December 2015/January 2016 Issue of Inside New Orleans

450

$

LES MYSTERIEUSES • BROUSSARD’S • CARNIVAL COLLECTIBLES • HOLIDAY GIFTS

DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 VOL. 2, NO. 6

page 62

page 38

Features

contents table of

20 A Journey of Change Cover Artist Marcia Holmes 38 Women’s Jewelry 42 French Quarter Retreat The Leightons’ Condo 52 Carnival Collectibles 56 Les Mysterieuses Carnival’s Original Feminine Mystique 62 History on Tour Preservation Resource Center Celebrates the Holidays 68 Celebrating 95 Years Broussard’s Restaurant 80 Pillow Talk 82 Traces Neil and Jan Pierson

Sock Spot 84 Building a Legacy The Berg Family and Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry 92 It’s in the Bag!

page 144

94 A Path to Success for 50 Years Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana 98 A New Room for the New Year

page 68

106 Traces Zang Toi Clothing Designer 144 Cooking from the Heart Chef Kevin Belton

Profiles

50 Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology 102 Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket 141 Beverly Brown and Darryl Durham of Anna’s Place NOLA 167 Zounds Hearing of Metairie

8

Inside New Orleans

contents table of

Departments

14 Publisher’s Note 16 Editor’s Note 16 Reader Resources 18 Contributors 24 INside Scoop 37 INside Story Naughty or Nice page 108

48 Wine Cellar Gifts in a Bottle 100 IN Better Health with Abby Anger

104 IN the Spotlight Key to the Cure 108 Flourishes 121 Trade Secrets Farewell to Formality?

122 INside Look Holiday Sparkle 134 IN Rhythm Burris: Meant to Be 139 IN Development The Tchoupitoulas Street Corridor 142 IN the Bookcase Kids’ Books for Gifting 151 IN Love and Marriage 155 IN the Spotlight City Stars Soirée page 172 156 IN the Spotlight The Big Band Bash: A Night in the ‘40s 157 Peek 163 IN the Spotlight St. Martin’s Golf Tournament 163 IN the Spotlight St. Martin’s Founders’ Dinner 168 At the Table Not-So-Bitter Ends 172 IN Great Taste Edible Holiday Gifts 173 INside Dining 177 Ad Directory 178 Last Bite Brennan’s

page 121

December 2015-January 2016

Vol. 2, No. 6

Publisher Lori Murphy –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Editor-in-Chief Anne Honeywell

Senior Editor Jan Murphy

Associate Editor Leah Draffen

Editorial Associate Maggie Murphy

Editorial Intern Rebecca Perrette Contributors are featured on page 18.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Art Director Brad Growden

Graphic Designer Jennifer Starkey –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Director of Business Development Poki Hampton

Business Manager Jane Quillin Advertising Account Executives Angelle Albright

Caroline Battaglia Barbara Bossier

Lindsay Gardner Candice Laizer

Francesca Lupo Remi Ottelin

Barbara Roscoe Amy Taylor

Advertising Coordinator Margaret Rivera –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For advertising information phone (504) 934-9684 fax (504) 934-7721 email sales@insidepub.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Please send items for Inside Scoop to scoop@insidepub.com.

Photos for Inside Peek, with captions, should be sent to peek@insidepub.com. Submit items for editorial consideration to editor@insidepub.com.

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Contact Inside New Orleans P.O. Box 6048

Metairie, LA 70009 phone (504) 934-9684 fax (504) 934-7721 website www.insideneworleans.net

Subscriptions 1 Year $18 2 Years $30 email subscriptions@insidepub.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On the cover

Artist Marcia Holmes

Pond Impression III

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– INSIDE NEW ORLEANS is published bi-monthly (February, April, June, August, October, December) by M and L Publishing, LLC, PO Box 6048, Metairie, LA 70009 as a means of communication and information for greater New Orleans, Louisiana. Bulk Postage paid - New Olreans, LA. Copy­right ©2015 by M & L Publishing, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of publisher. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Inside New Orleans Magazine is created using the Adobe Creative Suite on Apple Macintosh computers.

12

Inside New Orleans

Mr. Bingle brought us the holidays!

by Lori Murphy He was right there, swooping down over the front of the store; Santa was almost playing second fiddle! The window displays for Maison Blanche on Canal Street told the most incredible story of the holidays. I can remember bundling up and standing—wide-eyed—with the crowd, taking in the visual celebration. For me, it was as important an outing as the Santa-lap visit. Maybe even more.

I can’t help but think that whoever lived at the corner of Transcontinental and Avron in the ’70s must have had the same wide-eyed love of Christmas spectacle as I do. In fact, I think they designed the house around the idea of what we would gather to see every December from the sidewalk—Santa and reindeer, elves busy at work. Every moving element more special than the last. The windows were filled with red velvet and gilt, Christmas plaid and shiny brass instruments. And the decorated trees! If I remember right, they even played carols for the crowds. It may or may not be true, but we always heard that family was related to the family around the corner that had a real snowman visit every season and hang out by the garage. Yes, a real, frozen, 6-foot-tall talking snowman!

These generous families brought joy and wonder to a whole generation of kids in my neighborhood. When Al Copeland set up his lighted menagerie, the spectacle exploded! The vibe was different from what we’d seen in previous years, but many of the characters were the same. The animation grew to 30 feet tall and glowed in colorful lights, thousands of them. I remember trying to drive from my best friend Gretchen’s house to mine through the traffic. Impossible. In fact, the number of visitors grew so large that it outgrew the neighborhood completely. Many of those lighted displays are now sparkling in Lafreniere Park.

Where’s Mr. Bingle now that Maison Blanche is no longer on Canal Street?

He is bringing joy to kids, young and old, in Celebration in the Oaks at City Park. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

There are so many wonderful gift ideas in this issue – happy shopping!

Editor’s Note

by Anne Honeywell It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It truly is. I love the Christmas holidays and all that goes with them. The spirit of the season, Santa and all of the holiday traditions make me so

Reader Resources Contact Us: Telephone: (504) 934-9684 Fax: (504) 934-7721 Website: insideneworleans.net

happy. But apparently, not always—according to my mother. One of my first experiences with Me with my brother John; Christmas, 1967.

Santa did not go so well. Mom says I started in

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the line. Which was a long one. (I’m sure my

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brother was on his best behavior and ready to tell Santa all he wanted for Christmas.)

to receive Inside New Orleans every other month

As Mom tells it, my cries were not subtle or quiet. It was a full-on scene. But after she

at no charge. Please join us in thanking our advertisers, who make this possible.

got me all dressed up and waited in the line—she was getting the picture. No matter what. And she did. Merry Christmas!

As a young mother, I could definitely relate to her determination to get the Santa picture each year. And as my children grew, so did my search for the most

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‘authentic looking’ Santa in town. One they wouldn’t question, like Michael Harold did! He tells his tale of a Christmas past in his INside Story on page 37.

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Another Christmas tradition I have embraced for years is attending the

To subscribe to Inside New Orleans, or if you

Preservation Resource Center’s Holiday Home tour. This year’s tour is December

have a question about your subscription, please

12-13 in the historic New Orleans Garden District. The homes are decorated for the

contact us by telephone or e-mail us at subscriptions@insidepub.com. Subscriptions

holidays—and a true joy to tour. Stephen Mahoney gives you a sneak peek into one

are $18 for one year, or $30 for two years. To

of the houses on page 62.

change your address, please send both your old

In the tradition of giving, this issue is filled with beautiful jewelry and other

address and new address. The post office does not forward magazines.

fabulous gift ideas! Even edible gifts—Yvette Jemison’s bacon jam and candied pecans (page 171) are going to be tops on my list to give this year, along with the wines and Champagnes suggested by Bill Kearney (page 48).

Looking to the New Year—before we have time to take down the decorations,

Advertising Information: For advertising information, please contact us by telephone or e-mail us at sales@insidepub.com.

here comes Carnival, the season of all seasons. Don’t miss Winnie Brown’s “Les Mysterieuses” on page 56. Those ladies paved the way for all of us in women’s

Do you know a person, organization or endeavor

me until now.

we might consider featuring in our pages? Or a

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and all things merry and bright for 2016!

16

Inquire and Share Ideas:

krewes today. A wonderful historical account of a krewe that was truly a mystery to

Inside New Orleans

great storyteller who may want to write for us?

Please contact the editor at editor@insidepub.com.

Our contributors give Inside New Orleans its voice, its personality and its feel. Here we are proud to highlight a few of them so that you can put a face with a name and get to know them.

Tom Fitzmorris Tom Fitzmorris grew up in Treme, ate red beans every Monday from his Creole-French mother until he left home. Not long after that, he began writing a weekly restaurant review column that has continued 42 years.

In 1975, he began a daily radio feature, which grew into his current three-hour daily talk show on 1350, 3WL. He is the author of several cookbooks, more than a dozen restaurant guidebooks, a daily online newsletter (nomenu.com), and joins us At the Table on page 168.

Poki Hampton Poki Hampton is a longtime member of the Inside Publications team. She and her husband live in Covington and enjoy being close to family. Poki loves writing about all things beautiful—art, design, décor, style and fashion. On page 20, Poki pens about her talented friend and our cover artist, Marcia Holmes. She also worked with Ellen Bajon of EMB interiors (right in photo) to write our design house feature on a French Quarter Condo (page 42).

Other Voices: Kate Brevard, Brenda Breck, Leah Draffen, Candra George, Michael Harold, Anne Honeywell, Trudy Hurley, Yvette Jemison, Sandra Scalise Juneau, Liz Jurey, Mimi Greenwood Knight, Stephen Mahoney, Miguel Solorzano and Terri Schlichenmeyer.

Winnie Brown

Bill Kearney

Karen B. Gibbs

Baton Rouge native and LSU graduate Winnie Brown says there is rarely a topic she is not interested in or can’t write about. On page 56, she shares her love of history in “Les Mysterieuses,” the first women’s Carnival krewe.

Newlywed for 10 years, she and her husband, Mark, have a blended family of five 20-somethings. When not working as a business development consultant or on community endeavors, Winnie enjoys cooking and spending time at their Pass Christian house.

Bill Kearney believes the best wine is shared with friends.

For more than 20 years, he has added wines from many regions and grapes to his private collection. As a certified sommelier, he is the wine director for Galatoire’s Restaurant, Galatoire’s Bistro and 33 Bar and Steak, where he is also a partner.

A graduate of Tulane, Bill is president of Yenraek, a governmental affairs firm. In Wine Cellar on page 48, Bill helps you find the perfect wines and Champagnes for this season’s gift giving.

Longtime contributor and former managing editor of Inside Northside, Karen B. Gibbs enjoys writing about the fascinating people and places of the New Orleans area. On page 84, she tells the story of the Berg Family and Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. A contributor to Today.com and iVillage. com, Karen recently completed the biography of her father-in-law, a WWII paratrooper. When not writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spoiling their grandchild.

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Tom Hancock

Nashville native Tom Hancock relocated to New Orleans in 2008 because of his infatuation with the city he now calls home.

A commercial real estate appraiser and consultant with Murphy Appraisal Services and a real estate agent with 10/12 Properties, in his free time, Tom stresses about New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Volunteers football, plays golf, and counts down the days to Carnival. Tom writes about The Tchoupitoulas Street Corridor on page 139.

18

Inside New Orleans

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Contributors

ALTHOUGH MARCIA HOLMES has been creating beautiful art for over 16 years, she is always expanding her realm.

Marcia has been around art all of her life. Her mother, Arlene Perry, created non-subjective work using collage, flowing paint and texture. But instead of art, Marcia pursued degrees in business and became an accountant. One summer, while home with her daughter, Mary Lee, Marcia borrowed her mother’s

from magazines and from nature. “Magazines are full of ideas on how to use color in new ways. Recently, while at a hotel, a tropical fish caught my eye. The color was so amazing—electric blue, olive green and red all together and so beautiful together. Those colors were the inspiration for a new piece.” Her work might identify with a piece of a waterlily or a sand dune. “Creating a piece is like solving a puzzle— creating surprise with a drip or splash of color and working with it until it becomes pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes, it is just resolving an inner fight.”

Cybèle Gontar, owner of The Degas Gallery, where Marcia’s work is exhibited, says, “Degas was an extraordinary pastellist. Marcia’s pastels reflect the tradition of his aesthetic, combining vibrant color, captivating composition, and fine detail. Visitors are particularly drawn to Pond Impression III, part of a series inspired by her visit to Monet’s garden at Giverny.” (Pond Impressions III, a 40-by-30-inch pastel, is featured on the cover of this issue.)

Over the years, Marcia has taken many workshops with renowned artists. One very cold blustery day in Ft. Walton, Florida, she found herself outside in 25-degree temperature painting trees and the beach at an Albert Handell workshop. She says, “Handell’s advice to his students was to paint an >>

A Journey of Change supplies and began painting. She started with raw pigment, and her work was very structured at that time. The thin layers necessary for pastel work meant she would spend hours creating one piece. She says, “There is nothing between you and the art in pastels.

And they are a perfect bridge between drawing and painting.”

Marcia works methodically, having all of her art supplies out before her so that she can choose a color palette and begin creating. She lays out the pastels in sets of values, warm and cool, and squeezes each paint color onto the palette before starting. She then puts in blocks of color, creating a background.

“Seventy percent of successful painting is in the underpainting, creating a base for the whole.”

How does she pick colors? Marcia pulls ideas 20

Inside New Orleans

by Poki Hampton

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Cover Artist Marcia Holmes

Meet cover artist

Marcia Holmes and celebrate all the artists of Inside New Orleans James Michalopoulos Jim Seitz Gretchen Armbruster Allison Stewart Pio Lyons Gretchen Weller Howard Mallory Page

at

The Shops at Canal Place 333 Canal Street New Orleans

Wednesday, December 16 5:00-6:30 p.m.

For more information, call

504-934-9684

Everyone’s Invited!

22

Inside New Orleans

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

object, like a tree, 100 times until you had it, and I did.” In a class with Mary Whyte of South Carolina, Marcia did a portrait of an African-American woman in thin acrylics from life. It was the first portrait she ever painted. She has continued into figure drawing, using pastels as an accent pop of color.

More recently, Marcia has begun painting in oil mixed with pastels. During a recent trip to Italy, she experimented with mixed media—water color, gouache pigment, an opaque water color and pastels—to create new works. “I also added thin layers of oil paint under the layers of pastel, and the effects were really beautiful. It took my work to another dimension,” she says.

New classes have found her totally immersed in art, painting from her own inner expressiveness, not from an image or plein air painting. In other words, painting from ideas, not reality. “In this exploration, we find out who we are as individuals, express that in our work, from an internal place that only we know; giving our art soul … each one is a piece of myself. It takes creating contemplation and trust in ourselves to trust our hunches, intuitions and that our art can move beyond the predictable. This is the ultimate creative freedom, which is liberating, and the journey of change is a path to continually discovering and exploring your voice to your audience, and collectors.”

Marcia is always connected to and inspired by waterways, reflections and the fauna flowing within.

“Nature and water’s essence are the source of life and continue to inspire my works in pastel, oil and mixed media. I like to look at a landscape, looking at the trees and sky reflecting in the water, and I take three of those resources that influence me and take only a part of a cloud’s reflection or part of a tree to incorporate into a painting. It sometimes surprises me and takes me in a new direction. I strive to expand and amplify the breadth and depth of my work from a sometimes more precise rendering in my own abstract impressionist manner to a new direction, a new plenitude, a leap of faith that has formed over the years and reached a point in my desire for this inner expression to be displayed in contemporary abstract paintings.”

Fellow artist Alan Flattman writes of Marcia’s new work, “I like your new direction, but hope you

don’t go too far into abstraction and lose the beautiful way you interpret subject matter now.”

This year, Marcia won two master awards, adding to the impressive list she has earned over the years.

At the Pastel Society of America’s Juried Exhibition at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, New York, she received the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Award for Koi II, a pastel. And the latest award, the Great American Art Works Award, was at the Degas Pastel Society’s 19th Member Juried Exhibition held at Place St. Charles, here in New Orleans.

On turning 60, Marcia’s new mantra is “Forward, Ho! Permission to myself to go forward, celebrate life, always grateful … open to life’s unending possibilities, which extend daily to my life of art.”

Marcia’s work can be seen at The Degas Gallery in New Orleans, the Saladino Gallery in Covington and at marciaholmes.com.

December 2015-January 2016 23

Celebration in the Oaks Dec 1-Jan 2 Celebration in the Oaks. The most spectacular holiday lights festival in the country. Thousands of lights twinkling in displays and oak trees throughout the 25-acre park including the Botanical Garden, Storyland and Carousel Gardens. City Park. Fri-Sat, 6-11pm; Sun-Thurs, 6-10pm.

Adults, $8; children 3 and under, free.

INSIDE a handy guide to events and entertainment in and around New Orleans

24

Inside New Orleans

photo courtesy: NEW ORLEANS CITY PARK

(504) 483-9415. neworleanscitypark.com.

December 1 WYES Season of Good Tastes: Feelings Café. 24th annual fundraising dinner with food by Chef Brian Doyle.

2600 Chartres St. 7pm. $95. (504) 8404886.

1-5 Belaire Veils and Accessories Trunk Show. Bustles and Bows Bridal Boutique, 3230 Severn Ave, Metairie.

(504) 780-7090.

1-5 LUNA Fête. A visionary initiative by the Arts Council New Orleans merging contemporary light, motion graphics and video-mapping in Lafayette Square and Julia Street and Oretha Castle Haley corridors. (504) 523-1465. artsneworleans.org.

1-6 Disney’s Newsies. Live performance.

Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. (504) 745-3000. neworleans.broadway.com.

1-22 Civil War Walking Tour of Metairie Cemetery. Two-hour walking tour featuring Civil War soldiers and statesmen who are buried there. 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. 9am. $30. (504) 909-1862.

1-31 19th Century Christmas Decorations. Rosedown’s Main House and Nina’s Wing in 19th century-style Christmas décor. 12501 Hwy 10, St. Francisville. (225) 635-3332.

1-31 Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure-New Orleans. Scavenger hunt with three-hour city tour guided on a smart phone. 8 Canal St. $39.20 for teams of 2-5 people after promo code NOLA. (504) 603-5620. urbanadventurequest.com.

1-31 Hansen’s Garden District Jazz Band. Jazz seven nights a week.

Houston’s, 1755 St. Charles Ave. 6:45pm. (504) 524-1578.

1-31 Jacqueline Humphries.

Contemporary art exhibit. Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St. 11am. $10; students/seniors, $8; members, free. >>

Inside Scoop (504) 528-3800. cacno.org.

1-31 James Hoff: B=R=I=C=K=I=N=G.

sofabinstitute.org.

2 Music at Midday: Newcomb Music

Contemporary art exhibit. Contemporary

Students. Music performed by

Arts Center, 900 Camp St. All-day event.

students. Tulane University, 1229

$10; students/seniors, $8; members free.

Broadway. 12pm. Free. (504) 862-3214.

(504) 528-3800. cacno.org.

1-Jan 2 Celebration in the Oaks. The

tulane.edu.

2 Musical Excursions: Mivos Quartet.

most spectacular holiday lights festival

University of New Orleans Musical

in the country. Thousands of lights

Excursion series continues. University

twinkling in displays and oak trees

of New Orleans, Lakefront Campus.

throughout the 25-acre park including

7:30pm. Free. (504) 280-6381. uno.edu.

the Botanical Garden, Storyland and

2-31 Ashe to Amen: A Visual Art

Carousel Gardens. City Park. Fri-Sat,

Exhibition. Ashe Cultural Arts Center,

6-11pm; Sun-Thurs, 6-10pm. Adults,

1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New

$8; children 3 and under, free. (504)

Orleans. Tues-Thurs, 10am-6pm; Sat-

483-9415. neworleanscitypark.com.

Sun, 12-6pm. $10. (504) 569-9070.

1-Jan 3 A Shared Space: KAWS, Karl Wirsum, Tomoo Gokita. Woldenberg

ashecac.org.

2, 16 NAMI Connection Recovery

Art Center, Tulane University (Willow

Support Group. For adults living with

St. Side). Free. (504) 865-5328.

mental illness; led by trained facilitators.

newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu.

North Oaks Health System, 15837 Paul

1-Jan 5 America, Illustrated: Six Decades of Saturday Evening Post Covers. M.S. Rau Antiques, 630 Royal

Vega MD Dr, Hammond. Free. (985) 626-6538.

3 Girls Night Out at the Basketry.

St. Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. Free. (504)

Enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres while

273-7391. rauantiques.com.

shopping for gifts, jewelry and home

1-Jan 7 19th Century Holiday Dress.

décor. Create your holiday wish list

Guided tours of the Hermann-Grima

for a chance to win a $200 gift card.

House and the Gallier House explaining

The Basketry, 12337 Hwy 90, Luling.

19th-century holiday traditions. 820 St. Louis St. Adults, $15-25. (504) 2740746. hgghh.org.

1- Jan 9 The Katrina Decade: Images

4-7pm. thebasketry.com.

3 Holiday Open House and Trunk Show.

Hand-carved and -painted Russian Santas. Arabella Fine Gifts and Home

of an Altered City. Black and white

Décor, 3902 Hwy 22, Mandeville.

photography by David G. Spielman.

5-8pm. (985) 727-9787.

400 Chartres St. 9:30am-4:30pm. Free.

(504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

1-March 1 The Photography of Modernist Cuisine Exhibit. A collection of over 50 large-format

3 Once Upon A Pillow Book Signing.

Enjoy wine and cheese with writer Rebecca Vizard. Hazelnut, 5515 Magazine St. 4-6pm. (504) 891-2424.

3 Yuletide Celebration. Guest conductor

photographs of food taken by Nathan

Stuart Chafetz leads the Louisiana

Myhrvold and his team at Modernist

Philharmonic Orchestra. First Baptist

Cuisine. Southern Food and Beverage

Church Kenner, 1400 Williams Blvd.

Museum, 1504 Oretha Castle Haley

7:30pm. $20-$55. (504) 523-6530.

Blvd, New Orleans. (504) 569-0405.

lpomusic.com.

>>

Inside Scoop 3-4 Christmas Market. Mary Queen

Hwy 965, St. Francisville. Registration

10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm; Sun,

of Peace Catholic School’s annual

required. 9am-12pm. Free. (225) 635-

11am, 2pm and 3pm. Closed Dec

3739.

24-25. Admission, $5; members, free.

market. Church Parish Center, 1501 W Causeway App, Mandeville.

(504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

5 Animal Christmas Photos. Get photos

Dec 3, 3-8pm; Dec 4, 12-8pm.

hot chocolate bar. Rug Chic, 4240 Hwy

Admission, nonperishable item or

22 Ste 6, Mandeville. (985) 674-1070.

taken of the furry family members for

rugchic.com.

Christmas. Petcetera, 3205 Magazine

monetary donation to benefit The Samaritan Center. (985) 231-8392. maryqueenofpeace.org.

3-27 Walking to New Orleans: Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew Tribute. The Historic Carver

4-6 Christmas in the Country. Includes lighting of town tree, tour of homes,

St, New Orleans. (504) 269-8711.

5 Breakfast with Santa. For children

Christmas parade. St. Francisville. (225)

ages 3-8. Lakeview Regional Medical

635-3873. stfrancisvillefestivals.com.

Center, The Pelican Room, 95 Judge

4-12 Kenneth Winston and Ella Rose

Tanner Blvd, Covington. 8am. One

Theater, 2101 Orleans Ave, New

Bridal Trunk Show. Bustles and Bows

unwrapped toy to be donated to

Orleans. Thurs-Sun, 7pm. $15-$60.

Bridal Boutique, 3230 Severn Ave,

St. Tammany Project Christmas

Metairie. (504) 780-7090.

for admission. (985) 867-3900.

walking2neworleans.com.

4 Black and Gold Day. Contribute $1 or

4-13 Sister Act. Jefferson Performing Arts

lakeviewregional.com.

5 Five Seasons Cookbook Signing.

more to support the Children’s Museum

Center, 6400 Airline Dr, Metairie. Fri-Sat,

of St. Tammany and wear your black

7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. (504) 885-2000.

Enjoy tasty nibbles while meeting

jpas.org.

co-authors Erin Nugent and Lauren

and gold all day at school or work. cmstkids.org.

4 Civil War Christmas School Day. Audubon State Historic Site, 11788

28

4-5 Christmas Open House. Gourmet

Inside New Orleans

4-30 Holiday Home and Courtyard Tours. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St. Tues-Sat,

Beth Landry. Hazelnut, 5515 Magazine St. 2-4pm. (504) 891-2424.

5 Freret Market. See NOLA Boards at the

Freret Market. Freret St and Napoleon

Bear, holiday stories and more. The

Campus, 5401 S Claiborne Ave.

Ave. freretmarket.org.

Roosevelt New Orleans, 130 Roosevelt

10am-6pm. lfno.org.

5 Krewe of Jingle Parade. Canal St. 1pm. Free. (504) 561-8927.

5 Prince Orlofsky’s Ball. Presented by

Way. Various times. $45-$85. (504) 335-3129.

5, 12, 19, 21-23 Jazz Brunch with

8 The Brian Setzer Orchestra 12th Annual Christmas Rocks Tour.

Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. 8pm.

the Women’s Guild of the New Orleans

Santa. Brunch buffet; special children’s

Opera Association. Fabulous meal,

buffet. Reservations required. The Court

drinks, live entertainment and silent and

of Two Sisters, 613 Royal St. 10am or

holiday gift bagging with purchase;

live auctions. Orpheum Theater, 129

12:30pm. Adults, $45; 5-12 years old,

20% off entire purchase. Mandeville

Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. 7pm.

$30; 4 and under, $12.50. (504) 522-

Party Company, 2200 N Causeway

7261. courtoftwosisters.com.

Blvd, Mandeville. 4-7pm. 674-1605.

(504) 529-3000. neworleansopera.org.

5-6 A Civil War Christmas. 151st

6 Christmas at TerraBella. TerraBella

$39.50-$59.50. (800) 745-3000.

9 Christmas Open House. Free

mandevillepartycompany.com.

9 Holiday Cookies and the Funniest

Anniversary battle at Oakley Plantation.

Village, 111 TerraBella Blvd,

Audubon Memorial Park, 11788 Hwy

Covington. 3-6pm. (985) 871-7171.

Book Ever. Author Susan Palma

terrabellavillage.com.

will sign Sophistication is Overrated.

965, St. Francisville. Dec 5, 10am-4pm; Dec 6, 10am-2pm. (225) 635-3739.

5, 6, 12, 13 Louisiana Renaissance

6, 13, 10, 27 Sip and Shop at Bra Genie. Enjoy Sundays open at Bra Genie

Hazelnut, 5515 Magazine St. 3-6pm.

(504) 891-2424.

Festival. 46468 River Rd, Hammond.

with drinks while you shop. 2881 Hwy

9am-6pm. $18-62; children under 6,

190, Mandeville. 12-5pm. (985) 951-

School, 1903 Jefferson Ave. 9am. (504)

free. larf.net.

8638. thebragenie.com.

899-5641. newmanschool.org.

5-6, 12-13, 19-23 Teddy Bear Tea. Teas, pastries, the 2015 Roosevelt Teddy

8 Marche d’Hiver. Lycée Fracais de la Nouvelle Orleans. LFNO Claiborne

9 Pre-K Open House. Isidore Newman

10 New Orleans Mission Family Night Fundraiser. Adventure Quest Laser

>>

Inside Scoop Tag, 1200 S Clearview Pkwy Ste 1106, Harahan. (504) 207-4444.

12 Running of the Santas Festival and Pub Crawl. Live music, four-block fun

10 Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Smooth

run, holiday drinks, costume contest.

King Center, 1501 Girod St, New

“South Pole” at The Rusty Nail, 1100

Orleans. 7:30pm. $32-75. (504) 587-

Constance St, and Generations Hall,

3663.

310 Andrew Higgins Dr. Registration,

10 Wendy Mignot Pearl Trunk Show.

11am; fun run, 5:45pm; Category 6,

Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, 3904

6:30-8pm; Flow Tribe, 8:30-10pm. $25-

Hwy 22, Mandeville. 11am-3pm. (985)

$75. runningofthesantas.com.

778-2200. emmashoes.com.

12, 13 Orpheum Holiday Spectacular.

11 Preservation Resource Center

A holiday special featuring the 610

Holiday Home Tour Patron Party.

Stompers. Orpheum Theater, 129

Cocktail party to kick off the PRC

Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. Dec 12,

Holiday Home Tour weekend. 70

7:30pm; Dec 13, 2:30pm. $20-$99.

Audubon Blvd. 7-9:30pm. Advance tickets: members, $30; nonmembers,

(504) 523-6530. lpomusic.com.

12-13 Preservation Resource Center

$40; day of: $45. (504) 581-7032.

Holiday Home Tour. Historic private

prcno.org.

homes in the Garden District. Tour

11-12 Sennod Jewelry Trunk Show.

headquarters: Trinity Episcopal Church-

FeBe, 474 Metairie Rd Ste 102,

Bishop Polk Hall, 1329 Jackson Ave.

Metairie. (504) 835-5250. febeclothing.

10am-4pm. PRC members and groups

com.

of 10 or more, $30; non-members in

11-Jan 24 PhotoNOLA: Currents.

Annual juried photographic exhibition from members of the New Orleans

advance, $40; at door, $45. (504) 5817032. prcno.org.

12-13, 19-20, 22-23 Royal Teddy Bear

Photo Alliance. Opening reception,

Tea. Santa and Mrs. Claus, Royal Teddy

Dec. 11. Ogden Museum of Southern

Bear and New Orleans Saintsations.

Art, 925 Camp St. (504) 539-9650.

Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300

ogdenmuseum.org.

Bourbon St. Seatings, 11am-1pm;

12 Christmas at Rosedown. Periodstyle decorations, stories by costumed site staff and volunteers, down-hearth cooking, hayrides. 12501 Hwy 10, St. Francisville. 9am-5pm. (225) 635-3332. stfrancisville.us.

12 Christmas Open House & Studio.

Artist Tanya F. Dischler’s Beyond the Bayou Studio. 1-5pm. (504) 577-1949. tanyadischler.com.

12 Mignon Faget Trunk Show and

2:30-4:30pm. Adult, $69-$85; children, $49-$66. (504) 553-2328.

12-26 Saturday Farmers Market. 1008 N. Peters St. 10am-2pm. frenchmarket.org.

13 Sound the Trumpet Holiday Concert.

Christ Episcopal School Theater, 80 Christwood Blvd, Covington. 3pm. $20. npassingers.org.

16 Celebrate the Artists of Inside New Orleans. Meet Cover Artist Marcia

Holmes and celebrate past artists

THNOC Member Appreciation Day.

including James Michalopoulos, Jim

Mignon Faget representatives on site;

Seitz, Gretchen Armbruster, Allison

20% off for members. The Historic New

Stewart, Pio Lyons, Gretchen Weller

Orleans Connection, The Shop at The

Howard and Mallory Page. The Shops at

Collection, 533 Royal St. 9:30am-4pm.

Canal Place, 333 Canal St, New Orleans.

(504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

5-6:30pm. (504) 934-9684.

16 Sarah Quintana and the Miss. River Jazz Quartet. Marigny Opera House Monthly, 725 St. Ferdinand. 8-9:30pm. $10-20. marignyoperahouse.org.

17 St. Pius X Catholic Youth Organization Fundraiser. Adventure Quest Laser Tag, 1200 S Clearview Pkwy Ste 1106, Harahan. (504) 2074444.

17-18 Baroque Christmas. Performed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

First Baptist New Orleans, 5290 Canal Blvd. 7:30pm. $20-$75. (504) 5236530. lpomusic.com.

18 Dashing Through the Dome. Twomile race. Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 1500 Sugar Bowl Dr. 6:00pm. $15 parking. dashingthoughthedome. eventbrite.com.

18 Paisley’s Annual Winter Sales Event. Paisley, 2180 N Causeway Blvd, Mandeville. 10am-6pm. (985) 727-7880.

18-27 Nola Christmasfest. Indoor ice skating rink, Christmas trees, maze, inflatables, rides. Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd. Daily, 12-5pm; Christmas, 2-8pm. $5-$75. nolachristmasfest.com.

19 New Orleans Bowl. Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 1500 Sugar Bowl Dr, New Orleans. 8pm. neworleansbowl.org.

19-20 Arts Market of New Orleans.

Palmer Park, S Carrollton at S Claiborne Aves. 10am-4pm. artsneworleans.org.

19-20 The Nutcracker. Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Dr, Metairie. Dec 19, 7:30pm; Dec 20, 2pm. (504) 885-2000. jpas.org.

20 A Christmas Brass Spectacular.

Third Sunday Concert Series. Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S New Hampshire St, Covington. 5pm. Free.

(985) 892-3177.

20 Caroling In Jackson Square. Jackson Square. Gates open, 6:30pm; caroling, 7pm. (504) 220-8300.

20 Hansel & Gretel Opera. Hosted by

>>

Rare blue diamonds are professed to give their wearer clarity, wisdom and good fortune. The “Kizz” symbolizes our commitment to the finest craftsmanship, bold designs and an impeccable quality assurance guarantee.

Inside Scoop Junior Committee of the New Orleans

along the Mississippi guide Papa Noel

Magazine St. 10:30am-1:30pm. Price

Opera Association; presented by

to the Crescent City. River Road in

included with general admission. (504)

MetroPelican Opera. Opera Guild

Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina. Dusk.

861-2537. auduboninstitute.org.

Home, 2504 Prytania St. 2-4pm.

louisianatravel.com.

Adults, $15; children, $10. facebook. com/nooajuniors.

21 All-School Open House. St. Martin’s

Steamboat Natchez. Toulouse St.

January 1 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Mercedes-Benz

6:30-9:30pm. $75. Reservations

Superdome, 1500 Sugar Bowl Dr.

Episcopal School, 225 Green Acres

required. (504) 233-2628.

7:30pm. allstatesugarbowl.org.

Rd, Metairie. 9:30-11:30am. (504) 733-

steamboatnatchez.com.

0353. stmsaints.com.

22-24 Jazz in January. Featuring Ellis

29-Jan 3 Disney’s Beauty and the

1-2 Celebration in the Oaks. The most spectacular holiday lights festival in the

Beast. Live performance. Saenger

country. Thousands of lights twinkling

Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Greta Matassa,

Theatre, 1111 Canal St. (504) 525-

in displays and oak trees throughout

Clipper Anderson, Philip Hall, Matt

1052. saengernola.com.

the 25-acre park including the Botanical

Lemmler’s New Orleans Jazz Revival

31 Steamboat Natchez New Year’s

Garden, Storyland and Carousel

Band, and The Gospel Divas with

Eve Extravaganza. Toulouse

Gardens. City Park. Fri-Sat, 6-11pm;

Barbara Johnson Tucker, Hedreich

St. 9:30pm-12:30am. $175.

Sun-Thurs, 6-10pm. Adults, $8; children

Nichols, April Hubert and Joan Hubert.

Reservations required. (504) 233-2628.

3 and under, free. (504) 483-9415.

Ticketed concerts on Fri-Sat, and two

steamboatnatchez.com.

neworleanscitypark.com.

jazz masses on Sunday. Christ Episcopal

31 New Year’s Eve in New Orleans.

1-3 A Shared Space: KAWS, Karl

Church, 129 N New Hampshire St,

Fireworks display and countdown.

Wirsum, Tomoo Gokita. Woldenberg

Covington. (985) 892-3177.

Jackson Square. Free.

Art Center, Tulane University (Willow

24 Bonfires on the Levees. Bonfires

32

24 Christmas Eve Celebration on

Inside New Orleans

31 Zoo Year’s Eve. Audubon Zoo, 6500

St. Side). Free. (504) 865-5328.

newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu.

1-3 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

photographic exhibition from members of the New Orleans Photo Alliance.

(504) 207-4444.

7 Packenham’s Final Supper at the New

Live performance. Saenger Theatre,

Opening reception, Dec. 11. Ogden

Orleans Ballroom. Cocktails and

1111 Canal St. (504) 525-1052.

Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St.

dinner. Bourbon Orleans Hotel, 717

saengernola.com.

(504) 539-9650. ogdenmuseum.org.

Orleans St. 6pm. $139. (504) 571-4627.

1-5 America, Illustrated: Six Decades

1-March 1 The Photography of

judy.leblanc@bourbonorleans.com.

of Saturday Evening Post Covers.

Modernist Cuisine Exhibit. A

M.S. Rau Antiques, 630 Royal St. Mon-

collection of over 50 large-format

Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. 7:30pm.

Sat, 9am-5pm. Free. (504) 273-7391.

photographs of food taken by Nathan

$20-$99. (504) 523-5430. lpomusic.com.

rauantiques.com.

Myhrvold and his team at Modernist

1-7 19th Century Holiday Dress. Guided

8 The Firebird. Orpheum Theater, 129

8-11 Commemoration of the Battle

Cuisine. Southern Food and Beverage

of New Orleans. Chalmette

tours of the Hermann-Grima House

Museum, 1504 Oretha Castle Haley

Battlefield; shuttle from 8201 West

and the Gallier House explaining

Blvd, New Orleans. (504) 569-0405.

Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette.

19th-century holiday traditions. 820 St.

sofabinstitute.org.

9:30am-4:30pm. (504) 231-9836.

Louis St. Adults, $15-25. (504) 2740746. hgghh.org.

1-9 The Katrina Decade: Images of an Altered City. Black and white photography by David G. Spielman.

400 Chartres St. 9:30am-4:30pm. Free.

(504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

1-24 PhotoNOLA: Currents. Annual juried

6 Krewe of Joan of Arc. French Quarter.

6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

6 Phunny Phorty Phellows. St. Charles Ave Streetcar. 7pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

7 Hazel Park Elementary Fundraiser.

Adventure Quest Laser Tag, 1200 S Clearview Pkwy Ste 1106, Harahan.

lalivinghistoryfoundation.com.

10 Comedian Brian Regan. Mahalia Jackson Theater, 801 N. Rampart St. 7pm. $39.50-44.50. (504) 745-3000.

10 Krewe of Claude, Krewe of Poseidon follows. Slidell. 1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

11-24 History Mythbusters. Rosedown’s>>

December 2015-January 2016 33

Inside Scoop staff relates the truth behind the myths.

Rosedown Plantation, 12501 Hwy 10, St. Francisville. 10am-4pm. (225) 6353332.

12 Open House for Toddlers to Grade 4. Academy of the Sacred Heart, 4301 St Charles Ave. 8:30-11am. (504) 2691213. ashrosary.org.

14 Middle and Upper School Open House. Isidore Newman School, 1903 Jefferson Ave. 9am. (504) 899-5641. newmanschool.org.

15-31 Sweet Charity. Live comedy theater. Rivertown Theaters, 325 Minor St, Kenner. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun2pm. Adults, $40; seniors 65+, $38; students and active military, $36. rivertowntheaters.com.

16 Soul Revival. The music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans.

7:30pm. $20-$99. (504) 523-6530. lpomusic.com.

16-Feb 26 The Barranger Family Collection of Mid-Century Art. The Atrium Gallery at Christwood, 100 Christwood Blvd, Covington. Opening reception Jan 16, 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

(985) 898-0515.

17 Krewe of Slidellians. Slidell. 1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

17 NOVA. Third Sunday Concert Series.

NOVA chorale under the direction of Dr. Meg Frazier. Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S New Hampshire St, Covington.

5pm. Free. (985) 892-3177.

18-20 10th Annual Autism Conference: Translating Research Into EvidenceBased Practice. Hyatt Regency Hotel.

601 Loyola Ave, $345-$715. Registration required. abainternational.org.

19-24 Motown the Musical. Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. (504) 5251052. saengernola.com.

21 Carnaval! Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. 7:30pm.

34

Inside New Orleans

$20-$99. (504) 523-6530. lpomusic.com.

22-31 The Light in the Piazza. Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Dr, Metairie. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm.

(504) 885-2000. jpas.org.

23 Krewe of Bilge. Slidell. 12pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

23 Krewe du Vieux, Krewe Delusion follows. French Quarter. 6:30pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

23 Krewe of Mona Lisa and MoonPie. Slidell. 6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

24 Krewe of Little Rascals. Metairie.

12pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

24 Krewe of Perseus. Slidell. 1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

27 Stark Trek the Ultimate Voyage Concert Tour. Live symphony and other music. Mahalia Jackson Theater, 801 N. Rampart St. 8pm. $35-$60. (504) 5251052. mahaliajacksontheater.com.

28-30 Basics Swim and Gym Swimsuit Event. Sip champagne and try on the 2016 collection from Vitamin A, JETS, Nanette Lapore, Vix, Panache, L*Space and Seafolly. Basics Swim and Gym, 5420 Magazine St. 10am-6pm. (504) 891-1000. basicsswimandgym.com.

29 Krewe of Athena. Metairie. 7:30pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

29 Krewe of Cleopatra. Uptown. 6:30pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

29 Krewe of Cork. French Quarter. 3pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

29 Krewe of Excalibur. Metairie. 7pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

24 Krewe of Eve. Mandeville. 7pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

29 Krewe of Oshun. Uptown. 6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

29-31 Family Gras 2016. Food, live music and more. Veterans Memorial Blvd across from Lakeside Shopping Center, Metairie. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Knights of Nemesis. Chalmette. 1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

>>

December 2015-January 2016 35

Inside Scoop 30 Knights of Sparta. Uptown. 6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Caesar. Metairie. 6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Chewbacchus. Marigny.

6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Olympia. Covington. 6pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Paws. Slidell. 10am. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Ponchartrain, Krewe of Choctaw, Krewe of Freret. Uptown.

1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Pygmalion. Uptown.

6:15pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 Krewe of Titans. Slidell. 6:30pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

30 The Mystic Knights of Adonis. Westbank. 11:45am. mardigrasneworleans.com.

31 Corps de Napoleon. Metairie. 5:30pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

31 King Cake Festival. Proceeds from tasting ticket packages and Gladiator Games registration benefit programs for children at Ochsner Hospital for Children. Champions Square at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

11am-5pm. Free and open to the public. (504) 842-7113.

kingcakefestival.org.

31 Krewe of Barkus. French Quarter.

2pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

31 Krewe of Carrollton, Krewe of King Arthur and Merlin, Krewe of Alla, Krewe of Femme Fatale. Uptown.

12pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

31 Krewe of Dionysus. Slidell. 1pm mardigrasneworleans.com.

31 Krewe of Tchefuncte. Madisonville.

1pm. mardigrasneworleans.com.

Send your event information to scoop@insidepub.com to have it featured in an upcoming issue of Inside New Orleans.

36

Inside New Orleans

INside Story

by Michael Harold THE FATEFUL DAY I asked my mother about Santa Claus is still etched in my memory. I confess that earlier that week, while snooping around the house (my favorite childhood activity), I discovered one of the gifts on my wish list. There it was, hiding in a linen closet, covered with an old tablecloth—my future record player. Right then and there, I knew something was up.

When I finally built up the courage to call into question Santa’s legitimacy, my mother’s response was, “Well, if you really want to know …” That was all I needed to hear … Yes, Michael, there is no Santa Claus! I continued … Is the Easter Bunny fake, too?

“Yep.” The Tooth Fairy? She nodded her head silently.

At that point, she recognized my sudden panic and suppressed a smile, as if to say, “Don’t worry. You’re still getting the Mr. Potato Head for Christmas.”

It’s hard to comprehend that a 55-year-old man still believes in Santa Claus. But when I told a friend about the day I called Santa into question, he shared the moment his mother betrayed the sacred Christmas myth to him. After overhearing some big kids on the bus saying Santa was just folklore, my friend bragged at home that he’d learned the truth. His mother’s reply: “Well, son, if you don’t believe, you don’t receive.” Still heeding his mother’s directive, every Christmas Eve he looks up in the sky for Santa and Rudolph.

For children reared in New Orleans, Santa was a bit of an anomaly. Of course, nothing could be more New Orleans than a potbellied, crimson-faced man wearing red trousers and visiting families on Christmas Eve. But sleighs and reindeer along the Gulf Coast? And the poor man was supposed to climb down a chimney? Most New Orleanians barely had a space heater, let alone a fireplace. For those who did light fires, it wasn’t unusual to crank the air conditioner down to 65.

I think back to animated cartoons depicting Santa’s wholesome cabin in the idyllic snow-covered winter wonderland. I can only imagine what Mrs. Claus would have thought of the Harold family leaving Scotch and soda and cheese straws for her

Naughty or Nice husband instead of milk and cookies. At least my parents knew better than to leave granola and carrot juice, which my cousin informed me was the custom where she lived on the West Coast.

I can just picture my father swigging Santa’s Scotch while trying to piece together some excruciatingly complicated toy. I now empathize and understand why “Some Assembly Required” are our family’s most despised three words in the English language.

I do find it ironic that Santa is supposed to be all warm and fuzzy, when in truth the man is downright terrifying. That long beard and high-spirited laugh are enough to scare anyone. Can you blame poor kids for screaming bloody hell on his lap? I’m dating myself, but I remember when mothers would grab the phone in front of their defiant kids and start dialing the North Pole. “Hello, Mrs. Claus. Would you please put Santa on the phone?” Fastest way ever to turn a naughty juvenile delinquent into a nice, obedient tot.

My favorite Santa experience occurred a few years ago at a mall. My nephews, six and seven at the time, wanted pictures with Santa. A young, surly teenager dressed as an elf greeted us with a clipboard. She asked us probing questions, like the names of their teachers and siblings, the classes in which they had mediocre grades and specific episodes of bad behavior. I found it somewhat odd until I figured out what was going on. The little teen-elf had a microphone and was feeding intel through an ear plug hidden far down Santa’s ear. The whole scheme was brilliant. Imagine the complete shock on my poor nephews’ faces when Santa mentioned the day they threw a ball into a crystal vase and shattered it to pieces. Or sneaking a gerbil into Mrs. Swanson’s classroom?

Based on my limited Santa experience, I think the jury is still out. What’s the verdict? Naughty or nice? At least here in New Orleans he has stiff competition. As much of an icon as he is, Santa better watch out. He better not shout. I’m telling you why: Mr. Bingle’s coming to town!

December 2015-January 2016 37

1.

2.

1. Custom pendant crafted in platinum with pave diamond border and deep-blue oval sapphire, $5,000. Symmetry Jewelers and Designers, New Orleans, 504-861-9925. 2. 5.39 cttw tanzanite and diamond ring set in 18 kt white-gold with .65 cttw round brilliant cut diamonds and .35 cttw half moon diamonds, $11,580.

De Boscq Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, 985-674-0007.

3. Tanzanite and diamond earrings set in 18 kt white-gold, $11,995. Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers, Metairie, 504-831-2602.

Women’s Jewelry

38

Inside New Orleans

3.

6.

7.

5.

4.

4. 18 kt white-gold and diamond earrings, $1,710. Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, Metairie, 504-832-0000. 5. 1.40 ct GIA-certified cushion-cut diamond set in 14 kt white-gold Gabriel and Co. setting with .75 cttw diamonds, $12,475.

Thomas Franks Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, 985-626-5098. 6. .76 cttw diamond drop line 18 kt white-gold necklace, $5,000. Grande Opus, Covington, 985-888-1420.

7. 1.57 cttw diamond drop line dangle earrings in 18 kt white-gold, $11,000.

Grande Opus, Covington, 985-888-1420. 8. 2 cttw diamonds set in 14 kt white-gold ring, $7,400. DeLuca’s Jewelry and Gifts, Covington, 985-892-2317.

8.

December 2015-January 2016 39

9.

10.

9. 18 kt white-gold estate necklace with 16 cttw of diamonds, $30,000. Friend & Company, New Orleans, 504-866-5433. 10. Diamond and platinum rings. Aucoin Hart Jewelers, Metairie, 504-834-9999.

11.

11. Platinum, diamond and sapphire ring, $12,000.

Adler’s, New Orleans, 504-523-5292. 12. Internally flawless 8.45 ct diamond ring with .42 cttw on band, $785,000. M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans, 504-523-5660.

12.

40

Inside New Orleans

December 2015-January 2016 41

French Quarter Retreat

The Leightons’ Condo

by Poki Hampton

Below: The openconcept living room and kitchen holds a small-scale sectional sofa that was custom made to fit the space.

Below right: Wine, cheese and fresh flowers adorn the grey

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

quartz countertops.

WHEN SUZANNE AND GREG LEIGHTON first saw what was to become their French Quarter condo, the walls were pink and blue and the floors were covered in aging linoleum. The c1830 building was originally used as a molasses warehouse. “When we saw the extent of what needed to be done here, we called Ellen Bajon, of EMB Interiors to help,” says Suzanne.

Ellen and her accessory designer, Charlotte Knight, had previously worked with the Leightons on their northshore home.

“We maintained as much of the original structure as possible, cleaning and painting the original brick walls and the 150-year-old, hand-honed cypress beams that add tons of character to the space,” says Ellen. “European Oak hardwood oiled floors were installed throughout.”

42

Inside New Orleans

The open-concept living room and kitchen holds a small-scale sectional sofa that Century Furniture custom made to fit the space. Geometric throw pillows add interest to the sofa, which is covered in a pewter cotton blend. Beside the sofa is a brass and acrylic floor lamp; silver and ĂŠglomisĂŠ glass nesting cocktail tables sit in front. An Anthology credenza of hand-scraped walnut mixed with burled walnut accents holds the television.

The compact galley kitchen uses every inch of space. An oversized island that seats four comfortably holds the under-counter microwave. >>

Above: The large wool rug has the same muted pallet of the upstairs sitting room.

Left: An upstairs alcove office space.

December 2015-January 2016 43

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

The counter stools are in waxed oak with herringbone-patterned linen and nailhead trim. Countertops of grey quartz balance the backsplash of Carrera marble and grey limestone in a basket-weave pattern. Bosch stainless steel appliances complement the white Shaker-style cabinets with brushed nickel hardware. A round iron and marble pedestal table and two smokedacrylic arm chairs make the perfect place for breakfast.

Off the kitchen area is a guest bedroom with a private sitting room and bath. “We divided the space into two separate rooms using the beams as guides,” explains Ellen.

The original iron railing leading to the upstairs sitting room and master bedroom was removed, cleaned and painted in gunmetal. The small openings in the brick walls that once held AC window units are now windows that make looking out onto the city lights at night a delight. The upstairs sitting room is spacious and serene. Century Furniture made the custom sleeper sofa to fit up the narrow stairwell. Covered in a neutral Sunbrella fabric for durability, it is topped with a mix of throw pillows in ikat, paisley and tone-on-tone patterns in a mushroom color. The fretwork, twotoned painted chest by CTH sits beside the sofa and serves as a place to store linens. Four antique prints of the French Quarter that had belonged to Suzanne’s grandmother fit perfectly above the chest. The ecru leather wing recliner is a comfortable place for Greg to sit and feel at home. Another contemporary chair is covered in a textured cotton blend. The large wool rug has the same muted pallet of the room. Against the brick wall is a distressed-wood desk with églomisé glass, accompanied by a clean-lined chair.

Two antique-cypress panel doors have been made into a sliding door to >>

Spanning the length of the foyer wall is a 10-foot-long, reclaimed-wood console table. An oversized contemporary landscape giclĂŠe in white, taupe and grey with a hand-applied gold finish hangs between two beams. Opposite page: The compact galley kitchen has an oversized island that seats four comfortably.

December 2015-January 2016 45

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

A round tufted ottoman in a durable fabric with a cream glazed base adds interest to the middle of the room.

A gold-leaf tea trolley is used to store linens and essentials.

46

Inside New Orleans

cover the entrance to the master bedroom. “We left them natural and rustic to complement the beams,” says Ellen.

The king-sized bed has a transitional wing tufted headboard upholstered in a linen-cotton blend; the custom channelstitched coverlet and shams in ivory are complemented by geometric-patterned silk pillows. The bedside tables are in crisp white with walnut tops and antique brass hardware.

The candlestick lamps have a hand-applied gold finish. A tall dresser in the same style as the side tables sits across the room. Two antique French Quarter prints hang on the white wall.

The master bath is a study in understated elegance.

Champagne glass tile with a patterned gold-leaf tile border surrounds the contemporary soaker tub and carries onto the backsplash. The cabinet has a cream marble top and antique-brass hardware and fittings. Adjacent to the bath is a small laundry room.

The Leightons love their French Quarter retreat. “We are thrilled with our New Orleans condo,” Suzanne says.

“We are enjoying spending time in the city with our family and friends.”

Wine Cellar THERE IS LIKELY no more celebratory time of the year than the holidays of Chanukah and Christmas. This festive and joyous season is often associated with the consumption of joyous libations known as wine and Champagne. Similarly, there is often no more thoughtful and kind way to gift those we care about than with a special bottle of bubbly or vino.

Do you think your wife or girlfriend truly wants something with an electrical cord attached smile over a beautiful Billecart-Salmon Rose Champagne? Does that special man in your life really need another shirt or tie, or would he rather share a stunning 2012 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon with you?

Now that we have made the all-important decision to give our friends and loved ones a present that they can truly enjoy and value, how do we go about making that choice? After all, there are so many wines—and yet, so little time. Fear not, as I have a few options that will make the abhorrent idea of shopping for that perfect bottle much easier.

The first question you need to answer is, “Do I give red, white or Champagne?” You can really not go wrong with any.

The holidays always present a reason to celebrate and revel with that all-toofamiliar sound of a Champagne cork popping! There are some incredible marketing companies out there that would have Americans believe that there are only a few great Champagnes. Do not buy the hype, but try these two producers;

by Bill Kearney

I think you will agree they provide outstanding examples of Champagne.

Billecart- Salmon likely makes the best bottle of Rose Champagne for the dollar.

It is a beautiful rose that provides subtle fruity flavors of delicate raspberry. If rose is not for you, then Billecart also does a wonderful Brut Reserve that blends pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay to provide for a crisp and well-balanced acidic Champagne.

I also recommend you search out Lallier, for it is a world-class producer of Champagne that you will not necessarily find in every wine store aisle. Like Billecart, Lallier makes several different blends, with each providing hedonistic pleasures for the lovers of bubbly.

If the answer to the first question is white wine, then the answer for Christmas is Puligny-Montrachet or Meursault. Many wine shops are currently selling the 2012 vintage. Three consecutive vintages (2011, 2012 and 2013) of Burgundy were heavily impacted by brutal weather that severely decreased production. Yet the 2012 vintage was the finest of those three vintages, and in fact, has become a very good year. There are several great producers of both Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault in your favorite wine store—but know that these are wonderful examples of chardonnay that American wines just cannot compete with.

By now, I can only assume that you are looking for a beautiful bottle of red wine that will enhance the prospects

Gifts in a Bottle

of almost any evening. The 2012 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon wines are truly outstanding, having received more perfect scores of 100 from Robert Parker than any other vintage. This vintage was a crop of record size that is much heralded by the critics as star-studded. In short, these wines are luscious and fruit-forward, with an ability to drink now or they will reward the patient among us for many years to come. There really are many beautiful cabernets from 2012, but I would recommend highly that you try the wines from Paul Hobbs Grgich Hills, as each is unique and rich in their own right.

Yes, I am a fan of Old World wines, and the wines of France are just stunning.

The red Burgundy wines of 2012 are wines that will make many happy. In particular, please try to find Gevrey-Chambertin from the Côte de Nuits and Volnay from the Côte de Beaune. You will notice that I have just given regions as opposed to producers, though I think that Bouchard Pere et Fils really did a wonderful job in 2012. They happen to be the only producer of the most appropriate Christmas wine of all time. Bouchard’s Beaune Grèves, Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus (Wine of the Baby Jesus) will deliver a remarkable wine-drinking experience for almost any wine lover.

I want to thank each of you for reading this column and for buying wine from your favorite wine shop. The dedicated professionals of this industry work tirelessly to give you the best wines they can find at the best prices. There are literally thousands of choices to comb through so that you can pop that cork and enjoy the nectar of the gods. May you each have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year—and keep drinking whatever it is that you like, for then and only then is it good.

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What is your signature procedure?

My signature is to individualize what each patient needs to look like a better, more rested and refreshed version of themselves, and to do it in the most cost-effective and painless way possible. To maintain the results, I instruct patients in good skin care protocols. Because I believe good health is vital for good looks, my consults will often include health and wellness issues and nutritional recommendations.

How are you considered an innovator and

Mary Lupo, MD, of the Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology: Innovating Dermatology Since 1984

AS A BOARD CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST who started her practice in 1984, Dr. Mary Lupo is highly respected as an innovator,

educator in the field of non-surgical rejuvenation?

Starting the resident’s injection clinic in 1983 was the first step; refining skin care protocols came next. In 1995, I added lasers to my practice, and two years later, I adopted Botox years before it was a household word. Since 2003, when newer more advanced fillers came into the U.S., I have been chosen for clinical trials and to teach the techniques to other aesthetic physicians.

In 2005, I co-founded Cosmetic Bootcamp as a

educator, researcher and artist in the area of non-surgical rejuvenation. Her

continuing medical education program on advanced

passion has driven her since 1983 when she was a chief resident at Tulane

techniques to teach the latest non-surgical rejuvenation to

Medical School and collagen injections had just been approved. “I knew

qualified aesthetic physicians. We later expanded that into

dermatology would be at the forefront of non-surgical rejuvenation,” she

Cosmetic Bootcamp University, which supplements the

says enthusiastically. Speaking from her office on Robert E. Lee Boulevard

aesthetic training residents and fellows receive after medical

in New Orleans, Dr. Lupo shares her insight into aesthetic dermatology and

school.

why she’s remained at the forefront of this field for over three decades.

I also offer preceptorships to dermatology residents to

What is non-surgical rejuvenation?

provide a better understanding of non-surgical techniques.

Non-surgical rejuvenation is the non-invasive process of restoring

My associate, Dr. Kate Holcomb, served a preceptorship

a more youthful appearance through non-surgical techniques such as

with me during her residency at

injections, light and radiofrequency devices, lasers and chemical peels.

Columbia University. She shares

How did you become involved in this field?

my ethical compass: Do what’s

When I was chief resident at Tulane Medical School, the department

right for the patient, not what’s

chair, Dr. Larry Milliken, agreed with me that dermatology was destined

right for us--even if it means

to play a leading role in non-invasive rejuvenation. With his blessing, I

sending people to a plastic surgeon

established the first injection clinic as part of the core curriculum within

because they’ve waited too long to

residency training. For the next thirty years, I staffed the clinic, bringing

benefit from non-surgical methods.

the latest techniques and products to the residents. To this day, Tulane’s aesthetic dermatology program is among the best in the country.

At what age should people schedule their first visit with you?

The younger you start, the less you have to do. If people come to me before forty-five, I can do so much to prevent the aging that later on would require more aggressive surgical procedures. It’s really not too soon to come in your twenties. At that age, I teach patients how to care for their skin--use sunscreen daily, avoid tanning beds and do not smoke.

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Inside New Orleans

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Lupo or Dr. Holcomb, call the Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology, 504-288-2381.

ON COLLECTI EANS NEW ORL photo

ORIC : THE HIST courtesy

Carnival

by Anne Honeywell

JANUARY 6, TWELFTH NIGHT, marks the end of the Christmas season and the official beginning of our favorite time of the year, Carnival. The Carnival season ends on the day before Ash Wednesday, or Mardi Gras—this year very early, on February 9, resulting in a five-week whirlwind of balls, parades and other festivities.

Until the mid-19th century, celebrating the days before the Lenten fast mainly consisted of masking, both in the streets and at masked balls. But activity in the streets had degraded into a spectacle of unorganized street maskers who were at the mercy of hooligans.

In 1856, a group of businessmen intent on bringing some organization to Mardi Gras 52

Inside New Orleans

organized the Mystick Krewe of Comus. Born in complete secrecy, Comus planned for a costumed march Mardi Gras evening, followed by a ball and banquet. A dress committee developed a theme for the parade and traveled to Mobile to obtain costumes. An all-powerful committee issued invitations to 3,000 of the area’s most elite citizens to the 1857 events, which included a 30-float procession before the ball. Thus was created the tradition of Comus’ issuing some of the most sought-after pieces of paper in history.

John Magill, the recently retired longtime curator at The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Research Center, is an expert on Mardi Gras ephemera—items people didn’t expect to be used for very long, such as invitations, dance

Counter clockwise from bottom left: Antique Rex lighter krewe favor for the reign of Harold Dupuy in 1963; enamel Bacchus cloisonnet, 1968; invitation to the 1874 Comus ball; a glittering Zulu coconut is the time-honored, most coveted throw of the Zulu krewe. This one, owned by Captain William Ayers, was decorated by David “Mr. Dave” McMillian; vintage coin purse krewe favor of the Twelfth Night Revelers; ladies’ pin favors, or “call out” favors, are given as gifts during Carnival balls and celebrate a variety of things, such as the theme of the organization, its royalty or the year; dance cards were used in days gone by to keep the evening lively; New Orleans parade bulletin from 1885; Krewe of Proteus flask favor, 1963.

Collectibles cards, programs and parade bulletins.

Magill explains how the old-line krewes’ ball invitations evolved. In the beginning, the Mystick Krewe’s invitations were rather plain. After a break during 1862-1865 because of the war, the invitations grew more ornate. Other organizations began to emulate Comus’ success. The Twelfth Night Revelers formed in 1870, and Rex and the Knights of Momus in 1872. Krewes made more elaborate invitations, as well as admit cards and the dance cards, where each lady filled in the name of her partners. Krewes also began to give out small favors to ball attendees.

The HNOC is home to an extensive collection of invitations from the Rex and Comus balls (as well as many other krewes) from the earliest days, including many

complete sets of invitations, admit cards, dance cards and sometimes, the envelopes in which they were delivered.

Henri Schindler has literally written the book—one should say books—on this subject.

His Mardi Gras Treasures: Invitations of the Golden Age and Mardi Gras Treasures: Jewelry of the Golden Age offer a designer’s-eye-view of these mysterious little artworks—the invitations, programs, dance cards and the pins, broaches, medallions and other favors.

Schindler summarizes the regal nature of the designs in his book, Mardi Gras New Orleans. “The invitations and dance cards were decorative works of art, lithographed cards whose designs reflected the ball’s theme; these paper treasures grew ever more elaborate during >>

December 2015-January 2016 53

photo courtesy: LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM

the 1880s and 1890s, employing diecut layers of scenes that unfolded into miniature tableaux. These beautiful messages from the gods were not entrusted to the postal system, but delivered by couriers.”

Schindler also explains that, unlike the parades, which were intended to be public, the balls were private, and invitations were scarce; many who thought they deserved to attend were not invited. This did not stop some from trying. A brochure issued by Comus in 1947 states, “[In] 1869 at the old French Opera House, uninvited ladies actually formed a flying wedge and tried to push themselves through the entrance. Six of them fainted and others had their clothes so torn they had to go home.”

It also tells the tale of two admit cards that had been lost or stolen in 1877, prompting Comus to offer an award of $1,000 each for their return.

The 1960s saw a decline in creativity; many invitations became very simple in style, similar to engraved wedding invitations. The 1970s, however, saw a resurgence in design. Comus and Rex turned to artists such as Priscilla Lawrence (now executive director of the HNOC) and Patsy Hardin to create more elaborate invitations. Motifs from the early years were often brought back and integrated into modern invitations and parade bulletins. Hardin’s 2001 Rex invitation, for example, incorporates several design elements from earlier years, notably the Rex moth from 1882.

Carnival krewes have a long 54

Inside New Orleans

photo credit: TRICIA FRANCE

Opposite: 1905 Comus ball favor pin. Above: Hand-decorated Muses shoe by Tricia France.

tradition of gifting their ball guests with favors, such as jewelry and more utilitarian items like inkwells, jewelry boxes, cigarette lighters and ashtrays.

Many favors are on display at Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana, the permanent exhibit at the Presbytere, where floats, costumes, throws, invitations and favors fill three floors.

Curator Wayne Phillips says, “The favors I like the most and the favors that tend to be the most collectible are the favor pins. They are the official pins given out at the balls and are the earliest tradition of giving favors, going back to the 1880s.

The factors that make the favor pins so attractive are those that tend to make them the most collected. Most have the krewe name and the date, and even some illustration of the theme of the ball on them, and they are wearable.”

More than 150 years after Comus’ first ball, krewes will carry on the tradition of elaborate invitations, admit cards, dance cards and favors. Inevitably, some of the ephemera of the 2016 Carnival season will find its way into The Historic New Orleans Collection, the Louisiana State Museum and the Presbytere to be zealously preserved for generations to come.

December 2015-January 2016 55

“It was good for the men.

Now they’d get to see how it felt for a girl to sit and wait to be called out to dance.”

- an editor of the Daily Picayune.

by Winnie Brown

Les Mysterieuses first queen was Miss Arthemise Baldwin, who also reigned as queen of Rex that same year; An invitation to Les Mysterieuses inaugural ball in 1896.

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Carnival’s Original Feminine Mystique

THE SPLENDOR AND PAGEANTRY of Carnival today is rooted in the birth of the aesthetic movement in the 1860s and the Gilded Age that followed, roughly from 1870-1900. This is the era that gave us the Twelfth Night Revelers, who would introduce both the Grand March and the concept of a queen to

Inside New Orleans

Carnival, followed by Rex, Momus, and later Proteus, the Original Illinois Club, and the Elves of Oberon— all preceded by Comus in 1857. It is also the era that fostered Carnival’s original all-female krewe, Les Mysterieuses (the Mysterious Ones) in 1896.

By the 1880s, New Orleans had emerged from the ashes of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the economic depressions of the early 1870s. Creole society fully embraced the aesthetic movement and the devotion to classical art, literature, romance and

photo courtesy: LES MYSTERIEUSES

Les Mysterieuses

exotica that was sweeping the world.

Nowhere was this more visible than in these early Carnival balls.

True to the name satirically coined

by Mark Twain, the Gilded Age was defined by both excessive wealth and poverty. But it was also a period of tremendous social change and one that saw women taking a more active role in society. It was the age of the “new woman,” and women were experiencing greater opportunities for education and public involvement. But society was still a man’s domain, and socially, the Carnival parades, balls and tableaux were all planned and run by men, with participation by the ladies limited to dancing upon summons after the tableaux.

Yet it was against this backdrop that a group of socially prominent ladies joined together and established their own krewe with the unique twist of role-reversal—the women called out the men to dance. The new krewe presented balls in 1896 and 1900, both leap years, which, according to folklore, balance >>

Les Mysterieuses held its second ball in 1900. It featured four queens and four kings. The ball’s theme was “Fair Women of Four Realms”; the queens represented Brunhilde, Juliet, Semiramis and

photo courtesy: LES MYSTERIEUSES

Pocahontas.

the traditional roles of men and women in the way that the 29th day of February balances the calendar and allow women to propose to men every four years.

The ladies adopted the crimson poppy, the emblem of silence, as their motif, and one must wonder if they did so with some degree of sardonic amusement.

Many of the founders’ names have faded from memory, but some remain familiar to us today. The first president of Les Mysterieuses was Emma Shaw Brittin, whose husband Abraham Brittin served three times as president of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange and also as acting mayor of the city. Emma was president of the H. Sophie Newcomb Sanitarium and Training School for Nurses. Most notably though, the Brittins lived in the famed Garden District “corn stalk house.” An old program lists the committee chairs of the 1900 ball as: Mrs. R. M. Walmsley, Mrs. Samuel Delgado, Mrs. Lucien Lyons and Mrs. Edgar Bright, in addition to a roster of the ladies serving on the committees.

Les Mysterieuses debuted at its inaugural ball on January 10, 1896, at the French Opera House.

The ladies selected Willie Stauffer as king; he was attended by William Dudley, Frank Haine and B.A. Oxnard. The queen was Miss Arthemise Baldwin,

who also reigned as queen of Rex that same year.

Tragically, she died from complications of childbirth just 10 years later. A beautiful portrait of her in her regal attire, holding a mask, survives. She was featured in Munsey’s Magazine, the era’s equivalent of Town and Country.

“The Queen, who of course is not known, as she was en masque, was regal in her elegant gown of yellow satin with full front of white tulle embroidered in pearls. The long court train was of yellow velvet edged with ermine about six inches wide. A medici collar of gold studded with jewels was worn.

Around her throat was clasped a diamond necklace.

A corset of pearls encircled the waist, the train being held up by diamond clasps, fastened to the back of the bodice. The first Maid of Honor wore a gown of pink and green Dresden silk with a white chip bonnet and plumes.”

- The States Item, 1896 Carnival historian Henri Schindler describes the unusual presentation on that first occasion in 1896: >>

The Les Mysterieuses member’s pin features the crimson poppy, which is the emblem of silence, and the founding ladies chosen motif.

December 2015-January 2016 59

“Last night the old French Opera House was a blaze of glory and a dream of fair women over which Silence reigned, but did not set her seal. And Secrecy, a taunting sprite, tweaked the beholder’s curiosity in a pretty delightful fashion. Poppies, the emblem of sweet mystery, splashed in lighter color tones of the place with their vivid shades, suggesting secrets that would be but half told. … Soft music threaded the light burr of voices that rose and swelled as the hour approached for wonders to begin … and light and laughter and the airy spirit of joy flashed through the great building that has echoed to so many revelries.”

“The parterre usually graced with lovely women, was filled with several hundred gentlemen, waiting to be called out to dance with their masked partners. The king and his dukes many of them leading members of Rex and Comus, occupied a proscenium box and were costumed in white satin directoire finery and powdered wigs. The Queen and her cast were attired in directoire gowns sparkling with jewels and they alone were masked. Jeweled fobs were bestowed upon men as favors.”

The second and final ball, held in 1900 at the French Opera House, repeated the reversals of masking and calling out. This ball celebrated the dawn of the new century and was a much more ambitious production.

While the 1896 ball had one queen, 60

Inside New Orleans

a debutante of the season, and one king, the second ball consisted of four queens and four kings. The featured theme of the ball, “Fair Women of Four Realms,” was represented by depictions of Brunhilde, Juliet, Semiramis and Pocahontas. Each queen was seated upon her throne surrounded by her maids of honor as the curtain rose.

The Times Democrat described in great detail the beautiful stage and its decorations: “The scene was one of enchanting beauty. The stage was set in gold and white with motifs of the crimson poppy, the emblem of silence. On either side of the stage had been set to represent a garden, full of palms and blossoming plants. Across the back four thrones had been erected, each under an archway, from which depended

photo courtesy: LES MYSTERIEUSES

- The Times Democrat depiction of the 1900 Les Mysterieuses Ball

a basket of flowers with electric lights. The women maskers, about 140 of them were dressed after the fashion of the Queen to whose suite they belonged.”

After the tableaux, each of the queens and their maids of honor descended into a sea of white ties to select four kings: John Tobin, Hunt Henderson, Felix Puig and William F. Maginnis. Each king was given the royal insignia of Les Mysterieuses, a broad band of red satin ribbon from which hung a decoration consisting of a woman’s face in gold and enamel, with a white band across the eyes, a finger on the lips, and with two crimson poppies in the hair, in the heart of which gleamed a tiny diamond.

There were six dances, and a total of 340 men in attendance, each waiting anxiously to see if they would receive an invitation to dance. “It was good for the men,” wrote an editor from the Daily Picayune. “Now they’d get to see how it felt for a girl to sit and wait to be called out to dance.”

The ball of 1900 was the last for Les Mysterieuses. Why the club disbanded remains a mystery. Although its tenure was brief, its influence endured. Like its emblem the Poppy, whose seeds can lay dormant for years yet grow after the ground has been disturbed, the spirit of Les Mysterieuses eventually flowered in a number of women’s krewes: Mittens and Les Inconnues in 1901, Mystic Maids in 1906, Krewe of Yami in 1911, Iris and Les Marionettes in 1922, Venus in 1942 and most recently, Muses and Nyx. Long before Sigmund Freud asked the question “What do women want?” these pioneering ladies already knew. As the song says almost a century later— “girls just wanna have fun.” No doubt the ladies of Les Mysterieuses had the time of their lives.

December 2015-January 2016 61

Don’t miss The PRC 40th Annual Holiday Home Tour December 12-13!

History on Tour

by Stephen Maloney

Dr. Troy Scroggins’ raised center-hall cottage in the heart of the New Orleans Garden District.

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WHEN DR. TROY SCROGGINS JR. was growing up in Topeka, Kansas, historic homes were few and far between. Most of the housing stock in Topeka dated back to the 1950s, which makes the circa 1870 Toledano Street home Scroggins has lovingly renovated feel all the more special.

The raised center-hall cottage will be on full display during the Preservation Resource Center’s Holiday Home Tour December 12-13, marking the culmination of a long and winding path that has taken Scroggins from the suburban sprawl of Topeka to the heart of the historic Garden District. He moved to New Orleans about 25 years ago to join the staff of the Ochsner Health System, where he is now chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Inside New Orleans

Before settling in the Crescent City, Scroggins was living in Baltimore, where he first became interested in historic homes. “I think that’s when I first started living in older buildings,” he says. “I lived in a converted shirt factory that was right downtown in Baltimore. It was a big loft-style apartment that had won a couple of design awards.”

From there, Scroggins bought an old row home that was just 12 feet wide. “Someone had gone in, gutted it, redesigned it and made it a much more open floor plan,” he says. “That’s when I started to see that you could take some of the older homes, still keep the history but then renovate so that it works.”

Scroggins made the move to New Orleans after four years in Baltimore, and he was immediately >>

photos: LIZ JUREY, PRC

Preservation Resource Center Celebrates the Holidays

A large wooden table flanked by six high-backed chairs occupies the center space in the kitchen. The counter tops are Calacatta Marble Honed; the backsplash is handpainted, handmade terra cotta tile. Scroggins chose his colors and customized the pattern himself working with Stafford Tile & Stone, who did the stone and tile work throughout the entire house.

December 2015-January 2016 63

photos: LIZ JUREY, PRC

Above: The formal dining room.

Inset: The family room.

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struck by how much history was on display in every neighborhood. “The first home I had here was a Spanish Revival home built in the 1920s that was on Trianon Plaza,” he says. “That block has so much history. From the fact that the land was owned by a free man of color, to the people who built the homes and all this stuff that happened on that one little

Inside New Orleans

block. I was like ‘man, this is neat.’”

Right before Hurricane Katrina, Scroggins bought a condo under renovation on St. Andrews and Coliseum.

“I was lucky to catch it right when they were renovating so they could put up drywall,” he says. “When I bought it, I said ‘I want it! Don’t do any more!’ That gave me a chance to do the bathroom and kitchen like I wanted, and that turned out really well, I think.” “Really well” might just be an understatement. When Scroggins put the condo up for sale, it sold in less than one day, due in large part to his updates.

Surprised at his good fortune, he set his sights on a new historic home. “When I was looking for a house, I kind of said ‘well, I’m in a 1920s house, but I’d like to be in a house that’s a little older than that,’’ he says. It seemed only natural that he would be drawn to a section of the city home to a wide array of historic houses.

“New Orleans has such an abundance of houses that were built in the early 1900s or late 1800s.

Not a lot of other cities have that situation. To find houses that are still functioning and to think that in >>

the late 1800s people were living in this structure, that it was serving as a home then as it is now—I like that aspect.”

When he first stepped foot in the Toledano Street home, Scroggins said he immediately felt comfortable. “As soon as I walked in, I knew,” he says. “I thought, ‘I love this house. I think this could really work.’”

The first thing that Scroggins wanted to establish was a good flow that would lend itself to gatherings large and small. He moved the kitchen entrance from its original position along the outside wall to the center of the hallway wall, closing off the parlor to the left of the front door to create a more formal seating area.

For the parlor to the right of the entrance, Scroggins decided to open things up by removing the hallway door and replacing it with an oversized, custommilled doorframe, a trick he repeated on the back wall of the kitchen, which connects to a relaxed living room space.

“We actually moved the back wall in the kitchen back about a foot and a half because I knew I wanted my refrigerator and wine cooler on one side, and I needed a little more space to get them in,” he says. “I think it gives a more open-concept feel without some of the problems that come with having an open concept in an older home.”

A large wooden table flanked by six high-backed chairs with embroidered fleurs de lis occupies the center space in the kitchen that might ordinarily be home to an island. “I think you are always pretty comfortable sitting at a table, whereas with an island, you’re never really going to sit there for a long time, because at some point your knees are going to hit the island. I wanted everyone to be able to sit at the table and just hang out. It makes for long evenings.”

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Inside New Orleans

photos: LIZ JUREY, PRC

As with his condo redesign and renovation, sometimes the comfort conveyed by the custom kitchen can work against Scroggins, especially if he has to wake up early the next day. “You’re cooking, you’re doing your stuff and everyone is just sitting at the table hanging out,” he says. “It makes for long evenings. That’s the problem. One thing feeds the other, and then it’s like three o’clock.”

The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and the warmth resonating from the heart of Scroggins’ kitchen radiates out to the rest of the historic structure.

“I definitely like to have a beautiful environment, but I also want it to be very comfortable,” he says. “I don’t want people to come in and think they can’t put their feet up. I never want it to feel stiff or that there are rooms that people can’t go in.”

Scroggins has made it a point to ensure that the interior of his home reflects the surrounding culture and feel of New Orleans. To that end, he bought his furniture from local sources, most often the shops lining Magazine Street. The amazing collection of artwork adorning the walls is heavily populated by New Orleans and Louisiana artists and represents a

wide range of styles and formats. “I really try to be a big fan, locally,” he says. “New Orleans is a pretty amazing city for an artist to be an artist and make a living being an artist, because there’s not a lot of places where you can really do that.”

The key to making it all work is to always stick to what pleases you. “The thing about decorating for yourself is, in the end, you’ll really feel comfortable with it because you picked it out, you had a hand in it,” he says. “Just keep buying what you like. It will all work out.”

With such a successful historic renovation under his belt, Scroggins says he would be open to taking on another project, but maybe not anytime soon. His words of wisdom for anyone considering taking on a renovation seem to match his overall aesthetic and approach: “If you can, do it all at one time and have a really clear idea what you want and what you don’t want,” he says. “Keep it moving, because otherwise people get bogged down with little stuff.”

After Scroggins purchased the home and began work to landscape the overgrown yard, a beautiful fountain

For more information on the PRC 40th Annual Holiday Home Tour or to purchase tickets, visit prcno.org or call 504-581-7032.

was uncovered, much to his surprise and delight.

December 2015-January 2016 67

The Conti Street entrance of Broussard’s Restaurant.

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Inside New Orleans

Broussard’s Restaurant

by Kate Brevard

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Celebrating 95 Years

BROUSSARD’S RESTAURANT, one of New Orleans’ original Grandes Dames, is celebrating her 95th anniversary this year. But she doesn’t look a day over 30, thanks to a makeover by the Ammari brothers, owners of Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts. The property had not seen a renovation since the early ’70s when the Ammaris purchased the restaurant in February 2013. They invested over one million dollars for the complete overhaul of Broussard’s, wholeheartedly committing to return the restaurant to its original glory and to bring the fine dining establishment into the 21st century.

Like most things in New Orleans, Broussard’s has an historical narrative that reads like a fictional book. It all began in 1917, when Joseph Broussard, a classically trained French chef, married Rosalie Borello. Her wealthy parents gave the young couple their prestigious family residence located at 819 Conti Street. In 1920, Joseph and Rosalie opened a restaurant in their home and named it, appropriately, Broussard’s. Together, through hard work, they built a renowned five-star restaurant over the years. The couple operated it successfully until 1966, when they died within one month of each other.

Without any direct heirs to operate the business, the property was sold to Joe Segretto and Joe Marcello in the early ’70s. Because Segretto had

previously been the road manager for Louis Prima and Keely Smith, he had many celebrity connections.

During the ’70s and ’80s, Broussard’s was the fashionable destination. It was to the New Orleans gourmet dining scene what Studio 54 was to New York’s nightlife/disco scene. Super stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis Jr. would drop in on a regular basis.

Broussard’s ran under the Segretto/Marcello team until the early ’90s, when Chef Gunter Preuss, >>

Above: Magnolia Room of Broussard’s Restaurant.

Below: Chef Neal Swidler.

December 2015-January 2016 69

a European-born-and-trained chef, and his wife and business partner, Evelyn, bought it. Chef Gunter and Evelyn Preuss operated Broussard’s successfully for many years until 2013, when the Ammari Brothers entered the picture. The Ammaris had been looking for a more upscale restaurant to add to their portfolio, and Broussard’s proved to be the perfect match.

Zeid Ammari, Chief Operating Officer of Creole Cuisine, shares his warm feelings for Broussard’s romantic backstory. “I love the story of the original chef, Joseph Broussard, and his wife, Rosalie, and

Above: The courtyard of Broussard’s Restaurant.

Right: Zeid Ammari, Chief Operating Officer of Creole Cuisine.

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Inside New Orleans

first part of the neighboring Hermann-Grima House, built in 1831. The original Hermann-Grima grounds were considerable and extended through the entire block of St. Louis Street to Conti Street. History is something that is near and dear to Zeid’s heart. “It’s an historical restaurant. We’re celebrating our 95th year, and that means a lot in a city filled with history.

But, it’s still rare for a restaurant to survive 95 years.

This restaurant mirrors our family. We haven’t even been here that long, so I think it’s the perfect fit.” >>

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

how they met and fell in love. And how they opened this restaurant. I would love to have them come here now, 95 years later, and see the restaurant today.”

Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, Broussard’s parent company, is owned by brothers Marv, Zeid and Richy Ammari (Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively). Creole Cuisine currently operates 20 restaurant, bar and event venue properties, as well as a separate real estate division. The company has over 1,000 employees on its payroll and is everexpanding. This mini-empire began with one humble daiquiri store, Daiquiri Paradise in Chalmette, back in 1989.

The restaurant business is notoriously grueling, and the soft-spoken Zeid doesn’t take their success lightly. “We have an uncommon story and are very fortunate to be where we are today. Every restaurant, every bar and every real estate business in which we are involved is very important to us. But, Broussard’s … it’s significant, one of our favorites.”

The Broussard’s property and buildings were

72

The Ammari brothers have invested a small fortune to completely refurbish the entire Broussard’s property, from the outdated kitchen to the famed courtyard. But perhaps more than that, they made an incalculable emotional investment as well. “The million dollars is absolutely correct when you talk about re-polishing this diamond. However, the restaurant needed it. Number one was to respect the history; that was the most important aspect. And, number two was to renovate true to the original structure while making Broussard’s aesthetically appealing to today’s customer. We wanted to create

help, as was the spectacular wisteria tree. The tree is checked on and cared for on a weekly basis by an arborist. “If only that tree could talk. It has been here long before the restaurant was established. In March and April, it blooms this beautiful lavender flower.

When brides come in for their ceremony, they always go by the tree to take photos,” says Zeid.

The renovations at Broussard’s are ongoing; the next major project will be the development of the building’s second floor. The details are still being worked out, but there will be three rooms of varying size.

something that would be both historically correct and relevant so people will still think it’s beautiful for many years to come.” The Ammaris brought in architectural historians as well as a design team to work on the project.

As any New Orleanian who’s been to Broussard’s knows, the Courtyard is an important part of Broussard’s legacy. The fountain was in dire need of

Another revival at Broussard’s is the Friday lunch. On Fridays, the restaurant will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the Empire Bar will open at 11:00 a.m. and stay open all the way through to dinner. “Most people in America have lunch for 45 minutes to one-and-a-half hours, but in New Orleans we like to have lunch for three to four hours. We decided to wait until the end of our 95th

Inside New Orleans

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

year to promote our Friday lunches,” Zeid explains.

One thing that comes up repeatedly while Zeid talks about Broussard’s and his other business interests is the importance of family above all else.

“It’s important that this is a family-owned and -operated business. Our employees are our family members as well. We have a commitment to New Orleans, where we live. And we are ecstatic to be at Broussard’s; my family is 110 percent behind it.”

To prove that commitment to the success of Broussard’s, Zeid has hired the best people in the restaurant business to carry out his mission statement. “We have an unbelievable team— Executive Chef Neal Swidler; Chris Ycaza, our General Manager and sommelier; and Paul Gustings, who is bartender at the Empire Bar. If I had a night off, I would sit at the bar and have a drink. Paul is a world of knowledge, a true character.” >>

The Napoleon Dining Room.

Top chef Executive Chef Neal Swidler is a serious heavyweight in the culinary world. This achievement is no small feat with today’s competitive celebrity chefs, the glut of new restaurants and the evolution of the “foodie generation.”

Swidler graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, at the top of his class. A very few highlights from his impressive CV include: chef de cuisine at Mike’s on the Avenue, chef de cuisine at both NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico and owner and chef of Lucky Rooster.

Because of the proliferation of reality TV cooking shows featuring the likes of bad-tempered Gordon Ramsey, prominent chefs as a group have perhaps unfairly garnered the reputation of temperamental A-list divas. But, proving that one should never typecast anyone or any category of people, Chef Neal Swidler proved to be a dynamic, affable man, the furthest thing imaginable from the petulant chef portrayed in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. He was brimming with energy, had an intelligent wit and his discourse was vibrant.

Chef Neal’s dark, chicory-colored eyes practically glowed as he spoke about his life and his passions, cooking and food. “Cooking at Broussard’s hits all of the French chords for me. The first job I ever had was in a French café in Chicago. I was terrible at that job, but I liked the ‘costume’ and the way everything tasted. In high school, I used to wear a chef’s coat to school even before I was a cook.”

A native of Chicago, Chef Neal apparently always dreamed of moving to the Big Easy. “I just knew I wanted to come here. New Orleans was a culinary destination/mecca in my mind. Plus, I love costumes and having fun, and 74

Inside New Orleans

it was the place with the biggest street parties that I could imagine. So, when I graduated from the CIA, I came here. I got my first shot as executive sous chef at Mike’s on the Avenue.”

Chef Neal was promoted to chef de cuisine at Mike’s and worked there for two more years before going to Emeril Lagasse’s NOLA. He spent seven years at NOLA, and then was at Delmonico for three years. “It was awesome to work for Emeril. It was like if you got to play with Buddha. I got in with Emeril when he only had three restaurants.

Understanding and doing Creole cuisine was all brand new to me. I wanted to explore that because it was more expected at NOLA than it had been at Mike’s.”

After working for Emeril for ten years, Chef Neal was ready to move on, “What happens in kitchens is like a pirate ship because there is no outside influence. You are with the same people, all of the time, in the same environment.

So after a while, it can get stale.”

In 2013, Chef Neal opened Lucky Rooster in the CBD. “That was my Asian restaurant, which was great. It was Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai. But, honestly, it is very expensive to open new restaurants today. I was financed-out in the end, and we had to close it.”

Chef Neal didn’t have much time to put his feet up before Broussard’s came knocking at his door. The Ammaris brought him on board December 1, 2014. “Broussard’s has similarities to Delmonico’s in terms of what people expect of New Orleans cuisine—the attention to detail, slow cooking, sauces, etc.”

What do diners find on Broussard’s menu? Chef Neal says, “I like my flavor combinations to be more overt and bigger, like in a painting, and have >> December 2015-January 2016 75

Bartender Paul Gustings.

bigger strokes. There will be equal parts French and Creole. I like to call it ‘Haute Creole,’ or ‘High Creole.’ That means it’s leaning much more to the French side of Creole but pulls in the dishes that the diners expect, a ‘twist’ on the classics.

People are coming to New Orleans, and they want New Orleans cuisine.

So, if I am making truffle foam, then I am disappointing people. I like to feed people to make them happy. If I am not doing that, then I am failing in my mission as a chef to serve people.”

Celebrity bartender Paul Gustings is one of Broussard’s most colorful employees. In 2014, Esquire Magazine named the Empire Bar one of the top 25 bars in America.

Gustings has had numerous articles written about him around the world, from The London Financial Times to The New York Times. The cocktail writer for The New York Times called Gustings “an éminence grise in New Orleans’ bartending community.” (An éminence grise is defined as “a person who exercises power or influence in a certain sphere without holding an 76

Inside New Orleans

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

The Empire Bar.

official position.”) And the accolades keep coming for the 59-year-old veteran of Napoleon House and Tujague’s, not to mention a celebrity cult following of people of all ages. Gustings was born in the Netherlands but has called New Orleans home ever since he dropped anchor here at 21 years of age.

Regardless of all of the praise heaped upon him, Paul remains downto-earth and no-nonsense. “When people ask me what I want to be called, I say, ‘Paul’ is a good place to start, and then I say, ‘I’m a bartender.’ That’s it. I don’t need any titles.” Fittingly, his drink of choice is a Bud Light. “Sometimes, I’ll order Green Chartreuse, and I’ll drink that with a beer. The other day, I had a High Life instead, but that was really pushing it.”

And, don’t make the mistake of calling him a mixologist, the hipster term for bartender. “People today think

that if you have a handlebar moustache and are wearing a fedora, vest and armbands, that makes you a mixologist.

In the late 1800s, the word mixologist actually meant something, and the bartenders were called that. But today it doesn’t mean anything.”

The longer one talks to Paul, the reason for his popularity becomes clearer, in addition to his bartending skills, of course. The man is right out of a Damon Runyon novel, and the word “character” doesn’t do him justice. His sense of humor is as dry as the Sahara, and he has a poker face to rival that of a champion of the World Series of Poker. He’s full of fascinating real, historical knowledge, but he’s also full of blarney. “When I am behind the bar, I lie a lot. The other day, there was this woman, and she asked me, ‘How long have you been tending bar?’ I said, ‘Six months.’ She asked, >> December 2015-January 2016 77

‘What did you do before that?’ I said, ‘Nuclear physicist. I built atom bombs.’

She actually told someone what I said! If you tell someone something with a straight face, they’ll believe anything.” A sly smile creeps through his mustache and long, white freeform goatee as he relates this story.

His look is as distinctive as his crispy personality. “You know what I get when I’m walking down the street?

Colonel Sanders, all the time. I usually respond, ‘I don’t talk to regular soldiers, so get lost.’ Chef Neal wants me to dress up as Colonel Sanders for Mardi Gras.

He asks me, ‘What does it take to get you in the white outfit with the hat?’”

Paul laughs. The likeness is striking when he points this out. Although Burl Ives, in particular the cartoon characterBurl Ives in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, comes to mind and is a close second in resemblance.

Broussard’s management reports that on Paul’s nights off, bar sales go down. Not surprising. “I get asked for a lot of pictures. People are very happy when they have their picture taken with me. The funniest thing that happened was the guy who asked me, ‘Can you sign my forehead?’ He made a bet with his friends that he could make me smile.

So, I said, ‘Sure!’ And, then he said, ‘I won the bet!’” That sly smile materializes again.

Paul definitely likes to get both a laugh and a rise out of his audience but, bottom line, he wouldn’t have a devoted following if it weren’t for his drinks.

He has an extensive library of over 400 cocktail books from which he draws his inspiration and recipes, most of which date to the pre-Prohibition period; some are much older. “I have some books from the 1840s and 1860s.”

At Broussard’s since March 2013, Gustings has created a menu of New 78

Inside New Orleans

Orleans’ drinks, his own concoctions and his signature punches. “And, of course, I’ll make whatever people ask for if it’s not on the menu.” The Empire Bar’s Sazeracs and Ramos Gin Fizzes are its most popular drinks. “I’ve gotten write-ups for my Ramos Gin Fizz. It’s on a bucket list of some kind. I know because people have told me about it when they order it.”

Some of Paul’s punches take anywhere from two weeks to a month or longer to make. He is in the process of expanding his line of punches for Broussard’s Friday lunches, for the holiday season and for winter. He relies on his 1862 cocktail book, How to Mix Drinks, also known as The Bon Vivant’s Companion, by Jerry Thomas, for many of his drink recipes, but in particular his punches. The English milk punch is Broussard’s most popular—a clarified milk punch made from rum, brandy, arrack, pineapple, coriander, green tea, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and milk. It is mouthwateringly good, delicate but complex, and rich from the layered flavors of its many ingredients.

“This winter I am going to make Hot Buttered Rum, Egg Nog and Tom and Jerry,” Paul says. Tom and Jerry is a traditional, old-time cocktail that was served at Christmas time. Paul gives his own spin to the recipe, “You take cream of tartar, egg whites, sugar and mix that together. Then you take egg yolks and mix that with a little bit more sugar and bourbon and brandy … or rum and brandy, whatever you want. Then, you mix it all together until it has the consistency of thin pastry dough. Last, I pour melted Mexican chocolate on the top and serve it.”

Sounds yummy. And no doubt it’s “finger-licking” good if it comes from the bar of Paul Gustings.

December 2015-January 2016 79

3.

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Inside New Orleans

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5. Geometric 22” X 22” pillow, $138.88.

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“It’s not ok just to feel so-so...”

PASTOR OWEN MCMANUS has always been a healthy athletic person. But about three years ago, soon after he turned 50, he awoke to weakness all over his body, particularly in his arms and legs. Gradually, his symptoms increased, as he experienced pain in his arms Pastor Owen McManus and legs, in addition to dizziness and fatigue.

“It seemed like everything was going in the wrong direction and my doctor could not figure it out,” says McManus. “My son was just a baby when this began, and I was worried about even being able to pick him up.”

McManus was affected as much by the stress and emotional burden as by the symptoms themselves. “I found myself not wanting to be around people, which is the total opposite of my personality. As a pastor, I speak twice every Sunday, and I started to feel panicky when I would go up to speak. Everything weighed on me—I just wanted to feel better again.”

A nurse practitioner friend suggested that McManus make an appointment with Dr. Emma Kruger at the Metabolic Anti-Aging Center of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, who includes alternative methods in her practice.

“When my wife and I sat down with Dr. Kruger, I was really at the end of my road. I was like, ‘What do I do? Is my life over?’” says McManus. “What was most impactful for me was that Dr. Kruger, from that first meeting, was aggressive in how she approached my treatment. A no-nonsense doctor, she looks at you being in pain or not feeling well as the enemy. She didn’t just give me something that day and send me on; instead, she said we were going to work together to ‘get you feeling better.’ I felt like I was being heard, and that was a great relief.”

After the initial consultation and testing, Dr. Kruger diagnosed McManus with thyroid and adrenal problems. She placed him on a number of supplements and also started monitoring his sleep habits.

McManus has been working with Dr. Kruger for a year, and he has seen much improvement. He says, “I am happy. There is no more panicking and dizziness, and my strength has greatly improved.”

Feeling more like himself again, McManus works out everyday, is back to playing volleyball with his co-ed team and enjoying time with his family. He notes, “Ultimately, Dr. Kruger gives you hope. Yes, you’re getting older, and bodies do change, but it is not okay to just feel so-so.”

Neil and Jan Pierson Sock Spot.

Roman, Neil, Jan and Paisley Pierson pose with their dog, Riley.

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NEIL PIERSON GREW UP with a creative father who used his own invention to keep track of lost socks.

You know, the ones that somehow disappear—did the dryer have it for a snack? Did you leave it at the gym? Neil’s dad designed Sock Spot, a fun device for the laundry room to store unpaired socks until the mates reappeared. Years later, Neil was inspired to turn Sock Spot into the solution for his own family’s financial issues—and a way to help fight autism, as well.

When their son, Roman, was diagnosed with autism, bills began piling up for Neil and his wife, Jan. “I felt like there was nothing we could do. No one wants to feel like they cannot provide for their family.

And that’s when my family tradition came into play,”

Inside New Orleans

says Neil. “At that point, there were many outside forces that kept reminding me, ‘life is too short,’ and I knew that then was the time to jump. So we did.”

Neil paired with his friend Derek Cummiskey to create and co-author the book Sock Spot. The process took nearly three years before a final product was made. Sock Spot is a book and toy duo that combines a creative story, family fun and organization. Neil wrote a story where his two children, Roman and Paisley, are the main characters. Roman loses his “left sock,” which begins the journey to find it. Throughout the story, Roman and Paisley run into characters like Couyon the crawfish, Tiboy the baby bat, Lay Zey the lizard, French Fly and, of course, Meanie Weenie. As you will learn, Meanie Weenie loves socks!

Neil and Jan both grew up in Metairie and now live in Madisonville, so they wanted the book to be Louisiana based. “The character names were chosen to make sure it was clearly a South Louisiana-made product,” says Jan. “We’re in bayou country and wanted to share that with our readers regionally and nationally.”

The Sock Spot toy, boxed with the book, is a useful, child-friendly solution to keeping track of lost socks. A jingle from the story helps kids remember to run to the Sock Spot when they have that single unpaired sock. Each clip is decorated with a character from the book, making the toy a fun and interactive way for children to learn organization and tidiness.

The Sock Spot holds over 30 full-size socks and fastens with suction cups to just about any surface, the best location being the dryer or washer.

Recently completing its first year, Sock Spot has stuck. Jan is now Sock Spot’s full-time sales manager, traveling throughout the country from market to market. “Early in 2015, we were able to submit a large order with Barnes and Noble in Metairie and Mandeville,” Jan smiles. “They have been awesome to work with and have welcomed us in ever since.” In November, Jan visited nine different markets to share the creativity and family tradition of Sock Spot.

“She has really taken the reins on sales,” says Neil. “She is amazing at talking about our product and organizing each exhibit we go to.”

“It’s easy to share a product that you’re so passionate

photo credit: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Traces

about,” says Jan. “And the biggest thing we want to accomplish is autism awareness.

Everyone is somehow touched by autism, whether through family or someone they know. The stories I hear at shows we participate in have truly opened my eyes to how many people are affected.” Sock Spot itself is dedicated “to all who have or love someone with autism.” Each Sock Spot sold helps fund autism research and family support.

Along with promoting autism awareness, Neil and Jan enjoy book readings at local schools. Neil plans to read at McGehee School this month.

The book teaches problem solving, which is a large part of Neil’s passion for writing the story. “I always say to write down your problems and you will find a solution,” says Neil. “It’s about brainstorming and finding an answer to the problem. That’s what I like to share with students before we read Sock Spot.”

The reaction to Sock Spot has been overwhelming. Jan says, “We have enjoyed returning to shows that we were at last year and hearing what our readers have to say. I had one lady come up to me and say that Sock Spot was still on her daughter-in-law’s dryer, and it’s still her grandson’s favorite book!”

“That’s the best part—the validation we are receiving for what we have put into it,” grins Neil. “It took family tradition, inspiration from Roman and a lot of hard work to see this come into fruition.” Neil, Jan, Roman and Paisley hope that their family tradition can help your family, too.

Barnes and Nobles Mandeville will host Neil and Sock Spot for a book signing on December 19. Stop by to meet Neil and scoop up your own Sock Spot. And visit Facebook for the latest Sock Spot news and locations.

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Building a Legacy The Berg Family and Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

by Karen B. Gibbs

84

Inside New Orleans

photo courtesy: LEE MICHAELS

FOR LEE MICHAEL BERG, it’s all about family.

The family he and wife Brenda gave life to—their three sons—and the family that gives life to their business—their two hundred employees.

With eight Lee Michaels stores in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, featuring quality lines such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, David Yurman and Montblanc, as well as three Pandora stores, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry has attained a level of excellence few firstgeneration businesses can match.

It all began in Dallas, handing out colorful baby chicks at Levine’s Department Store. “I worked in my grandfather’s store during high school,” recalls Lee. “I sold clothing, mopped floors and gave away these colorful chicks at Easter. It was my job to get the right color chick, put it in a box and bring it to the customer.”

Eventually, Lee’s grandfather sold Levine’s to Zales. When Lee graduated from college and moved to New York, he was hired by Zales for its training program. After only six years, he was promoted to senior vice-president in charge of merchandising for

Opposite page: The Berg family: (front) Scott and Brenda; (back) Chad, Lee and Ryan. Top: The original Lee Michaels store in Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge.

Above: Jeweler Lee Berg sorting pearl strands.

all their divisions, over a thousand stores.

It didn’t take long for Lee’s inherent entrepreneurial spirit to emerge. “I wanted to open my own business, set my own destiny and control what my business looked like. So I quit my job, put all our furniture in storage, sold our house and >>

December 2015-January 2016 85

moved back to Dallas.” For the next year, he and Brenda searched for the perfect jewelry store to buy.

Unable to find an established business, the couple opened their own store at Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge.

“We started in 1978, with no big name brands, and built it one day at a time.” To Lee, the jewelry business is all about relationships with customers.

But without the right products to sell, it’s hard to build those relationships.

“So I went overseas and bought directly from the same suppliers I was buying from when I worked at Zales.” Lee parlayed his knowledge, experience and connections with manufacturers into obtaining the best buys for his customers.

Lee worked long hours to nurture his fledgling store. “Be good to your business and it will be good to you” is his mantra. And he was good to Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry—very good.

“He worked six days a week, 12 hours a day at the store,” says Brenda.

“When the laws changed, he worked Sundays, too.”

“I remember Mom taking us to eat dinner in the mall so we could visit Dad at work,” says oldest son Ryan.

Son Scott agrees. “If we wanted to see Dad, we had to see him at work.”

“I was 13 years younger than Ryan, so by the time I came along, Dad didn’t have to work those long hours,” says Chad. “Still, if I wanted to be with him, I went to the store.”

Adds Scott, “Some of the greatest learning experiences were watching my father interact with customers. He was so natural. It was almost like a dance how he got to know a customer’s needs and

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Inside New Orleans

photo courtesy: LEE MICHAELS

then found the perfect piece of jewelry for them.”

Given his extraordinary work ethic, it’s not surprising that Lee’s entrepreneurship rubbed off on his sons at an early age. When they were in elementary school, Ryan and Scott sold seashells from Florida to their neighbors. “We set up a stand outside the house and sold them for $10 a piece,” says Ryan with a laugh. Not to be outdone, their younger brother opened his own sidewalk business selling gemstones for a dollar each. “I even made a hand-written Lee Michaels sign,” say Chad.

While her sons were working their sidewalk stands, Brenda was helping in her own way. “I remember Mom doing payroll at the kitchen table till 11 o’clock at night,” says Ryan. “She also worked in the store at Christmas time.”

“I used to work behind the counter,” Brenda adds. “It was so funny when customers would tell me, ‘I’m really good friends with Mr. Michaels.’”

(Really good friends knew his last name was Berg.)

“Lee had a dream to build a business—and share the joys of running that business with his sons,” says Brenda. “And I lived that dream with him. Now the

boys are making that dream come true.”

“Being Lee Berg’s sons gave us an opportunity to grow. It did not guarantee us a top position in the company,” says Market President Ryan, who oversees store operations, the watch department and the San Antonio and Shreveport markets.

“Yes, we all started working stock, cleaning bathrooms—learning the business from the bottom up,” adds Market President Scott, who oversees the corporate office, the diamond market and the Baton Rouge market.

“As early as I can remember, I went to work with my dad. I couldn’t ask for a better role model,” comments General Manager Chad, who oversees marketing, non-branded merchandise, the New Orleans and Jackson markets and the Pandora operations.

Not only are all three sons working in the business, they are also active in the industry’s trade associations. Ryan was elected the 2016 president of Jewelers of America. Scott will serve as 2016 president of the American Gem Society. And Chad is president of Jewelers of Louisiana. To see his >>

The Berg family today: Chad, Lee, Brenda, Ryan and Scott.

December 2015-January 2016 87

photo courtesy: LEE MICHAELS

Rolex watches are showcased at the Lakeside Mall store.

sons achieve such recognition among their peers brings enormous pride to Lee. He knows the impeccable standards he set 37 years ago are the same ones his sons—and his employees—hold dear.

“This is a very personal business. When people come in, they want to talk with the person who owns the business,” says Lee. “But, the bigger the business gets, the further the owner gets from the customer. The trick is to figure out how to get our employees to act like owners of the business, to feel the passion, the ownership, the desire to please as well as we do.”

Lee found that the key was to hire associates who love people and want to provide Lee Michaels customers with an extraordinary experience. “They can always learn about the business, but they can’t learn how to care for people. That has to come from within.” He readily admits that he and his sons are always looking for their next great employee. They don’t have to know a thing about jewelry as long as they’re passionate about people.

The Bergs are just as passionate about affirming each of their associates. Their daily “10 to 10” staff meetings >>

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Inside New Orleans

photo courtesy: LEE MICHAELS

The Lee Michaels second generation leaders: Scott, Ryan and Chad Berg.

celebrate employee successes and special occasions. They also focus on integrating the day’s goals with the company’s code of excellence, integrity and service. As a result, Lee Michaels employees are valued like family, love their job and stay with the company.

Sometimes that attitude begins even before they’re hired. Recalls Amy Hughes, Marketing Manager, “I applied for one position but our HR director saw that I was a better fit for this job.

She made the most of my talents.”

Jane Widas, the HR Director and the company’s longest tenured employee, has been with Lee Michaels for 35 years.

She points out that 30 percent of their associates have been with the company for 15 years or more. They even have a second-generation employee, Mary Harris, who’s been at the Lakeside store for 13 years. Her mother, also named Mary Harris, retired as manager of the Hammond store after 20 years. “I have happy times when I’m at work,” says Mary Jr. “This is a family-oriented company. We treat customers as guests.”

Always as guests—even if it means going above and beyond. “A customer came in looking for a certain $500,000 necklace for Christmas,” says Chad.

“Only problem, it was in Arizona, and

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this was Christmas Eve.” So Chad flew to Arizona, got the necklace, wrapped it in a Lee Michaels signature red box and delivered it in time for Christmas.

Scott, who buys the company’s diamonds, remembers a customer who wanted to purchase a very large $100,000 diamond. The caveat? It had to be made into a belly button ring by the next day. It was—and some very lucky lady has probably never covered her midriff since then.

The ultimate in customer satisfaction, however, has to go to Lee’s wife. “I used to sell all of Brenda’s jewelry right off of her. If someone admired her ring, I’d take it off and sell it,” confesses Lee. After 15 years as a human display case, Brenda said “No more!” and Lee promised never to do it again.

But when Scott called saying a customer wanted 10-carat diamond studs immediately, and there weren’t any in their stores, Lee reneged. He knew Brenda had 10-carat studs. Being the ultimate salesman, Lee cajoled his wife into letting the customer simply look at her earrings. Being the ultimate negotiator, Brenda proposed the following terms: sell her earrings, split the profits with her and replace the studs with a bigger set. Lee agreed. The customer got the earrings. And Brenda scored the ultimate coup.

Everyone’s happy. And that’s the way Lee Berg likes it. “We’re really not in the jewelry business. We’re in the people business. We’re in the celebration business!” And 37 years of happy customers agree. That signature red Lee Michaels box contains more than just jewelry. It holds a lifelong reminder of a moment too beautiful to forget.

December 2015-January 2016 91

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It’s In the Bag! 1. Secret agent leather and croc tote with detachable zippered clutch, $398. FeBe Clothing, Metairie, 504-835-5250. 2. Banyan fold-over clutch in gold leather with bamboo and tassel details, $198. Palm Village, Mandeville, 985-778-2547. 3. Black and gold geometric minaudiere handbag in leather and metal, $276. Elizabeth’s, Metairie, 504-833-3717.

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4. GiGi New York grey uber clutch, $148. POSH Boutique, Covington, 985-898-2639. 5. Eliza clutch by LK Bennett covered with beaded stones featuring metal top clasp and interior pocket, $395. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, Old Metairie, 504-407-0668, and Mandeville, 985-778-2200.

6. Rhinestone-embellished minaudiere featuring crystal clasp and silver lame back, $160. Bustle and Bows, Metairie, 504-7807090. 7. Fun faux fur handbag with gold chain, $63. Le Visage Day Spa, New Orleans, 504-265-8018.

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8. Metallic pewter Hobo clutch, $110.

ShoefflĂŠ, Covington, 985-898-6465.

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9. Stud-encrusted clutch. Fleurt, Covington, 985-809-8844. 10. Lorren Bell black satin clutch with a crown of jewels as fastener, $132. Town and Country, New Orleans, 504-523-7027.

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December 2015-January 2016 93

A Path to Success for 50 Years

by Karen B. Gibbs

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“DE’VONTA LOVES GOING to Boys & Girls Club,” says great-grandmother Sandra. “The game room is his favorite, but he loves it all. In fact, whenever the club is closed for a day, he says, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be lonely because we can’t go to Boys & Girls Club.’”

For hundreds of children who come each day, the Boys & Girls Club is a place to belong.

Celebrating 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana is a community within a community that provides after-school care, guidance, structure and fun for children ages 6-18. “Some children don’t have a community to belong to outside of school,” says Jessica Beck, director of community engagement for BGCSELA. “We provide that.”

Not only do kids love it, so do their parents and grandparents. “I used to have to leave work, pick up De’vonta and take him with me to my second job,” says Sandra. “That was hard on him and me. But now, the school bus brings him right to Boys & Girls Club in Covington, and he can stay there ’till I finish work.”

But the club does more than just offer an afterschool haven. According to BGCSELA president

Inside New Orleans

and CEO, Keila Stovall, “We place children on a path to a successful future by giving them the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge to be successful adults.” The club’s mission covers three major areas. The first is academics. Following their after-school snack, kids have Power Hour, 60 minutes dedicated to working on homework and school-related projects.

“Our staff and volunteers help the children with homework. That’s something lots of kids don’t have at home,” says Beck. After a day’s work, many parents don’t have the time or energy to tackle homework and projects, so this is a tremendous help. The club also encourages regular school attendance and good study habits.

After Power Hour, the children play organized “games with a purpose”—games that teach—that range from an art-based game about on parts of speech to a team sport or a team hide-and-seek. This is where Harvey Sera, unit director of the Covington club, puts her skills as a counselor and art program instructor to work. When she worked at the NFL-Yet

photo courtesy: BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana

New Orleans club, she had the children make collages expressing an emotion.

“A little girl, about 10 years old, was sad about moving out of town because she felt accepted and engaged in the BGC community,” says Harvey. “She was afraid that once she moved, she’d be an outsider again. By using pictures and colors to convey her feelings, she identified her emotions, expressed them in art and was able to talk them out. She also accepted the fact that she was sad, and that this was normal.”

Boys & Girls Club also helps children discover their talents. Sera tells of one young boy at the New Orleans BGC who didn’t want to become involved with the club’s popular track team. He was interested in art, so Sera encouraged his participation in that program instead. As his talent blossomed, so did his confidence. Soon, other kids were asking him to draw things for them. Especially gifted in drawing the emotions from the movie Inside Out, this member and his father eventually developed a You Tube instructional video, David’s Art and Game Play.

With 15 years’ experience with BGC, Stovall has seen many children such as these thrive with the support and encouragement of BGC mentors and volunteers. “They may get encouragement from their family, but having it reinforced at BGC speaks very loudly to them.”

In addition to academics, sports and arts, BGC stresses character development with programs like Passport to Manhood for boys ages 11-18. Through 14 sessions, boys are engaged in discussions and activities that reinforce character, leadership and positive behavior. Also included is a service project where boys learn the importance of giving back to the community. >> December 2015-January 2016 95

The Boys & Girls Club Code I believe in God and the right to worship according to my own faith and religion.

I believe in America and the American way of life...in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I believe in fair play, honesty and sportsmanship.

I believe in my Boys & Girls Club,

The third major component of the BGC mission emphasizes healthy lifestyles. To help children cope in today’s world, BCG teaches healthy choices with regard to diet, exercise, sexual behavior, alcohol and drug use, and violence.

BCG depends on community support so that no child is ever turned away. “The people in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes are stepping up,” says Stovall. “As our ‘Presenting Sponsor,’ Chevron led the way to make our first major fundraiser, the Great Futures Gala, a huge success. At the October event, guests heard BCG testimonials from two distinguished club alumni, Ruben Studdard from American Idol, and five-time heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield.”

Other distinguished BGC alumni include Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding, General Wesley Clark, Jennifer Lopez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Misty Copeland, Ashanti Douglas and Shaquille O’Neal.

“When you hear the stories of BGC alumni—of the opportunities they’ve realized and the obstacles they’ve overcome—it’s very inspiring,” says Mike Illanne, vice-president of

Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit.

“That’s why Chevron and our 1,800 employees stationed in Covington and along the Gulf are proud to be part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana,” he adds. “We put a priority on doing things that support quality of life for children. BGC is focused on helping children see what’s possible.

They support building character, education and giving back to the community—values that help children be successful in life.”

Illanne and his wife first gained appreciation for BGC after their close friends adopted children late in life.

Both were working professionals who valued the constructive after-school environment that BGC provided for their children. “We also appreciate the diversity of backgrounds of the members. It’s a very positive and encouraging environment,” he adds.

Chevron’s financial contributions are backed by volunteer efforts. In October, more than 35 Chevron employees worked with BGCSELA staff on several refurbishment and beautification projects at their Covington club. As important as Chevron is to BGCSELA, it takes people throughout

photo courtesy: BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA

which stands for these things.

the community to make the club a success. “So many of our community partners have made a difference,” says Stovall. For example, Tulane University partners with the New Orleans club to offer lessons in art and dance.

“Without these programs, most of the boys and girls would be home watching TV or playing video games,” adds Sera.

“It’s nice for them to be physically and mentally engaged in their world.”

Everyone has something to offer, something that BGC kids would love to learn. Are you good at yoga? Ballroom dancing? Painting? Carpentry? Sewing?

Cake decorating? With clubs in New Orleans, Gretna, Covington and Slidell, the opportunity to help a child grow into a successful adult is only a phone call away.

For more information or to volunteer, visit bgcsela.org or call the Boys & Girls Club today. Covington, 985-327-7634; Slidell, 985-643-3464; Gretna, 504-3683434; New Orleans, 504-309-7952; or the administrative office at 504-566-0707.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, when Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin and Elizabeth Hammersley organized a club to offer boys a positive alternative to roaming the streets. In 1906, 53 Boys Clubs affiliated to form the Federated Boys Clubs in Boston. This marked the start of Boys Clubs of America. In 1990, the organization changed its name to include girls, creating the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. While all clubs follow the same guidelines and principles, each club is independent.

Area clubs are located in Covington, Gretna, Slidell and New Orleans.

December 2015-January 2016 97

by Poki Hampton

A New Room for the New Year

room. The William Yeoward palm tree candle sticks are from Friend & Company, as is the Harlequin centerpiece bowl used to ice the Champagne. Also from Friend & Company, Vietri peacock dessert plates are ready for hors d’oeuvres, and flutes from St. Louis Crystal await the bubbly that will toast a Happy New Year!

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photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

WHEN CYNTHIA COOK wanted to redecorate her dining room in time for a special New Year’s Eve party, she called on the interior design services of Mary Lou Fewell at Shades of Blue on Magazine Street.

To anchor the room’s new color scheme, Mary Lou had the walls painted in Sherwin Williams Naval. Ivory silk draperies are trimmed with a Greek key design in the same dark blue color as the walls. On the 18th century-style dining table, beautiful fresh flowers from Florist of Covington set the stage for a New Year’s Eve celebration. The seats of Cynthia’s existing dining chairs were upholstered in a Stroheim and Romann fabric in a circular embroidered pattern in shades of blue. An English china cabinet holds Cynthia’s china, while a Cynthia Webb abstract hanging over the server gives a modern twist to the traditional space. The chandelier, originally black iron when first used in the tent at Cynthia’s wedding, was lacquered white to use in the

IN Better Health

by Mimi Greenwood Knight Health Concern: Sports-Related Concussion.

Treatment: Physical and Cognitive Rest.

with Abby Anger Abby Anger is a model student. A sophomore at Archbishop Hannah High, she maintains a 3.8 GPA and is in the Spanish Club, Student Council and National Honor Society. She runs cross country, and plays soccer both for the school and on a travel soccer team. During a game with her travel team, Abby’s life took a temporary detour. “A girl was throwing the ball into play, and it hit me in the back of the head,” she says. “Right away my head hurt, I felt dizzy and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.”

Abby stayed in the game, and within a few minutes she was body slammed to the ground. “My headache got worse, and I thought, ‘Is this what a concussion feels like?’” she says. A referee noticed she was acting strangely, but it was determined that she was probably dehydrated, so she played out the rest of the game.

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it was obvious something was wrong. “We went to the ER, but they just told me I ‘had my bell rung’ and I’d be fine,” Abby says.

“I tried to go to school Monday, but the lights were too bright, any little noise hurt my head, I was running into things, and I felt mad at everyone.” That’s when Abby’s mom made an appointment with Dr. Aaron Karlin, the director of the Concussion Management Program at Ochsner Health System.

“Fortunately, Abby’s school participates in our Concussion Program, so she’d taken a preconcussion exam, and we had a baseline of neurocognitive scores against which to compare her,” says Dr. Karlin. “I did a full neurologic exam including testing for balance and coordination, tested her memory and reaction times and compared the results to her previous testing. She also took some computerized neurocognitive tests that showed a statistically significant decline in two of four areas from her baseline scores. Abby had many of the symptoms of a concussion.”

Dr. Karlin spent time talking

with Abby and her mom about the need for relative physical and cognitive rest. “It’s important to get rid of symptoms as quickly as possible,” he says. “Prolonged symptoms can lead to postconcussion syndrome with permanent or chronic problems.”

Over the next few days, Abby went back to school a few hours each day with academic accommodations. She was held out from sports, and cognitive stressors including electronics, were limited to 30 minutes on/30 minutes off. Dr. Karlin prescribed medicine for her nausea, to keep her hydrated and to help with the headaches.

Abby returned to Dr. Karlin after a week. While she was much improved, she still experienced headaches, emotional ups and downs, balance issues and trouble with reading comprehension.

“We talked about her taking daily walks, put her on a prophylactic medication for her headaches and kept the academic accommodations in place,” says Dr. Karlin. “At this point, her mom was able to communicate with me through our online

photos: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

By the end of the game,

patient portal, My.Ochsner.org, and because her school participates in our Concussion Program, her high school’s athletic trainer was able to keep me abreast of her progress as we got her back to full return to athletics.”

Abby was soon back in the game and finished out the semester with a 3.8 GPA.

Is it a Concussion?

“Nationwide, there are 1.8 million sports-related concussions every year,” says Dr. Karlin. “When a parent or coach suspects a concussion, they need to watch the child during the first 24 to 48 hours for physical symptoms (headache, nausea, light sensitivity, vision changes, balance problems); cognitive changes (mental fogginess, memory issues, slow reaction times); emotional changes (a child who’s usually on an even keel experiencing emotional ups and downs); and sleep disruption. If these symptoms are present, the child should see their family doctor as soon as possible so he can decide whether they should see a concussion specialist and begin activity restrictions until their brain has time to heal.”

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TWO LOCAL BROTHERS are following in the Acquistapace family tradition, which began in 1869, of bringing the finest wine and cheese selections home to Louisiana. Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket has been serving the northshore and the surrounding area with gourmet specialty foods, groceries, premium meats, fine wines and artisan cheese since 1963. The family’s lifelong dedication to educating themselves on premium products and quality reflects in their presentation and loyal customer base from across the region.

Adam and his crew are always on hand to help while you walk the aisles of the state’s largest selection—over 10,000 different labels—of the finest wines,

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beers and spirits. Likewise, you can find Erik and his team in the newly renovated Artisan and Farmstead Cheese Department, where you can get pairing advice and choose from the best selections straight from the state-ofthe-art cutting room; 75 percent of the product is hand cut and wrapped fresh.

While Adam is busy selecting wines from all over the world, Erik and his wife, Haley, both Certified Cheese Professionals of the American Cheese Society, globetrot to continually gain the expertise that allows them to deliver the best of over 400 varieties of unique products that are available at this homegrown specialty market. This past summer, the couple traveled to France, where they attended the Academie Opus Caseus Cheese School in the town of Saint-Haon-le-Ch창tel, just outside of Leon.

Opposite clockwise: The new wine racks hold budget-friendly to highly-allocated choices of domestic and imports, including an extensive selection of premium scotch; Brothers Adam and Erik Acquistapace; Erik gaining expertise deeply rooted in the French tradition with hands-on experience.

Above: Artisan Gourmet Cheese and Charcuterie Boards.

Catering?

Call us for Aritsan Gourmet Cheese and Charcuterie Boards!

985-893-0593

The famed Tunnel de la Collongeand in the MonS Fromagerie Operational Headquarters.

December 2015-January 2016 103

IN the Spotlight Marie Antoinette look-alikes greeted guests with Champagne at the annual Key to the Cure Gala at Saks Fifth Avenue at Canal Place, which benefited the Louisiana Cancer Research Center.

The event stretched over the three tiers of Saks, featuring entertainment by The Uptown Music Theatre on the first floor, Mike Soulman Baptiste and The New Orleans Mystics on the second and the Wendell Brunious Trio on the third. Also on the first floor, Merengue 4-Four performed while guests enjoyed appetizers.

The second floor served main-course fare, while the third displayed scrumptious desserts. The outside third-floor entrance of Saks hosted a Carmen Marc Valvo fashion show, where Carmen appeared at the close. Along with Carmen, Marvin K, founder and co-creator of Aquatalia Shoes, was also in attendance.

Carolyn Elder, Chris Fransen, James “Jim� Mounger, Anne Redd, Julie Wise Oreck and Susan Wormser chaired the event. Top sponsors included the Goldring Family Foundation and Republic National Distributing, represented by Diane Goldring Franco and Fred Holley, as well as Ochsner Health System. From the Louisiana Cancer Research Center came Dr. Prescott Deininger, Dr. Krzysztof Reiss with Dr. Francesca Pruzzi, and Richard Granen.

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photos: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Key to the Cure

Traces

by Brenda Breck

Zang Toi Clothing Designer

SAKS WAS BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT when I interviewed creative genius Zang Toi, the Malaysian designer. This petite dynamo in his kilt and effervescent personality shared with me his passion for beauty and design.

He was in town to introduce The Toi Spring 2016 Collection, heavily influenced by his penchant for the Greek island of Santorini; the incredible colors of the waters there are depicted in the designs.

Zang loves coming to New Orleans, one of his two favorite cities, with Savannah being second. He is a real “foodie,” and says New Orleans is tops!

Couple that with the Jazz Clubs and French antiques and Zang feels right at home.

At age 18, Toi left Malaysia. Via Toronto, he landed in New York to attend The Parsons School of Design, where he apprenticed with fashion designer and film producer Mary Jane Marcasiano along with Ronald Shamask, fashion designer and recipient of the American Fashion Critics Coty Award.

Twenty-six years ago, Zang created his own label and remains one of the few independent designers left with his own studio. It is located just one block from Saks in New York and it is there Toi hand sketches all of his designs—no computers!

Zang’s design accolades are numerous. In 1990, he received the Mouton Cadet Young Designer Award. New York City Public Advocate Mark J. 106

Inside New Orleans

Green presented his most recent award of distinction for Toi’s artistic contribution and achievements. The Sultan of Kelantan awarded Toi with a knighthood, and he is a recipient of the International Center in New York’s Award of Excellence.

Many of the stars of the red carpet are enthralled by Toi’s designs, including Sharon Stone, Kelly Preston, Jennifer Tilly, Meg Ryan; Melinda Gates touts Zang as one of her favorite designers. Toi told me that one of his best clients, Patti LaBelle, surprised him at a recent show and the press went wild! When I asked Zang if he could name a favorite client, he said he loves them all, but he told me about the long and great friendship he had with the late Farrah Fawcett.

The fashion world is not the only playground where you can see Zang’s creative vision. He has been featured in national style magazines such as Elle Décor, Belle and Style & Substance “The Best of Elle Décor,” with multiple-page layouts displaying his talents in interior design.

This Toi Story is a creative force that leaves us eager to see what new Tois we can place in our closets!

Flourishes

1. Brushed-brass Baby Cakes pin designed by Bryan Batt and Sarah Ott exclusively 2

available at Hazelnut, $54.

Hazelnut, New Orleans,

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504-891-2424. 2. Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, including a comprehensive seafood 4

cook’s manual and 170 recipes, $35. Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, New 3

Orleans, 504-539-5520.

3. Tapas Fondue square black ceramic fondue pot with square wooden base, $21.89.

Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket, 985-893-0593.

4. Custom gift baskets for all occasions hand-delivered and shipped, starting at $25.

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The Basketry, Luling, 985309-7935. 5. Foggy Morning 6

by Cynthia Webb, $385.

Shades of Blue, New Orleans, 504-891-1575. 6. Rebel by Waterford combines golden metal with crystal in shades of plum, amber, blush, pink and purple. Flute, $50; decanter, $195; cocktail glass, $50.

Arabella Fine Gifts & Home Décor, Mandeville, 985-727-9787. 7. Foodsafe, gilded oyster shell salt cellars with mother-of-pearl spoons and pink Himalayan salt and black pepper in a ready-to-give capiz shell

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box, $25. le Lapin Velours, 8

Mandeville, 985-778-0663.

8. Antique finished metal top and stretchers on faux horn base, 20” Dia x 24” H, $596.

Bergerhome by Georgian Furnishing, Mandeville, 985-624-3433.

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December 2015-January 2016 109

Flourishes 1. Festive poinsettia flower wreath, $20. Water Street Wreaths, Madisonville, 985-792-7979.

2. Koi Pond II, 18” X 24” pastel

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by Marcia Holmes, $1,695.

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marciaholmes.com.

3. Gift baskets and other gourmet goodies for those hard to please. Infusé, Mandeville, 985-778-0903. 4. Switchables rotating nightlight plug and decorative stained glass covers;

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plug, $6; variety of covers starting

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at $10. Pine Grove Lighting & Electrical Supply, Mandeville, 985-893-4003. 5. Matching boy and girl Christmas outfits by Bailey Boys; girl, $64; boy, $58.

Haase’s Shoe Store and Young Folks Shop, New Orleans, 504866-9944. 6. Let Rudolph light your way this holiday season, $32; baby, $19. deCoeur Gifts & Home Accessories, Covington, 985-809-3244. 7. Antique

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continental plaque depicting classical figures in landscape; call for a price. History Antiques & Interiors, Covington, 985-892-0010.

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December 2015-January 2016 111

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Flourishes 1. 30” Governor Pool House Lantern available in antique copper or stainless, $450. Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights

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New Orleans, 504-522-9485, and

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Mandeville, 985-249-6040. 2. Nesting Place, 30” x 30” acrylic and silver leaf painting. Jim Seitz Fine Art, jimseitz.com or 985-630-9377. 3. Metallic silver leaf wreaths, starting at $62. EMB Interiors, Mandeville, 985-626-1522. 4. Rock crystal bowl on glass base with amber brass accents, $1,900. Beth Claybourn 3

Interiors, New Orleans, 504-342-2630.

5. Fall, mixed media on paper by Nissan Engel, unframed, $1,200; framed, $1,500. Elliott Gallery, New Orleans, 504-523-3554. 6. 18th century carved artifacts add interest to a cocktail table, $150 each. Susan Currie Design, New Orleans, 504-237-6112. 7. Centurion Game Chair, starting at $1,649. The

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Cypress House, Mandeville, 985-6294656. 8. Swirl console table with carved wood base and marble top, 35”H x

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70”W x 14”D, $3,315. Eclectic Home, 4

New Orleans, 504-866-6654.

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Flourishes

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1. Madisonville, 48” x 48” painting by Elizabeth Impastato, $1,185. Impastato Gallery, Covington, 985-778-5338.

2. Bronze plaques made in Germany, starting at $25; plaque shown, $350. St. 5

Joseph Abbey Gift Shop, Covington, 985-867-2227. 3. Tropical Boat serving

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dish with two servers, $69. Outdoor Living Center, Covington, 985-893-8008.

4. Pearl dragon wings in gold capiz shell; wastebasket, $160; lotion dispenser,

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$89; boutique tissue box, $95. The Linen

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Registry, Metairie, 504-831-8228. 5. Blue agate on gold leaf stand, $32. Niche Modern Home, Mandeville, 985-624-4045.

6. Bamboo sheet sets available in an array of colors; king, $169; queen, $149; twin, $139.

Hestia Luxury in Linens, Covington, 985-893-0490. 7. Hydro Peptide Skin Products, $36-$96. Sculpting Center of New Orleans, Metairie, 504-309-9456.

8. Three-drawer chest with frost finish and

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crème stone top. American Factory Direct, Mandeville, 985-871-0300.

9. Raw aluminum antelope champagne cooler. Gild Home Décor, Mandeville, 985-629-4002.

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Flourishes

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1. DESIRE cutting board made of maple and walnut, $85; Marigny

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Triangle boards made of cherry, maple, red grandis, sinker cypress and walnut, small, $20; large, $75. NOLA Boards, New Orleans, 504-352-1985.

2. Five Seasons Cookbook, A Guide to Seasonal Cooking, by Erin Nugent and Lauren Beth Landry, $39.95.

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Hazelnut, New Orleans, 504-8912424. 3. Hunker Down, original oil 27” x 19” painting by James Michalopoulos, $9,500. Michalopoulos Gallery, New Orleans, 504-558-0505. 4. Herb and

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sea salt mix grinders, $15.95 each.

Oil & Vinegar, Covington, 985-8091693. 5. Zipper bags created from original fabrics featuring maps and street scenes by Jill Shampine Hruska, starting at $12. The Shop at the Collection, The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, 504-5987147. 6. Round flash-point candle in ceramic bowl, starting at $45; stand, starting at $25. mélange by kp, Mandeville, 985-807-7652. 7. Hand-

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sculpted and -painted decorative Mary Vase by John Hodge, $375. Rug Chic, Mandeville, 985-674-1070.

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Flourishes 1 2

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1. Festive holiday arrangements, starting at $85.

Florist of Covington, 985-892-7701. 2. Start a home business with an Entrepreneur 655.

Precision Sewing Machine Co, Covington, 985249-6156. 3. (bottom to top) New Ravenna, Josephina Collection with shell, calacatta and 24 kt gold glass; Sonoma Tilemakers, Euphoria Collection in yellow submarine; Oceanside Glass, Tile Devotion Collection in echo pattern, pricing 6

available upon request. Stafford Tile & Stone, 7

New Orleans, 504-895-5000. 4. 18” x 24” framed artist proof signed and numbered by Gretchen Armbruster, $495; unframed proof signed and numbered, starting at $75. Nonna Randazzo’s Bakery, Covington, 985-893-1488. 5. Zero Runner

by Octane Fitness with real running motion and zero impact, $3,299. Fitness Expo, Metairie, 504887-0880. 6. Custom-made Hungarian down pillows, pricing available upon request. Beth Claybourn Interiors, New Orleans, 504-342-2630.

7. Voluspa fragrance diffusers, $35. Shine Spa + Specialties, New Orleans, 504-486-0999.

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Trade Secrets

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

by Trudy Hurley GONE ARE THE DAYS when men wore jackets to football games and people dressed up for air travel.

Athletic wear as daily attire has taken over the country.

This informality has made its way into our homes as well. Floor plan changes signify lifestyle changes. The formal living room has all but disappeared from the footprint of the home. The room that used to showcase all the “good furniture” has become obsolete. Now, the family fortune is being invested in the kitchen. Today’s status symbols are high-end refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers.

Of course, it makes perfect sense to repurpose a room that has lost its purpose. Many people are incorporating their once-formal living rooms into a bigger kitchen or den area, or perhaps creating a home office or screening room. And like it or not, the television has become the central focus of the family’s gathering space. There is a TV in the kitchen, the den, the playroom, the bedroom and even the bathroom.

In fact, the only room in the house devoid of a television is the dining room.

Hmmm … perhaps this is one reason why the dining room is never used. Will the formal dining room be the next to go? On one hand, it is a huge amount of unused space, situated far away from the hub of activity and daily living. Are Thanksgiving and Christmas enough of a reason to relegate all that prime square footage? On the other hand, this is New Orleans. In a town steeped in tradition and grounded in family gatherings, I don’t see the dining room vanishing completely.

So what’s the answer? How can we make our formal dining rooms a bit more inviting? Perhaps a round table for eight instead of the more traditional elongated table seating ten or twelve. When not used as a dining table, that 72-inch round can double as a library table with stacks of wonderful coffee table books. And perhaps we add a wall of bookcases to give the feel of a cozy library. Nothing says warmth and character like rows of caramel-colored antique leather books. At one end of the room, a pair of overstuffed club chairs that share an ottoman would make a comfy retreat for reading the paper or returning e-mails. And if you really want to guarantee an ingathering, place

Farewell to Formality? a small TV behind a painting or on a bookshelf in between Moby Dick and John Gresham.

There is a certain regret in conceding to the informality of the times. I remember the days when the maître d’ at Commander’s would politely but firmly provide a jacket to an unsuspecting guest who was attempting to dine without one. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and happy in your home. That you use and enjoy every room, whatever its degree of formality.

Farewell to formality? In a town where our girls are crowned queen for a season, and our boys all have their own white tie and tails? I think we’re safe.

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Holiday Sparkle 1. Dries Van Noten waistlength jacket, $1,845.

Weinstein’s, New Orleans, 504-895-6278. 2. Vita Fede earrings, made in Italy, feature double cube-shaped design with clear Swarovski crystal pave details. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, Old Metairie, 504-407-0668, and Mandeville, 985-778-2200.

3. 1.53 cttw diamond threestone split drop line necklace in 18 kt white-gold, $9,500.

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Grande Opus, Covington, 985-888-1420. 4. Metallic jacquard dress in gold, $282.

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Vine, Mandeville, 985-9510005. 5. Handmade Swarovski 8

crystals set in silver plate 3” earrings, $265. Town and Country, New Orleans, 504-523-7027. 6. Vita Fede bracelet, made in Italy, features clear Swarovski cone detail with hinge closure. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, Old

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Metairie, 504-407-0668, and Mandeville, 985-778-2200. 7.

Scoop neck metallic fit-and-

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flare dress. JuJu’s Boutique, Mandeville, 985-624-3600. 8.

14 kt white-gold hoop earrings with 2.87 cttw of diamonds, $6,300. De Boscq Fine Jewelry, Mandeville, 985-674-0007.

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Holiday Sparkle 1. Blue topaz earrings set in 14kt white gold, $190. Aucoin Hart

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Jewelers, Metairie, 504- 834-9999.

2. Silver-tone crystal and black rubber geometric necklace, $136.

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CDN Clothing, Covington, 985-3277300. 3. Virgins Saints and Angels belt buckle. Fleurt, Covington, 985-809-8844. 4. Sequin skirt with georgette popover, $265. The Villa, Mandeville, 985-626-9797. 5. 18 kt yellow-gold and diamond earrings, $2,600. Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, Metairie, 504-832-0000. 6. 18kt white-gold ring with 2.55 ct emeraldcut emerald center stone surrounded by 1.35 cttw round brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds, $16,847.

De Boscq Fine Jewelry, Mandeville,

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674-0007. 7. Silver textured stud and cufflink set, $79.50; Executive Collection tuxedo shirt, $89.50; formal jazz shoe, $99.

Jos. A. Bank, Metairie or New Orleans, 504-528-9491.

8. 18 kt white-gold ring with light-yellow 3 ct emerald-cut diamond, light-yellow 1 cttw diamond setting and additional

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1 cttw diamonds, $12,500.

Thomas Franks Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, 985-626-5098.

9. Glamorous travel makeup cases, $34 for two. Stone Creek Club and Spa, Covington, 985-801-7100.

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Holiday Sparkle 1. London Times metallic maxi with black accents, $119. Columbia Street Mercantile, Covington, 985809-1789 and 985-809-1690.

2. Druze stone and 14 kt gold-filled earrings, $85. Ariodante Gallery, New Orleans, 504-524-3233.

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3. Heidi Hull Designs 5-strand freshwater pearl and Swarovski statement necklace, $375. The Bridal Boutique by MaeMe, Metairie, 504-266-2771. 4. Fur and lace short jacket, $375. Elizabeth’s, Metairie, 504-833-3717. 5.

Adjustable double-strap Delice sheer mesh demi-cup bra with lace trim and Swarovski crystal details in amethyst by Simone Perele, $105; panty, $65. Bra Genie, Mandeville, 985-951-8638. 6. Too Darn Hot spaghetti-strap sheer lingerie with

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black and silver lace and rhinestone accents by NK iMODE, $80. Basics Swim & Gym, New Orleans, 504891-1000, and Basics Underneath, Mandeville, 985-727-9521.

7. Tanzanite and diamond ring set in 18 kt white-gold, $15,995.

Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers, Metairie, 504-831-2602.

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Holiday Sparkle

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1. 14 kt yellow-gold and sterling locket with ruby and diamonds made to fit eight photographs; commissioned, $6,000. Symmetry Jewelers and Designers, New Orleans, 504-861-9925.

2. Ombre printed sequined dress in champagne

by Halston, $395. FeBe Clothing, Metairie, 504835-5250. 3. Gold and ivory sequined dress by Ark & Co., $82. The Lifestyle Store at Franco’s, Mandeville, 985-792-0200. 4. 32” one-of-a-kind natural agate coco beads crystal necklace, $69. [brown eyed girl], Mandeville, 985-626-0100.

5. Stila Eye Shadow Palettes, Body and Soul,

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$49.99 each. Earthsavers, Mandeville, 985674-1133. 6. 18 kt white-gold ring with .46 cttw diamonds and .51 cttw canary diamond, $9,800.

DeLuca’s Jewelry and Gifts, Covington, 985-8922317. 7. Jessica Simpson Claudette women’s pump in Soft Gold Dusty Glitter, $79. Shoefflé, Covington, 985-898-6465.

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Holiday Sparkle 1. Iridescent crystal necklace with matching earrings, $30. Private Beach, Mandeville, 985-674-2326. 2. Recellergy Skin Therapy for smooth, firm and luminous skin from the inside out, Vitamin C, $40; Glutathione, $80; R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, $80; B Complex Plus, $40. Le Visage Day Spa, New Orleans, 504-265-8018. 3. 9.99 ct pink Cuprian Tourmaline ring. M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans, 504-523-5660.

4. Smocked Nativity scene dress, $70. All Wrapped Up, Mandeville, 985-778-2041. 5. Mock Scuba dress in houndstooth red, $190. Kevan Hall Sport, 844-547-7678. 6. Valli Shift in Bay Blue with gold and silver metallic detail, $198. Palm Village, Mandeville, 985-778-2547. 7. Skin Ceuticals, Gold Standard Restore Kit, starting at $170, The Woodhouse Day Spa, New Orleans, 504-482-6652. 8. Fleece-lined head wrap in pink or purple, $23. Olive Patch, Covington, 985-327-5772. 9. Pilyq Romance embroidered ruffle bandeau, $96. Bora Bora, Mandeville, 985-951-8454.

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Holiday Sparkle 1. Druze stone and 14 kt goldfilled necklace, $125. Ariodante Gallery, New Orleans, 504-5243233. 2. SAACHI fringe vest available in three colors, $89.99.

Feet First, New Orleans, Metairie, 504-324-9124. 3. 14 kt whitegold and diamond necklace, $2,650. Adler’s, New Orleans 504-523-5292. 4. Faux-fur poncho available in three colors, machine washable, $160.

The French Mix, Covington, 985-809-3152. 5. Adelyn Rae spaghetti-strap dress with sequin embellishments. POSH 7

Boutique, Covington, 985-8982639. 6. Natasha “Pretty You” slippers with indoor/outdoor soles, dusky pink fur upper and embellished jewel, $33. Oasis Day Spa, Mandeville, 985-624-

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6772. 7. 14 kt rose-gold plated Emmaline Ring in white kyocera opal, $95. Paisley, Mandeville, 985-727-7880.

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IN Rhythm

by Leah Draffen

Burris playing at The Howling Wolf.

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MUSIC IS ECLECTIC. It gathers sounds and tones and tings and zings to make one beautiful rhythm.

There a few rules to music—it can be as happy as you want it, as sad as you want it, as intense or as soft as you want it. All of this relates to the band Burris, a musical group of zany eclecticism. Not one member looks or dresses the same—each embodies their own love of music in incredibly different ways. However, the rhythm they produce is not only unique, but inspiring.

The band began with just two. In 2011, Chris Hochkeppel and Scott Graves performed acoustic shows together in Baton Rouge while earning their music degrees at Louisiana State University. The first time I realized their talent was at a tiny Mexican eatery. While all were noshing on chips and salsa and sipping margaritas, Chris’ smooth rasp rang out across the restaurant patio as Scott Graves complemented Chris’ vocals with a drum. Many people dropped their guac and turned to listen—his small stature was quite a contrast to the power in his voice.

Inside New Orleans

Chris and Scott’s infectious energy grabbed hold of five other musicians, creating the seven-piece band it is today. “Year after year, more and more members were added,” Chris explains. “I always loved big bands with a full horn section and plenty of auxiliary instruments. Summer of 2014, we added our final member, Ben Herrington. Now I’m satisfied and the band is killing it.”

Chris owns vocals and guitar. Scott Graves is on the drums. Matt Murray heads auxiliary percussion and vocals. Bob Kling jams bass. Ben Herrington strikes the keys. Anton Zholondz on violin and Kevin McMann on sax. Yep, that’s all of them. The crew of talents convened in Baton Rouge when the band began, but they originate from Texas to Philadelphia to Russia and back. I’ll let you guess who’s from where.

Regardless of origination, each member was born with an ear for music. “Burris’ sound is hard to pinpoint,” Chris says. “With seven guys in the band from all walks of life, there is so much inspiration

photo courtesy: BURRIS

Burris: Meant to Be

involved.” Their sound, described as a “gumbo of music,” blends a cup of jazz with a cup of soul and a sprinkle of funk and rock. With the release of their debut album, Meant to Be, the band is hitting music joints from New Orleans to Lafayette before a tour through Texas in January.

The album was recorded live at Evangeline Studio with Jerry Lejeune giving an authentic peek into a live performance. All 10 songs were recorded as a full band in one weekend. “Since we’re all classically trained musicians, we thrive under pressure. Live performances are our forte, so we wanted to showcase that in our first studio album.”

The 10-track disk gives a sampling of their funk, rock, jazz and a little lagniappe. Two songs, Burning Rays and Alone, give a fine example of Chris’ >> December 2015-January 2016 135

bluesy cry and the band’s natural funk.

Burning Rays even has a sexy tone that shows a side of Burris many may have not heard—they never cease to surprise.

Another saucy surprise is their track Dance. Incredibly upbeat and fun, it makes you want to, well, dance, mamacita. With flares of Hispanic flavor, oozing out with daring lines like “you move so smooth and slow, sends a chill right through my bones, I can’t love you but I’ll always want to dance.”

On a serious note, one song on the album is near and dear to Chris and the band’s hearts. “Glow is a special song.

Recently, I have had life experiences and emotions that have made me a better, more genuine songwriter. Glow is about constantly yearning to be on stage—it’s about wanting my music to influence others and to live the rest of my life passionately playing music!

The last verse of the song describes the wonderful feeling of finding six other guys that share my dream and are ready to tackle the music industry with me.”

Tackling is exactly what Burris is

photo courtesy: BURRIS

Chris Hochkeppel.

doing. So before you stand (or dance) in the crowd at one of their shows, Chris wanted to share some insights about the men behind the instruments.

Band breakdown, as told by Chris: Scott Graves: “Drums from Austin, Texas. Scott was the first person in the band with me. He has a huge heart and a funky groove. He recently discovered thieves oil, and probably knows your birth date.”

Ben Herrington: “Keys from Baton Rouge. He plays keys and trombone, and melodica, and accordion, and guitar, and mandolin, and organ pedals, and everything else. He is our mad scientist – his glasses and hair fit the part.”

Bob Kling: “Bass from Baton Rouge.

He is one of the finest bass players I’ve ever met. He can stand on his head for an absurd amount of time and lives on a farm out in Prairieville.”

Kevin McMann: “Saxophone from Ambler, Pennsylvania. He is a beer aficionado and cooks better than your Italian grandma. He has a master’s degree in jazz performance from LSU.” Matt Murray: “Percussion from Austin, Texas. Back in the day, Matt and I used to grab a Chipotle burrito and head down to New Orleans to busk on the streets. That’s how we started playing together. He’s colorblind and loves directing his middle school band.”

Anton Zholondz: “Violin from Voronezh, Russia. He studied music all his life. Anton has two master’s degrees and is working on his doctorate in classical violin.”

Catch Burris live at Carrollton Station on December 4 and stay up-to-date with upcoming shows at burrismusic.com.

December 2015-January 2016 137

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IN Development

by Tom Hancock ALWAYS A GROOMSMAN, NEVER A GROOM. This old cliché has been very fitting for my life for the last five years, as so many of my very best friends have taken the leap into marital bliss.

As a groomsman, you have the super important responsibility of making it to the bachelor party and showing up on time for the rehearsal dinner and wedding ceremony. We’re talking some serious responsibility here. For some, the most stressful responsibility of being a groomsman is giving a

yourself down that way. The occasion was a joyous one—a rehearsal dinner, as two of my dearest friends, Blake and Lauren, were to be married the next day. A few of the fellow groomsmen and I were standing around reminiscing about the past and all of the inappropriate stories that we wanted to tell, but knew we weren’t allowed to tell. At that point, I realized that I had not even put the first thought into the speech that I was to give that night. It occurred to me that keeping it simple

speech at the rehearsal dinner that doesn’t make the grandmothers blush or make the father of the bride want to take you out in the parking lot for a good old fashioned beat-down. I have always found the rehearsal dinner speech to be one of the best parts of being a groomsman, so I’ll paint the picture for you of the most recent one that I have given.

In late June, I was standing on the second floor of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Corpus Christi, Texas. The view was absolutely breathtaking; a multitude of boats sprinkled in the blue water of the Corpus Christi Bay is a sight that I would highly encourage you to take advantage of if you ever find

would be the way to go, so I started off by telling the story of the night they met. Can you guess where that was? If you think it was at church, while that certainly would be an ideal place to meet the love of your life, that was not the case. But if you guessed that it was at the F&M Patio Bar, then you would be correct.

That’s right. They met at F&M’s.

This is where some of you giggle to yourself, knowing that you met your current spouse or significant other at that hallowed hall at the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Lyons. It should be noted that even your humble author has met his last two ex-girlfriends while posted up at the back bar of said establishment. I would say that the majority of New Orleans weddings I have attended in the last few years are the result of a chance encounter at this Mecca of late night New Orleans watering holes.

The Tchoupitoulas Street corridor is scattered with older residential and industrial properties, with just a few neighborhood attractions such at Tipitina’s, Rouses and Riverside Market shopping center. When you drive by F&M’s during the day, it looks like most of the other buildings along Tchoupitoulas, dated and unsuspecting. If you were an out-of-towner and were to come across it, you >>

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

The Tchoupitoulas Street Corridor

December 2015-January 2016 139

wouldn’t even give it a second look. But if those walls could talk, they would tell a completely different story.

Here is a great idea—if you were the owner of Uptown’s most famous late-night bar, what if you opened another bar nearby for your eventual patrons to attend before they end up at F&M’s? That is exactly what F&M’s owner Trevor Palmer intends to do. In late 2014, Palmer acquired the entire block situated on Tchoupitoulas between Second and Third streets, for the development of his new enterprise.

The plans call for a 6,000-square-foot bar and restaurant, with an enormous outdoor bar and patio area. I think he might be on to something.

Palmer is one of many local real estate developers who are jumping on the idea of the transformation of the Tchoupitoulas Street corridor from a dated industrial and residential corridor to an updated mixed-use destination competing with the likes of Magazine, Oak and Freret streets. Construction is already underway for a new Regions Bank Branch at the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Jefferson Avenue, which is the former Roly Poly site. Local developers Daryl Berger and Joe Jaeger plan to redevelop the former Market Street Power Plant in the Lower Garden District into over 2 million square feet of hotel, retail, office and residential space comprising 67 acres.

Conversations with investors, developers and property owners along Tchoupitoulas indicate that the redevelopment of the corridor is inevitable, with the great burning question being that of timing. We are seeing developers acquiring properties that are home to dated industrial or multi-unit residential structures. The idea of such speculative purchases is to acquire the property and lease it to a tenant in order to generate cash flow in the interim until the aforementioned timing is right to redevelop into another use.

For investors and developers, the potential that lies within the Tchoupitoulas Street corridor is very exciting from a financial standpoint. For the rest of us, the excitement lies in the potential for new places to work, shop, live, and who knows? Maybe even find the love of your life!

Tom Hancock is a commercial appraiser with Murphy Appraisal Services.

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Partnering for Success

Beverly Brown and Darryl Durham of Anna’s Place NOLA In Tremé, where disadvantage derives from economic inequality, a powerful pair of people have come together, working for the benefit of children who have all odds against them.

Darryl Durham is the Director of Arts and Community Engagement for Anna’s Place NOLA, which provides an after-school and Saturday support program for children ages four to fourteen. With a master’s in musical performance from Boston University, Durham came to New Orleans from New York City, where he was Director of the Harlem School of the Arts.

Seventeen-year-old Beverly Brown is co-founder and president of Kids Wanna Help, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurial education programs for youth. A National Merit Semifinalist and senior at St. Scholastica Academy in Covington, Brown arrived at Anna’s Place NOLA to collaborate with Durham in a valiant effort to increase the likelihood of long-term financial independence for at-risk youth.

In an effort to address and curb violence in the community, the successful programs at Anna’s Place NOLA focus on education, art, healthcare and socialization. Beverly’s expertise adds a new dimension: finance and entrepreneurship. Using the Kids Wanna Help model and curriculum, she is teaching the kids valuable, real-world skills.

“Everything they are doing has an academic component and a real-life application,” says Durham. The kids are learning everything from how to count change without a calculator to the importance of maintaining a “customer is always right” attitude and paying bills on time to avoid interest. They are also studying the difference between gross profits and net profits and the effects of supply and demand. Socially, Brown stresses saying “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” to adult customers, maintaining eye contact and refraining from texting and talking on the phone while working. She also instructs the children in job interviewing, an invaluable skill.

The long-term goal for the participants in this entrepreneurial education program is adult economic independence. As a part of the program’s short-term goal, the kids are forming their own businesses, learning how to be good employers and good employees. As they work toward their goal, through Brown’s training they are creating a budget and a business plan and will review their own performance after each sales event.

Their first sales opportunity is the Holiday Market, which begins the weekend after Thanksgiving and continues through December 19. The children will sell products they have made through their program activities, including sewing, visual arts, and raised-bed gardening

of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Brown is preparing the current students to train the second set of young entrepreneurs, who in turn will develop their leadership skills for the next group. Durham says, “Beverly is a very strong role model, and she has more of an impact because of her age. Our kids can see what she has already accomplished, and they will know you can really do this if you apply yourself, stay focused and work hard. She is inspiring them to think beyond what they know.”

Beverly’s training and inspiration, along with Durham’s hands-on approach to mentorship—which includes walking kids home from the program in the evening—is a recipe for success.

College-bound next year, Brown will remain a consultant to the program. Her continued involvement will help sustain the entrepreneurial education, and as Durham adds, “It will be helpful for the kids to know someone who has gone to college. It won’t just be Mr. Darryl telling them that it is something they could do.”

The partnership forged by Darryl Durham and Beverly Brown is ample evidence for the children that working together brings success—to them, their families and their community.

Anna’s Place NOLA is located at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave. 947-2121. For more information about the program and the Holiday Market, go to AnnasPlaceNOLA.com. For information on Kids Wanna Help, go to KidsWannaHelp.com.

December 2015-January 2016 141

IN the Bookcase

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Kids’ Books for Gifting

THE STOCKINGS ARE HUNG by the chimney with care. But you haven’t made much progress on finding That Perfect Gift for everyone on your list— especially the younger children.

Need suggestions? How ’bout something that can be enjoyed anywhere, never expires, doesn’t require batteries and doesn’t need to be plugged in? In other words, how about a book?

KIDS UP TO AGE THREE For the youngest children on your list, books are excellent gifts, but the subject matter hardly matters. Kids this age really are more into the time spent, the sound of your voice, the inflections you’ll use and the snuggles than they are with the actual story you’ll put under the tree. Books for very small children are really more for their parents.

Having said that, I have one word for you: SEUSS. A new Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get?, was released this past summer, and it’s absolutely adorable. Wrap up a whole pile of Dr. 142

Inside New Orleans

Seuss books for the littlest giftee; they won’t bust your budget, but they will set the child up for a lifetime of reading.

KIDS AGES THREE TO SIX Remember the first picture book you fell in love with? I still have my first copy of Mumpsy Goes to Kindergarten; it’s been loved almost to tatters. That kind of memory—that’s what you want to give your preschooler, in book form.

Look for Christmas or Hanukkah books with lush pictures or funny illustrations. There are several new Nativity books. Or go with the laughs.

Reach back to a classic or two, maybe the Berenstain Bears or Curious George, or look for Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Monzano (“Maria” on Sesame Street) and Marjorie Priceman, which is a sweet book about sharing.

KIDS SIX TO TEN Kids this age have a whole range of interests and ideas, and there are all

kinds of books to share with them. The trick is this: know the child. Know what he or she can handle, reading-wise: some younger children can read beyond their years, while some older kids aren’t ready for “age-appropriate” books. Know their interests: a horsey girl might not enjoy a fashion book, and a techy boy might not like history. Know where they like to read. Also, know what they’ve already read. That’ll give you some guidance.

Many new, high-end fairy tale books are out this year. Some kids this age go for the classics. They may still enjoy it when you read aloud to them, and picture-book bedtime stories might still be really important. Believe it or not, they weren’t around in the Harry Potter heyday years, so your youngster might like a nice boxed set of those for family reading. You’ll also find appropriate holiday books for this age group, and plenty of non-fiction, too.

Try one of the National Geographic Kids books, hardcover and paperback. Look for the Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers. See if your child might enjoy the Black Beauty or the Boxcar Children series.

A FEW DON’TS Don’t be afraid to ask what your giftee likes to read. Don’t be afraid to ask a wise bookseller for ideas. Don’t be hurt if someone uses their gift receipt and returns the book. Don’t dismiss a bookstore gift certificate; they’re often the absolute best present of all. And don’t cheap out and just buy the first thing you see on the sale shelves; they’ll know. Trust me, they’ll know.

There you have it: ideas for the perfect gift for the perfect young reader.

Season’s Readings!

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Chef Kevin Belton

by Sandra Scalise Juneau

Chef Kevin Belton.

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from the

Heart

WHEN CHEF KEVIN BELTON COOKS, he dishes up love, deep from within the cultural legacy of his Creole birthright. Whether feeding Saints tailgating fans, teaching nuances of flavors at The New Orleans School of Cooking, revealing timehonored techniques to local audiences on WWLTV’s Morning Show, or when spreading the gospel of Louisiana’s unique cuisine culture to nationwide TV viewers via his PBS cooking series, Kevin earns accolades with his buoyant personality, including recognition in 2014 by the American Culinary Federation as one of Louisiana’s top 30 chefs.

Kevin comes by his culinary prowess naturally, inherited from his mother’s French–Caribbean ancestry and from his father’s French-speaking family in South Louisiana’s Bayou Lafourche area, blending

Inside New Orleans

a piquant mix of flavors from their English, French, Native American and African heritage.

But it was growing up in New Orleans in the kitchen with his mom and his grandmother that first developed Kevin’s passion for cooking. He says, “My first memories of food were of being in the kitchen with Mom and Nan. I was just a toddler, but I can so clearly remember. Mom would be peeling a sinkfull of shrimp, would one-by-one hand them to me, then I would pass them on to Nan, whose fingers seemed to fly as she de-veined and butterflied, ready for turning those shrimp into some of her most luscious creations.

“My mother was a schoolteacher, so cooking for her was relaxation. After school, when I was at the table doing homework, Mom would be busy >>

photo courtesy: WYES

Cooking

chopping the vegetables and stirring the pots, all the while explaining to me the step-by-step process for developing those awesome flavors from basic, simple ingredients,” says Kevin. He recalls one particular memory: “There was the sizzling smell of panéed veal being cooked by Mom—I wasn’t sure at the time what it was, but oh, that taste!”

On weekends, men in the family took over the cooking—times when his dad and uncles cooked up handeddown specialties, like hog-head cheese, made the old fashioned way, totally from scratch. “One uncle loved to fish, so each Friday he would bring over his fresh catch from Lake Pontchartrain and would set up, frying in the back yard. Our neighbors all along Valance Street were treated with the tantalizing smells of that fresh-fried goodness.”

Kevin recalls streetcar rides Uptown with Nan when he collected the printed recipes provided to riders

by New Orleans Public Service, Inc. that featured old New Orleans’ cooking classics such as Creole Daube Glacé, Oyster Bisque, Grillades, Sweet Potato Puffs or Meringue Molasses Cake.

With a growing interest in food artistry, Kevin was first introduced to the wider world of cuisine by watching the PBS series The French Chef on WYES-TV. He explains how profoundly he was impacted by watching Julia making magic on TV: “I was mesmerized by Julia Child’s French cooking techniques. She showed so many different ways to develop tastes. Her cooking was similar to what Mom and Nan were doing, yet, as Julia cooked, her creations seemed so exotic!”

photo courtesy: KEVIN BELTON

Kevin in the kitchen with his grandmother, Emily Belton.

Kevin’s path to culinary success had him stepping into the spotlight cast by Louisiana’s charismatic cooking luminaries: from Justin Wilson, he learned how Louisiana food was introduced to the world through PBS; from Warren LeRuth, he learned both science and art in finessing exacting recipes that consistently yielded superlative flavors; from Austin Leslie he learned how to infuse Creole Soul into his food. He says, “Austin taught me the secret of his acclaimed signature dish, pan-fried chicken.”

When Paul Prodhomme spread awareness of Cajun cuisine throughout the world, Kevin was fortunate to learn from him firsthand as a member of K-Paul’s kitchen staff.

Kevin describes his cuisine style as “Traditional Louisiana Creole Food.” In his classes, he stresses the straightforward use of local foods.

About his philosophy of food, he says, “I like to keep it as simple as I can.

The main thing is to let the natural ingredients shine through.”

From what he has learned, he offers, “From around the country and across the world, people are drawn to our Louisiana cuisine. Whether they come to my classes in New Orleans, or see a TV program on WWL or PBS, they become a part of it.” He adds, “When I teach classes, both to locals and to out-of-state visitors, I want them to take these recipes home to cook for their family, so I try to use the least number of ingredients to generate the greatest flavors. I try to teach how the simplicity of a dish is there within the texture and the natural flavors of ingredients, to be brought out through technique, and especially with patience and loving attention to detail.”

His relationship with WYES began as a volunteer there during the annual >> December 2015-January 2016 147

Pledge Drive in 1993. Recognizing Kevin’s innate charm and ease in the kitchen, the WYES staff initiated a cooking program for breaks between programming that eventually grew into a full-blown series of weekly action cooking shows. Selected local residents who had sent in recipes were invited to cook their specialties along with Chef Kevin. It was then that I first met him, when my mom, Madlyn Scalise, was asked to prepare on-air her froscia, a type of Sicilian vegetable omelet. I recall how Kevin’s genial personality immediately put my mom at ease and how he towered over my mom’s tiny 5-foot frame and had to bend nearly in half for a closing hug at the end of the taping. Sadly, none of those program tapes survived Katrina’s wrath, having been stored on the first floor of the Navarre Avenue studio of WYES. According to Kevin, “Following Katrina, all of us, and especially those in the culinary community, had a heightened awareness of what could have been forever lost. It made us appreciate even more how blessed we are in Louisiana with our bounty from the waters, fields and forests of this great state.”

Even with Kevin’s Size 20 shoes, he was humbled when invited to step into the cooking TV spot on Ch 4 originated by Frank Davis. When WWL-TV news anchor Angela Hill said, “You know Kevin, you have very big shoes to fill,” Kevin knew he had a huge challenge ahead, but followed Frank’s easy-going demeanor; he says that Frank Davis taught him how to interact with an audience.

As a recipient of the WYES President’s Award, given annually to individuals, organizations or businesses who have demonstrated exemplary support of public television in the 148

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metropolitan area, Chef Kevin remains grounded in his focus. As he explains, “My mission is to get you to cook and then sit down with your family and friends and share that meal. People need to get back to the table.”

In a new series now in production at WYES, New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton, scheduled for nationwide distribution in early 2016, Chef Kevin will showcase gastronomic reflections of the various cuisine cultures which settled this region, including French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, Native American, Irish, German and Italian, each of which added their flavors into a collective pastiche, creating our own unique tableau of Creole cuisine. The 26-part series will feature such diverse dishes as Corn Maque Choux, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Slow Roasted Duck with Orange and Soy Gravy, Irish Channel Soda Bread, and will end with a Reveillon Dinner that will include Smothered Creole Pork Roast and Bûche de Noël.

When asked what legacy he would most want to impart to the young men and women who are students or young culinary professionals entering today’s world of Louisiana’s food culture, Chef Kevin offered this advice: “Keep it simple, and keep the ego out of it.”

Also, “Take responsibility for keeping it going!”

Besides his legacy of culinary heritage, Kevin is blessed with a deep spirituality that comes to him naturally from the traditions of his family roots.

He says, “I attended Mass with my Dad on Sunday mornings when I served as an altar boy, and then with my Mom, I attended Sunday evening Methodist services.” When Chef Kevin Belton signs his cookbooks, he offers this beautiful message, shared totally from his heart: “Keep the table blessed.”

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Kathryn Brennan and Gordon McLeod were wed earlier this year in true New Orleans fashion. To orchestrate their special day, the couple enlisted the expertise of Susan Zackin and Z Event Company.

“After we spent some time with the bride and groom, we knew exactly how to impress this very astute restaurateur family and their guests,” says Zackin. The biggest challenge was converting the family restaurant, Brennan’s, located on Royal Street, into a reception venue that could accommodate the large guest list and still have it be able to open for brunch the next morning. Starting the Friday night before the wedding, the Z Event team and their vendors began setting the stage for a night to remember by bringing in floral arrangements and furniture to transform the newly renovated restaurant. When the wedding party arrived the following day, they were greeted by “oohs” and “ahhs” from guests in the temporary Champagne lounge set up for the couple’s first toast.

One of the most important elements of the design was the outdoor space. “We erected a clear tent over the patio,” explains Zackin, “Dunn >> December 2015-January 2016 151

Brennan-McLeod & Sonnier did a magnificent job on the floral arrangements, transforming the tent into the Garden of Eden!” When it came time for dinner, guests sampled a variety of culinary creations by Brennan’s own Chef Slade Rushing. As a nod to the groom’s family, shrimp and grits was served up South Carolina style alongside the New Orleans version of this iconic Southern dish. To showcase the incredible seafood at the reception, a custom-designed table made completely out of ice was carved for the event.

The bride, who turned to Town and Country when it came time to select her gown, wore a beautiful French Alençon silk lace design from the bridal house Rivini. The gown featured a silk organza neckline with Fortuny pleating, a modified A-line skirt, Swarovski crystal beading accents at the waistline and a chapel-length train. Her veil completed the elegant look, with French Alençon lace fleurettes cascading down the cathedral-length train.

The wedding cake was placed atop a stunning floral table design.

The groom’s cake, a reproduction of the McCleod family home in South Carolina, was made in the groom’s favorite flavor: red velvet. Guests danced the night away to the sounds of Deacon John as he played all of his greatest hits. Each special moment of the evening was captured beautifully

by Grevy Photography.

Zackin says, “With the help of our vendors and staff, as well as many of the Ralph Brennan Group staff that were on hand, the night was a complete success!”

Kathryn and Gordon left their reception in a horse-drawn carriage, with friends following close behind, to continue their celebrations in the Quarter into the early hours.

M A R R I A G E A N D L O V E I N photo: DARRYL SCHMITT PHOTOGRAPHY

Munson-Robertson Caroline Munson and Wesley Robertson exchanged their vows in front of Popp Fountain in New Orleans City Park. The bride wore a strapless, all-lace, mermaid-style gown by Romona Keveza with a sweetheart neckline. Her bridesmaids were dressed in dark chiffon evening dresses with halter necklines by Amsale. Flowers for the bridal party and the reception, a mix of delicate antique roses, white ranunculus and dusty miller accents, were designed

by Erin Steen. At the reception in the Arbor Room, guests dined on a variety of passed seafood and at delicious stations before dancing the night away to the vocal stylings of BRW. The groom joined the band to serenade his bride with a rendition of I Feel Good by James Brown.

The happy couple honeymooned in Negril, Jamaica, before returning home to Metairie.

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IN the Spotlight City Stars Soirée

The Junior Achievement City Stars Soirée honored six Risings Stars who have demonstrated strong entrepreneurial skills with high moral and ethical standards: Brandon Berger, Becker Hall, Deirdre Hooper, Sarah Jackson, Bivian “Sonny” Lee III and Erin Romney-Cazes.

More than 350 guests gathered at the JA BizTown for the celebration. The night was filled with food and drinks from over 25 local restaurants. A photo booth, tarot card reader, caricaturist and performances by the 610 Stompers and the Wiseguys entertained guests throughout the evening, which was emceed by Chairperson Bryan Scofield.

The Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans touched the lives of more than 24,000 Southeast Louisiana students during the 2014-2015 school year.

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IN the Spotlight

The Big Band Bash: A Night in the 40s Auction

More than 300 guests stepped back in time to spend “A Night in the ’40s” at the Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Big Band Bash held at the National World War II Museum in the U.S. Freedom Pavilion.

Chaired by Caroline Parrish, the evening featured cuisine and cocktails by The American Sector Restaurant and Executive Chef Eric Cook, music by The Victory Six Big Band and silent and live auctions.

Plus, a special presentation of “Girls of the ’40s,” a short documentary with tales of the time from Sacred Heart alumnae and an introduction by Mignon Faget, Class of 1951. Top sponsors of the event included Tulane Health System, Whitney Bank, Wells Fargo Advisors and Marguerite K. Kingsmill.

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1. Dr. Cherie Niles, Greek jewelry designer Konstantino Sioulas and Olga Sonia DiGiorgio at Konstantino’s jewelry reception at Lee Michaels. 2. Sonda Stacey, Chad Baumer and Penny Baumer. 3. Lisa Woods, Sally Roussel, Dr. Catherine Murray and Cindy Bennett won the Metairie Country Club Ladies Jamboree wearing Kevan Hall. 4. Ashley Bohn and Beth DePass at the Kevan Hall Trunk Show at Metairie Country Club.

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1. Liz Broeckman, Lisa Zenor, Lisa Hinkel and Vivian Miller at Night of Fashion. 2. Lori LaRocca and guest speaker Wade Ragas at the National Association of Mortgage Women—Greater New Orleans luncheon at Ralph’s on the Park. 3. Karen Burmaster, Cindy Voss and Brenda Higgins of the New Orleans Garden Society at their monthly meeting. 4. Lynn Flynn, Michele Lehmann, Anne Black, Mary Beth Rittiner and Betsy White at the New Orleans chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution event.

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1. Byron and Pat LeBlanc with Missy Read and Begoña Landry at Kickin’ Parkinson’s at Stone Creek Club and Spa. 2. Penny Dastugue, Steve Reisig, Kirsten Early and Quentin Dastugue. 3. Saintsations with Ken Matherne and Amanda Adams. 4. Ross Heidingsfelder, DeeDee Boudreaux, Bonnie Huddleston, Garrett Heidingsfelder and Johnye Bernard.

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1. Tom Fitzmorris, Alma Dunlap and Trent Verges at Tom’s Eat Club at Broussard’s Restaurant.

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Head of School Merry Sorrells and To Kill a Mocking Bird director Jason Kirkpatrick.

3. Exxon Chalmette Refinery team members after team-building competitions at Adventure Quest Laser Tag. 4. The Rau for Art Foundation celebrating its 10 scholarship finalists from the 2014-2015 school year.

5. American Factory Direct’s David Comeaux, Billie Comeaux, Bob Comeaux and Grace Comeaux Piro at the North Carolina High Point Furniture Market.

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1. Friends and family joined Rachel Brown and Mike Delaney to celebrate their engagement at a party hosted by Rachel’s parents.

2. Mike Delaney and Rachel Brown. 3. The Academy of the Sacred Heart Booster Club recognized eight inaugural members of the Athletics Hall of Fame. 4. Academy of the Sacred Heart alumnae from the 1940s share tales from the time with student interviewer Emma Conroy, ’16, for a documentary, Girls of the ’40s.

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IN the Spotlight

St. Martin’s Golf Tournament St. Martin’s Episcopal School held its annual St. Martin’s Golf Tournament at Cypress Lakes Country Club in Ormond. The tournament was sponsored by Eustis Insurance.

Golfers feasted on brunch prepared by The Crossing before teeing off in a shotgun start. Twenty-two teams registered for the tournament, and 19 competed on the course, with Bart Cranford and the Cranford Equipment Company Inc. team finishing in first place. Libations, Lucky Dogs and Marques Food’s grilled pork chops were available to golfers on the course, and more food and fun awaited them at the Awards Reception with food provided by Premier Offshore Catering out on the pool deck. A fun day was had by all, and lots of money was raised to support St. Martin’s athletic programs.

IN the Spotlight St. Martin’s Founders’ Dinner The Founders’ Dinner hosted by the Board of Trustees of St. Martin’s Episcopal School was held at the home of Joanne Mantis. The special evening acknowledged some of St. Martin’s biggest supporters.

Guests dined on delicious cuisine prepared by NOLA Catering & Events, including delectables such as roasted tenderloin, blackened salmon and rosemary potatoes au gratin. The bar featured a specialty cocktail, the Saints Spirit Punch. Live music was provided by the Billy Shirer Band.

Board Chairman Stephen Huber, and Head of School Merry Sorrells thanked everyone for their ongoing support and highlighted ways their contributions are making a difference at St. Martin’s.

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1. Norman Robinson, Rebecca Sinclair, Dorothy Roberts and Joey Medina at the inaugural Winn-Dixie Resilience Awards. 2. Nicole Boudreaux, LaDana Williams, Angela Shockey and Kelly Morris. 3. Sean Flanery, Malik Collins and Marlyn Santos. 4. Jefferson Beautification members Debbie Mora, Joan Ingram and Anne Favre meet at Mellow Mushroom in Metairie to plan the upcoming Parkway Promenade. 5. Jerad Gardemal and Beth Claybourn at the Historic New Orleans Collection Laussat Society gala at the Canizaro residence.

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1. Sisters Mary Lucy Lane, Connie Robin and Sheila Favrot enjoy shopping at Saks during the Key to the Cure event. 2. Heather Burglass, Dana Hansel and Melissa Gibbs. 3. Jennifer Rowland and Dr. Quinn Peeper. 4. Rent-A-Nerd’s Charlotte and Darrin Poleski enjoying the views of Lake Louise in Canada.

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1. Ruth Hauenstein Austin and Michael Liebaert at the opening of Degas Gallery. 2. Cybèle Gontar and Rhenda Saporito. 3. Ken and Nina Friend enjoy October tailgating at Ole Miss. 4. (front) Lisa Smith, Donna Brydson, Karen Kearney and Dana Hansel; (back) Jill Nalty, Marjorie McKeithen, Anne Honeywell, Leslie Milsten and Michelle Montz all celebrating 50 in the Hamptons.

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1. Lacy Rabe, Dom Giordano and Ana Ortega at St. Martin’s Alumni Brown Bag Lunch held for students and their alumni parents. 2. Melanie Manzella, Kim Crawford and Aimee Hyatt.

3. Mandy Simpson and Daren Sumrow of NOLA Boards enjoying a friend’s wedding in Houma.

4. Bride Shea Crochet saying “yes to the dress” at Town and Country.

Holidays are a time when friends and family gather to celebrate. As Helen Keller said, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.” Help a loved one enjoy the holiday gatherings more by being able to engage and participate in conversations with the benefit of better hearing.

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Zounds Hearing offers 57 exclusive patents that dramatically improve the performance of hearing aids, with features such as true rechargeability.

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Receive $500 off a pair of rechargeable hearing aids before January 15, 2016 Zounds Hearing of Metairie is located at 801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite D. 504-249-6700.

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December 2015-January 2016 167

At the Table

by Tom Fitzmorris

A mild suffering begins immediately when it becomes clear we will not be getting any dessert. It does not go away. Not for a while, anyway.

This, I believe, explains the high sales of beignets after dinner. Dessert lovers who have been denied their pleasures must have some amelioration. You know what I mean. You’re feeling it right now, aren’t you? Especially since I brought up those hot, pillowy, powdered-sugar-coated oblong doughnuts?

Given this widespread concupiscence, why is it that through most of the history of fine dining in New Orleans restaurants, we have been limited to just three desserts?

Bread pudding, caramel custard and pecan pie are not the only desserts we know. But when I look through my collection of menus and restaurant reviews from the past 50 years, I see that those three desserts are ubiquitous. All the others that may appear are here, but not there. Examples: true strawberry shortcake, daily specials (crêpes or fruit tarts) or

Commander’s Palace Bread Pudding Soufflé.

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YOU MAY FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE, but my wife doesn’t really like desserts. She indulges in a sweet course at the end of a meal perhaps one dinner in a dozen. Some of those times, she is doing it strictly for symmetry, so those who are having desserts don’t come across as people who just can’t stop eating. The rest of her rare desserts come to the table when the restaurant has some kind of study in extreme chocolate, with an intensity that makes me squint from the overload.

On the other hand, I am among the majority of people who—and surveys on my radio show prove this—feel funny when they don’t get a dessert at all.

Inside New Orleans

showpieces (baked Alaska, bananas Foster).

A lot of people who are reading this are right now harboring the same thought: “Where is the chocolate in all of this? How can you possibly talk about dessert without talking about chocolate?”

That is a very good question, one which my wife asked me after I published a sort of encyclopedia to eating around New Orleans. “He doesn’t even have an entry in it for chocolate!” she shrieks.

It does me no good to note that the book came out during a particularly dry spell in New Orleans desserts. There was no chocolate entry because hardly anybody was serving chocolate. Believe it or not,

photo credit: MIGUEL SOLORZANO PHOTOGRAPHY

Not-So-Bitter Ends

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when Antoine’s added a chocolate mousse to its dessert menu in 1974, it had been in the works for a decade. “Will people get upset if we change the menu that much?” seems to have been the essence of the decision.

What we have here is a clear division of people into three categories, depending on their dessert preferences. Most vociferous are the chocolate people, for whom something is not a dessert unless it’s chocolate.

Second are the custard people, who are in a happy place. They like bread pudding, crème brûlée, ice cream and cheesecake. They must be very powerful people to have their favorite desserts so omnipresent. I’ll bet Jean Galatoire and Antoine Alciatore and Count Arnaud Cazenave were all custard people. I know Warren Leruth was—he told me.

Finally are the fruit lovers. But to be satisfied, they must have only fresh fruit. Blueberries and strawberries and mangos and apples and pears. Orange flavors work for them, too. But getting beautiful fruit all the time is hard, which is why the fruit folks are often angry at restaurants.

But now the good news. Starting in around 1990, the best restaurants began to compete with one another on the breakfast field. Emeril was one of the leaders of this charge, with a fulltime staff of patissieres creating not only a dozen or more madein-house desserts, but a dessert menu riddled with the best chocolate and fresh fruit, some of it exotic.

To see how far this trend has come, have dinner at Rue 127. It’s a tiny restaurant, and yet employs a full-time pastry chef who makes brilliant after-dinner treats. These days, no restaurant wanting to be taken seriously can fail to have not only luscious and beautiful desserts, but highly original ones.

The Dozen Best New Orleans Restaurant Desserts Commander’s Palace, Garden District, 1403 Washington Ave., 504-899-8221. Premiered at the 100th-anniversary celebration of Commander’s in 1980, >> 1. Bread Pudding Soufflé.

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this brilliant approach to New Orleans’ favorite dessert blew minds then (I was there) and does so now. An unusually light but otherwise classic Creole bread pudding to start with, it’s mixed with meringue, baked in a soufflé dish and brought with its whiskey sauce to the table in a grand flourish. Even though it is now known that Commander’s didn’t turn 100 until 1993, the bread pudding soufflé lives on as not only a memorial but as one of the two or three best desserts served in any New Orleans restaurant.

2. Bananas Foster.

Arnaud’s, French Quarter, 813 Bienville

St., 504-523-5433.

Bananas Foster was invented at Brennan’s, whose version remains one of the best desserts in town. As often happens, however, a determined imitator made an improvement.

Arnaud’s version of bananas Foster has a little more cinnamon, a little more dazzle in the preparation, and in every other way is a little bit better. Bananas Foster was created because the Brennans were very intimate with the family that ran United Fruit Company, the world’s largest banana importer. It was the recipe of Chef Paul Blange, who inspired most of Brennan’s early cooking, and named after the people who owned the Foster Awning Company. To me, the most telling aspect of the dessert is that even the most uppity French chefs I’ve known think it’s brilliant. And it is.

3. Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, French Quarter, 416 Chartres St., 504-524-7394. This is such a perfect flavor marriage that it’s hard to imagine there was a time when this pie didn’t exist. But it took Chef Paul Prudhomme’s fertile imagination to notice the affinity between the fillings of the two parent pies. Sweet potato on the bottom, pecan on top— with the classic custard matrix holding the pecan pieces in suspension. Not only is this good in the eating, but filling the pie shell with the sweet potato mixture actually makes it easier to make at home.

4. Baked Alaska.

Antoine’s, French Quarter, 713 St. Louis

St., 504-581-4422.

Baked Alaska is a strange idea: ice cream, hot out of the oven.

This is accomplished by insulating the ice cream with a layer of meringue all over the top and a foundation of pound cake. (I keep telling them they should replace the pound cake with bread pudding, but nothing yet.) It’s an old dish—created in French restaurants in the mid-1800s, made popular at Delmonico in New 170

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York City, and adopted by Antoine’s about a hundred years ago. They’re one of the few restaurants still making it. No other comes close to its perfection. It’s beautiful: a toasty, smooth-skinned, light-brown mound, decorated

Nola, French Quarter, 534 St Louis St., 504-522-6652. Pecan pie is pretty good without any enhancements beyond the classic recipe. But that hasn’t stopped some new

with Antoine’s name and “Since 1840” and a few little birds that resemble Peeps. In recent years, they’ve taken to offering chocolate sauce with it, but I insist that baked Alaska is a study in vanilla.

inclusions from being successful. Notable among these is K-Paul’s pecan and sweet potato pie. Also good is this over-the-top take on the idea, from the fertile minds in Emeril’s pastry departments.

The Bourbon sounds good. So does the chocolate.

The sweet potato ice cream fills all the remaining gustatory room. It all comes together in a very rich dessert that you will have a hard time refraining from finishing.

5. Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake. Cafe Adelaide,

CBD, 300 Poydras St., 504-595-3305. The idea to make a cheesecake out of Creole cream cheese welled up at Commander’s Palace at around the time Emeril was on the way out and Jamie Shannon was coming in. The extra tang of the Creole cream cheese was just right, and many other restaurants have borrowed the idea. The best I’ve had lately is at Commander’s junior restaurant, Cafe Adelaide. It also turns up in Emeril’s and the Brennans’ restaurants pretty often.

6. Bread Pudding. Mr. B’s Bistro, French Quarter,

201 Royal St., 504-523-2078. The best bread pudding in town gets its distinction for a nearly cloudlike texture, a result of a very slow baking. All the flavors are in balance, and the pudding doesn’t weigh you down.

7. Lemon Ice Box Pie. Clancy’s, Uptown, 6100 Annunciation St., 504-895-1111.

All of Clancy’s desserts are understated and simple. No flaming, no spun sugar, hardly even any layers. This nice little tart is the restaurant’s most talked-about ending course. Simple, but perfect: a lovely little pie with a rich custard and the ideal lemon component to balance off the sugar.

8. Banana Cream Pie.

Emeril’s, Warehouse District,

800 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-528-9393. When Emeril’s first opened in 1990, it enjoyed the services of a pastry chef who went by the name of Mr. Lou. He came with Emeril from Commander’s, and stayed a few more years until he retired. The banana cream pie served at Emeril’s was a collaboration between Emeril and Mr. Lou. It is insanely rich, with nearly a quart of heavy whipping cream in every pie. Not something to eat often, but a fantastic treat when you do.

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9. Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.

10. Ashta. Phoenicia, Metairie, 4201 Veterans Blvd., 504-889-9950. Ashta is a unique dessert served in not enough Middle Eastern restaurants. It’s made with phyllo pastry, pastry cream, a light syrup scented with orange-flower water, and pistachios. It is always made far too large—big enough for at least two people to share, even taking into account its lightness. It was introduced to this area by Byblos, but Phoenicia makes it slightly better, with the sugar component restrained.

For lovers of custard desserts, this one is a stunner.

Perfect when followed with a teeny cup of Turkish or Greek coffee.

11. Apple Pie. GW Fins,

French Quarter, 808 Bienville St., 504-581-3467. GW Fins features a familiar but unique dessert. It’s an apple pie—a standard job with a house-made crust, light and just right on the cinnamon and sweetness. What makes it unusual is that it’s small enough that you get your own pie. And it’s baked to order, which means you have to ask for it when you place the rest of the meal order. Worth the trouble.

12. Banana-Blueberry Pie. Impastato’s, Metairie, 3400 16th St., 504-455-1545. At the end of a dinner at Impastato’s, it’s amazing that anyone can think of dessert. For that reason, the dessert menu has never been a strong suit there. When anyone brings one up, however, it’s almost always this one. It’s like a cheesecake, but gooier. The banana and blueberry flavors are not only fresh and vivid—they really do go well together.

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IN Great Taste

by Yvette Jemison

CANDIED PECANS Servings: 5 cups 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon dried thyme leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 cups (12 ounces) pecans halves, unsalted 1 egg white

FEELING THE HOLIDAY RUSH? If you’re looking for gifts that everyone will enjoy, why not go for something homemade and delicious? Candied Pecans and Bacon Jam are two treats that your recipients are sure to love.

Candied Pecans are salty and sweet and roasted to a crunchy perfection. Delicious for holiday snacking or gift giving, they’re incredibly easy to prepare. Package the tasty morsels in cellophane bags, cute little jars or gift tins and keep these ready as a holiday gift. Bacon Jam is a versatile condiment that is perfect for spreading on toast, crackers, a burger or grilled cheese sandwiches. If your holiday entertaining calls for a quick-and-easy appetizer, top crostini with a slice of Brie and Bacon Jam for a delightful treat. Be sure to make an extra batch to send home with your guest as a party favor. For more recipes and step-by-step photos go to Ydelicacies.com.

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photos: YVETTE JEMISON

Edible Holiday Gifts

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, thyme leaves, salt and cayenne pepper until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Add pecans and toss until evenly coated. Add the sugar mixture, and toss until pecans are well coated.

4. Arrange the coated pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking

i sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the pecans.

6. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking until the pecans are fragrant and the coating is no longer wet in spots, 10-15 minutes.

7. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack until the pecans are completely cool.

DO AHEAD: Nuts can be made 2 weeks ahead.

Store in airtight container at room temperature.

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New Orleans is home to more great restauruants than we could hope to

list here. For a comprehensive listing of restaurants in the New Orleans metro area, please refer to Tom Fizmorris’ nomenu.com. In this guide, you will find some of the best bets around town.

Tom’s fleur de lis ratings are shown.

CARROLLTON, RIVERBEND AND BROADMOOR Babylon Café aaa Middle Eastern, 7724 Maple St., 504-314-0010 Barcelona Tapas aaa Spanish, 720 Dublin St., 504-861-9696

BACON JAM Servings: 2 cups 1 lb. sliced bacon 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings 4 cups yellow onions, diced 1/2 cup brewed coffee 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Basil Leaf aaa Thai, 1438 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-862-9001 Boucherie aaaa Southern Barbecue, 1506 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-862-5514 Brigtsen’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 723 Dante St., 504-861-7610 Café Niño aaa Pizza, 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-865-9200 Chiba aaa Japanese, 8312 Oak St., 504-826-9119 Ciro’s Cote Sud aaa French, 7918 Maple St., 504-866-9551 Cooter Brown’s Tavern aaa Sandwiches, 509 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-866-9104 Cowbell aa Hamburgers, 1200 Eagle St., 504-866-4222 Dante’s Kitchen aaaa Eclectic, 736 Dante St., 504-861-3121 Hana aaa Japanese, 8116

1. In a large skillet on medium heat, place bacon slices in a single layer and cook in batches until bacon is crisp and fat is rendered. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to cool. When cool enough to handle, finely chop the bacon and set aside. Pour the rendered fat into a strainer placed over a bowl.

Clean the skillet.

2. Return the skillet to medium heat, and add 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes.

3. Add coffee, vinegar, syrup, brown sugar, garlic, chili powder, mustard, thyme and black pepper. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the chopped bacon and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces to a syrup-like consistency, 55-60 minutes. Pour into airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks.

Hampson, 504-865-1634 Jacques-Imo’s aaa Cajun, 8324 Oak St., 504-861-0886 Lebanon’s Café aaa Middle Eastern, 1500 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-862-6200 Louisiana Pizza Kitchen aaa Pizza, 615 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-866-5900 Maple Street Café aaa Creole Italian, 7623 Maple St., 504-314-9003 Mat & Naddie’s aaaa Eclectic, 937 Leonidas St., 504-861-9600 Mikimoto aaaa Japanese, 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-488-1881 Mona’s Café aa Middle Eastern, 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-861-8174 Panchita’s aaa Central American, 1434 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-281-4127 Pupuseria La Macarena aaa Central American, 8120 Hampson St., 504-862-5252 Riccobono’s Panola Street Café aa Breakfast, 7801 Panola St., 504-314-1810 Sara’s aaa Pan-Asian, 724 Dublin

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St., 504-861-0565 Squeal Barbecue aa Barbecue, 8400 Oak St., 504-302-7370 Vincent’s aaaa Italian, 7839 St. Charles Ave., 504-866-9313 Ye Olde College Inn aaa Neighborhood Café, 3016 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-866-3683 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT Blue Room aaa American, 123 Baronne, Roosevelt Hotel. 504-648-1200 Bon Ton Café aaa Cajun, 401 Magazine St., 504-524-3386 Borgne aaa Seafood, 601 Loyola Ave. (Hyatt Regency Hotel), 504613-3860 Café Adelaide aaaa Contemporary Creole, 300 Poydras St., 504595-3305 Chophouse aaa Steak, 322 Magazine St., 504-522-7902 Desi Vega’s aaaa Steak, 628 St. Charles Ave., 504-523-7600 Domenica aaaa Italian, 123 Baronne St. (Roosevelt Hotel), 504-648-6020 Drago’s aaaa Seafood, 2 Poydras St., 504-584-3911 Herbsaint aaaa Creole French, 701 St. Charles Ave., 504-524-4114 Horinoya aaa Japanese, 920 Poydras St., 504-561-8914 Le Foret aaaaa French, 129 Camp St., 504-553-6738 Liborio aaa Cuban, 321 Magazine St., 504-581-9680 Lucky Rooster aaa Pan-Asian, 515 Baronne St., 504-529-5825 Lüke aaa French, 333 St. Charles Ave., 504-378-2840 MiLa aaaa Eclectic, 817 Common St., 504-412-2580 Morton’s The Steakhouse aaa Steak, 365 Canal St. (Canal Place Mall), 504-566-0221 Mother’s aaa Sandwiches, 401 Poydras St., 504-523-9656 Restaurant August aaaaa Eclectic, 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-299-9777 Ruby Slipper Café aaa Breakfast, Neighborhood Café, 200 Magazine St., 504-525-9355 Ruth’s Chris Steak House aaa Steak, 525 Fulton St., 504-587-7099 Windsor Court Grill Room aaa American, 300 Gravier St., 504522-1994 ESPLANADE RIDGE AND GENTILLY Liuzza’s By The Track aaa Neighborhood Café, 1518 N. Lopez St., 504-218-7888

>>

December 2015-January 2016 173

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Lola’s aaa Spanish, 3312 Esplanade Ave., 504-488-6946 Sammy’s Food Service aaa Neighborhood Café, 3000 Elysian Fields Ave., 504-947-0675 Santa Fe aaa Mexican, 3201 Esplanade Ave., 504-948-0077

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Louisiana Pizza Kitchen aaa Pizza, 95 French Market Place, 504-522-9500 Mr. B’s Bistro aaaa Contemporary Creole, 201 Royal St., 504-5232078 Muriel’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 801 Chartres St., 504-

FRENCH QUARTER Acme Oyster House aaa Seafood, 724 Iberville St., 504-522-5973 Antoine’s aaaa Creole French, 713 St. Louis St., 504-581-4422 Arnaud’s aaaa Creole French, 813 Bienville St., 504-523-5433 Attiki Middle Eastern, 230 Decatur St., 504-587-3756 Bayona aaaa Eclectic, 430 Dauphine St., 504-525-4455 Bombay Club aaa Contemporary Creole, 830 Conti St., 504-5860972 Bourbon House aaa Seafood, 144 Bourbon St., 504-522-0111 Brennan’s Contemporary Creole, 417 Royal St., 504-525-9711 Broussard’s aaaa Creole French, 819 Conti St., 504-581-3866 Café Giovanni aaaa Creole Italian, 117 Decatur St., 504-529-2154 Court of Two Sisters aaa Creole French, 613 Royal St., 504-522-7273 Crescent City Brewhouse aaa Pub Food, 527 Decatur St., 504522-0571 Criollo aaa Creole French, 214

568-1885 Napoleon House aa Sandwiches, 500 Chartres St., 504-524-9752 New Orleans Creole Cookery Classic Creole, 510 Toulouse St., 504-524-9632 Nola aaaa Contemporary Creole, 534 St. Louis St., 504-522-6652 Palace Café aaa Contemporary Creole, 605 Canal St., 504-523-1661 Pelican Club aaaaa Contemporary Creole, 312

Iberville St., 504-581-1316 Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse aaa Steak, 716 Iberville St., 504-522-2467 El Gato Negro aaa Mexican, 81 French Market Place, 504-525-9752 Frank’s aaa Creole Italian, 933 Decatur St., 504-525-1602 Galatoire’s aaaa Creole French, 209 Bourbon St., 504-525-2021 Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak aaa Steak, 215 Bourbon St., 504335-3932 Gumbo Shop aaa Creole, 630 St. Peter St., 504-525-1486 GW Fins aaaa Seafood, 808 Bienville St., 504-581-3467

Esplanade Ave., 504-523-0120 R’evolution aaaa Creole French, 777 Bienville (in the Royal Sonesta Hotel), 504-553-2277 Red Fish Grill aaa Seafood, 115 Bourbon St., 504-598-1200 Rib Room aaa American, 621 St. Louis St., 504-529-7045 SoBou aaa Contemporary Creole, 310 Chartres St., 504-552-4095 Stanley aa Breakfast, 547 St. Ann St., 504-587-0093 Tujague’s aaa Creole, 823 Decatur St., 504-525-8676

Commander’s Palace aaaaa

Coquette aaaa Creole French, 2800 Magazine St., 504-265-0421 Delmonico aaaa Contemporary Creole, 1300 St. Charles Ave., 504-525-4937 Juan’s Flying Burrito aaa Mexican, 2018 Magazine St., 504-569-0000 Miyako aaa Japanese, 1403 St. Charles Ave., 504-410-9997 Mr. John’s Steakhouse aaaa Steak, 2111 St. Charles Ave., 504-679-7697 Sake Café aaa Japanese, 2830 Magazine St., 504-894-0033 Slice aaa Pizza, 1513 St. Charles

Magazine St., 504-527-0771

Cajun, 416 Chartres St., 504-

Sushi Brothers aaa Japanese, 1612

Dauphine St., 504-525-3335

174

Inside New Orleans

Houma Blvd., 504-457-4188 Ristorante Filippo aaa Creole

Lakeview Harbor aaa Hamburgers,

Italian, 1917 Ridgelake Dr., 504-

911 Harrison Ave., 504-486-4887 Mondo aaa Eclectic, 900 Harrison

835-4008 Ruth’s Chris Steak House aaaa

Ave., 504-224-2633

Steak, 3633 Veterans Blvd., 504-

Munch Factory aaa Contemporary Creole, 6325 Elysian Fields Ave.,

888-3600 Sandro’s Trattoria aaa Creole

504-324-5372

Italian, 6601 Veterans Blvd., 504-

Ralph’s On The Park aaaa Contemporary Creole, 900 City

888-7784 Shogun aaaa Japanese, 2325

Park Ave., 504-488-1000 Steak Knife aaa Contemporary

Veterans Blvd., 504-833-7477 Taqueria Corona aaa Mexican,

Creole, 888 Harrison Ave., 504488-8981

3535 Severn Ave., 504-885-5088 Vincent’s aaaa Creole Italian, 4411

Tony Angello’s aaa Creole Italian, 6262 Fleur de Lis Dr., 504-488-0888

Chastant St., 504-885-2984 Zea aaa American, 4450 Veterans Blvd. (Clearview Mall), 504-

METAIRIE

St. Charles Ave., 504-581-4449 Tracey’s aaa Sandwiches, 2604 Magazine St., 504-897-5413 Zea aaa American, 1525 St. Charles Ave., 504-520-8100

780-9090; 1655 Hickory Ave.,

Acme Oyster House aaa Seafood,

Harahan, 504-738-0799

3000 Veterans Blvd., 504-309-4056 Andrea’s aa Italian, 3100 19th St., 504-834-8583

MID-CITY Angelo Brocato aaa Dessert and

Austin’s aaaa Creole, 5101 West

Coffee, 214 N. Carrollton Ave.,

Esplanade Ave., 504-888-5533 Café East aaa Pan-Asian, 4628

504-486-1465 Café Degas aaa French, 3127

Rye St., 504-888-0078 Carreta’s Grill a Mexican, 2320

Esplanade Ave., 504-945-5635 Café Minh aaaa Vietnamese, 4139

Veterans Blvd., 504-837-6696;

Canal St., 504-482-6266

1821 Hickory Ave., Harahan, 504-

Cafe NOMA Contemporary Creole,

305-4833

Casablanca aaa Mediterranean, 3030 Severn Ave., 504-888-2209 Arnoult St., 504-887-3295 Crabby Jack’s aaa Sandwiches, 504-833-2722

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen aaaa

Contemporary Creole, 337

Harrison Ave., 504-488-0107

Washington Ave., 504-899-8221

Ave., 504-525-7437

St., 504-598-5005

El Gato Negro aaa Mexican, 300

428 Jefferson Hwy., Jefferson,

Stein’s Deli aaa Deli, 2207

Louisiana Bistro aaa

Pho Orchid aaa Vietnamese, 3117

Contemporary Creole, 1403

St. Philip St., 504-529-8811

524-7394

Severn Ave., 504-455-2266

Navarre Ave., 504-483-8828

China Rose aaa Chinese, 3501 N. GARDEN DISTRICT

Irene’s Cuisine aaaa Italian, 539

Kingfish aaaa Cajun, 337 Chartres

Peppermill aaa Creole Italian, 3524

Exchange Place, 504-523-1504 Port of Call aaa Hamburgers, 838

Royal St., 504-523-3341 Deanie’s Seafood Seafood, 841

LAKEVIEW Café Navarre aa Sandwiches, 800

Cypress aaa Contemporary Creole, 4426 Transcontinental Blvd., 504885-6885

1 Collins Diboll Circle, 504-4821264

Canal Street Bistro aaa Mexican, 3903 Canal St., 504-482-1225 Crescent City Steak House aaa Steak, 1001 N. Broad St., 504821-3271 Crescent Pie & Sausage Company aaa Neighborhood Café, 4408 Banks St., 504-482-6264 Dooky Chase aaa Creole, 2301

Drago’s aaaa Seafood, 3232 N.

Orleans Ave., 504-821-0600

Arnoult Rd., 504-888-9254

Five Happiness aaa Chinese, 3605

Heritage Grill Contemporary Creole, 111 Veterans Blvd., 504-934-4900 Impastato’s aaaa Creole Italian, 3400 16th St., 504-455-1545 Little Tokyo aaa Japanese, 2300 N. Causeway Blvd., 504-831-6788 Martin Wine Cellar Deli aaa Deli, 714 Elmeer Ave., 504-896-7350 Mellow Mushroom aa Pizza, 30 craft beers on tap, 3131 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 504-644-4155 Mr. Ed’s aaa Neighborhood Café, 1001 Live Oak St., 504-838-0022 Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House aaa Seafood, 3117 21St. Street, 504-833-6310 Parran’s Po-Boys aaa Sandwiches, 3939 Veterans Blvd., 504-885-3416

S. Carrollton Ave., 504-482-3935 Juan’s Flying Burrito aaa Mexican, 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 504486-9950 Katie’s aaa Neighborhood Café, 3701 Iberville St., 504-488-6582 Little Tokyo aaa Japanese, 310 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-485-5658 Liuzza’s aaa Neighborhood Café, 3636 Bienville St., 504-482-9120 Mandina’s aaa Italian, Seafood, 3800 Canal St., 504-482-9179 Mona’s Café aa Middle Eastern, 3901 Banks St., 504-482-7743 Parkway Poor Boys aaa Sandwiches, 538 Hagan Ave., 504-482-3047 Redemption aaaa Contemporary Creole, 3835 Iberville St., 504-

i 309-3570 Ruby Slipper Café aaa Breakfast, Neighborhood Café, 139 S. Cortez St., 504-309-5531 Rue 127 aaaa Contemporary Creole, 127 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-483-1571 Toups’ Meatery aaa Cajun, 845 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-252-4999 Venezia aaa Italian, 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-488-7991 Willie Mae’s Scotch House aaa Chicken, 2401 St. Ann St., 504822-9503

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892-0708 Mellow Mushroom aa Pizza, 30 craft beers on tap, 1645 N. Hwy. 190, Covington, 985-327-5407 N’Tini’s aaa Creole, 2891 US 190, Mandeville, 985-626-5566 Nathan’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 36440 Old Bayou Liberty Rd., Slidell, 985-643-0443 New Orleans Food & Spiritsaaa Seafood, 208 Lee Lane, Covington, 985-875-0432 Nuvolari’s aaaa Creole Italian, 246 Girod St., Mandeville, 985-626-5619 Ox Lot 9 aaa Contemporary, 428 E

NORTHSHORE Acme Oyster House aaa Seafood, 1202 US 190, Covington, 985246-6155 Café Lynn aaaa Contemporary Creole, 3051 East Causeway Approach, Mandeville, 985-624-9007 Camellia Café aaa Neighborhood Café, 69455 LA 59, Abita Springs, 985-809-6313; 525 190 Hwy. W., Slidell, 985-649-6211 Carreta’s Grill a Mexican, 1340 Lindberg Dr., Slidell, 985-8470020; 70380 LA Hwy. 21, Covington, 985-871-6674 The Chimes aaa Cajun, 19130 W. Front St., Covington, 985-892-5396 Dakota aaaa Contemporary Creole, 629 N. US 190, Covington, 985-892-3712 DiCristina’s aaa Italian, 810 N.

Boston St., Covington, 985-4005663 Pardo’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 69305 Hwy 21, Covington, 985-893-3603 Ristorante Del Porto aaaa Italian, 501 E. Boston St., Covington, 985-875-1006 Sal and Judy’s aaaa Italian, 27491 Highway 190, Lacombe, 985-882-9443 Trey Yuen aaa Chinese, 600 Causeway Blvd., Mandeville, 985-626-4476 Young’s aaa Steak, 850 Robert Blvd., Slidell, 985-643-9331 Yujin aaa Japanese, 323 N. New Hampshire St., Covington, 985809-3840 Zea aaa American, 110 Lake Dr., Covington, 985-327-0520; 173

Columbia St., Covington, 985-

Northshore Blvd., Slidell, 985-

875-0160

273-0500

DiMartino’s aaa Italian, 700 S. Tyler St., Covington, 985-276-6460 Fazzio’saa Italian,1841 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville, 985-624-9704 Gallagher’s Grill aaaa Contemporary Creole, 509 S. Tyler St., Covington, 985-892-9992 George’s aaa Mexican, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville, 985-626-4342 Keith Young’s Steak House aaaa Steak, 165 LA 21, Madisonville, 985-845-9940 La Carreta aaa Mexican, 812 Hyw 190, Covington, 985-400-5202; 1200 W. Causeway Approach, Mandeville, 985-624-2990 La Provence aaaa French, 25020

OLD METAIRIE Byblos aaa Middle Eastern, 1501 Metairie Rd., 504-834-9773 Café B aaa Contemporary Creole, 2700 Metairie Rd., 504-934-4700 Chateau Du Lac aaaa French, 2037 Metairie Rd., 504-831-3773 Galley Seafood aaa Seafood, 2535 Metairie Rd., 504-832-0955 Porter & Luke’s aaa Creole Homestyle, 1517 Metairie Rd., 504-875-4555 Taj Mahal aaa Indian, 923-C Metairie Rd., 504-836-6859 Vega Tapas Café aaa Mediterranean, 2051 Metairie Rd., 504-836-2007

US 190, Lacombe, 985-626-7662 Lakehouse aaa Contemporary Creole, 2025 Lakeshore Dr., Mandeville, 985-626-3006 Mandina’s aaa Italian, Seafood, 4240 La 22, Mandeville, 985674-9883 Mattina Bella aaa Breakfast, 421 E. Gibson St., Covington, 985-

UPTOWN Amici aaa Italian, 3218 Magazine St., 504-300-1250 Ancora Pizzeria aaa Pizza, 4508 Freret St., 504-324-1636 Apolline aaaa American Gourmet, 4729 Magazine St., 504-894-8881

>> Atchafalaya aaaa Contemporary

December 2015-January 2016 175

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Creole, 901 Louisiana Ave., 504891-9626 Baru Bistro & Tapas aaa Caribbean, 3700 Magazine St., 504-895-2225 Bistro Daisy aaaa Creole French, 5831 Magazine St., 504-899-6987

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Sukho Thai aaa Thai, 4519 Magazine St., 504-373-6471 Taqueria Corona aaa Mexican, 5932 Magazine St., 504-897-3974 Upperline aaaa Contemporary Creole, 1413 Upperline St., 504891-9822

Byblos aaa Middle Eastern, 3242 Magazine St., 504-894-1233

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT AND

Casamento’s aaa Seafood, 4330 Magazine St., 504-895-9761 Charlie’s Steak House aaa Steak, 4510 Dryades St., 504-895-9705 Clancy’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 6100 Annunciation St., 504-895-1111 Dat Dog aa Sandwiches, 3336 Magazine St., 504-894-8885; 5030 Freret St., 504-899-6883 Dick & Jenny’s aaaa Contemporary Creole, 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-894-9880 Flaming Torch aaa French, 737 Octavia St., 504-895-0900 Gautreau’s aaaa American, 1728 Soniat St., 504-899-7397 High Hat Café aa Creole Homestyle, 4500 Freret St., 504754-1366 Joey K’s aaa Neighborhood Café, 3001 Magazine St., 504-891-0997 Kyoto aaa Japanese, 4920 Prytania St., 504-891-3644 La Crepe Nanou aaaa French, 1410 Robert St., 504-899-2670 La Petite Grocery aaaa French, 4238 Magazine St., 504-891-3377 La Thai Cuisine aaaa Thai, 4938 Prytania St., 504-899-8886 Lilette aaaa French, 3637 Magazine St., 504-895-1636 Mahony’s aaa Neighborhood Café, 3454 Magazine St., 504-899-3374 Martinique aaa French, 5908 Magazine St., 504-891-8495

CENTRAL CITY 7 On Fulton aaa Contemporary Creole,701 Convention Center Blvd., 504-575-7555 American Sector aa American, 945 Magazine St., 504-528-1940 Annunciation aaaa Contemporary Creole, 1016 Annunciation St., 504-568-0245 Café Reconcile aaa Lunch Café, 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 504-568-1157 Chateau Du Lac aaaa French, 857 Fulton St. 504-301-0235 Cochon aaa Cajun, 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-588-2123 Emeril’s aaaaa Contemporary Creole, 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-528-9393 Grand Isle aaa Seafood, 575 Convention Center Blvd., 504520-8530 La Boca aaaa Steak, 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-525-8205 Mais Arepas aaaa South American, 1200 Carondelet St., 504-523-6247 Pêche Seafood Grill aaa Seafood, 800 Magazine St., 504-522-1744 Rock-n-Sake aaa Japanese, 823 Fulton St., 504-581-7253 Root aaaa Eclectic, 200 Julia St., 504-252-9480 Tomas Bistro aaaa Creole French, 755 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-5270942

Midway Pizza aaa Pizza, 4725

Tommy’s Cuisine aaaa Creole Italian,

Freret St., 504-322-2815

746 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-581-

Mona’s Café aa Middle Eastern, 4126

1103

Magazine St., 504-894-9800 New York Pizza aa Pizza, 4418 Magazine St., 504-891-2376 Ninja aaaa Japanese, 8433 Oak St., 504-866-1119 Nirvana aaa Indian, 4308 Magazine St., 504-894-9797 Pascal’s Manale aaa Creole Italian, 1838 Napoleon Ave., 504-895-4877 Patois aaaa Creole French, 6078 Laurel St., 504-895-9441 Rum House aaa Caribbean, 3128 Magazine St., 504-941-7560 Salú aaa Eclectic, 3226 Magazine St., 504-371-5958 Slice aaa Pizza, 5538 Magazine St., 504-897-4800

176

Inside New Orleans

WEST END AND BUCKTOWN Blue Crab aaa Seafood, 7900 Lakeshore Dr., 504-284-2898 Brisbi’s aaa Seafood, 7400 Lakeshore Dr., 504-555-5555 Deanie’s Seafood aa Seafood, 1713 Lake Ave., 504-831-4141 New Orleans Food & Spirits aaa Seafood, 210 Hammond Hwy., 504-828-2220 R&O’s aaa Seafood, 216 Old Hammond Hwy., 504-831-1248 Two Tony’s aaa Creole Italian, 8536 Pontchartrain Blvd., 504-282-0801 Wasabi aaa Japanese, 8550 Pontchartrain Blvd., 504-267-3263

Directory of Advertisers ADVERTISER...............................CONTACT INFO PAGE

ADVERTISER...............................CONTACT INFO PAGE

ADVERTISER...............................CONTACT INFO PAGE

10/12 Properties.............................985-626-8200 147 1-World Languages.........................504-388-0410 120 Academy of the Sacred Heart............. ashrosary.org 120 Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket.................. ......................................................985-893-0593 102-103 Adler’s............................................504-523-5292 IFC Adventure Quest Laser Tag..............504-207-4444 164 All Wrapped Up...............................985-778-2041 111 American Factory Direct...................985-871-0300 86 Arabella Fine Gifts & Home Décor...........985-727-9787 30 Ariodante Gallery............................504-524-3233 176 Armbruster Artworks Studio.............985-630-6295 74 Artistry of Light...............................225-247-8963 162 Aspen Clinic....................................504-888-8682 41 Aucoin Hart.....................................504-834-9999 9 Baldwin Motors...............................888-902-2054 7 Barley Oak, The...............................985-727-7420 112 Basics Swim & Gym.........................504-891-1000 128 Basketry, The...................................504-309-7935 111 Benchmark Investment Group, LLC.........985-635-0770 136 Berkshire Hathaway - Penfed Realty........850-267-0013 51 Beth Claybourn Interiors New Orleans................... ................................... bethclaybourninteriors.com 17 Beverly Brown and Darryl Durham of Anna’s Place NOLA. ......................................................504-947-2121 141 Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights............504-522-9485 21 Blue Crab, The.................................504-284-2898 61 Blue Williams LLP............................504-831-4091 35 Bora Bora........................................985-951-8454 128 Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers...............504-831-2604 99 Bra Genie........................................985-951-8638 123 Bridal Boutique by MaeMe..............504-266-2771 153 brown eyed girl...............................985-626-0100 131 Brown Family Orthodontics - Metairie........877-230-7841 54 Bustles and Bows............................504-780-7090 150 Carreta’s GrilL.............................. carretasgrill.com 143 CDN Clothing..................................985-327-7300 132 Center for Restorative Breast Surgery..................... ......................................................504-899-2800 154 Center for Women’s Health..............985-249-7022 47 Children’s Hospital................ chno.org/orthopedics 5 Christwood Retirement Community........985-898-0515 158 Columbia Street Mercantile.............985-809-1690 127 Covington Business Association............................. ..........................covingtonbusinessassociation.org 101 Creole Cuisine.............................creolecuisine.com 11 Cypress House, The..........................985-629-4656 44 deCoeur..........................................985-809-3244 131 DeLuca’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts...........985-892-2317 150 Diane LaPlace, Team LaPlace...........985-727-7103 138 Dorsey and Company......................504-524-5431 149 Dugas Pest Control..........................800-729-0730 135 Dupont Air Conditioning & Heating, LLC................ ......................................................985-893-6778 135 Earthsavers.....................................985-674-1133 112 Eclectic Home..................................504-866-6654 35 Elizabeth’s.......................................504-833-3717 124 Elliot Gallery....................................504-523-3554 10 EMB Interiors..................................985-626-1522 36 Emma’s Shoes and Accessories........504-407-0668 128 Empire Studios................................985-778-9181 44 everyBody Weightloss & Wellness........504-287-8558 109 Fe Be..............................................504-835-5250 124 Feet First.........................................504-324-9124 124 First Bank and Trust.........................877-426-2498 90 Fitness Expo....................................504-887-0880 86 Fleurt..............................................985-809-8844 123 Florist of Covington.........................985-892-7701 75 Franco’s Athletic Club......................504-218-4637 IBC

Fransen & Hardin............................504-522-1188 91 french mix, the................................985-809-3152 165 Friend & Company...........................504-866-5133 GATE Gardner Realtors, Charlotte & Chris Dorion............ ......................................................504-237-8615 97 Gautreau’s......................................504-899-7397 175 Georgian Furnishing/Berger Home......................... ........................................ georgianfurnishing.com 78 Gild Home Decor.............................985-629-4002 76 GNO Property Management............504-528-7028 97 Grande Opus...................................985-888-1420 31 Gulf Coast Office Products...............504-733-3830 120 Haase’s Shoe Store & Young Folks Shop................. ......................................................504-866-9944 131 Hampton Inn and Suites..............1-800-HAMPTON 26 Harrison Beach The Lakeview Tanning Salon........... ......................................................504-510-2739 109 Haydel’s Bakery...............................504-837-0190 22 Hazelnut.........................................504-891-2424 29 Hedgewood Surgical Center............504-895-7642 109 Hestia Luxury in Linens....................985-893-0490 111 Historic New Orleans Collection, The.........hnoc.org 149 History Antiques & Interiors.............985-892-0010 61 Hormone Therapy Centers of America........985-898-1940 60 Impastato Gallery & Art Therapy.........985-778-5338 115 Infusé, Oils & Vinegars.....................985-778-0903 111 Integrity Builders, Inc.......................985-626-3479 143 Istre Hearing Care...........................985-845-3509 76 Jefferson Oaks Behavioral Health Inc.........985-206-3899 142 Jennifer Rice Realty Group...............985-892-1478 6 Jos. A. Bank....................................504-620-BANK 127 JuJu’s Boutique...............................985-624-3600 123 Kevan Hall Sport....................... kevanhallsport.com 12 Khoobehi & Associates....................504-779-5538 15 Koko FitClub.......................... 985-746-4161 ext.2 54 La Bella Vita Laser & Vein Center........985-892-2950 57 Lakeside Shopping Center........lakesideshopping.com 41 Latter & Blum - Stevie and Bob Mack...985-630-1934 140 LCI Workers Comp...........................985-612-1230 72 le Lapin Velours...............................985-778-0663 109 Le Visage Day Spa...........................504-265-8018 148 Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry................504-832-0000 BC Linen Registry, The...........................504-831-8228 176 Lisa Wyatt, DDS...............................504-613-5497 137 LiveEdge, LLC..................................985-231-9208 176 Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center......... 985-340-9150 120 Louisiana Custom Closets................985-885-3188 32 Louisiana Pizza Kitchen...................504-522-9500 175 Louisiana Women’s Aesthetics.........225-201-2090 73 Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology ......................................................504-288-2381 50 Magazine Street Merchants Association................. ..............................................magazinestreet.com 119 Marcia Holmes.......................... marciaholmes.com 158 mélange by KP................................985-807-7652 116 Mercedes-Benz of New Orleans.......504-456-3727 3 Metabolic Anti Aging Center............985-212-7972 81 Michalopoulos Gallery.............. michalopoulos.com 22 Mid South Coatings.........................504-662-1616 119 Money Hill Golf & Country Club....... moneyhill.com 95 Monmouth Historic Inn....................601-442-5852 28 More Smiles....................................985-231-5844 79 M.S. Rau Antiques...........................504-273-7391 27 Mullin Landscape Associates............504-275-6617 33 Natchez Grand Hotel & Suites..........601-446-9994 28 Newman School........................newmanschool.org 41 New Orleans Auction Galleries.........504-566-1849 34 New Orleans Creole Cookery...........504-524-9632 157 New Orleans Property Shoppe, Inc.........504-400-4990 140

Niche Modern Home.......................985-624-4045 88 NOLA Boards..................................504-352-1985 36 NOLA ChristmasFest.............nolachristmasfest.com 166 Nonna Randazzo’s..........................985-893-1488 74 North American Insurance Agency Of Louisiana, Inc. ......................................................800-229-2789 83 North Shore Square Mall.................985-646-0661 4 Oasis Day Spa, The..........................985-624-6772 119 Oil & Vinegar...................................504-610-5963 116 Old Rail Brewery, The.......................985-612-1828 112 Olive Patch......................................985-327-5772 132 Organized Impressions LLC..............504-421-2569 55 Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine.................. ........................................nolasportsmedicine.com 148 Outdoor Living Center.....................985-893-8008 101 Paisley............................................985-727-7880 132 Palatial Stone & Tile.........................985-249-6868 91 Palm Village - a Lilly Pulitzer Store.........985-778-2547 127 Pan American Power........................985-893-1271 66 Paretti Jaguar/Land Rover................504-887-2969 147 Pelican Athletic Club........................985-626-3706 71 Petcetera.........................................504-269-8711 115 Pine Grove Electric..........................985-893-4003 116 POSH Boutique...............................985-898-2639 124 Precision Sewing Machine Company......... 985-249-6156 107 Preservation Resource Center..........504-581-7032 145 Private Beach..................................985-674-2326 116 Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group..........504-839-5520 169 Rent A Nerd....................................504-454-6373 138 Riccobono’s Peppermill....................504-455-2266 169 River Club Development........ riverclubcovington.com 49 Riverview Camp for Girls.................800-882-1940 152 Rug Chic.........................................985-674-1070 55 Sculpting Center of New Orleans........504-309-9456 160 Shades of Blue, Inc..........................504-891-1575 66 Shine Spa + Specialties...................504-486-0999 115 Shoefflé..........................................985-898-6465 131 Shops at Canal Place, The................504-522-9200 105 Seitz Fine Art...................................985-630-9377 161 Southland Plumbing Supply.............504-835-8411 156 St. Joseph Abbey Gift Shop..............985-867-2227 83 St. Martin’s Episcopal School...........504-736-9917 89 St. Tammany Parish Hospital............985-898-4000 58 Stafford Tile & Stone........................504-895-5000 14 State Farm: Mary-Beth Rittner..........504-392-5808 77 Grayline Tours.................................504-569-1401 170 Stone Creek Club and Spa...............985-801-7120 25 Stuart Hall School for Boys..............504-861-5384 78 Susan Currie Design........................504-237-6112 96 Symmetry Jewelers..........................504-861-9925 19 Terry Cambise Wedding & Event Consultation........ ......................................................504-259-6815 75 Thomas Franks Fine Jewelers...........985-626-5098 48 Tim L. Fields, Attny...........................504-864-0111 138 Town and Country Bridal and Apparel.........504-523-7027 153 Triumph Krav Maga.........................504-324-5705 146 United Way................................unitedwaysela.org 96 Valobra Jewelry.................................... valobra.net 13 Villa, The.........................................985-626-9797 128 Vine................................................985-951-0005 112 Vista Shores....................................504-288-3737 65 Warehouse Grille.............................504-322-2188 170 Water Street Wreaths......................985-792-7979 115 Weinstein’s.....................................504-895-6278 123 West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission............... ......................................................800-789-4221 119 Woodhouse Day Spa.......................504-482-6652 150 Z Event Company............................800-714-9050 159 Zounds Hearing of Metairie.............504-249-6700 167

December 2015-January 2016 177

Brennan’s

THE PINK EXTERIOR of Brennan’s stands proudly on Royal Street welcoming diners to its redefined Creole cuisine. Hospitality and tradition have been focuses since its beginning in 1946. While the façade and tradition have remained, guests have enjoyed the newly renovated eight dining rooms that accompanied its reopening in 2014.

The décor combines English country, French brasserie and a touch of Creole, complementing the menu of refined classics and contemporary twists. Brennan’s fare is prepared by Executive Chef Slade Rushing. Rushing affectionately interprets traditional favorites with a lighter hand and adds to the menu with daily seasonal selections.

Among the options is the Smoked Pepper Seared Tuna with a cassoulet of black-eyed peas, baby spinach and pomegranate molasses.

Enjoy Bubbles at Brennan’s Happy Hour Tuesday through Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. in Roost Bar and Courtyard and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Roost Bar, Courtyard and Main Dining Room.

Happy Hour offers half off select Bubbly Bottles, $7 Bubbly Cocktails and bar snacks—plus Champagne Sabering on Fridays at 5 p.m.

by Leah Draffen

Chef Rushing is a 2015 James Beard Award Finalist for “Best Chef: South.” His experience and expertise are

Brennan’s is located at 417 Royal Street. 525-9711. brennansneworleans.com.

178

Inside New Orleans

steeped in a broad range of Southern culinary tradition.

photos: RALPH BRENNAN RESTAURANT GROUP

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