Gambit: Dec. 13, 2022

Immigration. Criminal Law. Traffic Tickets CallEugeneRedmann504.834.6430 2632AthaniaPkwy.,Met., LA 70002 Se Habla Espanol www.redmannlawnola.com

REAL ESTATEFOR RENT

1/2BLOCK TO MAGAZINE

1& 2bedroomsavailableinideal locationand ROOMSBYTHE MONTH withPRIVATEBATH. All utilities included monthly. Call504-202-0381for appointment

Free WIFI!FreeUtilities &EarnFreeRent! Stay where youare appreciated! Extended stayliving, furnished Studio, 1&2 BDRM units w/ FLEXIBLE payment options,no leases,courtesy patrol,laundryonsite. Call now504-688-3554.

ACROBATICGYMNASTICSCOACH

Full-timecoach to plan &conduct daily practices fordevelopmental &eliteathletes, choreograph routines &preparefor competitions. Competent on the spotting belt Bachelor's degree &3 yearscoachingexperience. Ability to travel &work evenings/weekends. Jobsite:New Orleans, LA Send resume NOLA Gymnastics1725 Dufossat St., NewOrleans, LA 70115

NOTICES

Delta BluesProductions, LLC's filming of "The Winchesters -Season 1" willwrapproductioninthe GreaterNew Orleans Area as of December20, 2022. Alloutstanding creditorclaimsshouldbemailedoremailed byFebruary7,2023. Contact infoisasfollows: Delta BluesProductions, LLC; 2324 SevernAve.; Metairie, LA 70001; tim.turner@wbconsultant.com

Illuminatingdesigns

Luna Fete highlights light andfashion designs Dec. 15-18

CHERICEHARRISON-NELSON,THE MAROONQUEENOFTHEGUARDIANS

OFTHEFLAME,makes suits that tell stories. Individual components representingher family andancestors oftenplaysymbolicroles,evenif thereferences arenot immediately obvioustoobservers

In 2018,she madeaspecialsuit forthe NewOrleans tricentennial, and shethoughtaboutincorporatinglightsintosuchasuit. She broached theconceptwith Joycelyn Reynolds, thepresident of Arts NewOrleans,which organizes Luna Fete,the annual festival of light and artinstallations.

Everyyear, thefestival brings in artiststorun workshopsoninnovative uses of light and technology, and it broughtinKateHartman, an artist whoworks withwearable electronics. This year,HarrisonNelsonwas able to designanew suitinspired by the2018one,but incorporatingvarious typesoflights in itsdesign.

“It’sanhomage to Oya, an orisha to storms and lighting,”HarrisonNelsonsaysofthe original idea.“I thoughtI could do something fantastic—and have astaff with lights.”

Harrison-Nelsonwill debut thenew suitatLunaFete, which takesplace from 6p.m.to10p.m Thursday,Dec.15, to Sunday,Dec 18,onthe pedestrian walk in front of theErnest N. MorialConvention Center,fromJulia Street to Henderson Avenue. HarrisonNelsonisone of severalindividual artistsand designand technology firmsfromacrossthe globe whoare presenting art, installationsorvideo projections at Luna Fete.

At thefestival,Harrison-Nelsonwill be joined by twoyoung Indians from Guardiansofthe Flame, Princess Ariyaand Little WarriorDeliam. Hersuitdraws on an arrayoffamily members and culturebearers. Her mother Herreast J. Harrisonand her sister MicheleHarrison helped sew and construct some partsofher suit. Rudy BougereJr. did thestone work and helped with lighting.

ThesuitinvokesOya,a spirit from West Africa’s Yoruba region andpeople,but many of its patchesrepresent HarrisonNelson’sfamily. Thereare patches with flames that her mother wore when shewas honoredby theKrewe of Musesin2016. Her father DonaldHarrison Sr.was the renowned BigChiefofGuardians

of theFlame.Hedesigned blueeagle suitsmodeled afterthe bird butinhis own unique choice of color, and Harrison-Nelsonwill have a blue eagle patch. She’salso incorporated symbolsfrom culturesinWest Africa.

Thesuitalso wasdesigned to have lightsbuilt in Harrison-Nelsonhas added lights on topofcostumes before,twistinglight strands into feathers, butthissuithas them in thefoundationand stitching. She’susing fiberopticlights, blinking fairylights and electroluminescentorEL wire.She’s added lightstothe headdresses,suitbodyand gloves. Thelightswill play off theSwarovski crystals used in thesuit.

Whileincorporatingthe technology maybeastepin theevolution of Indiansuits, Harrison-Nelsondoesn’t anticipate usinglightsinevery suit going forward.

by Will Coviello |

“Just like Ithink aboutthe rhinestones and colors,I’llthink,‘Where canI placethe lightsifitmakes sensetoput lights?’” shesays. “I onlywanttoput them on if it suits my story.”

ForLunaFete, she’sdesigned twoheaddresses,one forwalking and onefor sitting. She added a rainbow-coloredtrain of crepe to thebackofthe suittoaccentuatemovement.

Thefestivalwill have asortof runwayand afew other artists’ projects involveusing lightsin fashion designs.Ocubo,alight designcompany based in Portugal, is creating “Light Connector,”an interactivefloor installation that will serveasa runway.“Wild Creation: An Illuminated FashionShowcase” will featureilluminateddesigns from localdesigners includingRenee Johnson, VanShawn Branchand CheriseLockett

Oneofthe first majorfocuses of Luna Fete wasonprojectionmapping,allowingvideo and animation designfor 3D surfaces.For thefestival’sinitial years, videoswereprojected on thecolumns andfaçade of GallierHall. Currently, Luna Fete is usingthe frontofHallD at the conventioncenter. Decide Kit, afirm based in Thailand,has created“The Sewing of theSoul,”avideo with a narrativethatfocuses on orishas,

Indian queensand parading. It will screen at thetop of everyhour. Josh Pitts, adesigner of websitesand massive, moving Mardi Gras creatures, also creates lighted installations.He’sbringing agiant lighted sunflowercalled KetleflowertoLunaFete. Thecentral cluster of seedsare replaced by lightssynched in changing patterns and displays

Therealso will be asilentdisco each night. Arosterof35DJs will providemusic,including visiting headlinersNolan Petruska and Hudson Lee. NewOrleans’ virtual Krewe of Vaporwave will do apresentation, andtherewill be eightwall spaces used forvideo projections.

Thefestivalholdsits Luna Ball fundraiser on Saturday,Dec.17, in theMosaicLoungeinsidethe conventioncenter. Theballwill feature participatingartists,Black Masking Indians and fashiondesigns,aswell as food and drinks.Light-upattireis suggested forthe event, and tickets areavailable on artsneworleans.org.

Also at thefestival is an arts marketwithmorethan 35 vendors,as well as food trucks.Somelight-up accoutrementswill be available, and Arts NewOrleans hopes attendeeswill useittoenhance thefestivalatmosphere. Forinformation,visit artsneworleans.org

Caroling in JacksonSquare

CAROLERSGATHERINJACKSONSQUARE TOSINGHOLIDAYTUNES by candlelight foranhourinthistradition dating back to 1946.Put on by thePatio Planters of VieuxCarre, the eventisfreeand,asalways, attendeesalso receiveasongbook and candle.Caroling will startat 7p.m.Sunday, Dec. 18.For more information, visitpatioplanters.net.

Anders Osborne’s HolidaySpectacular

ANDERSOSBORNECELEBRATESTHEHOLIDAYSWITHANARRAYOFSPECIALGUESTS across twonightsatTipitina’s On Friday,Dec.16, he’s joined by multi-instrumentalistJackie Greene, slideguitarmasterSonnyLandreth, saxophonistBradWalker, former Radiators guitaristDaveMaloneand TheHornstars.Greene, Walker and TheHornstars join Osborne again on Saturday,Dec.17, alongwith bassist George Porter Jr.and vocalistMaggieKoerner.Bothshows start at 9p.m.Ticketsare $38per nightattipitinas.com.

AtomicBroad

NEWORLEANSQUEERPUNKBANDATOMIC

BROADRELEASEDITSFIRSTFULL-LENGTH

ALBUM,“Unrepentant,” in November They nowplaywith MissingTeeth and Make Your Maze at TheGoatat 9p.m.Wednesday,Dec.14. Cover is $10. Find theband on Instagram, @atomicbroadmakesmusic

Kermit Ruffins’Crazy Cool ChristmasParty

TRUMPETERKERMITRUFFINS’2009 “HAVEACRAZYCOOLCHRISTMAS” should be in everyone’sholiday musicrotationthismonth.Catch some of those songsliveduring Ruffins’ CrazyCoolChristmas Partyat8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14,atthe recently reopened Chickie WahWah.Tickets are $20via chickiewahwah.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY BRYCEELL

PHOTO BY BRETTDUKE/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

THUMBS

UP/ THUMBS DOWN

U.S.Rep.TroyCarter, wasrecently electedsecondvice-chair of theCongressional BlackCaucus, thethird-highest role in theinfluential group. Carter in Novemberhandily wonre-election in Louisiana’s 2ndcongressional districtand is thestate’s onlyDemocrat in Congress.He replacedformerRep.Cedric Richmond, whohimself chaired the caucus from 2017to2019. ShebaTurk, theco-anchor of WWL-TV’s morningnews program,will be headingtoLos Angeles foraweekend anchor position with KCAL-TV. Turk is a NewOrleans native and started withWWL as adeskassistant in 2011.She soon movedtoa reporter position and hasbeen ahighlyregarded— and stylish —fixture in NewOrleans news for thelast decade.Best of luck,Sheba!

MAYORLATOYACANTRELLPAINTEDA DEFIANTLYROSYPICTUREOFLIFEIN NEWORLEANSINHERSTATEOFTHE CITYSPEECH Wednesdaywhile barely acknowledging —orin some casesignoring altogether —the host of crises facing the city and heradministration

AttorneyGeneralJeffLandry, agubernatorialcandidate and perpetual politicalclown show,has started a“tipline” so pearl-clutchingright-wingers canreportlibraries,librarians and teachers forfeaturing LGBTQ-friendly books.Landry is followingthe latest GOP playbook in hopesofpulling certainmaterials from libraries and disrupting drag events underthe guise of “protecting children.” Louisiana Association of School Librarians president AmandaJonestold theLouisianaIlluminatorthatLandry’s actionswould leadtoa “weird witch hunt”reminiscent of the McCarthy era.

“Wefaced back to back blows, in addition to COVID-19,” Cantrell said during her speechatGallier Hall,echoing herrefrain from last year’s election.“Youknowwhat they are. So many that Idon’t have to go into it Iamexcited aboutwhereweare.I’m excited abouthow far we’vecome.”

Butevenaspolicewere responding to adouble shootinginGentilly which left at leastone person dead, Cantrell soughttogloss over some of thecity’smosturgentcrises, such as violent crime, infrastructuralwoesand soaring utilityand rent costs, as well as anumberofserious ethics investigations into herself and some of her topadvisors.

Instead, Cantrell celebrated an uptick in tourism, abustling nightlifescene anddowntown chainhotelsand retailers bouncingbackfromthe COVID19 pandemic

Cantrell began the40-minutespeechona somber note, acknowledging thelives lost from thepandemic. Butshe quickly changedher tune, praisingher own“nationally recognized” safetyguidelines that helped curtailthe virus during theearly days of thepandemic

“Wewereable to make giant stepstowardsocialand economic recovery.Nodoubt about it,” shesaid.

Throughoutthe speech, Cantrell highlighted what she said wasevidenceofthe city’s economicrecovery,and indeed success,rangingfromthe approval of anew BioInnovation District to therecordprofits for the CanalPlace mall

Much of thesuccesses the mayortoutedfocused on tourism, includingthe Four Seasons Hotel’ssuccessful launch,the city beingawarded an awardby an English travelmagazine called Wanderlustand atourism trade association namingNew Orleans atop culinary destination.

She also re-upped herpledge to continue focusing her efforts on downtown neighborhoods —which have been increasingly

TheGreen Wave has playedsmaller bowl games overthe years, butits upcoming appearanceatthe Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classicwill be itsfirst major bowl game sinceNew Year’s Day 1940, when theteamlosttoTexas A&M in theSugarBowl. Tulane clinched the American Athletic Championship on Dec. 3and ended its2022regular season with a11-2record. TheCotton Bowl is Jan.2 in Arlington, Texas.

40.4%

ForMayorCantrell,everything’s mostlyfineinNewOrleans

PHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER /THE TIMES-PICAYUNE MayorLaToyaCantrell.

THEWORLD’S LARGEST JIMMY JOHNS

OPENING GAMBIT

PAGE 7

overrun by short-term rentals catering to tourists,arguingthat thoseefforts would have rippling effectsacrossthe city

When it came to addressing thewell-documentedaffordable housing crisis in thecity, Cantrell highlighted recent initiatives aimedatcurbing theswelling unhousedpopulation

She said her administration plans to spend $8 milliondollars on providing services to the unhoused, though shedid not elaborateonwhatthose were Thecityhas notoriously conducted sweeps of encampments —particularly in advanceof events that draw tourists —giving thoseliving in tentslittlenoticeto cleartheir belongings.

She also pointedout that theOfficeofCommunity Development“invested over $71million to stabilize New Orleanshouseholdswithincome loss.“These(households) were then mountedwithinflation,” shesaid, addingthatover17,000 householdsreceivedsomeform of rental andutility assistance.

Notably, shedid notdwell for toolongonthe problemofcrime —other than calling foranend to gunviolence.

Shedubiously stated that crime statistics had improvedinthe last year,and madenomention of thesuddenannouncement Dec. 6thatbeleaguered police chief ShaunFergusonwill step down at theend of theyear.

In fact, shenever oncementioned Ferguson by name, though shewas carefultogive repeated shoutoutstoCouncil Member Oliver Thomas,her most prominentally on thecouncil

She also praisedthe police force and said that “public safety will continue to be atop priority, in aholisticmanner.”

“Our team hasmade it apriority,”she said.“None of it gets done withoutthose that have been called to service, whohave takenupthe mantle to serve. It doesn’tmeanthatthey’re servants. They should be dignified with love andappreciation.”

Cantrell punctuated herspeech witha call forpeace and an end to fighting —not just on the streetsbut from her critics, particularly thosewho launched the recall efforts.

“Wecannot give up,” shesaid. “I talk aboutfightingtoget here, to take on theissues and thechallenges, butI’m tiredof fighting.Myteamistired of fighting. Rightnow,we’re readyto

buildonour progress that we’ve fought to have happen.Thisisthe time. We want to build.”

She obliquelyreferenced her travelexpenses— which shehas sincepaidback— when shefalsely claimed oneofher severaltrips to D.C. wasresponsible forthe Biden administration providingBuild Back Better moneytothe city

Tyingthe controversyoverher livinginthe city-owned apartmentinthe Pontalba building to violence, Cantrell said it “even showsupatmyapartment, which Ihave aright to utilize.”

She also used thespeechto askcitizenstorejectthe ongoing recall petition effort

Lookingtoward2023, Cantrell said thecitywill prioritize public safety,residents’qualityoflife and economic development and improve itsinfrastructure

“Areas that we need to improve, we will improve,” shesaid. “We have muchtobuild upon,my friends. Youcan only build together.Solet’s reject anysigns of contention,division,disrespect. We deservebetter. AndI know we candothis.”

“Let’s reject violence,”she added.“No morefighting. Let’s build.”— SARAHRAVITS

MorrellwarnsCantrell: don’t‘circumvent thepublicwill’on policechief

NEWORLEANS

CITYCOUNCILVICE

PRESIDENTJPMORRELL Thursday warned MayorLaToyaCantrell thecouncil will useits powers to remove her choicefor police superintendentunless she engages in anationwidesearch foracandidate— and puts them before thecouncil forconfirmation.

Morrellthisyearauthored a charteramendmentcreating anew confirmationprocess fortop administrationofficials, whichvotersoverwhelmingly approvedthisfalland which goes into effect Jan.1.Thatmeans Cantrell could appointsomeone to replace outgoing NewOrleans PoliceDepartmentChief Shaun Ferguson betweennow and the beginningofthe year without goingthrough theadditional council vettingand approval

Butinastatement Thursday, Morrellwarned that would be amistake.

“Ifaselection is made that seeks to circumvent thepublic will, Iwill convene theNew Orleans City Council Governmental Affairscommittee to hold an emergencyhearingto carefully review the qualifications of the individual should that individual not meet thenecessary qualifications to lead thedepartment, theCity Council shallact accordingly [sic],”Morrell said in thestatement.

Instead, Morrellargueda national search is necessaryto identify “a qualifiedand innovative leader to helm this beleaguered NewOrleans Police Department.”

He also urgedCantrellto“do what is in thebest interest of our City,toseek outthe best person to leadour departmentand not makeanexpeditious selection that lackstransparency or review.”

Ferguson announced he was steppingdownaschief Dec. 6.

Cantrell,who appointed Ferguson superintendent in 2019, praisedhim in astatementTuesday.“TheCityofNew Orleans will soon bidfarewell to agreat leader,agreat partner andagreat friend,” said Mayor Cantrell.“He gave this city hisverybest–the safety and wellbeingofeachand every residentand visitorwas always histop priority.”

Butbehindthe scenes frustration anddisappointmentwith Ferguson hasbeen mounting foratleast ayear. Rising murder ratesand carjackings have significantly undermined the public’s confidenceinFerguson and NOPD—and by extension, Cantrell.Although Cantrell and Ferguson have sought to have federalcivilrights consentdecreelifted, problems have continuedtoplague thedepartment, and earlier this year aformer officer accusedhis superiors of pressuringhim to make an unconstitutional arrest.

By thesummer, rumorswere rampantthatFergusonwas on hisway outand as Gambit first reported in July,Cantrell was consideringappointing Deputy Superintendent JonetteWilliams to hisposition

Still,Cantrellinher statement heaped praise on her outgoing chief, highlightingdecreases in aggravatedassaults, sexual assaults, burglary and non-fatal shootings,touting what she called his“communityunification”workand hisefforts during theCovid-19pandemic and recent hurricanes.

Although Cantrell hasn’t announced whowill take Ferguson’s spot,since at least July sourcesfamiliar with the situationhave said Cantrell hadall butdecided to tap DeputySuperintendent JonetteWilliams

Although Morrelldid not specifically mentionWilliams, he did note in therelease that ““we cannotaffordtolimit the pooltothose within thedepartment.”

UnderSection 3-125ofthe city’s charter, thecouncil currently hasthe authorityto“bring chargesagainst anyperson appointedtothe unclassified servicefor lack of qualifications, incompetence, neglect of duty, failuretocomplywithalawful directiveofthe CivilService Commission or grossmisconductinreferencetothatperson’sduties.”Doingsowould set up theprocess forthe council to remove that individual from theirjob.

Morrell, CouncilPresident Helena Moreno andMembers JoeGiarrusso, Lesli Harris and Freddie King have allpreviously called on Cantrell to notpush through an appointment before theend of theyear.

—JOHNSTANTON

PHOTO BY BRETTDUKE/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE CouncilVicePresident JPMorrell.

COMMENTARY

OnFergusonsuccessor,

Cantrellshouldtakethe timetogetitright

THERETIREMENTOFNEW ORLEANSPOLICEDEPARTMENT

SUPERINTENDENTSHAUN

FERGUSON hascreated a clearchoicefor Mayor LaToya Cantrell:She can move forwardwitha predetermined successortoFerguson, as has been rumored formonths; or shecan take amore deliberate—and more transparent—approach that producesbuy-in from NOPD’srank and file, theCityCouncil and thepublic

In ourminds,the choice is simple.Cantrell should take her time andcastawidenet, bringingincandidates notonly from within theranksofNOPD butalsofromacrossthe country. Candidates should be vetted professionally viaanindependent screeningprocess that givesher ashortlistoffinalists from which she cansubmitone name to the council forconfirmation.

Earlier this fall,New Orleanians overwhelminglyvoted to create a City Councilconfirmationprocess fortop positionsinthe executive branch of city government.The newprocess followsthe federal model of Senate confirmation, which manylocal andstate governments across thecountry have used fordecades

Confirmationprocesses arenot, of course, perfect. Buttheylong ago provedtheir value in helping identify andweed outunqualified individuals, people with hidden conflictsofinterest or agendas, and those lackingthe right temperament forpublic office.

Buy-in from thecouncil,which hassparred with Cantrell fora year now, is also acriticalfactor, particularly in timessuchasthese when NOPDstruggles in thefaceofhigh violent crimerates,anexodusof experienced officers,and plummeting public faithand confidence.

Equally important,confirmation hearings give thepublic achance to explore,inadvance,a candidate’s priorities and approach to thejob.Inthe case of NOPD superintendent,isthe nominee a devoteeofcommunity policing practicesorso-called“broken windows”policies? Howwill the

nominee engage thecommunity in ameaningfulway andlistentoconcerns— or will cops and citizens geta top-downapproach? Will the newchief abidebycityordinances that decriminalize certain activities, such as cannabis possession or seekingasafeabortion?

Although themayor reportedly hasalready decided that Deputy Superintendent JonetteWilliams will replace Ferguson,she has yettomakethatdecisionofficial. We hope Cantrell will hold off and engagethe counciland the public in anational search that includesWilliams. If Williamsisin factthe best personfor thejob, then at worst she’ll have to wait a fewmonthslongertotakeover— and shewill do so having already earned thesupportofthe council and thepublic

In her Stateofthe City speech, Cantrell said shewantedtoavoid fights and division during her remainingtimeinoffice. As a majority of thecouncil hasalready made clear,appointing Williams or anyone else before Jan. 1would sparkanother fightwiththe council —one that could lead to her pick’s ouster.

That sort of fightwould leave lastingscars on themayoraswell as thecouncil,but NOPDand NewOrleans citizens would suffer themost. Undermining thenext NOPDchief is thelast thinganyone —particularly MayorCantrell should do at this time.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER /THE TIMES-PICAYUNE MayorLaToyaCantrell.

Cantrell,council playingpolitical‘chicken’ overnexttopcop

THEIMPENDINGSHOWDOWNBETWEENMAYOR LATOYACANTRELLAND THENEWORLEANSCITY

COUNCIL overselection of thenextpolicechief is shapingupasa highstakes game of political “chicken,” with the executiveand legislative branches of city governmentbarreling toward acollision

Inthatscenario, who’smostlikelyto back down?The logical answer is theone with themosttolose. That wouldbeCantrell.

She’salready reelingfromlow voterapproval andstaring at apair of existentialthreats to herpolitical survival:a well-financed recall effort and (reportedly) afederal investigation. Thelast thingshe needsisanother public rebuke

Then again, logicmay notplaya bigrolehere. We’retalking about hard-headedpoliticianswithgiantsizedegos.

Thebrinkmanship startedwhen NOPDSuperintendent Shaun Ferguson announcedonDec.6that he would retire Dec. 22.Notethe timingofFerguson’sdeparture date Just last month,New Orleans voters overwhelminglyapproveda City Charteramendmentrequiring councilapprovaloftop mayoral appointees.The amendmenttakes effect Jan.1.Cantrell opposedthe amendment, which wasauthored by her chief nemesis, at-large City Council MemberJPMorrell

Legally,Cantrell could appoint Ferguson’ssuccessor without seekingcouncil approval,provided shedoessobeforeJan.1.Withso much at stakeinthe beleaguered NOPD, andwithonly10days betweenFerguson’sdeparture and thecharter amendment’s effective date,amajorityofthe council and ahostofcommunity leaders want Cantrell to conduct anational search —and subjecther nominee to councilscrutiny.

So far, themayor hasn’tsaid what she’ll do,but many believe shehas alreadydecided to name DeputyChief JonetteWilliamsas Ferguson’s successor. If so, Williams, 42,would become thefirst woman

to leadthe department. Shehas had ameteoricriseatNOPD, goingfrom captaintodeputy superintendentin less than ayear.

Morrellsaysconducting a national search —with Williamsand possibly othersatNOPDamong theapplicants —isthe only wayto guaranteethe next chiefhas community andcouncil supportfrom dayone.Heand at least threeother councilmembers warned Cantrell notto“circumvent thepublic will.”

Cantrell hasevery right to pick asuccessor before Jan.1,but the charteralso authorizes thecouncil to remove anytop mayoralappointeebya simple majority vote for, among other reasons, “lackof qualifications.”

On Dec. 8, Morrellthrew down agauntlet. He told Gambit editorJohn StantonthatifCantrell namesa successor before Jan.1, he’llcallanemergency meetingof thecouncil’s governmental affairs committeeto“carefully review the [new chief’s] qualifications” and “act accordingly.”

There’sriskonboth sidesif neithersideblinks.Cantrell risks appointing achief whogets removed, literally, in amatterof days;the councilrisks public pushback forsummarily firing thecity’s first woman police chief.

Alot willdependonwhatcomes to light in thecouncil committee’s hearing —ifitcomes to that Stay tuned.Thiscould getugly.

PHOTO

Daniel Schnyder CHARLIE PARKER’S

HeyBlake, WithTulane’sspectacularfootballseasonand upcomingtriptothe CottonBowl,whatcan youtellmeaboutthehistoryofthenameGreen Waveanditsmascots? Dearreader,

ACCORDINGTOTULANE

UNIVERSITY,ITSFIRSTFOOT-

BALLTEAMSINTHE1890S were called the“oliveand blue” forthe colors of theiruniforms. In 1919,the Tulane Weekly student newspaper began callingthe team theGreenbacks

In 1920,student Edward Earl Sparling wrotea poem titled “The Rolling GreenWave.”It waspublished in thenewspaper, which Sparling also edited.In fact, he coined itscurrent name, TheHullabaloo.

In 1945,a surfingPetethe Pelican mascot wascreated by well-known localeditorial cartoonist John Chase.Chasealso introduced Greenie, amischievous elfincharacterwho wore aTulane jersey and helmetand appeared on the covers of footballprograms.

AngryWave,amenacinggreen wave character, wascreated by artist ArtEvans in 1965.Evans was aprolificcreator of college cartoon mascots,including theDukeBlue Devil, USC’sTommy Trojan, the GeorgiaBulldog and manymore.

In the1980s,acostumedcharacternamedGumby made itsdebut,

designedasa furrydepiction of AngryWave.Tulane graduateand Times-Picayunecolumnist Angus Lind mocked Gumbyas“atufted, somewhat tattered abomination (who)for whatever reason looked morelikea greenJay Leno than thecartoon character.”

In 1998, Gumbywas replaced by anew pelicancharacter.Acontest let thestudent body select itsname. Somestudents suggestedthe name Pecker,with “Votefor Pecker” t-shirts andfliersshowing up on campus. “I wasastudentonce. I know what Iwould have votedfor Andthere’snodoubt that’s what thecommittee feared,” Lind wrote. Instead,administrators offered threechoices:Swoop,Splash and Riptide,the latter of which won out. In additionto Riptide, an updatedversion of AngryWave returned in 2016

THISWEEKMARKSTHE100THANNIVERSARYOFTHEBIRTHOFONEOFTHEMOST REVEREDMARDIGRASINDIANS —Big

on Dec. 16, 1922

Montana’s father Alfred wasBig Chiefofthe Yellow Pocahontastribe, of whichTootielater became leader. He made hisfirst suit in 1947.“Idoit becauseit’sinmyblood.Mydaddy did it,and before himmygreat-uncle did it.It’sbeenatradition in my family for100 years,”Montana said in 1997. He worked as acarpenterand lather,buildingframesfor plasterstructures. He also used hisskillstocreatehis feathered,beadedMardi Gras Indiansuits each year,assistedbyhis wife Joyce.

Knownas“thechief of chiefs,”Montana helped preserve and enhance theBlack Masking Indianculture.Heled theshift from sometimes-violent encounters betweentribestomoreofacompetition to seewho could mask the“prettiest,”ashecalledit.

Montana masked as an Indianfor morethan50years before hisson Darryl took over leadership of theYellowPocahontas in 1998.

On June 27,2005, Tootie Montana attended aNew Orleans City Council meetingtospeak outagainstpoliceharassmentofMardi Gras Indians. As he spoke, he collapsedfroma fatalheart attack.Ashelay on thefloor, other Indians gathered around him, chanting andsinging Thereisa bronze statue of MontanainArmstrong Park.In2012, the City CouncildeclaredJan.6,the startofthe Carnival season,asTootie Montana DayinNew Orleans

ChiefAllison“Tootie”Montana,born

ON,SON!’ ‘GETYOUR HollyJolly

ANODETOTHE BARSANDBARTENDERS THAT HELPUSMAKEITTHROUGHTHEHOLIDAYS

BY JOHN STANTON | Gambit editor

EVERYBODY(ORATLEASTEVERYBODYINAMERICA) has a holiday season tradition. There are, of course, those centered around shopping, trees and shopping, a few days off work and shopping, maybe a little extra church and shopping and, of course, presents

For others, it’s navigating the personally foreign combination of pagan trees and ornaments and vaguely Christian adoration of a fictional man in a red suit ... plus a few days off work Some simply cope under the weight of painful memories, especially on those random days with no work to distract

As for me, I love Christmas I love the idea that more than 2,000 years later, millions of people are celebrating not only the birth of what at the time sure seemed like a random child but for the ideas he would champion: Love, empathy, dignity, justice and simple kindness above all.

If you’re saying to yourself right now, “Well, I don’t have a tradition,” congratulations! Odds are that is your tradition. Because Christmas is way too pushy to be avoided One way or another, you’re dealing with it

Regardless of tradition, there’s a solid chance part of it involves being in a bar especially if you’re from New Orleans, where many of us might as well pay rent on our stools. They can be a place of refuge from the emotional stresses of the season or a quiet place to reconnect with friends from home all too briefly.

They can bring back fond memories of nights past or happy visits from friends who left us too soon Even a strange bar immediately becomes a familiar home when the lights and threadbare tinsel go up.

Messy drunks who most of the year annoy their fellow patrons suddenly seem easy to abide as do their slurred stories on repeat Laughing with friends feels even more special than usual, and every stranger is in on the next round.

Regardless of why you end up at the bar, the one constant will always be the bartender Most of the year they play the part of therapist, confidant, sympathetic audience for our drunken jokes. But at Christmas time, they also become emotional conductors, leading us through whatever tune we may need to play

And they do it often without anyone realizing it, which is understandable Because regardless of what brings you in at Christmas, it is sure to be powerful enough to make everything else seem like bit players. Which might make a mere mortal feel neglected and alone but not bartenders. For these saintly slingers of solace and celebration, it’s all in the game. They’ll happily help ease the stress of the holidays or hype up your happy time.

After all, it’s Christmas, son!

And sometimes, if you’re lucky and the Christmas star is shining bright and the Gods of Booze smile upon you just so, they can become part of your tradition.

I’VESPENTALOTOFMYLIFEINBARS.

There are apartments I’ve rented that I spent less time in than bars I barely remember. I’ve broken stories in several and written stories in hundreds I’ve worked in bars, fought in bars, been thrown out of one or two (possibly three if we’re being literal) and mourned the loss of at least as many

I’ve fallen in love and out of love in bars, more than once on the same night. I’ve slept more nights in bars than I’d care to remember They are where I’ve found more than a few people I call family, folks who have blended into my life so seamlessly imagining it without them is impossible and experiencing it even worse.

So of course, I met my best friend KT in a bar. It was inevitable, really Ours was one of those immediate, intense friendships that you instantly knew would endure through the rest of your life.

At the time, I worked the door at the Kingpin, a now longgone bar in D.C It was a tiny, busted spot the DJs had to be careful where they stepped while spinning, lest they hit the spot that pinched the electricity’s trunkline and killed the power. KT worked down the street at what would become our regular, DC9. We were both extremely tall to the point of social awkwardness, had studied absolutely useless topics in

college (me, “English” and KT, philosophy) and, it turned out, we both loved Christmas jams

Most people love to clown on Christmas jams. It’s like how conservative men compensate for their sense of wiener inadequacy by talking about how alpha they are. But instead of being limited to Ivy League educated bros cosplaying as mechanics, anti-Christmas-jamite sentiment is everywhere So, you learn to hide it

But not me and KT We reveled in it She used to work the day shift on Black Friday, and it became our tradition starting that day that all we’d play while she was working was Christmas jams The jukebox was an at-the-time new-fangled internet one, but its Christmas offerings were limited. Sure,

there were the classics: Bing Crosby’s “Mele Kalikimaka” and his classic “Little Drummer Boy” duet with David Bowie, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas,” Frank Sinatra turns on classic tracks, and obviously the greatest song in Christmas jam history: Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.”

But that wasn’t enough for a couple of Christmas jams aficionados like us Eventually, we figured out (much to the owner’s chagrin) a way to plug my iPod into the bar’s sound system, and then we were cooking with heat We had all the good jams There was La Rondallita’s 1972 classic version of “El Burrito de Belén” and Run-DMC’s iconic “Christmas in Hollis,” random house or drumand-bass remixes of classics

PHOTO BY JOHN STANTON KTRobesonlovedChristmasjams

and newer jams, like Binky Griptite’s “Stone Soul Christmas.” And, being from D.C., we had to have “Let’s Go-Go Christmas” a 1995 compilation of go-go bands playing Christmas songs on heavy rotation

their beers, “This Christmas” the version, mind you, featuring Hathaway’s perfect, angelic vocals came on, and to this day I still wonder at what happened next

OVERTHEYEARS, regulars at the bar got used to the fact that when KT was working and I was there, they’d be listening to Christmas jams So much so, it became a part of their own traditions whether they embraced it, bitched about it or both Our friends who weren’t fans of Christmas songs would roll into the bar just as Burl Ives begins crooning “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” roll their eyes, unleash a string of obscenities before inevitably laughing and wishing us Merry Christmas

As for strangers, for the most part the constant good cheer coming from the speakers was either holiday season background noise or a source of amusement. After all, who couldn’t help but smile at the sight of two full grown adults well over 6 feet tall pumping their fists and singing along to Twisted Sister’s “Heavy Metal Christmas” in a rock bar?

That’s not to say everyone loved our little tradition. One year, maybe a week before actual Christmas, a group of three bros came into the bar. It was a slow night, and I was the only person there. They sat at the other end of the bar, blissfully unaware of me A few songs into

One of the bros slapped his hand hard on the bar and pushed himself back, leaning past his friend to peer at the jukebox. “Oh God, not another Christmas song!” he said loudly His friends laughed, and one (I’m not sure which, since they tend to look alike) said, “Seriously, who the fuck played this?!”

It was then that they became aware of me.

I stood up slowly, my chair screeching across the floor and from the other end of the bar said, simply, “Well, that would be me.” KT, who was stuck in the middle ground between either end of the bar looked up from her phone, smiled at me and turned to the bros, who suddenly found themselves in possession of the answer to a question they never actually wanted answered I raised my shot toward them and wished them a merry Christmas

Before any of them could respond, KT flashed a grin and spun on her heels toward the bros, grabbing a bottle of Jameson.

“Get your holly jolly on, son!” she hollered as she poured a round of four shots the first of several we’d all enjoy over the next hour, celebrating the spirit of Christmas

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Spendingtheholidayseasoninbarsbringsunlikelycharacterstogether.

GETTOKNOWYOUR Bartender, HOLIDAY EDITION

Whereareyoufrom?

I’m from the north suburbs of Chicago. Lincolnshire. I grew up in the shire. I hit 13 years in New Orleans on Thanksgiving though!

Whendidyoustartbartending?

My start was hilarious. The fancy golf club I worked at when I was 17 was out a bartender for a wedding. So I was asked to work a satellite bar outside and had no clue what I was doing. I remember a guy asked for a Captain and Coke and I poured half a pint glass of Captain. He was like, “Damn, I’ll make sure to come back to your bar every time tonight.” I’ve been full-time bartending though, since 2012

What’syourfavoritespirittodrink?

Recently and most often, blanco tequila. To sit and savor though, good Irish whiskey

Wheredoyoudrinkwhenyou’renot atwork?

I am lucky enough to love my place of work, so if I’m not working, I’ll still probably be there. But otherwise Black Penny, Finn McCool’s, Parkview Tavern and Pal’s Lounge.

DoyouhaveafavoriteChristmas/Hannukkah/ Kwanzaa/generalpurposeholidaysong?

I am not a fan of Christmas music but Joseph Washington Jr.’s “Shopping” is amaze

BROOKEFLAHERTY

Recipeforaholiday/wintercocktail:

Mix: fresh apple cider, Buffalo trace, and

Whendidyoustartbartending?

2013

What’syourfavoritespirittodrink?

Irish whiskey

Wheredoyoudrinkwhenyou’re notatwork?

R Bar

DoyouhaveafavoriteChristmas/Hannukkah/Kwanzaa/generalpurpose holidaysong?

“This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway is in constant rotation from Thanksgiving to New Year

Recipeforaholiday/wintercocktail:

One of my favorite holiday cocktails is Gully Wash, or Sky Juice, a Bahamian classic.

Mix:

1/2 cup of dry gin

1/4 cup of condensed milk

1 cup of coconut water.

Add a couple dashes of Angostura bitters and serve over ice.

SYMONEWILSON

Kajun’s Pub, Toulouse Theater

Erin Rose

PROVIDED PHOTO

PROVIDED PHOTO

PHOTO BY HANORA TRACY

It’s been along time sinceI floodeda jukeboxwith Christmastunes.KTpassed away yearsago,and it neverreally quitefeltthe same. At first,I thoughtChristmas wouldn’tbe thesame.

Andina way, it isn’t. Traditions canbefickle that way. On thesurface, they’re seeminglyharder than stone andutterly immutable, until oneday …they’re not. They wear down,develop alean and gather dust untiltheybecome almost unrecognizable.But they still hold theirmeaning, even if howwesee it or understand it maychange.And over theyears,I’vefound newways to celebrate.

While Imay no longerspend days at thebar subjectingeverybodytomylatest Christmas jams playlist, beingat thebar remainsone of my favorite partsofChristmas.New rituals have become apartofmy tradition. My friendsAustin,Teal and Idrink copiousamounts of thefinest Pennsylvania Dutch eggnog moneycan buy. It may shockand disgust everyone else in thebar,but thedelicious happiness of it makes

thesugaryhangoverworth it everytime.

There’sthe annual Bywater ToyDrivewhich my friend Juliehelpedstart.Every year folkssecondlinefromJ&J’s to Vaughans and finally BJ’s, collecting people andtoys alongthe waybeforehaving ahugepotluck.The spread covers thepooltable andmost everysurfaceinthe place, and everyone sings along to aBywater-themed versionof“The 12 Days of Christmas” that is as goofy as it is wonderful.

Once or twiceevery Christmasseason,I’llhavea moment when I’ll look up and catcha glimpseofthe bartenderatjust theright moment. It’s normally when they’rebetween drinks, leaningagainst acoolerorthe back of thebar lookingatthe room.And forasplit second, it’s KT standing there, with the same smile sheflashed at the bros yearsago,the same smile I’dseenonher face amillion times. Ahappy smile.

Andwhen theGodsofBooze arereally on one, there’ll be ajukebox so Ican play “This Christmas”and smile back

PHOTO BY JABEZBERNIARD /THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Audubonoffers easy stepstotakethisholiday season to help animalsand theenvironment

Submitted Article

Thisarticle is brought to youby Audubon Nature Institute

As 2022 comestoaclose, many people take amomenttolookbackat thepastyearand evaluate what they didordidn’t do. Toomuchvirtual time andnot enough gymtime? Enjoyedtoo many slices of king cake andnot enough glassesofwater?Maybe youwanttosee anddomoregoodinthe world.

Youcan take stepsinyoureveryday lifeduringthe holidays andbeyond to make apositivechangeinour community andthe broader world.

Considerthe environment when selecting your holidaygifts this year Look for eco-friendlyitems including those made with recycled or upcycled materials, thosethatare loca lly produced or aresourced throughfair trade. Your localfarmers market is a great placetofinduniqueitems –soare craftfairs,localnurseries andlocally ownedstores. Doingyourbesttoshop localcutsdownonshipping materials, gasconsumption fordeliveries, and also givesthe localeconomy aboost! Giftsofexperiences canlastlonger

than just theholidays. Make adonation to afavorite charity, or “adopt”an an imal throug hAudubon .Gif t membershipstoafavoritemuseum, eventor activity arememory makers for allages. AudubonNatureInstitute hasgiftmemberships available foryour family andfriends whoenjoy learning aboutanimalsand theenvironment. Youcan even save some moneyby buying that Audubongiftmembership. Nowthrough newyear’sday,a ll membershipsare discounted 15%. Don’t tell Santa, but Audubonmembers will be amongthe firsttoexplore thenewly remodeledAudubon Aquarium and AudubonInsectarium whentheyopen next summer!

Holidaylightsare abig part of the seasonfor many –those colorfuland twinklylightsmakeeverythingbright andcheerythistimeofyear. Even after theirtwinkle ends,those stringsof lightscan do good both here andaround theworld thanks to aconservation projectcalled“Lights forLions” at AudubonZoo

TheZoo is collecting string lights for recycling nowthrough January 9, 2023.Participating is as easy as

bringing your old, broken,orunused lights to theZoo andtossing them in a donation boxatthe front entrance.Most stringlightsare notbio-degradable and shouldn’t be thrown in thetrash.They arealsodangerous to animalsifthey gettangled in thestrands. Audubon will recyclethem safely andhelplions at thesametime.

Lionsare afavorite animal of Zoo visitors, andsadly theirnumbers in thewildare decliningatanalarming rate.Injust aquarter century, thewild Africanlionpopulationhas dropped by half.The main threats to Africanlions areconflicts with humans,poaching, andthe declineoftheir naturalprey as well as habitatloss, climatechange andillegal wildlifetrade.Witharound 23,000Africanlions leftinthe wild, they arenow officially classified as ‘vulnerable’. Theirlosssignals theloss of thewildin Africa

AllproceedsfromAudubon’s“Lights for Lions” recyclingprogram will supportthe Wildlife Conservation Network’sLionRecovery Fund. Everystringoflightsdonated makes adifference. TheLionRecoveryFund hopestoincrease thenumbers of wild

lionsbyprotecting them,their prey andtheirhabitat

“The ‘Lightsfor Lions’ projectis aconservationproject that benefits wildlions andour localcommunity,” said DaineAppleberry, Senior Vice Presidentand Director of Operations at AudubonZoo &Park. “Itprovidesa waytorecycle old, unused,orfaulty lights insteadofthem ending up in the landfill,and ourcommunity members know they arehelping save animals in thewild.”

Thedropbox for the“Lights for Lions” projectisatthe front entrance at AudubonZoo

Once thelightsare removed, you canalsorecycle your Christmastree. Localparisheshavetreerecycling programs that willput your treeto good usehelping fightcoastal erosion.

Helping theenvironment doesn’t have to be amajoreffort, these arejust afew very easy andsimplewaysyou can make apositiveimpactonthe world whiledoing good righthereathome. Youcan also tryto drinkmorewater too, becausewho wantstogiveupking cake anyway?

Seiko5 Automatic Watch

$295 from Fisher &SonsJewelers (5101 W. EsplanadeAve., #1, Metairie, 504-885-4956; fishersonsjewelers.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FISHER &SONS JEWELERS

David Jeffery Purses

$45 each from Alice &Amelia

NOLA Beaux Ties

$38 from Alice &Amelia (4432MagazineSt,New Orleans, 504-502-6206; shopaliceandamelia.com).

GAMBIT STAFF PHOTO

GAMBIT STAFF PHOTO NOLA

Assortment of handmade vases by local artistSuzy Glazer

$20-$40 each from Dop Antiques (300 Jefferson Hwy., #116, 504-373-5132; @dopantiques).

PHOTO PROVIDEDBY DOPANTIQUES

Local Gifting

Home forthe Holidays Package

Ratesstart at $200/nightfrom Hyatt Centric French Quarter NewOrleans (800 Iberville St. NOLA,504-586-0800).

Packageincludes BreakfastinBed, Turndown Service, Welcome Cocktail, Robe,Slipper and Holiday treats to enjoy. Can book online.

https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-centric/msyrf-hyatt-centric-french-quarter-new-orleans?src=corp_lclb_gmb_seo_ nam_msyrf

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HYATTCENTRIC FQ

Saintly Skin Gift Cards

Purchase $100 Get$25 from Saintly Skin (3000KingmanSt #101,Metairie,504-475-5510; saintlyskin.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAINTLY SKIN

TeaTowels

$26 each from The OW Home (2850 Magazine St., 504-460-9336; theoccasionalwife.com).

GAMBITSTAFF PHOTO

Adeline Wild Strawberry Wrap Dress

$118.99 from Nola Boo (517 Metairie Rd. Suite 200, Metairie, 504-5104655; nolaboo.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOLABOO

Oyster Grill Pan $60.99 and Shrimp Grill Pan $50.99 from MJ’s (1513 Metairie Rd., Metairie, 504-835-6099; mjsofmetairie.com).

PHOTO PROVIDEDBYMJ’S

Bloody Mary Cocktail Kit

$45 from The CommissaryMarket +Kitchen by Dickie Brennan &Co (634 OrangeStreetinthe Lower Garden District, 504-274-1850; thecommissarynola.com). Dickie Brennan’sHouse-made Bloody MaryMix in aglass literbottleand abottle of KetelOne Vodka(350ml)

PHOTO PROVIDEDBY THE COMMISSARY MARKET + KITCHEN BY

DICKIE BRENNAN &CO

Raspberry Preserves,aka

“Very BerryJelly” forbiscuits.

$12 from Mother’s Restaurant (401 PoydrasSt.,504-523-9656; www.mothersrestaurant.net).

PHOTO PROVIDEDBY MOTHER’S RESTAURANT

Local Gifting

Toddler Crawfish Knit Hat

$20 from Home Malone (629 N. CarrolltonAve., 504-324-8352 and 4610 MagazineSt., 504-766-6148; homemalonenola.com).

PHOTO PROVIDEDBYHOMEMALONE

CrownRoyal Gift Box with tworocksglasses

$25.99 from Dorignac’s (710 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, 504-834-8216; dorignacs.com).

GAMBITSTAFF PHOTO

NouvelleFrenchQuarter

CHEFTOMBRANIGHAN,WHOTRAINED ATTHECIAINHYDEPARK,brings hard-earned,finelyhoned French technique to thetable at hisnouvelleFrenchrestaurantMaMouon theedgeofthe French Quarter. Many stepsgointocreatingdishes like braisedceleryheartswith smoked beef tongue or poisson alaFlororentinewithacaviar beurre blanc

In 2010,Branighancooked side by side with DavidBouleyat Café Bouley in NewYork. Bouley excelled at nouvellecuisine and had trainedunder French masterslike Joel Robuchon and Paul Bocuse It wasachallengingenvironment, run by ademanding French chef whocould be extremelyharsh, Branighan says

“Itwas ahardplace to work,” he says.“When youwantsomething so badand gettold overand over againthatyou’renot good enough to have it,it’sjust hard.”

Butdespite that trialbyfire, Branighan stuckitout forayear and managed to learn volumes With theNov.18openingofMaMou and thesupportofhis business partner,sommelierMolly Wismeier, he nowhas therestauranthewants “When you’re young,you think youknowwhatyou want,but you don’t,”hesays. “I thoughtIwanted aseven-courseFrenchtasting menu,but that wasromanticized. When youreach 30,the idea of having alifeoutside therestaurant is moreimportant than when you were 22.Wewantthatfor ourselves and ourstaff.”

Housed in thespace formerly occupiedbyMeauxbar,the 48-seat restaurant wasredonewith art nouveauflourishes, gorgeous jewel tonesand abar inspired by Pink MammainParis.There’s awall of family photosdedicated to his great-grandmother,who everyone called MaMou.

With theeasyrespectthatexists between friends, Wismeiergives her partner topbilling.“Tomis thechampionhere,”she says “Hereally caresabouthis food He’s passionate.”

Thetwo metwhen Branighancooked for Wismeierand Poppy Tooker at Balise.He made them pork loin with sauce Robert, whichisnow on MaMou’smenu.

“I wanted to have my ownrestaurant, andIsaw Tomasthe rightpersontodothat with,” Wismeier says

Thepairfirst talked aboutopeninga restaurant in 2017,but had trouble findingthe right space, andthe pandemicprolonged theprocess.When 942N.Rampart St became available, they jumped at theopportunity

Wismeier, known locally forher tenure as wine and spiritsdirectorfor Restaurant R’evolution,wanteda distinctly curated,preciseand approachable wine list, with an emphasis on biodynamic winesand female winemakers.Her house Champagne is $18aglass

In addition to herlistofwines by theglass andthe main house list, there’sa cellar list of rare and vintagebottles.ACoravin preservation system allows MaMoutooffer some hard-to-findvintagegemsbythe glass.SommelierMadison Baudy andleadbartenderJohnMichael Kinsella also focusonfinding the best pairings withthe food.Kinsella createda beurre blanc Manhattan that features abutter-washed bourbonasits inspiration.

There’sinspirationtospare at this restaurant, withdisheslikethe salmon mi-cuit,a savory doughnut filled with everything you’dfindon asalmon platter, butitcan be eaten like ahand pie.

Themenuincludesclassic French dishes like thepoissonala Florentine,with itsluscious beurre blanc fleckedwith Louisiana caviar, anda traditional cote de boeuf.But

Branighanalso is proudtobea local son, andthatshows in hismenu.

Chickenbonne femmeisan homage to hisfather,who took him to Tujague’sfor dinner as akid.The mosaic square of head cheese on thered beanscassouletismeant to conjurethe flavors of Louisiana Breads anddessertscomefrom afriendthe chef worked with at Emeril’s,pastrychefJeremyFogg, whoopenedMae’s Bakery during thepandemic.

Branighanappreciatesthathe and Wismeier arecreatingopportunities foryounger people coming upinthe hospitalityindustry “I have onechefwho is 19 and nevercookedthiskindoffood,” Branighan says.“He’s proudofwhat he’sdoing, andthatmeans alot.”

Branighan says he wantstocreate aculture in hisrestaurantwhere staffare valuedand respected.

“The days when chefstreated their staff badlyare over,”hesays. “We area modern restaurant.Our culture is oneofpositive reinforcement.”

FORK +CENTER

Emaildining@gambitweekly.com

KennerDhaba

THERE’SANEWINDIANRESTAURANT INKENNERWITHANAMBITIOUSMENU pairing traditional regional dishes,a chef’s eyefor presentation,a hint of fusion andalunch buffet

There’salso abackstory that traces aroute around theAmerican highwaysystemand leadstodishes like salmon roasted in thetandoor ovenand finished withpestoand theheady tang of garammasala.

This is PunjabiDhaba— or,rather, thesecondrendition andupscale evolution of PunjabiDhaba.

Thenew restaurantopenedjust afterThanksgiving at 2305 W. Esplanade Ave. in anewly developedrestaurantspace with aregal Indianmotif of gleaming marble andneon, alltucked into aKenner stripmall.

To some,the original Punjabi Dhabaisa delicious anomaly;for

others, it’s adestination they think aboutwheneverthey’re within range.

It’s afirst-class Indianrestaurant witharegional culinary focuslocated inside agas station by atruckstop offInterstate 12 in Hammond

It hasdevelopeda reputation for thequalityofits food in an incongruous setting, withcurries and pakorasservedbyshelvesfilled with energy drinks,CornNutsand other familiar road snacks

When foundingpartner Surmukh “Goli” Singh bought this highway exit gas station in 2018,its kitchen wasserving friedchicken

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER ChefTomBranighanserves refineddishesatMaMou.

PHOTO BY IANMCNULTY /

Singhknewthere’sa largeand growingSikhcommunity in the American truckingindustry,composedlargelyofimmigrants, like himself, from thenorthernIndian region of Punjab

Across thecountry,more roadside amenities fortruckers arecateringtothem. Theoriginal PunjabiDhabainHammond is part of that informal networkof stopsofferinga tasteofhome.

“Somanytruckersgoing from TexastoFlorida,theysay there wasnothinglikewhatwewere offering before,” Singhsays. “Therewas high demand.”

Butasits renown hasgrown so did theexpectations, and requests that perhapsthe food could find a differentframe.

“People would come in,families,theyweretheretocelebrate, and they wouldtellme, ‘Look,we love your food,but this is agas station,’”Singh says

That issuehas been addressed withthe second location of PunjabiDhabainKenner

Thename spells outthe original intent of theHammondrestaurant.Adhaba is atypeofroadside eatery,often attached to gas stations,found allacrossIndia

Thenew Kenner restaurantis adhaba in name only.The new restaurant is done in marble, traced in neon and filled withcontemporary art, from thefullbar to tables setwithgold-coloredservingwareand throne-likechairs.

At lunch time, this could be your statelyperch fora fewtrips to thebuffet.PunjabiDhaba serves aprodigiousone from gilded tureensthatrun thewidth of therestaurant.

Goat curry, paneer masala, Afghani murghchicken marinated in creamand Amritsarifishwith mellowspice and light,puffy batterwerehighlightsfromone runI made throughthe lineup.

Themainact here,though,isthe full menu,which is served exclusively at dinner and alongsidethe buffet at lunch

This is theworkofexecutive chef QutabSingh Negi,known as Chef Negi.Hewas cookinginNew York when Singh recruitedhim to come to Louisiana in 2021 and upgrade PunjabiDhaba’sfood.

Hismenuisatomecovering the standards:lambvindaloo, butter chicken,chicken 65 (withits soft, spicy coating),biryani ricedishes, denseseekh kebabs redolent with gingerand garlic, manyvegetariancurries,and more Betweenthe standards, there aremanysurprises,donewitha morecontemporarylens.

Give thepanipuria try. These crisplentilcupslook like egg shells,filled withpotatoesand chickpeas.Eachisbalancedover what looks like ashotglass of sauce —mint, tamarind or mango —all affixedtoacarousel-like holder.You pourthe sauce into thelentilcupsand popthem into yourmouth as theliquid softens theshell

Thedahikesholayare like breadeddumplings filled with thick,seasoned yogurt,apairing of mellowflavors that come to life when dipped into the mintchutney

Howoften do yousee scallops on an Indianrestaurantmenu?

Here thetawascallopsare named forthe flat,widepan they’re cooked on (sometimes called atava).These sweet-tasting, seared morselsare arranged like a wreath strung withedible flowers andpesto.

Chef Negi likestouse pesto, thick andgarlicky, just thesame as you’dfindinanItalianrestaurant.

Theinterplayofthisunexpected ingredient in an Indiankitchen is best expressedbythatsalmon dish mentioned above.Large cutsofthe fish carrythe smoky, roasted char of thetandoortothe plate,streakedwithmango sauce forastriking visual effect

It tastesIndianand also like a departurefromthe familiar script, and that’s thenew PunjabiDhaba as itsbest. —IAN McNULTY/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE

MagazineStreetshuffle

ACOUPLEOFMAGAZINESTREET

RESTAURANTSHAVEMOVED.Nomiya relocated, andQue Rico moved to Slidell.

Nomiya formerly occupieda narrownook at 4226 Magazine St.The ramenshop hasrelocated to 4518 Magazine St., which formerly washometothe now shutteredDel Fuego. It’s amuch larger space, withmoreroom inside anda largedeck. The menuremainsthe same,with pork broth tonkotsu ramenand aspicy version, andashort list of optionaladditions.Nomiya is open forlunch and dinner Tuesdaythrough Sunday QueRico! CubanCafe formerly occupiedthe corner spot at 4200 Magazine St.Thatspaceis closed andthe restaurantnow focusesona muchlarger space at 2170 GauseBlvd. in Slidell, whichopenedearlier this fall. —WILLCOVIELLO

JadeGuidotti &RyderHersh

by Will Coviello

BAKERRYDERHERSHANDBARISTA JADEGUIDOTTIWEREWORKINGATA

LOCALBAKERY when thepandemic forced it to closetemporarily. They pivoted and openedtheir pop-up PassionFlour Baked Goods, whichoffersmanyvegan andgluten-free treats. Thecouple metwhile studying abroad, and aftergetting marriedfollowing graduation, they worked at farms from FinlandtoHawaii, picking up newrecipes alongthe way. They pop-upatweekly Thursday Crescent City FarmersMarkets and supplysomelocal spots, includingUndergrowth Coffee, UrbanRoast,Elysian BaratHotel Peter& Paul andLovageatAce Hotel. Formoreinformation, seetheir Instagram page, @passionflourbakedgoods.

Tellusaboutyour approachtoveganand glutenfreebaking?

G: Ourhousehold is vegetarian,mostlyplant based.Alot of therecipes are easytoswitch over.Ittakes a lotoftweaking. Butarecipe that worksfromsomeother bakermay fallcompletelyflat inour oven.Myfavoriteare ourpeanut butter brownies

H: That one plays to the strengthsofthe ingredients. You’re notcookingwitheggs or flour, so youdon’t have anyglutentohold it together Youhave to leanonplant fibers,sosweet potatoes arethe baseinthese peanut butter brownies.You have peanutbutterinthereinstead of butter to getyourfat content andmakeitmorerich.Those areverysimilar ingredientsand it’s oneofpeople’s favoritesbecause it’s working with what those ingredientsdobest.

G: It’s so addictive because the nuttinessofthe sweetpotatogoes with thepeanutbutter. It’s acombinationyou want to eatevery day. It’s like,sweet potato!What?

recently.Welove salty-sweet. So themisoworks.

We enjoyswappingmuffins for ingredientswith folks(at themarket),and we mightcomehomewith things we’lluse in thenextweek.

RYDERHERSH: Ihave spent my whole life baking.Iwas home schooledand Iwatched alot of cookingshows growingup. “America’s Test Kitchen”and “GoodEats” and stufflikethat bolstered me.

Ihad to learn howtomakebaked goods that were notnearly as healthyastheyweredoneinmy family.Theyhad greenpowder and whole wheatinit. Ilearned to brownbuttertomakechocolate chip cookiesand Ihad to bake my ownbirthdaycake, and it worked outprettywellfromthere.

JADE GUIDOTTI: Hisparents were hippieswho ateonlyhealth food, andhis momwould make cookies with spinachpowder in them.She waslike, “It’sgonna save your life.”

H: Iwas at Loyola.I worked at Commander’s Palace forawhile and MapleStreet Patisserie and a coupleother bakeries.Ihad internships with personalchefs.Iworked at aglutenfreebakery. That’s a skill setthatnot everybodyhas Foralongtime, Iwas planningon goingtoculinaryschool. Ihad offers forinternships at places across the country. They were alllike, no,don’t wasteyourtime. Just come work withus. Ihoppedbetween different placestoget my chops.

H: Most of my veganand gluten-free recipesaren’tsubstitutionsthrownintotry to mimica “normal”recipe. They’rebuilding from thegroundupwith ingredients that areOKwithpeople with thesediets

Allthe recipesweare currently usingare ones Ihavedonemyself. Occasionally,wetry onesenttous.

G: Alot of this comesfromme goingtoRyder andsaying, “make me somethingsweet.” Everything is tailored to my taste morethan Ryder’s.Ilove asuper soft,mushy cookie.I almost don’t want it to hold together

H: Moist, chewy, brownbutter, that toffee flavor.

G: Iasked forthatoverand over, and he developedthe perfect soft cookie recipe.

Whatotherthingsdoyou offeratthefarmersmarkets?

G: Isaw Subtle AsianBakingdo somethinglikea matcha miso cookie.I waslike, Ilove that,but Iwanteverythinginthere. Iwant chocolate chips,macadamia nuts,marshmallows.I needitall.I broughtthattoRyder andsaidcan youstart with this baseand getall thesethingsinthere?

H: That’s one of themoresuccessful recipesthatcame out

G: We strike abalance. If we can find stufflocally,weuse it.Weuse local blueberries,okra, satsumaand zucchini.But at themomentweuse organic eggs overlocal eggs.

H: We did uselocal duck eggs forawhile.Theymade gorgeouscaramel

G: BackwaterFoieGrassometimeshas duck eggs (atthe farmers market).

H: Ihavemadeduckegg pastry cream. Ihave made satsumacurd. Allthese elementsweuse fordanishesand stufflikethat.

G: With (local)okra, we do vegangumbo-inspired stew that we putinsidea bun, so it tastes like it has astewonthe inside. We learnedhow to make it in Hawaii It’s called manapua.

H: We do azucchinimuffin. That’s oneofthe more popularvegan options in summertime

G: IdocoffeeatThursdaymarkets.Idohot chocolate andmulled cider.Ihave some fancy drinks in winter,and then in spring andsummer we’llhave handmade Italian sodas and iced teas made with driedfruit

H: Just abouteverythingwe makehas aslightflavoredge, or asurprise. We have gotbrown butter pecan financiers.It’sa moist butteryalmondcake. Butit’sgot orange blossom.It’sgot aheady swirl on thebite.

WINE OF THE WEEK

Jaume Serra Cristalino Rose’Brut

Thisblend of 80%Trepat and 20%PinotNoir has a deep cranberry hue. Anose of raspberry and cherry pitleadstobright, fresh notesofwatermelon and strawberry.Tinybubbles arepleasantonthe palate, as is an underlying middle of wetstone.

Howdidyouget interestedinbaking?

Pop-up bakery operators

PROVIDED PHOTO BY RANDYP.SCHMIDT

DISTRIBUTED BY

Out 2Eat is an indexofGambit contract advertisers. Unlessnoted, addresses arefor NewOrleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Acorn— 12 HenryThomas Drive, (504) 218-5413;acornnola.com Thecafe a at theLouisiana Children’s Museum has kid-and adult-friendly menu. Blackened shrimp fill atrio of tacostopped with arugula,radish,pineapple-mango salsa andcilantro-lime sauce. No reservations breakfastand lunch Wed.-Sun $$

Andrea’s Restaurant— 3100 N. 19th St.,Metairie,(504) 834-8583;andreasrestaurant.com Speckled troutroyale is topped with crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines housemade angelhairpasta andsmoked salmon in creamsauce.Deliveryavailable Lunchand dinner daily,brunchSun $$$

Angelo Brocato’s — 214N.Carrollton Ave.,(504) 486-1465;angelobrocatoicecream.com— Thissweet shop serves itsown gelato,spumoni, Italianice, cannolis, biscotti,fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons andother treats.Lunch and dinnerTue.-Sun. $

Annunciation— 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245;annunciationrestaurant. com— ThemenuhighlightsGulfseafood in Creole,Cajun and Southerndishes Gulf Drum Yvonne is served withbrown butter saucewith mushrooms and artichokehearts. Reservations recommended.DinnerThu.-Mon. $$$

$ —average dinner entrée under $10 $$ —$11-$20 $$$ —$20-up

TheBlueCrabRestaurant andOyster Bar— 118Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001;7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898;thebluecrabnola.com The menu includessandwiches,fried seafood platters,boiledseafood and more.Basin barbecue shrimp areservedovercheese gritswith acheesebiscuit. Outdoorseatingavailable.Noreservations.Lakeview: lunch anddinner Tue.-Sun.Slidell: lunch Fri.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Sun $$

Broussard’s— 819Conti St.,(504) 581-3866;broussards.com Themenu includesCreole andcreativecontemporary dishes.Rainbowtrout amandineis served with tassoand corn macque choux and Creole meuniere sauce. Reservations recommended. Outdoorseating available Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$

Cafe Normandie— HigginsHotel,480 Andrew HigginsBlvd.,(504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining— The menu combines classic Frenchdishesand Louisiana itemslikeCrabbeignetswith herbaioli.Noreservations. Breakfastand lunchdaily $$

Common Interest HotelIndigo, 705 Common St.,(504) 595-5605;commoninterestnola.com Shrimpremoulade Cobb salad comeswith avocado,bluecheese, tomatoes,bacon,egg andcornrelish

Beef debris tops goatcheese andthyme grits. Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunch,dinner andlate-nightdaily $$ Curio— 301Royal St.,(504) 717-4198; curionola.com— ThecreativeCreole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served withchicken and andouillejambalaya. Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinner daily $$

Desire Oyster Bar— RoyalSonesta New Orleans,300 BourbonSt.,(504) 5860300;sonesta.com/desireoysterbar— The menu higlightsGulfseafood in Creole dishes.Char-grilled oystersare topped with Parmesanand herbs.Reservations recommended.Breakfast,lunch and dinner daily $$

Dickie Brennan’sBourbonHouse 144 BourbonSt.,(504) 522-0111;bourbonhouse.com The seafood restauranthas araw bar and alarge selectionofbourbon.Redfish on theHalfshell is cooked skin-onand served withlemon buerre blanc.Reservationsaccepted.Lunch and dinner daily $$$

Felix’sRestaurant& Oyster Bar— 739 Iberville St.,(504) 522-4440;7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504)304-4125; felixs com— Louisiana oystersare served raw or char-grilled withgarlic, Parmesan and breadcrumbs.The menu includes seafood platters,crawfishetouffee, po-boysand more.Noreservations Lunchand dinner daily $$

Frey Smoked Meat Co.— 4141 Bienville St.,Suite 110, (504) 488-7427;freysmokedmeat.com The barbecuerestaurant serves pulled pork,St. Louisribs, brisket,

sausagesand more.Fried pork belly poppersare tossed in pepperjelly glaze.No reservations.Lunch and dinner daily. $$ FrootOrleans — 2438 Bell St.,Suite B, (504)233-3346; frootorleans.com Theshop serves freshfruit in platters, smoothie bowlssuchasa strawberry shortcakesmoothie andmoreusing pineapple, variousberries,citrus and more. No reservations.Outdoor seating available.Breakfast andlunchdaily $$

Joey K’s— 3001 Magazine St., (504)8910997; joeyksrestaurant.com The menu includesfried seafood platters,salads, sandwiches and redbeans and rice Sauteedtrout Tchoupitoulasistoppedwith shrimp and crabmeat. Delivery available.

Lunchand dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$

Juan’sFlying Burrito— 515Baronne St., (504)529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000;4724S.CarrolltonAve., (504) 486-9950;juansflyingburrito.com The Flying Burrito includesgrilled steak, shrimp,chicken,cheddar-jack cheese, black beans, yellow rice,guacamole and salsa. Themenu also hastacos,quesadillas, nachos andmore. Outdoorseating available.Noreservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

Katie’sRestaurant— 3701 Iberville St., (504)488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com A CajunCuban has roasted pork,grilled ham,cheeseand pickles on buttered bread. TheBoudreauxpizza is topped withcochon de lait,spinach, redonions and roasted garlic.Deliveryavailable Reservations accepted forlarge parties Lunchand dinner Tue.-Sun $$

Kilroy’s Bar— HigginsHotel,480 Andrew HigginsBlvd.,(504) 528-1941;higginshotelnola.com/dining— Thebar menu includessandwiches,flatbreads, salads andmore. ALouisiana peachflatbread hasprosciutto, stracciatellacheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations.Dinner Wed.-Sat $$

LegacyKitchen’s Craft Tavern— 700 Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 613-2350;legacykitchen.com— The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.ANOLAStyle Grits Bowl is topped with bacon, cheddarand apoached egg. Reservations accepted Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily $$

LegacyKitchen Steak&Chop 91 Westbank Expressway,Gretna, (504) 513-2606;legacykitchen.com The menu includesfiletsmignons, bone-in rib-eyes and topsirloins, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes.Reservations accepted.Outdoor seatingavailable Lunchand dinnerMon.-Sat. $$

MartinWine Cellar — 714Elmeer Ave., Metairie,(504) 896-7350;3827Baronne St.,(504) 894-7444;martinwine.com

Thespirits shop’s deliservessandwiches,saladsand more.The Sena salad includesroasted chicken,raisins,blue cheese,pecansand greenswith Tabasco pepperjelly vinaigrette.Noreservations

Lunchdaily $$

MidCityPizza 6307 S. Miro St., (504) 509-6224;4400BanksSt.,(504) 4838609;midcitypizza.com— Thepizza joint serves NewYork-stylepies, calzones, sandwiches andsalads. Shrimpremoulade pizzaincludesspinach, onionand garlic. Delivery available. No reservations

LunchThu.-Sun.,dinner Thu.-Mon $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave.,(504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com TheSouth Carrollton roll includestunatataki, avocado and snow crab.The menu also has sushi,sashimi,noodle dishes,teriyakiand more.Reservationsaccepted.Delivery available.Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily $$ Mosca’s— 4137 Highway90West, Westwego,(504) 436-8950;moscasrestaurant.com This family-style eatery serves Italiandishesand specialties including shrimp Moscaand chicken a la grande. Bakedoysters Moscaismade withbreadcrumbsand Italianseasonings.Reservations accepted.Dinner Wed.-Sat.Cash only $$$

Mother’s Restaurant— 401Poydras St.,(504) 523-9656;mothersrestaurant net— Thiscounter-servicespotisknown forpo-boys dressed withcabbage and Creolefavorites, such as jambalaya, crawfish etouffee andred beans and rice. Delivery available.Noreservations Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily $$ Nephew’sRistorante— 4445 W. Metairie Ave.,Metairie,(504) 533-9998;nephewsristorante.com ChefFrank Catalanotto is thenamesake“nephew” whoran the kitchen at Tony Angello’s restaurant. The Creole-Italianmenu featuresdisheslike veal,eggplant or chickenparmigiana. Reservations required.Dinner Tue.-Sat $$ Neyow’sCreole Cafe — 3332Bienville St., (504) 827-5474;neyows.com Themenu includesred beans with friedchicken or porkchops, as well as seafood platters, po-boys,char-grilled oysters, pasta, salads and more.Noreservations.Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunchSun $$

Nice Guys Bar& Grill 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504)302-2404;niceguysbarandgrillnola. com— Char-grilled oystersare topped withcheese.The menualso includes wings,quesadillas,burgers,sandwiches, salads,seafood pasta and more. No reservations. Lunch daily,dinner Mon.-Sat $$$ Nonno’s CajunCuisineand Pastries — 1940 Dauphine St.,(504) 354-1364; nonnoscajuncuisineandpastries.com— The menuincludeshome-styleCajun and Creole dishes withsomevegan options Shrimpare sauteedwithonionsand peppers,toppedwithcheeseand served with twoeggsand toast. Delivery available. Reservations accepted.Breakfast and lunchdaily $$

Peacock Room— KimptonHotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 324-3073;peacockroomnola.com— Blacklentilvadouvancurry comeswith roastedtomatoes, forest mushroomsand basmatirice. The menuincludessmall plates,a burger, salads andmore. Reservations accepted DinnerWed.-Mon.,brunch Sun. $$

Rosie’s on theRoof— Higgins Hotel, 480Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504)5281941;higginshotelnola.com/dining— The rooftopbar has amenu of sandwiches, burgersand smallplates. No reservations.Dinner daily $$

Tacklebox — 817Common St.,(504) 8271651;legacykitchen.com— Theseafood restaurantservesraw andchar-grilled oysters, seafood,burgers,saladsand more.Redfish St.Charles is served withgarlic-herbbutter, asparagus, mushrooms andcrawfishcornbread Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily $$

Tavolino Pizza&Lounge— 141Delaronde St.,(504) 605-3365;tavolinonola.com

Themenu features thin-crustpizzas, salads,meatballs and more.A Behrman Hwy. pizzaistopped with pork belly, caramel,carrots,radishes,jalapenosand herbs.Noreservations.Outdoor seating available.DinnerTue.-Sat $$

Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza— 1212 S. ClearviewParkway,Elmwood,(504) 733-3803; 2125 VeteransMemorialBlvd., Metairie,(504) 510-4282;4024Canal St., (504)302-1133;4218MagazineSt.,(504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway21, Covington, (985)234-9420; theospizza.com A Marilynn Pota Supremepie is topped withmozzarella, pepperoni,sausage, hamburger, mushrooms,bellpeppers and onions. Therealsoare salads,sandwiches andmore. Takeoutand delivery available.Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat $

Tito’s Ceviche& Pisco— 1433 St. Charles Ave.,(504) 354-1342;5015MagazineSt., (504) 267-7612;titoscevichepisco.com— Peruvianlomosaltadoisadish of beef sauteed with onions,tomatoes, cilantro, soysauce andpisco, andservedwith friedpotatoesand rice.Outdoor seating available on Magazine Street. Delivery available.Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunchSun $$$

ZhangBistro— 1141 DecaturSt.,(504) 826-8888; zhangbistronola.com—

Themenu includes Chineseand Thai dishes. TheSzechuanHot Wokoffersa choiceofchicken,beef, shrimp or tofu with onions,bellpeppers, cauliflower, jalapenosand spicySichuan sauce. Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue $$

Bill Burr

COMEDIANANDACTORBILLBURRSTOPS

INNEWORLEANS on his“(Slight Return)”tourand performsatthe Smoothie King Centerat8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15.Ticketsstart at $51via smoothiekingcenter.com.

‘How theGrinchStole Christmas: TheMusical’

IN THIS MUSICAL ADAPTATIONOFDR. SEUSS’STORY,the Grinch triesto steal thejoy of Christmas from theresidents of Whoville.Max theDog narrates thetale, which includespopulartunes from theanimatedTVversion,such as “You’reaMeanOne, Mr Grinch.” Thetouring Broadway productionisatSaenger Theatre Tuesday, Dec. 13, throughTuesday,Dec.20. Showtimesvary. Find tickets via saengernola.com

79rs Gang

BIGCHIEFROMEOBOUGEREOFTHE 9THWARDHUNTERS and BigChief JermaineBossier of the7th Ward Creole Huntersrecentlygot back to NewOrleans from atourin France— wherethe exhibition “Black Indians de La Nouvelle Orleans” also is on display in Paris’Musee du Quai BranlyJacques Chirac.The 79rs Gang play aspecialhomecomingshow with thePreservationHallJazz Band at 8p.m.Saturday,Dec 17,atMusic BoxVillage.Tickets are$20 advanceand $25atthe door.Findmoreinformation at musicboxvillage.com

Tunesfor Toys

THETROMBONE SHORTY FOUNDATIONANDTHE GIAMAIONE PRIMAFOUNDATION host the annual Tunesfor Toys concert and toydrive at 7p.m.Friday, Dec. 16. This year’s eventfeaturesmusic by TheSoulRebels, theWarrenEastonHighSchool Band and students from the TromboneShortyAcademy TromboneShortyalso will perform and TonyaBoyd-Cannon hosts. Tunesfor Toys takes placeatWarrenEastonHigh School. Admissionisfreewith thedonation of anew toy.Find more informationattromboneshortyfoundation.org

RainbowKittenSurprise

NORTHCAROLINAINDIEROCKBAND RAINBOWKITTENSURPRISE is known forits harmonies andamellow soundsteeped in indiefolk, as on itslatestsinglerelease, “WorkOut.” Thebandperforms at 8p.m.Monday, Dec. 19,at

OrpheumTheater.Findtickets via orpheumnola.net

RedBullCircleofBalance

REDBULLBRINGSITSCIRCLEOF BALANCEFLATLANDBMXCOMPETITIONTONEWORLEANS on Saturday, Dec. 17,the first time theinternational contest will be heldinthe United States.CircleofBalance will feature16competitors from around theworld —including NewOrleans native TerryAdams —showcasingtheir flatland BMX skillsinfront of theaudienceand apanel of judges at MardiGras World. Thecompetition starts at 7p.m.and is open to the public.Ticketsare $15via win.gs/BIKENOLA.

Alfred Banks

NEWORLEANSEMCEEALFREDBANKS

HEADLINESASHOW with LG,Paasky andDJEFCuttinat8 p.m. Sunday,Dec.18, at Café Istanbul Ticketsare $15 viaeventbrite.com.

PoppyH

NEWORLEANS-BORN,WESTCOASTBASEDRAPPERPOPPYH closes a national tour witha hometown grand finale at 9p.m.Thursday, Dec. 15,atthe Rabbit Hole. He’llbejoined by Kr3wcial, Popstarslime, Antwigadee and Spinelli.Tickets are$10 via krewe.usand $15atthe door

Professor Longhair birthday Bash

TIPITINA’SCELEBRATESTHE BIRTHDAYOFITSPATRONSAINT, PROFESSORLONGHAIR,withaconcert featuring TomWorrell,Lionel BatisteJr.,JohnFohland more at 8p.m.Monday, Dec. 19.Tickets are$15 via tipitinas.com.

LPO’sClassicalChristmas

CONDUCTEDBYFRANÇOIS

LÓPEZ-FERRER,THELOUISIANA

PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA’S

CHRISTMAS 90-minuteconcert will include RalphVaughn Williams’ “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” Margaret Bonds’ “BalladofThe BrownKing” and George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at The OrpheumTheater.Regulartickets are$25 andupwithspecial$10 ticketsfor studentsand children at lpomusic.com.

RebirthBrass Band

GRAMMYAWARD-WINNINGREBIRTH

BRASSBAND hasstruckupanew Tuesdaynight residencyatThe Rabbit Hole.Theyplayagainat10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13.Tickets are $20via rabbitholenola.com

MUSIC

FOR COMPLETE MUSIC LISTINGS AND MORE EVENTS TAKING PLACEIN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, VISIT CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM

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

Note:DuetoCOVID-19,eventsmayhavecertainrestrictionsormaybepostponed;werecommendchecking outavenuessocialmediasitesorcallbeforeyougoforthemostuptodateinformation

TUESDAY13

500PORT OF NEW ORLEANSPL

RiverwalkJazzBand,4:30 pm

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Quartet, 7:30 pm

DOSJEFES —Wendell Brunious and TomHook, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Richard"Piano"Scott, 12:30 pm;Collin MyersBand,5 pm;Fritzel's AllStar Band,8 pm

KITCHENTABLE CAFÉ —GracieJay and MaxBronstein, 6:30 pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL &BAR TrumpetMafia,6pm

THERABBITHOLE —Rebirth Brass Band,10pm

WEDNESDAY14

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Trio,7:30 pm

BLUE NILE —New BreedBrass Band,9 pm

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —Tin Men, 6pm; Jumpin'Johnny Sansone,9pm

DOSJEFES —JavierGutierrez,8:30pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Richard"Piano"Scott, 12:30 pm; Bourbon StreetStars,5 pm;Fritzel's AllStar Band,8 pm

HOTELMONTELEONE —JamesMartin Band at TheHotel Monteleone, 8pm

HOWLIN'WOLF —Dylan Decket Quintet, Fumie Nimtz, NewSeasons,Purple OragnePinkTrio,8 pm

JEANLAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITORCENTER, NEW ORLEANSJAZZNATIONAL

HISTORICALPARK —Darianna VideauxCapitel,2 pm

MADAMEVIC'S —TonySeville, 8pm

NEW ORLEANSJAZZMUSEUM Donald Harrison Jr.Quartet,2 pm

SANTOS —Swamp Moveswith Russell Welch,9 pm

SIBERIA —Justin Ready, JoeltonMayfield, DreuxGerard, 9pm

THEBOMBAYCLUB —Harry Mayronne and NanciZee,8 pm

THURSDAY15

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Quartet, 8pm

BLUE NILE —Nikki Glaspie& TheHomies, 10 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL —Cameron Watson,10pm

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —JohnBoutté, 7 pm;The Quickening,10pm

DOSJEFES —MarkColeman Band,8:30 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB Richard “Piano”Scott, 12:30 pm;Doyle Cooper Band,2:30 pm;John Saavedra Trio, 6pm; Fritzel'sAll Star Band,8 pm

GASA GASA —MyNeptune withThe Fruit Machines ,9 pm

HOWLIN'WOLF —LibsonGirls with Disjunct,the Links, 8pm

JEANLAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITORCENTER, NEW ORLEANSJAZZNATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK —Simon Lottand Hunter Miles Davis,3pm

KITCHENTABLE CAFÉ —Dr. Mark St.Cyr TraditionalJazzBand,6:30pm

MADAMEVIC'S —AndyJ.Forest, 8pm

NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE AnnieFordand Friends, 9pm

PEACOCKROOM, HOTELFONTENOT —DaLovebirds withRobin Barnes and PatCasey ,8pm

ROCK 'N'BOWL —RustyMetoyer& the ZydecoKrush, 8pm

SNUG HARBORJAZZBISTRO —Masakowski Family &FriendsChristmas ,8 &10pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —Brass-AHolics,7:30 pm

FRIDAY16

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN HOTEL —Peter Harris Trio,8 pm

BLUE NILE —The CaesarBrothers, 7 pm;KermitRuffins andthe Barbecue Swingers,11pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —Trumpet Slim &Brass Flavor,10pm

CARROLLTON STATION —Sweet MagnoliaBrass Band,9 pm

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —CedricWatson &BijouCreole,10pm

DOSJEFES —Sax &The City with Tom Fitzpatrick, 9pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB Richard“Piano”Scott, 12:30 pm;Sam Friend Band,2:30pm; LeeFloyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6pm; Fritzel'sAll Star Band,9 pm

GASA GASA —Killer Whale withRose Vaughn ,9pm

GEORGE ANDJOYCEWEINJAZZ& HERITAGE CENTER —Doreen Ketchens, 8pm

MADAMEVIC'S —Cricket and the2:19, 8pm

NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE —Damn Hippies!!!!,7:30 pm;Richard Bienvenu,9 pm

NOLABREWING COMPANY —Eric Johanson,6 pm

SNUG HARBORJAZZBISTRO —Jason Marsalis Quartet, CharlieGabriel:TributetoEllisMarsalis, 8&10pm

THETOULOUSETHEATRE —RoryDanger and TheDanger Dangers,9:30 pm

ZONY MASH BEERPROJECT —Mark Mullins w/ Chris Adkins, Cass Faulconer, TerenceHiggins, Mike Lemmler, 8pm

SATURDAY17

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Jordan Anderson, 8pm

BLUE NILE —George BrownBand,7pm; WhereY'atBrass Band,11pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —The Marigny StreetBrass Band,10pm

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —Tuba Skinny,6 pm;SoulBrass Band,10pm

DMACSBAR &GRILL —Kamara Landry, 8pm

DOSJEFES —Betty Shirley, 9pm

DOUBLEDEALERCOCKTAILBAR AT THEORPHEUMTHEATER —The Co & Co Travelin' Show,9pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB Richard“Piano”Scott, 12:30 pm;Joe Kennedy Band,2:30 pm;Lee Floydand Thunderbolt Trio,6pm; Fritzel'sAll Star Band,9pm

GASA GASA —BornAstraywith Ty Trehernand Hollow City ,9pm

HIDEAWAY DEN&ARCADE —OzBorn &Scary Lane, 8pm

HOTELSAINTVINCENT —Kevin's Angels feat.Kevin Louis, 8pm

KITCHENTABLE CAFÉ —Bad Penny Pleasuremakers, 6:30 pm

MADAMEVIC'S —CarmelaRappazzo,7pm

NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE Frenchie Moe, 7:30 pm;The BenBrimer Trio, 9pm

NEW ORLEANSJAZZMUSEUM —Kyle Roussel,7pm

OLDPOINT BAR —Valerie Sassyfras, 8pm

SANTOS —NovaJunction, Lisbon Girls, Sansho,9pm

SIBERIA —Abysmal Lord,Total Hell, Mehenet, CongealedPutrescence, 9pm

SIDNEY'S SALOON —Heartchaser,9 pm

SNUG HARBORJAZZBISTRO —Phillip Manuel: AChristmas Concert, 8& 10 pm

THEBOMBAYCLUB —Anais St.John,8 pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —The Nayo JonesExperienceatThe Jazz Playhouse,7:30 &9pm

TIPITINA'S —Anders Osborne,Jackie Greene, Sonny Landreth,Dave Malone, Brad Walker &The Hornstars,9 pm

SUNDAY18

BLUE NILE —StreetLegends Brass Band, 10 pm

BLUE NILE —The BakedPotatoes, 7pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL —AlfredBanks Live w/ LG &Paasky,8pm

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —PalmettoBug Stompers, 5pm; TremeBrass Band,9 pm

DOSJEFES —MichaelLiuzza&Co.,8pm

GASA GASA —JakeBlountwith Lilli Lewis,9pm

HOWLIN'WOLF —Hot 8Brass Band, 10 pm

SIDNEY'S SALOON —Modivibe,9pm SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO —Oscar Rossignoli,8&10pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —GlenDavid AndrewsBand,7:30pm

MONDAY19

D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS —SecretSix Jazz Band,5pm; Charlie &the Tropicales,9pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB —Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio,5pm; Richard"Piano"Scottand Friends, 8pm

ORPHEUMTHEATER —RainbowKitten Surprise ,8pm

SIDNEY'S SALOON —The Amazing Henrietta, 6pm; DarkLounge Ministries,8 pm

RabbisofFunk

by Jake Clapp

ASGIGGINGMUSICIANS,KEYBOARDISTANDRIUYANOVSKI’S ANDGUITARISTARITEITEL’S

HOLIDAYSEASON easily fills up with showsaroundNew Orleans playing Christmas music. Buta fewyears ago, they wanted to shakethings upand add aHanukkah show to thecity’sslate of seasonalconcerts

So they decided to startMelvin Funkenstein’sHannukah FunkStravaganza.

“It’sreally just an excuse to go and celebrate Hanukkah,but also do what we love anddobest,which is just play funk music,” Yanovski says Thefourthannual Hannukah FunkStravaganzaisat11p.m Saturday,Dec.17, at theMaple Leaf.Along withYanovskiand Teitel,thisyear’sband includes drummer AlvinFordJr.,vocalist and keyboardist Nigel Hall and trombonist and bassistTJNorris, whoplays with Yanovski andTeitel in MardiGrasIndianfunkband TheRumble

This year Hanukkah runs Sunday, Dec. 18,through Monday,Dec.26.

Yanovski plays withBoogie T.Rioand hasbeen apartof DavidShaw’sand Maggie Koerner’s bands. Teitel hasperformed with Ivan Neville, Tony Hall and GabrielleCavassa. Both musiciansplayinThe Rumble with ChiefJoseph Boudreaux Jr in additiontowriting andrecordingtheir ownmusic

TheMelvinFunkensteinshows were achancetohave friends join them on stage,light the menorahand sharesomeofthe Hanukkah traditions they grew up with, Yanovski says.Past events have featured Tony Hall,Aurelien Barnes (another Rumble member), Derwin “Big D” Perkins, Mike Bass and Isaac Eady

“It’skindoffun to be able to flip thecoin and give aplace for people to celebrateHanukkah and seewhatthat’sabout,” Yanovski says

This year’s setlistwill include afew deep cutsinthe vein of what mighttypically be heardat theMaple Leaf,Yanovski says, songs like EddieHazel’s coverof “California Dreamin’,”the Earth, Wind &Fireversion of “Got to Get YouintoMyLife” and TheMeters’ “I Need More Time.”Therealso

will be piecesbyIdris Muhammad, George Duke and Johnnie Taylor, and originalsbyNigel Hall and Teitel,who released asolo record in October.

Presidingoverthe festivitiesis mythical RabbiMelvinFunkenstein —a call to thefunkand abeacon of light during Hanukkah

“Wecreated this characterfive or sixyears ago now. Ithink we were just doingsomeold-Jewish-man shit, playing racquetball and sittinginthe saunaafterward, and we were justkindoflaughing aboutusbeing oldJewishmen basically,” Yanovski says.“We were talkingaboutputting on a show and came up withthismythical funk rabbi.”

Theremight notbeahistoric connection betweenthe Jewish celebrationofHanukkah and funk, aBlack American musicstyle,but theMelvinFunkensteinevents area chance to sharecultures, Yanovski says

“Maybe thereare Jewish people whowould come andcelebrate Hanukkah butwouldn’tnormally go to ashowatthe Maple Leaf, butiftheyhad thechancewould enjoyit,”Yanovski says,“and vice versa. Maybesomebody whohas nevercelebratedHanukkah but wouldgotoa Maple Leaf show wouldsay,‘This is fun.’”

Melvin Funkenstein’sHannukah

FunkStravaganza is at 11 p.m.

Saturday,Dec.17, at theMapleLeaf. Ticketsare $15inadvance and$20 at thedoor.Findmoreinformation at mapleleafbar.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDRIU YANOVSKI

MusiciansAndriu

YanovskiandAriTeitel

MUSIC

Dancingagain

by WillCoviello

ATTHEREOPENINGOF THEHOUSEOFDANCEAND FEATHERS on Dec. 6, Bruce“Sunpie”Barnes leda groupofsingers and percussionists in MardiGrasIndian songs,someattendees decorated second-line umbrellasataworkshop table, andotherswalked throughthe restored archive, which hadbeen damagedbyHurricane Idaand waslargely closed during thepandemic except forafew online events

TheHouse is filled with photos and artifactsfromNew Orleans’ Blackparadingtraditions, including socialaid andpleasureclub sashes and umbrellas,Mardi Gras Indian bead patchesand feathersand bones, an apron andahornedpapier-mache skeleton head from the NorthsideSkull &BoneGang.

TheHouse of Danceand Feathers wascreated by thelateRonald Lewis, whodiedofCOVID-19in April 2020.Hestarted theproject in 2003 in hisgarageat1317TupeloSt. in theLower9th Ward.Throughout hislife, he hadbeenactiveinmany localparadingtraditions. He wasa co-founder of theBig 9SocialAid and Pleasure Club.Hemaskedwith theChoctawHunters MardiGras Indians,and he wasamemberof theNorthside Skull&BoneGang. In 2008,hereigned as King of the Krewe du Vieuxparade.Lewis’own photosofparadesand partsofsuits were thebeginning of thecollection. Some of thepatches in themuseum arefromhis sonRashad Lewis, who masked in theChoctawHunters with hisfather when he wasyoung “Growing up,thatwas justdad,” Rashad Lewissaidatthe opening event. “But it really hitmewhen he diedand themayortalkedabout everything he haddonefor the culture. AfterKatrina,people came from around theworld to rebuildit.” This is thesecond time theHouse of Danceand Feathershas been rebuilt.The leveefailuresfollowing HurricaneKatrina flooded it,and volunteers helped builda new, larger versionwithhighceilings and awingedroof. There’sa nook inside commemoratingthe devastation and rebuilding followingKatrina RonaldLewis’wifeCharlotte “Minnie” Lewis, whoalso is active in second line culture,isnow in charge of theHouse of Danceand Feathers.

She’s been assistedbynumerous organizationsand volunteers.

MoniqueVerdin of Another Gulf is Possible foundgrant funding to rebuild. Neighborhood Story Projectco-founderRachelBreunlin co-wrote abook about thehouse withRonaldLewis in 2009,and throughtwo reprints,it’sprovided fundingfor theproject.Breunlin and herstudents from aUniversity ofNew OrleanscourseonNew Orleans’ public culture helped clean, sort and restorethe museum’scontents.

HurricaneIda ruined thebuilding’s wraparoundbalcony and floors Donors helped therebuilding, includingthe RobinsonLumber Co donating itsnew Caribbean hard wood floor.

Themuseumcurrently showcasesRonaldand CharlotteLewis’ vision to have it embrace adiversity of cultures. Charlotte Lewis addedAfrican artthatlinks West African cultureand traditions to localculture.One wall has adisplay honoringthe Indigenouspeople of Bulbancha,which existed in theareapriortothe Louisiana colony.The displays also include aCajun Courir de MardiGrassuit, memorabilia from Krewe du Jieux, of which Ronald Lewiswas amember,and aspiritual church in the Lower9th Ward

“Ronaldlovedtosharewhat he did andwhatthe Lower9 wasaboutand wasopen to what everybodyelsewas doing,too,” Breunlin says

Whilethe HouseofDanceand Feathers has been restored to good shape, it will nothave regularhours until2023.

PHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

TheHouseofDanceand Feathersreopenedinthe Lower9thWardonDec.6.

By Frank A. Longo

e.g.

36Four-sidedgeom. shape

Hughes poem 42Ill-defined situations 44BBQ meat bit 45Altitude 47Exited right after chowing 50Ruminates 51Skating leap 52Milk, in France 53Treats often dipped in milk 54Sombersong 55Sauce brand 60Hanoi holiday 61Noted time 62IRS datum 63Ridge on afingerprint 64Growmature 66Actress Parrishof “Pretty Little Liars” 67Pick-up-sticks logic game 68One or more 69Aves. 70Kin of “Arf!” 71Hammeredmusicaldisk

72Stair support

77First form fill-in, often

78Gp. backing arms

80Cop —(haggle in court)

81Nickname for the Devil

82Michelle of “Tomorrow Never Dies”

83Auld lang

85Ailment causing swelling

86Horror film assistant

87Pell- —(chaotic)

88JFK follower

89WeaverofGreek myth

90Heavy knife

95Vail trail

96Revels in 98Illustrate via pantomime

99Trial figure

101 On —with 102 2006 worldfigure skating champion Meissner

105 Singer Kravitz

106 Actor PeterO’— 107 “Rufus M.” author Eleanor

Camera brand

Mötley

Make at work

Little bird

LP replacers

Magstaff

Blue Jays, on sports tickers

Doc treating tonsillitis

film studio