Louisiana Life Magazine March/April 2023

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HOME

Good bones, thoughtful renovation and interior design that plays to those strengths are a winning combination for a 1930s Baton Rouge cottage

28

KITCHEN GOURMET

When crawfish season is in full swing the possibilities are endless — and flavorful

56

NATURAL STATE

A Lakeland sugarcane plantation and mill is steeped in family tradition and both sweet and harrowing history

60

TRAVELER

The Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade is a decade's strong event in Baton Rouge

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FARTHER FLUNG

Asheville, North Carolina is a haven for lovers of the outdoors, food, craft beer, art and architecture

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PHOTO CONTEST

A great egret fluffs its feathers, which is a postpreening behavior to remove dirt and dust and get feathers back in place

Not-so-Wild at Heart

Like a lot of picky children, for much of my young life I avoided unfamiliar foods. I was raised on a farm so regional fruits and veggies, beef, chicken and pork were recognizable and safe, while everything else was suspect. For example, my stepdad’s hearty, spicy venison chili made with the deer meat a friend shared each year was a big no thanks.

By high school some of my hesitance to try new things wore off. I credit this to our health teacher Ms. Ryan and her potluck day. Each student was tasked with bringing food we thought was exotic or in some way unique to our family. I brought my granny’s cornmeal-breaded, fried okra. Looking back, I now know it was neither exotic nor unique and — ironically — I don’t care for fried okra and never have, but it was a hit with my friends, so no regrets.

Some of my classmate’s offerings however were quite unusual to my simple farm girl palate. To that point, I distinctly remember two friends, Dwight and Robert, who brought squirrel and rabbit from their own hunting trips. I experienced a variety of emotions surrounding the meat, including awe at their skill to have hunted, captured, prepared and cooked it, curiosity about the taste and revulsion over the demise of cute, fuzzy creatures.

Curiosity won out.

The squirrel tasted like chicken, but the rabbit had that distinct quality I eventually learned to appreciate as a hallmark of fresh game — gaminess. Or, that extra punch of flavor and texture.

That day in Ms. Ryan’s class, my adventuresome food spirit was born. Since then (and despite some stints of vegetarianism), I’ve sampled frog legs, snails, eel, snake, bison, ostrich, gator, duck and quail, to name a few. The last two are my favorites. Over time, I grew to love fresh seafood, too. Which of course there’s a wealth of in South Louisiana. Thankfully, you can get it from your local “[insert type of seafood] guy,” fish market or grocery, as well as certain game including quail and venison. All it takes to enjoy these culinary treats is the patience to research purveyors and make a few calls. No fishing or hunting prowess is required — a relief to both city folk and farmer types alike.

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Melanie Warner Spencer

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley McLellan

COPY EDITOR Liz Clearman

WEB EDITOR Kelly Massicot

FOOD EDITOR Stanley Dry

HOME EDITOR Lee Cutrone

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Errol Laborde

ART DIRECTOR Sarah George

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Danley Romero

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER Eugenia Uhl

HOME PHOTOGRAPHERS Sara Essex Bradley, Haylei Smith and Marc Gibson

SALES

SALES MANAGER Rebecca Taylor (337) 298-4424 / (337) 235-7919 Ext. 7230

Rebecca@LouisianaLife.com

INTERN Ashlynn Robin

RENAISSANCE PUBLISHING

PRODUCTION

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SENIOR DESIGNER Meghan Rooney

CIRCULATION

SUBSCRIPTIONS Jessica Armand

DISTRIBUTION John Holzer

ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE MANAGER Mallary Wolfe

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LouisianaLife.com

Bicentenaire de la paroisse Lafayette

On April 27, 1928, at a recording studio in New Orleans performers gathered for what would be an historic session. Joe Falcon and his future wife Cléoma Breaux immortalized a song that would become an anthem for a culture. He played the accordion; she used a guitar and was a gifted Cajun language singer. The song, originally called simply “Lafayette” but expanded to “Allons à Lafayette,” was released by Columbia records. It caught on and would forever be known as the first Cajun music recording. Working packed dance halls in Louisiana and Texas, Falcon would become the music’s first true star.

Translated into English as “Let’s go to Lafayette” the song survives for its danceability and as a namesake for a parish and a town. Be forewarned though, the lyrics have nothing to do with sweet images of the Lafayette area, instead the male singer chides his partner to go to Lafayette to adopt a more scandalous name because he thinks her beauty is better than her character:

Honey, you're too pretty to act like a tramp.

Look at me honey, you will see yourself

That I do not deserve what you are doing.

So, what happened two centuries ago to create a bicentennial celebration this year?

Well, in 1823 the Louisiana legislature whacked off a western section of St. Martin Parish to create Lafayette Parish. Most prominent among the new parish’s towns was Vermilionville which stood in an area that had been donated by prominent planter, Jean Mouton, as a site for a church and a courthouse. Through the years there was a yearning to change the town’s name to “Lafayette” after the Marquis who was admired in Cajun-Creole country for having been a French hero of the American revolution.

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Unfortunately, a community at the outskirts of New Orleans had already claimed the name and the U.S. post office forbade there being two towns in a state with the same name.

That changed in 1884 when New Orleans’ neighboring Lafayette was annexed to the city and was no longer a city on its own. With that, folks in Vermilionville petitioned the legislature. Both the parish and the city of Lafayette came into existence.

Besides Lafayette, whose boosters call “the happiest city in America” because of its Acadianinfluenced music and food, there are six other municipalities in the parish: Broussard, Carencro, Milton, Scott and Youngsville. All of these places have reason to celebrate the Lafayette Parish Bicentennial especially at the dance halls where slow dancers run the risk of being trampled as the couples move to the high speed circular path of a Cajun waltz.

At some point during the night the band will play “Allons à Lafayette.” Every bicentennial has its cadre of historic figures. In Lafayette that includes Joe and Cléoma who made history on a squeeze box and a guitar. No wonder it is a happy place.

EPISODE 122

Cajun Country Carnival

Dixie Poche talks about her new book “Cajun Mardi Gras: Chasing Chickens and Making Gumbo.” Learn how different communities along the Cajun prairie have different costume elements including cone-shaped hats and masks made from screens. We’ll also answer the question, which town is the epicenter of the Courir culture? Guest: Dixie Poche

EPISODE 121

A Century Old, Yet Not a Has Bean

A century ago, a New Orleans based company, founded by Lucius H. Hayward Jr., was in the business of purveying dried beans, most notably the red kidney shaped variety. The company would eventually trademark the name Camellia Brand Red Beans. Guest: Vince Hayward, great grandson of Lucius and CEO of Camellia Brands

EPISODE 120

Allons à Lafayette pour le bicentenaire

ERROL LABORDE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Lafayette is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The commemoration is based on the state issuing a charter, in 1823, to what was then known as Vermilionville. (In 1884, the name was changed to Lafayette to honor the French marquis who fought in the American revolution.) Guest: Sami Parbhoo, the Bicentennial Coordinator for the town’s celebration

CATCH UP AT LOUISIANALIFE.COM/LOUISIANAINSIDER

Ashley McLellan

WRITER

Ashley McLellan is the editor of New Orleans Magazine, associate editor of Louisiana Life and a contributor to Biz New Orleans Magazine. McLellan has won multiple awards during her more than 20-year career. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Pontypridd in Wales and also holds a Diplôme de Sabreur from the Confrerie du Sabre d’Or, and will saber a bottle of Champagne in exchange for a glass of bubbly.

Roedel

WRITER

Jeffrey Roedel is a producer, director and journalist focused on Southern makers, artists and creative thought. A graduate of LSU and the University of Southern California’s Production Workshop, he’s the former editor of 225 in Baton Rouge. In 2020, he released a collection of mantras for creativity called “Life Is Gonna Try to Put a Lot of Polo Shirts on You.” His album of pandemic poetry and music called “Distance” was released in 2021.

Eugenia Uhl

Eugenia Uhl is a photographer and a native New Orleanian. Her photographs have been featured in New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, Southern Accents, Metropolitan Home, GQ Magazine, Essence, Travel & Leisure and Vegetarian Times. Her clients include Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, International House Hotel, Volunteers of America, Galatoire’s and Tulane University. She has completed multiple cookbooks, including "Commander’s Kitchen" for Commander’s Palace and "New Orleans Home Cooking" by Dale Curry, Pelican Publishing.

Stanley Dry

FOOD WRITER

Stanley Dry writes the “Kitchen Gourmet” column for Louisiana Life magazine and is author of “The Essential Louisiana Cookbook” and “The Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook” and co-author of “Gulf South.” Formerly senior editor of Food & Wine and founding editor of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine, his articles have appeared in Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Boston Magazine and Acadiana Profile, among others.

Danley Romero

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

A native of Lafayette currently residing in the Lake Charles area, Danley Romero specializes in portrait photography. Romero considers it an honor to contribute to his state’s flagship magazine, Louisiana Life, and takes a particular sense of pride in his association with its sister publication Acadiana Profile. Most gratifying are the experiences that collaborating with the two magazines afford: meeting and photographing many of Louisiana’s most talented, accomplished and interesting citizens — the people who help to make our state the wonder it is.

Jeffrey

Bicentennial Festivities

Lafayette launches year-long celebrations

BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY

Seafood Cook-Off Relocates

LITERARY CULINARIANS

Among the many distinguished authors and panelists participating in the March 31-April 2 Books Along the Teche Literary Festival are two writers for Louisiana Life and one of its sister publications, Acadiana Profile Leading the April 1 Writing and Publishing Louisiana Cookbooks panel discussion are authors Stanley Dry (Louisiana Life columnist and Acadiana Profile contributor) and Marcelle Bienvenu (Acadiana Profile columnist).

Bienvenu is also hosting the Great Southern Chefs Food Demo. Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels, is the 2023 Great Southern Writer (booksalongthetecheliteraryfestival.com).

Lafayette’s year-long bicentennial revelries continue with the Celtic Bayou Festival bicentennial celebration April 17-18 (celticbayoufestival.com) followed by the March 26-30 Festival International de Louisiane bicentennial celebrations (festivalinternational.org). Chartered by the Louisiana Legislature in 1823 two years after its founding, the community of Vermilionville was renamed Lafayette in 1884 after Marquis de Lafayette (17571834) who fought with American colonists against the British. In 1803, he declined President Thomas Jefferson’s offer to become governor of the newly acquired Louisiana territory.

For the first time since its inception in 2004, the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off will be hosted in Lake Charles (Golden Nugget on June 27). Tip: One lucky sweepstakes winner and a guest will attend Chuck Tastes for free as VIPS, tour a brewery and enjoy a private feast prepared by last year’s winner, Chef Amanda Cusey (louisianaseafood.com).

NEW ORLEANS Jazzing it Up

Over 5,000 artists will perform on 14 stages during the 52nd annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 28-May 7. Headlining the massive lineup are Ed Sheeran (with “Shivers” and “Celestial” on his tour playlist and a new album dropping in 2023) and Lizzo (also headlining at BottleRock with Post Malone in May). New Orleans luminaries taking the stage include Big Freedia (boasting a new nightclub/micro hotel opening for Mardi Gras 2024), Trombone Shorty (on tour promoting “Lifted”) and Jon Batiste, whose incendiary “We Are” will get crowds dancing on May 5. Can’t go? WWOZ is broadcasting live (90.7 FM) daily from the festival. Tip: Louisiana residents pay just $50 at the gate on May 4 (jazzfest.com).

BATON ROUGE, ATCHAFALAYA BASIN

Gutsy Gator Gal Hunter, archer and jewelry maker Anna Ribbeck, a social media strategist at LSU AgCenter in Baton Rouge, has joined Season 14 of the History Channel’s “Swamp People” series launched in January. Foregoing a shotgun, Anna braves a bow and arrow to take down a gargantuan gator with a quarter-size kill shot in February’s Episode 5 (play.history.com/ shows/swamp-people#episodes). Her online apparel collection features everything from swamp jewelry to archery tips and recipes (annathearcher.com).

NEW IBERIA

LAKE CHARLES

Mixing It Up

Intriguing tales, cocktails and recipes both long forgotten and beloved

BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN

SEEDS OF LOVE

The Weeds: A Novel

New Orleans writer Katy Simpson Smith takes readers on a journey across the ages in her latest novel, "The Weeds." The book follows two women, one in 1854 Europe and the other in 2018 Mississippi, who are tasked with collecting and cataloging ancient plant species and, in the process, discover much more. One is a high-born thief, the other a graduate student, both connected across time through their love of plants and the resilience of some labeled weeds to survive despite a world of people and forces that try to hold them back. Fellow New Orleans writer Jami Attenberg calls the book, “an irresistible reading experience.” It’s a life lesson in love, betrayal, science and mystery. Hardcover, 320 pages, $27.00.

CLASSIC CHEERS

THE VIEUX CARRÉ

LSU Press continues its “Iconic New Orleans Cocktail” series with a drink that has recently started to make a comeback on the cocktail scene — the Vieux Carré. Veteran writer, reporter, editor and radio host John DeMers takes us back to 1930s New Orleans for the creation of this iconic libation. The Vieux Carré, later dubbed “the Cocktail that Spins,” was invented by Hotel Monteleone Carousel Bar mixologist Walter Bergeron. DeMers explores Bergeron and his work, the cocktail’s list of ingredients and how they found their way into New Orleans cocktail culture, and the influence of other iconic drinks, such as the Sazerac, on its inception. Hardcover, 116 pages, $19.95

CULINARY HISTORY Lafayette Cookbook

This re-release of a classic is more than just a community cookbook, it’s a glimpse at what life was like more than 100 years ago in south Louisiana. Recipes were mostly simple, appropriate for the home cook, handed down through generations, and used fresh ingredients available locally in season. The “Lafayette Cookbook” was originally published in 1922 and feature recipes gathered from women of the First United Methodist Church of Lafayette, as well as their neighbors and the community. The collection was originally gathered by Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana Lafayette) home economics teacher Ruth Ryan, who tested each recipe. Popular recipes of the day included some readers may not have heard of before, such as Normandy salad, as well as classics like oyster gumbo and bell pepper relish. Be sure to ask your mom and ‘em if they remember these time-tested dishes, and then invite them over for Sunday supper. Paperback, 80 pages, $20

A HEROINE’S JOURNEY

Wild, Beautiful and Free: A Novel

Born the daughter of an enslaved mother and a Louisiana plantation owner father, Jeanette Bébinn is sold into slavery by her birth father's vindictive wife after his death. She escapes only to find herself alone, traveling from the South to the North, ending up at Fortitude Mansion, a haven for escaped enslaved people. She becomes a teacher and is navigating a new world on the verge of Civil War when she finds herself falling in love with white proprietor of the mansion. Jeanette must learn to stand strong, hold fast to herself and her beliefs and stay courageous. Kirkus Reviews calls the book “A dazzlingly dark and engaging tale full of heartbreak, treachery and surprise.” Hardcover, 335 pages, $28.99

Spirit Filled

Wheeling through the fields, the pickup bumps and bounds past walls of tall golden stalks. Windows rolled down, a small hand hanging out of the truck reaches up to grab at the streaks of leaves whooshing by.

“I ended up with cuts and a bunch of sticker-like spores stuck in the palm of my hand,” says Olivia Stewart, now 32, and CEO of Oxbow Rum Distillery, that same south Louisiana farm’s rum distillery in downtown Baton Rouge. “Learning by doing is the best way, I guess.”

Getting stung by cane is one of Stewart’s earliest memories growing up on the expansive farm that’s been in her family for generations. Since taking over in 2020 for the single-estate distillery launched by her relatives three years prior, Stewart has continually learned from her mistakes.

Working as an art consultant in New York City, Stewart was furloughed during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She returned to Louisiana with her now-husband Revel Griffith to throw herself into the trial-and-error of rum production.

“My first task was slinging sanitizer bottles around Baton Rouge, trying anything and everything to get through the shutdown,” she recalls.

Pointe

Coupèe e native returns to lead a rebranded rum distillery in Baton Rouge

BY JEFFREY ROEDEL PHOTOS BY ROMERO & ROMERO

Stewart first took on a marketing role to avoid, in her words, any semblance of nepotism by receiving the post. But as her father stepped back from day-to-day operations during the pandemic, the distillery needed a motivated and very present decisionmaker on all levels. Stewart stepped up.

“I may have intrinsically learned a lot of these things watching my dad run the sugar mill growing up, but I needed to build up the confidence toward that, to make all these entrepreneurial decisions,” Stewart says. “And I really believe I had to go through the wringer.”

Stewart developed a plan for not just creating an unimpeachably delicious drink, but connecting her products back to the land, to the river and to both Louisiana’s agricultural past and her family farm’s present sugar production. A bend, a shift in direction, momentum forward — the name Oxbow felt right.

Stewart navigated the distillery through that branding overhaul in 2022, followed by new product rollouts, and a key partnership with Stockwell Reserve for sales strategies and out-of-state distribution that’ll put Oxbow bottles in seven states in 2023.

A sipping rum, Oxbow’s output is far more than a light buzz thrown into a mix of fruit and sugar, and Stewart wants Louisiana’s more bourbon-supporting public to know that rum is not just an afterthought for tropical cocktails.

“Rum is complex and incredibly versatile on its own,” Stewart says. “It can be just as elegant as a single malt on the top shelf. I think what holds it back is the lack of regulation [on its production and

AT A GLANCE

HOMETOWN Lakeland, Louisiana

AGE 32

OCCUPATION

President/CEO, Oxbow Rum Distillery WEB oxbowrumdistillery.com

quality]. We are hoping to change that at Oxbow by producing completely authentic and transparent rums.”

Oxbow has a single-estate process — meaning the fields, the sugar mill and the distillery are all owned by the same family and in close proximity. Stewart’s family farm is just 20 miles northwest of the Baton Rouge distillery, so Oxbow can create pure spirits, made not only from the molasses from boiling the sugar, but from the fresh sugarcane juice itself.

Oxbow’s Rhum Louisiane is an unaged, crystal-clear cane juice agricole only made possible by processing the juice within six hours of cutting the stalks.

Seated at the front of the distillery, near a massive wall-size image of sugarcane fields, Stewart is approached by Hector, one of her distillers, with a sample. She sips it slow.

“Have you cut it yet?” she asks him.

“No, I’m waiting for it to get a little dryer on the back end,” he replies. “Maybe two or three minutes?”

“Yeah, two more minutes,” Stewart says. “But that’s damn good.”

Sampling occurs throughout the day, and for Stewart, quality is everything.

“I like being able to taste what tastes like home, what’s tied to my family,” she explains. “And this is something I can share and teach people about, and that’s special.”

Though Oxbow aims to be a homegrown success, Stewart’s vision is for Louisiana to lead a rum renaissance nationwide. With the state second only to Florida in sugar production, and New Orleans’ Creole heritage and Caribbean influence, Louisiana rum makes plenty of narrative sense, and Stewart wants Oxbow to tell that story.

“I want to be a pioneer for rum in America as a whole,” Stewart says. “This is where the roots of sugarcane are, right here, and rum could bring a lot of new interest and tourism to the state. American rum should come from Louisiana.” n

Where do you and your husband enjoy yourselves when you’re not working?

Tell me about your favorite spots for fun, food or relaxation in Louisiana. We love being out on the farm, riding horses through the fields or tinkering around in the mill. We also love a good meal, and we frequent Chow Yum Phat, BLDG 5 and Beausoleil in Baton Rouge.

And in New Orleans where you met, and you bartended for a little while? The majority of our friends still are down in New Orleans, so if we’re not sailing our boat on the Pontchartrain, you can find us with friends at places like Jewel of the South, Miss River, Anna’s and Bud Rips. What is the most common misconception about rum in Louisiana? The average consumer generally views rum as a cheap liquor only meant for fruity beach drinks, and more often than not, they had a bad experience with it in high school. I was guilty of this perception myself. While rum marketing in the midto late 20th century is largely to blame, many other spirits experienced similar misconceptions and have since undergone revolutions of sorts — think tequila, bourbon and vodka. At Oxbow, we know that quality rum can be re-evaluated, too.

READ MORE ABOUT STEWART, OXBOW’S SUGARCANE OPERATION ALMA PLANTATION AND ITS SUGAR MILL IN NATURAL STATE ON PAGE 56

Abstract Narrative

The Helis Foundation John Scott Center in New Orleans celebrates life's work of the acclaimed artist

BY JOHN R. KEMP

Commemorative statues are everywhere in Louisiana. We have them for soldiers, explorers, musicians, sports figures, politicians and saintly people. Now, New Orleans has a new monument that celebrates the work of the nationally acclaimed New Orleans artist John Scott whose lifetime of art gained him a following only dreamt of by most artists.

This tribute to Scott, who died in Houston in 2007 after two double lung transplants and a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis, is not a statue or plaque, but the Helis Foundation John Scott Center that occupies the entire first floor of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’, or LEH’s, mid-19th century building at 938 Lafayette St. in New Orleans.

“The Endowment,” says LEH executive director and president Miranda Restovic, “committed to John Scott as an artist nearly 20 years ago when we began amassing a permanent collection of his works. I have come to believe that the art, the man, and his philosophy embody all that the LEH has stood for since our founding more than 50 years ago.”

Financed by a $2.6 million campaign and major support from the Helis Foundation, the Center contains 51 artworks documenting Scott’s spiritual and artistic journey and connection to a place, a people, a religion and rhythms rising from the streets of New Orleans. His bright polychromatic metal sculptures and black-andwhite prints represent physical and spiritual bridges between life, the imagination, creativity and mythology. The LEH owns most of the 51 objects on display. Others are on loan from the Scott Family Trust, the Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans and Xavier University. On the outside wall of the LEH building, Scott’s son Ayo painted a four-story mural commemorating his father’s public art located at various points around the city.

“It’s not a museum and it’s not an art gallery,” says the Center’s director Asante Salaam. “It’s a hub, a gathering space with art as a starting place, an entry point to have a conversation, roundtable discussions, workshops about art, culture, social change, about our human potential, about how to make our world brighter and better for the people in the future. He addressed those concerns through his art and teachings. We’re tying it to the LEH’s commitment to education, using those ideas of art and culture, and social change.”

Salaam is planning traveling exhibits in partnerships with other institutions around the state. The shows, she

says, will include the work of other professional and upcoming artists “with parallel ideas about critical issues we face in our life and in our society.” The staff is also working with educators to make his work more accessible to children.

Scott’s art and worldview are nothing new to Salaam. She attended his sculpture classes at Xavier University. But an even deeper connection, Scott and her father Kalamu ya Salaam, a New Orleans writer and cultural events organizer, were close friends. She wants to bring that intimacy into the Center.

Walking through the Center, one understands that Scott was indeed a New Orleans original, who

(Below) “Louis No. 2” (Facing page, top) “Lessons” by John Scott’s son Ayo Scott, located at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities building in New Orleans

(Left) "Urban Warrior: Swaddling Close" (Right) John T. Scott

portrayed the human spirit in brightly colored metal rods, suspended on high-tensioned cables in a silent dance between myth and fable, between the rhythms of the street and currents of air. He created abstract monuments to a shared past. His art is not a single story but one that is universal. Aside from the narrative, one can simply enjoy Scott’s work for its complex and graceful beauty.

During his long career as an artist and teacher at Xavier University in New Orleans, Scott gained national acclaim. In 1992, he received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious “Genius Grant,” and in 2005, the New Orleans Museum of Art recognized his contribution to American art in a major retrospective, “Circle Dance: The Art of John T. Scott.”

Scott drew heavily upon the city’s rich African-Caribbean culture and musical heritage in creating kinetic sculptures exploring themes from West African mythology or rhythms inspired by the dances of enslaved people in the early 19th-century in the city’s famed Congo Square. Others capture the symbolism of his Catholic upbringing, such as in his 1970 steel sculpture titled “Urban Crucifixion” made of welded gun barrels.

“I think my sculpture is a lot like the blues and jazz,” he said in a 2002 public radio interview with New Orleans artist Jacqueline Bishop. “If one looks at the blues, the blues is a narrative. It’s a story. Jazz just elevates the blues leaving the storyline out and just taking the structure. I think my work can be taken on many levels. It is narrative in nature but the narrative is very abstract. There are other times when there’s nothing more than the rhythm, the color and the structure.”

Scott often described New Orleans as “the only city that I’ve been in that if you listen the sidewalks will speak to you.”

For more information, visit leh.org n

EXHIBITS

CAJUN

Envisioning the South: The Roger Houston Ogden Collection

Features artwork from largest collection of Southern art, through Aug. 20. Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette. hilliardmuseum.org

CENTRAL Environmental Impact

Traveling exhibit focused on environmental issues, March 4 through June 18. Alexandria Museum of Art. themuseum.org

PLANTATION

Wild Bees

Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman, through April 30. Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge. lasm.org

NOLA

Katherine Choy: Radical Potter in 1950s New Orleans Works by this nationally acclaimed artist, through April 16. New Orleans Museum of Art. noma.org

NORTH Bloom!

Seventh annual show featuring worldwide floral art, March 24 through May 7. R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, rwnaf.org

Charming Details

Good bones, thoughtful renovation and interior design that plays to those strengths are a winning combination for a 1930s Baton Rouge cottage

BY LEE CUTRONE PHOTOS BY HAYLEI SMITH

First-time homebuyer Hillary Anderson was on her way to meet her realtor when she spotted a charming cottage with a for sale sign.

“This house screamed New Orleans to me,” says Anderson, who is from New Orleans. “It surpassed every other house I’d seen. Its charm and detail spoke to me.”

Upon viewing the listing, Anderson fell in love with the property and quickly made an offer. The house had already been thoughtfully renovated by a previous owner, whose grandfather built it, and its turnkey condition was a huge plus for the busy attorney.

“Every addition and modification is still in keeping with and respecting its original intent,” says Anderson. “You can tell the love that went into this house.”

The neighborhood’s old oaks and the cottage’s cypress picket fence, original wood floors and antique hardware were just a few of the things that checked Hillary’s boxes along with the home’s modern amenities. Naturally, Anderson, who has a keen appreciation for design, wanted the interior to complement the architecture. When her mother’s research into interior designers led to Baton Rouge native Jillian Freiberg, Anderson knew she’d found a like-minded talent.

Anderson lauds Freiberg’s deft handling of the project, which beautifully combines classic and unexpected, old and new, painted and unpainted, and which coincided with the supply delays of the pandemic. Freiberg praises Anderson’s research and clarity in presenting what she wanted.

(Left ) Anderson’s dog Sonny stands near the slate blue front door. (Above) A fine reproduction chest is paired with a hand-embellished giclée of an abstract painting.

The living room’s sectional sofa and leafy, white, semi-flush mount light fixture are new pieces, the table in the corner seating arrangement is inherited.

The master suite’s bed was custom made by Baton Rouge artisans. Touches of pink and sheers layered under the drapes and behind the bed make the room “wispy and romantic.”

“She has a great collection of interior design books,” says Freiberg. “She was so specific and detailed in what she liked. I typically have a presentation, then tweak it per the client’s feedback. She loved all the options, so we took elements from each and made them work together. I think I nailed her aesthetic because of the homework she did.”

Among the things that Hillary knew she wanted were a mostly neutral foundation with pops of color (she loves pink), some foundational wood pieces that she’d adore

for years to come (burled wood is a favorite), and a dining space flexible enough to be used for more than one purpose. One thing Anderson did not know when she bought the house was that she’d meet and marry a neighbor, Jordan Anderson, a Baton Rouge area professional. They married in December, making the cottage a home for two.

Despite the supply chain issues of the last few years, Freiberg worked mostly through trade sources, many of which she finds by going to the High Point Furniture

Market annually and was able to complete the project in about a year. She also customized the décor with creative thinking. In the dining room, she accomplished the client’s wishes by combining a round neoclassical-inspired dining table that expands with one or two leaves and outfitting the room with seating that can be added to the table when needed. Both the custom pink settee and the pair of powder blue faux leather side chairs flanking the painted Gustavian buffet can be moved to the table for that purpose. In the master bedroom, Freiberg retro-

(Top) The multifunctional dining room combines a neoclassical inspired table and flexible seating. Chandelier, Regina Andrew. (Bottom) The office is enveloped in Sherwin-Williams’ Storm Warning.

AT A GLANCE

ARCHITECT OF ADDITION

William

Sonner

INTERIOR DESIGN

Jillian Freiberg

SQUARE FOOTAGE

2,500

OUTSTANDING FEATURES

Eighteenth-century French hardware in master addition, antique salvaged glass windows, original oak floors, herringbone floors added during a renovation, French doors, abundant natural light, antique fireplaces

ORIGINAL ARCHITECT

Lewis A. Grosz

fitted a reproduction French-style writing desk for use as a vanity by removing the filing system in the drawers and replacing it with organized spaces for personal care items. When she couldn’t find the right tabletop mirror for the vanity, she gave the elegant ensemble a unique twist by pivoting to a wall mount mirror layered on top of a series of framed nudes.

The finished house is detailed, but also appropriately restrained so the couple can add or replace art as they find it and so the cottage’s special attributes retain their importance.

“You can go simple on the furnishings when you have a house with great bones,” says Freiberg. “It leaves room for the architecture to shine.” ■

We love rice in Louisiana, but we also love grits. Many preparations, such as this one, can be served with either. And grits are no longer reserved for just the breakfast table.

Harbingers of Spring

Other states may herald spring with the arrival of shad roe, fiddlehead ferns, a final melting of the ice or robins returning from the South, but in Louisiana, crawfish are the true harbingers of spring. It’s as simple as that.

CRAWFISH AND GRITS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons roux

2 cups chicken stock or broth

1 cup crushed tomatoes in purée

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cane syrup

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste

1 pound crawfish tails with fat

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

grits, preferably stone ground or old fashioned

4 tablespoons butter

COOK onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in oil over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, roux and chicken stock, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire, soy sauce and cane syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season with salt, peppers and hot sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add crawfish and lemon juice and simmer for another 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings.

BY

No matter that fresh crawfish are often available as early as November and that frozen crawfish tails can be purchased year round. Never mind what the elders say about spring — the season hasn’t truly arrived until the pecan trees leaf out. Azaleas? Sure, their blazing colors herald the changing of seasons, but azaleas, like eager gardeners who set out tomato plants too early, can be fooled by a false start.

MEANWHILE , cook enough grits for 4 servings according to package instructions and stir in butter at the end.

SERVE crawfish over grits in wide shallow bowls, garnished with onion tops and parsley. Makes 4 servings.

When crawfish season is in full swing the possibilities are endless — and flavorful

STANLEY DRY PHOTOS AND STYLING BY EUGENIA UHL

Maybe the combination of crawfish and spring has as much to do with ritual as anything else. We eat crawfish at other times of the year, but now is the time when we feast on those delectable crustaceans to celebrate the harvest, in anticipation of spring and as an important part of the Lenten diet.

In addition to their innate deliciousness, part of the appeal of crawfish is that they are so versatile and can be prepared in so many different ways. They lend themselves to preparations that are quick and easy to execute and that deliver great flavor. Crawfish also combine easily with a variety of ingredients and seasonings and can be incorporated into many different styles of cooking.

Crawfish preparations can range from bold and spicy to ones of great subtlety and complexity. Crawfish also lend themselves to a variety of cooking methods, seasonings and flavorings from other ingredients. Crawfish are low in calories and fat and they combine well with a number of vegetables for those who want a healthful preparation. Or they can be enriched with butter and cream to satisfy cravings of another sort.

But, ultimately, many crawfish preparations start with the leftovers of crawfish boils. And what better way to celebrate the end of winter than to eat boiled crawfish. Sure, we can buy frozen crawfish tails year round, and as much as we might enjoy a winter étouffée, it’s just not the same. n

CRAWFISH WITH PESTO AND PASTA

2 cups loosely-packed fresh basil

½ clove garlic

2 tablespoons pine nuts

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound pasta (orecchiette or shells)

1 pound crawfish tails

½ cup chicken stock or broth

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

PUT a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. Process until puréed. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

COOK pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan or skillet, simmer crawfish tails in chicken stock, stirring occasionally. Drain cooked pasta in a colander and add to pesto in serving bowl. Add crawfish tails and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

CRAWFISH SALAD

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons minced celery

1 tablespoon finely minced shallots

2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pound crawfish tails

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cajun/Creole seasoning and hot sauce to taste

IN A MEDIUM BOWL, combine mayonnaise with mustard and horseradish, mixing well. Add celery, shallots, green onion tops, parsley, lemon juice and crawfish. Toss to combine. Season with salt, pepper, Cajun/Creole seasoning and hot sauce. Makes 4 servings.

CRAWFISH STEW

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons roux

1 pound crawfish tails with fat

2 tablespoons lemon juice

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

IN A HEAVY POT over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened. Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium-high heat, add chicken broth and roux and whisk to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, then add to cooked vegetables. Add crawfish with fat and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne, and simmer until thickened and crawfish are tender. Add chopped green onion tops and parsley and serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

If you have heads-on shrimp, you can replace the chicken broth in this recipe with shrimp stock made by simmering the heads and shells in water. Seasoning preferences vary greatly. Some like the stew spicy, others prefer mild seasonings to accentuate the sweetness of the shrimp. I am in the latter camp. A green salad is all that’s needed here.

Call of the

BY STANLEY DRY PHOTO AND STYLING BY EUGENIA UHL

Louisiana is called the Sportsman’s Paradise for good reason. We have an abundance of native game and seafood for hunters and anglers (of both sexes) to pursue. But even if you don’t hunt or fish, you can eat like you do. Gulf fish, shrimp, crabs and oysters are available in restaurants and fish markets. Game is not quite so easy to come by, but farm-raised quail, rabbit and venison can help satisfy your hunger for the wild side. Farm-raised game is milder than the wild variety, which for some is actually a plus. The following seafood and game recipes are paired with recipes for delectable side dishes.

Wild

A green salad works very well here. Spring mix is a commercial assortment of baby salad greens, sometimes called mesclun mix, that has been washed and is ready to use. The mix can be used as is or it can be enhanced by the addition of a few other ingredients.

CRABCAKES

REDFISHWITHCRABMEAT&ASAPRAGUS WITH H O L L ANDAISE

There’s not much that can top this preparation. Asparagus With Hollandaise is An excellent accompaniment to redfish with crabmeat.

SPRING/SUMMER

Shrimp and Egg Stew

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine spring mix, sprouts, basil and parsley leaves in salad bowl. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil and vinegar until emulsified. Add to salad bowl and toss until all leaves are coated, Season with salt, grind over some pepper and toss again. Makes 4 servings.

Red Snapper With Lime and AvocadoMango Salsa

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons dry roux

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 eggs

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

¼ cup chopped parsley

Heat oil in a heavy pot, add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat broth in a small pot, whisk in roux to dissolve, and add to vegetable mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another pot, cover eggs with water, bring to a boil, cover pot, turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and place under running cold water to cool. Peel eggs and chop finely. Add eggs to shrimp mixture, season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne and simmer for 5 minutes. Add parsley and green onions and serve over steamed rice. Makes 4 servings.

GREEN SALAD

8 cups spring mix

1 cup sprouts, such as alfalfa or radish

1 cup basil and parsley leaves

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 red snapper fillets

Cajun/Creole seasoning

lime wedges

Avocado-Mango Salsa

Preheat oven to 400 F. Oil a rimmed, heavy duty baking sheet. Brush fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with Cajun/Creole seasoning. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Serve with lime wedges and avocado-mango salsa. Makes 4 servings.

2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced

¼ cup diced red onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

AVOCADO-MANGO SALSA

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

cayenne pepper

In a mixing bowl, place avocado, mango, onion, olive oil and lime juice, and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Makes about 2 cups.

Crab Cakes

Redfish With Crabmeat

and salt. Whisk to combine. Place the bowl over low heat and whisk constantly, rotating the bowl at the same time until the egg yolks thicken and the whisk leaves tracks in the bowl. Begin adding butter, a spoonful at a time, whisking after each addition. As you work, lift bowl away from the heat or on the heat, as needed to create a smooth emulsion. Continue until all the butter has been incorporated. Taste and add additional lemon juice and/or salt as desired. Place bowl in a warm spot while you cook the asparagus. Cut off the woody bottoms of the asparagus. In a large skillet, bring water to a boil, add salt and asparagus and simmer until asparagus is tender. Drain asparagus, then dry on a clean kitchen towel. Divide asparagus among 4 serving plates and top with a band of hollandaise. Makes 4 servings.

1 pound lump crab meat

1 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped green onion tops

½ cup crushed saltines with unsalted tops

1 egg, lightly beaten

FOR FRYING

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup crushed saltines with unsalted tops lemon wedges

Pick over crabmeat for any shell or cartilage and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add Cajun/Creole seasoning, lemon juice, parsley, green onion tops, egg, and crushed crackers. Mix gently with a fork, being careful not to break up crab meat. Form mixture into 4 cakes.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil on a medium setting. When oil is hot, dredge crawfish cakes in flour, then egg, then crushed crackers. Fry until nicely browned, about 4 minutes; turn and cook on the other side until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.

3 tablespoons butter

4 redfish fillets

¼ cup dry white wine

Cajun/Creole seasoning

1 pound lump crabmeat

2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

lemon wedges

Preheat broiler. Butter a rimmed, heavy-duty baking sheet. Place fillets on baking sheet and pour over white wine. Season fillets with Cajun/Creole seasoning and divide butter among them. Broil until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Carefully tip baking sheet into a large, non-reactive skillet to drain liquid. Place skillet over high heat, and keep fish warm while preparing crabmeat and sauce. Boil liquid in skillet until it becomes syrupy. Add crabmeat and lemon juice and cook only until crabmeat is heated through. Divide fish fillets among warm serving plates; spoon over crabmeat and sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.

ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

⅛ teaspoon coarse salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 bunch thin asparagus

In a stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, lemon juice, water

Spring and summer are the seasons seafood lovers look forward to during the cold, gray winter. Shrimp, crab, red snapper and redfish are some of the most longed for delicacies. Start dinner with crab cakes and then have red snapper or redfish. Not much can top that.

The amount of mayonnaise needed in the potato salad will vary, depending on the type of potatoes. If salad is too dry, add additional mayonnaise.

O Y STER GUMBO

VENISON CHILI WITH SKILLET CORNBREAD

A note of caution: Recently, I’ve found that the heat level of serrano peppers has varied greatly. The pepper used in testing this recipe was on the milder side, but yours may be very hot. Add your minced pepper gradually until the chili reaches the degree of hotness you prefer.

Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your quail and the heat of your fire. The quail I cooked were 4-5 ounces each. Watercress and a wild rice salad are excellent accompaniments.

RABBITSAUCEPIQUANTE

Rabbit can be prepared in a number of ways, sometimes marinated, often stewed, sometimes fried. The meat is lean and easily absorbs the flavors of what is cooked with it.

FALL/WINTER

Oyster Gumbo

2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook potatoes in lightly salted water to cover until tender. Drain and set aside until just cool enough to handle. Peel warm potatoes and slice into mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard and eggs to warm potatoes and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add green onion tops and parsley and stir to combine. Makes 4 servings.

Venison Chili

½ pound smoked sausage

8 cups chicken stock or broth

¼ cup dark roux

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

cayenne pepper hot sauce

1 quart oysters, drained

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops filé

Place sausage and chicken stock in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove sausage from pot and set aside to cool. Add roux to stock and whisk to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot, cook onion, celery and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add stock and simmer. When sausage is cool enough to handle, slice sausage and add to pot. Add bay leaf and thyme. Simmer for one hour. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, cayenne and hot sauce. Add oysters and cook only until they begin to curl and are heated through. Serve gumbo with cooked rice, garnish with parsley, green onion tops and filé. Makes 4 servings.

POTATO SALAD

6 medium potatoes

¾ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

2 hard-boiled eggs, diced coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds ground venison

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups water

¼ cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground ancho chile

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

coarse salt to taste

1 serrano pepper, minced, or to taste

Heat oil on medium high heat, add venison and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Add onion and cook until softened. Add water and tomato paste and stir to combine. Reduce heat. Add paprika, ancho chile, oregano, cumin, black pepper and garlic powder. Stir to combine, season with salt, add minced serrano pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

SKILLET CORNBREAD

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ cup stone-ground cornmeal

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup buttermilk

Pour vegetable oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet, place on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat oven to 450 F.

Place all dry ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add beaten egg and buttermilk and whisk to combine. Remove skillet from oven, pour hot oil into batter and whisk to combine. Pour batter in skillet and return to oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Makes 4 or more servings.

Grilled Quail

Grill quail, skin side down, over hot coals for about 3-4 minutes. Turn and grill for an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve garnished with sprigs of watercress. Makes 4 servings.

WILD RICE SALAD

1 cup wild rice

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup diced bell pepper

½ cup diced celery

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried cherries

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

¼ cup chopped parsley

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine rice and broth in rice cooker and cook until machine shuts off. Let rice sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat. Add bell pepper, celery, pecans, raisins, cherries, onion tops and parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 6-8 servings.

Rabbit Sauce Piquante

4 quail

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1½ tablespoons cane syrup

1 tablespoon cane vinegar

1½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

watercress

Rinse quail under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels. If quail have not been split open, remove the backbones with kitchen shears, turn the birds over and press breasts with the heel of your hand to flatten. Place quail in a nonreactive container. Combine soy sauce, cane syrup, vinegar and olive oil and pour over quail. Turn quail to coat both sides and marinate for about an hour.

Build a fire in your grill. Clean and oil grate. When fire has burned down to glowing coals, place grate back in place.

1 rabbit (about 2 pounds), cut-up Cajun/Creole seasoning

½ cup flour

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons roux

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper hot sauce

½ cup chopped green onion tops

¼ cup chopped parsley

Season rabbit pieces generously with Cajun/Creole seasoning and dredge in flour. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven and fry rabbit until browned on both sides. Remove rabbit and keep warm. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened. Add wine and roux, and stir to dissolve roux. Add tomatoes (break-up with a large spoon), tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and hot sauce. Add rabbit and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Adjust seasonings, add chopped green onion tops and chopped parsley. Serve with steamed rice. Makes 4 servings.

GREEN BEANS AND BACON

1 pound green beans

4 slices thick-cut bacon

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim and wash beans. Add to boiling water and cook until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water. Drain, then dry in a clean kitchen towel. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp but still slightly chewy. Drain on paper towels. Chop bacon.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beans and bacon and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add breadcrumbs, stirring to coat beans, until browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Fall and winter are when oysters, quail, rabbit and venison start showing up on our tables. Gumbos, chili and other one-pot meals are now in season.

BIG SKIES & WINE

A TEXAS-SIZED VINO TOUR

BY BECCA HENSLEY

DRINKING and driving?

That’s dangerous! But nobody says you can’t shuffle a few steps from the wine bar to your comfy bed using your own two feet after a few tipples. Romantic, beautiful to behold, and a way to commune with the landscape, vineyards and wineries offer a nature-intoned getaway with a culinary or gastronomic focus. Add in that being of the “terroir,” wineries offer travelers true sense of place and a way to travel that includes actually tasting the land itself. Voted the third top wine region in the United States by USA Today, the Texas Hill Country (and some of the Lone Star State’s other wine areas as well) reigns as an oenophile’s happy place for its fine, award winning vintages, variety of grapes, stellar tasting rooms, professional staff and stunning scenery. Some wineries even prolong your tasting experience with the opportunity to bunk in the vineyard or winery outbuildings for the night. Sometimes live music and restaurants are involved; other times it’s just you amid the grapes beneath the stars. From luxurious boltholes to chicly rustic cabins to rooms shaped like wine barrels, these vineyard and winery ensconced guest rooms promise more than delectable wine flights.

Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa

WITH A VETERAN MASTER WINEMAKER whose credo is to concentrate on “letting the vineyard speak,” Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa lies between bucolic Johnson City and bustling Fredericksburg in the veritable heart of the Texas Hill Country on 600 acres of wildflower and peach tree-peppered land. Makers of award-winning classic wines created with old world

techniques and philosophies, family-owned Carter Creek Winery, with sibling wineries in California, brings a West Coast elegance to the resort, while the varietals remain uniquely Texan. The ever warm growing season and early harvest yields earth-driven wines: crisp whites from gewürztraminer, riesling and muscat and robust reds, born from Rhône-style blends. Taste them in either of two stately tasting rooms or at Old 290 Brewery, the winery’s — wait for it — own microbrewery. Not to mix libations, but beer lovers can gulp pilsners, blondes and other ales at the brewery, if they yearn for a wine break.

The Sleeping Arrangements

Choose from 78 residential-style villas, each sporting an ample sitting porch and classic five-star amenities. Splurge on the Premier Villa King, which spans nearly 600 square feet.

The Fare

Gastropub fare pairs well with both Carter Creek wines and the Old 290’s own brews. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, the casual eatery Old 290 Brewery & Restaurant serves hearty cuisine that matches the texture of the terrain. Share a charcuterie board rife with local cheese, meats and honey, then finish with entrées, such as seared swordfish or wild boar ragu.

To Do

Surrounded by myriad untrammelled green space, the region lures outdoorsy types who yearn to hike or bike its many

trails. Shoppers will love to roam the streets of nearby Fredericksburg, but vacationers seeking repose may simply stay on site to enjoy the spa, swimming pool and fitness center. Live music in the evenings seals the deal.

Fall Creek Vineyards

YOU MAY SMELL BARBECUE UPON ARRIVAL, as this legendary vineyard with sassy tasting room sits across the street from iconic Salt Lick BBQ. The closest winery to Austin, long established — and much heralded — Fall Creek Vineyards draws legions of wine savvy day trippers. Producing discerningly complex wines under the helm of winemaker Sergio Cuadra, a Chilean who hailed from a prestigious South American winery a decade ago, the beloved winery has been both a pioneer and an inspiration to the Texas — and arguably the greater U.S. — wine industry. Lofty enough to be served at the table of presidential inaugurations, the various vintages can be casual, too, ideal for tippling amongst the verdant grounds at Fall Creek Vineyard’s tasting room in Driftwood. Linger, edged by vineyards, beneath that big Texas sky, on the covered patios, beside the pool and on the lawn, nipping wines such as a chardonnay (Terroir Reflections 60 Certenberg Vineyards, a Texas Hill Country, 2020 San Antonio Stock & Rodeo

Show — Texas Reserve) or a grenache rosé (Vintners Selection 32 Texas Hill Country, 2021 San Antonio Stock & Rodeo Show — Gold). Nibble from their wine bites menu, which includes a Southern-pleasing pimento cheese plate, among other irresistibles (all food options are prepared fresh by a local chef). Note: While the tasting room is in Driftwood, Texas, the winery itself occupies a sunny spot on the banks of Lake Buchanan in Tow — visits are encouraged.

The Sleeping Arrangements

You have two options after lazing about on the lawn. Clamber over to the Fall Creek Vineyards at Driftwood Winery and Tasting Room Guest House, which has two master suites. Bring your best friends or the kids — we won’t judge. You’ll have the whole garden to yourselves. More intrepidly romantic wine explorers will want to occupy the cozier, exceptionally romantic Chardonnay Room, a suite with striking vineyard views.

The Fare

Unless you want to get into the car, it will have to be Salt Lick BBQ — and even if you are a vegetarian this is not a bad thing. A glorious celebration of Texan spirit, with long wooden tables and bicep-strong slingers of overflowing plates, the storied restaurant gets kudos for its four-sauced, crazily caramelized meats. Sides also please, including beans, cole slaw and potato salad.

(Above) Blue Lotus Winery (Below) Carter Creek Winery Resort and Spa (Right) Fall Creek Vineyards

To Do

If staying for a couple of days, you may want to go to Austin. Bustling and hip, it has neighborhoods like SoCo prime for shopping, a downtown hike and bike trail that wraps around a lake, museums and notable restaurants.

Messina Hof Winery & Resort in Bryan

IT STARTED WITH A DREAM LIKE MANY magical things — and one acre of land near Bryan. Now one of Texas’ true trailblazing wineries, Messina Hof boasts more than 90 wine labels crafted from more than 30 varieties of grapes — and has four locations. Its wines have garnered thousands of awards since the winery was founded in 1977 as the result of a love story between a Brooklyn Italian and a wine-loving Texan. With Sicilian winemaking roots that date back generations, the spirited couple has made the business a family affair, and at any of its locations, visitors sense a certain Italian-meets-Texas accent both in wine style, winery vibe and food served. The gold standard-setting, 100-acre flagship Messina Hof Winery & Resort in Bryan in the Brazos Valley provides public tours, cellar tours and private tours, allowing wine enthusiasts to delve as deeply into the process of wine making as they like. At happy hour grab a satisfying $5 glass in the festive Wine Bar, where small plates are paired with wine flights and wine on-tap throughout the day. In terms of bottles, some of the winery’s

best sellers include a jammy sagrantino and a full-bodied Tempranillo — all made from 100% Texas-grown grapes.

The Sleeping Arrangements

Often trumpeted as a honeymooning favorite, the Villa B&B has 11 sumptuous suites, named for historical and literary figures (such as D’Artagnan and famous lovers Romeo and Juliet), each enveloped in a romantic storytelling ambience. Antiques and heirlooms, such as stained glass from on of Texas’ Spanish missions, set a mood, while soaking tubs within and private patios overlooking the lake, feed the senses.

The Fare

On property, The Vintage House Restaurant excels with their trademarked Vineyard Cuisine, which draws produce from the estate’s own bounty. An upscale dining experience that matches an indulgent weekend getaway, the eatery serves brunch, lunch and dinner. Food imparts an Italian flair with some Southern accents. Each menu, from the bacon wrapped filet to the chicken and waffles includes a pairing recommendation. Tableside flambé desserts are icing on the gourmand-pleasing cake.

To Do

Most who venture over to Messina Hof’s flagship only spend time at the winery and amid the vines, not to mention wandering its well-curated boutique. But nearby Bryan offers a few tempting activities such as the Old Bryan Marketplace, a 22,000-squarefoot cabinet of curiosities with antiques and new items galore. ��

Three More to Consider

Just 15 miles from Tyler Kiepersol Estate Vineyard and Winery awaits, spread across 63 acres. Immerse in vineyard vibes as you explore the property and sample from the award winning portfolio. A two-story barrel room holds more than 700 oak barrels. Sleep on site in the five room B&B or in three larger cottages. Lined with 120 year-old barn wood, their fine dining restaurant has date night vibes.

Stay in a wine barrel-shaped cabin at Blue Lotus Winery in Seguin, set on a 12-acre spit of land with three diverse soil types. Growing lesser known grapes such as Lenoir, Wine King and Norton, the friendly winery loves to share their passion. After a tasting spree, relax in your own over-sized wine barrel, a comfy enclave with access to a swimming pool and hot tub.

Coleman’s award winning Rancho Loma Vineyards celebrates wine in its tasting room, known for its weekly events, from wine classes to live music to winemaker dinners — and all done with the mood of an intimate dinner party. The onsite fine dining restaurant has global gastronomic legs, serving a seasonal menu of farm to fork delectables to enjoy with the wine — think Branzino or beef braised short ribs. The retreat’s tasting room also serves small plates to pair with its stellar labels. Five boutique hotel-level rooms with Frette linen-made beds await weary tipplers.

Traveling Around Louisiana

Getting outdoors is essential in spring, when both festivals and flowers are in full bloom and highlighting color and culture all across the state.

Whether you’re filling your days with the flavors, sights, and sounds of Louisiana at popular events or escaping to the quiet waterways and woods to connect with nature, there’s nothing like the spring sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. Opportunities for relaxation and fun abound this season for adventurers of all types—festival goers, history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, shoppers, foodies and families. Find your spring adventure among the following destinations that are all closer than you think.

On April 29 & 30, kites of all sizes and shapes will fill the skies in Port Allen, Louisiana. The 19th Annual Kite Fest Louisiané takes place at the West Baton Rouge Soccer Complex—located just off I-10 west of Baton Rouge—and will thrill audiences with enormous kites from the Go Big Or Go Home kite team, kite ballets using two-line kites from Austin End of the Line flying teams, and extraordinary four-line kites from the Northeast Rev Riders. The festival also features great food and music.

“We encourage the whole family to spend a day outdoors at this award-winning festival,” says Kathy Gautreau, Executive Director of the West Baton Rouge CVB. “Bring a blanket or lawn chair, relax in the sun, and fly kites, watch performances, enter the kite design contest, and make a free kite to fly.”

Kite Fest Louisiané is free to attend. On April 29, Kite Fest will feature fireworks at dusk. For more information, sponsorship levels, or volunteer opportunities call the West Baton Rouge CVB at 225-344-2920 and visit westbatonrouge.net.

Your next outdoor adventure is closer than you think—in Alexandria/Pineville, a robust sportsman's culture is nurtured by outdoor opportunities in the area including two beautiful and challenging golf courses and scenic Lake Buhlow in Pineville.

Explore the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of Kisatchie National Forest, one of the largest pieces of natural landscape in Louisiana and the only national forest in the state, filled with vital longleaf pine and flatwoods vegetation supporting rare plant and animal species. Located within Kisatchie National Forest are scenic areas ideal for bird watching, photography, backpacking, canoeing, all-terrain vehicle trails, boating, camping, cycling, fishing, picnicking and swimming. The forest has more than 40 developed recreation sites such as Kincaid Lake

WCampground, a modern, forested paradise, complete with a fishing pier, swimming area, and boat launch.

Plan your outdoor adventure today at alexandriapinevillela.com.

Lafayette is at the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun & Creole Country, an area known as the “Happiest City in America,” and it’s no mystery why. With their distinctive blend of food, music, and culture, it’s no wonder people from all over are heading down south with a smile on their faces.

One annual event bringing together all the elements that make Lafayette so unique is Festival International de Louisiane. The largest non-ticketed outdoor Francophone event in the U.S., Festival International highlights the connections between Acadiana and the Francophone world. Held Wednesday – Sunday, April 26-30, throughout Lafayette’s Downtown, Festival International hosts 500 performing and visual artists from 17 countries including Europe, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, and the Americas to share their talents across seven stages with Lafayette’s artists, residents, and visitors.

Visit lafayettetravel.com/festivalinternational for performance schedule, lodging, and travel information.

Natchitoches (pronounced “Nack-atish”), Louisiana is home to one of the most popular traditional main streets in the South. As the oldest city in Louisiana, Natchitoches boasts a 33-block National Historic Landmark District with the charm of an oak-lined riverbank and downtown brick street featuring a variety of boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, historic homes, churches, and more. Tours are offered by foot or by carriage ride.

Some of visitors’ favorite attractions in Natchitoches include the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame—replete with the state’s most notable sports memorabilia—and the Northwest Louisiana History Museum. The Natchitoches Film Trail highlights key spots from notable films like Steel Magnolias, John Wayne’s The Horse Soldiers, The Man in the Moon starring Reese Witherspoon, and The Year Without Santa Claus starring John Goodman.

Stop in for a trademark Natchitoches meat pie at Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant before taking a beautiful outdoor spring adventure to Cane River, where you can explore by kayak, hydro bike, or paddleboard, or take a relaxing trip on the Cane River Queen paddle wheeler.

For more ideas and information, visit natchitoches.com or call 800-259-1714.

Raising Cane

From Easter until sugarcane harvest, the 19th-century bell in front of the Alma General Store in Lakeland rings twice each day. The first bell, at 7 a.m., signals the start of the day for the 400 men and women who work at Alma Plantation during sugarcane grinding, an annual season that begins in mid-September and lasts, on average, 100 days. The second bell, at 12:30 p.m., rings to signal the end of lunch. During harvest, an old Mississippi River steamboat whistle blows at morning, noon, and night. All of this happens simply for the sake of tradition.

RABALAIS

A Lakeland sugarcane plantation and mill is steeped in family tradition and both sweet and harrowing history

(Above) Olivia Stewart cuts cane outside of Oxbow Rum Distillery. (Right) Stewart displays the growing point near the top of a cane stalk. (Opposite) A laborer oversees sugarcane planting in Pointe Coupée Parish.

The past permeates the present at Alma, one of eleven sugar mills in Louisiana and the only remaining mill that cultivates its own cane fields. It’s also the only working plantation in Louisiana that maintains its original layout, which includes 3,000 total acres, 2,500 of which produce sugarcane. Roughly 60,000 acres of cane harvested from Louisiana farms pass through Alma’s mill each season, meaning that Alma produces, annually, an average of 500 million pounds of sugar.

Out of the General Store — an amalgamation of restaurant, sundry, and museum — step two Central American workers. Olvia Stewart calls out to them in Spanish, a brief exchange that leaves all three laughing. Some of the migratory workers here live in cottages built in the 1920s and 1930s on the site of cabins where enslaved people once lived.

“Neither sugar nor rum would exist without slavery,” Stewart says. Through Alma’s fields, cane knife in hand, she relays Alma’s history, particularly its connection to the slave trade in the West Indies. Rather than shield the past from those who visit the plantation on tours, Stewart focuses on this painful history to acknowledge

those who worked and lived here against their will. She pauses before the plantation’s cemetery, still used by two local African American congregations. “I want to make sure that those buried here and all their ancestors are honored for the role they played in making Alma what it is today.”

Alma and what it has become — namely, Louisiana’s top sugar producer — is inseparable from Stewart’s own story. First mapped in the 1790s, this land in Pointe Coupée that thrives in the alluvial crescent between the

Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers has been in her family since 1859. Stewart grew up near the workers cottages and left in 2006 to study, ultimately earning a master’s degree in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Later, she moved to Manhattan and maintained a career in the art world. At the start of the global pandemic, she and Revel Griffith, now her husband, returned to Alma and started working in the distillery — originally Cane Land, later Three Roll Estate and newly renamed Oxbow Rum Distillery in Baton Rouge. They

One warehouse at Alma Plantation holds up to 50 million pounds of sugar.

didn’t know where it would lead them, but both were eager to learn the inner workings of rum making. Then came Hurricane Ida in 2021.

“That was a pivotal moment,” Stewart says. “Ida got me to see that the land in Louisiana is what we thrive off. And the land is disappearing.”

She set new goals. “The vision is to be the most authentic and highest quality craft rum brand in the country,” she says. Proximity between Alma Plantation and Oxbow Rum Distillery are key to this. “A lot

of sugar production is a race against time,” Stewart says, noting that microbial activity causes cane juice to change as soon as it is pressed. The longer the distance between mill and distillery means that more changes occur, thereby decreasing the quality of juice. Six hours after pressing, she notes, sucrose molecules break down and the juice spoils. Shipping between Alma and Oxbow Rum Distillery only takes 20 minutes and ensures that the distillery meets its slogan, “Cane to Glass.”

In 1990, when Stewart was growing up at Alma, there were 18 sugar mills in Louisiana. With that number nearly cut in half, and with storms always at the back of her mind, Stewart works with new urgency. She does so, she says, for her family and for the legacy of Alma. Her return has also given her a deeper understanding of Louisiana and its potentials. She says, “We want to put Louisiana on the rum map and do for this state what bourbon has done for Kentucky.” n

DID YOU KNOW?

The sugar industry in Louisiana began in 1751, when Jesuit priests first successfully cultivated sugarcane in New Orleans, according to the LSU AgCenter. An LSU Libraries exhibition about the history of sugarcane production in Louisiana curated by Christina Riquelmy and Debra Currie notes that by 1795, the Étienne de Boré Plantation, now Audubon Park in New Orleans, produced about 100,000 pounds of sugar. Other Louisiana planters soon began to cultivate sugarcane, and within several years, the New Orleans sugarcane industry shipped more than 550,000 pounds of sugar. By 1801, Louisiana was home to 75 sugar mills.

Sugarcane remains big business. In 2021, Jim Simon of the American Sugarcane League wrote, “Every load of cane that rumbled down Highway 90, 308, 70, 182 or 31 was carrying $4,000 of economic impact for our community.”

Oxbow Rum Distillery is the first in Louisiana to make agricole-style rhum made popular in Martinique. “I’d love for other producers to also call it Rhum Louisiane so that we can all work on a designation together,” she says.

“But whatever the name is for all of us, I want to start something specific to Louisiana and put it on the map as far as the rum industry goes.”

(Left) Stewart examines a sample of massecuite, a dense mass of sugar crystals mixed with mother liquor obtained by evaporation. (Above) Revel Griffith and Stewart “thieve” from a barrel to determine how the aging process is influencing the spirit.

Irish for a Day

The Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade is a decade's strong event in Baton Rouge

BY CHERÉ COEN

In 1986, Mabyn Shingleton, her husband, TV personality Pat Shingleton, and her baby son Michael in a stroller, lined up at the Baton Rouge City Park Golf Course and headed toward Perkins Road where the couple owned Zee Zee Gardens Pub. Their aim was to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a parade through Baton Rouge, if only one that was short and sweet.

They dubbed their event the Wearin’ of the Green Parade.

“It was a walking parade and it was small,” Shingleton remembered. “We thought it was huge at the time.”

They continued honoring Saint Patrick every March but because the train would cut off the parade when it passed, they moved the route in 1991 to start at the corner of

Hundred Oaks and South Acadian at the Roman Catholic Diocese. This new route flowed through neighborhoods until it reached Perkins Road.

Each year since that auspicious beginning, the parade has grown, now consisting of 90 floats and more than a dozen marching bands. About 150,000 to 200,000 people line the route, making the parade one of the biggest city events of the year.

“It brings in well over a million dollars to the Capital City,” Shingleton said, which Baton Rouge tourism corroborated. “It’s definitely a player.”

The 38th annual Wearin’ of the Green St. Patrick’s Day Parade will roll at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 18. The Grand Marshal will be Tim Mockler, president of Mockler Beverage Co., a supporter of the event since day one.

The 38th annual Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade is March 18 in Baton Rouge.

Pat Shingleton still oversees the event, but on parade day he’s assisted by Spence and Katie Shingleton Maxcy. And that young boy in the stroller? Michael Shingleton, now appearing on WBRZ Channel 2 in Baton Rouge as a news anchor, also helps run the massive family undertaking.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Local high school bands make up most of the parade’s music, but a couple of university bands are scheduled to perform as well. Naturally, two to three bagpipe bands will make an appearance.

“There are not that many people who play bagpipes — or are good enough to be in a band,” Shingleton said with a laugh.

After the parade begins at Acadian Thruway, it heads down Hundred Oaks to go north on South Eugene, then west along Terrace to Perkins Road where it rolls down the highway back toward Acadian. Many people take the opportunity to party along the route, and businesses are known for having special events, including live music. Uncle Earl’s in the Acadian Perkins Plaza Shopping Center, for instance, goes all out.

“The entire shopping center becomes a music venue,” Shingleton said.

The parade’s also been the site of many special events.

“We’ve had people who have gotten married on the parade route,” Shingleton said. “We have had baby reveals on the parade route. It’s really unique.”

The parade is televised live by WBRZ from the beginning of the parade route and the video later placed on the event’s website.

For those actually following their New Year’s resolutions, the 5K Shamrock Run begins at 8 a.m. around City-Brooks Community Park and along Perkins Road. The first 500 participants will receive medals. Runners may sign up on the parade’s website and proceeds benefit Baton Rouge Green.

The annual event has become such a hit with the Baton Rouge community that organizers publish a 64-page free magazine, full of photos and stories that’s later sent to 18,000 homes.

IF YOU GO

For out-of-towners, several hotels are located near the route. Downtown hotels — such as the Watermark hotel, Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center and Indigo, among others — are close to the beginning of the parade while hotels on College and Acadian Thruway give visitors easy access to Perkins Road and Interstate 10. Because of the crowds — not to mention it’s St. Paddy’s Day weekend and that usually involves spirited refreshments — Shingleton advises visitors to hail a transportation company such as Uber or Lyft from their accommodations.

For more information, visit wearinofthegreen.com. n

Mountain Time

Asheville, North Carolina is a haven for lovers of the outdoors, food, craft beer, art and architecture

BY JAN SCHRODER

Asheville, a small city in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, is known for its quirky charm and beauty. With a thriving culinary and arts scene, a walkable downtown bursting with shops, art galleries and restaurants, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, it attracts nearly 12 million visitors a year. You can also tour the largest private home in the U.S., relax in the waters of a world-class spa and lift a pint in one of the city’s many breweries.

EAT

Locals call their food scene “Foodtopia.” Feast on anything from lobster rolls piled with fresh lobster from the Lobster Dogs food truck to cathead buttermilk biscuits with sweet potato coconut gravy at Biscuit Head. The city boasts two 2022 James Beard Award winners: Chai Pani, which serves Indian street food, won for outstanding restaurant. Cúrate, known for Spanish cuisine and wine, won best hospitality.

Chow down on vegan soul food at Rosetta’s Kitchen and for high-end Italian food, try Cucina 24. Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ has you covered for barbecue, and

for truly local cuisine from the farmers in western North Carolina, take a seat at Rhubarb where five-time James Beard Award finalist John Fleer serves Southern fare.

Housed in a 1920s building, Chestnut is popular for items like charcuterie, fried green tomatoes and lobster bisque.

DRINK

With a nickname like Beer City USA, you know you’ll find plenty of places that pour a pint. Try one of the more than 100 local beers at popular breweries including Wicked Weed Brewing or Highland Brewing. Take a Brews Cruise for a behind-the-scenes tour of three breweries. Sour beer lovers can head to the Funkatorium, a taproom dedicated to sour beer.

Watch the sunset and enjoy a seasonal cocktail at three of Asheville’s rooftop bars with the Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours. Sip on a glass of bubbly or wine while you peruse used books at Battery Park Book Exchange in the historic Grove Arcade.

STAY

For mountain views and a championship golf course head to the Omni Grove Park Inn, which also has a 43,000-square-foot spa where you can swim in underground grottoes, let water cascade over you from the waterfalls, and head to the outdoor pool for mountain views. For a more boutique experience in downtown Asheville within walking distance of shops and restaurants, try the all-suites Windsor Boutique Hotel.

If a visit to Biltmore is on the agenda, check out The Inn on Biltmore Estate with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A short walk from downtown, The Foundry Hotel Asheville is housed in the former foundry that forged steel for the Biltmore Estate.

For more about Asheville, visit exploreasheville.com n

Tour the Vanderbilt family's 250-room Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the country. Take a trolley tour or a self-guided walk along the 30-stop Urban Trail.

Downtown, pop into boutiques, shops, art galleries and studios. On Friday nights in the warmer months, catch the weekly Drum Circle. Housed in former industrial warehouses on the riverbank of the French Broad River, River Arts District has hundreds of working artists’ studios.

Take a drive along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, hike or bike along one of the trails or kayak on the French Broad River.

Listen to live music includes in bars, music halls and venues like The Orange Peel and The Grey Eagle.

(Right to Left) Rhubarb; Windsor Boutique Hotel; Biltmore Estate

PHOTOS COURTESY: RHUBARB; WINDSOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL; MELANIE WARNER SPENCER

Great Expectations

A great egret fluffs its feathers, which is a postpreening behavior to remove dirt and dust and get feathers back in place.

BY JOHN CORSO, HOUMA