: New Orleans is the heart of Gulf South tourism. Lafayette could be the next Austin.

“We yearn for (an identity), and we fall into the comparison trap,” Nguyen says. “And comparison is the thief of joy.”

Nguyen believes a longtime lack of cohesive leadership has prevented the Red Stick from pinpointing a core identity. But to him, it’s a magical place filled with interesting, creative people and accessible success.

His own company, located on South 14th Street, has grown significantly over the last decade, adding new staff and services that help corporate clients hone their messaging and increase productivity. Its work even landed Ngyuen and co-founder Gus Murillo on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List in 2019.

In addition to clients like GE and Pepsi, Nguyen and his company work closely with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber as it grapples with attracting and retaining young professionals. In 2022, he brought his positive-but-realistic

message to BRAC’s Young Professionals Summit, where he served as keynote speaker.

“I want to stop our greatest export in Baton Rouge being our talent,” Nguyen says.

He’s hopeful.

“I’m excited because I feel like right now, there’s a lot of good things happening,” he says. “Take restaurants. There are new concepts popping up, and there’s an openness to diverse food. It’s such a gateway.”

Nguyen says he’s also constantly meeting new people, a sign that there’s always something or someone new to discover in the city. His personal mission continues to be championing Baton Rouge’s strengths and encouraging others to do the same.

“How do you see the same city with new eyes?” he asks. “How do you see the goodness of your own city?” threesixtyeight.com

MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

“When you start looking at everyone else, you feel a little bit jealous, and with jealousy comes poison. That poison is what kills us as a community.”

YOUR HEART is in the RIGHT PLACE.

February is Heart Month, and we want to help you listen to your heart. The region’s leading team of cardiologists at Our Lady of the Lake Heart & Vascular Institute provides exceptional, world-class care along every step of a patient’s journey all under one roof. We can guide you through heart disease prevention and ways to make lasting lifestyle changes that decrease your risk.

We’re committed to providing an exceptional experience for every patient through:

• World-class physicians and specialists

• Specialized cardiovascular equipment and technology

• Designs to allow for seamless teamwork

• Natural light, large windows and beautiful spaces

• Faster healing and recovery

• Better patient outcomes

• Compassionate care at every step

To make an appointment, call (225) 767-3900 or visit ololrmc.com/heart.

Baton Rouge makes a great film location—and as executive director of Baton Rouge Film Commission, it's Katie Patton Pryor's job to promote it as such to productions worldwide.

THE BIG

WHAT’S THE INCENTIVE?

Current tax incentives include up to 40% credits on qualified spending. Base credits start at 25%, and increase if a production meets other qualifications (such as an extra 5% for productions that film outside of metro New Orleans, and a 15% payroll credit given for employing Louisiana residents). The current incentives program is set to end in 2025, but could be extended in this year’s fiscal session.

Independent and large-scale productions are booming in Baton Rouge. Industry leaders say it’s leaving a lasting mark on city culture

BY DOMENIC PURDY // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

WHEN UGONNA NJOKU began work on his documentary, the LSU graduate started with what he knew best: his experiences with and connections in Baton Rouge. The Social Boot: Boundaries Unchained explores the intersections between health and community belongingness in the Deep South. Aiming for a release late this year or early next year, Njoku has been working on the project since 2020. It began as part of his senior thesis, and then he spent much of 2021 and 2022 filming and traveling for it. Hoping to take a more nuanced approach to the South’s culture, showcasing as many perspectives as possible, he ventured from Houston to Atlanta. Scenes of the Louisiana State Capitol building and neighborhoods around town are seen prominently in the film, as well.

DIGIT

$81.5 MILLION

Spending by film productions in Baton Rouge as of November 2022, a number that nearly tripled year-over-year.

(Spending was $28.3 million in 2021.) It marked the highest total since at least 2017—and a major comeback after a pandemic slowdown.

Financing the documentary without any major backers, Njoku says it was very independent in its production, relying on the community to get it made. Unlike large-scale projects with seemingly unlimited funding and resources, crowdfunding is common for independently produced film and television projects in Baton Rouge. While that can present a challenge, it also often means a project’s crew and supporters contribute to a homegrown authenticity. For example, when Hurricane Ida occurred, Njoku says both the film’s subjects and crew were affected—which he says he ultimately found a way to work into the storyline.

In the same way Njoku’s documentary seeks to connect creatives and establish community, so does the growing local film industry at large. Playing host to both independent productions, like Njoku’s, and large-scale productions, like National Treasure: Edge of History, is important to cultivating a healthy filmmaking environment, says Baton Rouge Film Commission executive director Katie Patton Pryor. The melding of local and largescale productions is what she calls the “cultural nucleus” of the film community.

“I think it’s a good way for the film community to introduce its work to the general community of Baton Rouge and those who like to support the arts,” Pryor says.

While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed things down in 2020 and 2021, large-scale production picked up faster than ever last year. Film spending in Baton Rouge nearly tripled in 2022, with productions investing $81.5 million as of November, compared to about $28.3 million in 2021. It marked the highest total since at least 2017.

In downtown Baton Rouge, streets and venues were often blocked off, while the cast and crew of productions like National Treasure shot scenes. Film and TV sets were built across town, from the sprawling stages of Celtic Studios to local parks and neighborhoods. And when students stormed the field after the Tigers’ upset of Alabama, even LSU got in on the action as the crew of Matthew Perkins’ football-themed movie The Mascot captured it all.

Even when the industry typically slows down toward the end of a calendar year, the quantity of working productions this past holiday season remained strong, according to the

National Treasure: Edge of History was shot in recognizable locations around Baton Rouge, including Louisiana's Old State Capitol.

WHAT SHE DOES

KATIE PATTON PRYOR is executive director of Baton Rouge Film Commission. Her job is to promote the city as a film location to a worldwide industry, supporting the growth of the local creative economy. The Commission works in partnership with the Office of the Mayor-President and Visit Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge office of NOVAC (New Orleans Video Access Center).

Seeing the yellow “To Set” signs around town and spotting a celebrity here or there has officially become a common occurrence again.

‘A LOVE LETTER’ TO THE CITY

THE FILM SCENE isn’t just exposing Baton Rouge residents to new art forms. It’s exposing the country at large to Baton Rouge.

Perhaps the biggest show to film recently in the city was the Disney+ National Treasure: Edge of History television series. It was shot primarily at Celtic Studios, Louisiana’s largest dedicated film studio, as well as local venues like Squeaky Pete’s bar on Third Street.

Husband and wife screenwriting duo Cormac and Marianne Wibberley say they wanted to depict Baton Rouge as itself—something not often seen in productions coming to the city. The Wibberleys found our area “Washington-esque” in its historicism, they told 225 during a set visit this summer. It was a perfect fit for their story focusing on underrepresented

history—and part of why the team ultimately chose Louisiana’s Capital City over spots they considered in New Orleans and Florida.

The result, according to Marianne, is a series acting as “a tour of Baton Rouge” and “a love letter” to the city.

“There’s this mythical thing about Baton Rouge,” Cormac adds.

The show began streaming in December, after spending much of 2021 and 2022 filming around town. A long-running production that could take on multiple seasons means stable jobs will be created for local filmmakers in their own backyards—as opposed to traveling gigs in California, New York or nearby New Orleans, Pryor told 225 last spring.

“A series is the best case scenario for any city, and a series that represents the city as itself is immeasurably beneficial,” she says.

When it comes to luring filmmakers to Baton Rouge, tax incentives are an important part of the story. Current incentives include up to 40% tax credits on qualified spending. Base credits start at 25%, and increase if a production meets other qualifications.

An extra 5% credit is added for productions that film outside of metro New Orleans. A 10% credit is added for the use of a Louisiana-written screenplay. And a 15% payroll credit is given for

National Treasure: Edge of History

ROEDEL

HOW TO LAND A GIG

SEARCH FOR BACKGROUND acting roles on sites like mycastingfile.com or backstage.com. Expect a long day (10 to 12 hours is standard). While the hours may be long, there’s typically a lot of downtime between scenes, so bring a book to read or something to work on in between. Day rates usually run from $100 to $200 (though certain roles—or actors represented by the SAG-AFTRA union—can earn more). Just don’t expect it to be your big break. A better route to a consistent film job is to start as a production assistant—or work on your own project.

Source: Backstage.com

So you want to be an… EXTRA

Ethen Lombardino’s passion is behind the camera as a director. And the recent LSU grad has a plan to get there.

He’s already served as an extra in a few productions, working on film sets.

Background acting is a common way for newcomers to dip their toes into the film industry. It’s a fun way to soak in the atmosphere and decide if it is a good fit.

Lombardino recently landed an extra role on Richard Linklater’s film The Hitman, shooting at the University of New Orleans. Seeing Linklater—whose work he’s long admired—was irreplaceable.

Lombardino began working as an extra his freshman year, while studying mass communication and screen arts. He landed his first paid role in the Heart of Champions, a 2021 drama about Ivy League rowing. Since then, he has appeared as an extra in NCIS: New Orleans; Tall Girl 2; Sacrifice; and an LSU-based set of The Iron Claw

Working as an extra has given Lombardino confidence in his ability to act and his skills behind the camera, learning what he couldn’t from film classes.

“You go and you get to see how movies are made, the things you don’t get to see when you watch a movie,” Lombardino says. “Whenever I go, I just absorb as much information as I can.”

But Lombardino has another plan to set himself apart. He has a sizable following on TikTok, and he’s starting a new YouTube series, “The Film Club Interview Show,” in collaboration with Chateau Rouge Cinema, a local production company. The show, which will stream during the last week of February, sees Lombardino interview film talent and movie lovers about their cinematic interests and aspirations. Each episode will begin with a singular question: What’s your favorite movie scene?

His goal is to see the show expand to where he can pick the minds of bigname creatives.

Whether he’s working on his show or soaking in the energy of set, he hopes he’s on his way to his big breakout.

DOMENIC PURDY

“You get to see how movies are made. … I just absorb as much information as I can.”

—Local actor and influencer

Ethen Lombardino

LET’S ALL GO TO THE MOVIES!

DID YOU KNOW there are plenty of old theaters from the golden age of Hollywood that are still operating in Louisiana?

These antique movie palaces are still rolling movies for the big screen while others have been renovated and converted into venues for events, live music and art performances.

We rounded up a list of historical movie houses across the state that make the perfect destinations to take in film history while enjoying some top-notch entertainment. Take an in-state road trip to see the beauty of these historic buildings while you catch a flick or live performance.

OLIVIA DEFFES

Source: CinemaTreasures.org

employing Louisiana residents.

The current incentives program is set to end in 2025, but supporters hope it will be extended in this year’s fiscal session.

Because programs like these help reinvest into the local community and create an environment where more productions, both independent and big budget, can be produced in Baton Rouge and around the state, Pryor says.

“It’s all about reinvesting here to help it grow and help bring about the next generation of storytellers in Louisiana,” Pryor explains.

SHOWCASING LOCAL PRODUCTIONS

LAST APRIL, FOUR local films were screened at the annual Ebb & Flow Festival. The screenings, hosted in part by the Baton Rouge Film Commission and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, would turn out to be a test run for a new festival dedicated entirely to screening local films, connecting talent and acting as a celebration and cultivation of filmmaking.

While organizations across the city host film fests every year, including the Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival and the Baton Rouge Irish Film Festival, as well as the undergraduate student-focused Take 6 Film Festival, the last time Baton Rouge hosted a festival for locally produced films was in 2018 during the now-defunct Louisiana International Film Festival.

Though the new festival is still in the works, Nathan Hall—one of the central voices behind it—envisions it as a way to highlight the independent filmmaking and artistic spirit of the city. Hall is executive associate of

Baton Rouge Film Commission, as well as an independent filmmaker. His studio, Unoriginal Films, is developing a Western fantasy-horror film called Icarus.

The new event would be staged downtown, which Hall sees as an opportunity to connect and collaborate with the many other arts and music festivals that happen in the neighborhood.

The prospective film festival, which is unconnected to Hall’s work at the Baton Rouge Film Commission, would be a collaboration with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and local business owner James Curtis.

“The overall goal would be to have a place where all the filmmakers and artists in our area can work with each other and communicate,” Hall says. “At the end of the day, we need to have cultural exports, as well as imports.”

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION

IN FACT, CULTIVATING that local talent—and keeping it here—is perhaps the most crucial initiative underway in the industry.

The Baton Rouge office of NOVAC is one of the primary sources of training and networking for local film professionals. It provides both educational resources and valuable connections to locals trying to break into the industry, as well as support for those already working in it.

“The best way to get started in the industry is being a production assistant. I started there,” Pryor explains, “and I strongly recommended NOVAC’s PA Training Intensive. It’s a boot camp for production

WHAT HE DOES

NATHAN HALL is executive associate of the Baton Rouge Film Commission, as well as an independent filmmaker, whose studio, Unoriginal Films, is currently developing a Western fantasy-horror film called Icarus. He’s currently working to launch a new local film festival, in collaboration with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and local business owner James Curtis.

WHAT SHE DOES

assistants, and when a person goes through it, it shows they know things like set etiquette and how to work a 12-hour work day.”

Between the three universities in the area—Southern University, LSU and Baton Rouge Community College—and NOVAC, the film industry is bursting with rising talent ready to be trained.

At LSU, student filmmakers are now being taught on state-of-the-art technology. Thanks to a five-year $1.25 million grant from Louisiana Economic Development’s Entertainment Division awarded in 2021, LSU’s digital media center was outfitted with a virtual production stage, utilizing the same technology from Michigan-based Fuse Technology Group that brought The Mandalorian to the small screen.

A curved wall of LED screens capable of producing 3D environments, in conjunction with video game design software from Epic Games and motion capture programs, was installed at LSU in February 2022.

There, students can get firsthand experience taking on film crew roles, acting as camera operators, motion capture supervisors or video engineers. The technology is run like a professional film set, with multiple disciplines coming together to work with the technology of the future.

“One of the coolest things is that we are able to get students from the school of theater, screen arts, science, digital media, engineering, music. There are just a lot of areas we are able to bring together that do a really good job at a particular skill set,” Derick Ostrenko, a professor at the College of Art & Design, told 225 this summer. “We’re showing the students what’s possible and how to bridge all these technologies together and letting them make their own projects.”

It’s all about increasing awareness about local film jobs, says SteveeRayne Warren, NOVAC’s national workforce development manager.

In fact, when Warren was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times this past November, she confessed that she didn’t think the film world would ever be an option for a Baton Rouge native like her. She assumed she’d have to move to New York or Los Angeles.

But an intern job at NOVAC quickly morphed into a viable career, and she rose through the ranks to become its national workforce development manager. Now, she’s helping production assistants break into the industry and connecting crews with talent.

She says if industry executives see that the resources and talent are there, more productions will follow.

“We want to help educate people as to what opportunities are out there,” she tells 225. “But at the same time we want to meet the needs of the industry as well—so that there is a cohesive partnership and that we are continuing to develop and enhance all of the talent and potential that’s already here in Baton Rouge.”

STEVEE-RAYNE WARREN is the national workforce development manager for NOVAC (New Orleans Video Access Center). She helps connect productions with crews and talent.

Justin Bartha and Lisette Olivera star in National Treasure: Edge of History.

COURTESY DISNEY/BRIAN ROEDEL

WHAT HE DOES

As a props maker, Trey Shows

• Is responsible for sourcing and making all on-screen props.

• Moves along plots or gives background to main characters through objects.

IN A SHOW like National Treasure: Edge of History, the characters handle and search for pieces like medallions, journals and mystery boxes to unlock secrets.

These props are made by a talented team of artists who paint, airbrush, and distress these objects to make them look worn, ancient, real and screen-ready. We sat down with Trey Shows, a local props maker who worked on National Treasure and the recently wrapped Iron Claw, to hear all about how props are made—and how essential they are for every scene.

OLIVIA DEFFES

Take us through the process of making props. We get the scripts, and then the props master will do a breakdown of all the props (including the spoken props, mentioned props and even the unspoken props). Next, we make a budget with the line producer and executive producer or director, breaking down every single prop and how much it’ll cost to either buy or rent or make. Then you start any sort of outsourcing you have to do to make that particular product.

Tell me how you got started working in film. I was always artistic. I majored in film and art in college. I got my first film job on Jurassic World, but it was in the casting department. Your first few years in film you’re trying to network and jobs are few and far between, especially if you’re doing something other than grip work. My first break was when I got into the set dressing department, buying and sorting set pieces.

How did you transition into prop making?

I learned the ropes about how the art offices work. I started doing graphic design for props on Your Honor with Bryan Cranston I was a set dresser, then I took kind of a demotion and became a production assistant for an art director. I started doing a little bit of art direction for sets, making signage and things like that. That led to a bigger graphic design job on Your Honor. I started getting more calls. A designer I met while I was a production assistant hired me as an art director. It was the whole shebang, overseeing construction, paint, graphics and props. Our props master was Stephen Noell, who ended up getting a gig on National

AS SEEN ON TV

One of the props Shows sourced for National Treasure: Edge of History C

Treasure. I sent in a resume to that show to see if there was any room in the art department. There wasn’t, but Stephen asked me if I wanted to be a props assistant. That was a dream come true on a show like that.

What has been your favorite film project you’ve worked on recently? And how does it feel to get to see that work on screen?

National Treasure. With a show like that, we’re making the clues that drive the story. It’s a prop-driven show. I’ve seen the first few episodes, and I get excited every time I see something. Whenever you see it on screen, it’s better than whenever you see it in real life because the resolution drops a little bit and it looks more realistic in the world of the show.

As a Baton Rouge native, what’s it like to see the city get recognition as a filming hot spot?

It’s nothing but great. We’re going to have more people from Baton Rouge take the time to learn the trade and film, and we won’t have to outsource from New Orleans. I hear it’s very promising for Baton Rouge. There are a lot of projects that want to come here in the future, and it’s just going to get better from here, as long as the tax incentives aren’t altered.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A...

PROPS MAKER

SO YOU WANT TO BE A...

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR

NANCY BREAUX IS “a second set of eyes” for the director. As a script supervisor on movie and television sets, her job is to maintain continuity—to know the script and details more than almost anyone on set. She calls it simultaneously one of the hardest and most rewarding film jobs.

“You’re constantly playing a game of eye spy all day long to make sure there are no mistakes visually happening on camera, continuity-wise,” she says.

When the Donaldsonville native graduated from LSU in 1985, she started her career as on-camera talent as a lifestyle host on Good Morning Texas. Soon, she transitioned to the production side of entertainment, studying at the Art Institute of Dallas. While working in Texas, she found herself serving as script supervisor for multiple smaller projects before moving back to Louisiana and committing to script supervising full time, with the Fox series Breakout Kings being a notable milestone in her career.

Since returning to Baton Rouge with her camera operator husband, her name has appeared as script supervisor on about 50 productions over the past decade, including Apple TV+’s Golden Globe-nominated miniseries Black Bird starring Taron Edgerton, as well as the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown starring Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner. Breaux has also directed her own flick, Aspire to Land, which filmed in Lafayette

Acting as a liaison between various departments on a film set, script supervisors like Breaux are in charge of ensuring costumes and makeup align with the production’s continuity, as well as understanding camera lingo to maintain a cohesive feel to the entire production.

Script supervisors, she explains, are also responsible for what goes on the clapboard before the director yells “action,“ compiling notes for editors to help put the disparate elements of filmmaking into a cohesive whole.

“It’s a lot of trying to talk in a way that brings community and brings a positive outcome without a major crisis happening,” Breaux says.

Over the past decade, she says she has earned the respect of the directors and industry, so much so that she feels she is part of the creative process alongside the director and the director of photography. At her current level she is allowed to “rethink critically” many of the decisions made on set, becoming a problem solver.

She’s also dedicated to training the next generation of script supervisors, teaching classes with Baton Rouge’s NOVAC office.

“We’ve got to nurture our state,” she says.

WHAT SHE DOES

As a script supervisor

Nancy Breaux

Acts as a liaison and note-taker between departments on set, ensuring continuity. Is responsible for what goes on the clapboard before the director yells "action."

VISUAL EFFECTS

SO YOU WANT TO WORK IN...

FOR CRAFTY APES, the Baton Rouge film industry’s primary visual effects company, new funding from Epic Games is a game changer.

Now, the studio is hoping to bridge the gap between filmmaking, technology and video games.

Crafty Apes secured the funding in May 2022 from Epic MegaGrants, split into grants ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 to fund projects utilizing virtual assets from Unreal Engine, a video game engine known for its flexibility and accessible nature.

Despite Unreal Engine’s initial development as a video game engine, Epic’s website incentivizes the use of its engine for filmmaking.

“It’s an opportunity to apply bleeding edge technology to filmmaking,” Crafty Apes’ creative director and senior VFX supervisor, Sam Claitor, says.

California-based Crafty Apes opened its Baton Rouge office in January 2020 with only two people working out of a single room. It now has 50 employees working to integrate live-action footage with computer generated images on 100 projects, including Home Team, National Treasure: Edge of History and Where the Crawdads Sing, out of Baton Rouge’s film production studio, Celtic Studios.

“One thing that we do differently than a lot of other companies is that we take a filmmaker’s approach to every project,” Claitor says.

Part of this approach is accomplished with the MegaGrant, partnering Crafty Apes with Louisiana Entertainment, the state-run body in place to cultivate the state’s entertainment industries, including film, to continue experimentation with digital filmmaking tools.

One of the primary projects the grant funded was the completion of Before the Beard, Before the Belly, an animated short film telling a reimagined origin story for Santa Claus set to release theatrically in December 2023.

Originally developed by filmmaker Darin McDaniel as a feature-length film in 2008 before Crafty Apes got involved, Claitor and McDaniel say their involvement with Unreal Engine breathed new life into the project.

McDaniel hopes the feature film, The Legend of Santa Claus, will be given a new life as a “charming little holiday beauty” with the help of Crafty Apes and the visual effects artists working on it.

It’s collaborations like the one with McDaniel that excite the team at Crafty Apes, Head of Studio Kolby Kem-

ber says. He hopes that their collaboration allows them to “fight for the little guy,” making the project’s Unreal Engine elements available to the public to be played with by up-and-coming visual effects artists and filmmakers as a learning tool.

According to Louisiana Entertainment, another part of Crafty Apes’ MegaGrant is the development of a junior workforce program to train the next generation of visual effects-focused filmmakers.

WHAT THEY DO

• Through their visual effects studio Crafty Apes, the duo and their team have created computergenerated images on 100 projects, including National Treasure: Edge of History and Where the Crawdads Sing (pictured above).

• Their work transforms studio backdrops into sweeping landscapes and adds elements like leaves swirling through the air.

Through the MegaGrant, Crafty Apes hopes to create an ecosystem to foster more visual effects jobs where there weren’t many before, creating new opportunities with the merger of film and video game technology.

“When I was a kid, I would’ve thought you would have had to live in Los Angeles or New York to work in the entertainment business,” Claitor says. “I didn’t think it was a real possibility to do that from Louisiana, probably until I started working in VFX.” craftyapes.com

Crafty Apes head of studio Kolby Kember

Crafty Apes creative director and senior VFX supervisor Sam Claitor

LOCATIONS MANAGER

AQUILES MONTALVO HAS made Baton Rouge look like New York and San Francisco. You name the place, and he’s probably recreated it.

Montalvo has worked as a location manager for 14 years. He’s witnessed a thing or two working in the film industry, including the production of 21 Jump Street, Captain Marvel, Looper and Django Unchained.

Montalvo works in the places he knows well. He was raised in Mid City New Orleans and moved to Baton Rouge in 2006. Growing up, he was fascinated with the way films come together and always knew he wanted to do something creative. He graduated from University of New Orleans with a bachelor’s degree in film, theatre and communications, hoping to direct or edit.

He got his first gig as location assistant on Jonah Hex. He was never taught location management, but he wanted to get his foot in the door. So he haggled with the Jonah Hex location manager for weeks until he gave in and asked Montalvo to go to set. Like most, he learned on the job.

Here, he shares a window into the world of locations.

KATIE DIXON

• National Treasure: Edge of History features the Alamo, which was actually shot in the State Capitol Park. Montalvo found the park’s old oak tree as the perfect location.

• Montalvo and the crew of Blood Out stood in front of the State Capitol in the middle of the night. It was 2010, Montalvo was fresh in the industry, and the producers called asking to shoot a scene within 15 minutes. The scene called for a flipped car, so Montalvo and the crew flipped a rental SUV by hand. They paid for the damages, of course.

• The devil is in the details. Film shoots become chaotic in a second, and as a member of the production crew, Montalvo tries to stay one step ahead. He says he organizes as he goes with lists and calendars, over-preparing as much as possible.

• It’s all about who you know. Film industry names call each other to see what’s up. One thing leads to another, and they’re working side-by-side. “It’s a box full of people,” Montalvo says. “I have binders of (business) cards. … There’s people that you go to, that you’ve worked with before.”

• Ideas for a set begin formulating when the line producer shares notes. They'll send reference photos and (ideally) the script to

the location manager. When the locations manager in turn finds the perfect spot, the film starts coming to life. “The groundwork for the locations department is securing what’s on the printed page… and making it a reality,” Montalvo says.

• The location department is given a budget for every film. Depending on the circumstances, some locations are much more expensive than others. Montalvo says most state buildings fees average about $3,000 a day. The fee does not include security and other needed rentals, such as space for equipment. And although filming only lasts a few days, building and taking down the set adds over a week at each location.

• Much of the budget goes into creating set props. After the filming wrapped on National Treasure: Edge of History, the 13th Gate even bought some of the set pieces. But Montalvo says there was one piece he could not let be thrown away. He took home a tombstone from season four of the TV series Claws to use as a Halloween decoration.

• Being on set means getting to know the actors beyond their on-screen personas. Montalvo most recently was assistant location manager on The Iron Claw. The production team was filming in a cul-de-sac off of

WHAT HE DOES

As a locations manager with nearly a decade-and-a-half of experience, Aquiles Montalvo

• Scouts film and television sets.

• Works with a budget and crew to secure and build out sets.

Jefferson Highway when Zac Efron spotted a mom and her 9-year-old daughter waving. Efron was exhausted from a physically demanding scene but stopped what he was doing to meet and greet the two anyway. No surprise, Tom Hanks is one of Montalvo's favorite actors he’s worked with. He says Hanks has funny stories to tell the crew. He remembers the first time he saw Bruce Willis on set, too. “He had a machine gun in his hand and he’s screaming ‘mother-effer,’” Montalvo says. “I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool.’”

• Montalvo’s all-time favorite location is Third Street. But second to that, it’s The Cinclare Sugar Mill & Historic Site in Port Allen, which has made its way into a number of films he’s worked on. He says the industrusty is always looking for something gritty, like an abandoned warehouse.

• “I remember my (first) little movie that I made,” Montalvo says. “It was just a little black-and-white, 3-minute long assignment for whatever film course I was taking. … It was about a guy that loses his girlfriend, and she comes back in the end. I put credits on it and everything. It was an achievement for me. It was like: ‘I can do this.’"

WHAT THEY DO

• Jency Hogan is an actor and also runs Love Acting studio, teaching students interested in acting.

• Aaron Hogan runs local photo and video studio Eye Wander Photo.

• The creative couple combined their talents to produce Days of Daisy

THEIR FAVORITE DIRECTORS

Joe Wright

Greta Gerwig

Ang Lee

FILMMAKER SO YOU WANT TO BE A...

WHEN HUSBAND AND wife duo Aaron and Jency Griffin Hogan wrote and produced the independent romantic comedy Days of Daisy, it was important to them to show audiences the beauty of both Baton Rouge and unconventional romances.

Described by Jency as Bridget Jones’ Diary meets School of Rock, the film loosely tells the story of how the pair fell in love. Directed by Alexander Jeffery, it follows Daisy, a librarian played by Jency. Approaching 40 and yearning for children, she falls in love with a fictionalized version of her husband: a photographer named Jack, who doesn’t want kids.

Jency, who previously acted in 2013’s Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club, took inspiration from Greta Gerwig’s performance in Frances Ha. She was willing to be vulnerable and sometimes play the fool in portraying the “lovely side of being in your 40s,” Aaron says.

The film premiered this past summer in Hollywood at the Mann Theater during the Dances with Films festival, before debuting in Baton Rouge at the Manship Theatre. The film has since screened at the Heartland Film Festival in Indiana and is being shopped around to streaming services to premiere in February or March.

Both originally from Baton Rouge, with Jency recently returning after a stint in Los Angeles pursuing acting, the couple says they wanted to use Days of Daisy as an opportunity to showcase the charms of Baton Rouge. That began with shooting on location in places instantly recognizable to locals. One of the main locations in the film is McKinley Middle School, acting as the fictional West High School where Daisy works as a librarian.

Additionally, one of the most pivotal scenes in the film, the couple’s first date, is set in Highland Coffees, just off LSU’s campus. The film also employs local talent, notably Maddie Nichols, who previously starred in Jumanji: The Next Level and Emergency

“We want to be known as some of the greatest producers, cinematographers and directors coming out of Baton Rouge. That’s our dream,” Jency says. “It’s going to be a Baton Rouge darling and represents Baton Rouge.”

The film’s romance and specific conversations about the nature of running out of time are lifted from reality, but a lot of the script, while inspired by reality, is fictional.

The core of the film, the couple explains, is the relationship between Daisy, Jack and the high school students they take under their wing to help save their school’s art program. While they don’t have kids of their own, Aaron and Jency wanted to show that mentorship of children is just as valid as parenthood.

That mirrors what Aaron and Jency are doing with their mixed-use, two-story studio on Goodwood Boulevard, housing both Jency’s Love Acting studio and Aaron’s Eye Wander Photo. The space regularly hosts acting classes for all ages and various photoshoots and creative projects. Aaron thinks of the space, whose third floor is the couple’s residence, as a “creative hub for Baton Rouge.”

Ironically, through the process of making the film with his wife and watching the finished product, Aaron says he had a change of heart when it comes to parenthood and the couple is now planning to have kids.

“I feel the arts are like that,” Jency says. “They affect us—and that’s why we make them.”

EXPLORE WHATadventure + discoveries await you this spring with BREC!

Science & Nature

brec.org/swamp

Swamp Art Spectacular

Jan. 13-Feb. 26

Meet the Artists + Closing Reception

Feb. 26

Conservation

brec.org/conservation

First Saturdays at Frenchtown

Feb. 4 + April 1 + May 6

Birding Around BREC

Feb. 15 + March 22

Adventure

brec.org/outdooradventure

Archery 101 Jr. Feb. 1

Archery Academy

Feb. 9 + 16 + 23 + March 2

Swamp Bird Walks

Feb. 4 + March 4 + April 1

Swamp Flashlight Night

Feb. 10

Rockin’ at the Swamp

March 11

Dog Day at the Swamp

March 18

Swamp Art Show Field Days

April 15-16

Craft Corner at the Swamp

April 14-15

Geaux Fish! Catfish Rodeo

Feb. 25

Conservation Woods Walk

March 18 + May 20

Revive Your Mind Nature Hike

March 4

BioBlitz 2023 April 21-22

Urban Nature Hike Series

April 25 + May 9

Start of Summer Night Hike +

Campfire

April 28 + May 12

Comite River Run March 4

Kayak Academy

March 15 + 22 + 29 + April 5

Comite Classic April 1

Sunset Paddle April 20

Kayaks + Coffee April 26

DIVERSITY of CHAMPIONS

EQUITY INCLUSION BELONGING IDENTITY

Local organizations are learning that success is built on a culture where everyone’s perspectives are valued and respected.

SPONSORED BY:

At one time or another, our city has been home to seven different nations! These cultural influences are what have shaped Baton Rouge into a beautifully unique place where we all come together to make our city unlike anywhere else in the world.

COLLEGIATE BATON ROUGE

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH COLLEGIATE BATON ROUGE? I worked in Boston for five years as vice principal of a high school. I wanted to be somewhere where I could unapologetically serve black students. Collegiate Baton Rouge spoke to me because of its commitment to serving all children. I applied to be the dean of students and eventually became the principal.

WHY IS THIS MISSION IMPORTANT TO YOU? I was initially aiming to work in New Orleans, but I landed in Baton Rouge. When I learned about the 40% graduation

rate for black male students in Baton Rouge, it became a goal of mine to change that. High school and college diplomas can set you up for success and create limitless potential for students.

DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR OTHERS WHO WANT TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY? For anyone who wants to work with Baton Rouge kids specifically, don’t be afraid to listen to students. They’re used to being told what to do, but rarely does someone take the time to listen to them about their experiences. Be patient and never let expectations get in the way.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? We’re still new and only moved into our building in 2019. My long-term goal is to build a school community where any kid can build an academic identity, be a leader, and impact their community. I want to create classrooms that are collaborative, so the kids feel a sense of teamwork. I also want to focus on improving literacy and celebrating growth. High school isn’t too late to make a positive change. What makes Collegiate Baton Rouge special is that kids get a fresh start every day.

Principal Samantha Johnson

EXXONMOBIL BATON ROUGE

of ExxonMobil, so I became a part of the Diversity Scholars program.

be uncomfortable at first, but having the will to empower others is championing diversity.

WHAT IS THE EXXONMOBIL LSU DIVERSITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM? ExxonMobil has funded this program at LSU since 2003 with the goals of attracting more minority students in the College of Engineering, creating a network of mentoring support from career professionals, and increasing retention, graduation and employment rates for the College of Engineering.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN MENTORSHIP? Having a college mentor changed my outlook on my career. At ExxonMobil, I was on the Black Employee Success Team, and I helped match mentors and mentees to integrate new employees into the culture. I wanted to give back outside

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MENTORS?

Put yourself out there. Mentoring is all about helping to overcome obstacles. It’s important to build a network. Join employee resource groups and participate in groups like the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition.

HOW CAN OTHERS BE CHAMPIONS OF DIVERSITY? Diversity can include the way you think or behave, not only how you look. Ask yourself how you can make a difference in someone’s life and empower them. Reach out to those people and become their ally. Act with empathy and create an environment of inclusion. It may

(TO MENTEE CEDRIC WITKOWSKI) HOW HAS THE EXXONMOBIL LSU DIVERSITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM HELPED YOU? It has been great. I was selected to join the program last year and was connected with my mentor Keith Silvio. He has been instrumental helping me with questions, my resume and interviews. I have been given many opportunities to make meaningful connections through the program and have been able to meet people who have a positive influence on my career development. I received an internship offer from ExxonMobil for this summer and am excited to apply classroom learning to real world applications.

ExxonMobil LSU Diversity Scholar & Student Cedric Witkowski (center) with program mentors

(from left) Abdou Ndiaye, Eric Valenciano, Baraynia Robillard and Keith Silvio

* Comments provided by Abdou Ndiaye, ExxonMobil employee and ExxonMobil LSU Diversity Scholars Program mentor.

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION?

Our mission states that we are a community service organization that provides access and connects people to information, resources, materials, technology, and experiences to make a positive difference in their lives. To that end, we provide programs, events, collections, and opportunities designed to include people of varied perspectives, ideas and challenges. We want the public to “see themselves” when they enter the Library and take advantage of what we have to offer.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?

You can’t understand or experience the world from someone else’s perspective until (as the saying goes), you walk a mile in their shoes. Context is important. We actively recruit and retain a diverse workforce so we can always be mindful of that. When a child walks into our Children’s Room, no matter their color or background,

they see themselves on the covers of books and in the characters on the pages of those books. They relate to the stories. The same holds true for our other collections.

HOW DO YOU HELP OTHERS CREATE A CULTURE OF DIVERSITY?

Aside from our own efforts, we’re in a position to help other organizations reach their DEI goals. We offer many workforce development programs on DEI issues, including some that address implicit bias in a neutral, non-judgmental way. We have programs to help underserved populations, from minority small business owners to single mothers, and leadership training that teaches employers how to use DEI strategies to create a more productive, happier, successful workplace. We will even recommend or curate a curriculum for you based on our resources and your needs. Most importantly, we deliver our programs in a variety of methods, platforms and channels—print, online, AV, even micro-courses on

your cell phone. We try to ensure that everyone has access to the tools we offer.

WHAT ARE SOME PROGRAMS THAT EMBRACE PATRONS OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, INTERESTS, AND ABILITIES?

As a center of learning, literacy, culture, creativity, discovery and enjoyment for ALL people, we offer a wide variety of programs and activities. The annual Mid City Micro-Con celebrates diversity in comics. The African American Read-In provides a public forum for readers of all ages. The Virtual Author Series schedules nationally known authors of diverse backgrounds. The Genealogy Department helps patrons research their family history from all over the globe, including special strategies for Black genealogists. The Baton Rouge Collection creates and exhibits content related to our own unique Civil Rights history. Check it out!

Staff members of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library

EUROPEAN WAX CENTER

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION? A key element of any healthy and productive workplace is a culture that celebrates differences in identity, thought and background. Diversity has long been an implicit fundamental value of our organization. We encourage all employees to bring their true and authentic self to work, and we mean it. Unapologetic confidence is something we seek to inspire and support among our employees and clients.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A DIVERSE WORKFORCE? At European Wax Center, we deliver a highly personalized service to a diverse client base. It’s important for us to have a workforce that represents the diversity of our clients

so that we can better understand their needs and how to best serve them.

WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT HAVING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE? It gives all of us a workplace where diversity, equality and inclusion are valued. Because our employees are accepted and empowered to be themselves at work, they feel appreciated and are engaged and committed to their jobs. This leads to higher job satisfaction, less absenteeism and lower staff turnover. Our diverse workforce helps us to attract and retain the best talent.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE? Diversity, equality and inclusion is not an end goal for us. It’s a journey; it’s a way of building

our workforce through common purpose and mission, but with different backgrounds, beliefs and identities. Throughout our company, we foster collaboration, understanding, and meaningful relationships. And through these personal interactions, our team builds strong bonds and allegiances. By creating a safe, positive workplace where people are accepted, respected, and encouraged to be their authentic selves, our team is able to give 100 percent of themselves to their clients.

IS THERE AN INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE THAT MOTIVATES YOU? Walt Whitman’s quote, “Be curious, not judgmental.” Learning more about those who are different from us, accepting them for who they are, and understanding how and why they work can enrich all our lives.

European Wax Center team

BATON ROUGE COCA-COLA

DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION?

HOW

As part of Coca-Cola UNITED, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola is committed to cultivating a culture in which all people are valued and respected for the betterment of our company and the communities where we live and serve. Through our associate-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, we work to ensure equal access to opportunities and resources to support our 10,000 associates across our six-state footprint. This enhances innovation and problem solving. If inclusive, we are diverse at all levels.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? We are driven by our “Associates First” culture. Our diversity, equity and

inclusion initiatives are in place to ensure each of our associates feel seen, heard and respected. These are more than just buzzwords; they are vital to company culture and ensure the progress of not only associates, but also companies as a whole. More prospective employees consider diversity, equity and inclusion when job searching, and it is imperative for any business or industry to be long-lasting.

WHAT

IS MOST CHALLENGING OR REWARDING

ABOUT IT? Developing our five-year plan with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council has been a rewarding experience. Our executive leadership team is committed to being part of the solution. The ability

to develop and execute our plan, track our actions, measure our success and be transparent with our associates with the full support of our leadership, are among the many fulfilling aspects of the work.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS?

Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at any company begins with leadership. Leaders must be committed in both word and example. It must start at the top. Only when leadership is in alignment can the work truly begin.

Baton Rouge Coca-Cola team

KEAN MILLER

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION?

Since our firm’s inception in 1983, we have worked diligently to foster a DE&I culture. Our founders knew that the firm could achieve great things only if it maintained a positive, collaborative and inclusive environment. For the past three years, we’ve achieved Mansfield Certification, a self-reporting program intended to assist law firms and in-house legal departments in accomplishing their DE&I goals. Each time we make a planned attorney hiring decision, we are committed to including 30 percent diversity in our candidates.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?

It’s impossible to deliver topflight legal services if we

don’t have diversity in the mix. Put simply, we’re going to make better decisions if we have diversity of thought. Working in a law firm is a tough gig. Knowing that you’re in the trenches with people who are equally committed to treating others with dignity and respect makes it easier to come to work every day. It improves retention and workplace morale, and makes you feel that you’re doing something bigger than just practicing law.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT IT?

Recruiting lawyers from diverse backgrounds has been a huge hurdle because so many firms are competing for the same pool of candidates. There’s just not enough diversity in the law schools. For 16 years, our Kean Miller Connection program has encouraged college

students with diverse backgrounds to consider law school. During a full day at our office, we orient them to the profession and promote law as a viable career. In the process, a diverse panel of attorneys from within and outside the firm discuss the legal profession and answer questions.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE?

DE&I is not a destination. We’re not going to get to a point where we can check a box. It’s a process and you really can’t take your foot off the pedal. In the future, we plan to continue pursuing Mansfield Certification as well as expand our Kean Miller Connection program to our 25-lawyer Houston office.

(From left) Vic Suane (Partner), Linda Perez Clark (Managing Partner), and Esteban Herrera (Partner)

ASSOCIATED GROCERS

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION?

Our customer base and workforce throughout the marketplace are diverse. We have administrative positions that include marketing, technology and merchandising, and have more labor-intensive support such as our distribution team and truck drivers. We offer a variety of employee-focused events to boost morale and increase productivity such as basketball tournaments, pool tournaments, cook-offs, inter-office contests and community service opportunities. These activities are aimed to bring together our various team members who come from different backgrounds and life experiences. We recognize and support the differences in culture, ethnicities, orientation and identities of all employees.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Every position within Associated Grocers is important to the success of our retailers. Our unparalleled service relies on having a great workforce. People give the best of themselves when they work in an environment of inclusivity, ultimately feeling connected to their workplace. We strive to create a people-focused culture built upon our core values around service to each other, our company and our retailers. Associated Grocers continues to make certain this fundamental value is at the forefront of every decision that we make.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE? It is our goal to continue building, developing and expanding a workforce that reflects the values and the dynamics of our marketplace and the communities in which our retailers operate.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY? Utilize the experiences and culture offered by your employees. It will encourage an environment of forward-thinkers and cultivate a well-rounded corporate business perspective.

CITY YEAR BATON ROUGE

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION? City Year was built on the belief that uniting and empowering diverse teams of idealistic 18- to 25-year-olds willing to solve some of our country’s most difficult challenges can change the world. Our AmeriCorps members serve as student success coaches who mentor, tutor and coach in concert with their partner teacher at under-resourced schools in East Baton Rouge Parish. In the classroom, we focus on students in 3rd-9th grades where education can be most impactful. Outside the classroom, our staff works collaboratively with local, state and national education groups to ensure that we’re appropriately investing our time and attention.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Our goal is to make education equitable and accessible, while creating a pipeline of passionate volunteers who through their deployment will understand the importance of giving back to the community while gaining knowledge of the educational system and how they fit into it.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT IT? Education is not glamorous, and we don’t often talk about it as a viable career choice or as an investment with a promising return. That becomes a challenge when recruiting individuals to financially support our mission and serve our cause. To overcome these challenges, we offer a modest stipend with full benefits throughout a volunteer’s service term and the Segal Education Award to those who successfully complete

their service year. We’re proactively strengthening our higher education partnerships so our volunteers can receive professional certifications or have access to higher education. We are working with Baton Rouge Community College and the LSU College of Education to provide credit for the time they’re in the classroom.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE? Our vision is to eradicate an inequitable education system. As such, City Year Baton Rouge is focused on the following—engaging and empowering our community to serve; increasing the number of partner schools we serve; and fostering and cultivating collaborative partnerships in and outside our community to help us expand our mission.

Executive Director Luz Randolph

THE QUEEN CASINO & ENTERTAINMENT HOLLYWOOD CASINO BATON ROUGE & BELLE OF BATON ROUGE

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION? We give everyone the freedom to be themselves in a culture where they are treated fairly, regardless of their backgrounds. Fortunately, we have qualified applicants from all walks of life in Baton Rouge, so we are able to exceed all state-mandated employment goals in regard to DE&I.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION? An organization operates like the human body. Much like body parts, a team comprised of employees with various strengths and functions from differing backgrounds leads to optimal effectiveness. Being present, genuine and caring about people helps create that culture. Diversity gives us strength, and that

includes anyone with whom we do business. We want to encompass and reflect the community in which we serve.

WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT IT? Having a diverse team is the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life and experience, and learn from a variety of perspectives and skill sets. We enjoy working with team members who share similar work ethic and integrity, but appreciate having a team with diversity of thought. Supporting diversity within the organization and properties is also important for attracting new talent and guests.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE? As our two Baton Rouge properties prepare to go “landside,”

we’ll bring on additional team members. This will allow us to further our DE&I goals by hiring a more diverse workforce, which we’re very excited about. It will generate more job opportunities to people from all walks of life in the Baton Rouge area.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR OTHERS? Ask yourself, “Are you just trying to simply hit a number, or are you genuinely desiring to promote diversity and foster an inclusive culture?” It is somewhat cliché for a company to say they promote DE&I; it’s another thing for them to do it. It requires a lot of hard work and courage. If you see someone not acting in a fair, equitable and inclusive manner, you must address that. If you don’t, your words mean nothing.

(From left) Bruce Woods, General Manager of The Belle of Baton Rouge, and Matt Shehadi, General Manager of Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge

THE LOWDOWN

CHARTING A NEW COURSE

THE EBR SCHOOLS’ PATHWAYS PROGRAM OPENS DOORS THAT MANY STUDENTS DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED.

The EBR Schools’ Pathways to Bright Futures program is truly groundbreaking. The homegrown initiative has opened previously unopened doors to every high school student in the system and provided them with the prospect of a fulfilling and successful future after graduation.

Launched districtwide this school year, the pathways program gives students the ability to earn an associate degree or industry-based credentials while still in high school in fields such as technology; construction and manufacturing; medical and pre-med; transportation and logistics; and liberal arts and management. Each of these “pathways” was created in partnership with area business and industry leaders to fill workforce gaps in high-needs, high-wage and high-growth jobs.

East Baton Rouge Parish School System

Superintendent Sito Narcisse conceived the program after recognizing that there were a woefully

deficient number of students engaged in advanced coursework, and most of those weren’t coming from low-income or minority communities. “There was an inequity there, so the superintendent made it his goal to give all students access to advanced coursework, districtwide,” says Letrece R. Griffin, EBR Schools’ chief of communications & family engagement.

The number of students enrolled in advanced coursework quickly jumped from 20 to 244 when EBR Schools successfully launched its first pilot program at Glen Oaks High School during the 2021-22 school year. Nevertheless, the goal was always to implement the program across the district, so Pathways to Bright Futures became mandatory for every ninth grader at the beginning of the current school year. “We don’t want to overwhelm students, but we do want to challenge them with new opportunities,” Griffin says. “If they can take at least one advanced course their freshman year, that gets their feet wet, so to speak.”

EBR Schools recognized the challenge of the massive undertaking, so it established “ninthgrade academies” at each school that offer inclusive, hands-on support to help get students acclimated. Should they require special learning accommodations, students and their parents work with counselors to develop a feasible game plan. Additional accommodations are also provided to non-English speaking students.

Throughout each year of their high school career, EBR students are required to take at least one Advanced Placement, dual enrollment or IBC class. Teachers from institutions such as BRCC teach the classes both in person and virtually, while EBR teachers supplement the work.

Ultimately, the Pathways to Bright Futures program provides opportunities that previously didn’t exist to all public school students in the parish, regardless of background or socioeconomic status. In the process, their minds are being opened to a world of limitless possibilities.

Local Local

A few local gift ideas from Baton Rouge makers, just in time for Valentine’s Day BY OLIVIA DEFFES

INSIDE: Bubbly with boutique owners / Local streetwear brands

VALENTINE’S DAY IS right around the corner, which means it’s time to think of what you’re going to get that special someone. Give back to artists and makers right here in Baton Rouge by shopping local for your lover. Here are a few picks for presents you can get without having to go too far from home.

Art from the heart

You can’t spell “heart” without “art.” From postcards and stickers to prints that are already matted and framed, you can find some locally made artwork that your love can display on their desks, walls, computers, water bottles and more.

1. “Pink Ladies” print by Made to Paint, $25. By Made by Made to Paint / From Local Supply

2. “Smokin’ Hot Quarterback” sticker, $2. Made by Made to Paint / From Local Supply

3. “I Heart Jambalaya” sticker, $4. Made by Krist Norsworthy

4. “See Ya Later, Alligator” art print, $15. Made by Krist Norsworthy

5. LSU Lakes print, $42. Made by Happy Eye Designs

Jewelry for him and her

Give a true token of your affection to your loved one by gifting a beautiful bronze, silver or gold piece from Mimosa Handcrafted. Shop necklaces with unique pendants, rings with stylish stones and Louisiana-inspired designs online or at the Mimosa Shoppe on South Eugene Street. Along with women’s jewelry, the brand also offers belt buckles, cufflinks and pins for your beau.

6. Philodendron Earrings in brass, $69

7. Shimmering Sun Earrings in brass, $69

8. Tie/Lapel Pins in brass, $45 each

Made by Mimosa Handcrafted

How sweet it is

Valentine’s Day is definitely the sweetest holiday of them all. Sugary snacks and delicious drinks from local businesses will show up any mass-made chocolate or chalky conversation heart.

9. Posh Pop Gourmet Popcorn, $18. From Local Supply

10. Be My Valentine Tea 1-ounce bag, $4.25. From SoGo Tea Co.

11. King Tremaine Three-piece Original Praline, $5. From Local Supply

ONLINE

instagram.com/happy.eye.designs iammadetopaint.com kristnorsworthy.com localsupplybr.com mimosahandcrafted.com sogotea.com

B ubb l y

boutiques with

Whether they’re dressing us for Mardi Gras balls, Valentine’s Day or the Monday morning meeting, boutique owners play a large role in our day-to-day lives. In a roundtable discussion, they tell us why they do it

BY CYNTHEA CORFAH // PHOTOS BY ARIANA ALLISON

Local boutique owners

Jenee Esquivel of Moxi Boutique; Tia Whittington of H Kyle Boutique; and Lenore London of London’s Fashion Boutique

BOUTIQUE OWNERS ARE the stylists, trend watchers and fashion curators of the town. They converse with their vendors on all of the hot new trends. They determine what styles locals will want to buy in-stores. And they help customers piece together last-minute outfits for special occasions. Over bubbly at Bistro Byronz, 225 contributing writer and fashionista Cynthea Corfah sat down with local boutique owners Jenee Esquivel of Moxi Boutique; Lenore London of London’s Fashion Boutique; and Tia Whittington of H Kyle Boutique to get the scoop on what it’s like to walk in their (very stylish) shoes. They shared about winter clothing trends, the struggles of owning a boutique and how their businesses began.

Why did you decide to start a boutique?

Moxi Boutique’s Jenee Esquivel: I minored in fashion merchandising, and I worked at Bella Bella almost full time through college. I realized I had a knack for sales, and I loved the idea of being able to curate a selection from start to finish. I had an angel investor, a family member who believed in me who said, ‘I want to see you do this while I’m still here, not after I pass.’ I started online and then we grew to brick-and-mortar pretty quickly.

London’s Fashion Boutique’s Lenore London: I’ve always been into fashion. In 11th and 12th grade, I won ‘best dressed’ because I learned how to sew my own clothes. I went to Southern for nursing, only because my dad wanted me to be a nurse. But I wasn’t happy. I worked at the hospital as a clerk for 18 years. I opened my store in 2008 and stayed at the hospital a year after opening. Every time it was time to go to work at the hospital, these crazy migraines would start. So I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time to go.’ I walked out and started my business with $300 in cash.

H Kyle Boutique’s Tia Whittington: The boutique was something me and my mom were supposed to do after she retired, but she actually passed away. I started teaching and it wasn’t fulfilling me. I had one of those Cricut machines, and I made myself a sweatshirt on the coldest day of the year. I left school with $700 worth of orders. (Eventually) I decided to get off of Etsy and do my own e-commerce, and then I opened a store.

How does your personal style differ from your store?

Whittington: Mine doesn’t. I don’t leave the house typically without at least one piece from my store.

London: I’m a bit more reserved than some of the looks I sell. I kind of take myself out of the equation.

Esquivel: My personal style is a mix of edgy and trendy with the occasional preppy flair. You can see that echoed in what we offer at Moxi.

How do you keep up with the ever-changing style trends?

London: I think most of my vendors bring out what’s hot. But my daughter Angel keeps me up to date. She stays on Instagram. She’ll send me all the boutiques, local and not-so-local, to tell me what’s trending.

Whittington: It’s a gut feeling. Sometimes it’ll work, and sometimes it won’t.

Esquivel: Watch and pay attention. People don’t really realize, we go to market and we’re buying sometimes six months ahead.

What are some of the hardest parts of owning a boutique?

Esquivel: The J months (January, June and July). They are very rough.

Whittington: I agree. During the J months, we don’t make any money (laughs). The first couple years are always the hardest. Especially if you don’t have a business background.

What does your boutique have in store this winter?

Esquivel: Metallics, shimmer, lots of texture, a little razzle dazzle.

Whittington: Lots of leather.

Magenta, emerald green, satins.

London: Sequins, Kelly greens, leathers and furs.

What advice would you give to someone opening a boutique?

Whittington: Make sure you do your research on what type of boutique you want to be (online or brick-andmortar), and make sure it’s something you really want to do. There are no overnight successes in business.

London: Stay consistent. It allows your customers to know that they can trust you.

THE EXPERT ASK

Q. WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE?

A. There are a variety of risk factors for coronary heart disease, including but not limited to, elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes. Most people don’t “feel bad” with high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or diabetes, which is why it is so important to have an annual physical with your doctor to screen for these conditions. It is estimated that coronary heart disease is responsible for one-third of deaths of individuals over the age of 35. It is also estimated that half of middle aged men and one-third of middle aged women will develop some manifestations of coronary heart disease in their lifetime.

FEBRUARY IS AMERICAN HEART MONTH

To Maintain a Heart Healthy Lifestyle Follow These Tips: Visit with your healthcare provider at least once per year

Stop smoking

Aim to exercise 150 minutes

minimum per week

Maintain a healthy weight and incorporate fresh vegetables, fruits, and proteins into your diet

For more information on Hypertension, please visit BATONROUGECLINIC.COM/ HEALTH-TIP-HYPERTENSION/

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ONE OF OUR INTERNISTS

PLEASE CALL (225) 246-9240

Street style

For one-of-a-kind T-shirts, hats and outerwear, turn to locally designed streetwear

By Zane Piontek // Photos by Collin Richie

XOIIL

Founder: Robert Chaney

Founded in: 2013

About the brand: “My brand (pronounced ‘Co-All’) is a mix of luxury streetwear and classic pieces. Like art pieces, I like my items to be timeless—something you can wear throughout the seasons. Growing up in this city, it wasn’t really common for someone from my side of town to grow and have a brand that’s as big as I feel mine has become. I’m striving to go beyond those norms, giving a different outlook on artistry and stereotypes in Baton Rouge.”

Where to shop: Online at thexoiil-brand.com. Chaney also maintains a private boutique shop in the Bocage area with limited shopping access by appointment and invitation only. Find new collections and updates on Instagram @companyofall.

MUSE

Founder: Kayla ‘Rose’ Magee

Founded in: November 2021

About the brand: “MUSE is a staple brand for my visual media agency called Blueprint77, which was founded on building platforms through visual media for local urban and lifestyle brands. Our clothing brand reflects the art of identity, culture and experience through color palettes and fabrics. Each garment is assembled with intention, simplicity and versatility: You can dress it up, you can dress it down, but it’s very nitty gritty into streetwear culture. Right now, we’re just focusing on essentials, everyday wear but in the future we’ll launch limited custom pieces.”

Where to shop: Online at blueprint77.co/wearemusethelabel

Issue Date: Feb 2023 Ad proof #2

•

Magee is also working on introducing more live shopping experiences, so stay posted for updates on pop-ups, new collections, custom pieces and more on Instagram @wearemusethelabel

PROXIMITY GLOBAL

Founder: Brandon Ferrell

Founded in: 2016

About the brand: “I don’t want it just to be a name on a shirt; I want it to be more of a lifestyle. The word ‘proximity’ means to be close to something in nearness, time or relation, and when people wear it, I want them to have this feeling that any dream is achievable if you keep yourself surrounded by positive energy. ”

Where to shop: through the Instagram

CREDITZ WORLD

Founder: Dave Harrington (a.k.a. DJ Loveyourself)

Founded in: 2016

About the brand: “The aesthetic of my brand is really old school pop culture: video games, anime and stuff like that. The origin of the name is basically a double entendre on reincarnation, like putting a credit into an arcade machine. Because every time you die in an arcade game, you put in another coin, and you come back as another character. ”

Where to shop: Online at creditz.world, at pop-ups at local shops (find updates on Instagram @creditzworld) and wherever Harrington is DJing.

BUMWARE

Founder: Demond Garner

Founded in: 2017

About the brand: “I like to make clothes for people who might feel like they’re alone. Most people look at the homeless as bums, but I don’t really think that’s the case. I was born in Indiana, moved to Shreveport at a young age. Every time I’d visit New Orleans, I’d see homeless people selling CDs or shirts. I always thought a bum was somebody hustling for money.”

Where to shop: Online at bumware.bigcartel.com

Garner recently hosted his first rap show/pop-up shop at Yes We Cannibal with his collective Black Heart Village, and is planning more events. Updates on Instagram @bumware

INSIDE: Make this easy-but-impressive Valentine’s Day spread

New world

A night out at Supper Club is more than fine dining. It’s an experience

The Truffled Lobster Gnocchi at Supper Club

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Supper Club

BY BENJAMIN LEGER // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

About 225’s food critic: Benjamin Leger previously served as managing editor for 225 and was the editor of its Taste section from 2012 to 2021, editing, writing and steering the direction of its food coverage in print and online. He is passionate about all things food and food journalism, and has written about the greater Baton Rouge area’s cuisine and culture for nearly two decades.

supperclubbtr.com

10480 Perkins Road

Tuesday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.

THE BASICS: Brandon Landry, founder and former CEO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, opened Supper Club in May 2022 just across from Perkins Rowe. The concept is a stylish, pricey, reservation-only, steak-centric restaurant with a strict dress code. The kitchen sources premium ingredients like wagyu, prawns and lobster from around the world.

WHAT’S A MUST: The Grilled Cheese

Dumpling offers a cheesy, tomato-y firs bite. The Filet Mignon and the Truffle

Lobster Gnocchi are perfect examples of the restaurant’s high-quality, expertly prepared proteins. Do yourself a favor and order the Parker House Rolls to share. And don’t skip dessert—the tableside Creme Brulee and the luscious Butter Cake are popular ways to finish inner here.

“IT

DOESN’T EVEN feel like I’m in Baton

Rouge!”

It’s a phrase that can either spark intrigue or elicit an eyeroll. Many a Capital City restaurant has aimed to create the sense of being whisked away. But the idea can be unintentionally condescending. It’s like saying: Wouldn’t you rather be anywhere else but here?

Supper Club wants to transport you somewhere else, yes. But it’s to a glitzy, unique world all its own.

I remember hearing about this place from a few restaurant industry friends when it was under construction. There won’t be any windows, they said. There will be a strict dress code. It’s gonna be the priciest dinner in town!

This seemed like an experience, and for one special occasion this winter, I decided to give it a try.

Sandwiched between storage facilities and warehouses across from Perkins Rowe, it’s easy to overlook this mostly unadorned brick building.

But the luxury sports cars out front and well-dressed doorman might give it away. He’s there to check your name, since it’s reservation only. (And probably that you meet the restaurant’s “elegant casual” dress code, which is spelled out in detail on its website).

Once through a dark anteroom, you emerge into the main dining space of Supper Club like you’ve uncovered a high-class, modern speakeasy. The tall walls are moody and dark. Sparkling, sculptural

chandeliers and iridescent chain curtains divide the large room into distinguished spaces. On one side is a bar clad in black marble, flanked by a crowd dressed in their Friday night best. Nearby is a DJ booth where dance music spins

just loud enough to make you wonder if this place turns into a nightclub after hours.

Indeed, if you feel like you’re somewhere other than Baton Rouge, you’re probably thinking of Vegas. The whole vibe aims for the

fanciest cocktail bar on the Strip, and the patrons dress the part.

Once we were done ogling, we found our seats. Immediately, we were swarmed by servers delivering water and dropping off complimentary samplings

The Parker House Rolls are a crowd favorite at Supper Club.

of crispy truffle fries while our main server took drink orders and walked us through the menu.

The appetizers are divided between hot and cold options, and there’s even a small selection of high-end caviar if you’re so inclined. I had already zeroed in on the Grilled Cheese Dumpling and the Short Rib Burnt End appetizers from the hot items.

The dumplings came served amuse-bouche-style in soup spoons. Little rings of flaky pastry encasing gooey cheese sat on top of spoonfuls of warm tomato bisque. It was a crunchy and tasty bite—but literally just a bite. And the tomato bisque on its own didn’t have much depth to it.

The short ribs arrived on a tree trunk platter under glass. When the server lifted the glass, a billow of smoke drifted up, revealing slices of perfectly cooked short rib arranged with bread and butter pickles. The meat was tender with a lovely, smokey crust, and the pickles added a nicely sour contrast.

After our server gave us an

overview of the entrees and the restaurant’s focus on high-quality meats, we chose the 8-ounce Filet Mignon and the Truffled Lobster Gnocchi.

First, though, we needed something green, so my partner and I split a Kale Salad.

I wasn’t expecting to be so impressed. This one came chopped, with bits of leafy kale, walnuts, dried cranberries, quinoa and shaved Parmesan all tossed in a light lemon-thyme vinaigrette. Everything was crisp and fresh, and the super cold plates were a nice touch.

Similar to our appetizers, there was an element of flair and presentation to the entrees. For the filet, our server first brought out a wooden case with a display of knives for us to choose from. Next, the lobster arrived under a porcelain lid that was lifted to allow the dish’s buttery scent to waft into our noses before diving in.

The filet was incredibly tender, cooked perfectly with a salty crust on top. The lobster meat was

The tender Filet Mignon is cooked with a salty crust on top.

ample and juicy. The gnocchi, unfortunately, fell apart like mashed potato. I was expecting a little more bite to it. The dish was also lukewarm by the time it got to our table, though the flavor was still lovely.

I must mention we also ordered a side of Parker House Rolls with our meal—and I’m so glad we did. The bread arrived atop a cake stand and looked like enough to feed a whole family. The rolls are baked in a round pan so they become pull-apart morsels of sweet, salty and butter-glazed goodness. They were the first thing I asked to have boxed up at the end of the night.

But the night wasn’t over yet. Even though we were fully stuffed, this seemed like a place where dessert was a must. Earlier in the evening, we watched pyrotechnics take place at the table next to us as a server flambéed a giant creme brulee tableside. It was the size of a full pie, so at our server’s suggestion, we went with the smaller Butter Cake instead.

The cake was a more manageable treat, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a mound of whipped cream. It was crumbly and buttery, and the whole dessert gave us a sweet note to end on.

The team behind Supper Club clearly aimed to create an experience here, and nearly every dish has some gimmick to it, if not in ill-advised naming alone— there’s a section of the menu called “Side Pieces” and another called “Arm Candy.” There’s even a cocktail that’s dispensed into your glass from an IV bag.

Strip away the stunts, though, and you are left with great flavors, quality meats and attentive service on par with a high-end steakhouse. It’s a restaurant perfect for an indulgent special occasion.

The question is whether you’re in the mood to go along with the rhythm (or is it dance beat?) of Supper Club’s world for a night— and whether you’ll be ready to return to Baton Rouge once it’s over.

The Grilled Cheese Dumpling amuse-bouche is served with tomato bisque.

The Kale Salad is surprisingly addicting.

On the menu

• Chargrilled Oysters

• Calypso Green Salad

• Chocolate Truffles

Recipes by Tracey Koch

Adapted from Glen St. Martin and Grand Cayman’s Calypso Grill

HOW TO MAKE CLARIFIED

BUTTER

For an extended recipe that includes instructions for making your own clarified butter, head to 225batonrouge.com/recipes

An affair to remember

An elevated Valentine’s Day meal—at home

BY TRACEY KOCH // PHOTOS BY AMY SHUTT

VALENTINE’S DAY IS the second busiest night of the year for restaurants across the country, according to the National Restaurant Association. If you’re reading this and have not made reservations to treat your special someone,

Chargrilled Oysters

Chargrilled oysters are a treat and one of my favorite splurges when we go out for a special occasion. But I’ve always been too intimidated to make them at home. I thought mastering the dish would take a lot of time and special equipment. But recently, my husband and I were invited to our friend Glen St. Martin’s house, where he treated us to a lovely meal that included these delicious delicacies. He taught me a secret: Rather than using hard-to-find or expensive specialty oyster cookware, cook the oysters in a standard muffin tin. The recipe truly takes about 30 minutes. Glen was happy to share this recipe, and I thought it would make the perfect dish for this Valentine’s Day menu.

Servings: 2 (About 18-24 oysters)

8 tablespoons homemade clarified butter (or store-bought ghee)

3 cloves minced garlic

1 pint raw oysters

½ cup fresh grated

Parmesan cheese

2 (6 cup) muffin tins

Crusty French bread for serving

1. Place clarifiedbutter and minced garlic in a microwave-safe cup. Heat on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave.

2. Using a slotted spoon to scoop out the oysters, place 1 to 2 oysters into each individual cup in the muffi tin. Spoon a couple of teaspoons of the garlic butter over each of the oysters. Set them aside.

chances are it's already too late. But don’t worry. I have crafted an easy, restaurant-style meal you can create from the comfort of your own kitchen. These dishes will delight your significant other—and show them how much you care.

3. Heat the grill to 450 degrees. Place the filed muffin ins directly on the hot grill and cook until the oysters just begin to curl up on the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes.

4. As the oysters are grilling, heat your broiler to high. As soon as the oysters have begun to curl up along the edges, remove the muffin ins from the grill.

5. Cover the oysters with grated Parmesan cheese. Place them under the hot broiler for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the cheese has just melted and turned golden. Remove the oysters from the broiler. Serve with lots of crusty French bread.

Calypso Salad

The Calypso Salad is a favorite at my house. My husband and I discovered it years ago at Calypso Grill, a restaurant in Grand Cayman. I adapted the below recipe, which is a 225 favorite I’ve featured before, from that experience. I thought it would be the perfect salad to pair with this month’s Chargrilled Oysters. It’s so simple, fresh and full of wonderful tastes and textures. Plus, the subtle flavor in this salad helps balance the richness of the garlic butter in the oysters.

Servings: 2

1 3 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoon chopped shallots

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh black pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 head butter lettuce

1 cup blanched asparagus

1 cup green olives, pitted

½ cup toasted chickpeas or garbanzo beans

½ cup fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, shallots, salt, pepper and olive oil. Set aside. This will be your dressing and can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge for later use.

2. Wash, dry and tear the butter lettuce. Place it into a large salad bowl.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Trim the bottoms off of the asparagus and drop them into the boiling water. Blanch the asparagus for 30 seconds and drain them.

4. Run the asparagus under cold water to stop them from cooking Slice the asparagus into thirds.

5. Add the asparagus into the lettuce along with the olives and toasted chickpeas.

6. Drizzle the salad with some of the dressing just to coat. Toss and divide it between 2 serving plates. Top with the shaved Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles

It would not be Valentine’s Day without chocolate. There are plenty of delicious, store-bought chocolates and treats you can find. However, I wanted to add in this homemade truffle recipe to ramp up this restaurant-style, do-at-home menu. These truffles only require a few simple ingredients and are a lot of fun to make. Good quality 60% to 70% cocoa dark chocolate produces the best-tasting truffles. Make sure to use chocolate bars—not chocolate chips. The truffles can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Servings: 12 (3-inch round) truffle

8 ounces 60% to 70% dark chocolate bar

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Cocoa powder, chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles for rolling

1. Chop the chocolate bar into bits. Place them into a mixing bowl.

2. Heat the cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the cream comes to a simmer. Add in the vanilla.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute. Carefully stir the chocolate and cream together until all is smooth and silky.

4. Set the chocolate truffle mixtue into the refrigerator for at least an hour, or until the chocolate is completely cooled and set.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Use a small cookie scoop or melon baller to scoop out the truffles, placing hem onto the lined baking sheet. Put the truffles back in he fridge to chill for another 30 minutes.

6. Roll the chilled truffles into cocoa powde, chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles, and place them in an airtight container. Keep the truffles in he refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Home is where the art is

Joe Mustachia pours his love of Louisiana onto the canvas, and his work has taken him all the way to Washington, D.C.

BY OLIVIA DEFFES // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

SPLATTERS, DRIPS, VIBRANT hues and Louisiana icons. These are the signature elements that make Joe Mustachia’s work so recognizable.

And in just about three years since rekindling his passion for art, he has grown a group of loyal customers who buy painting after painting.

Mustachia has always loved being creative. He took art classes for his electives throughout high school and minored in art during his college years at The University of New Orleans. But after college, real life began, and Mustachia found himself putting down the paintbrush as he focused on his landscaping business and family.

INSIDE: A taste of Washington Mardi Gras in BR

After his family’s beloved dog passed away in 2019, Mustachia sat down and sketched the pup’s likeness. His wife was in awe of the pet portrait, which encouraged him to get back in touch with his creative side. Eventually, he was commissioned to do a painting of a Blue Runner can of red beans. Though the request seemed a little odd to him at first, Mustachia got to work creating a larger-than-life interpretation of this Louisiana Monday dinner special using bright colors and splattered textures.

And customers ate it up.

“I like taking an object that is just an inanimate object, and bringing life to it,” he says. “One style led to another. … I was watching stuff with Jackson Pollock and a little bit of Andy Warhol, and it kind of just joined together, and I just loved it and enjoyed doing it.”

It seemed Mustachia had found his niche. Soon, he was painting countless bean canisters in different colors and from different angles to keep up with the demand.

Though he’s resided in Baton Rouge since 2007, most of Mustachia’s pieces are centered around popular objects from New Orleans, where he grew up. Though they may seem like common Louisiana images, each subject holds a special meaning to him.

Whether it’s a Barq’s root beer bottle just like the ones he’d get during lunch when he visited his father at work as a child or the iconic Roman Candy stand where he tasted the sweet taffy for the first time, Mustachia paints with memories of the beloved city.

“New Orleans is what I like, and it brings me memories,” he says fondly.

Though he likes to create images of his home, some of his work has traveled beyond Louisiana after being purchased by out-of-state buyers. Mustachia’s art even made its way to the nation’s capital when he was chosen by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge) to design the poster for the 2021 Washington Mardi Gras with the theme “Louisiana: America’s Foreign Country.”

The poster featured Louisiana’s State Capitol building and the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., along with a pelican float and a crowd of eager paradegoers. The design was featured on programs and promotional items for the

event, and he even designed ducal lapel pins worn by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians.

Apart from the New Orleans street scenes and Louisiana products, Mustachia’s work is also recognized by the colors he uses

and the way he lays paint on the canvas. He can’t complete those strategic splatters and drips—which make his paintings truly pop— without wooden dowels, plastic cups and lots and lots of paint.

“I do the splatters, and then I’ll lift it and let it drip,” he explains. “Then I’ll move this here and do that, and I’ll wait for that to dry, and then I’ll come back and do more. So it’ll take me about a week to finish a painting.”

His customers covet his bright style so much that almost every painting he creates is sold quickly. In the future, Mustachia hopes he can keep a few paintings to himself long enough to do his own show. But right now, he’s not complaining.

BATON ROUGE ART IN D.C.

Mustachia was chosen to design the 2021 Washington Mardi Gras poster with the theme “Louisiana: America’s Foreign Country.” His work was showcased on programs, pins and more promotional items for the event. Find a closer look on page 78.

“My favorite part about being an artist is creating things that bring people joy, so much so that they’re willing to spend their money on something I created,” he says. “It’s not necessarily about how much they spend on it, but just the fact that they’re willing to put it up in their house where they can share it with other people. It means a lot to me.”

“I’m not to the point where I’m out making any kind of political statements or trying to change the world,” he continues. “I’m just making things that bring joy to people.” joemustachia.com

The Baton Rouge resident and New Orleans native is known for painting Louisiana landmarks and lifestyle.

Splatters, drips and vibrant hues are signatures of Joe Mustachia’s artwork.

MUSTACHIA

A GUIDE TO Community Leaders

of Influence

IN THE CAPITAL REGION

Advertising in the Capital Region 500 will put your brand in the hands of the region's most influential business leaders in Baton Rouge. Be a part of this special edition that will align your business with 500 leaders spanning 40+ industries.

To reserve your space in this special issue, contact Kelly Lewis at klewis@businessreport.com today!

SPACE IS LIMITED

COMING IN 2023

Mardi Gras state of mind

No need to travel to D.C. for Washington Mardi Gras. Tour it closer to home at a local exhibit

By Olivia Deffes

What’s Washington Mardi Gras?

What can attendees see at the “Carnival in the Nation’s Capital: The Washington Mardi Gras Ball” exhibit?

The exhibit takes visitors through the history of the annual event and how it showcases Louisiana culture. “Not everyone can experience Washington Mardi Gras,” Nungesser says. “This gives people a taste of what it’s all about.”

Ad proof

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

The nearly 80-year-old collection of parties and networking events brings Mardi Gras magic to Washington, D.C., every year. “Washington Mardi Gras has been around since 1944, when some homesick Louisianans decided to share a favorite holiday with their Washington colleagues,” explains Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The goal was to inspire their out-of-state friends to want to visit New Orleans and experience the real carnival season.” Louisiana State Museum Interim Director Susan Maclay adds: ”It’s grown and blossomed into this three-daylong series of activities that really showcase Louisiana culture... It’s kind of evolved into something quite important and something we can all be proud of as a state.”

Where is the exhibit?

It’s housed inside Capitol Park Museum in downtown. Nungesser says the museum and its location were the best fit since Washington Mardi Gras is celebrated in the nation’s capital. It is a way for those in Louisiana’s Capital City to see what this far-away event does for the state.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully

K I N G C A K E N A C H O S

Vice President Richard Nixon; queen Dawn Marie Hebert, daughter of Congressman F. Edward Hebert; and king James A. Noe, former governor of Louisiana, 1953. Gift of Dawn Hebert.

PHOTOS COURTESY CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM

What’s not to be missed?

Check out the flashy costumes and dresses worn by krewe members, along with old posters and commemorative trinkets. Other notable pieces include the glittering crowns of Louisiana festival queens and original paintings by George Rodrigue, who reigned as king in 1994. Many items on display come from the museum’s carnival collections, while others were loaned out by krewe members. Visitors will also see photographs and projections featuring archival footage from past balls, some of which featured distinguished guests and politicians. Nungesser says the decades-old footage of past historical political figures is his favorite part of the exhibit.

How long the exhibit has been in the works

Organized by Nungesser’s office and the Louisiana State Museum, Maclay says “this was a deep collaboration with the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians themselves.” The krewe had first inquired about an exhibit right before Hurricane Katrina hit. With the hurricane and other conflicts, the idea was put on the back burner until recently. “The very genesis or beginning (was) all the way back to before Katrina,” Maclay says. “And then it just sort of languished after Katrina and nothing happened until Lieutenant Governor Nungesser came along with the vision to really make this happen.”

When to tour it

The exhibit remains on display until Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. And on Thursday, Feb. 9, the museum will host “Capitol Park Museum After Hours: Washington Mardi Gras,” welcoming guests Jessica Dauterive and Arthur Hardy. The duo will educate guests about the pageantry and politics of the annual Washington Mardi Gras. Hardy will also give a guided tour of the exhibit to showcase all the history. Capitol Park Museum is at 660 N. Fourth St. and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

ARTS BEST BETS

NOW TO FEB. 26

BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center is hosting its fourth annual Swamp Art Spectacular celebrating local art in different forms. The art on display focuses on this year’s theme: “Impressions of Louisiana Nature.” Check out all kinds of original fine art, textile work and photography, and vote on your favorite pieces. brec.org

FEB. 2

Get your little ones into the creative mood with Toddler Thursday at the LSU Museum of Art. The title of this month’s session is “I Heart Art,” and participants will create an abstract Valentine based on the museum’s gallery. Toddler Thursday is designed for kiddos ages 5 or younger and their caregivers. lsumoa.org

FEB. 3-5

Louisiana comedian Theo Von is coming to Baton Rouge for a three-day stay at the Raising Cane’s River Center. Von brings his "Return of the Rat Tour" for three nights of stand-up jokes and shenanigans. raisingcanesrivercenter.com

FEB. 13 + 14

Baton Rouge Symphony hosts a Candlelight Concert for lovers this month. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Duo Cintemani will perform guitar and flute to set the mood. brso.org

MUSIC BEST BETS

FEB. 3

Nightrain The Guns N’ Roses Experience is ready to take Baton Rouge down to the Paradise City with a fun cover concert. Go back to the glory days of the 1980s as the cover band plays all the classics from Guns N’ Roses at Varsity Theatre. varsitytheatre.com

FEB. 9

Founded in Miami in 1989, The Mavericks band has gone through a few genres, blending country with rock and a recently released allSpanish album. Come see the band's true versatility as it performs at Manship Theatre. manshiptheatre.org

FEB. 10

Catch the Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band as it brings the music of New Orleans to Chelsea’s Live. Whether on the streets of the French Quarter or renowned stages around the world, the Rebirth Brass Band knows how to give a good show. chelseaslive.com

FEB. 24

Texas-born country singer Parker McCollum will take the stage at the Raising Cane’s River Center. Come jam out with McCollum’s hits like “Handle On You” and “Hell of a Year.” raisingcanesrivercenter.com

FEB. 24

The Rolling Stones hailed from London, but the U.S. Stones six-piece band is bringing all the classic hits from this British Invasion group stateside and to L’Auberge. The musicians imitate the original group, from the sounds to the looks. lbatonrouge.com

COURTESY BREC

GABRIELLE FELD

COURTESY L’AUBERGE CASINO AND HOTEL

Winning over today’s customers requires salespeople to be BOLDER, HIGHLY INNOVATIVE, and MORE SKILLED than ever before. Business Report’s Selling Academy will sharpen your sales skillset, re-energize you and grow your confidence in new ways. We’ll touch on the latest selling techniques, how to reframe your mindset, and tap into your sales potential to make the most of your personal skillset.

The SELLING ACADEMY will help you:

Develop and maintain the right mindset to flourish in sales

Increase your closing ratio

Give you the tips and skills to overcome objection

Build relationships that lead to more sales

Develop the art of asking effective questions to reveal customer needs … PLUS much more!

all month

MARDI PARTIES

For Mardi Gras, you don’t have to go to New Orleans to get in on the fun. The good times roll in Baton Rouge too. All month, check out parades across the city to get you in that Mardi Gras mood.

Feb. 4: Krewe of Oshun | Feb. 5: Mystic Krewe of Mutts

Feb. 10: Krewe of Artemis | Feb. 11: Krewe Mystique de la Capitale

Feb. 11: Krewe of Orion | Feb. 12: Mid City Gras

Feb. 17: Krewe of Southdowns | Feb. 18: Spanish Town Mardi Gras

OH, HAIR YES!

The Manship Theatre is going back to the 1980s for the Hair Band Ball, its giveback shindig that benefits educational programming at the theater. Tease your hair up high and rock out to the band Mullett while you enjoy a costume contest and complimentary drinks and food from City Slice. manshiptheatre.org

Compiled by Olivia Deffes

BURN THE KING CAKE CALORIES

Baton Rouge General’s Mardi Gras

Mambo run is back with three races suited for every runner. Choose from a 10K, 15K or a 1-mile fun run. The routes weave throughout downtown and finish at North Boulevard Town Square. Come get your run on while channeling the spirit of Carnival. runmambo.com

ALSO THIS MONTH

FEB. 5

Come out to Manship Theatre for a glowing good time with the show Dino-light. Watch as a dazzling dinosaur created by a scientist discovers bright friends that help him find love. The glow-in-the-dark display combines technology and puppetry for a truly unique show. manshiptheatre.org

FEB. 11

Jeff Foxworthy brings his "The Good Old Days Tour" to L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. Foxworthy has held many positions in his career, from TV show host to author, but now he reprises his most famous role: stand-up comedian in a tour sure to make the audience laugh. lbatonrouge.com

FEB. 18

If you like scoping out different bird species, head out to Birding at Burden to see some winged friends up close. Make your way through the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens with an experienced guide to see different bird varieties. Bring your binoculars and gear, and get ready for a morning of bird spotting. lsuagcenter.com

FEB. 25

Catch Bulls, Bands and Barrels, an elevated rodeo experience traveling to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. Here, you’ll see just what the name implies: bull riding, barrel racing and live music. Wrangle up the family, because there’s something for everyone at this event. bullsbandsandbarrels.com

FEST DAY EVER

The first annual 225 Fest will kick off downtown on North Fourth Street and at The Capitol Park Museum with events that represent Baton Rouge culture. This family-friendly day of fun promises good times with live performances, food trucks, activities for children and various panel discussions. Come celebrate the city at the inaugural festival. 225fest.com

LAFAYETTE

MORE EVENTS

Subscribe to our newsletter 225 Daily for our twiceweekly roundups of events. 225batonrouge. com/225daily 337

FEB. 11: Second Saturday Artwalk, downtownlafayette.org

FEB. 17-21: Le Festival de Mardi Gras a Lafayette, gomardigras.com

FEB. 23: Journey with Toto, cajundome.com

In every issue of 225, you’ll find a free print on this page. FRAMED celebrates life and art in Baton Rouge, each one featuring a local photographer, place or graphic designer. Cut it out to hang in your cubicle, or frame it for your home gallery wall. Show us where you hang them by tagging them on social media with #225prints.

[225] February 2023 | 225batonrouge.com

2021 WASHINGTON MARDI GRAS POSTER BY JOE

MUSTACHIA / joemustachia.com

GET FEATURED We love spotlighting local photographers, artists and designers for this page! Shoot us an email at editor@225batonrouge.com to chat about being featured.