Contents
DECEMBER 2021
Events
11 6 8
MAGIC MOMENTS Santa sightings, winter festivals, and plenty of excuses to shop local.
REFLECTIONS Home Base
by James Fox-Smith
NEWS & NOTEWORTHIES
VO LU M E 3 8 // I SS U E 1 2
Features
28 32 34
The heart of Grand Coteau looks to a new century. by Ashley Hinson
THE RED STICK’S OPEN ARMS Two Midwesterners find a home in Baton Rouge, for a time. by Kristina Pepelko
Under Matt Conn’s hand, the wild returns. by Ashley Hinson
39 40 4
Exciting new restaurants in New Orleans by Alexandra Kennon
BLACK-EYED BEAUTIES The secret to prosperity in 2022 by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
ON THE RISE Breadmaking with Bryan Ford by Swathi Reddy
42
44 45
John Wesley Fairley’s made his mark in Hattiesburg. by William Browning
HOLIDAY REMINISCENCES Recalling long-lost memories with long-lost friends by Ed Cullen
FOR THE READER’S WISHLIST 5 books to read before the new year by Chris Turner-Neal
D E C 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M
Kourtney Zimmerman
Contributors:
Cover Artist
Lucie Monk Carter
Perhaps the thing the Country Roads team misses most about having former Managing Editor Lucie Monk Carter on staff is her mastery of sourdough. Longed for are the days when the aroma of her craft wafted up the stairway, promising a distinct delight to come later in the afternoon. I can only say this because we are still fortunate enough to occasionally utilize and enjoy Lucie’s other talents in writing and photography in these pages (find her work in the Cuisine and Escapes section this month). When I found myself searching for the perfect imagery to accompany Swathi Reddy’s profile on the artisan baker Bryan Ford (page 40), I wasted no time in enlisting Country Roads’ most gifted breadmaking, photo-taking friend. Enriched by her expert understanding of sourdough’s unique properties, Lucie’s photos also capture a quality of breadmaking that is at the heart of Ford’s mantra: its capacity to create moments shared, memories treasured. Ford’s verve for baking germinated in his mother’s kitchen in Honduras, where he learned to make tortillas and pan de coco. It isn’t hard to imagine Lucie’s daughter’s tiny hand, a bit larger, kneading dough someday, somewhere—recalling that November day her family gathered in the kitchen to make challah. —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
36
Arts & Entertainment Editor
William Browning, Ed Cullen, Ashley Hinson, Lucie Monk Carter, Kristina Pepelko, Olivia Perillo, Swathi Reddy, Chris Turner-Neal
Cover image by Lucie Monk Carter
IF THE FOOTPRINT FITS
Managing Editor
Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Creative Director
“CHALLAH WITH CHILD”
CUISINE STILL REIGNS IN THE CRESCENT CITY
Associate Publisher
Alexandra Kennon
A WETLAND, AGAIN
Culture
James Fox-Smith Ashley Fox-Smith
On the Cover
Cuisine
Publisher
200 YEARS AT THE ACADEMY
Escapes
48 62
MAISON STÉPHANIE A new age for the Arnaudville estate by Lucie Monk Carter
PERSPECTIVES Emma Fick sees the patterns, and she reimagines them.
by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
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Custom Content Coordinator
Lauren Heffker
Advertising Coordinator
Laci Felker
President
Dorcas Woods Brown
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