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NOVEMBER 8 — NOVEMBER 14, 2022 VOLUME 43 || NUMBER 45
CONTENTS
NEWS
While supplies last Excludes football apparel
Opening Gambit ...............................7
Commentary...................................10 Clancy DuBos...................................11
"
# " !
Blake Pontchartrain.....................13
off Wednesday-Saturday 12-5 | 504-615-0473 4443 W Metairie Ave
FEATURES Arts & Entertainment ....................5
HUGE T VS
ES O R E H SUPEPRERSONAL PAN
pizza
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INCLUDES:
$
Music Listings................................28
TULANE, LSU AND SAINTS WATCH PARTIES
55 per kid
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November 13th, 1:00-3:30
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Eat + Drink.......................................21
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Music ................................................29
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LoYrder H S FRE to- LE
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CI T Y OF WIN T E R PA R K E L E C T R I C U T I L I T Y D E P T.
15
Power to the people
Could New Orleans take control of its power utility?
S TA F F
e- STY mad EANS-
ORL E NEW UISIN
EDITORIAL (504) 483-3105// response@ gambitweekly.com
C
Editor | JOHN STANTON
1900 N Claiborne Ave A
Political Editor | CLANCY DUBOS
Tue-Sat 11:30-9pm | Sun 12-9
Arts & Entertainment Editor |
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WILL COVIELLO
Staff Writers | JAKE CLAPP, KAYLEE POCHE, SARAH RAVITS
8freshfoodassassin
Contributing Writer |
IAN MCNULTY
Come & taste t t dda greatness greatness! t
Intern | GABRIELLE KOREIN
CREATIVE Creative Director | DORA SISON
Traffic Manager |
Going Out ........................................30 Puzzles..............................................31
C O V E R B A C KG R O U N D P H O T O BY G E T T Y IM A G E S C O V E R D E S I G N BY D O R A S I S O N
Publisher | JEANNE EXNICIOS FOSTER
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5
NOLA joking matter
Hell Yes Fest features national and local comics Nov. 8-14 IN HER HALF-HOUR COMEDY SPECIAL “HANOI HONEY,” comedian Rosie Tran
makes fun of stereotypes about Vietnamese and Asian women. She spins tales about dating online and meeting a guy who wanted to do a bedroom roleplay of soldier and female refugee. The studio audience laughs as Tran keeps pushing the story further, eventually punctuating it, “Charlie in the sheets.” The special was part of the second edition of the series “Comedy InvAsian,” featuring Asian-American stand-ups. Though she spends most of her time in Los Angeles, Tran is in New Orleans, her hometown, to headline a show at Hell Yes Fest on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Comedy House NOLA. The festival features several national headliners and a host of local comedians on Nov. 8-14. Most shows are at the event’s home at Comedy House NOLA, as well as a few shows at the Howlin’ Wolf Den. Since 2002, Tran has split time between New Orleans and Los Angeles. She is a guest at local comedy shows, including Comedy Gumbeaux and at NOLA Brewery’s comedy night on Nov. 9. In California, she performs regularly, including at L.A.’s renowned comedy venue The Improv. In her act, Tran jokes about everything from sex and traveling to war zones for USO shows to breaking down the ingredients non-Vietnamese diners find unpalatable in pho. She also talks about her Latino neighborhood and guys with “yellow fever.” She says that it’s great to see a surge in Asian women comedians like Ali Wong, but she came up in a rougher environment. Tran says she grew up painfully shy, and her only preparation before stepping onstage was watching stand-up and helping tweak jokes for a boyfriend who was an aspiring comedian. But she realized she had a knack for it. “I got work pretty quickly,” Tran says. “When I was first in the LA comedy scene, it was very different than it is now. Now it’s very inclusive, and there is a lot of LGTBQ comedy and space for women. When I started it was very much a frat boy vibe. Dane Cook-style comedy was very popular. I was early by about 10 years.” While the scene has become more open, sensitivities are different as well, she says.
|
by Will Coviello
“There is a level of PC-ness that’s a little over the top,” she says. “I have been doing comedy for 20 years. I have never been considered offensive. In the past year, I have been getting groans or remarks (from live audiences). I want to make people laugh. I am not a political comedian. I don’t have an agenda. I tell a lot of dick jokes. I am not trying to be controversial. It seems like the internet has made people not understand the live format.” Tran says making fun of stereotypes is way of making tough situations lighter. She also has produced a series of podcasts to highlight positive things and new ideas. On her “Out of the Box” podcast, she has interviewed everyone from scientists to GrubHub founder Mike Evans to Mu Sochua, a Cambodian Nobel Peace Prize nominee who’s fighting sex trafficking. Tran also co-hosted a podcast with porn star Tommy Pistol called “Dirty Change.” She says its sex education for people like her who grew up with too few sources of reliable information. Additionally, she’s created a podcast about crypto currency called “Hello Crypto Kitty,” and she published a guide to meditation. Tran is in New Orleans visiting family and working on her podcasts and material for her next half-hour special. At Hell Yes, she’s headlining with support form local comedians Shack Brown and Nature Boy. The festival’s closing night headliner is Saturday Night Live veteran Luke Null. He often plays guitar and sings during his act, and some songs sound like an upbeat coffeehouse singer-songwriter who slowly lets his acerbic wit takeover, as in a song about accents white people shouldn’t do and the doom of college freshmen trying to hold onto long distance relationships with hometown boyfriends or girlfriends. Null performs on Monday, Nov. 14, and he’ll be joined by comedy rapper Koshadillz of Wild ’N Out, as well as Kymbra Li, JQ Palms and Joe Piotrowicz. Matt Ruby is a New York comedian who’s hashed over
Lafitte Seafood Festival
THE FESTIVAL FEATURES SEAFOOD, TOURS OF THE WETLAND PRESERVE ,
and a music lineup mixing popular local bands and blasts from the past including The Marshall Tucker Band and The Orchestra, featuring members of ELO. Also performing are Amanda Shaw, Rockin’ Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters, Better Than Ezra, the Creole String Beans, Cameron Dupuy & the Cajun Troubadours and more. The festival also has amusement rides, craft vendors, seafood, kayak rentals, walks in the Wetland Trace Nature Preserve and more. Nov. 11-13 at the Lafitte Grounds and Auditorium. Tickets $10-$15. Free admission for kids under 13 years old. Visit lafitteseafoodfestival.com for tickets and information. PROVIDED PHOTO BY JU S TIN FA SHON
Rosie Tran performs at Comedy House NOLA. mindfulness, therapy and psychedelics in his show “Misguided Meditation.” He headlines opening night, which also features Amy Collins, LP Black and Riga Ruby at the early show. Also from New York is Natalie Cuomo, who’s broken out in comedy and appears at tattoo and gaming festivals as well. She performs two shows on Friday, Nov. 11. Openers are Troy Duchane, Matthew LaRocca and Taj Washington at the 7 p.m. show, and Jennifer Turbo, Samantha Bednarz and Kevin Little at the 9 p.m. set. San Francisco comedian Ed Black is originally from New Orleans, and he returns to headline a late show on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Comedy House. The Border Laughs showcase features “Last Comic Standing” fan favorite Nick Guerra, along with Fernando Panda Chacon, Josh Castro, Nidia Morales and Jorge Velasquez. It’s at The Howlin’ Wolf Den on Saturday, Nov. 12. Hell Yes was originally started by Chris Trew, a stand-up comic who co-founded The New Movement Theater. The festival has been on hiatus during the pandemic and since the shuttering of New Movement. Tammy Nelson, a co-founder of New Movement, is a partner in Comedy House NOLA. For tickets and information, visit linktr.ee/hellyesfest.
PHOTO BY BRET T DUKE / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Louis Katz
COMEDIAN LOUIS KATZ HAS APPEARED ON COMEDY CENTRAL AND NBC and
will release his first hour-long comedy special this year as part of the Unprotected Sets series. It’s Good Comedy presents his performances at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the Dragon’s Den and at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Hi-Ho Lounge. Tickets $10-$20 via eventbrite.com.
Sober Fest
DUMPSTAPHUNK, CHA WA AND OTHERS PERFORM AT THE ALCOHOL-FREE FESTIVAL launched by Bridge
House/Grace House, which assists people seeking sobriety. The family friendly event features kids activities, food trucks and mocktails. Proceeds benefit Bridge House. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Mardi Gras World. Admission is free. Find information at bridgehouse.org. PAGE 26
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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS
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T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN
200
Louisiana’scriminaljusticereform package has saved the state
more than $150 million since 2017 and is hitting its goals in decreasing the state’s prison population, according to a report by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a set of 10 bills, called the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, with the intention of reducing the number of people in Louisiana’s prisons, addressing sentencing discrepancies and expanding parole eligibility.
Several Louisiana Republican politicians have taken money
from Russian oligarchs illegally funneled through a U.S. company, American Ethane, according to Mother Jones. Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, Reps. Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson and Garrett Graves and a PAC backing Attorney General Jeff Landry all received Russian money. The company’s co-founder and CEO is New Orleanian John Houghtaling.
The Louisiana Department of Health is refusing to answer
questions from doctors about the state’s abortion ban, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. The department said questions should instead be directed to the Attorney General. LDH’s refusal is causing delays in getting pregnant people proper care, and doctors have expressed concerns about unknowingly violating the ban and are hesitant to contact Landry’s office.
THE COUNT
THE NUMBER OF ST. JAMES PARISH HOMES EVACUATED DUE TO A NOV. 2 ACID SPILL. During a Canadian National freight train derailment, more than 20,000 gallons of corrosive hydrochloric acid were spilled, according to the Times-Picayune. The parish is no stranger to industrial accidents, and has some of the highest rates of illness in the country because of pollution. The latest mishap is expected to take several weeks to remediate.
P H O T O B Y M A X B E C H E R E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Residents of Gordon Plaza attend a City Council meeting about the relocation of residents from the Gordon Plaza neighborhood, which was built on top of a toxic landfill site, on Monday, May 9, 2022.
Despite stumbles, City Hall inches forward on Gordon Plaza offers CITY OFFICIALS HAVE FINALLY REMOVED A 30 DAY TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT timetable on its controver-
sial offer to buy out one of the residents of Gordon Plaza, but as has been the norm with the city’s approach to the former landfill, it wasn’t easy. Earlier this month, residents and Council President Helena Moreno had demanded the timeline be cut from the offer, which is one of the first under a new appraisal system the city has implemented to determine payouts to property owners. Appearing at an Oct. 31 Gordon Plaza task force meeting, city officials told Moreno they had revised the offer to eliminate the time limit. However, Sheena Dedmond said she had not received the letter. After some back and forth, city attorneys produced a copy for Moreno. But there was a problem: not only did it rescind the timeline, it appeared to rescind the offer as well. The city finally produced a new letter, which does not include a timeline but does still offer Dedmond the original $358,000 buyout. The “Keystone Cops” nature of Monday’s hearing has become par for the course for Gordon Plaza residents, who have spent
years fighting with City Hall. And it is a process that continues to frustrate residents. “Your appraisal is careless, cruel and results in both intentional and unintentional material consequences that impact lives,” Dedmond said during the task force meeting. “And this is despite you actually having the tools and resources to use to demonstrate that fair market value is only fair when both a willing buyer and a willing seller determine it’s fair.” Though the City Council set aside $35 million to buy residents out of their properties so they could move back in June, residents will have to wait even longer to get that money as the appraisal process drags on. The Cantrell administration tasked Jim Thorns of Thorns Consulting with determining the value of Gordon Plaza residents’ 67 properties before they could receive buyouts. Residents requested Thorns complete the 60 remaining appraisals by the end of the week, but he said he would need around a month or longer. “Most likely if I was doing two or three appraisals, I could do them all in seven days,” he said. PAGE 9
C’EST W H AT
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49.4%
NO. WINSTON IS HEALTHY AND DESERVES TO START AGAIN
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WE’LL SEE AFTER THE RAIDERS GAME
Vote on “C’est What?” at www.bestofneworleans.com
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PAGE 7
Residents said the city should hire more appraisers to speed the process up. “Can we ask why the City of New Orleans indicating that this is a priority — the residents are saying, please no unnecessary delays — would hire one man to attend to 67 properties?” said Gordon Plaza activist Angela Kinlaw. The properties are essentially worthless because they’re atop toxic soil, but Thorns is using properties he deems in comparable neighborhoods that aren’t on toxic soil, to approximate their hypothetical value if they weren’t. Thorns said he looked at new-construction homes in Gentilly Woods and Pontchartrain Park for Dedmond’s appraisal. Dedmond’s offer was significantly lower than the $510,000 per homeowner recommended in a study by two Tulane University professors and a real estate agent last December. Thorns has said that study wasn’t a certified appraisal and that he’s following the standard appraisal process. And though Thorns has completed few appraisals so far, Dedmond’s home is larger than many other homes in Gordon Plaza, indicating her home could be on the higher end of the buyout offers. Unhappy with Thorns’ appraisal of Dedmond’s home, residents originally wanted to get an outside appraiser to formally review Thorns’ appraisal but settled on a free letter from a Louisianacertified appraiser which raised questions about Thorns’ methodology. Residents have also been fighting for relocation costs on top of the property buyouts from the city. The City Council on Nov. 3 voted to create a separate relocation fund to cover moving costs for residents. “Once that fund is created, it’s not difficult for the council to identify funds at any meeting to identify and put funds in it,” Vice President JP Morrell said. But the council will have to work with the Cantrell administration to get those funds to residents. The next Gordon Plaza Task Force meeting is on Friday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. — KAYLEE POCHE
French Quarter shop under fire for selling Hitler memorabilia
SINCE AT LEAST JANUARY, ROYAL STREET GIFT SHOP BLACK BUTTERFLY TOO has apparently been traffick-
ing in white supremacist memorabilia, including selling statues
of pro-slavery Confederate army figures and Adolf Hitler, who murdered 6 million Jewish people. The sale of the Hitler figures, which come in a variety of uniforms and poses, came to light Oct. 30thanks to a tweet by Rafael Shimunov, a Jewish New Yorker who saw the statues during a visit to New Orleans in January. He told Gambit the Hitler statues were conveniently located next to the shop’s selection of Confederate themed statues and items. It is unclear whether they are part of a broader white supremacist section of the store. Shimunov said he had largely put the issue behind him until the recent spike in antisemitism made him decide to use it as a way to mobilize voters. Shimunov posted a recording between himself and a man and woman from the shop, in which he patiently attempted to discuss his concerns with the Hitler statues. “I wanted to see who I could talk to about reconsidering showing that kind of thing there,” Shimunov asked. “What do you mean?” the woman says. “Well, I mean they’re figures of Adolf Hitler. So ...” “It’s actually handmade items that we have,” the unidentified man from the shop replied. When Shimunov asked, “But do you think that has a negative impact right now?” the man from Black Butterfly Too quickly became agitated. “Who are you that you’re asking me these questions?” he demanded. Things quickly went downhill from there. “It is part of history, sir. And you just have to accept it,” the woman said at one point before pointedly adding, “I feel very, very insulted … What religion are you from?” The shop remained closed after Shimunov’s post went viral, and their phone was not taking messages. Shimunov told Gambit he asked friends to check the store last week to see if they were still selling the items because he had held out hope the owners would realize selling Hitler statues is wrong and remove them. But when his friends told him they were still on display he decided he was “going to post this to get people out to vote.” — JOHN STANTON
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the dark waters of racism when it adopted an “anti-CRT” measure governing the teaching of history and other subjects in parish schools. The move appears to have been a last-minute effort by incumbent board member Matthew Greene to gin up support among right-wing voters in his district. We have not endorsed anyone in the school board race, and we would prefer not to have to discuss it now. Butthe eleventh-hour introductionand passage of this toxic measure demands levelheaded comment. Over the last two years,“Critical Race Theory” — a broad philosophical take on U.S. history taught in some law schools, not in K-12 institutions — has been weaponized as part of an organized campaign to legitimize racism and demonize those who fight it. CRT argues for accurately teaching our nation’s history of slavery and racism. Local and national Republicans claim it disproportionately focuses on those dark parts of American history, spreads anti-American propaganda and shames white students. That’s a lie. In reality, anti-truth forces seek to subvert our nation by purposefully burying the hard realities of history and denying the generational effects of racism on all marginalized American citizens. Promoting racial divisions must have no place in Americana politics, especially when it comes at the hands of those who purport to serve our children’s best interests. Only two of the school board’s members voted against it — while eight voted for it. That’s as troubling as it is embarrassing for St. Tammany Parish, whose children deserve better. Finally, with Election Day this week, we once again include our endorsements. In addition to important legislative and parochial offices,Tuesday’s ballot includes proposed charter and constitutional amendments. We urge all our readers to vote. Find information about your ballot and polling location at geauxvote.com.
PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK / T H E A D V O C AT E
Election Day is Nov. 8, 2022
The Gambit Ballot
Vote early by Nov. 1 or in person on Tuesday Nov. 8
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 5 Royce Duplessis
STATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Amendment 1 State investments in stocks No Amendment 2 Disabled veterans exemption Yes Amendment 3 Allow civil servants to campaign No Amendment 4 Rural water district rate relief Yes Amendment 5 Lower local property taxes Yes Amendment 6 Cap NOLA assessment hikes at 10% Yes Amendment 7 Eliminating forced servitude No AMENDMENT 8 Property tax relief for disabled people Yes NEW ORLEANS CHARTER AMENDMENT Allow City Council to vet & approve mayoral appointees Yes
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Autumn indoors
We’ll know soon if recall effort is for real OVER THE PAST SIX WEEKS, AS THE NOV.8 MIDTERMS DOMINATED POLITICAL NEWS COVERAGE (and voter inter-
est), the effort to recall Mayor LaToya Cantrell went into hibernation. Search “LaToya Cantrell recall” online and you’ll get a bevy of news stories from mid-tolate September, but almost nothing since then. Was that a deliberate strategy on the part of recall organizers — a calm before the storm — or a sign that the drive to remove Cantrell from office has already peaked? We’ll know pretty soon. If the former is the case, look for a big announcement between this Wednesday (Nov. 9) and the start of Thanksgiving week. On the other hand, if the NoLaToya crowd remains silent after Nov. 8, it’s safe bet they’re already out of gas — and Heronner can enjoy an early Christmas. Why is it so important for the recall to make such a big splash now, when they have until Feb. 22 to garner the 53,000-plus signatures they need? Because timing is just as important as money and messaging in politics. Strategically, it made sense for recall promoters to keep their political powder dry by not competing for voters’ attention amid the chaotic din of the midterms’ cross-messaging. Even in Louisiana, where federal elections are typically a foregone conclusion, voters have been inundated with breathless political ads for weeks. Things will get very quiet, however, after Tuesday. Chances are there won’t even be any runoffs on Dec. 10, though the ballot will have a few proposed state constitutional amendments. If the recall is going anywhere, its promoters will have to make some news during the brief lull between Tuesday and Thanksgiving Week (which starts the weekend before, on Nov. 19) — a span of only 11 days. After that, the holidays begin. Nobody thinks about politics during the holidays.
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Signs for recalling Mayor LaToya Cantrell in front of New Orleans City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. Momentum is critical, too. The Recallers got 10,000 signatures quickly, but there’s no way they can reach their target of more than 53,000 by setting up shop outside supermarkets — or even outside sold-out Saints games. If they’re to succeed, they need to get the requisite number of signatures well before Christmas — or by early January at the latest. Why? Again, it’s about timing. State law requires recall referenda to be held on regularly scheduled election dates, with enough lead time to get signatures verified and ballots printed. If the Recallers get their signatures by early December, the referendum on Cantrell would be on March 25. If they get the signatures by early January, it would be on April 29 — the first weekend of Jazz Fest (not a great time for an election). But, if they take till late January or February to turn in their petitions, the referendum won’t happen until Oct. 14, 2023 — the same day as the primary for governor, Legislature and many other offices. That’s a long way off, and a lot can happen in the next 11 months. Stay tuned. We’ll know soon if the recall is for real — or if it’s already a bust.
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T RIF E C TA
Hey Blake,
Do you know anything about the street called Marlborough Gate Place? It doesn’t seem to exist anywhere except between Robert and Upperline streets and only contains a handful of houses and one apartment building. — Todd
Dear Todd,
MARLBOROUGH GATE PLACE TAKES ITS NAME FROM A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT at that spot
called Marlborough Gate. It was presumably called that in honor of the London landmark of the same name and the nearby Marlborough House, a British royal residence at one time. A September 1912 advertisement in The Daily Picayune described Marlborough Gate as a “private residence park, designed as an exclusive residence place for the man who wants a home in pleasant surroundings …” It consisted of just 12 lots and was bounded by Robert, Upperline, Freret and Howard (which was renamed Lasalle Street in 1923).
IMAGE FROM GOOGLE STREET VIEW
Marlborough Gate Place A June 1913 article in The Daily Picayune said the first home on the block was built by the firm of J.L. Beer & Co. Most of the homes in Marlborough Gate were of the bungalow style, popular in the early 20th century. That 1913 article described a “shell drive” running through the center of the “subdivision,” as it referred to the small development. It also said it had “handsome stone and brick pillars” located at each entrance, which are still visible at Marlborough Gate Place and Robert Street. The apartment building near that corner was constructed in 1920 as the Marlborough Apartments. At the time, rents ranged between $80 and $100 a month.
BL AKEVIE W THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GRAMMYWINNING MUSICIAN AL HIRT, the New Orleans-born trumpeter and band-
leader nicknamed “Jumbo” who was known both for his size and his enormous talent. Alois Maxwell Hirt Jr. was born in New Orleans on Nov. 7, 1922. His father, a New Orleans police officer, purchased a trumpet at a pawn shop and gave it to Hirt when he was 6 years old. He played his first professional gig at age 16 as a bugler at the Fair Grounds. Hirt attended Jesuit and Fortier high schools and in 1940 won a scholarship to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he studied classical music but joined jam sessions on the weekends, honing an interest in jazz. Hirt served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as a member of the 82nd Army Air Force Band and bugler. After the war, he played with the big bands of the era including Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Horace Heidt. He was also a member of WWL Radio’s popular Dawnbusters morning show orchestra. In 1950, Hirt recorded the first of his 55 albums (four of which went gold). He would earn 21 Grammy nominations, winning the Grammy in 1964 for his version of “Java,” written by Allen Toussaint. His bearded face was a fixture on television and on tour. He operated a nightclub on Bourbon Street from 1961 to 1983 where Ellis Marsalis Jr. was the house pianist. Hirt gave Marsalis’ son Wynton his first trumpet. Hirt performed at the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1970, and he was honored on the fest’s 2000 poster by artist George Rodrigue. He also played the first Super Bowl halftime show in 1967, was an original investor in the New Orleans Saints and musical director in the team’s early years. During his career, Hirt performed for six U.S. presidents and Pope John Paul II during his 1987 visit to New Orleans. He died in 1999.
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PEOPLE
COULD NEW ORLEANS TAKE CONTROL OF ITS POWER UTILITY? BY KAYLEE POCHE
PART OF GAMBIT’S CLIMATE OF CHANGE SERIES
TWO DECADES AGO, people in Winter Park, Florida, were fed up with their private power utility. The Orlando suburb had been plagued by unreliable energy service, and many disagreed with the company’s decision to cut down trees they deemed could knock down power lines during storms. “The reliability in Winter Park was so poor,” says Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight. “Everybody was constantly complaining about power outages, the way they butchered our trees in the right of way and all that type of thing. So, there was a lot of unhappiness.” Meanwhile, residents noticed that in nearby Orlando, where the city owns the Orlando Utility Commission, people had much better service. “I mean, their tagline is ‘the reliable one.’ They’re right next door to us,” Knight says. “A lot of our people that live in Winter Park work in Orlando, and they’re like, ‘We don’t have this problem in Orlando, but I go home and my clock’s blinking.’” It’s a familiar story, especially if you’re from New Orleans, where residents for decades have suffered from poor service, rising bills and political bullying from their private-owned power utility, Entergy New Orleans. But unlike New Orleans, Winter Park, a suburb of nearly 30,000 people, did something about it. Over a four-year period, the people of Winter Park waged a political and regulatory fight to wrest control of the city’s power distribution system. It was difficult, but in the end, the city accomplished what New Orleans residents often talk about: They bought out their private power company, at least partially. It’s a compelling model for New Orleans, which has regularly dealt
with rolling blackouts and inopportune service outages — while Entergy New Orleans cashes ever growing checks from consumers. And it starts with something New Orleanians already have in abundance: motivation to change. “You gotta have a reason to make you want to do it,” Knight says. THE PARALLELS BETWEEN Winter Park and New Orleans are striking in many ways, particularly when it comes to residents’ laundry list of frustrations with Entergy New Orleans. There was the time Entergy hired paid actors to testify in favor of a power plant in New Orleans East, the time they left four times as many customers powerless in the cold than they needed to, when they took more than a week to bring back many residents’ power after Hurricane Ida, their repeated outages during fair weather and, most recently, skyrocketing power bills. It’s gotten to the point where even the utility’s regulators, members of the New Orleans City Council, are openly joking about how difficult it is to work with them. Council Vice President JP Morrell tweeted on Aug. 10 a picture of two Star Wars “Baby Yoda” figurines, one of which was meditating, with the caption, “How I get through committee meetings with @EntergyNOLA without flipping tables over.” Council President Helena Moreno replied, asking for her own “emotional support Grogu.” Jokes aside, each time residents have problems with Entergy, they start asking a familiar question: Why don’t we just have a public power utility? For one, a public utility wouldn’t constantly be trying to maximize
P H O T O P R O V I D E D B Y C I T Y O F W I N T E R P A R K E L E C T R I C U T I L I T Y D E P T.
A city electrical worker works on a power line in Winter Park, Florida.
“There are an awful lot of people who simply cannot afford their utility bills in New Orleans,” LOGAN BURKE SAYS.
profits for its shareholders, and, in theory, the city would be able to invest the money it did make back into the community, whether that’s lowering power bills or making investments to improve reliability. After all, the city has an agreement with Entergy New Orleans that has no expiration date but gives the city the right to buy the utility at any time. But while many places in the United States have talked about the city taking over its power system, very few ultimately have in recent decades. That’s because doing so is a huge undertaking that typically involves an uphill battle against a well-financed incumbent utility that doesn’t want to lose customers. In New Orleans, Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, says two
big reasons to go from a private to public power utility would be the potential to improve reliability and lower costs for consumers. “There are an awful lot of people who simply cannot afford their utility bills in New Orleans,” she says. GOING PUBLIC could come in many forms. One possibility is the city could own the entire power grid, from the generation of energy to the transmission lines that bring it to the substations to the wires that then bring the electricity to households and businesses. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, New Orleans officials actually toyed with this idea. The City Council even considered buying the whole system outright from Entergy New Orleans, then New Orleans Public Service Inc. (NOPSI), to avoid bill spikes related to a Mississippi power plant. But the process was drawn out, which allowed NOPSI to sow doubt in the public’s mind through a lobbying campaign. As uncertainty spread about whether going public would, in fact, keep bills from increasing, the idea began to lose the support of the public and the council, which over the years became stacked with members opposed to the idea altogether. Entergy’s recent track record may have revived calls for the city to take the utility fully public, but the
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POWER TO THE
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE
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P H O T O B Y M A X B E C H E R E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Entergy New Orleans customers visit Canal Street customer service office on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, after the company resumed disconnections after Hurricane Ida.
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obstacles to doing so remain or have gotten worse. “I think it’s been so long since we’ve looked at what the best structure of municipalization in New Orleans looks like, it would require some good analysis,” Burke says. While there are plenty of publicly owned utilities in the country, the transition from private to public power is difficult and expensive. Burke points out that recent infrastructure, like the power plant in New Orleans East, would add to the cost of buying out Entergy New Orleans. “We’re in a situation where currently Entergy New Orleans owns a fairly new and expensive power plant on New Orleans’ behalf,” Burke says. “And so that plant in New Orleans East represents a hurdle because it would be an additional cost that we didn’t have less than five years ago.” According to a 2017 report, only 18 places made the switch in whole or part between 1990 and 2017. Some only serve small portions of the area’s population, and all have fewer customers than Entergy New Orleans does currently. Many bigger cities have explored municipalization in recent years but ultimately haven’t yet completed the process. Boulder, Colorado, ended its public power campaign in 2020 after spending a decade and tens of millions
of dollars on the fight. And momentum in Chicago slowed around the same time after a study found the city couldn’t afford to buy out the private utility company — although, proponents of public power have questioned that study. One option New Orleans might want to rule out is the approach taken by Long Island, New York: The government purchased the whole electric system in 1998 but contracts out all management and daily operations to a private company. Long Island Power Authority determined PSEG Long Island had problems with “mismanagement” after their computer and telephone systems failed when Category 1 storm Hurricane Isaias hit the area in 2020. Long Island officials are now looking into alternative ways of running their electrical system, including becoming a public utility. ANOTHER OPTION IS the city could become responsible for all or part of the city’s power generation as New Orleans transitions to a heavier reliance on green energy. Burke from the Alliance for Affordable Energy favors this approach, which she says can help lower utility bills. “The mechanism of how the companies make money is so grounded in ownership of generation and ownership of the largest and most expensive
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
generation possible,” she says. One model that has been successful in some European countries is having the government own a stake in green energy companies. For instance, in Denmark, the government owns a majority of Orsted, a huge energy company which is a global leader in offshore wind. That means part of the revenues Orsted makes ($24.3 billion before taxes in 2021) goes to the Danish government. Megan Milliken Biven, who previously worked for the United States federal agency that regulates offshore energy, says she wishes the U.S. would adopt this model. “Why can’t we have an American Orsted?” Biven says. “Why are we just getting a part of the cut when we could have a full cut from our own energy resources?” Investing in green energy, like offshore wind, requires a lot of costs upfront to get the infrastructure set up before a company can start turning a profit. Biven says that the government is better positioned to make these investments without raising the price of utility bills. “The government can absorb these costs very differently than a private enterprise, who needs to show a return on their investment to shareholders,” she says. “But if we are the shareholders, if it’s the government who has its own
printing press, it’s a different kind of calculus.” “That means also that the government can establish the kind of wages that would make it attractive to the workforce that’s already been displaced right now,” she adds. Startup costs, though, would be substantial. Even if the Gulf’s wind resources were sufficient to meet our needs, they won’t come online for years. That means the city would need to find other sources of energy in the meantime, which would essentially leave Entergy New Orleans or some other private company in control for the time being. The city taking on part or all of power generation alone also does not address distribution problems, which Burke and others note would remain under private control. “I think the difficulty there is then right now we’re in a situation where the utility is in charge of the wires and they are clearly not maintaining that,” Burke says. BUT THERE IS A THIRD OPTION: taking over the distribution system, a la Winter Park. The city’s 30-year agreement with its private utility Progress Energy was set to expire at the beginning of 2001, and though Progress wanted an extension, city officials were considering buying out Progress Energy. Progress Energy, now Duke
Energy, wanted to take away the city’s right to purchase the utility in the extension of the contract — essentially locking them into a permanent franchise. The City Commission (their version of City Council) voted to do a study on going public, and after they did, the city spent the next two years embroiled in legal battles with Progress Energy. The two parties eventually came to an agreement outside of court. By fall 2003, voters approved the city buying Progress Energy’s substation, and it took the city another year and a half to physically make the transition. Like Entergy in Louisiana, Progress Energy is a large utility company in Florida whose lines don’t end at city borders. Because Winter Park was in the middle of Progress Entergy’s service area, they had to sever all of Progress Energy’s power lines except for the transmission line coming into the substations, since Winter Park would only handle getting the power from the substations to households. The city paid Progress Energy $43 million for the purchase, which included one of their substations. They built another substation, bringing the total cost of the transition to around $50 million. Randy Knight says because Winter Park was such a small part of Progress Energy’s system, the switch to public power didn’t
affect many energy jobs. Fifteen people now run the city-owned electric utility, and the city already had people handling billing for its water and sewer utility. But city jobs are typically more secure than private sector jobs and come with good benefits. Plus, Ursula Schryver of the American Public Power Association says local workers usually fill those positions. “Generally, all the employees do live in the city or the town, so they spend their money in the community,” she says. “They know the system really well, so they can respond quickly in an outage.” On average, Knight says, rates have been lower than now-Duke Energy since the city went public, but that has more to do with the supply and demand of the energy market. When there’s an excess supply of energy, the city can bid on energy from multiple places to get the best price, but when the supply is low, they must buy it at higher rates. ACCORDING TO KNIGHT, one of the biggest hurdles in going public in Winter Park was the lobbying power of the private utility. “The industry and utilities will outspend you. They will get involved in your next election,” he says. “It’s a long process. They get multiple election cycles to try to change things in their favor, and they do.”
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P H O T O B Y A N T H O N Y M C A U L E Y / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
A massive Entergy tower that fell during Hurricane Ida, knocking out power to most of metro New Orleans.
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE best interest of our New Orleans customers, some members of the council have publicly expressed a different opinion.” However, the Winter Park case proves it’s not impossible to overcome a massive opposition campaign. The town re-elected commission members supporting municipalization, and when the time came, 69% voted in favor of a city-run power utility. Winter Park began distributing power to residents in 2005. AS CLIMATE CHANGE causes more frequent and severe storms, switching to public power could help New Orleans weather them. Public utilities are eligible for federal public assistance grants through FEMA if a declared emergency damages their system. Those grants cover at least 75% of the money needed to recover. Meanwhile, privately-owned utility companies can’t get this money and typically pass storm expenses onto customers, as New Orleans residents know all too well. The City Council is currently considering Entergy New Orleans’ proposal to further increase bills to make up for the $170 million in Hurricane Ida storm costs alone. One of the potentially biggest benefits of going public could be finally getting the city’s power lines underground — and away from hurricane force winds. Publicly owned utilities can invest the money they make into making the electrical grid more reliable. Winter Park has been able to take the profits its utility is earning and invest about $7 million a year in burying its power lines, according to Knight. Though the whole system isn’t underground yet, the city is already seeing the difference. “When Hurricane Irma came through four or five years ago now, all the outages we had in our system were only in the overhead parts of the system,” Knight says. “We only had one outage of an underground part of our system. So undergrounding works when it comes to hurricanes.” Knight says the city is aiming to put its entire system underground in five years, but with current high costs, it could take seven or eight years. While that may sound like a long time, Entergy New Orleans is barely keeping up with maintenance of the existing above-ground system and has no concrete plans or timetable for burying lines citywide.
P H O T O B Y S H AW N F I N K / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Entergy President Rod West, center, listens while citizens voice concerns as City Council members hold a special meeting on Entergy’s paid actor controversy in 2018.
“Public power as a business model is not a silver bullet necessarily,” TOBIAS SELLIER SAYS. “You still have to have the right people running it, smart people running it.” EVEN IF THE STARS ALIGN perfectly, taking over the city’s distribution grid won’t be easy. This is New Orleans, after all. After the fallout from Hurricane Ida, the City Council voted to hire a consulting firm to conduct a study looking into other options for who owns and controls the city’s power utility. At the time, City Council President Helena Moreno said the study was simply to explore the city’s options, though those options did involve breaking Entergy New Orleans’ monopoly. “As I mentioned yesterday, this is not a push to do any one of these things — not to bring in another company, not to municipalize, whatever,” she said. “We just don’t know, but this is really a push for more information.” But more than a year later, the city hasn’t even hired a consulting firm to start that study. The council has been having difficulty
finding consultants for utility-related matters in general. Andrew Tuozzolo, Moreno’s chief of staff, said the council is trying to hire consultants for other contracts first before asking for bids on the ownership study. And, as Tobias Sellier, senior communications director for the American Public Power Association, says, “Public power as a business model is not a silver bullet necessarily.” “You still have to have the right people running it, smart people running it … It’s not a silver bullet in terms of solving every reliability, affordability, jobs-type problem,” he says. But as Winter Park has shown, switching to a city-owned transmission system is not only possible to do, it can have a fundamentally positive impact on the community. And having city control brings with it new opportunities for the city to explore other solutions to power problems. For instance, Winter Park has also invested profits into solar energy, and the city will be part of a larger project coming online in 2024 and 2025. After they complete undergrounding, the City Commission will decide if they want to put the money toward lowering rates, buying new streetlights or whatever else they may need. “That’s one of the advantages about community-owned electric is you can decide how to invest those profits or to lower rates,” Knight says.
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“We watched it all around us where city commissioners that were against buying it got elected. The ones that were in favor of buying it lost their seats, and next thing you know they’ve signed a new franchise and they get another 30 years.” Even just a study to see if a public power utility would be feasible resulted in Progress Energy stopping paying Winter Park its franchise fee. The city sued. On top of two years of lawsuits, Progress Energy outspent the city by tenfold in the election where municipalization was on the ballot. In most places, it worked. Of the 106 franchises up for renewal in Florida with Progress Energy at the time, Winter Park was the only one not to renew their agreement. “They’re involved in the community,” Knight says. “They sponsor every golf tournament. They sponsor every Chamber of Commerce. They’re entrenched, and so it’s tough for a community to go against the politics of taking on these big guys.” Should New Orleans look to go public with its electric utility, it’s sure to face similar stiff and well-funded opposition from Entergy, including but not limited to lawsuits, political campaigns or other bargaining chips. Something that’s already come up is parent company Entergy Corp.’s headquarters in New Orleans, the only Fortune 500 company headquartered in the city. In response to criticism from the City Council after Hurricane Ida, Entergy Corp. insinuated they could move their headquarters elsewhere should the council attempt to break Entergy New Orleans’ monopoly in the city. “Because Entergy says things like, ‘Well, we’re the only Fortune 500 company and we do these various wonderful things for the City of New Orleans,’ I think politicians very often get nervous about the idea of losing it,” Burke says. Rod West, Entergy utility group president, said in a statement at the time that the council’s proposals, which included the study and an investigation into Entergy’s transmission electric failures during the storm, would hurt the utility financially, “adversely impacting ENO’s ability to provide quality service to its customers.” “It is obvious that we have reached a critical juncture in our relationship with the City Council,” he said. “While we believe that the actions of Entergy New Orleans have always been in the
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The Verdict opens in New Orleans East FOR MELIKA, TASHIKA AND MICHIKO HONORÉ, The Verdict is a family affair
that draws on years of experience. The restaurant and lounge opened Oct. 5 in New Orleans East, giving a fresh start to a building that once housed the Roxbury strip club on Lake Forest Boulevard. Melika Honoré is the driver and marketing maven behind the restaurant. Her sister Tashika Honoré-Holden is the operations manager, focused on managing a team of past employees and extended family running the cocktail lounge and restaurant. Their mother Michiko Honoré is the chef, bringing decades of experience in hotel banquet kitchens and as a corporate chef for House of Blues to the table. The idea behind The Verdict came from Melika. “We are responsible to pass a verdict on our own lives,” she says. “I wanted to showcase people who made good and bad decisions throughout the restaurant.” There’s a portrait of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian cartel queen pin and another of Melika in judge’s robes. “Because I’m the judge, jury and verdict of my own life,” Melika says. “We have to live with our choices, good or bad.” The verdict theme carries through the menu with dishes like Not Guilty spinach dip, Indictment Fish Bites and cocktails such as the Plead the Fifth, mixed with Crown Royal, peach and bitters. The kitchen highlights fresh ingredients, such as spinach, crawfish and botanicals in a rich dip served with house fried tortilla chips. The menu specialty is egg rolls with locally inspired fillings. “I had to figure it out,” Michiko says. “How am I going to stuff an egg roll with gumbo, with jambalaya? I realized you have to make it like a stuffing.” The three Honoré women worked together in Melika’s original business, licensed 24-hour daycare centers that care for infants up to 12-year-olds when their parents are working nights. The sisters opened the business in 2006 because they
|
by Beth D’Addono
Email dining@gambitweekly.com
saw a need in the market. Melika struggled with childcare herself as a nighttime worker at House of Blues. She now also runs a credit consulting business geared to helping women access the funds they need to start businesses. With their mom’s kitchen skills, a restaurant was a natural progression. A decade ago, the trio ran the short-lived Cast Iron Rose soul food spot on St. Claude Avenue in the Upper 9th Ward. After taking a break, they believe the timing is right for a new start in New Orleans East. A longtime resident of New Orleans East, the self-taught chef resisted the calling at first. “My mama kept after me to cook but I didn’t like it at first. I’d run out of the kitchen,” Michiko says. “Then I realized I could make a living in the kitchen.” Michiko, who is the leader and company chef at the two-day care centers, was up for the additional challenge. “My daughters are always telling me, we aren’t running a restaurant at these daycare centers, but they’re all my babies and they need to eat good food. This restaurant gives me a chance to cook new dishes.” The Crawbisque fried roll is filled with a savory dressing of crawfish, crabmeat, butter, breadcrumbs, celery, onions, garlic and herbs, bound with a crawfish stock and served with a side of ranch dressing. Besides nightly specials and a Sunday brunch buffet, the menu includes head-on barbecue shrimp with garlic bread, Tabasco cream pasta with chicken or shrimp, fried chicken with mac and cheese and a fried seafood platter with hush puppies and fries.
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THE JUICY, RUSTY-RED, PEPPER-SHOT CREOLE HOT SAUSAGE THAT VANCE VAUCRESSON MAKES BY HAND goes
PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER
Melika Honoré, Michiko Honoré, and Tashika Honoré-Holden opened The Verdict in New Orleans East. “A lot of people don’t eat bread pudding, but I changed that with the egg rolls,” Michiko says. Her white chocolate bread pudding egg roll is a revelation, thanks to a crispy tempura coating and a moist, rich bread pudding center. The Verdict hosts live music on Friday nights, and there are game day specials — with a strict dress code and admission restricted to ages 30 and over. “I have kids,” Melika says. “But that’s not who I’m looking to hang out with when I’m out celebrating and having a good time.” The Honorés say they could have opened this restaurant anywhere, but they opted to open it in their home neighborhood. “We know this as a place with good neighbors, a place we raised our families,” Tashika says. The family say they are excited to bring a new gathering spot to the community. “It’s not just about New Orleans East, it’s about a really cool place for professionals to hang out and have a good time,” Melika says.
? WHAT
The Verdict Lounge & Restaurant
WHERE
9301 Lake Forest Blvd., (504) 264-7897; theverdictlounge.com
WHEN
Dinner Wed.Sat., brunch Sun.
HOW
Dine-in
CHECK IT OUT
Creole egg rolls and twists on local favorites in New Orleans East
into lengths of Leidenheimer bread for po-boys, just like the ones his family has served countless times at Jazz Fest for the past half century. These days, the same robustly-flavored hot links also go onto tasting platters with other varieties, like crawfish sausage and jerk chicken sausage, with an array of accoutrements and mustards made in house. The sausage gets blended with red beans for a unique dip, and it’s sliced and served over a cheddarand onion-covered beef patty for a special burger with extra snap and deep Creole flavor. These are some of the first tastes diners will find at the new Vaucresson’s Creole Cafe and Deli
P H O T O B Y I A N M C N U LT Y / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Founder Vance Vaucresson (left) with Duane Cruse, V.J. Vaucresson and Julie Vaucresson at Vaucresson’s Creole Cafe and Deli. in the 7th Ward. Julie and Vance Vaucresson opened the doors here late in October after a journey that stretches to the dark days after Hurricane Katrina. Vaucresson sausage has been a continuous part of the landscape of Creole flavor in New Orleans for generations, though it was laid low by the levee failures in 2005. Its long-time butcher shop and production facility on St. Bernard Avenue were wrecked, and attempts to bring it back stalled out through the years. PAGE 22
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Vance Vaucresson kept the business going, however, using other facilities and making sure these flavors remained in rotation, reaching customers by direct order and at events. Community support and encouragement kept the enterprise going and the wheels turning toward a full reopening. “There were layers of conflict between us getting here, but at every step there was someone saying how they needed us to come back, how they needed to get this sausage again,” Vaucresson says. Vaucresson opened the new Vaucresson’s Creole Café & Deli at the former butcher shop’s original address at 1800 St. Bernard Ave. He brought it together with a partnership that includes the nonprofit Crescent City Community Land Trust, Liberty Bank and Edgar Chase IV, chef at his family’s famous Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. While the footprint is the same, the structure is a complete rebuild and has been thoroughly redesigned along modern lines. Vaucresson is on a mission, and he sees the shop and cafe as a hub to propel it. “It’s all about telling the story of our Creole culture and how so much of that comes through food and families, and that’s what you can connect here,” he says. “People out there are yearning for those connections to what once was.” While the doors are open now and the sausage po-boys are coming off the grill, this new cafe is making its debut in stages. Right now it’s serving lunch only while production ramps up and some finishing touches to the cafe take shape. Vaucresson is working toward a scheduled grand opening on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving. He plans to gradually expand the menu from its current slate of po-boys, burgers and appetizers to include more plates and home-style dishes. He also plans to expand hours and hopes eventually to add breakfast. Befitting a heritage business entering a new chapter, the cafe has a modern feel with many touchpoints to the past. Reclaimed millwork flank an interior lined with large windows looking out on St. Bernard Avenue. From a seat at the diner counter you can watch Vaucresson make the next batch of hot sausage, just like he watched his own father and grandfather when they ran their businesses.
Vaucresson traces the roots of his family business back to Levinsky Vaucresson, who emigrated to New Orleans from France in 1899. Trained as a butcher, he had a stall at the St. Bernard Market, then part of a network of public food markets. That market later developed into Circle Food Store, a one-ofa-kind grocery and community hub just two blocks from where Vaucresson’s is located today. The butcher shop business was passed from one generation to the next and evolved through the years. By 1967, Vance’s father, Robert “Sonny” Vaucresson Sr. had opened a restaurant called
P H O T O B Y I A N M C N U LT Y / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
Creole hot sausage fills a po-boy at Vaucresson’s Creole Cafe and Deli. Vaucresson’s Creole Cafe on Bourbon Street, in what later became part of Pat O’Brien’s. It was a rare example of a Blackowned business in the French Quarter in that era. When the first Jazz Fest got underway in Congo Square, just outside the French Quarter, Vaucresson’s Creole Cafe was one of the vendors that festival organizer George Wein tapped to showcase the flavors of New Orleans for the crowd. Those early crowds were small, but the family stuck with the festival and is now the only food vendor to be part of every Jazz Fest. The opening menu at Vaucresson’s Creole Café & Deli has a range of sausage po-boys filled with Creole hot links, Creole chicken, Italian, crawfish or jerk chicken sausages. There also is a shrimp po-boy, the sausage-topped Creole burger, sides like onion rings and fries and appetizers including red beans and sausage dip, boudin balls and a sausage sampler platter. The deli also stocks a selection of fresh sausage to cook at home. The cafe’s current hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. — IAN McNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
Andre Darlington
OF THE
WEEK
Cookbook author by Will Coviello
“Booze Cruise,” in 2021. He has a background as a food, wine and travel writer and once owned a restaurant. He’s released a series of themed cocktail books, but his latest is a cocktail party cookbook, “Bar Menu.” It goes from nuts and olives to sandwiches and seafood dishes. Darlington will be at a book signing and dinner at Cochon on Wednesday, Nov. 9. He visits Garden District Book Shop and its adjacent Chicory House on Thursday, Nov. 10, for an event with light bites and drinks. For more information, visit andredarlington.com.
of liquor. They’ve taken on distilling. In Singapore and Bangkok, bars are distilling their own booze. They take you upstairs and show you their distillation system. You’re like, “I am going to have the hangover of my life.” There is a cocktail culture in Lagos (Nigeria). It’s one of the largest cities in Africa and so, of course, you get cocktails. I try to be global in my outlook.
Why did you write a cocktail food book?
What do you think of cocktail party fare?
FOOD AND DRINK WRITER ANDRE DARLINGTON PUBLISHED HIS TOUR OF THE WORLD’S FAVORITE COCKTAILS,
ANDRE DARLINGTON: In 2016, I wrote a book called “The New Cocktail Hour.” It’s about how cocktails had really changed. They had become chefy. We were in this craft cocktail movement. From that moment, it stuck in my mind that everything about cocktails had gone retro. The cocktail kitchen has changed as well. I have always wanted to write a cookbook, and it only took me seven books to get here. I came from wine writing, and there are a lot of wine and food books. What do you make for the wine you’re serving? There really wasn’t anything like that for cocktails. Right before the pandemic, I did a ton of traveling, and that turned into a book called “Booze Cruise,” where I did essential drinks from cities around the world. I saw that not only had things changed in the U.S., but all these cultures where craft cocktails were new were finding traditional dishes or making stuff up to go with that. All of that is thrown into “Bar Menu.” I went to Kyiv in 2019 because I was hearing that there was a cocktail scene going on. There are all these cool bars and speakeasies. When I traveled around the world, these Asian cities have exploded in the last 10 years. It’s because they have these youthful wealthy populations. There was so much cocktail culture, and it had become so great so fast. Europe still heavily relies on opening a bottle of vermouth or sherry. In Asia, there’s a lot
PROVIDED PHOTO BY ANDRE RUCKER
D: Part of the backbone of this book is saying the old cocktail party was a lot of bland food that was inspired by these places. So if you had tequila, you served Mexican dip. I am saying, hey, we’ve gotten away from that. Let’s go straight to the source. We’re not as cut off from the rest of the world anymore. I think 20 years ago, not all of these ingredients would be available. But now, you can get them. Twenty years ago, we knew Italy, France and Spain really well. There are whole books about French aperitif culture. I wanted to explore further. Things are changing a lot. Some of these places have had cocktail culture for a really long time, like the Philippines. There was a guy who went around the world between the two world wars named Charles H. Baker, and he pointed out that Manila had some of the greatest cocktails on the planet. I think it died out for a while, but it’s back with a vengeance. Tokyo has been making great cocktails since the end of the second World War.
What’s your advice for throwing a cocktail party? D: I always try to demystify. I write cocktail books to let people know that you can make great cocktails at home. It’s good for the whole industry. They make better consumers. They keep people honest in a way. With this book, I would love to see people having
cocktail parties again. I want it to be a book that says you don’t have to make 20 different things. You can just make dumplings and have people over and have cocktails be the focus. Make one or two things, and have a few people over and make drinks. When I am on the road, the number one question is, “What should I get?” People worry and feel like they have to have all these bottles of liquor and wine and beer and this and that. Less is more. You can come up with a signature cocktail or two and put out a recipe card. Keep it small. You can make them their first drink and then let them serve themselves. I talk about beginners having a three-bottle bar, which is gin, a whiskey, like rye or bourbon, and these days Campari or something bitter like that. You can make a vast amount cocktails with that. Of course, you can add a rum or tequila, but you have to start somewhere. For food, you can go all out at the holidays, when it’s fun to do more. I don’t think you need to cook that much all the time. I say in the intro that I am pretty lazy. If you’re making cocktails, throw one thing in the oven, or put out cheese or eggs or one veggie thing and that’s fine. The first cocktail party recorded was in 1917, and it lasted one hour. Think of it that way. OK, come on, pile in everyone, have one or two drinks. It’s like visiting hours. The overall point is, just do it. Go get three bottles and make one dish. Hopefully, it inspires someone to invite you over.
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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.
Acorn — 12 Henry Thomas Drive, (504) 218-5413; acornnola.com — The cafe a at the Louisiana Children’s Museum has kid- and adult-friendly menu. Blackened shrimp fill a trio of tacos topped with arugula, radish, pineapple-mango salsa and cilantro-lime sauce. No reservations. breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$ Andrea’s Restaurant — 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant.com — Chef Andrea Apuzzo’s speckled trout royale is topped with crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines house-made angel hair pasta and smoked salmon in cream sauce. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sun. $$$ 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 other treats. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — The menu highlights Gulf seafood in Creole, Cajun and Southern dishes. Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — The menu includes sandwiches, fried seafood platters, boiled seafood and more. Basin barbecue shrimp are served over cheese grits features with a cheese biscuit. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: lunch Fri.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — The menu includes Creole and creative contemporary dishes. 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. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like Crab beignets with herb aioli. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Common Interest — Hotel Indigo, 705 Common St., (504) 595-5605; commoninterestnola.com — Shrimp remoulade Cobb salad comes with avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon, egg and corn relish. Slow roasted beef debris tops goat cheese and thyme grits. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — The menu higlights Gulf seafood in Creole dishes. Char-grilled oysters are topped with Parmesan and herbs. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — The seafood restaurant has a raw bar and a large selection of bourbon. Redfish on the Halfshell is cooked skin-on and served with lemon buerre blanc. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar — 739 Iberville St., (504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 304-4125; felixs. com — Louisiana oysters are served raw or char-grilled with garlic, Parmesan and breadcrumbs. The menu includes seafood platters, crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Frey Smoked Meat Co. — 4141 Bienville St., Suite 110, (504) 488-7427; freysmokedmeat.com — The barbecue restaurant serves pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, brisket, sausages and more. Fried pork belly poppers are tossed in pepperjelly glaze. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Froot Orleans — 2438 Bell St., Suite B, (504) 233-3346; frootorleans.com — The shop serves fresh fruit in platters, smoothie bowls such as a strawberry shortcake smoothie and more using pineapple, various berries, citrus and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Joey K’s — 3001 Magazine St., (504) 891-0997; joeyksrestaurant.com — The menu includes fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and red beans and rice. Sauteed trout Tchoupitoulas is topped with shrimp and crabmeat. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes grilled steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar-jack cheese, black beans, yellow rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also has tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — A Cajun Cuban has roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic and scallions. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The bar menu includes sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and more. A Louisiana peach flatbread has prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations. Dinner Wed.-Sat. $$
Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. A NOLA Style Grits Bowl is topped with bacon, cheddar and a poached egg. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes filets mignons, bone-in rib-eyes and top sirloins, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Martin Wine Cellar — 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, (504) 896-7350; 3827 Baronne St., (504) 894-7444; martinwine.com — The spirits shop’s deli serves sandwiches, salads and more. The Sena salad includes roasted chicken, raisins, blue cheese, pecans and field greens with Tabasco pepperjelly vinaigrette. No reservations. Lunch daily. $$ Mid City Pizza — 6307 S. Miro St., (504) 509-6224; 4400 Banks St., (504) 4838609; midcitypizza.com — The pizza joint serves New York-style pies, calzones, sandwiches and salads. Shrimp remoulade pizza includes spinach, red onion and garlic on an olive oilbrushed curst. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Thu.-Mon. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. The menu also has sushi, sashimi, noodle dishes, teriyaki and more. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and house specialties including shrimp Mosca and chicken a la grande. Baked oysters Mosca is made with breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot is known for po-boys dressed with cabbage and Creole favorites, such as jambalaya, crawfish etouffee and red beans and rice. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Nephew’s Ristorante — 4445 W. Metairie Ave., Metairie, (504) 533-9998; nephewsristorante.com — Chef Frank Catalanotto is the namesake “nephew” who ran the kitchen at Tony Angello’s restaurant. The Creole-Italian menu features dishes like veal, eggplant or chicken parmigiana. Reservations required. Dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as seafood platters, po-boys, char-grilled oysters, pasta, salads and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.Sat., brunch Sun. $$ 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, sandwiches, salads, seafood pasta and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ Nonno’s Cajun Cuisine and Pastries — 1940 Dauphine St., (504) 354-1364; nonnoscajuncuisineandpastries.com — The menu includes home-style Cajun and Creole dishes with some vegan options. Shrimp are sauteed with onions and bell peppers, topped with cheese and served with two eggs and toast. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — Black lentil vadouvan curry comes with roasted tomatoes, forest mushrooms and basmati rice. The menu includes small plates, a burger, salads and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 5281941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The hotel’s rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. No reservations. Dinner daily. $$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The seafood restaurant serves raw and char-grilled oysters, seafood, burgers, salads and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Tavolino Pizza & Lounge — 141 Delaronde St., (504) 605-3365; tavolinonola.com — The menu features thin-crust pizzas, salads, meatballs and more. A Behrman Hwy. pizza is topped with pork belly, caramel, marinated carrots and radishes, jalapenos and herbs. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ 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) 2349420; 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. Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $ Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 5015 Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscevichepisco.com — Peruvian lomo saltado is a traditional dish of beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and pisco, and served with fried potatoes and rice. Outdoor seating and delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Zhang Bistro — 1141 Decatur St., (504) 826-8888; zhangbistronola. com — The menu includes Chinese and Thai dishes. The Szechuan Hot Wok offers a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu with onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapenos, garlic and spicy Szechuan sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
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A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T PAGE 5
FORESTival
A STUDIO IN THE WOODS PRESENTS ITS ANNUAL FESTIVAL featuring presen-
tations by artists in residencies and music by Shamarr Allen, Sabine McCalla and Wayne Singleton & Same Ol’ 2 Step. There also are art activities, programming focused on environmental justice, food and drink vendors and more. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at 13401 Patterson Road. Suggested donation is $15 for adults. Visit astudiointhewoods.org for information.
R&B Music Experience
SUPERSTARS MONICA AND BOBBY BROWN HEADLINE A STACKED ’90S R&B CONCERT with the groups 112, Silk
and Next at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the Smoothie King Center. DJ Aone hosts. Tickets are $99.50 via smoothiekingcenter.com.
Covington Three Rivers Art Festival
MORE THAN 200 ARTIST AND VENDOR BOOTHS PRESENT JEWELRY, CERAMICS, METALWORKS, sculpture, paintings,
photography, woodwork and more from the 200 through 600 blocks of Columbia Street in Covington.
book your
There also are food trucks, a kids’ area, entertainment and more. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13. Find more information on covingtonthreeriversartfestival.com
Byron Asher
SAXOPHONIST BYRON ASHER LEADS A RECORD RELEASE CELEBRATION FOR HIS BASHER BAND’S “DOUBLES” LP, released
on Sinking City Records. The jazz pop fusion band blends horns, synthesizers and electronic sounds. At 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Snug Harbor. Tickets $25 at snugjazz.com.
“Expressions of America”
THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM PREMIERES “Expressions of America,”
featuring soldiers and everyday Americans talking about their contributions to the war effort. The outdoor presentation incorporates video, large-scale light projections, music by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and more at the museum’s Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Grounds. The show opens at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Tickets $32-$39 via expressionsofamerica.org.
Call Today!
Holiday Party
(504) 229-4236 cafenegrilnola.com
at
New
expanded VIP section, restaurant, balloon drops, and of course the best live music in New Orleans!
TAKEOUT and DELIVERY
Mac Sabbath
MAC SABBATH IS BOTH A PARODY AND TRIBUTE TO BLACK SABBATH and what
the 1970s knew as heavy metal. Guitarist Slayer MacCheeze leads the band of costumed McDonaldland character riffs. The band is at Zony Mash Beer Project at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, for a makeup show after last year’s canceled date. Tickets $20 via zonymashbeer.com.
13th Tribe!
THE EVENT FEATURES MUSIC BY THE NEW ORLEANS KLEZMER ALLSTARS and
Panorama Jazz Band and highlights the mix of Jewish and New Orleans cultures. There also is food from Latke Daddy, Tal’s Hummus, Flour Moon Bagels and Smoke & Honey. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Zony Mash Beer Project. Find information at zonymashbeer.com.
‘Operating Theatre’
ANITA VATSHELL’S FARCE “OPERATING THEATRE” FOLLOWS THE PLIGHT OF A YOUNG , unmarried pregnant woman
who takes on an absurd gamut of restrictions and judgements while trying to secure an abortion on a cruise ship. The production is at
8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 12, as well as Nov. 17-19 at New Marigny Theatre at 2301 Marais St. Tickets $25 via eventbrite.com.
Veterans Experience Project
BASTION COMMUNITY OF RESILIENCE WILL COMMEMORATE VETERANS DAY at Gallier
Hall with a day of art, performances and panels that focus on veterans’ experiences during and following their service. The Veterans Experience Project will include Community Building Art Works presenting poetry; investigative journalist Thomas Brennan; photojournalist JT Blatty; filmmaker Russell Midori; authors Kayla Williams and Michael Pitre; artist Kiam Marcelo Junio; and playwright Jeff Key performing pieces from his work “The Eyes of Babylon.” There also will be a screening of the documentary “We Are Not Done Yet,” which follows 10 veterans who participate in an arts workshop and face their traumas, and a performance by Bo Dollis Jr. and the Wild Magnolias. The event runs 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Gallier Hall. Find more information at joinbastion.org.
2022
GUIDE TO GIVING A SPECIAL PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MAKING NEW ORLEANS A BETTER PLACE DEADLINE
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Submitted Article
theme, so kids can meet animals, learn
https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/
This article is brought to you by
about where they live, and explore the
nature-at-night.
Audubon Nature Institute
Zoo at night. One of my favorite things
Park , Audubon Zoon , Audubon A q u a r i u m , Au d u b o n L o u i s i a n a
Audubon Nature Institute is a family
Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan
about these programs is sharing how
of facilities, events, experiences,
Audubon Species Survival Center,
Young explorers can visit Audubon
we can all make small changes in our
sustainability initiatives and
Woldenberg Riverfront Park and
Zoo after hours this fall as part of
own lives to help protect the natural
conservation programs united in the
Audubon Wilderness Park. We inspire
the popular education series, Nature
world. We can all make a difference in
belief that each of us has the power
visitors, members and our community
at Night.
saving our environment!”
to impact nature and wildlife for
to support nature and wildlife – and
the better. This includes Audubon
leave the world better than we found it.
Back by popular demand, Audubon
Each Nature at Night weekend
Zoo is offering the Nature at Night
features a specia l a nima l theme.
“kid-only” events for children ages 6-12.
Activities and animal encounters will be
Youngsters can enjoy a special animal
exactly the same on Friday and Saturday
experience, pizza party, an event-themed
night. Some of the theme nights include
art project, and a flashlight tour of the
Predator Superpowers, Nighttime
Zoo. This series is offered Friday and
Neighbors, Armored Animals and more!
Saturday nights this fall.
To accommodate as many families as
“Visiting Audubon Zoo is always a favorite family activity and even more
possible, please register for one Nature at Night each weekend/theme.
so when kids can learn about animals
The upcoming themes are Om-Nom
and tour the Zoo after dark,” said
Nomnivores (November 18 and 19), The
Audubon Nature Institute’s Director
Scoop on Poop (December 3 and 4) and
of Education Programs Llewellyn
Cold Weather Creatures (December
Everage. “Nature at Night events are
16 and 17).
so much fun and educational as well.
To r e g i s t er a nd lea r n more
Each weekend will have a different
information about Nature at Night visit
G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S . C O M > N OV E M B E R 8 - 1 4 > 2 0 2 2
Nature at Night resumes to allow local youth to explore Audubon Zoo
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MUSIC F O R C O M P L E T E M U S I C L I S T I N G S A N D M O R E E V E N T S TA K I N G P L AC E I N T H E N E W O R L E A N S A R E A , V I S I T 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
TUESDAY 8 DOS JEFES — Wendell Brunious and Tom Hook, 8:30 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Collin Myers Band, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm HOWLIN' WOLF — Landon Wordswell, 10:30 pm KITCHEN TABLE CAFÉ — Gracie Jay and Max Bronstein, 6:30 pm
WEDNESDAY 9 ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Seven Forty Five, Jevon Tate, 6 pm BLUE NILE — New Breed Brass Band, 9 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Tin Men, 6 pm; The Iguanas, 9 pm DOS JEFES — Kris Tokarski, 8:30 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Boubon Street Stars, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm GASA GASA — Peel Dream Magazine, Modern Bodies, New Fools, 9 pm HOWLIN' WOLF — Sympathy Wizard, Ten Bulls, Will Roesner, 8 pm JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER, NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK — Darianna Videaux Capitel, 5 pm JOY THEATER — Mac Demarco, 8 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — Charmaine Neville, 2 pm SANTOS — Daisychain, Lisbon Girls, Dusty Santamaria, 9 pm SIBERIA — Wrong Chicken, Primpce, Dummy Dumpster, 9 pm THE SANDBAR — Byron Asher, 7 pm
THURSDAY 10 BAR AT TOULOUSE — Conor Donohue, 8 pm BLUE NILE — Where Y'at Brass Band, 9 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Reggae Night with DJ T-Roy, 10 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm DOS JEFES — Mark Coleman Band, 8:30 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Sensational Band, 2:30 pm; John Saavedra Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band, 8 pm GASA GASA — Ethan Tucker, Thrive, Shanin Blake, 9 pm HOWLIN' WOLF — Glavezton, 8 pm KITCHEN TABLE CAFÉ — Dr. Mark St. Cyr Traditional Jazz Band, 6:30 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULE — Soul Rebels, 11 pm PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds with Robin Barnes and Pat Casey , 8 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band, 8 pm SANTOS — Supersuckers, Volk, 9 pm
SIBERIA — Eagle Claw, Rickshaw Billies Burger Patrol, She Might Be A Beast, 9 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Showtime Goma, The Monocle, Everything Forever , 9 pm UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS AMPHITHEATRE — George Porter Jr. and Runnin' Pardners, 5 pm ZEITGEIST THEATRE & LOUNGE — Luke Martin, Derek Baron, 7 pm
FRIDAY 11 BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers, 7 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Trumpet Slim & Brass Flavor, 10 pm; Ashton Hines and the Big Easy Brawlers, 11 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — James McClasky and the Rhythm Band, 5 pm; Dave Jordan & The NIA, 10 pm DOS JEFES — The Unmentionables with Anna Quinn, 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Sam Friend Band, 2:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm GASA GASA — Butte, Amelia Nevilla, Kay Weathers, 9 pm HIDEAWAY DEN & ARCADE — Sugarbomb, 8 pm HOWLIN' WOLF — Leilani Kilgor, She Might Be A Beast, 9 pm KERRY IRISH PUB — Patrick Cooper, 9 pm NOLA BREWING COMPANY — Mike Doussan & Co., 6 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — Dvorak's "Symphony No. 8", 7:30 pm PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Kings of Neon, 8:30 pm SOUTHPORT HALL LIVE MUSIC & PARTY HALL — Mothership: Tribute to Led Zeppelin, 8 pm THE BROADSIDE — Movie Musical Madness, A Live Music Party of Hits from Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, & The Who's Tommy, 7 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Trixie Minx's Burlesque Ballroom, feat. Romy Kaye, 9:30 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Volvox, Marcuss Lott, Tristan Dufrene, 11 pm TIPITINA'S — Hans Williams, Connor Kelly, The Time Warp, 9 pm
SATURDAY 12 BLUE NILE — George Brown Band, 7 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — The Marigny Street Brass Band, 10 pm; The Rumble feat. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., 11 pm BUFFA'S BAR & RESTAURANT — Freddie Blue & the Friendship Circle Band, 7 & 9 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Tuba Skinny, 6 pm DOS JEFES — Vivaz!, 9 pm
P H O T O B Y M AT T H E W H I N T O N / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
FAUBOURG BREWING CO. — The Soul Rebels, 6 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Joe Kennedy Band, 2:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm GASA GASA — Lingua Ignota, 9 pm HIDEAWAY DEN & ARCADE — Transient, Faking Solace, Pardon the Scars, 8 pm HOWLIN' WOLF — Layla Musselwhite, 9 pm KERRY IRISH PUB — Patrick Cooper, 5 pm KITCHEN TABLE CAFÉ — Bad Penny Pleasuremakers, 6:30 pm NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE — Robert Eustis, 9 pm NOLA BREWING COMPANY — Boukou Groove, 6 pm PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Kermit Ruffins, DJ Smoke-A-Lot, 8:30 pm SIBERIA — First Days of Humanity, Severed Mass, Shitload, 9 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — Minka, Fungi, Beach Angel, 9 pm SOUTHPORT HALL LIVE MUSIC & PARTY HALL — Contraflow, 9 pm THE BOMBAY CLUB — Anais St. John, 8 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones Experience, 7:30 & 9 pm
SUNDAY 13 BEAUREGARD-KEYES HOUSE — Glen David Andrews, 6 pm BLUE NILE — The Baked Potatoes, 7 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 10 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Palmetto Bug Stompers, 5 pm; Treme Brass Band, 9 pm DOS JEFES — Peter Nu, 8 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Banjo on Bourbon, 12:30 pm; Joe
George Porter Jr and Runnin’ Pardners perform at UNO amphitheater at 5 pm Nov. 10. Kennedy Band, 2:30 pm; Marla Dixon Band, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm GASA GASA — Okapi, Maris, Organelle, 9 pm MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE — K-Z Taylor and -ology, 6:30 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Cameron Dupuy & the Cajun Troubadours, 4:30 pm SANTOS — Mothership, 9 pm THE BROADSIDE — Shaking Souls feat. Helen Gillet, Simon Berz, 7 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Wolfe Johns Blues Band, 7:30 pm TIPITINA'S — Spafford, 9 pm
MONDAY 14 D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Secret Six Jazz Band, 5 pm; Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, 9 pm DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 5 pm; Richard "Piano" Scott and Friends, 8 pm GASA GASA — Palm, Water From Your Eyes, Spllit, 9 pm REPUBLIC NOLA — Hell Yes Fest: Comedy Festival Closing Night, 8 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — The Amazing Henrietta, 6 pm; DarkLounge Ministries, 8 pm
SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR
29
Water in the Wasteland
by Jake Clapp
A WHILE BACK, DRUMMER LOU HILL WAS DRIVING THROUGH A DESOLATE STRETCH of west Texas on his way to
join his Water Seed bandmates for a show on the West Coast when a thought struck him. “I was just sitting there like, man, singers would never survive an apocalypse,” Hill says with a laugh. The idea rattled around for the rest of his shift driving the van loaded down with the band’s gear, and when he could finally hand off the steering wheel, he dove into writing out the story for what would become “Sounds of the Wasteland,” a new comic book from Water Seed. The progressive soul-funk band will release the first issue of “Sounds of the Wasteland” and an accompanying EP with a concert at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at The Rabbit Hole. Water Seed will perform along with rapper Kr3wcial and DJ Raj Smoove, and there will be a “Fortnite” competition set up by IGL Foundation. Angelique Roche, who hosts podcasts and panels for Marvel Entertainment, hosts the night with comedian DC Paul. Special guests include actors Stanley Aughtry and Terrance Rosemore. The members of Water Seed “have always been really nerdy about stuff,” Hill says. “It’s kind of part of everybody in the band’s childhood — a nerdy group of folks, who like to have fun but we’re into comic books, anime and sci-fi. When people say ‘Hey, what do you call your music?’ We call it ‘future funk’ because we’re always kind of dealing with [those ideas].” In “Sounds of the Wasteland,” a young musician named Kali wanders an apocalyptic world inhabited by warring angels and demons. The only humans that remain are musicians, enduring abuse and manipulation by the supernatural figures. Along with a couple of pistols and a knife, Kali carries a Stratocaster named Jericho — which has unexpectedly started talking to her in a voice only she can hear. Along with some bloody action — this is an adult comic book — there’s a lot of mystery in the first issue. What’s with the talking Strat? Why are musicians the only humans left? Why did angelic and demonic figures take over? Hill says those mysteries will unfold in future issues of “Sounds of the Wasteland,” which Louisiana-based artist Design Sunset illustrates and colors. The first story arc will run
PHOTO BY LANES LENSE / PROVIDED BY LOU HILL
Water Seed releases a new comic book with a concert on Nov. 18. about six or so issues, but Hill hopes to continue the story further. The comic book is an action story with supernatural horror elements mixed in, but because “Sounds of the Wasteland” was written by a musician and with a musician main character, some commentary on that life slips in. “Characters in the book can represent different potential issues with musicians and things that are happening with musicians — but also, it’s just the human experience,” Hill says. One major theme is how humans revert back to the “same dumbass patterns,” he adds, after life-altering situations, like a pandemic, a hurricane — or an apocalypse. Water Seed will release a short EP of new songs to accompany the first issue of the comic book, and there is an NFT of the project as well. The project is the start of a “Future Funk Stars” experience — future stars of progressive funk existing in other timelines and realities — that Water Seed hopes to build upon by merging music, comics, tech and other media formats. “It’s a whole aesthetic,” Hill says. “It’s about being who you are, expressing who you are. I hate to sound cliché, it’s like peace and love, but it’s also about honoring nature with technology — a peaceful existence between these things we struggle with. That’s kind of the concept … I think the best way to [explain it] is to show people, and ‘Sounds of the Wasteland’ is the first move in that direction.” Tickets for the Friday, Nov. 18, show are $15 at rabbitholenola.com. Find more at waterseedmusic.com.
Experience METAMORPHOSIS: featuring works curated by a panel of New Orleans based advocates for human rights. Kicking off November 13th at the Leona Tate Foundation’s Community Open House in celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of NOLA Public School desegregation. 5909 St Claude Ave.
ArabiVisualArts.com
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PRINT + DIGITAL RATES START AT $282 Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com *SCARBOROUGH RESEARCH NEW ORLEANS, LA 2022 RELEASE 1 (FEB 2021 – FEB 2022)
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Weekly Holiday Gift Guides in the following Issues: November 15 November 22 November 29 December 6 December 13 December 20
Contact Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com
audience member catches depends on their choices. Since they can roam the site-specific productions’ spaces and choose which characters they want to follow, audiences catch different snippets. In “The Family Line,” they might catch the matriarch Teresa Jacona quietly slipping her nephew Vincenzo an envelope of cash, or they might catch uncle Pascal Jacona and Christine, a friend who is a midwife, discreetly sharing a quaff of liquor in the storeroom. There’s plenty of personal and social intrigue in “The Family Line,” which runs through Nov. 20 at BK House, formerly known as Beauregard-Keyes House. But what makes the drama stand out and builds on the company’s past two similar productions is how the action swirls seamlessly through six spaces and the story comes together so fluidly. With the different combinations of characters in simultaneous scenes, audiences can’t catch every detail, but they can’t miss the core narrative, as the Jacona family and their workers and friends are torn by the proposition of a general strike spreading through New Orleans. Everyone is feeling the pinch, but will joining the strike make it better? The sequencing is fast and compelling, and the story stitches together brilliantly no matter what patch or thread viewers start with. The story is about 35 minutes, and it runs twice, so audiences can catch most of the scenes. The drama is set on a single evening during the 1892 General Strike in New Orleans. The Jacona family owns a grocery store in the French Quarter, then dubbed Little Palermo because of its Sicilian population and businesses. The store owners and clerks were considering joining the strike to fight back against the wholesalers steadily squeezing them on prices. The action starts as night is falling, and everyone is tense as there is talk of a city curfew being imposed after recent unrest. Also, it’s a year after Italian-Americans were lynched by mobs following the unsolved murder of the New Orleans police chief. Teresa is afraid that anti-Italian sentiments
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JOSH BR ASTED
‘The Family Line’ is an immersive drama at BK House. could erupt again and hurt her family or business. The drama is set around BK House’s back courtyard, with rooms around it serving as the Jacona home, the grocery store and sitting area where neighbors gather, and a storeroom where characters engage in more discreet conversations. Natalia is trying to take care of her mother and keep the store open. Siblings Dez and Isaac Richardson, who also own a grocery store, drop by the Jacona’s store. Isaac has an eye on Annette, a young shop clerk who works for the Jacona family. Dez is trying to organize more grocery store owners to join the strike. Though he’s a family cousin, Vincenzo Jacona works for the grocery wholesalers. With “The Family Line,” head writer Christopher Kaminstein and the team show how proficient they’ve become at tying together a fast-moving story coming together from disparate scenes. He and Richon May Wallace directed the nimble production. The various rooms are efficiently designed with useful props while leaving room for the actors and audiences to move in the spaces. The entire ensemble is strong, and there are many powerful moments, particularly the tensions between the Jaconas as the strike comes between family and new information is revealed. KC Simms is very natural in Isaac’s flirtation with Annette. Constance Thompson is bright-eyed and passionate about the strike and progress, and what failure would mean for many people. Not all of the ItalianAmerican accents land just right, but the family drama is tense. The story has a very intimate feel and subtly provides a window into an often-overlooked chapter in New Orleans’ past. Find tickets and information on goatintheroadproductions.org.
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59 Singer Tormé 60 Starting proposition 63 Zellweger of “Judy” 65 Table linen 67 Contributors to the 2007-08 financial crisis 71 Seasick feeling 73 Take a shot at 74 What keeps things going 77 Grain bristle 78 Penguin from Antarctica 80 “Family Outing” writer Bono 82 Newspaper crew, in brief
83 Headmistress in “Wicked” 87 Giant in train travel 90 Squeaked (out) 91 “Lenore” poet 92 Bearing 93 Utter 94 Butlers, e.g. 97 Back teeth 99 Russian range 103 Nest egg funds, in brief 104 Cable TV film that’s often melodramatic 106 Phonograph inventor 109 Vassal of old 110 Suffix with Harlem 111 LAX takeoff approx. 112 Bricklaying material with calcium carbonate 114 What you do when you discover this puzzle’s theme? 118 Iraqi port 119 Garden shop product 120 Utah neighbor 121 Faulkner’s “Requiem for —” 122 At — (baffled) 123 Unrestricted 124 Take a shot at 125 Boycott starter Parks
29 Deceive with an untruth 32 French coin 33 Card player’s “I pass” 34 Revolves 35 “Wait —!” (“Hold on!”) 36 Blown-into musical toy 39 Gin cocktail 40 Pregnancy division 41 Prefix with 39-Across 42 In a demure way 44 Dashiell Hammett detective 46 Brand of outdoor grills 48 Jazz style 49 Boston Bruins’ Bobby 50 Is forced to close up shop 52 Lord’s home 53 Gold mines 54 Photo, e.g. 57 Opposite of ’neath 61 Sorority letters 62 Letter-shaped girder 63 Direct (to) 64 Angsty genre 66 According to 68 Snow houses 69 Silk fabric 70 Angelina Jolie biopic 71 Entitles 72 Not sleeping
75 Lupino of film 76 Invite 79 Pre- — (supplants) 80 Baseball shoe gripper 81 Artist Matisse 84 People giving counsel 85 “Ta-ta!” 86 Liver output 88 River through Toledo, Ohio 89 Beginner 95 Smells 96 iPod model 97 2007 Best Actress Helen 98 Metalworkers 100 Skin-care brand 101 Acid test material 102 Arizona tourist city 104 Car contract 105 Spirit of a community 106 Italian isle 107 Oven knob 108 “— Excited” (1982 hit) 109 Discontinue 113 Sorority letter 114 Band’s booking 115 College URL ender 116 — kwon do 117 Tarnish
DOWN 1 Not outdoors 2 Lox, e.g. 3 Bits of dialect 4 Piper’s cap 5 Carved gem 6 Mass outflow 7 Suffer 8 Garden shop product 9 911 gp. 10 Attach 11 Discontinues 12 Musical piece 13 Thanksgiving tuber 14 Western Calif. gallery 15 Official procedure 16 “Hud” director Martin 17 K thru 12 18 Alternatively 24 Circus clown Kelly 26 1963 Pulitzer winner Leon
ANSWERS FOR LAST ISSUE’S PUZZLE: P 2
PUZZLES
Dakota’s Black Hills 36 — Sabe (the Lone Ranger, to Tonto) 37 Follow 38 Boozy 39 Of the Milky Way, e.g. 43 ACLU issues: Abbr. 45 Writer Harte 46 Oz musical, with “The” 47 “Deal — Deal” 48 Capital of Colombia 51 Potential to change one’s economic status 55 Gold, in Spain 56 British teens of the ’60s 58 In flower
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PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 “Oh, really?” 5 Discontinue 10 “Hi, sailor!” 14 Bout of revelry 19 Zero 20 Self-evident truth 21 Daddy 22 Adorning ruffle 23 Funguslike organisms 25 Flying insects with deeply divided wings 27 “As I see it,” online 28 Rx order 29 Permits to 30 Singer West or golfer Pepper 31 Ranges such as South
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In my opinion, Fatherhood is a verb. It is showing up, assuming the position of protector, provider, and disciplinarian. This relational dynamic, when executed well, can positively establish the trajectory of a young man’s life. Fortunately, I was raised by a man who provided both a feeling of security and support. Additionally, I had father figures and mentors who shaped and molded me into the man that I am today. Here at Window World, we believe that it is every child’s birthright to experience life with their father and/or father figure or mentor, no matter their race, age, or socio-economic status. Son of a Saint embodies what it means for young men to have a fighting chance in this world in the absence of their fathers. The resources they provide, the commitment to the success of the young men in the organization, and their consistent advocacy for this community are why Window World will be a long-standing and fruitful partner. Fathers not only shape who we are internally but how we develop and maintain relationships as we grow up. We want to be a part of the community that raises boys into confident and competent men. – Jerell Thomas, President of Window World
For more information or to get involved, visit www.sonofasaint.org