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NOV. 6 — NOV. 12, 2023 VOLUME 44 || NUMBER 45

CONTENTS

Bring the fun of a

piano bar to your next event!

NEWS Opening Gambit ............... 7 Commentary ................... 9 Blake Pontchartrain.......... 11

Book The Amazing Henrietta, who can perform for any age group and any genre — from classic standards to current Top 40.

PULLOUT Details ..............................

Email: henrietta.alves@gmail.com for more information.

See Henrietta perform weekly at Holy Diver, Tuesdays at 6:30

F E AT U R E S

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Arts & Entertainment ........ 5 Gambit Q&A: Alfred Banks .................. 10 Eat & Drink.....................19 Music Listings................. 24 Music............................ 25 Going Out...................... 26 Puzzles ......................... 27

13

Street food for thought

C OV E R P H O TO

BY I A N M C N U LT Y C OV E R D E S I G N BY D O R A S I S O N

The fight over whether to regulate street vending is heating up on St. Claude

@The_Gambit @gambitneworleans

S TA F F EDITORIAL (504) 483-3105 // response@gambitweekly.com Editor | JOHN STANTON Political Editor | CLANCY DUBOS

SANDY STEIN BRONDUM [sstein@gambitweekly.com]

Arts & Entertainment Editor |

Sales and Marketing Manager

WILL COVIELLO

Staff Writers | JAKE CLAPP, KAYLEE POCHE, SARAH RAVITS

Contributing Writer | IAN MCNULTY

CREATIVE Creative Director |

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Traffic Manager | JASON WHITTAKER

Project Manager | MARIA VIDACOVICH BOUÉ

Associate Art Director | EMMA VEITH

Contributing Graphic Designers | CATHERINE FLOTTE, TIANA WATTS, SCOTT FORSYTHE, JASMYNE WHITE, JEFF MENDEL, TIM ELSEA, JOHN GISPSON,

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS Billing Inquiries 1 (225) 388-0185

Advertising Director |

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Sales Representatives KELLY SONNIER RODRIGUEZ (504) 483-3143 [ksonnier@gambitweekly.com] CHARLIE THOMAS (504) 636-7438 [cthomas@gambitweekly.com] BENNETT GESTON (504) 483-3116 [bennett.geston@gambitweekly.com] ALYSSA HAUPTMANN (504) 483-1123 [alyssa.hauptmann@gambitweekly.com]

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GAMBIT (ISSN 1089-3520) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY CAPITAL CITY PRESS, LLC, 840 ST. CHARLES AVE., NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130. (504) 486-5900.

WE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OF UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS EVEN IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SASE. ALL MATERIAL PUBLISHED IN GAMBIT IS COPYRIGHTED: COPYRIGHT 2023 CAPITAL CITY PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

5

Over the line

The Paper Kites

Leslie Castay stars as the brassy starlet Tallulah Bankhead in ‘Looped’ | by Will Coviello IN “A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE,” BLANCHE DUBOIS IS REVEALED to have

a taste for booze and a sexual appetite too scandalous for her hometown in Mississippi.

For the show’s Broadway debut, Tennessee Williams offered the role to Tallulah Bankhead, one of the premier stage and film actresses of the era. But she turned it down.

Blanche’s exploits paled in comparison to Bankhead’s actual life. The starlet guzzled scotch, snorted cocaine, was only so discreetly bisexual and openly speculated that she wasn’t sure if she got gonorrhea from Gary Cooper or another actor. She also quipped that she only took a role in the film “Devil and the Deep” to sleep with Cooper.

One of Hollywood and Broadway’s brassiest stars, Bankhead also was an extremely talented actress, and she never lacked for work — no matter how difficult she could be to work with.

That’s the Bankhead featured in “Looped,” which runs Nov. 9-19 at the Westwego Cultural Center. Janet Shea directs the show for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society.

Leslie Castay stars as Bankhead, which is sort of a plum role for the Broadway veteran.

“My Tallulah Bankhead stories are all from my Broadway crony theater colleagues,” Castay says. “Fabled old Broadway and appearances on talk shows. I can’t share them. They are too blue.”

But Bankhead was outrageous even in more polite spaces.

“She was at Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the bishop is coming down the aisle swinging the incense on the chain,” Castay says. “Tallulah says, ‘Darling, I love your outfit, but your purse is on fire.’”

Bankhead was known not just to say whatever she wanted but to do whatever she wanted.

“She actually did have a pet tiger,” Castay says. “She bought a baby tiger and kept it in her hotel, the Carlyle.

Finally, the maid said, ‘I can’t go in your apartment anymore.’ They had to send it to the Bronx Zoo.” It also is said that the character Cruella de Vil was modeled on Bankhead, Castay notes.

In “Looped,” Bankhead has a couple of unsuspecting victims. She is scheduled to record a line that needs to be edited into a film she has just completed shooting. The original audio was

Inspired by the dive bars they played while on tour, Australian indie rock band The Paper Kites last year converted an old building near their homebase in Melbourne into a music venue dubbed The Roadhouse. There, the band worked on new music and would test drive them for audiences on Friday and Saturday nights. The result is “At the Roadhouse,” a slow dive into Americana. The Paper Kites are back in the U.S. with a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the House of Blues’ Parish Room. The Cactus Blossoms open. Tickets are $25 via houseofblues.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JPAS

garbled, and the studio just needs her to re-record one pivotal line.

The drama is based on an actual recording session for the film “Die! Die! My Darling.” Playwright Matthew Lombardo was fascinated by the story and managed to find a recording. The drama is a fictionalized version of it.

Bankhead arrives to work with a quiet and reserved film editor and a sound engineer. She only needs to do one line, but the session does not get off to a great start for a variety of reasons, including Bankhead’s drinking, drug use, desire to show she’s in charge and other whims. Danny, the sound editor, just wants to get the line right, because he’s under pressure from the studio and he has other things to do.

Bankhead was known for her stage antics, sometimes breaking character to make suggestive jokes or wink at the audience or egg on the crowd. She famously starred in and ruined a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. She reportedly thought the crowd was there to see her and not the play, so she camped up the role of Blanche to their combination of delight and horror. That performance in “Streetcar” comes up in “Looped.”

In her actual life, Bankhead received a letter from Williams, who shared his critique of her performance. She later starred in another and much better production in New York.

“Williams is on the record as saying that performance was the greatest performance of Blanche that he had ever seen,” Castay says. “But she couldn’t shake the reputation of that bad performance.”

While Bankhead craved attention, she wasn’t heartless or cruel.

“She was not a very nice person on the surface,” Castay says. “But deep down she was very empathetic. She was on the right side of civil rights history and human rights and gay rights. She believed in the equality of everyone.”

Bankhead was from a politically powerful family, and her father served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. But she struck out on her own, seeking attention on stage.

She also starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat,” and numerous other films.

In “Looped,” Bankhead is difficult, but for all she puts the film crew through, she simply wants their full attention.

Many of the outrageous things she says in the play are actual quotes from Bankhead, Castay says.

For Castay, it’s her return to the stage for the first time since the pandemic started. But she’s been busy recently, directing JPAS’ recent production of the comedy musical “Young Frankenstein.”

Castay is a veteran of big Broadway musicals, including “Guys and Dolls,” “42nd Street” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Her film credits include “The Big Short” and “Green Book.” On stage, she’s also starred as Little Edie, an odd cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, in “Grey Gardens,” and as Alexandra del Lago, the Hollywood starlet in Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth.”

“I am finding more simpatico with women with deep, dark secrets and problems,” she says. “They’re fun to play.”

For tickets and information on “Looped,” visit jpas.org.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Whose Live Anyway

There’s a generation of TV viewers who may not know Drew Carey wasn’t always a game show host.

The comedian hosted the popular improv comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” for a decade. Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops, veterans from the first iteration, lead the crew of the traveling improv show, Whose Live Anyway. At Jefferson Performing Arts Center. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11.

Tickets $62-$72 (including fees) via jpas.org.

Covington Three Rivers Art Festival

Downtown Covington hosts more than 200 vendors offering paintings, photography, sculpture, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry, ceramics, glasswork, furniture and more. Artists are spread along the 200 through 600 blocks of Columbia Street. There is live music, a food truck alley, a kids’ area, drink vendors and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 12. Free admission. Visit covingtonthreeriversartfestival.com for details.

Joystick

New Orleans ska punks Joystick have been all over the place this year, with shows on the road with Flying PAGE 23

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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS

Remember kids, it’s never too early to start training for your annual “Thanksgiving Fight With Your Uncle” rematch

# TC OH EU N T

T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN

Seven New Orleans men will be posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service as Montford Point Marines during World War II. From 1942 to 1949, pioneering Black men who joined the Marine Corps — the first allowed to serve in the Marines since the American Revolution — trained at Montford Point Camp in North Carolina. New Orleanians Granville Alexander Sr., George Dupre Sr., Andrew LeBlanc, Nolan Marshall Sr., Melvin Parent Sr., Gilbert Smith Sr. and Lloyd Wills Sr. will be honored during the Gold Medal ceremony on Nov. 13 at Algiers Auditorium.

Clarence White III, a social worker with Unity of Greater New Orleans, estimates he has helped more than 1,000 people find permanent housing, according to an interview with The Times-Picayune. White has worked with Unity for 17 years but has worked with homeless people for nearly 30 years. His work includes visiting encampments to help connect unhoused people with available resources.

Louisiana is the second deadliest state in the country for pedestrians, Axios New Orleans reported.

The state sees 3.98 pedestrian deaths for every 100,000 people, well above the 2.23 national rate.

New Orleans also has the highest rate of fatal bicycle incidents among major metro areas.

750

THE NUMBER OF NURSES SEEKING TO UNIONIZE AT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. House Speaker Mike Johnson and fellow Louisianan Rep. Clay Higgins are politically two-sides of the same coin.

PHOTO BY ALEX BRANDON / THE AP

In 2016, Speaker Mike Johnson claimed clergy were being prosecuted for not performing same sex marriages. No such cases appear to exist DURING A 2016 LOUISIANA SENATE HEARING ON AN ANTI-MARRIAGE EQUALITY MEASURE, the bill’s author,

then state Rep. Mike Johnson, found himself in a bit of a political pickle.

The bill’s blanket protections for clergy refusing to marry someone because of their religious beliefs had Black and brown lawmakers concerned it would open the door not only for discrimination against same-sex couples but interracial ones as well.

With its prospects already dim at best, Johnson was attempting to shore up support by offering to agree to a modest change noting Louisiana’s “tradition” of allowing interracial marriage.

But then state Sen. JP Morrell (and current New Orleans City Council President), who is Black and who is in an interracial marriage himself, wasn’t biting.

“I found it offensive that interracial marriage was even put in the bill because many of the arguments made by the proponents of this bill against gay marriage use many of the same arguments that were used in Loving vs. Virginia,” Morrell said, referencing the landmark 1967 Supreme Court case legalizing interracial marriage.

Morrell then pointedly noted that even the change Johnson was offering wouldn’t actually protect interracial marriage since “tradition does not trump law,” to which Johnson replied, “Agreed.”

“Since the bill says that if you have a sincerely held belief, you’re not required to marry two people, that means with this amendment, potentially a person on the basis of race could choose not to marry two people,” Morrell continued.

Although Johnson acknowledged Morrell’s concern, he quickly sought to dismiss it. “I don’t know of any current cases of clergy in Louisiana, at least, that are refusing to marriage marry persons of color of different races … we’ve all come to accept interracial marriage,” Johnson said before hastily adding, “thankfully, by God’s grace.”

When Morrell pointed out that there are no cases of any pastors being forced to perform same-sex marriages, Johnson insisted that it was a problem.

“We have specific examples from New York and New Jersey to Idaho, Texas, Pennsylvania, where clergy and religious organizations have been prosecuted, fined, punished, simply for quietly and respectfully abiding by their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

That, however, does not appear to be true. Gambit could not identify any instances in which a clergy member has been “prosecuted, fined, punished.”

In fact, according to civil rights activists who monitor issues involving marriage equality, there have in fact never been any such examples.

— John Stanton

Amid worsening conditions for health care workers nationwide, the UMC nurses filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in October and are demanding increased staffing, pay and benefits, and a seat at the table with decision-makers.

Administrators from LCMC Health, the corporation that runs the hospital, have attempted to thwart their efforts, but the nurses are moving forward with a December election. If successful, it will be one of the state’s biggest unions.

C’EST W H AT

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I SPEND ALL MY TIME IN METAIRIE

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Constitutional amendments on the ballot VOTERS ARE HEADING TO THE POLLS THIS WEEK as early voting has opened

ahead of the Nov. 18 runoffs. Four proposed constitutional amendments, most of which would have little to no effect on the daily lives of Louisianans, are on the ballot.

Below we present ballot language of each amendment and our recommendation on each proposition.

AMENDMENT 1: “Do you support an amendment to clarify that the timing of gubernatorial action on a bill and his return of a vetoed bill to the legislature is based upon the legislative session in which the bill passed and to authorize the legislature, if it is in session, to reconsider vetoed bills without convening a separate veto session?”

This amendment addresses a legal technicality that arose during the last veto override session, which coincided with the regular legislative session earlier this year. Lawmakers literally had to adjourn the regular session for a day to convene in a veto override session, and then reconvene in the regular session the next day. The amendment would eliminate the need for such arcane procedural moves and allow lawmakers to consider veto overrides if they are already in session when an override session coincides with it.

WE RECOMMEND A YES VOTE ON AMENDMENT 1.

AMENDMENT 2: “Do you support an amendment to remove provisions of the Constitution of Louisiana which created the following inactive special funds within the state treasury: Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund, Higher Education Louisiana Partnership Fund, Millennium Leverage Fund, Agricultural and Seafood Products Support Fund, First Use Tax Trust Fund, Louisiana Investment Fund for Enhancement and to provide for the transfer of any remaining monies in such funds to the state general fund?”

While at first blush this may seem like an effort to reduce funding for worthy causes, in reality it is little more than an effort to clean up the state’s books. All of the funds targeted in the amendment are either empty or have been nearly empty for some time. The amendment would not affect spending on these needs. It would merely eliminate excess, unnecessary verbiage from the constitution.

WE RECOMMEND A YES VOTE ON AMENDMENT 2.

AMENDMENT 3: “Do you support an amendment to authorize the local governing authority of a parish to provide an ad valorem tax exemption for qualified first responders?”

Amendment 3 would allow local governments to give first responders an additional property tax break under certain conditions. In order to receive the tax reduction, first responders must work full time for, and live in, the taxing parish. Giving local governments the option of providing first responders with an added tax benefit for living in the communities they serve can help recruit and retain personnel — and help offset cost-of-living increases that often lead to losing qualified responders.

WE RECOMMEND A YES VOTE ON AMENDMENT 3.

AMENDMENT 4: “Do you support an amendment authorizing the legislature, after securing a two-thirds vote of each house, to use up to two hundred fifty million dollars from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to alleviate a budget deficit subject to conditions set forth by law and allowing the legislature to modify such conditions for accessing the monies in the fund, subject to two-thirds vote?”

Amendment 4 would limit the ability of the state Legislature to use money held in the state’s Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, which is separate from the older Budget Stabilization Fund (commonly known as the Rainy Day Fund). The two funds draw money from separate sources.

The Revenue fund has collected more than $2.2 billion in taxes from businesses and oil and gas exploration.

Amendment 4 creates new reasons for accessing the fund — undefined “emergencies” — subject to arcane constraints on access to and use of the money. That and the potential for lawmakers to declare “emergencies” for political considerations is troublesome.

Besides, the state has responded quickly to genuine emergencies in the past. If additional emergency funds are needed, lawmakers should propose an amendment that clearly defines “emergencies” and provides simple but reasonable constraints.

WE RECOMMEND A NO VOTE ON AMENDMENT 4.

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Alfred Banks PROVIDED PHOTO

BY SARAH JONES

ALFRED BANKS HAS BEEN A STE ADY PRESENCE IN NEW ORLE ANS UNDERGROUND HIP-HOP since 2009,

when he jumped on the mic at Truth Universal’s long-running Grassroots Showcase. In the almost 15 years since then, Banks has toured across the country and in Europe and has performed with artists like Lupe Fiasco, Mickey Factz and MegaRan. Banks now has a number of acclaimed albums under his belt, including “The Beautiful,” his tribute to his late older brother, Orlandas Banks, himself a gifted rapper.

Banks also collaborates with producer and saxophonist Albert Allenback as the duo SaxKixAve. Who was the first New Orleans hip-hop artist you admired?

ALFRED BANKS: It was a few of them actually. First one that I recognized that was really cool, in my eyes, was Lyrikill. Chuck “Lyrikill” Jones. That dude

was a sneaker head, and I was a sneaker head. Back in those days, like, 2009, 2010, a lot of people got on the sneaker wave, but nobody was in the culture and Chuck was in the culture. And I kind of took to him because he was true school hip-hop, like boom bap, and he was fly.

He has a swag about him like, “Man, I’m smooth as hell. I’m witty as hell. I can’t be touched.” And I loved that. I was like, “Yo, this muthafucka is amazin’.”

Truth Universal, because Truth was the first dude that I ever saw getting busy from rap. I’m talking about touring. I’m talking about being on TV, getting press, pressing up actual albums, getting them in stores, selling the albums. Doing in-store [appearances].

He had the longest running hip-hop showcase in New Orleans, for about 12 years. And so he was the first dude that I saw that I truly admired from a business standpoint.

Another [more recent] artist that I really enjoy is Kaye the Beast. I see a lot of myself in him. This weird, alternative, very astute, very lyrical, witty, whimsical, serious, outsider, outside-looking-in kinda shit. And I enjoyed that. Because I see a lot of myself in that. A lot of my old self and a lot of my current self. I think the way he approaches songs is from a genuine, honest place.

I met him in 2009. We went to college together. I just always enjoy what that dude did. I always thought he was cool.

He’s a very, very good example of “different.” A lot of people say they’re different.

But that motherfucker is different.

Truth Universal’s Grassroots Showcase was big for you. That was where you cut your teeth, right?

BANKS: Yeah, the very first show I ever did was there. He’s literally the godfather of underground hip-hop in New Orleans. I want that to be on record.

That motherfucker is very important to this culture. Dee-1, Nesby Phips, 3D Na’Tee — some of the biggest artists that come out of here on some hip-hop shit were playing Grassroots. Curren$y. Akil the MC from Jurassic 5 played there.

Dead Prez played Grassroots. Marcel P. Black’s first show in New Orleans was at Grassroots. Touring artists from all across the United States will come to New Orleans for Grassroots because they knew they’d be taken care of. So [Truth Universal] helped create and harbor the scene that I came up in. Truth Universal is incredibly important, and I owe him everything.

11

@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake,

What can you tell me about a building downtown on St. Joseph Street? I believe it’s part of the NOCHI campus but has the word “Bradford’s” on its façade?

When was it Bradford’s?

Dear reader,

THE NEW ORLEANS CULINARY AND HOSPITALITY INSTITUTE, or NOCHI,

has cooked up a new purpose for the long-vacant building in the 700 block of St. Joseph, between Carondelet Street and St. Charles Avenue.

The Arts and Crafts style-building was constructed in 1915 for the Bradford Furniture Company. Company founder Henry Bradford established his business in another smaller building in the block before building the large five-story structure and operating there for more than 50 years. Bradford sold the property to Goldblum Furniture Inc. in 1968. It was then sold to the Housing Authority of New Orleans, which had offices there from 1974 to 1999.

That’s when the Arts Council of New Orleans purchased the property, announcing it would demolish it as part of a plan to create Louisiana ArtWorks, a $15 million arts complex planned for the old Bradford building and adjacent properties.

The plans drew fire from preservationists and neighbors, especially once workers removed aluminum panels that had covered the building since 1969.

They revealed the original yellow brick facade and terra cotta ornaments.

The New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute building at 725 Howard Ave. was constructed in 1915 for the Bradford Furniture Co. PROVIDED PHOTO

According to The Times-Picayune, then-Louisiana Senate President John Hainkel denounced the arts group’s plans as “a tragic mistake,” demanding that state money for the project be put on hold. As a result, the Arts Council agreed not to tear down the building and to incorporate its facade into the complex.

The building was saved, but Louisiana ArtWorks never materialized. After the project fizzled, the property was acquired by NOCHI in 2014. The organization later sold the building to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with an agreement to have NOCHI operate its culinary school and hospitality training institute there.

BLAKEVIEW THIS WEEK MARKS 80 YEARS SINCE THE DEDICATION OF THE MOLLY MARINE STATUE

in downtown New Orleans. The work of noted sculptor Enrique Alferez, the lifesized statue at Elk Place and Canal Street was created as a tribute to female members of the U.S. Marine Corps. It was inspired by the Women Marines Association and Marine recruiter Charles Gresham. It was the first statue of a woman in military uniform erected in the United States.

The dedication ceremony on Nov. 10, 1943, coincided with the 168th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps and just one year after the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve was activated during World War II. Speakers at the ceremony included legendary shipbuilder Andrew Jackson Higgins, founder of Higgins Industries, the New Orleans-based manufacturer of the “Higgins boats” used during the Normandy Invasion and Pacific landings in World War II. Alferez based the statue on likenesses of four female Marines, as well as a Marine veteran and former model named Judy Mosgrove. In a 1966 Times-Picayune article, Mosgrove recalled how Alferez discovered her for the job. “I was visiting a friend’s new apartment and Enrique came over to light the water heater for her,” she said.

“Alferez invited us to his studio and when we got there, he said, ‘Will you please step up on that stand there?’ and he picked up the clay and started to model.”

Following its 1943 installation, the statue was restored and rededicated in 1966 and has been refurbished several times since. Replicas of it are located at Marine bases in Quantico, Virginia and Parris Island, South Carolina.

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Adam Haughton, of Johnny's Jamaican Grill, gets his grill ready for the late-night crowd on St. Claude Avenue near Marigny Street in July.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

STREET FOOD for

THOUGHT B Y K AY L E E P O C H E

Street food vending is a longstanding tradition in New Orleans. How should the city handle it?

CLINTON HAUGHTON PARKS one of his two Johnny’s Jamaican Grill food trucks at the Vybes Nation food truck park on Religious Street.

Business at the park used to be good, he says, but it’s dropped off since the pandemic. So for the past five or so months, his brother Adam has been taking the other truck to the St. Claude corridor.

“We have to go outside our boundary and try to make ends meet and do something else,” Haughton says. “That’s why we’re on St. Claude right now.”

The area has a popular nightlife scene thanks to regular shows and events at venues like Hi-Ho Lounge, The AllWays Lounge, Siberia and Cafe Istanbul in the stretch between Elysian Fields and St. Roch Avenue, and at Saturn Bar and The Domino down the road.

There’s also Sea Cave and Emporium arcades and karaoke at Kajun’s.

Haughton says he or his brother typically set up on a side street around the 2200 block of St. Claude Thursday through Sunday, selling jerk chicken and oxtail.

They operate from about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., as the restaurants in the area are already closed by then.

Johnny’s Jamaican Grill is one of the larger street food vendors in the area, many of which operate on the neutral ground. In addition to food trucks, people sell out of trailers and off folding tables, offering everything from tacos to burgers and wings.

“If I don’t go out, everybody’s calling me, ‘Johnny, where are you? Where are you?’” Haughton says.

The lively street vending scene quieted down temporarily after the city did an enforcement sweep in the St. Claude area back in July, including checking if vendors had the permits required to sell food to the public and if they were following fire protocols. Haughton says he has the permits needed to sell food in the city. But many of the other vendors do not.

Haughton says there are some vendors who haven’t returned because their profit margins aren’t big enough to afford a fine. He says on a good night he’ll sell between $400 and $600 worth of food,

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but sometimes it’s $200-$300.

Other times, no one is out there.

“You never know when you’re going to have a bad night and nothing happens,” Haughton says.

“But sometimes you have a good night too.”

The enforcement sweeps on street vending on St. Claude and elsewhere in the city have been met with a variety of intense reactions.

On one side, there are people who say unlicensed street vendors are just trying to make a living and that the city should focus its enforcement efforts elsewhere. On the other are people who believe unlicensed vendors are cheating the city out of tax dollars and that they have an unfair advantage over businesses who do pay for permits and taxes. Critics also cite health and safety concerns.

It has spurred a long overdue debate about how the city should treat street vending, and even has some city officials meeting with stakeholders to discuss potential solutions.

“I think it’s finding what’s working within the existing structure, taking advantage of that, and then finding things that aren’t working and advocating for change,” says Howie Kaplan, director of the Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Office of Nighttime Economy, which participated in the St. Claude sweep.

STREET VENDING HAS BEEN A PART OF NEW ORLEANS CULTURE for centuries, and over the years, it has taken a variety of forms in different parts of the city.

People smoking food on trailers or set up with folding tables on the St. Claude neutral ground are different from the tarot card readers and shot girls in the French Quarter, which in turn differ from the people selling sunhats and water outside of The Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest or the people selling cold drinks during second lines.

“It’s constantly evolving in every area of the city,” Kaplan says.

The scene on St. Claude became so popular that people were spilling out into the streets. In addition to unpermitted alcohol and food sales, the city cited parking, trash dumping and “obstruction of the public right of way” as reasons for the sweep, as well as shootings and fatal cyclist accidents in the last year.

“There were all kinds of issues going on there,” Kaplan says. “But vending was almost the least of it.”

Sinnidra Taylor, who owns the rental commercial kitchen Codey’s NOLA, says cars were already parking on the neutral ground long before food vendors came. She says the vendors “came in a way that there was no order” because the area

Chef Amanda Alard owns pop-up Que Pasta, which is now operating out of Siberia on St. Claude.

PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

needed food and there was no other space for them to go.

“Nobody’s giving people credit that, ‘Oh, when the food trucks came, my customers didn’t have to leave to get food somewhere else because the food trucks are here,’” she says. “What they should say is, ‘We didn’t create a space for them to operate in a way that was safe for the whole community.’

That’s what didn’t happen. So now bikers are getting hit because there are larger trucks parked on the neutral ground.”

Generally speaking, the city’s rules surrounding street vending and the required permits are difficult to navigate. But that’s not really the case on St. Claude, Kaplan says, since as it stands no vending is allowed on the neutral ground or on sidewalks.

Food trucks must find a place to park that follows parking laws and doesn’t “impede an exit or entrance of an operating building,” according to the city’s website. And they aren’t allowed to stay in one location longer than four hours.

For other mobile food vendors to get their permits, they need to cook their food in a host kitchen to meet health department requirements.

The city last year created an annual permit to allow food pop-ups to operate on a regular basis out of a host kitchen, typically at a bar or restaurant. Both the host and the pop-up vendor pay $550 and $200 a year respectively for this permit.

But the reality is vendors often like to sell their food outside, where they can attract passersby. At The Domino at 3044 St. Claude Ave., owner T. Cole Newton says that’s true for several of the pop-up vendors with which the bar works.

“We think pop-ups, but we’re really street vendors,” says Amanda Alard, who owns Latin food pop-up Que Pasta, which recently started operating out of Siberia most nights

of the week. “There’s some places that have full kitchens, but you want to be on the street because you want people to see that you’re there.”

Food vendors can also meet health requirements by renting out space in a commissary kitchen, though many of these vendors, who are operating microbusinesses with small profit margins, say that’s not a cost they can afford, especially just starting out.

At the same time, as Kaplan noted on Newell Normand’s radio show back in July, when it comes to cooking and selling food, “there are very particular state (health) guidelines that I don’t think ever will change.”

ALTHOUGH NEW ORLEANS HAS A UNIQUE STREET VENDING SCENE, the city’s struggle to create a permitting structure that is affordable and accessible for vendors is not unique.

Even in cities with massive street vending scenes, like Los Angeles and New York City, the vast majority of those street vendors do not have permits. Vendors operating without permits and licenses and/or not paying taxes on their sales are considered to be part of what is known as the “informal economy.”

In New York City, there are an estimated 20,000 street vendors.

However, for decades the city limited permits to an astonishingly low 853.

In 2021, the city council passed legislation to add about 4,500 new vendor licenses over the next decade, but as of March, the city had not started giving out those new licenses, leaving 10,000 people still on the waiting list, according to New York-based publication AMNY. Meanwhile, following more than a decade of advocacy, California last year passed a host of changes to its street vending rules which decriminalized street vending and attempted to make it easier for food cart vendors to meet health departments requirements.

That included removing a triple-basin sink requirement for vendors who don’t cook raw meat on their cart and lifting a statewide ban on reheating foods cooked at a commissary kitchen, among other changes.

But Estefania Lopez Perez, senior policy associate at nonprofit Inclusive Action for the City which co-founded the Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign, says even with those changes, most L.A. vendors still can’t afford carts that meet health department standards.

Lopez Perez says by the time a vendor purchases a code compliant cart, rents out a commissary space and pays for permits, it could run them between $9,000 and

$11,500. Compared to the $15,000 to $20,000 a year she estimates many vendors are typically making a year, that’s just not feasible.

“Some vendors might think about the situation and say, it’s so much easier for me to stay in the informal economy, where I’ve been operating basically since I’ve been in business, than trying to move to the formal economy where I don’t really see the benefits of paying thousands upon thousands of dollars that I don’t have,” she says.

In Los Angeles, there also are not enough commissary kitchen spaces for the city’s estimated 12,500 street food vendors.

“We don’t have people flocking to get health permits, and it’s not because folks don’t want to get fully formalized,” Lopez Perez says. “It’s because they’re finding all of these barriers to do so.”

When asked about the struggles in Los Angeles, Kaplan reiterated that he believed L.A., San Francisco and New York were “good examples” of cities that were handling street vending well.

SOME RESEARCHERS ARE DOUBTFUL any set of city restrictions can make food street vending rules flexible, clear and affordable enough that they make sense for vendors.

Alvaro Huerta, an urban planning and ethnic studies scholar who has written about street vending in Los Angeles, says what it boils down to is that people in the formal economy, including elected officials and people in nonprofits, usually don’t get the informal economy or the reasons it exists.

“They just don’t understand the nature of the informal economy,” Huerta says. “The solution is not to transform the informal economy to formal.”

According to Huerta, people enter the informal economy because they’re blocked by “the inherent obstacles in the formal economy,” whether it’s bad credit, poverty, their status as an immigrant or formerly incarcerated person, or something else.

In his eyes, city enforcement punishes vendors for doing what they know how to do — “to survive by doing something that they’re good at, in this case, let’s say cooking.”

Huerta says he opposed the efforts to rewrite street vending rules in Los Angeles because he thought it would further create a tiered system between vendors with permits and those without them, making the most vulnerable and under-resourced more vulnerable.

“While the actions and initiatives have good intentions, the unintend-

Signs on St. Claude avenue near Marigny street discourage vendors from setting up and selling alcohol, food and goods without permits.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Street food vendors on St. Claude Avenue, pictured in December 2022.

PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE/ THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

ed consequences are grave for those who won’t enter the system,” he says.

Renia Ehrenfeucht, a street vending researcher who taught at the University of New Orleans for nearly a decade, said regulations, frequently driven by complaints, often become too restrictive and don’t leave enough leeway for the realities of vending.

“They don’t recognize that people are going to respond and adapt to situations as they play out,” they say.

For instance, Ehrenfeucht says, street vendors may set up in a place that meets their city’s guidelines of being far enough away from intersections and storefront entrances but then face complaints from neighbors and storefront owners.

The place they find where people are more welcoming may not be in compliance with city law.

She recommends eliminating barriers, easing restrictions, “recognizing how varied street vending is

and trying to just kind of allow things to unfold the way they will unfold as much as possible.”

Ehrenfeucht says many cities wish they had a street culture like New Orleans’ and that city officials should be actively prioritizing street vending and finding more places for people to vend rather than citing or fining them.

“What would be if we didn’t start from the perspective of something’s going wrong with vending and instead saying this is something we really want to promote and have and we’re lucky to have it?” they say.

ANOTHER PART OF THE PROBLEM is city government has not figured out how to treat microbusinesses in a way that doesn’t punish them before they get off the ground.

Taylor, owner of Codey’s, says most of these business owners have PAGE 17

15 G AMBIT > BESTOFNEWORLE ANS.COM > NOVEMBER 6 - 12 > 2023

STREET FOOD for THOUGHT

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PAGE 15

Howie Kaplan, director of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Office of Nighttime Economy.

Rothschild says if New Orleans invests in street vendors and pop-ups early on, the city will see a return on its investment.

He points to businesses that started as pop-ups and now have physical storefronts, like Lucy Boone Ice Cream, Zee’s Pizzeria, Mister Mao and Wonderland + Sea. “They’re paying higher property taxes,” Rothschild says. “Their sales have doubled, tripled, quintupled, 10 times more sales opportunities.”

If the city “could prop up all these other businesses and help them grow, then that tax revenue for the city is getting even greater,” he adds. “Then maybe we can fix some potholes and make sure pumps stay online.”

PHOTO BY JAKE CLAPP / GAMBIT

little choice but to start selling food before they can afford their permits.

“At some point, you’re gonna be operating out of the system to get within the system, unless you have a significant amount of revenue to invest in your business out the gate, which most people don’t,” she says.

When they’re just starting out, vendors have little money to spend on expenses. If they’re not a food truck or partnering with a bar or restaurant, they’ll need to rent space in a commercial kitchen to get a health permit.

Doing so costs a considerable amount of money.

At New Orleans Trap Kitchen, owner Eric Rothschild says renting out kitchen space for 40 hours starts at $800 a month. Those needing less time in the kitchen can pay an hourly rate of $30. Fridge space and overnight fridge storage is an additional cost.

Typically, he says, vendors need to have at least three to four events a week to budget for rental time. And the unpredictability of the food business can make vendors less certain they’ll get their money back.

“Somebody comes in, books time and then one of their events gets rained out or isn’t as big as they thought, they might have not made any money,” he says.

Kaplan says he and other city officials are looking into creating an emerging business permit for new business owners looking to test their products on the market, something Alard of Que Pasta and other vendors say they support.

“If there’s a little stepping stone for the babies, I think that would help them,” Alard says. “Just like there’s elementary, middle school and high school, but for pop-ups.”

IN THE MEANTIME, in the absence of city help, some owners of these local rental kitchens are attempting

to accommodate these businesses and provide resources to help them grow.

At Codey’s, Taylor has some smaller food entrepreneurs rent space at $13-$15 an hour. And those who rent space at Codey’s can collaborate on catering orders to help diversify their revenue streams, she says.

Codey’s also offers classes to assist vendors with everything from navigating the permitting and licensing process to taking headshots. And associated nonprofit Friends of Codey’s partners with Fund 17 to reimburse people for the cost of registering their business with the Secretary of State if they take a class.

At Trap Kitchen, Rothschild also has been looking into how to accommodate some of these smaller food businesses so they can rent space in his kitchen. He says he wants to offer a discounted pop-up package in the future that could also include rental equipment.

Operating out of a commissary gives vendors the experience of cooking in a commercial kitchen.

Rothschild also connects vendors at his kitchen with opportunities, and newer vendors can learn from more experienced vendors there.

Plus, as Rothschild has learned, there are benefits to operating within the system. Once he got the permits for Trap Kitchen, he says business tripled within a month or two.

“As you legitimize, your business reflects that and will grow,” he says.

“The business is more legitimate. But also from the owner perspective, you take pride in that legitimacy, and that is a stepping stone for growth as well.”

Part of that, The Domino owner Newton says, is having permits allows a vendor to market their business without fear of the city hearing about them and shutting them down.

“There’s sort of a ceiling that you can hit if you’re not fully legitimate,” he says.

ALONG ST. CLAUDE, Kaplan and other city officials have been reaching out to owners of unused lots around the 2200 block and encouraging them to create private designated food vending lots.

The idea is to get people off the neutral ground and prevent them from spilling into the streets, while still having a place nearby vendors can sell.

But it’s unclear what that would look like in practice, including key details like how many spaces the lots would have for vendors, how much it would cost them to set up there or what onsite resources would be available.

“I think some people envision, hey, here’s just a place you come in, you set up the table, you turn around and leave,” Kaplan says. “I don’t envision anything like that. I think it would be something a lot more built out.”

Instead, Kaplan says he envisions a lot with a commissary kitchen on site “where [vendors] are not having to lug a smoker or to lug something on a trailer or to put things together, to be able to have something that’s more suitable for keeping food safe.”

Ultimately, a private owner or manager would be making most of those decisions. And while a commissary kitchen would help vendors comply with health and safety rules, it would most likely increase the cost of vending there.

Additionally, many stakeholders agree they would also like to see more free or low-cost educational classes on topics like navigating the permitting process, food safety and best practices that will minimize complaints from neighbors and surrounding businesses, like not setting up in front of storefronts selling similar products.

“Let’s say there’s a restaurant that sells tacos, and if you sell tacos, don’t park your cart right next to that restaurant. That’s part of these agreements and understandings because you’re not doing yourself any favors. That restaurant that sells tacos, they donate and they vote for elected officials, so

they’re the ones reporting you,” says Huerta, the researcher. “Sometimes [vendors’] own actions bring more attention to them, and there’s legitimate cases that people have.”

IN ABSENCE OF CITY POLICY that makes sense for them, some street vendors have taken matters into their own hands.

In Los Angeles, Lopez Perez says vendors in some areas have created sidewalk vending hubs with their own policies for vendors to abide by.

“There’s a place in East L.A. where there’s a ‘governing board’ that has been elected, so they make their own rules,” she says. “One of the things that they’re conscious of is OK, we don’t own the sidewalk, but we can organize ourselves to determine how to best use the sidewalk to make space for everybody.”

When a new vendor wants to sell in the area, vendor leaders invite them to join their committee and provide them with a space. They also look out for each other and save spots for vendors who may have a harder time securing space in the mornings, such as those who are elderly or have disabilities.

Some communicate with each other with walkie talkies.

“Those are the beautiful things that you see when public policy is maybe not necessarily failing but just not moving as fast as you’d like it to move,” Lopez Perez says. “There are beautiful moments in community organizing, where folks are still just chugging along and moving and making the best out of the situation and continuing to earn a living.”

In some cases, city enforcement officials will work with vendor leaders as issues arise, and vendor leaders will tell vendors if they need to move.

“There’s real opportunity in collaborating so that there isn’t this punitive approach,” Lopez Perez says. “There’s an education-first approach.”

Rothschild, who is also part of New Orleans Food Policy Action Council, says he’s not familiar with any similar street vendor organizing efforts in New Orleans, likely because organizing takes time, and food vendors are already stretched thin working long hours.

Still, he says he would love to eventually turn Trap Kitchen into a cooperative where each client has a stake in its ownership and is building credit.

Huerta argues street vending policy needs to come from people on the ground, like vendors and community leaders, and the government’s role should be to support these groups with food or space for their meetings.

“The solution to the informal economy cannot come from government because government is part of the problem,” Huerta says.

17 G AMBIT > BESTOFNEWORLE ANS.COM > NOVEMBER 6 - 12 > 2023

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18

Animal of the Month: Slow and steady sloths join fellow animals at Audubon Aquarium’s rainforest exhibit

BY AMANDA MCELFRESH, AMCELFRESH@THEADVOCATE.COM This article is brought to you by Audubon Nature Institute.

Thanks to characters in animated movies like “Zootopia” and the “Ice Age” franchise, most people think of sloths as slow, docile animals that don’t get in a hurry. As it turns out, those depictions are actually pretty close to reality.

“Since they only eat leaves and greens and sleep so much, they actually don’t do very much. They’re just really chill animals,” said Higinio Covarrubias, director of husbandry at Audubon Nature Institute.

While some sloths are longtime residents of Audubon Zoo, there are new ones being located this fall to the Amazon Encounters rainforest exhibit at Audubon Aquarium. Ivy, a two-toed sloth who is about a year and a half old, recently made the transition. Covarrubias said a second two-toed sloth, Mia, will soon join Ivy in the exhibit.

“The biggest thing to keep an eye on with sloths are the temperature parameters. Their environment is kept about 75 degrees and above. They like everything nice and warm and humid,” Covarrubias explained.

Covarrubias shared more about the sloths’ daily habits, diets and how the Audubon staff keeps them engaged.

What kind of care do the sloths receive?

A sloth sleeps 17 to 20 hours a day, so it’s a bit of a simpler process. In addition to keeping an eye on the

temperature in the environment, we need to make sure they are expelling waste every seven days or so.

Ivy will get about ve opportunities each day to eat. The diet is a mixture of Romaine lettuce, carrot sticks, sweet potatoes, apples, kale and squash. When sloths are in the wild, they occasionally eat insects and an egg if they nd one. We try to mimic that by rotating in some protein and browse, which includes leaves, twigs and plants.

What kind of enrichment activities do the sloths enjoy?

We’ll stash some food in different places throughout the exhibit to encourage mobility and match some of the natural activities that sloths do in the rainforest. Since Ivy is only awake ve or six hours a day, we try to use that time to give her opportunities to investigate around the exhibit and move around a lot.

In the exhibit she’s in now, Ivy shares space with other animals like the toucan, ibis, tortoise and armadillos.

There’s a lot to look at and sometimes the birds will look right at Ivy. A lot of natural enrichment happens through those smell and sound interactions with other animals. We also put her on perches so she can hang out and watch everything going on.

What is the typical size of a two-toed sloth?

Ivy is about 13 pounds now. She may gain another two pounds or so. But, most sloths will not be big.

What surprises people is that when they are fully extended out, they’re usually over three feet long. They’re very lanky, which isn’t always obvious if they’re curled up. But, when

they stretch out, they take up a lot of space.

Besides sleeping, what are some common sloth activities in their habitats?

They spend a good chunk of their lives in the trees and usually only come down to eliminate waste.

They’re very vulnerable, so their best form of defense is to stay in the trees and hold onto the branches.

When they get on the ground, they basically crawl because they can’t stand on all fours. Their bodies are built to hang upside down, so on the rare occasions when they are on the ground, they basically do an Army crawl. The two claws at the top are forged like hooks and can’t move independently. The ones in the back do allow them to move their toes independently, so they have a little more mobility to grab things. We’ll see Ivy reach at a vine and grab it with her toes quite a bit.

What are the biggest threats to sloths in the wild and how is Audubon working to address these issues?

The main issues are the destroying of their habitats and the pet trade. A lot of zoos and aquariums are using sloths as ambassador animals to visit the public and talk about the Amazon rainforest and the challenges with clear-cutting. For us at Audubon, we source our animals from other accredited institutions so we aren’t taking those animals from the wild. We’re also working to educate the public about them and making sure we’re not giving the perception that they’re an easy pet to care for. Even with all of the

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sleeping sloths do, they do need a certain level of care. Our staff has the proper training and equipment to do that.

What can visitors expect when they see the sloths at the Amazon rainforest exhibit?

Between the sloths and other animals, it really gives a sense of what the actual habitat is like.

Visitors can see everything up close and even toss grapes to the animals. Ivy is so sweet and docile.

We’ll sit her on the railing in the Amazon Encounters area sometimes. She’s so chill and the right personality to meet with people.

There’s also an educator in there to answer questions. It’s actually a pretty exciting place.

Want To Visit?

This is the perfect time to visit the sloths at Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Zoo. Visit www.audubonwonder.com for information on tickets and planning your trip, including how you can see the new Aquarium and Insectarium and save up to $20 with a combo ticket.

The best value if you plan on visiting the Aquarium, Insectarium or Audubon Zoo more than once is to purchase an Audubon Membership.

In addition to unlimited visits, Members enjoy discounts at Audubon gi shops, concessions, special events such as Zoo-To-Do and Zoo-To-Do For Kids, Zoo Camps and much more. For a full list of benets and to nd out how to become a Member, visit www.audubonmembership.com and save.

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THERE’S A GOLD ELEPHANT IN THE DINING ROOM AT GAIA, the swanky

Brewing culture

Gaia steakhouse opens in Uptown | by Beth D’Addono

steakhouse that opened at 1820 St. Charles Ave. last month.

Yes, the oh-so-Instagrammable tomahawk rib-eye steak leafed in 24-karat gold is available for $200 more than the 38-ounce steak’s $120 sticker price.

But Murat Nalcioglu, a Turkish native who has spent the last two decades working at the Ritz-Carlton and with celebrity chefs including Charlie Palmer and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, says the gold steaks aren’t the point.

“We are a chef-driven restaurant,” says Nalcioglu, who also owns sister restaurant Steak Market in Atlanta. “We source locally and make everything in house. Our culinary team stands on its own. They are popular in Atlanta, but it’s just one of many things we do.”

Executive chef Cameron “Cam” Chatelain, a New Orleans native who recently returned home from stints in Colorado and California, heads the kitchen team. His sous chef is Kimberly “Kay” Cochran, who worked at the Atlanta steakhouse and hails from Mobile, Alabama. She was keen to move to New Orleans to be closer to family in the region. Turkish-born general manager Seyfullah Sirinoglu, who also moved from Atlanta, handles the front of the house team.

Unlike the Atlanta restaurant, with check-averages of $220 per person, Gaiacomesin around half that, Nalcioglu says. One reason is that Atlanta only serves premium wagyu beef. While it’s on the menu here ($255 for a striploin, $270 for tenderloin), the certified Prime dry-aged beef is on par with most other steakhouses around town.

Besides the brontosaurus-sized French-boned rib-eyes, which are perfect for sharing, diners can opt for seven ounces of sliced tenderloin for $37, a nine-ounce striploin for $47 or a 12-ounce spinalis rib-eye cap for $95. All the meat is finished on a charcoal grill, as are skewers of shrimp, octopus, salmon and lobster.

The appetizer menu includes a dynamite tenderloin tartare, topped

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AT MANY TAPROOMS, THERE IS NO MISSING THE FACT THAT YOU’RE SIPPING

with caviar and a quail egg yolk, and a popular lump crabcake with remoulade. There’s a fruit-forward salad, burrata atop house-made pesto and heirloom tomatoes with a truffle vinaigrette. Sharable options also include a charcuterie platter and a seafood feast for two or four.

Sides are mammoth, priced from $15-$21, and easily feed four. Options include lobster mac and cheese, truffle fries, mashed purple potatoes and wild mushrooms. Desserts are equally large, with a towering crown of cotton candy, chocolate “therapy” and birthday cake baked in-house for four.

Cocktails and wines by the glass are around $18. A deep cellar offers some 400 options, including a healthy number of Bordeaux and Burgundies to complement the beef. There are plenty of good options in the $45-$60 range.

Then there’s a lineup of $24 nitro martinis in flavors like lychee and rose and Key lime, served with a liquid nitrogen-frozen popsicle of concentrated cocktail to stir into the drink.

“We like to give the guests an interactive experience,” Nalcioglu says.

There are six AI-assisted Artscape prints scattered around the restaurant. Guests scan the QR code on their phones and view the picture through the app. Each one comes alive in some way, whether it’s flying butterflies or a carriage wandering through a New Orleans streetscape.

Gaia steakhouse owner Murat Nalcioglu (left) with Executive Chef Cameron Chatelain, Sous Chef Kimberly Cochran and General Manager Seyfullah Sirinoglu.

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER / GAMBIT

Nalcioglu, who is originally from Istanbul, spent eight months renovating the former Melting Pot space, which had been empty for four years.

The resulting 175-seat restaurant is handsome, with a modern feel, leather booths, Turkish rugs and soft lighting.

An up-lit glass case of the tomahawk steaks is a display worthy of fine art.

The restaurant’s name comes from the Greek earth goddess, which explains the tree bark-wrapped column dotted with moss and the flower motif throughout. The tables are polished wood set without tablecloths.

“The idea was to take the formality out of fine dining,” Nalcioglu says.

As a fan and regular visitor to the city for the past 20 years, Nalcioglu craved a restaurant with a New Orleans address.

“In the time I was working on the building, I met so many wonderful people in the business,” he says. “I went to Houston’s all the time across the street, ate at Doris Metropolitan.

The level of connection you feel with other people here is something special. That’s why I knew I wanted to open a restaurant here.”

?

WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

HOW

CHECK IT OUT

Gaia

1820 St. Charles Ave., (337) 443-7967; gaiasteakhouse.com

dinner daily

dine in

A luxe steakhouse with some high-end flourishes

your IPA in an industrial setting, with all the moving parts of the beer-making process within view.

The newest brewery in New Orleans might make you think you’re in the pavilion at a botanical garden. The brewing tanks are all behind a wall, while the lager flows in the lush setting.

Ecology Beer Creative opened in late October at 1401 Baronne St. in Central City, taking over and thoroughly transforming what once had been a much different brewery.

That was All Relation Beer, which had the misfortune of opening just a few months before the pandemic arrived.

Ecology has six taps flowing, with an emphasis on approachable beers made in traditional styles. Licensed as a manufacturing brewery, Ecology will run a canning line and plans to distribute eventually.

Gone is the dark, speakeasy feel that All Relation built in this old brick warehouse. In its place, Ecology presents a series of settings that are clean-lined,

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

calming and verdant with plants. This reflects the background that co-owner and brewer Matt Horney brings to the venture from his training as a landscape architect.

Ecology is open to all ages (there are soft drinks stocked at the taproom) and hosts pop-ups in its patio.

Horney was previously a brewer at Old Rail Brewing Co. in Old Mandeville, on the Tammany Trace. (It has converted to a tavern called Spoke & Barrel and no longer makes beer.)

The opening slate of beers at Ecology shows a range of styles. The Radio PAGE 20

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Lager is a flagship brew, a Hellesstyle lager with some malty sweetness and a mellow, refreshing finish.

Pothole Logic Pilsner gets inspiration from the Steely Dan song “Pretzel Logic.”

Ecology then has a rotating variety of beers, including a Marzen, an IPA, a saison and a Belgian tripel, the heaviest hitter of the lot with 9.5% alcohol content. Seasonal and experimental beers and selections from the brewery staff will join the lineup.

The brewer’s partners in Ecology are local real estate developer Curtis Lawrence and John Zollinger, a banking executive, self-described “certified beer nut,” and longtime fan of Horney’s brewing from his Northshore days.

The partners saw potential in the former All Relation with its only slightly used brewhouse and a location close to downtown. It’s in a stretch of Central City that is now home to a dense cluster of short-term rentals, and also next to a 200-unit affordable housing complex.

Ecology has raised ceilings and a new roll-top door and lighting panels that resemble skylights to brighten it up.

Sip a beer and take a long absorbing look at the reproduction of a Diego Rivera mural from the artist’s Detroit Industry series that now covers one wall. Behind it, the industry of brewing is turning here too.

For more information, visit ecologybeer.com. — Ian McNulty

Po-boy stuffing

AFTER A THANKSGIVING FEAST, FAMILIES ACROSS THE LAND turn left-

overs into sandwiches. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, however, Parkway Bakery & Tavern on Hagan Street in Mid-City turns the same fixings into po-boys.

This phenomenon inspires an only-in-New Orleans scene each Wednesday in November when the meals are served, folding in a passion for po-boys, holiday spirit and a host of collaborators for what is now a fundraiser for cancer research.

The Thanksgiving po-boy kept a low profile through the past few years because of the pandemic, and then a turkey shortage last year crimped supply.

Now, Parkway is bringing it back in a big way, and will serve the special sandwich on Wednesdays in November (Nov. 8, 15, 22 and 29).

“This year we’re revving it up again,” says Parkway manager Justin Kennedy. “We’re going big to raise money this year.”

Kennedy started making the Thanksgiving po-boy in 2007, packing a length of po-boy loaf with cornbread dressing, gravy, whole-berry cranberry sauce and roasted turkey (a mix of white and dark chunks, not deli slices). It became a November special.

Things snowballed, with people lining up early to get one, sometimes adopting the tactics of retail door busters. Some brought chairs. Some arrived in groups. Others donned turkey costumes because … well, it’s New Orleans.

The line inspired Kennedy to turn the weekly spectacle into a benefit for the Al Copeland Foundation, a nonprofit that supports cancer research and is named for the late fried chicken king of New Orleans.

It’s called #IDidItFortheTurkey.

This year, with support from suppliers and sponsors, each Thanksgiving po-boy sold will benefit the foundation. And as in past years, people who make a $100 contribution get to skip the line (from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and get a bunch of extras with their Thanksgiving po-boy.

That includes a T-shirt, an order of sweet potato fries from supplier Simplot Foods, a pumpkin spice ice cream sandwich donated by New Orleans Ice Cream Co., and a lemonade from Joshua Bertuglia, a local teen who is involved with the Copeland Foundation.

Crystal Hot Sauce, maker of a key po-boy component, is a sponsor this year, and Leidenheimer Baking Co. supplies the bread.

“There’s so much prep that goes into this, making the cranberry sauce from scratch, the stock, the dressing,” he says.

The choice of the beneficiary has a personal significance for Kennedy, and it goes back to his friend John Jackson.

After coming home from a long prison sentence, Jackson, a New Orleans native, got a fresh start with a job at Copeland’s Restaurant, Kennedy says, before joining the staff at Parkway in 2007.

Jackson became an essential part of the restaurant, and Kennedy came to regard him as a personal mentor.

Jackson died in 2014 of Merkel cell carcinoma, the same type of rare skin cancer that befell both Al Copeland and Jimmy Buffett.

“I feel like he was someone I’ll never encounter again the rest of my life,” Kennedy says. “Copeland’s and Parkway are both family businesses, and he was part of our family. That’s the connection that inspired this.” — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

WINE

Dan Pelosi

OF THE

WEEK

Chef

by Will Coviello DURING THE PANDEMIC, DAN “GROSSY” PELOSI QUIT HIS JOB as a

creative director for Ann Taylor to focus on sharing his Brooklyn home cooking online. He dubbed himself a “gay male Pinterest mom,” and built a following by sharing the recipes he grew up with in an Italian- and Portuguese-American family. He compiled his recipes and cooking tips in the book “Let’s Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart & Home.” Pelosi is visiting New Orleans and will discuss the book with Joy the Baker at The Elysian Bar at Hotel Peter and Paul at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8. Tickets are available via eventbrite.com, and VIP tickets include a reception with Pelosi. For more on Pelosi, visit danpelosi.com.

How did you get started cooking?

DAN PELOSI: I grew up in the kitchen — an Italian- and Portuguese-American indoor kid. I loved being in the kitchen with whoever was cooking, which was pretty much everyone. I was a great kitchen helper and observer. My family was keen on letting me get my hands dirty and do lots of tasting and talking about food. My dad would share recipes from his childhood. My mom would spend the weekend in the kitchen trying to create all kinds of great food.

That was my safe space, the kitchen. It always has been.

We ate dinner every night of the week together as a family. My grandfather’s meatballs inspired my meatball recipe. Everyone had their own take on marinara sauce. I have a whole chapter in my book about my marinara and all the things you can make with marinara.

My mom’s Italian bread was always at the table. That recipe is in the book. It’s all the staples that got us through.

The majority of my childhood was Italian-American, but we did a bit of Portuguese food. There’s a recipe in the book for pasteis de nata, which are the egg custard cups. There also is a pumpkin-whiskey fritter called filhoses, which are a beautiful dessert or snack. There’s a kale, bean and linguica (sausage) skillet, which is inspired by the kale and bean Portuguese soup. I wanted to make that into a quick, easy weeknight meal.

The book takes you into my world and shares my experiences.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DAN PELOSI

How did you start cooking online?

P: I would cook on weekends, cooking all weekend leading up to a Saturday or Sunday night dinner party with friends.

I did that because I worked in a big city — San Francisco or New York — and during the week, I’d go out to dinner or have leftovers. When work from home happened, I found myself cooking every single meal. I started documenting it on Instagram, because I had a lot of time and energy. Finding joy in that experience during tough times was really relatable for and informative for people. I started using my background in design and marketing to make content for people. It just took off, and I was like, let’s see where this goes.

I am a home cook. I don’t have professional experience. A lot of people who found me during the pandemic had never cooked before.

I found that having people asking me questions daily allowed me to take those questions and put them into the book. There are a lot of guides in the book. Here are four ways to cook an egg. And what temperature meat and fish should be cooked to. I want the book to be enjoyable for all levels, but especially entry-level cooking. I have a chapter on dressings, toppings and spreads, but every one of them has a store-bought alternative, so if you’re not someone who wants to make homemade chili crisp, you can still cook my recipes that call for it.

Many of my followers have been with me from the beginning. It’s about much more than food. You can see it in

the book. I share my family, I share my boyfriend, I tell all these really personal stories. These are people who are interested in food but also the type of community that is possible. And if you can take my recipe and make it your recipe, that’s exactly what I want to happen.

How is it relating to people in online spaces?

P: I share my whole self. I think it allows people to share themselves.

I also talk a lot about boundaries, especially with food and diet. There’s a real desire for a lot of people to comment on food and say food is bad for you, or food is the devil or, “If I eat that, I would be 300 pounds.”

Comments like that are hurtful, and we talk about it. This is a space where we express food as being joyful, and if you think the food is not going to make you happy, then unfollow or keep it to yourself. Some people have said thank you for teaching me that I can say that to people in my life too. A lot of people who have disordered eating thank me because my page is a place where they can follow and not be triggered.

Don’t let people yuck my yum. I actually made T-shirts that say that.

People will be like, “Ew, raisins, I hate raisins.” I am like, I don’t care. If I am sharing something with a smile on my face, why are you telling me you don’t like it? You would never walk up to a person in a restaurant while they are eating something and say, “That looks so gross.” My sharing something online is not inviting you to do that.

Maschio

Prosecco Brut

Light straw yellow with a lively froth. Aromas of white peach and orange blossoms. On the palate, the wine is fruit-forward, with peach and almond flavors. Serve as an aperitif or as an ideal match with fish, fresh fruit, and pastries.

DISTRIBUTED BY

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3 COURSE INTERVIEW

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O U T T O E AT C O M P L E T E L I S T I N G S AT W W W. B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M

Out 2 Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

8 Fresh Food Assassin — 1900 N. Claiborne Ave., (504) 224-2628; Instagram, @8freshfoodassassin — Chef Manny January’s serves lamb chops, T-bone steaks, salmon, crab cakes, deep fried ribs, fried chicken and seafood-loaded oysters. No reservations.

Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Acorn — Louisiana Children’s Museum, 12 Henry Thomas Drive, (504) 218-5413; acornnola.com — Blackened shrimp tacos are topped with arugula, radish, pineapple-mango salsa and cilantro-lime sauce. No reservations.

Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and more.

Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom.com — Jimmy Cho’s Thai dishes include smoked pork belly and pork meatballs in lemon grass broth with egg, green onion, cilantro and garlic.

Reservations accepted for large parties except weekends. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with a goat cheese and chardonnay cream sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$ The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — Rainbow trout amandine is served with tasso and corn macque choux and Creole meuniere sauce. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available.

Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 2741850; thecommissarynola.com — The central kitchen for Dickie Brennan restaurants has a dine-in menu with a smoked turkey sandwich with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up with chicken and andouille jambalaya.

Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes char-grilled oysters topped with Parmesan and herbs.

Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — There’s a seafood raw bar and dishes like redfish with lemon buerre blanc. Reservations accepted.

Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ Down the Hatch — 817 St. Louis St., (504) 766-6007; 1921 Sophie Wright Place, (504) 220-7071; downthehatchnola.com — The Texan burger features a half-pound patty topped with caramelized onions, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and a fried egg.

No reservations. Lunch, dinner and latenight daily. $$ Dragonfly Cafe — 530 Jackson Ave., (504) 544-9530; dragonflynola.com — The casual cafe offers breakfast plates, waffles, salads, coffee drinks and more. Delivery available.

Reservations accepted. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sat. $$ El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — Sauteed Gulf fish is topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers and served with rice and string beans.

The menu includes tacos, enchiladas and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar — 739 Iberville St., (504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 304-4125; felixs.com — The menu includes raw and char-grilled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys and more.

No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Frey Smoked Meat Co. — 4141 Bienville St., Suite 110, (504) 488-7427; freysmokedmeat. com — The barbecue spot serves pulled pork, ribs, brisket, sausages and and items like fried pork belly tossed in pepperjelly glaze. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Froot Orleans — 2438 Bell St., Suite B, (504) 233-3346; frootorleans.com — There are fresh fruit platters and smoothie bowls such as a strawberry shortcake and more using pineapple, berries, citrus and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available.

Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The

eclectic menu includes a Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, cheese and pickles.

Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The bar menu includes sandwiches, salads and flatbreads, including one topped with peach, prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations. Dinner Wed.-Sat. $$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and a NOLA Style Grits Bowl topped with bacon, cheddar and a poached egg.

Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes filets mignons and bone-in rib-eyes, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes.

Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luzianne Cafe — 481 Girod St., (504) 2651972; luziannecafe.com — Cajun Sunshine Beignets are stuffed with eggs, bacon, cheese and hot sauce. No reservations.

Delivery available. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$ Martin Wine & Spirits — 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, (504) 896-7350; 3827 Baronne St., (504) 894-7444; martinwine.com — The deli serves sandwiches and salads such as the Sena, with chicken, raisins, blue cheese, pecans and Tabasco pepperjelly vinaigrette.

No reservations. Lunch daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. The menu also has noodle dishes, teriyaki and more. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca.

Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys, jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as seafood platters, po-boys, grilled oysters, salads and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese. The menu also includes wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, seafood pasta and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ The Original Italian Pie — 3629 Prytania St., (504) 766-8912; theoriginalitalianpieuptown.com — The Italian Pie combo includes pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, black

olives, mozzarella and house-made tomato sauce. No reservations. Dinner and late-night Tue.-Sat. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar’s menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available.

Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Palace Cafe — 605 Canal St., (504) 523-1661; palacecafe.com — The contemporary Creole menu includes crabmeat cheesecake with mushrooms and Creole meuniere sauce.

Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — Black lentil vadouvan curry comes with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and basmati rice. Reservations accepted.

Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates.

No reservations. Dinner daily. $$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs.

Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 8271651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, and dishes like redfish St. Charles with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches and more. Delivery available.

Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $ Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 1433 St. Charles Ave., (504) 354-1342; 5015 Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscevichepisco.com — Peruvian lomo saltado features beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and pisco, served with fried potatoes and rice. Outdoor seating available on Magazine Street. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — The menu includes beignets, flatbreads and a veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Zhang Bistro — 1141 Decatur St., (504) 8268888; zhangbistronola.com — The menu of Chinese and Thai dishes includes a Szechuan Hot Wok with a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu with onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapenos and spicy sauce.

Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

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Raccoon Suit, JER and New Orleans’ Bad Operation. The band is now getting ready to release its latest EP, “Dwell,” through Bad Time Records on Nov. 14. First, they headline Gasa Gasa with Joker’s Republic, Rich Octopus and Wasted Potency at 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. Tickets are $10 via ticketweb.com.

Ghalia Volt

Blues guitarist Ghalia Volt started her career busking in her native Brussels, and came to New Orleans, where she made pilgrimages to Mississippi Hill Country to work with blues legends. To record her latest album, she went to Southern California to work with producer David Catching of Queens of the Stone Age. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard blues charts last week.

Volt holds a record release party at 8 p.m. Nov. 11, at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets $20 in advance or $27 on the day of the show via chickiewahwah.com.

‘Blue’

Librettist Tazewell Thompson took on police violence against Black people in his 2019 opera “Blue.” The story begins with the hopes of new parents as they give birth to a son.

When the boy becomes a teenager and starts going to protests, the father, who is a police officer, is torn between looking out for the safety of his son and his loyalty to fellow cops.

The New Orleans Opera Association presents the show at Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. Find tickets at neworleansopera.org.

Mac Sabbath

Watch out as Slayer MacCheeze and the gang bring the fast-food doom caravan to Zony Mash. The Black Sabbath and heavy metal parody band is on tour with Cybertronic Spree and Playboy Manbaby. At 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Zony Mash Beer Project.

Tickets $22 in advance via zonymashbeer.com, $27 at the door.

Blair Dottin-Haley

As a talented vocalist, Blair DottinHaley specializes in covers of classic soul and R&B. He’s also the co-founder of #BLAIRISMS with his husband, Brandon, a lifestyle brand focused on self-care and advocacy for the Black community. Dottin-Haley will perform the next concert in the Down in Treme series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the

Dodwell House, 1519 Esplanade Ave. Tickets are $25 advance via zeffy.com and $30 at the door. Find more information at linktr.ee/TheBlairisms.

‘Upcountry’ book release

In local writer Chin-Sun Lee’s debut novel “Upcountry,” a New York couple moves to the Catskills where they buy a house in foreclosure.

Everything becomes unsettled in their relationship and among new neighbors as everyone’s grasp on their dreams is shaken. Poet Tiana Noble discusses the book with Lee at a launch event Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at Studio 633 at 633 Carondelet St. Find tickets on eventbrite.com.

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Little Miss Nasty

Usually based out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the glitzy modern burlesque troupe Little Miss Nasty combines dark themes, fetishwear and hard rock. It also works in some aerial and contortion acts and hip-hop and EDM. Sizzy Rocket opens at Siberia Monday, Nov. 6. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets $20 via eventbrite.com.

Festival of the Lake

There’s music by Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, Bag of Donuts, Peyton Falgoust Band and Adam Pearce at the festival and fundraiser for Our Lady of the Lake. The festival includes kids games, inflatables, a scavenger hunt, magic shows, a craft market, food vendors and more. At 312 Lafitte St. near the Mandeville Lakefront on Nov. 10-12. Visit festivalofthelake.com for schedule and details.

ABT Studio Company

American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company features developing young dancers. It presents a mix of classic and contemporary works as well as some ABT commissioned pieces. At Jefferson Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10. Find tickets via jeffersonpac.com.

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Library fall book sale

The Friends of the New Orleans Public Library host a big used book sale for fall 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 11, on the porch of the Latter Memorial Library Branch in Uptown. Members of Friends of the NOPL get first shot at the book sale starting at 10 a.m. Find more information at facebook.com/ neworleansreads.

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A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

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MUSIC FO R CO M P L E T E M U S I C L I ST I N G S A N D M O R E E V E N T S TA K I N G P L A C E IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, VISIT C A L E N D A R . G A M B I T W E E K LY. C O M

To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com

MONDAY 6 BAMBOULAS — The Rug Cutters, 1:15 pm; Jon Roniger Band, 5:30 pm; Ed Wills Blues 4 Sale, 9 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Smokehouse Brown Red Bean Blues Band, 9 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds , 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Matinee All Star Band, 1:30 pm; Lee Floyd And Thunderbolt Trio, 5 pm; Richard Scott and Friends, 8 pm

TUESDAY 7 BAMBOULAS — The Villians, 1:15 pm; TRS, 5:30 pm; Andy J Forest Blues, 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Colin Myers Band, 5 pm; Chuck Brackman, 8 pm SANTOS — Duff Thompson, Steph Green, Dawn Riding, 9 pm TIPITINA'S — Tennis, Sam Evian, 8 pm

WEDNESDAY 8 BAMBOULAS— J.J and the A-OK’s , 1:15 pm; Boardwalker and The 3 Finger Swingers, 5:30 pm; Roule and the Queen, 9 pm BLUE NILE — New Breed Brass Band, 9:30 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Colin Davis and Night People, 6 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Tin Men, 6 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott , 1 pm; Bourbon Street Stars , 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band W/Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — Tinashe & Shygirl, 8 pm SANTOS — Gene Loves Jezebel, 9 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — The Brook & The Bluff, 8 pm

THURSDAY 9 BAMBOULAS — Miss Sigrid and The ZigZags, 1:15 pm; Felipe Antonio Quartet , 5:30 pm; Wolfe John’s Blues, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Where Y'at Brass Band, 9 pm BORASSO SPIRITS — Sky Choice , 7 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Doyle Cooper Band, 2:30 pm; John Saavedra Band , 6 pm; Fritzels All Star Band W/Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard "Piano" Scott, 12:30 pm JOY THEATER — G Jones, 8 pm ONLINE — Mia Borders, 7 pm PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds with Robin Barnes and Pat Casey , 8 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Chubby Carrier & Bayo Swamp Band, 8 pm

FRIDAY 10 BAMBOULAS — Stephen Brashear and Co., 11 am; The Melatauns, 2:15 pm; Les Getrex and Creole Cooking , 6:30 pm; Bettis and 3rd Degree, 10 pm BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers, 8 pm; Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, 11 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Higher Heights Reggae Band, 10 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Meschiya & the Machetes, 6 pm; The Soul Rebels, 10 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard "Piano" Scott, 12:30 pm; Sam Friend , 2:30 pm Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio , 6 pm; Fritzels All Star Band W/ Kevin Ray Clark, 9 pm GILLIGIL'S ISLAND — Christian Serpas & Ghost Town , 6 pm NOLA BREWING TAPROOM — Soul Stu, 7 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — Men I Trust, 8 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Few Blue, 8:30 pm SANTOS — Pope, Bedridden, WorldWorst and Cashier, 9 pm TIPITINA'S — Rory Danger and The Danger Dangers, 9 pm

SATURDAY 11 BAMBOULAS — The Jaywalkers, 11 am; Boardwalker and The 3 Finger Swingers, 2:15 pm; Johnny Maestro Blues, 6:30 pm; Paggy Prine and Southern Soul, 10 pm BLUE NILE — George Brown Band, 8 pm; Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet, 11 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — The Marigny Street Brass Band, 10 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm

Smokehouse Brown plays BJ’s Monday the 6th.

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott , 12:30 pm; Steve Detroy Band, 2:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6 pm; Chuck Brackman, 9 pm JOY THEATER — LSDREAM, Zingara, Super Ave , 9 pm NOLA BREWING TAPROOM — Dr. Lo Faber with Reggie Scanlan, Camille Boudin, 7 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Kings of Neon, 8:30 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones Experience , 7:30 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones Experience , 9 pm TIPITINA'S — Red Rockers, 9 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — Yard Act, 9 pm

SUNDAY 12 BAMBOULAS — Youse, 1:15 pm; Midnight Brawlers, 5:30 pm; Ed Wills Blues 4 Sales, 9 pm

PHOTO BY JOHN STANTON / GAMBIT

BLUE NILE — The Baked Potatoes, 8 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 10:30 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Vegas Cola, 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Marty Peters Band, 1:30 pm; Lee Floyd & Thunderbolt Trio, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Mike Fulton, 8 pm JAEGER'S SEAFOOD AND OYSTER HOUSE — The Generators, 4 pm NOLA BREWING TAPROOM — Don Cook Duo, 3 pm SANTOS — Austin Lucas with Rey Wolf and Joshua the Bock, 9 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Quiana Lynell, 7:30 pm

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25 G AMBIT > BESTOFNEWORLE ANS.COM > NOVEMBER 6 - 12 > 2023

MUSIC

Here and now

by Jake Clapp

PEOPLE MUSEUM HAVE GROWN IN A LOT OF WAYS

since Claire Givens and Jeremy Phipps started writing music together in 2015.

In some ways it’s clear: more and more people in the crowds at increasingly larger venues, touring dates further away from their home in New Orleans, opening sets for prominent musicians like Thundercat and Big Freedia. And the band itself has grown from a collaboration between Givens on vocals and keys and Phipps on trombone and keys to now a four-piece including drummer Aaron Boudreaux and bassist Charles Lumar II. But with experience, the members of People Museum also have grown as musicians, honing a unique electro-pop style that’s become increasingly cinematic. It’s positioned the band as one of the most engaging indie rock acts in New Orleans, able to sell out the Marigny Opera House and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art for concept-driven shows as easily as it can fill Saturn Bar and Gasa Gasa with bodies dancing to the synth-heavy, dark pop.

Each new release has vividly traced People Museum’s evolution as well as hinted at bigger things to come. That’s especially true on the forthcoming album “Relic,” the band’s most ambitious project to date.

Available Nov. 10, “Relic” is People Museum’s longest release at 13-tracks and is the band’s first to include contributions by all four members of the band.

People Museum will play the album in full at Marigny Opera House on Nov. 25.

Givens met Phipps in 2015, and a few years later, Boudreaux, who also has the project MoPodna, began drumming for the duo as well as engineering and co-producing their recordings. Lumar, who Phipps had played with in Solange’s backing band, joined the group on bass and tuba around the same time.

“The four of us are the creative center now,” Givens says. There’s a lot of trust among the four bandmates, and “with all of our ideas together, I think it’s made the music exactly what we envisioned from the beginning.”

People Museum began working on “Relic” after Hurricane Ida. “The process of everyone being displaced for a long period of time made it so much more important to come back together

Claire Givens, Aaron Boudreaux, Charles Lumar II and Jeremy Phipps of People Museum PROVIDED PHOTO

BY ASHLEY LORRAINE

and write a big piece together and encapsulate our time with each other,” Givens says.

The album developed into something of a love letter to New Orleans in all of its beauty and heartbreak and challenges, the band says. The city has always been essential to People Museum’s identity: Brass bands and New Orleans traditions have had an influence on the band. But People Museum has never made “New Orleans music” and instead has challenged listeners to rethink what they may know about the city’s musicians.

The songs on “Relic” are layered.

There are personal stories from Givens about love and loss that also double as broader conversations about New Orleans — love for the city and its beauty as well as anxieties over climate change, stagnation and the hardships faced by citizens.

The voice of Phipps’ father opens the album, accompanied by Phipps’ trombone and the sound of falling rain: “Home means love of family and people and my attachment to this particular environment. Because I’ve been a lot of places in the world, but I always feel drawn back to New Orleans.” His voice returns at points later in the album to guide the listener. Phipps’ brother, rapper Mac Phipps, also beatboxes on the track “Saturn Rings.”

“It’s always this complex relationship,” Phipps says. “It feels like home and it’s hard to leave home, but it’s also hard to be at home.”

“It’s super complicated,” Boudreaux adds. “At the end of the day, it is love.

And I think that’s what the record is like: It’s a complicated struggling. In spite of everything, I’ll just swim in the floodwater with you.”

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GOING OUT

o d o t t a h w

o g o t e r whe e e s o t o h w

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SUDOKU

The wild side

by Will Coviello

MUSICIAN AND INVENTOR QUINTRON CREATED HIS WEATHER WARLOCK to

make music by connecting sensors picking up sunlight, wind and rain to an analog synth.

In a residency at Studio in the Woods earlier this year, he pushed the idea to the next step, using sensors of natural activity to make electronic music with his new Wildlife Organ.

“It became all about frogs,” Quintron says. “I took allweather mics to the swamp to make ambient music.”

Quintron will present a set of ambient music with the Wildlife Organ and use the instrument in collaboration with a new puppet show from his performing partner Miss Pussycat at FORESTival in the Woods on Saturday, Nov. 11. The festival features live music, performances and presentations by this year’s resident artists, art activities for all ages, food and drink vendors and more.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat completed their residency in the spring.

They lived for a month at a cabin on the eight acres of bottomland hardwood forest in lower Algiers. Quintron used the time to build the Wildlife Organ.

Miss Pussycat created a new puppet show based on the story of Noah’s ark.

The show’s official local premiere is at FORESTival.

Since developing his patented Drum Buddy machine, which creates beats using light sensors, Quintron has focused more on projects engaging the natural world. For the organ, he placed mics near bodies of water and picked up on wildlife, like frogs, owls and other birds as well as wind and more.

Miss Pussycat, aka Panacea Theriac, created a show that addresses environmental issues. There’s an ark full of pairs of lions, tigers and bears, and also a Mardi Gras parade and a dark rain cloud that intrudes on events. The Wildlife Organ provides background sounds for the production.

After years of performing and touring in late-night music clubs, Quintron and Panacea entered a residency at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2010. Panacea displayed a wide array of her colorful puppets and videos of their shows, while Quintron composed music in the museum and surrounding City Park, resulting in the album “Sucre

Quintron and Miss Pussycat PHOTO PROVIDED BY A STUDIO IN THE WOODS

du Sauvage.” Panacea has since had puppet expos and artist residencies at the CAC and museums across the South.

FORESTival also features a display of the Mardi Gras Indian beadwork and sewing of Walter Sandifer III, Spy Boy of the Beautiful Creole Apache. Sandifer regularly provides sewing lessons to youth interested in Indian culture, and he’ll lead a sewing workshop at FORESTival. He used his residency to complete his suit this year.

The festival also features performances by RAM Haiti, Brass-A-Holics and Andrina Turenne, a Canadian First Nations singer who did a residency at Studio in the Woods to build relationships with Indigenous people in south Louisiana. A Studio in the Woods’ mission and programming acknowledge the area’s pre-colonial history — when it was known as Bulbancha — and supports many Indigenous artists and activists.

Several environmental groups will offer information at the festival, including Concerned Citizens of St. John, Rise St. James and artist and resident Ida Aronson, a United Houma Nation activist who creates theatrical productions.

Glass recycling group Glass Half Full will have an art activity with sand for kids.

The festival also highlights the natural setting of Studio in the Woods, and there are nature walks led by Tulane University scientists and herbalist Samille Niambi.

FORESTival is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 11, at 13401 Patterson Road. Suggested donation of $15 for adults. Visit astudiointhewoods.org for details.

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69 Likely 70 Riddle, part 4 73 “Monsters, —” 74 City known for its Heat 76 Clan emblem 77 — -mutuel betting 78 PC whiz 79 Watch over 81 Riddle, part 5 84 Frat party containers 88 Road no.

89 Emphatic assent in Acapulco 90 First play part 91 Horse pace 93 Saints’ and Cardinals’ gp.

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83 Luggage inspection org.

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113 USMC VIPs 114 Pointer 115 Baseball’s Robinson — 116 “— always say ...”

117 Badger 118 Indisposed

ANSWERS FOR LAST ISSUE’S PUZZLE: P 26

PUZZLES

ACROSS 1 Sailing guy 8 Dump vermin 12 Increased, as security 20 Singer with the 2018 hit “Let You Love Me” 21 Morales of “Bad Boys” 22 Still growing 23 Charms strongly 24 Pottery flaw 25 Cereal with a Honey Clusters variety 26 Start of a riddle 29 Reluctant 30 Suffix with ranch 31 Sty dweller 32 — Lankan

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