Louisiana Life January-February 2014

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 2014

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contents

24

in every issue 6 From the Editor

24 Kitchen Gourmet

Hot Chili For Chilly Days

A few variations to keep you warm during the winter

What Chivalry Built

12 Rural Life

A Future of Skyscrapers?

Pondering the big cities from the farm

14 louisiana Labeled

Rum Runners

Distilleries are popping up.

Beyond the Woods

Warren and Becky Gottsegen’s Baton Rouge home celebrates art.

32 Art

Meghan Fleming

Business News

Impressions of the Sabine Delta

Businesses continue finding plenty to like in Louisiana.

36 Traveler

16 Biz Bits

28

28 Home

18 Health

Medical News

Health updates from around the state

20 great louisiana Chef

Dean Terrebonne

Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia

Natchitoches 300

Then and Now at Fort St. Jean

100 lifetimes

Statewide Calendar

January/February events, festivals and more.

102 great louisiana QUIZ

22 roadside dining

104

Tribes – Fanciful and Factual

Shank Cat’s Bar-B-Que

104 A Louisiana Life

A barbecue spot that’s finger-lickin’ good

Anthony Ryan Auld

Life Threads of A Designing All-Star

features

special sections

41 louisianians of the year

8

Carnival Calendar

Our annual list of parades (and parties) around the state

8 Inspirational Stories

By Kathy Finn

50 Thunder in the Fields

The Courir de Mardi Gras

By Errol Laborde

58 Hollywood South’s Hot Streak

2014 holds great promise for the local film industry, and Los Angeles has gotten worried.

By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

94 Around Louisiana

Louisiana Life presents Around Louisiana, a section featuring the people and places of North Louisiana, Central Louisiana, Cajun Country, Baton Rouge and Plantation Country and Greater New Orleans.

on the cover The Robertsons, Louisianians of the Year, p. 41 Photograph courtesy of Zach Dilgard/A+E

2 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 Volume 34 Number 3 Editor Errol Laborde MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Ravits Art Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo Associate Editors Haley Adams, Lauren LaBorde Contributing Editor Paul F. Stahls Jr. Food Editor Stanley Dry Home Editor Bonnie Warren INTERN Paige Nulty, Lexi Wangler sales manager Kathryn Beck Sanderson kathryn@louisianalife.com

Sales Assistant Erin Azar Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production designerS Sarah George, Antoine Passelac Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President/ Editor-in-chief Errol Laborde Executive Assistant Kristi Ferrante Newsstand manager Christian Coombs subscriptions Erin Duhe (504) 828-1380

Gold Award Winner for Companion Website 2012 Silver Award Winner for Overall Art Direction 2011

Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Louisiana Life (ISSN 1042-9980) is published bimonthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: One year $10; Mexico and Canada $48. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Louisiana Life, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2014 Louisiana Life. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Louisiana Life is registered. Louisiana Life is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The opinions expressed in Louisiana Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner.

4 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

from the editor

What Chivalry Built

By Errol Laborde

Mark Twain did not think much of the building in Baton Rouge that we refer to as the Old State Capitol. Twain called it one of the ugliest buildings on the Mississippi. The building, he said, was representative of Southern men of that day who read too many novels by Sir Walter Scott and were too overcome with notions of European chivalry. The capitol he saw as Baton Rouge’s attempt to have a castle.

Twain had a point, not necessarily in his architectural criticism but in his judgment of Southern men of the Victorian age. That attitude was certainly reflected down the river in New Orleans by the men who molded the Mardi Gras celebrations. There would be kings, queens, dukes, maids and their courts, just like in Europe of old.

“Mardi Gras” is a French term for a festival that was built by Americans, but European style permeates. The senior of all surviving Carnival parades is that of Rex, King of Carnival, whose parade marches on Mardi Gras morning. Rex does everything right. Maskers wear original costumes – not sweatshirts and jeans – and no one is boozing as they ride by. The floats are all originally designed for the parade. Pictured here is a Rex float from the 2011 parade. The theme that year was “This Sceptered Isle,” a phrase taken from the Shakespeare play

Richard II, glowingly used to describe England. Twain would have certainly been amused by the appropriateness of the knight figure.

Carnival in Louisiana is celebrated in many ways including, as our Courir de Mardi Gras story shows, chasing chickens, as well as dancing in town squares. But the season became important because of the 19th-century men who had a touch of grandeur and chivalry, who made in special. Castlebuilding is not just with stones, but with passion, too. n

Correction: In our November/December 2013 issue, it was incorrectly reported in "The Good Life" article about Baton Rouge that former governor Huey P. Long was assassinated at the Old Louisiana State Capitol. In fact, Long was assassinated at the newer State Capitol. We regret the error and thank several of our readers for alerting us.

Something New We introduce our new cover logo this issue with the words “Louisiana Life” boldly drawing the eye. Nearby is our new slogan, “Embrace the Culture.” We also have a new department, “Louisiana Labeled,” exploring the state’s industries. There’s more to come in future issues as we live up to our pledge to “Embrace the Culture.”

6 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

on the web

LouisianaLife.com Louisiana Life Photo entry Are you an amateur, professional or “just for fun” photographer with some Louisiana photos to share? We want to hear from you! We want to see some great Louisiana photos, whether they’re of people, landscapes, food, culture or even animals. Don’t miss your chance to have your photo featured in the pages of our magazine for all of our readers to see. Send in your photos by going to myneworleans.com/Louisiana-Life/LouisianaLife-Photo-Contest/. Please note that the URL is case-sensitive.

Our readers’ photographs

November Splash in Belle River: Jackie Gravois of Thibodaux captured Joci Gravois in action having fun on a family outing to Belle River in Pierre Part in June 2013.

December LSU Lake: Kenneth Johnson of Greenleaf, Wis., spotted a heron on LSU Lake in Baton Rouge in May 2012.

?

what are you thinking?

Send feedback about this issue to Managing Editor Sarah Ravits at Sarah@LouisianaLife.com.

LouisianaLife.com | 7

Krewe of Highland in Shreveport

Carnival Calendar Our annual list of parades (and parties) around the state

Jan. 6. Twelfth Night Party.

Bossier Civic Center, Bossier City.

Jan. 11. Krewe de les Femmes Mystique Grand Ball. Diamond Jacks Casino, Bossier City.

Jan. 18. Krewe of Sobek.

Queensborough, Shreveport.

Jan. 20. Krewe of Harambee MLK Day Mardi Gras Parade. Downtown, Shreveport.

Jan. 25. Springhill Krewe of Artemis Grand Ball. Civic Center, Springhill.

Feb. 7. Krewe des Ambassadeurs 8 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

March 1. Gemini XXV Grand Parade. Shreveport.

March 2. Krewe of Highland Parade. Historic Highland Neighborhood, Shreveport.

By Paige Nulty, Judi Russell and Sarah Ravits

NORTHERN

March 1. Krewe of Dionysos.

Shreveport.

March 4. Krewe of Aesclepius Children’s Parade. Bossier City.

Bal. Diamond Jack’s Ballroom, Bossier City.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Janus parade.

Monroe.

Feb. 8. Springhill Main Street Mardi Gras parade. Downtown, Springhill.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Centaur FloadLoading Party. Shreveport.

CAJUN COUNTRY

Feb. 22. Krewe of Centaur.

Downtown to Broadmoor, Shreveport.

Jan. 6 Twelfth Night Celebration.

Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

Feb. 8. Springhill Main Street Mardi Gras block party. Krewe of Artemis Den, Springhill.

Feb. 15. Gemini XXV Grand Bal. Shreveport Convention Center, Shreveport.

Feb. 15. Minden Fasching “Mardi Gras” Karneval & Parade. Minden.

Feb. 15. Krewe des Ambassadeurs.

Bossier City.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Allegro Ball.

Ruston Civic Center, Ruston.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Pet Parade. Downtown, Shreveport.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Gemini FloatLoading Party. Krewe of Gemini Mardi Gras Museum, Bossier City.

Jan. 10 Community Dance. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

Jan. 11 Queens’ Pageant. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Ambrosia Mardi Gras Mambo. Thibodaux.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Hercules Tableaux and Ball. HoumaJim Noetzel photo

Celebration. Downtown, Vinton.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Hyacinthians.

Westside Route, Houma.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Titans. Westside Route, Houma.

Feb. 24. Krewe of the Golden Years parade and ball.

Feb. 28. Merchants’ Parade.

Downtown, Lake Charles.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Aphrodite.

Westside Route, Houma.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Adonis. Morgan City.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Triton. Lafayette.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Athena. Golden Meadow.

March 1. Krewe of Dionysus.

Berwick.

Feb. 16. Krewe of Shaka.

Thibodaux.

Feb. 16. Krewe of Des Petites.

Golden Meadow.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Hercules.

Westside Route. Houma.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Petit. Caillou, Chauvin.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Aquarius.

Westside Route, Houma.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Ambrosia parade. Thibodaux.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Hyacinthians Tableaux and Ball. HoumaTerrebonne Civic Center, Houma.

Feb. 22. Annual Mardi Gras Run. Gueydan.

Feb. 22. Vinton Mardi Gras

March 2. Children’s Day. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 2. Krewe of Galatea. Morgan City.

March 2. Krewe of Terreanians.

Westside Route, Houma.

March 2. Montegut-Children’s Parade. Montegut.

March 2. Children’s Parade.

Downtown, Lake Charles.

March 2. Lighted Boat Parade.

Lake Charles.

March 4. Krewe of Krewes’ Parade.

Downtown-midtown, Lake Charles.

March 4. Franklin Mardi Gras Parade. Franklin.

March 4. Krewe of Hephaestus.

Morgan City.

CENTRAL Feb. 15. Krewe Bayou Le Roux Ball. Pineville.

Feb. 22. Krewe of S’iriser Gala.

Pineville.

Feb. 22. Krewe Bayou Le Roux Junior Ball. Pineville.

March 3. Royal Gala. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

Feb. 22. Krewe of S’iriser Gala.

Pineville.

March 1. Krewe of Babylon. Larose.

March 3. Krewe of Houmas Tableau and Ball. HoumaTerrebonne Civic Center, Houma.

Feb. 28. Hixson Autoplex Classic Cars & College Cheerleaders Parade. Downtown, Alexandria.

March 1. Le Krewe Du Bon Temps parade. Larose.

March 3. Krewe of Amani.

Patterson.

March 1. World Famous Cajun Extravaganza/Gumbo Cook-Off. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 4. Krewe of Houmas.

Westside route, Houma.

March 1. AMGA 17th annual Children’s Parade. Downtown, Alexandria.

March 1. Carlyss Mardi Gras Trail Ride. West Cal Arena, Sulphur.

Feb. 16. Krewe of Versailles.

Larose.

March 2. Krewe of Nereids. Golden Meadow.

March 4. Motor Gras parade.

Downtown-midtown, Lake Charles.

Feb. 22. Town of Woodworth Mardi Gras Parade. Langston Road, Woodworth.

March 1. Krewe of Atlantis. Golden Meadow.

Feb. 15. Krewe Des T-Cajun.

Larose.

March 2. Krewe of Chronos parade. Thibodaux.

March 4. Iowa Chicken Run. Iowa.

March 3. Krewe of Cleopatra.

Westside route, Houma.

March 1. Krewe of Apollo. Lockport.

Terrebonne Civic Center, Houma.

March 2. Krewe of Cleophas parade. Thibodaux.

March 1. Zydeco Dance. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 1. Baldwin Mardi Gras Parade. Baldwin.

March 1. Krewe of Cosmos presentation. Sulphur High School, Sulphur.

March 1. Krewe of Barkus. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 4. Tee Mamou-Iota Mardi Gras Folklife Festival. Downtown, Iota.

March 4. Krewe of Ghana.

Thibodaux.

March 4. Krewe of Gheens. Gheens.

March 4. Grand Marais Mardi Gras parade. Hwy. 90 E. at College Road, Lafayette.

March 1. Krewe of Mardi Gras Parade. James Road, Houma.

March 4. Family Affair Mardi Gras Parade. Canal & Main Street, Lafayette.

March 1. Krewe of Illusions. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 4. Krewe of Andalusia.

Downtown, Lafayette.

March 1. Krewe of Omega Parade.

Downtown, Lake Charles.

March 4. Krewe of Neptune.

Galliano/Golden Meadow.

March 1. Krewe of Terreanians Tableaux and Ball. HoumaTerrebonne Civic Center. Houma.

March 4. Krewe of Coteau Parade.

Francis Romero Memorial Park and LA 88, Lafayette.

March 1. Cypremort Point Parade.

Cypremort.

March 4. Krewe of Kajuns.

Westside route. Houma.

March 2. Taste de la Louisiane.

Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles.

March 4. Krewe of Bonne Terre Mardi Gras. Montegut.

March 1. Krewe of Dionysus.

Natchitoches.

March 2. AMGA 20th Annual Krewes Parade. Texas Avenue, Alexandria.

baton rouge/ PLANTATION COUNTRY Feb. 15. Amedisys Mardi Gras Mambo 10K. Belle of Baton Rouge Atrium, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Jupiter.

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb.15. Krewe of Cypress.

Plaquemine.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Jupiter parade.

Downtown Baton Rouge.

Feb 16. Mystic Krewe of Mutts.

North Boulevard & Fourth St, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 16. Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade. Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Artemis Parade.

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Mystique.

LouisianaLife.com | 9

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Orion. Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Mystique Parade.

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Okeanos.

Plaquemine.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Choctaw.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Freret. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. Knights of Sparta. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Caesar. Metairie.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Orion Parade.

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Olympia.

Covington.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Southdowns.

Southdowns Neighborhood, Baton Rouge.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Titans. Slidell.

March 1. Krewe of Spanish Town.

Downtown, Baton Rouge.

March 1. Krewe de Roi. Plaquemine March 1. Krewe of Spanish Town Parade. Downtown, Baton Rouge.

March 3. Krewe of Comogo Parade.

Hwy.1 Civic Center, Plaquemine.

NEW ORLEANS Jan. 6. Phunny Phorty Phellows.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Bilge. Slidell.

Feb. 15. Krewe of Mona Lisa and MoonPie. Slidell.

Feb. 15. Krewe du Vieux. French Quarter, New Orleans.

Feb. 16. Krewe of Perseus. Slidell.

Feb. 15. Krewe Delusion. French Quarter, New Orleans.

Feb. 16. Krewe of Little Rascals.

Metairie.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Cork. French Quarter, New Orleans.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Oshun. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Cleopatra.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Excalibur.

Metairie.

Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade in Baton Rouge

Feb. 22. Krewe of Pygmalion.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Chewbacchus.

Marigny, New Orleans.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Dionysus. Slidell Feb. 23. Krewe of Carrollton.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 23. Krewe of King Arthur and Merlin. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Alla. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Tchefuncte.

Madisonville.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Thor. Metairie.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Barkus. French Quarter, New Orleans.

Feb. 26. Krewe of Ancient Druids.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 26. Krewe of Nyx. Uptown, New Orleans

March 1. Krewe of Iris. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 27. Knights of Babylon.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 1. Krewe of Tucks. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 27. Krewe of Muses. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 1. Krewe of Endymion.

Mid-City, New Orleans.

Feb. 27. Knights of Chaos. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 1. Krewe of Isis. Metairie.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Hermes. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 28. Krewe d’Etat. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 2. Krewe of Okeanos.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 2. Krewe of Mid-City.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Selene. Slidell.

March 2. Krewe of Thoth. Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Atlas. Metairie.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Centurions.

Metairie.

March 2. Krewe of Bacchus.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. The Mystic Knights of Adonis. West Bank.

Feb. 28. Krewe of Lyra. Covington.

March 2. Krewe of Napoleon.

Metairie.

Feb. 21. Krewe of Eve. Mandeville.

Feb. 22. Knights of Nemesis.

Chalmette.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Pontchartrain.

Uptown, New Orleans.

Feb. 22. Krewe of Pontchartrain.

Uptown, New Orleans.

10 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

Feb. 28. Krewe of Morpheus.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 1. Krewe of NOMTOC. West Bank, New Orleans.

March 1. Krewe of Iris. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 3. Krewe of Proteus. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 3. Krewe of Orpheus.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 3. Krewe of Hera. Metairie.

March 3. Krewe of Zeus. Metairie.

March 4. Krewe of Zulu. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 4. Krewe of Rex. Uptown, New Orleans.

March 4. Krewe of Grela. West Bank.

March 4. Krewe of Argus. Metairie.

March 4. Krewe of Elks Orleans.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 4. Krewe of Crescent City.

Uptown, New Orleans.

March 4. Krewe of Elks Jefferson.

Metairie.

March 4. Krewe of Jefferson.

Metairie.

March 4. Societe de Ste. Anne.

French Quarter, New Orleans.

March 4. Krewe de Lune. French Quarter, New Orleans.

March 4. Mondo Cayo. French Quarter, New Orleans. n

rural life

A Future of Skyscrapers?

Pondering the big cities from the farm

By Melissa Bienvenu

I squeeze myself into a tiny chair next to a knee-high table. It’s the same Pre-K classroom where, it seems like only yesterday, my sons were cutting out Valentines with safety scissors and napping on Kindermats. Beside me is our oldest, 13, and growing so fast I can practically see the cells dividing with my naked eye.

We are here to weigh the possibility of him going to New York with his junior high classmates. The fact that he not only wants to go but has actually pushed me to attend this meeting is both pleasantly surprising and vaguely unsettling.

On the pleasantly surprising side, the former city slicker in me is delighted that my farm 12 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

boy is inquisitive enough to wonder what lies beyond his quaint little Mayberry and brave enough to go looking for it. There are some adults in this rural part of the world who would not willingly set foot in New Orleans, much less New York.

That provincial mindset is something I vowed to discourage in my children from the very beginning. They might be country bumpkins, but, by golly, they would not be fearful, closed-minded country bumpkins.

I wanted the people I raise to be curious about the world out there. It was important to me that they be open to new experiences, places and cultures. I’d make sure they

had options and opportunities beyond what a little town has to offer. I’d encourage them to step outside of their comfort zone, meet people with different beliefs, take a big ol’ sweet-n-sour bite out of this thing called life.

So what better chance for my country boy to “be a part of it” than New York City?

Of course, I am also thinking about my own maiden voyage to New York – to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my Birmingham high school marching band.

Granted, I was not quite so young or utterly green behind the ears as my son. Unlike him, I had grown up in a decent-sized city. And I had already flown several times

and visited a couple of major cities such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Still, nothing compares to your first trip to New York.

True story: The night our band arrived on a bus from JFK Airport, I stepped out into the bright lights of Manhattan, gazed straight up at the top of a skyscraper and got so dizzy that I fell off my high heels and landed in a tangle on the sidewalk. In all honesty, my embarrassing wipeout was probably due more to being a doofus than to being blown away. But I still think it perfectly symbolized a Southern girl’s first reaction to New York.

Apart from that awkward introduction, what struck me most about New York was not just the sights – the Statue of Liberties, the Rockettes, the Broadway musicals – but New Yorkers. Until then, all I had ever known was the stereotype: rude, nasty, pushy, unfriendly Yankees. But that was not how I regarded New Yorkers after I actually visited New York, at all. Instead, I remembered the man who chased me for half a city block to return a scarf I did not know I had dropped. I still think about the tough New York cops who took our dance team into a coffee shop to get warm after the parade and were reduced to giggly schoolboys by our Southern accents.

People whom I had assumed were nothing like me were, just under the surface, very much like me.

That is the type of mindjane sanders illustration

expanding experiences I have always hoped to give my kids. I wanted my children’s worldview to extend beyond the limits of this sweet-butsometimes insular life we lead. I did not want them to stagnate in a small town, never encountering anything different, never growing.

When the time came, I would give my children the gift of wings. And I would watch with a proud, beatific expression as they flew off into the sunset to meet their destiny, no matter where it took them.

Those are the kind of thoughts you think before you realize your children are really going to grow up and leave you.

Here, in what was once my son’s Pre-K classroom, listening to a teacher talk about itineraries and fundraisers, I fight a rising

wave of despair that, somehow, despite all my efforts to prevent it, the years have slipped through my fingers. Before I could turn around, the little boy who scribbled with fat crayons was teleported into his teenage years.

As I calculate the costs of flights and hotels, I’m also doing the hard math that parents of teenagers are forced to do. How many moments do we have left? How many Christmas mornings? How many baseball games? How many dreary afternoons when I’m nagging him to do his homework and pick up his shoes? How many nights when I look in on him sleeping and feel like squeezing him hard but merely straighten the covers and kiss his forehead?

A number that once seemed

infinite is now preceded by a “less than” sign.

When I’m being honest with myself, that is the vaguely unsettling part, the part of showing my children the great big world that worries me.

That is the part I think about every time I hear the country song, “Small Town Saturday Night,” a spot-on tale of bored teenagers drinking, fighting and driving too fast to amuse themselves in a small town. In one part, the boy speculates on life beyond their little turf, telling his girlfriend: “Lucy, you know the world must be flat,/ ’Cause when people leave town they never come back” It is not a sad song, yet that line stabs me in the heart every time.

When my son and I walk out of the New York meeting, I have a feeling he

won’t be going. For what it would cost to send him and a (mandatory) parent, our whole family could take a really nice vacation.

Financially, it just doesn’t make sense for us.

But one day, if not now, I want my country boys to taste the Big Apple and a lot of other places, to boot. I want them to get wobbly-legged when they see a skyscraper up-close for the first time. I dream of them having unforgettable experiences and meeting strangers who restore their faith in their fellow man.

And then, deep-down, in my most selfish heart of hearts, I hope they come home.

Because one of my greatest fears is that my farm boys will never know what they are missing out there.

And one of my other greatest fears is that they will. n

LouisianaLife.com | 13

louisiana labeled

Rum Runners Distilleries are popping up.

By Jenny Peterson

While the Gulf waters off the Louisiana coast are a treasure trove for seafood that dons the table during Mardi Gras, some of our stuff on land can be just as essential for a party, including Louisiana sugarcane, the main ingredient found in locally distilled rum.

It’s the unique ingredient that makes local rum so distinctive, perfect for blending with mixers, cola or simply served over ice.

Louisiana is fairly new to the rum game despite growing as much, if not more, sugarcane than rumproducing Caribbean nations.

The first rum distillery

in Louisiana started operating in 1995 when New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos saw an opportunity to utilize one of Louisiana’s most important crops. He started New Orleans Rum in a warehouse on Frenchmen Street near the French Quarter, and partnered with a sugar mill in Thibodaux to get blackstrap molasses for 14 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

his rum recipe.

New Orleans Rum now has 10 full-time employees and mass-produces three unique rums. Their bestseller is a five-year-aged Cajun Spiced Rum. Brewers add nutmeg, cloves, cayenne and hickory to the molasses to get the flavors of New Orleans, says Jason Coleman, marketing director for the company.

With the success of New Orleans Rum, and the lifting of strict regulations on selling directly to consumers, eight rum distilleries have received permits from the federal government to operate in Louisiana as of November 2013.

One of the newer operations is Rank Wildcat, which released its first official batch of rum in August 2012. It’s a five-man outfit distilling small-batch rum out of Lafayette. The co-founders, David Meaux and Cole LeBlanc, work in the oilfield by day and run the microdistillery on the side. To get to their warehouse, one must drive past acres and acres of sugarcane fields, crops planted right up to the edge of the road.

Rank Wildcat uses sugarcane juice rather than molasses for their rum called “Sweet Crude,” getting the sugarcane juice from M.A. Patout and Sons, the oldest and largest family-run sugar mill in Louisiana.

It takes a week to

hand-make each batch in large stills.

Every Monday, LeBlanc and Meaux mix the recipe and add yeast to start the fermentation process.

Rank Wildcat also produces a dark rum and signature aged rum.

Elsewhere, Bayou Rum in Lacassine celebrated its opening in November 2013, Cane Land Distilling announced it was opening a rum distillery in Baton Rouge and Tresillo Rum is currently being distilled in New Orleans. All use Louisiana sugarcane to make their product.

The products are found in local liquor stores, grocery stores and in bars throughout

the state. But the market is quickly becoming national.

New Orleans Rum is already being sold across state lines, and Coleman says by the end of 2015, New Orleans Rum hopes to have a presence in all 50 states.

He said the presence of local rum distilleries means sweet success for everyone.

“The better the distilleries do, the better people will think of rum in and outside of Louisiana. A rising tide floats all ships.” n

Sugarcane in Louisiana For the past 200 years, Louisiana sugarcane has been an integral part of the economy of south Louisiana. Brought to Louisiana in 1751 by Jesuit priests, sugar cane now results in an annual $2 billion industry for Louisiana.

The area’s mild climate and heavy rainfall make it a perfect place to grow the tall, sweet sugar cane stalks, and local entrepreneurs have recently connected the local sugar cane crop to the distilling of local rum.

Each fall, the cane is harvested by chopping down the long stems while leaving the roots, so that it re-grows and produces the next year’s crop. According to the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, the cut cane is crushed (pressed) and the extracted juice is heated, clarified and evaporated into large kettles. Impurities that rise to the surface are skimmed off, and a pure syrup results. Rum distillers use both the molasses and the pure cane juice for formulating their unique specialized rums.

biz bits

Glass manufacturer Libbey Inc.

Business News Businesses continue finding plenty to like in Louisiana.

By Kathy Finn

It is a measure of the industrial boom underway in Louisiana that South African energy company Sasol's $16 billion integrated gas-toliquids and chemicals project in Westlake was named Foreign Direct Investment Deal of the Year at the recent a recent forum on such investments in Shanghai, China. The largest new plant project in the state, the Sasol plant is one of many facilities being developed or expanded in Louisiana as companies invest some $70 billion in chemical, refining and related operations that can take advantage of low natural gas prices.

Here are highlights of some of the other industrial and non-industrial projects on tap around the state.

The glass is half-full SHREVEPORT – Glass manufacturer Libbey Inc. will invest $20 million to upgrade its factory with new technology,

16 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

research and development. In February Libbey cut about 200 jobs at the plant and moved some equipment elsewhere as it discontinued some products.

Louisiana offered the company incentives, including a $500,000 tax credit, to encourage the plant modernization. Louisiana Economic Development says the upgrade should produce about 70 jobs and help retain some 500 existing Shreveport jobs. The Toledo, Ohio-based company will install new equipment at the factory over the next two years.

Software a shot in the arm for Medicare services NEW ORLEANS – The central business district of the state's largest city will become home to a medical software maker that will employ 50 people producing applications for doctors, hospitals and clinics.

ChenMed, a subsidiary of Chen Technology Inc., already operates four medical clinics in the area under the JenCare

brand, employing about 80 people who see patients in Kenner, Metairie, New Orleans and Gretna. The software products are designed to improve services for Medicareeligible patients at both ChenMed’s clinics and for other providers. The site of a major medical center now under construction, New Orleans is likely to draw considerable new health care-related investment in coming years.

Jobs to rain on local communities COVINGTON – A company that formed in Louisiana and moved to Texas following Hurricane Katrina is returning and bringing jobs. Rain CII Carbon LLC, which produces calcined petroleum coke for the making of aluminum, will employ some 70 people at its new headquarters in Covington and operations in Chalmette, Norco, Gramercy and Lake Charles.

Construction is slated to begin in first-quarter 2014, with operations to start up in the final quarter.

Salaries at the company are expected to average about $100,000 annually, according to Louisiana Economic Development. Rain CII has previously invested about $100 million in Louisiana, including an energy co-generation plant completed in Lake Charles last year to support its power plant there.

Technology footprint grows in capital city BATON ROUGE – A recent downtown groundbreaking marked the beginning of a $55 million project by IBM Corp. to build a software

development center expected to generate 800 professional, digital media and softwareengineering jobs. The project includes a partnership with and expansion of LSU's computer science program and the construction of a mixed-use office and residential center that will contribute to the reinvigoration of downtown. Slated for completion in mid-2015, the IBM Services Center is expected to boost LSU’s stature among computer science programs around the country.

Environmental jobs pump up Lafayette area CARENCRO – Texas-based Newpark Resources Inc., a provider of environmental waste management services and other fluids management for the oil and gas industry, will invest $41 million to expand its Carencro location and add a research and development center. The investment will double the size and estimated output of the plant and may produce 35 new jobs and an equal number of construction jobs. company galvanizes local commitment Robert – Pineville-based Crest Industries recently announced the company will build a $15 million galvanizing plant that will furnish galvanized protective coatings used in the electric utility and petrochemical industries.

The south Tangipahoa Parish plant will employ some 70 people directly and generate about 230 construction jobs, as it brings in-house services that formerly were provided by outside vendors to the 55-year-old company. n

Photo The Blade/Dave Zapotosky

health

to the State agency staff so that they can focus their attention on the vendors in their regions.

Medical News Health updates from around the state

By Sarah Ravits

Improvements Being Made for Women, Infants and Children Programs Baton Rouge – The Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) recently announced that it is enacting big changes in its administration in the State’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Beginning this month, vendor inspections will be done by health inspectors who conduct retail food inspections throughout the state. The effort will allow for the sharing of information between the sanitarians and the Women, Infants and Children program staff. The unit employees have already been making referrals to health inspectors when they notice unsanitary conditions at WIC-approved vendors. This process began 18 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

in November 2013 when the DHH requested an audit of its operations, including enhanced procedures for monitoring vendors, prices and performance. The DHH will also improve communication with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is run by the Department of Children and Family Services. Assistant Secretary for Public Health J.T. Lane was quoted in a DHH-generated press release as saying, “Over the next year, we expect to see a transformation that drastically improves the state of WIC in Louisiana.”

Nutritionists for the WIC program are now actively monitoring WIC clinics and utilizing data within their regions to enhance clinic operations and efficiencies.

Their current administrative responsibilities will be shifted

Willis-Knighton Partners with American Heart Association Shreveport – Since November, a partnership between Willis-Knighton Health System and the American Heart Association has been addressing a serious heart health crisis.

Currently less than 1 percent of the population meets the American Heart Association criteria for ideal cardiovascular health, and these programs aim to vastly improve that statistic. A key goal for the program, called “My Heart. My Life.” is to foster an understanding between health and risk of heart disease and stroke.

This comprehensive health, wellness and fitness platform aims to encourage people to make healthier choices. One of the outcomes, they hope, is that cardiovascular health of all Americans will improve 20 percent, while deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke will be reduced by the year 2020.

Willis-Knighton will implement supplemental programs, including the establishment of walking paths at its campuses that are accessible to the public. WillisKnighton will also host open

seminars that address heart health issues.

Ochsner Applauded for Top Liver Transplant Program New Orleans – CareChex, a division of COMPARION, recently named Ochsner Health Systems as the No. 2 facility in the country for liver transplants. Ochsner was also named as the No. 1 liver transplant center in the state of Louisiana. It received a score of 99.9 out of 100 in the national rankings.

More than 4,000 hospitals around the country were ranked in the Overall Hospital Care Category, which rates inpatient medical conditions and surgical procedures treated and performed by full-service hospitals, such as cancer care, cardiac surgery and spinal surgery, among others.

Ochsner was also named No. 2 for kidney transplants.

“As our transplant program continues to grow both regionally and nationally, we remain committed to providing the best service and care for our patients,” said Dr. Nigel Girgrah, Ph.D., Head of Hepatology, Medical Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Institute, in an Ochsner press release. “We work with so many patients and families over long periods of time, so we know what a difference a successful transplant can make in someone’s life.” n

great louisiana chef RECIPE Amelia Snapper Onions: 4 ½ tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ large red onion, thinly sliced 3/4 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced 3/4 cup California golden raisins 1 ½ tablespoons sugar 3/4 cups sherry vinegar Salt & black pepper to taste Fish: 6 Mangrove snapper or Bronzino (about 6 ounces each) fillets Salt & black pepper to taste 2 5/8 tablespoons cumin, divided 3 tablespoons olive oil 6 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup black olives (optional) ¾ cups capers, rinsed 1 ½ large tomato, peeled and diced ¾ cups golden raisins 1 cup dry sherry 1 cup sherry vinegar

Dean Terrebonne Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia

A former medical technologist who studied chemistry and microbiology, chef Dean Terrebonne has travelled extensively but chose Louisiana as his permanent home. He served in the military in Vietnam with the Special Forces, where he was awarded two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and Bronze Star.

He decided to switch careers and become a chef, so he moved to Providence, R.I., to attend the prestigious Johnson & Wales University. Then he embarked upon a European apprenticeship at a 4-star hotel in Brussels, Belgium, training with the renowned master chef Dominique Michou.

He’s worked in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; Fairfax, Va., and New Orleans. He also worked at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University, teaching culinary arts. He has worked in restaurants, resorts, hotels, country clubs and assisted living establishments in North America and Europe. Terrebonne is vice president of the American Culinary Federation, New Orleans Chapter and is a big supporter of sustainable Louisiana seafood.

Amelia Belle Casino, 500 Lake Palourde Road, Amelia; (985) 631-1777.

20 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

2 ¼ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 ¼ teaspoons chopped fresh sage 2 ¼ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, finely ground 2 cups chicken stock 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 slices French bread, toasted Onions: In a large sauté pan, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat; brown onions, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add raisins and sugar and cook another 2 minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper, simmering until almost no liquid remains. Reserve.

Snapper fillets: Rub fillets with salt, pepper and ¼ teaspoon cumin. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, adding fillets and sear until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to serving plates.

Add garlic to same pan and sauté for 1 minute.

Stir in onions, reserving ½ cup for the bread, along with olives, capers, tomato, raisins, sherry and vinegar, stirring constantly until some of the liquid evaporates. Add herbs, chicken stock and remaining 1½ teaspoons of cumin and continue cooking until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Reduce heat, gradually adding butter and adjusting the seasoning. Spoon over snapper and top with the toasted bread and reserved onions. Serves 6 cheryl gerber photograph

roadside dining

Shank Cat’s A barbecue spot that’s finger-lickin’ good

By Karl Hasten

Whether you are zooming north or south on I-49, you should pull off at Exit 186 for Frierson, and stop and smell the barbecue. After exiting, go east on N. La. 175 for about a half-mile. On your right you will easily see an old school building that looks like it hasn’t been painted since Reagan was in office. That building with the peeling paint is Shank Cat’s Bar-B-Que. Owner and operator Edwin “Bobo” Scott has had this eatery going about 15 years. The property and building were given to him by his grandmother, whose nickname was Shank Cat. Even Bobo doesn’t know how she acquired that nickname, but he nevertheless named the eatery in her honor.

A sign out front says “No Teeth Required” – hinting at how tender this barbecue is.

Often when meat “falls off the bone,” it’s because it has

22 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

been boiled. That is certainly not the case at Shank Cat’s.

Scott religiously cooks his meats for the proper required time to give them tenderness and also a smoky flavor that true barbecue aficionados love.

The sampler plate gives you ample servings of ribs, brisket and sausage that are a true tasty treat. Hot links and chicken are also available.

The chopped beef sandwiches are bulging and overflowing with finely chopped beef that is tender, flavorful and also covered in a subtly sweet sauce.

The beans, potato salad and slaw all make fantastic sides.

On Thursdays, you can enjoy a cooked to order rib eye with loaded baked potato, green salad and toast.

The dessert selections include banana pudding (made by Scott’s sister) and peach cobbler he makes himself. They are every bit as

good as you remember your grandma making. On one of my first visits, I joked to Bobo that I wanted to go look in the kitchen to see if my grandmother was back there cooking. It may not be easy, but do your best to save room for dessert. Also reminding you of Grandma’s Sunday

afternoon dinners are the classic tea cakes made by none other than Bobo’s mother.

This is truly a family business.

As you would expect from such an eatery, you can also get a glass of the good old Southern staples of sweet tea and lemonade.

The décor is country simple and the service is welcoming.

Scott is not only a master griller but a congenial and smiling host, as well.

You will likely find classic television showing on the large TV set. It’s nice to relax and enjoy your favorite old shows while chowing down on this classic country cooking.

This is country comfort food and a friendly staff that makes you feel at home. Shank Cat’s is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Catering is also available.

Shank Cat’s Bar-B-Que, 6455 Hwy. 175, Frierson; (318) 780-7150 n

Giles Snack Shop In the small town downtown of Plain Dealing about 20 miles north of Bossier City, Giles Snack Shop has been a landmark for country cooking since 1957 and in its current location since 1971.

This is one of those small-town diners where the waitresses may call you “hon,” and regulars don’t even have to order because the wait staff knows what they are going to have when they walk in. Owner Annie Lou Giles is the matriarch of the eatery, assisted by daughter, Charlotte Giles Hamiter.

Each table has incredible made-in-house jars of vinegar infused cucumbers and addictive pepper relish. Regulars come in for the classic hamburgers. You can also find great daily special plates if you get there in time. Finish off the meal with Giles’ famous fried peach or apple pies.

Indeed, take a bunch home. The café is decorated with an eclectic array of antiques and vintage M&M memorabilia. Giles Snack Shop, 210 W. Palmetto Ave., Plain Dealings; (318) 326-4088

Sherry’s Diner South of downtown Shreveport is Sherry’s Diner, a true soul food emporium. Owner/chef Sherry Jefferson opened the diner five years ago after years of working in some of the best of the casino restaurants in Shreveport; some gambling winnings gave her the capital to open her own place. Sherry’s offers daily specials with a choice of two fresh vegetables.

House specialties include meatloaf, catfish, smothered and fried pork chops, neck bones, chitlins and fried chicken. Do not leave without trying the banana pudding and peach cobbler. Sherry’s Diner, 2135 Freewater St., Shreveport; (318)-754-3071 mike silva photo

kitchen gourmet

Hot Chili For Chilly Days A few variations to keep you warm during the winter

By Stanley Dry

eugenia uhl photograph

In the realm of home cooking, chili is a very hot item. The state that is most associated with chili is our big next-door neighbor, where Texans disagree over what goes into an authentic chili as fiercely as we debate the composition of a proper gumbo.

One might reasonably think that north Louisiana, which, both culturally and geographically, is closer to Texas than to New Orleans, would be the epicenter of chili in Louisiana, but I haven’t found that to be the case. Even among those who have never been north of I-10 or west of the Sabine River, chili is a favorite food.

Chili evokes images of cowboys, trail drives and chuck wagons, which, in the popular mind, are far removed from the bayous of Louisiana. In fact, the cowboy tradition has a history in Louisiana that very likely predates that of Texas.

As early as the late 1700s, Acadian cowboys were driving longhorn cattle from the lush prairies of the Opelousas and Attakapas districts in southwest Louisiana to market in New Orleans.

Which is not to say that they were eating chili along the way, but our ranching traditions go way back and continue to this day, even in the marshes of Vermilion Parish, where the Louisiana Cattle Festival is celebrated every October. Cattle rustling is also still with us, as evidenced by the September arrest of a 16-year-old who was charged with stealing 24 cows, valued at $26,400, from a Vermilion Parish cattleman.

Authorities released him on $2,500 bail, something that wouldn’t have happened in frontier days, though apparently cattle rustling carries a maximum penalty of 10 years at hard labor. That might be about the same amount of prison time some

chili fanatics would recommend for a cook who didn’t prepare a “bowl of red” according to their dictates. “Bowl of red” is something of a misnomer, considering that chili is often more brown than red.

Disagreements begin with the meat.

Beef is the most common, but venison is highly esteemed and often mixed with ground pork. The consistency of the meat, which ranges from regular ground meat to coarse ground (called chili grind) to chopped meat to cubed meat, is another matter of contention.

Then there’s the question of onions, which usually go into chili, but some purists disavow them. The same goes for tomatoes. There’s also a choice of using either chili powder or a variety of individual spices and fresh hot peppers. Any of those ingredients can provoke an argument among chili heads in Louisiana or further west, but no issue is as incendiary as the question of whether chili should include beans.

Although beans have their advocates, it’s safe to say that the preponderance of opinion goes against the inclusion of beans. However, even some who rail against the addition of beans to chili like a bowl of frijoles on the side.

Drilling down even further, there are arguments over whether the beans should be pinto, red or kidney.

And those disagreements don’t even take into account local styles of chili, most of which don’t travel very well.

One of them is Cincinnati chili, which is flavored with cinnamon. A Texan who had no idea such a thing existed told me about a cook who had served cinnamon chili. Cooking such an abomination was bad enough, he said, but to add insult to injury, “The guy even pretended it was a real recipe!”

LouisianaLife.com | 25

chili recipes

side dishes

Turkey Chili

Sirloin Chili

Pinto Beans

This chili is truly a “bowl of red,” colored and flavored by smoked paprika and flecked with bits of hot green peppers. If you don’t tell your family and friends that this is made with turkey, they may never suspect.

I’m sure it’s possible to come up with a special combination of various cuts of beef that would produce a superior chili (as some chefs and restaurants do these days when developing the ground meat blend used in their burgers). In the interest of simplicity, I use ground sirloin that has excellent flavor and a fat content of 10 percent or less. Regular ground beef often contains at least 20 percent fat, which means you’re going to skim off a lot of rendered fat or you’ll have some very greasy chili. Each time you skim the fat, you’re losing flavor from the seasonings you’ve added. When you use sirloin, no skimming is required.

Cracker meal is difficult, if not impossible, to find on the retail level these days, but it’s simple to make your own. Put a few saltine crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Tip: use crackers with unsalted tops or your chili will be too salty.

Make a pot of beans to accompany your chili. That way, those who like chili with beans can add them and others can have a bowl of beans on the side. My preference is for pinto beans, cooked plain, to provide a counterpoint to the spicy chili.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 pounds ground turkey 2 24.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes 3 cups chicken broth 6 tablespoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons oregano leaves 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper coarse salt to taste Serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced, to taste 2 tablespoons cornmeal In a heavy, covered casserole over low heat, simmer onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until turkey loses its pink color. Puree tomatoes and their juice in blender and add to pot, along with chicken broth. Add smoked paprika, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30-40 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Add diced hot peppers a little at a time until chili is as hot as you want it.

Stir in cornmeal to thicken chili. Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped 2 pounds ground sirloin 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes 3 cups water 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper 4 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon oregano leaves ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper coarse salt to taste 2 tablespoons cracker meal In a heavy casserole, cook onions in oil, stirring, until browned. Add ground sirloin and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Puree tomatoes and their juice in blender; add to pot, along with water, garlic, chipotle chile pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Season to taste with salt. Simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cracker meal and stir in thoroughly to thicken chili. Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.

TIP Chili is one of those compliant dishes that can be made in quantity, frozen in smaller portions and reheated for a quick meal on a cold day. Either storage containers or freezer bags work well, and the chili can be defrosted and heated in a microwave or, with the addition of a little water, on the stovetop.

26 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

1 pound pinto beans 8 cups water Coarse salt to taste Sort and rinse beans. Add beans and water to a heavy casserole with a tightfitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 90 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Makes 6-8 servings

Cornbread Cornbread is the ideal accompaniment to both chili and beans.

1 ½ cups stone-ground white cornmeal ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 large eggs 1 ½ cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine. In another bowl, beat eggs, add buttermilk and oil, and mix. Stir egg and milk mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until lightly brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Makes about 9 servings.

LouisianaLife.com | 27

home

Beyond the Woods Warren and Becky Gottsegen’s Baton Rouge home celebrates art.

By Bonnie Warren / Photographed by Craig Macaluso Almost hidden from the street by tall river birches, this Baton Rouge home is a contemporary architectural gem. Its plans were carefully thought-out by its owners, Becky and Dr. Warren Gottsegen, designed by Denver

28 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

architect Dave Robb and built

by Baton Rouge contractor Richard Goudeau. Completed in 2008, the house embraces the two-acre, park-like setting, and every room in the 4,600-square-foot house and guesthouse is bathed in light

from the large expanses of glass. The crowning glory of it all is the couple’s treasured museum-quality collection of art showcased throughout the home.

Becky Gottsegen is a figurative ceramic artist whose

work appears throughout the house, including a notable sculpture she made of an old man standing, appearing playful, by the rear garden swimming pool. “I call the sculpture ‘Clarence’ to honor a faithful gardener who once

Facing page: A wall of windows in the living room embraces the lush tree-filled 2-acre site. Top: Even the number of the Gottsegens’ home, created by Baton Rouge metal artist David Cano, is a work of art. Bottom: Dr. Warren and Becky Gottsegen in front of their favorite photo, taken 28 years ago just before they married.

worked for us,” she says.

Step inside the stainedglass front door by Baton Rouge artist Steve Wilson, and you are greeted by a hand-carved mahogany table inlaid with the words they live by: “The secret of life is in art.” It was designed by Becky when she and architect Jean

Kelly were partners in Kelly & Gottsegen Furniture Design in New Orleans.

The Gottsegens’ home provides wondrous eye candy for art lovers. Both have keen eyes for paintings, photography and sculpture. The eclectic selection includes works mostly by Louisiana artists

such as Richard Johnson, Arthur Silverman, George Dunbar, the late John Scott and Ida Kohlmeyer.

The couple created a wall of niches in the living room to showcase some of their favorite pieces. Large colorful oil paintings share the spotlight with smaller paintings, wall

sculptures and photography in every room of the house.

The hand-blown glass hanging lights in the breakfast room receive special attention, and every glass vase or piece of pottery has a special memory attached for the couple.

Even the book on the table in the foyer is a work of

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Left: A tree house provides a secret hideaway in the woods behind the Gottsegens’ home. Right: A special niche accommodates the pleasant breakfast room with hanging lights by Mark Rosenblum, which takes full advantage of the view.

Bottom: The state-of-the-art kitchen cabinetry was hand crafted in avodire wood veneer. Facing page, top: Hidden from the street by tall river birch trees, the contemporary home was designed by architect Dave Robb of Denver and built by Baton Rouge contractor Richard Goudeau. Facing page, middle: A dramatic custom multi-person tub was created in the master bathroom.

Facing page, bottom: Walls of windows on either side of the master bedroom provide a tranquil tree-top setting.

30 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

art with its pages all askew. It was gift from Warren’s sister, Susan, and her husband, Jerry Anhalt, of Houston.

One thing for sure: Nothing is boring in the Gottsegens’ home.

New Orleans landscape architect Rene J.L. Fransen, FASLA, played an important role in the final scheme of the home. “Rene is amazing,” Becky says. “He loved our site, and he immediately had a lot of great suggestions for us.

We simply marvel at how well his contribution adds to the overall success of the house.”

A small koi pond surrounded by Japanese maples in the front corner of the patio introduces visitors to the surprises that abound in the landscape.

Most of all, Warren, a retired vascular surgeon, enjoys the peace and quiet of their country home in the city. “We feel private and secluded, yet we are in the middle of Baton Rouge,” he says. Becky adds, “I love having my art studio detached from the main house for privacy.” She says it’s like being in the woods, because the couple left most of the 600-foot lot untouched.

And if they need to get away for a change of scenery, they can always walk to the center of the woods and enjoy their tree house. It’s one wonderful room surrounded by a balcony where the only visitor will probably be a squirrel. n

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art

Meghan Fleming Impressions of the Sabine Delta

By John R. Kemp Like the landscape painters of the late 19th century who created luminary images of Louisiana’s coastal marshes, rivers and bayous, Meghan Fleming of Lake Charles has found her

32 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

inspiration in the coastal marshes of the Sabine Delta of Southwest Louisiana. But unlike her predecessors, Fleming is as much interested in the precarious balance between land and water and

the loss of wetlands as she is in the romantic interplay of light, form and nature.

With a heightened sense of state’s rising sea levels and vanishing coastline, Fleming has painted and drawn

aerial views and impressions of the marsh, especially in the Sabine delta. “The aerial views are more removed,” she explains, “but I am no less captivated by what I see.

I am amazed by the trans-

formation of thick, lush grass appearing as cartographic shapes. Even more stunning is the permeation of water from the waterways, ponds, lakes, and obstructed borders – both natural and manmade.

I experience the land as strong and enduring as well as fragile and disappearing … Since I am often unable to distinguish which areas of the marsh are disintegrating and which are regenerating, the only constant I can rely on is shift between water and land, emptiness and fullness. Ultimately in working out these drawings and paintings I am compelled by the experience of both my external observations and internal reflections, and how these outward and inward experiences collide and convene with each other in the land, in the work, and in myself.”

In a sense, life in the coastal marshes and estuaries is a performance where everything has a part to play. “I am interested in the dynamic between land and water, and the necessary yet sometimes perilous balance between them,” says Fleming.

“The marsh of Southwest Louisiana is full in every sense. It has a humming sound and a pungent scent.

The wind moves the grasses, the current moves the water, and the animals move among both. The land is constantly shifting. Sometimes the change happens quickly, like when the sky is filled with dense, gray clouds, and then in one moment it shifts to open blue.

Sometimes the change, such as erosion and subsidence, or

restoration and growth, occurs gradually over time. And then there are the catastrophic and sudden changes of a hurricane. It is through the act of painting and drawing where I find myself within this flux, confronting the need for sustainability with the inevitableness of impermanence. As I work through a painting, I am keenly aware of how the land appears to gracefully accept impermanence, whereas I struggle with it.”

In 2010 Fleming executed a series of small paintings of the marsh after hurricanes Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008 devastated that part of Southwest Louisiana. “While I was painting,” she says, “I kept thinking about how resilient the land was, and of course how resilient the people are, as well.” Large sections of the marsh disappeared.

“Since the storms, my interest

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has turned toward ink and gouache drawings of the marsh because by stripping away the color, using just the ink and the paper, and by removing the familiarity of the horizon line, the marks on the paper symbolize the presence of the marsh and the absence of the marsh. It is either there or it isn’t. While my work has turned more abstract and conceptual, the meaning has become more assertive.”

In a 2013 series titled “Fluid Land,” Fleming concentrated on the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Louisiana by creating even larger drawings of the marsh.

“I spent many hours poring over maps,” she explains. “I was able to compare the marsh over a period of time, particularly the years 1998 to 2010.

My goal was not to make actual maps, but rather to use the maps to create drawings that show time and change. The maps provide an uninterrupted view of the marsh – there is a clear distinction between

34 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

the areas of vegetation and the accompanying water, including ponds, open water, and waterways. The longer I looked at the maps, the more I became aware of loss.”

Fleming first learned to paint landscapes on location and from observation. Over the years, however, she has worked mostly in her studio from photographs, sketches and notes taken in the field.

As a result, landscape painting to her is a personal response to nature. “I paint landscapes because there is so much freedom in it,” she explains. “It is both personal and universal.

I have a strong affinity and reverence for nature. I am also really interested in how nature adapts and changes – changes brought on by man, or environmental changes such as climate or weather.”

Greatly influencing her approach to capturing that “affinity and reverence” were the dramatic landscapes painted by the seventeenthcentury Dutch or Flemish

artists and later by the 19th century artists of the American Hudson River School. Fleming admired their understanding of space – “the big skies in the Dutch paintings and sense of grandeur in the Hudson River School.” Though her compositions differ, she admires their use of detail “because it brings such a sense of specificity to the places they’re painting.”

Fleming, who has resided in Lake Charles and taught art at McNeese State University since 1999, grew up in Southern California and Upstate New York. Beginning in high school, her goal was to be a professional artist. “My art teacher asked me what I wanted to do for a living,” she recalls.

“I said I thought I wanted to be an English teacher. He said he thought I had a talent for art, and that art teachers have less to grade at home. It was the first time anyone had recognized any kind of talent, and I knew from that point on that I wanted to be a painter.”

That desire took her to Smith College for an undergraduate degree in studio art and then

to the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. In 1999 she received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Indiana University. She has been at McNeese ever since.

When not painting, Fleming is in the classroom guiding her students through the maze of creativity. For non-art majors, many of whom believe they have no artistic abilities, she helps them find a sense of confidence in their artwork.

“They are always amazed to see what they have produced at the end of the semester,” she says. For those majoring in art, she pushes them a little harder.

“I encourage them to be fearless in making art, to take risks,” she says. “I encourage them to make mistakes along the way because mistakes can be our greatest teachers.” n

Where to look Meghan Fleming is represented by Harris Gallery in Houston. For more information, visit megfleming.com.

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traveler

Natchitoches 300 Then and Now at Fort St. Jean Paul F. Stahls Jr.

The story of Natchitoches begins with a French military presence that grew from huts in 1714 to a full-fledged fort in 1716, a fort whose remarkable replica will be the star of this year’s 12-month observance of the Natchitoches Tricentennial. When you visit the fort you’re likely to find “militiaman’s wife” Rhonda Gauthier stitching the shirt of a military uniform, “French Marine” Jerry McCormick baking bread in the outdoor oven and “militiaman” Tommy Adkins (veteran re-enactor and 9th-generation descendant of the French engineer who

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added new structures inside the fort in 1733) loading his five-foot-long French Fusil musket. Such activity is not just part of the 1714-2014 hoopla, it’s what these authentically costumed interpreter/guides do every day of every year, reliving Louisiana’s colonial life for our entertainment and edification.

Come to think of it, this New Year’s began not only the Natchitoches celebration but also what we might call our Tricentennial Era, a century of occasional events honoring our colonial towns, all born like Natchitoches as military

outposts established to guard the rivers and regions of the wilderness territory: New Orleans in 1718, Baton Rouge in 1719, St. Martinville (Poste des Attakapas) in 1756, the Poste des Opelousas in 1763, Alexandria-Pineville (Post du Rapides) in 1770, Monroe (Fort Miro) in 1785 and New Iberia in 1799.

So how did Natchitoches become the first permanent settlement? To make an incredibly long story insanely short, it’s because when Iberville and Bienville were ordered by the Crown in the final months of the 17th century

to establish colonies in the vast Louisiana Territory (claimed by LaSalle in 1682), the AlabamaMississippi Gulf Coast offered a convenient beachhead but didn’t satisfy the need for an official French presence in Louisiana proper. So quick as a wink, in 1700, they erected a temporary post called Fort de la Boulaye near the mouth of the Mississippi, not so much to serve any real military purpose as to signal Spain that France was here to stay.

That accomplished, Bienville immediately departed to reconnoiter the Mississippi and Red rivers, and with him went his young cousin, Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis, who on that expedition formed a lifelong alliance with the Natchitoches and other tribes of the Caddo Nation.

In fact, when the principal village of the Natchitoches

“Villager” Rhonda Gautier

was flooded in 1702, St. Denis (then commander at Fort de la Boulaye) offered the natives lands on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, where they remained (assisting their French friend in campaigns against unfriendly tribes) before following him back to their abandoned village in 1710 when he undertook his second expedition.

There was really no question, then, when St. Denis launched his third and most eventful expedition in 1714, that he would choose the Natchitoches-Caddo village for the trade center he wished to establish on Red River. There, on one of the many islands created by that floodplain’s spiderweb of waterways – specifically an expanse of high land between Bayou Amulet and the west fork of the river (a fork that would be cut off from the main channel a century later to become Cane River Lake) – he filled hastily constructed warehouses with a healthy supply of trade goods and erected huts for a small military contingent, thus creating the settlement/ village/town/city that has existed from that day to this.

For St. Denis himself the expedition then led westward to Mexico along the prehistoric Indian trail dubbed el Camino

Real by the Spanish (King’s Road), and by the time he returned in 1716 his little cluster of huts and warehouses had been transformed into an impressive assemblage of buildings surrounded by a log palisade, bearing the name of Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches, built by then Commandant Charles Claude Dutisné and reinforced by soldiers wearing the distinctive uniforms of the French Marines.

The fort contained a ruggedly handsome commandant’s house built of bousillage (a mud-and-moss mixture packed between wall timbers) as well as such poteau-en-terre structures (named for their “posts-driven-into-ground” support systems) as officers’ quarters, barracks and jail. The little complex was as busy a place as one can imagine, with soldiers taking turns at guard duty or attending to their cleaning, structural repairs, cooking, baking and musket maintenance, while outside the fort could be seen the villagers and their families managing small businesses and home gardens in and around their modest structures.

The men of the village, militiamen all, were mostly retired regulars transferred to Fort St. Jean from other posts, who had become

“French Marine” Jerry McCormick

involved in trading or other enterprises even while completing their required service time, then remained as permanent citizens. Soon small farmsteads sprang up along the community’s riverfront, sizeable plantations farther downriver began appearing in the 1780s, and from the earliest days many prospered by selling commodities like lumber to the growing settlement of New Orleans or “necessities” like French wine to the Spaniards living among the Adai-Caddo 15 miles west at the Mission San Miguel de los Adaes, established in 1717. Although officially forbidden, such “international commerce” and camaraderie grew to the extent that FrenchSpanish intermarriage became frequent, prompting a number of cross-desertions, but both commandants winked at such events and considered them an even exchange.

The brokering of Indian trade goods to New Orleans was so lucrative for all concerned that the Natchitoches-Caddo village (site of today’s U.S. Fish Hatchery in East Natchitoches) became virtually dependent on it, swapping large quantities of baskets, moss, deerskins, salt, bear grease and pottery (the clever craftsmen quickly

adapting their clay creations to popular French designs), plus captives taken in inter-tribal battling and sold as slaves.

Social events and entertainment were scarce, even Mass being limited in the early decades to occasional visits by the Spanish priests from Los Adaes. Even military activity was practically nonexistent (if you don’t count occasional overnight jailings for disorderly conduct or overhydration). In fact we know of only two military episodes of note, the first following the outbreak of new hostilities in Europe involving France and Spain, whereupon the clergy and other Spaniards of Los Adaes were disbursed in 1719

by Fort St. Jean’s overzealous Commandant Philippe Blondel.

When word reached St. Denis he coaxed the padres back, after which the Spanish military built its own fort in 1721, the Presidio Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Los Adaes, which later (1729 to 1770) would actually serve as the capitol of Spanish Texas.

St. Denis returned to Fort St. Jean as commandant in 1722, and the second significant military action occurred 10 years later stemming from a bloody uprising in 1929 of the Natchez Indians at Fort Rosalie on the Mississippi. French

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“Militiaman” Tommy Adkins changing a flint

retaliation in 1730 scattered the Natchez, some reaching the Fort St. Jean region in 1732 and setting off 15 days of Natchez-versus-Natchitoches and French-versus-Natchez skirmishing in the surrounding hill country, at the NatchitochesCaddo village and probably at the fort as well, climaxing with a major defeat of the Natchez at an uncertain site remembered in local lore as Sang pour Sang (blood for blood).

St. Denis was still commander when Fort St. Jean was rebuilt on higher ground in 1737 (within the current boundaries of the ancient American Cemetery, 200 block of Second Street), and he remained in Natchitoches until his death in 1744. His fort served France until Louisiana’s transfer to Spain in 1762, after which, abandoned and in ruins by the time of the Louisiana Purchase, it was replaced by the U.S. Army’s new Fort Claiborne

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nearer the center of town.

Fortunately, a layout of the first fort had been sketched

by French Engineer-in-Chief Ignace Francois Broutin during his visit of 1833, a drawing that proved essential in creating the splendid replica that stands beside Cane River today, planned and overseen in 1979 by legendary restoration architect Samuel Wilson Jr. of New Orleans with research and supervision duties shared

by State Parks personnel.

The drawing included the barracks, warehouse and warehouseman’s quarters Broutin added during his Natchitoches sojourn, as well as the additions and palisadestrengthening measures accomplished through the years by St. Denis.

Consequently the replica is a full-scale model of a 1716 fort as modified through 17 years of occupation, built with 18th-century materials,

tools and techniques.

Today’s interpreter/guides, wearing the civilian and military garb of the day, are adept at many of the skills and crafts of those self-sufficient colonists, but they didn’t come that way. There are no graduate programs in candle making, weaving, pottery casting, blacksmithing, cord platting or flint-and-steel fire lighting, so each learns such things from senior guides, then learns (and shares) additional skills by the age-old technique

of research-research-research.

The entrance of this State Historic Landmark is through an Interpretive Center at 155 Jefferson St., where artifacts, films, maps and 3D modeling provide background helpful for comprehending the story and significance of the fort and of the old city it spawned. The fort is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and additional information is available at (318) 357-3101, (888) 677-7853 or crt.state. la.us/parks. n

TRICENTENNIAL THEMES The City of Natchitoches has assigned one or more aspects of local history and tradition to each month of the Tricentennial year, highlighted on each second Saturday by major events around the city, such as January with its emphasis on church history (exhibits and walking tours of historic churches); black history programs and the Black Heritage Parade in February; and March with its emphasis on the fort and el Camino Real. You can find details for the entire year at Natchitoches300.com, or call (800) 259-1714.

Special Tricentennial programs at Fort St. Jean itself, following the city’s monthly themes, begin Jan. 11 in the fort’s little church with an 8 a.m. Mass and 11 a.m. presentation by the Rev. Chad Partain of the Alexandria Diocese Chancery, author of A Tool Pushed by Providence on the history of the Catholic church in north Louisiana.

“French Marines” will gather March 7-8 to present scenes depicting their decades of service in the fort; April brings performances and exhibits relating to historic and current local musicians; May 10 offers a 10 a.m. program on women’s roles in the city’s development; a demonstration of 18th-century lure-making and fishing techniques is set for 10 a.m. on June 14; on July 12 at 10 a.m. staff and local actors in period costumes will introduce three centuries of local characters; on Aug. 9 you can see artists creating historically inspired artworks; and Sept. 13 brings a birthday tribute to St. Denis featuring details of the founding father’s life. A Native American program on Nov. 8 will feature vintage crafts and artworks of the Adai and other native groups, including crafts-making demonstrations, and on Dec. 14-15 the fort will be filled with re-enactors sharing with you their celebration of a colonial Christmas.

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LOUISIANIANS YEAR OF THE

8 INSPIRATIONAL STORIES by kathy finn

Each year we look for fellow Louisianians who have had great success in their own worlds. As always, the greatest challenge is narrowing millions of possibilities to such a small group.

Those honored here, as selected by our editorial staff, represent a small but impressive sample of the best of Louisiana.

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A

s an aspiring actor growing up in New Orleans, Wendell Pierce had high hopes for a future career on the stage or screen. But chances are he never expected one of his real-world roles would involve groceries.

It all started with his love of the neighborhood where he grew up, the Pontchartrain Park section of the Gentilly neighborhood.

He honed his dramatic instincts during his years at Benjamin Franklin High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and later left to pursue a full-time acting career.

Along with landing dozens of stage and film roles over the years, Pierce plied his talents in a long string of TV shows, including such popular series as “Law and Order.” Eventually, he caught the attention of writer David Simon, who would cast him in the groundbreaking HBO series, “The Wire,” and later, “Treme.”

NEW ORLEANS

WENDELL PIERCE ACTOR, ENTREPRENEUR

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Pierce delighted in his role as police detective Bunk Moreland in “The Wire,” but the opportunity to portray struggling trombonist Antoine Batiste in “Treme,” a poignant series about post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, particularly touched him.

“This is my hometown, and these are the people I love and respect, so I felt a strong sense of responsibility” about how the series portrayed the city, he says.

The feeling led Pierce into off-camera efforts to encourage the rebuilding of homes in flood-ravaged Pontchartrain Park. Later, he acted on another recovery idea: the development of grocery stores in areas lacking easy access to fresh food.

Partnering with two friends, Pierce launched a company called Sterling Fresh Foods LLC that last year opened a Sterling Farms grocery store in Marrero, with another expected to follow soon in Gentilly. The partners also opened three Sterling Express convenience stores.

“It’s exactly what I hoped it would be – an opportunity to do well while doing something good for the community,” Pierce says of the enterprise.

The grocery business gives him yet another reason to make frequent stops in New Orleans as he bounces between New York and Los Angeles for work that includes recurring roles in the popular TV series “Suits” and “The Michael J. Fox Show.”

Pierce says he’s thrilled that he’s in demand for such wide-ranging roles but adds that the recently concluded “Treme” will always claim a special place in his heart.

In pursuit of great roles, a PERFORMER becomes a grocer “It was more than a television show for me,” he says, noting that appearing in the series allowed him to be close to his family while his mother was in failing health. “They were the last few years I got to spend with my mother before she passed,” he says. “I will always cherish those years because I was able to be home with her.”

SEAN HAGWELL photo

M

ost individuals who are known for mischiefmaking in their youth can be expected to shed their prankster ways as they mature and become serious about a career. Every once in a while, though, the mischief hangs around and actually becomes a career.

Enter Shreveport native William Joyce, an eccentric genius who is proud to say he was once “a fighting Yellow Jacket” at C.E. Byrd High School and who in 2012 won an Academy Award for his animated short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Sense of the absurd shapes an Oscarwinning career Joyce is the founder and creative partner at Moonbot Studios, which has gained widespread fame as a purveyor of entertainment in the form of books, films, games, apps and an array of memorable characters. Foremost among his imaginative personae is Morris Lessmore, a charming lover of books who becomes the custodian of a library of flying tomes.

The endearing Lessmore not only won Joyce an Oscar, but became the basis for a best-selling picture book and an interactive storybook accessible via Moonbot’s IMAG•N•O•TRON app.

All of that came before Joyce introduced the world to The Mischievians, a book featuring a host of creatures who seem

to inhabit people’s homes and wreak havoc by engaging in aggravating behavior.

“One day my kids and I were sitting around discussing things that happen in the house that no one wants to take blame for – the missing TV remote, the one sock with no mate or who ate the last piece of pizza,” Joyce explains. “I had in my head that little tribes of ancient people live in your house and are responsible for all these things.”

Though The Mischievians and Joyce’s other work, including “The Guardians of Childhood” book series, hold obvious appeal for kids, he resists the genre label.

“I don’t think of them as children’s stories; I think of them as taking place in the realm of children,” he says.

Joyce’s characters have delighted audiences of all ages in feature films and an Emmy Awardwinning television series, and his projects have been produced by major film studios including Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation.

Through it all Joyce has remained and kept his studio in Louisiana, a place he says imbues his imagination.

“There’s a sort of gallant silliness, or a heroic goofball quality to my work that I don’t think I would have gotten growing up in any other place,” he says.

Reflecting on many years of indulging in the celebration of Mardi Gras, he adds: “Once you’ve seen your elementary school principal dressed as a gorilla, wearing neon blinking nipples and a tutu, your sense of the absurd is acute.”

SHREVEPORT

WILLIAM JOYCE AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR

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everal years ago, developer Pres Kabacoff had a conversation with then-Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu about Kabacoff’s dream of revitalizing a large portion of downtown New Orleans. After Kabacoff spoke of the potential for such areas as the Iberville public housing project, Charity Hospital and upper Canal Street, Landrieu commented: “Pres, you’re thinking too small.”

Kabacoff recalls being startled.

“People rarely say that to me,” he says.

Indeed, if there is any individual in the city who has become synonymous with big thinking, it is Kabacoff. The New Orleans native and LSU law school graduate has spent much of his adult life reshaping pieces of the city through redevelopment or the adaptive reuse of historic properties.

NEW ORLEANS

PRES KABACOFF DEVELOPER

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Through Historic Restoration Inc., the company he co-founded with Edward B. Boettner in 1982, Kabacoff sparked the rehabilitation of dozens of dilapidated warehouses when he converted the former Federal Fibre Mills plant into apartments and condominiums.

The Warehouse District today is not only one of the city’s most desirable residential areas, but with a host of art galleries, restaurants and other entertainment, it has become what city planners praise as a 24-hour neighborhood.

Kabacoff also stepped into the public housing arena and a hotbed of controversy by proposing a remake of the high-density St. Thomas public housing project into a collection of mixed-income houses, duplexes and apartments known as River Garden Apartments. While the project drew a slew of critics, it became a model for revamps of other public housing in the city

and in other states.

More recently, HRI was tapped to participate in the revitalization of the Iberville public housing project under a federal program known as Choice Neighborhoods, which Kabacoff says opens the door for

Better cities, neighborhoods are ‘not a pipe dream’ the very type of sweeping revitalization he has long envisioned. “If you could fix the center of the city and connect a healthy riverfront with the healthy lakefront, it would be like an Afro-Caribbean Paris,” he says.

Noting that construction is under way at Iberville, a redevelopment of Charity Hospital appears likely, and plans are on the table for the Lafitte Corridor, a streetcar line extension and other area improvements, Kabacoff says his vision is within reach: “It’s not a pipe dream.”

Meanwhile, HRI has stretched throughout the state, with projects in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Houma, New Iberia, Shreveport and Hammond. It has also made its mark in other states from Texas, Missouri and Nebraska to Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. In the process HRI has grown to employ 1,600 people.

“We’re well on our way to our third billion dollars worth of work,” Kabacoff says. “What’s good is, we have stayed with our mission, which is to revitalize cities by creating diverse, vibrant and sustainable communities.”

cheryl gerber photo

T

here was a time in Louisiana, not long ago, when a close-knit family running a business built on one of the state’s most popular outdoor sports would not have been the stuff of television. In fact, in north Louisiana, where camouflage-wearing, Jeepdriving outdoorsmen and tight families abound, the Robertson clan of West Monroe might easily be seen as just the folks who live down the road.

But in the age of reality TV, the Robertsons have become much more. They are the stars of A&E’s insanely popular “Duck Dynasty,” which recently wrapped up its fourth season and is headed for No. 5.

Outstripping even the wild

‘Duckmen’ give new meaning to ‘reality’ popularity of its older south Louisiana counterpart, “Swamp People,” the opening episode of DD’s latest season drew almost 12 million viewers, becoming the most-watched nonfiction series telecast in cable history, according to A&E. All this despite the fact that the Robertsons, self-described as “redneck millionaires,” nurture their image as plain-talking country people living simple lifestyles.

“We drink a lot of strong coffee, we eat a lot of beef jerky and we use a lot of toilet paper,” Jase Robertson quips during one episode as he, his brother Jep and their Uncle Silas hang out in the warehouse-office of

Art Streiber photo

the family business, called Duck Commander.

In their “real” lives, the Robertsons, who call themselves “duckmen,” have accumulated considerable wealth through the company, a maker of duck calls, hunting gear and outdoor apparel. They live in fine homes, drive an array of trucks and off-road vehicles and work in the family business.

Company founder Phil Robertson – a former Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs starting quarterback – is kept in line by his wife, the sweet and tolerant Miss Kay. Their son Willie is CEO of the business and the gentle boss of his brothers and assorted other employees. The men all sport long hair and full beards, and project God-fearing, patriotic values, down to the red, white and blue headbands that rein in their locks.

Each episode of “Duck Dynasty” features harebrained projects the men concoct and funny reactions to conflicts that arise among family members. But no matter what silliness they get up to during the episodes, when the jovial pranksters gather around the dinner table at the end of the day and bow their heads in prayer, their endearing qualities surface.

“Father, we thank you for your goodness, and for all the kids and grandkids you gave us,” says Phil, seated at the head of the table.

As the camera pans around all the happy Robertson faces, the audience hears Willie’s voice-over.

“It just goes to show you that life isn’t always about living up to your expectations,” he says. “It’s the pleasant surprises that keep us coming back for more.”

WEST MONROE

THE ROBERTSONS ENTREPRENEURs

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line of thought popular in some business circles suggests that if an entrepreneur has a sharp enough business mind, he or she can run just about any kind of company successfully. John Georges seems to have spent much of his life testing that theory.

The grandson of a Greek immigrant and entrepreneur, Georges grew up in a New Orleans household that was rich in ambition and business savvy.

After graduating from Tulane University, he joined the family’s wholesale grocery company and in time transformed it from a $20 million operation into a billiondollar enterprise.

Imperial Trading Co. today is a national food distribution company that employs more than 700 people in 12 states and serves thousands of convenience stores around the country.

NEW ORLEANS

JOHN GEORGES ENTREPRENEUR

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While growing that business, Georges took a step in another direction by launching a company that distributes video gaming equipment. He also veered into the marine business, buying a small tugboat company and building a fleet of powerful vessels that specialized in moving oilrigs.

Along the way, he strayed into the political limelight, mounting a campaign for governor in 2007 and a run for mayor of New Orleans three years later. But even then, he couldn’t seem to stop buying businesses. In 2009 he acquired a majority stake in one of New Orleans’ most famous eateries, Galatoire’s Restaurant, and later opened Galatoire’s Bistro in Baton Rouge.

Last year, Georges made a move that seemed his biggest business detour yet: He bought the daily newspaper of Baton Rouge and vowed not only to expand it, but to also build its fledgling New

Orleans edition into a daily that would fill the void left when The Times-Picayune cut its print distribution to three days per week.

If it seemed an odd move to some, Georges saw it as a natural fit. “Once the paper is written, it’s a distribution and marketing business,” he says.

Entrepreneur becomes advocate for daily newspapers Georges built on the success of the paper’s previous owners by hiring dozens of experienced journalists, including many let go by The Times-Picayune, to redesign The Advocate and beef up coverage from New Orleans to Lafayette.

He inked a marketing partnership with the New Orleans Saints and had copies of The New Orleans Advocate placed on every seat in the Superdome for the team’s first home game of the 2013 season.

He partnered with Channel 4/ WWL-TV to begin a joint investigative reporting operation, and he funded a multimedia advertising campaign, persuading locally famous people to appear in commercials for the paper.

Georges says that when he first began negotiating to buy The Advocate, he didn’t dream of how much his purchase might eventually mean to residents of New Orleans.

“I was thinking I was just buying another Louisiana company,” he says. “But it turned out that this might be the most impactful thing I’ll ever do for my community.”

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I

t’s hard to say exactly when Ava Leavell Haymon decided to lift the veil from painful truths about her relationship with her abusive father, a Baptist minister. Followers of her poetry may assume that she made the decision at the time she first published poems about him, beginning many years ago.

But the way Haymon sees it, even though the poems had appeared in print one at a time over the years, it wasn’t until she compiled them into a collection that she felt she was truly revealing herself to the world.

“When you put it in a book, that’s when it’s over – that’s when you don’t have any control over it anymore, you’ve just put it out there for everybody to read,” says Haymon, who recently was crowned Louisiana’s Poet Laureate for 2013-2015.

Poet finds humor, love in exploring pain A longtime resident of Baton Rouge, Haymon was born in Greenville, Miss., and lived in Missouri and Texas before marrying and starting graduate school at LSU. Today she writes and teaches poetry in the capital city and conducts an annual poetry retreat in New Mexico. Her works include the poetry collections, Why the House is Made of Gingerbread, Kitchen Heat and The Strict Economy of Fire.

Haymon had not planned a book about her father, but says that

cheryl gerber photo

one day as she sorted through all the poems she had written about him she began wondering about their potential as a collection. “I wrote them over 35 years,” she says. “I never thought of how they might go together.”

She spent “a grueling year” trying to organize the poems.

She had a breakthrough when she realized many of the works fell into place when she separated those about her father, the minister, from those that were purely about her father, without a religious context.

“Being abused by the minister – of course he was my father – but the minister is your spiritual leader,” she says, noting that his behavior reflected a patriarchal belief “that men own women and can do whatever they want to them.”

The book that evolved over that year is Eldest Daughter, published in August by LSU Press. The collection is divided into sections that speak of pain, anger, love and forgiveness, and ring with Haymon’s appreciation of both the sensory and spiritual aspects of the physical world.

Haymon says she once worried that the anger in some of her religion-tinged poems would fall flat with audiences, but in doing readings of the works she realized: “Most of these are hysterically funny.”

She believes that the emotional explorations and discovery in Eldest Daughter could make the book a useful tool for counselors, such as art therapists, to use in working with troubled individuals. “I think,” she says, “the book has the promise to do a lot of good for a lot of people.”

baton rouge

AVA LEAVELL HAYMON Poet Laureate

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s Sandra Chaisson Brown followed a dual career path to become both a nurse and an educator, she knew she was building on her inherent talents. But it probably never crossed her mind that she would one day oversee one of the most important nursing programs in Louisiana.

Brown is the coordinator of the nurse practitioner program at Southern University, a curriculum that is becoming increasingly crucial as U.S. health care evolves toward a new era.

While the ranks of nurse practitioners have grown during the more than four decades of the profession’s existence, the nation’s new health care law will give millions more people access to medical care. The resulting pressure on primary care doctors could sharply increase demand for professionals such as nurse practitioners who can extend physicians’ reach.

BATON ROUGE

SANDRA BROWN NURSE, EDUCATOR

In a way, Brown has spent much of her life preparing for this development. Her journey began in Lafayette, where she grew up, earned a nursing degree from what is now University of Louisiana at Lafayette and worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

In the mid-1980s she added a master’s degree from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, then worked at Charity Hospital while pursuing a doctor of nursing science degree. “I always had an aspiration to teach,” she says.

Brown’s next stop was Southern University in Baton Rouge, where the nursing school was about to launch a master’s program. “It felt like a place where I could make a difference,” she says.

Nineteen years later she can add: “It was probably one of the best

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decisions I ever made.”

Brown found a wealth of opportunity at Southern. In one of two post-doctoral fellowships she landed, she became certified as a nurse practitioner through a program at the University of Tennessee.

That positioned her to return to Southern and launch a nurse practitioner program in 1996.

Over time she not only expanded that program but also started a Ph.D. nursing program and in launched a doctor of nursing practice curriculum.

Developing nurse practitioners Last spring, Brown was named Nursing Educator of the Year by the Louisiana State Nurses Association and Louisiana Nurses Foundation. The honor recognized her dedication to quality in nursing education, and the nurse practitioner program she started documents her progress.

The program now graduates 40 students a year, turning out the largest number of minority nurse practitioners of any program in the country. Its students have an average success rate of 95 percent on the national certification exam.

Brown credits her parents for instilling in her the belief that “knowledge is power,” and says their values helped her become not only the first member of her family to earn a college degree, but in 1994, the first black to earn a doctorate in nursing from LSU.

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M

ost parents have high hopes for their children, but few can accurately predict future career choices when the kids are barely out of diapers. In the case of singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes, though, his mom and dad surely must have seen it coming.

Long before he entered kindergarten, the kid from Breaux Bridge picked up an accordion and began belting out recognizable tunes. He was only four when he stepped onto a stage in front of 200,000 people to join Hank Williams Jr. in a rendition of “Jambalaya.”

That was years – though not many – before Hunter Hayes became one of the fastestgrowing names in country music.

Cajun prodigy catches a country music wave Now 22, Hayes has sold 7 million singles and racked up a string of other jaw-dropping benchmarks: three consecutive No. 1 country radio singles; a platinum-selling debut album; two of last year’s 10 top-selling country singles.

The composer and performer of mega-hits “I Want Crazy” and “Wanted” achieved all of that while garnering three Grammy nominations, snagging the Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year award and performing more than 500 live shows, including tour dates with Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts.

Hayes exudes humility about his extraordinary success, but he is barely able to contain his enthusiasm for his work. “I love, love, love writing, producing and putting together the shows,” he says.

His early life in Louisiana imbues his art, but Hayes thinks the state’s most powerful impact arose from its wealth of musical talent.

“I fell in love with making music because I was around people who just love it,” he says. “They had no agenda with it, they just wanted to make music, and I think that lives in me.”

Hayes points to a string of musical influences including Garth Brooks and Bryan White.

But one who holds a special place in his mind is his idol since early childhood, Cajun music artist Wayne Toups.

“I loved the way he entertained – his band was so tight, and he had awesome live shows,” Hayes says. “A lot of the highenergy, up-tempo stuff that I do is inspired by that music.”

Hayes’ expressive voice, showmanship and mastery of multiple instruments have captured millions of fans, but he feels his behind-the-scenes work is also crucial in the success of his shows. “I’m very hands-on with the details because the staging, the lighting – all of those things – help translate the songs,” he says.

Between tour dates Hayes resides in Nashville, but he returns often to south Louisiana to check in with relatives, “have a couple of awesome meals” and catch some music.

“Louisiana has a really cool, hip music scene, and I’m really stoked that I grew up around it,” he says.

BREAUX BRIDGE/nashville

HUNTER HAYES Singer, Songwriter

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A late winter chill crosses the field but not enough to deter any activity. To the contrary, it triggers the senses, providing the jolt for the day ahead. The capitaine, wearing a cape and carrying his flag, mounts his steed. The riders in his posse gather around him, frocked in costumes and masks. From somewhere in the group a song echoes: “Capitaine, capitaine, voyage ton flag, tout le tour du moyeu/ Une fois par an pour demander la charité” (“Captain, captain wave your flag, all around the hub/ Once each year to ask for charity”) A wagon carrying musicians and those riders not blessed with horses prepares to follow the group. Every tradition has its sacred shrine, and for the Courir de Mardi Gras ritual, as practiced in the Evangeline Parish town of Mamou, the holy place is Fred’s Lounge.

More than just a bar, Fred’s has been the beacon of the songs from the land. Every Saturday morning Cajun musicians gather at Fred’s, where the atmosphere is still smoky from the night before, to rollick before a radio microphone. Riding the waves of nearby Ville Platte’s radio station, KVPI, the music broadcasts across the prairies, giving a rhythm to the new day.

On Mardi Gras morning, masked riders provide their own pulse – this one in key to the beat of hooves. There are chickens to be rustled, food to be begged.

Previous page (opening spread): Carnival morning 2008, preparing for “Mardi Gras Run.” Top: Courir de Mardi Gras masker. Middle: Masker on the left is wearing a capuchin. The pointed hat traces back to medieval France and the tradition of mocking nobility.

Bottom: Wire screen masks have long been a part of the Cajun Mardi Gras tracing back to the early 1900s. Facing page, top: Mamou natives watch the festivities. They’ve seen it before. Facing page, bottom: Member of the Mamou Volunteer First Department (red shirt) puts fire to good purpose: cooking cracklins.

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Celebrations are often history wrapped in a ribbon and repackaged for posterity’s sake. In medieval France it was a common practice, one day a year, for the peasants to approach the nearby castles and manors to beg for food in return for singing and other forms of entertainment. In a world divided between the few who were very wealthy and the multitudes who were very poor, the wealthy knew that is was in their best interest to allow the multitudes to be amused. So it was acceptable for there to be what amounted to controlled begging. A chicken in every pot was certainly a small price to pay to avoid revolutions; besides, the peasants could be entertaining and when gathered around a cauldron, they could be quite creative with a few vegetables and a meager chicken.

Begging-based traditions of various types developed throughout Europe and many were carried across the ocean to the American continent. To Philadelphia, Swedes brought the custom of “mumming,” in which maskers would visit area homes on New Year’s Day for the business of begging. To the French-speaking lower coast of Louisiana came the rituals from the old country.

Since New Orleans has already established a Mardi Gras tradition in the state, the Cajun country created a rural version. The forces of history converged in the south

Top: Earline and Martin Cormier of Abbeville dancing on Mardi Gras Eve in downtown Mamou. Bottom: Wives and girlfriends who accompany riders take traditional mid-route break for lunch and rest. Facing page, top: Capuchin-topped rider prepares for ride. Facing page, bottom: The captured rooster experiences only temporary freedom.

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Louisiana flatlands. Au revoir, la France; bonjour, Mamou. The riders known collectively as the Courir de Mardi Gras, galloping toward their mission, would cause a thunder in the fields.

In Mamou on the night before Mardi Gras Day, there had been a street dance. Now as the horses raced along well-worn paths, similar activity was being conducted in other towns of Acadiana; including Basile, Church Point and Elton, each with a variation in the costumes and songs, all with the intent of gathering ingredients for a meal.

Just as the French peasantry created culinary magic from their pot, by day’s end the revelers will have made a rich chicken and sausage gumbo accompanied with, for those convinced of the nutritional benefits of salted deep-fried pig skin, a scattering of cracklins. As the sun sets and the chill intensifies, the songs of Mardi Gras might be heard one more time only to return the following year.

In France, where it all began, the begging rituals have long been forgotten. The United State has become the repository of old traditions – though with localized flourishes. The riders thought they we were out to make a gumbo.

In fact they were saving a culture.

Top: Fred’s Lounge in Mamou is the traditional starting point for the Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras. The lounge is famous for its Saturday morning Cajun music radio broadcasts. Bottom: A rooster in the hands of a reveler. Master Captain Boyd Landreneau (wearing a cape) looks on. Facing page, top: Boyd Landreneau (wearing a purple and gold cape), Master Captain of the Courir de Mardi Gras run. Facing page, bottom: New Orleans Carnival colors – purple, green and gold – are often incorporated into Cajun Mardi Gras.

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By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

S

tar sightings and sophisticated sound studios, simulated gunfire and pyrotechnics are nothing new to residents of “Hollywood South” or “LA South” as actors and crew members now refer to Louisiana, which is now giving Los Angeles a real run for its money.

Things are always blowing up in the Pelican State, but no one seems to be complaining.

In August, 2013, Baton Rouge residents were alerted by airport officials that fake explosives would be occurring on the north end of the airport field for Left Behind, the latest in a string of Louisianashot films for former New Orleans resident Nicolas Cage,

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whose other Louisiana-shot films include Stolen, Seeking Justice, Drive Angry, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and Cage’s directorial debut, Sonny.

In October, a similar alert went out to residents of Uptown New Orleans for 22 Jump Street during filming near Tulane University on St. Charles Avenue. Long lines of huge production trucks filled with costumes, lighting and food equipment are a common sight in cities such as New Orleans, Shreveport and Baton Rouge, while other towns throughout the state including Lafayette and Alexandria continue to expand their infrastructure, production capabilities and talent bases.

From Shreveport to Lake

Charles and Houma, location scouts and managers are scurrying for prime spots to film productions in 2014 and beyond.

“Top Chef” was filmed in New Orleans during the final months of 2013 to the delight of local foodies (chefs Emeril Lagasse and Susan Spicer proved to be the darlings among all the judges), and the Robertson family’s fourth season of Duck Dynasty in West Monroe broke all television records with 11.8 million viewers, making it cable’s most-watched non-fiction telecast in history.

The Robertsons are sitting pretty with an empire projected to earn more than $44 million in 2014. (Ed. Note: For more on the Robertsons, check out pg. 45.)

The buzz is that several major films will be shot in Louisiana in 2014, according to production alerts. This includes Jurassic World (starring Idris Elba, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard), Terminator 5 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Fantastic Four (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans), 99 Homes (Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield), and more.

“We always say that we’re never really sure a film is definitely coming until we’re actually on the set,” says Anthony Henderson, the lead sculptor for numerous blockbuster films that have been shot in Louisiana. A “top dog” and a respected artist in pre-production circles, the former university fine arts professor oversees multi-

talented crews including dozens of artists and sculptors he recruits from IATSE 478, the local film industry union, to work on major motion pictures. An accomplished sculptor whose works are in collections throughout the U.S., he is known for creating intricate, dramatic and often monumental sets for movies, from ancient city walls to massive sci-fi caves and statues that seem to be hundreds of years old.

“The film industry is the best thing that has ever happened for artists in Louisiana,” Henderson says. “This is the major leagues. You have to be technically excellent, and you have to know people to get in.

The union keeps the movies coming here; they fight the politicians, sign the deals, keep our wages high, and they lobby to keep Louisiana’s vital tax credits in place.”

LA South or L.A.?

Due to our outstanding tax incentives (30-percent transferrable tax credit for in-state expenditures related to a film’s production and an additional 5-percent labor incentive for hiring the residents, up from an increase of the initial 25 percent) and our increasingly strong talent base, Louisiana is drawing more and more “runaway” productions from other locations this year.

This has put California lawmakers and film execs in a tizzy. In fact, newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was recently quoted in a top film industry magazine Variety as calling the situation a “state of emergency” and vows to fight “like a dog with a bone” because the movie and TV production industry is fleeing California and settling in states like Louisiana, New

York and Georgia. His new film czar, Tom Sherak, laid out a blueprint for circumventing the loss of film and TV production from Los Angeles.

In November 2013, a one-day State of the Entertainment Industry showbusiness conference was held in a packed ballroom at the Lowes Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles. The pow-wow drew highly concerned movie executives and legislators who are determined to halt runaway productions from L.A. that are headed to other top film location hubs, including Louisiana.

Mayor Garcetti (who appeared as the mayor of Los Angeles in the television series “The Closer”) said that the annual $100 million in California’s tax breaks isn’t

enough to compete, pointing out that the incentives are currently eclipsed by Louisiana ($150 million), New York ($450) and several other states.

Industry leaders pointed out at the conference that some of the biggest blockbusters of 2013 were filmed outside of California including Battle: Los Angeles, which was actually filmed in Louisiana.

Film and television production companies spent more than $700 million in Louisiana last year, up 800 percent in a decade.

Tax Incentives Fuel the Industry Ever since Louisiana

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lawmakers rescued our film industry tax incentives by killing a bill in 2013 that would have reduced the state’s film production incentive program, producers are feeling more comfortable again about making movies here. The incentives come up for review again in 2015.

On the heels of this announcement, The Fantastic Four declared that it would be moving production from Vancouver to Louisiana.

This marks the first Marvelbased Fox film ever to shoot in the state of Louisiana. Many of the studio’s superhero movies including X-Men and X-Men: Days of Future Past were shot in Canada. Filming is scheduled to commence in Baton Rouge in 2014.

The big question that continues to generate mixed reports and controversy is whether or not Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales starring Johnny Depp will be filmed in Louisiana in late 2014. Film crews throughout Louisiana are eagerly awaiting the verdict. The first four Pirates of the Caribbean films have grossed more than $3.7 billion at the box office, with a generous economic impact to the various filming locations and crews.

“They pulled the show to rewrite the script, which is not all that unusual,” explains Chris Stelly, executive director of the Louisiana Office of

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Entertainment Industry Development. Stelly manages incentive programs targeting development of the film production, digital media (a division that has taken off like a rocket recently), sound recording and live performance industries. “As far as I know, Disney does plan on going forward with the project, and part of this movie should be filmed in Louisiana.”

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told The Playlist last June that Pirates of the Caribbean 5 will shoot in Louisiana, citing the state’s tax incentives as the reason for the decision.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Bruckheimer further stated that they will be pushing the release back at least a year, to the summer of 2016.

Walt Disney Studios posted an update saying that the release date is now listed as “unset” and didn’t comment further on the filming schedule. Writer Jeff Nathanson is reportedly at work on a rewrite of his initial script, but it isn’t yet ready for the previously scheduled March 2014 shoot.

“Big films have a very positive economic impact on the state,” says Stelly. “The tax credit program supported just over $1.1 billion in sales at firms in the state last year, and $770 million in household earnings. The film industry supported more than 15,000 jobs. When we revised the program in 2009, it was kind of

the watershed moment, raising the 25 percent incentives to 30 percent. Another major change occurred in 2005.”

“I think that once we already established our tax incentives as the best in the nation, another consideration for producers and investors is that we have a very highly skilled workforce and an infrastructure that has grown exponentially,” Stelly adds.

“There are also so many distinct looks and locations in Louisiana, we have a temperate climate that is very consistent, and we also have the ‘Mr. Cool’ aspect that lends itself to a creative ambience. Where else can you go in the U.S. where you can get a European vibe?”

“I think Louisiana has become a top movie destination for many reasons besides our tax credits,” says New Orleans actor and author Bryan Batt, who spoke to Louisiana Life from the Atlanta set of a new TV pilot for Lifetime titled Un-Real, which exposes the underbelly of reality TV. “We offer so much within a few-mile radius. For instance, in New Orleans, you have historic architecture that, with a few tweaks, can look period-perfect, and in the ’burbs you have everything from mid-century modern to contemporary, plus the best food and night life for the days off.”

Batt’s character, Judge Turner, appears with an ensemble of actors including Brad Pitt and Chiwetel Ejiofo

in 12 Years a Slave. The brutal and compelling movie that is generating Oscar buzz tells the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free man who is captured and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. “I loved working on 12 Years a Slave. It’s such an important film, and I’m honored to be a part of it,” he says. Batt splits his time acting between New York and New Orleans and is perhaps best-known for his role as Salvatore Romano in the hit television series Mad Men. He owns two Hazelnut interior décor shops (New Orleans and Mandeville) with Tom Cianfichi and was instrumental in the revival and re-structuring of New Orleans’ beloved Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, in conjunction with the opening of Dickie Brennan’s adjoining Tableau.

Developer and hotelier Sean Cummings, owner of such art-filled boutique hotels as International House and founder of Rice Mill Lofts in the New Orleans Bywater neighborhood, says that he regularly entertains stars filming in New Orleans at his hotel and also at his historic mansion on Esplanade Avenue that was formerly owned by Nicolas Cage.

The mansion was also once producer Daniel Lanois’ Kingsway Studio where Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, the Neville Brothers and Cowboy Mouth recorded, among others. Prior to Prohibition, the elaborate

house was the former home of “Count” Arnaud Casenave and his daughter, the notorious Germaine Wells. Cage sold the house to Cummings after partially filming Sonny there in 2002.

“From film crews to the silver-screen A-list, film industry folks have been a welcome new source of business to hotels in Louisiana,” Cummings says.

“The economic impact for hotels has been positive, and it has been accelerating at an increasing rate. Since exceptional design is central to the International House experience, the hotel has appealed greatly to creative people, particularly those in the film industry,” he says.

Most recently, both the hotel and his home on Esplanade have been used by a host of folks, from director Tarsen Singh and actor Ryan Reynolds to Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen, as well as from Bill Cosby and producer Carsten Lorenz.

Twitter co-founder and Square CEO Jack Dorsey also ducked in recently. Stars who have frequented Cummings’ hotel have included Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Megan Fox and Matthew McConaughey, among others.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what the future holds,” says Dave Whatley, a native of Shreveport and a union sculptor and set designer who

moved to New Orleans several years ago to work on films.

Like many in his profession, he relocates temporarily according to the film he is currently working on. Whatley has sculpted massive sets for numerous blockbuster movies such as Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 and Part 2 in Baton Rouge (where he once made a mound of fake dead bodies for a dream wedding sequence) and most recently for the “Salem” series, which is currently in production in Shreveport.

“There has always been a large L.A. presence in Louisiana as far as craftsmen coming over here to work, usually in supervisor and leadership positions in the majority of the films I have worked on. This is gradually changing,” Whatley says. “We now have amassed a strong work force and the talent pool and caliber of welltrained craftsmen in Louisiana is amazing. The workforce is growing stronger and stronger here.”

“Some actors and crew members say that coming to work on a major film in Louisiana is like having a paid work vacation, because they love it here,” he continues. “They’re helping out our tourism by staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants and enjoying the nightlife, from New Orleans to Shreveport. All the movie industry action used to be

in New Orleans, but after Katrina hit the city in 2005, sound stages started opening up in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, so that now, we have excellent production capacities throughout the state.”

Stelly points out that the local union IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) that started in 2002 in Louisiana with around 200 people at the debut of the initial tax incentive program is now approximately 1,200 members strong. What’s more, Louisiana boasts such top sound stages as Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge (which is the largest film and television production studio in the state, combining abundant stage and office space as well as a wide array of studio services rarely found outside of California or New York); Second Line Productions in New Orleans, which is the first sustainable LEED certified sound stage in the U.S.; the $32 million project was the brainchild of developer Susan Brennan, wife of restaurateur Ralph Brennan (“American Horror Story” is currently filming there); StageWorks of Louisiana in Shreveport (which began attracting numerous blockbuster movies following hurricane Katrina) and more recently, Millennium Studios in Shreveport; the Louisiana Wave Studio in Shreveport (it’s the only motion picture

automatic wave-making tank of its kind in the world, housed in a state-of-the-art water filming production facility), and the amazing Pixel Magic studios in Lafayette (handling 3-D productions for blockbusters including a couple Harry Potter films), to name a few. Other developments regarding sound stages, crew development and location scouts include projects underway in central and west Louisiana.

Perhaps the best recent media attention Louisiana has received among industry insiders internationally was from industry magazine P3 Update, which named the “Top 10 Places to Film in 2013” and we ranked right up there with Abu Dhabi, New South Wales (Australia), New Zealand, British Columbia, New York and California.

The article notes that a variety of production studios are currently operating in Louisiana, and that we have developed a “mature and reliable” major economic tool in the incentive program that creates a clear, easy benefit that is accessible for productions of all sizes. It was reported that, with our “stable and reliable tax credit program, a diverse palette of locations, greatly skilled crew base that’s 10-11 deep, and a temperate climate, it’s no surprise that Louisiana make P3’s top-10 list almost every year.” Popcorn, anyone? n

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ADVERTISING SECTION

Hit the Road Louisiana Destinations and Regional Travel

Start the New Year off with a bang! Hit the road this winter and experience some of the state’s hidden and not-so-hidden gems. While Mardi Gras tends to take center stage during this time of year, other events and attractions abound as well. Plan your Mardi Gras among one of the many celebrations listed here, but don’t forget to visit the chosen parish’s numerous cultural destinations, museums and more. Find a fais-do-do and do some dancing, stroll a small-town main street for antique and boutique shopping, or explore the great outdoors across Louisiana’s diverse landscape. Let your travels take you beyond state lines as well, and see what Louisiana’s neighbors are up to this winter!

Louisiana Parishes, Cities & Towns St. Tammany Parish, aka “Louisiana’s Northshore,” is full of family-friendly fun for Mardi Gras. Those looking for a tamer version of The Big Easy will find it just 45 minutes from the French Quarter.

The Northshore’s Mardi Gras celebrations are quirky, unforgettable, and full of positive energy while exhibiting that safe, small-town feel.

The Krewe of Bilge in Slidell and the Krewe of Tchefuncte in Madisonville are floating parades, where Krewe members decorate their boats and throw beads to parade-goers on the bank.

Open to all, Mystic Krewe of Mardi Paws is a family affair held on the Mandeville

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Lakefront walking path along Lake Pontchartrain. Entire families traditionally “escort” their pets along the walking parade route in costume, congregating and celebrating under the 100-year-old mossy oaks.

The Krewe of Push Mow decorates dozens of humorously themed homemade floats, many based on lawn equipment, for a funky and rousing cruise through the heart of Abita Springs. Meanwhile, the Northshore Krewes of Eve, Olympia, Selene, and Dionysis offer handcrafted floats and large-scale parades in the typical New Orleans tradition.

For more information on the Northshore’s family-friendly carnivals, visit LouisianaNorthshore.com.

This Mardi Gras season, take the family to Houma for a Carnival experience unlike any other. Houma offers a safe, familyfriendly atmosphere without the noise, traffic and high cost of New Orleans and is less than an hour away. A great alternative for families, seniors and foreign travelers, Houma boasts the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration with seemingly countless parades rolling from Feb. 21 through this year’s Fat Tuesday, March 4. Parade floats are designed and built by renowned New Orleans artist Blaine Kern and average about 30 per parade with over 600 riders, so watch for endless “throws” headed your way! Every year, thousands of people travel to Houma for Mardi Gras, including those from Greater New Orleans.

For a unique springtime adventure, head outdoors to experience the Houma area’s rich and rare blend of nature and wildlife.

With thrilling swamp tours, a wildlife park and alligator farm, as well as world-class charter fishing and more, there’s always something fun to do. Call (985) 868-2732 or visit online at houmatravel.com.

ADVERTISING SECTION Proudly distinguished as “The Most Cajun Place on Earth,” Vermilion Parish in South Louisiana is alive with the food, music, language and scenery that define the Cajun cultural heritage. Located minutes south of Lafayette and just west of New Iberia, the towns of Delcambre, Erath, Abbeville, Kaplan, Gueydan and others all bring a little lagniappe to the enchanting region.

Music lovers are invited to jam this January with jam sessions alternating every Saturday between Maurice and Erath.

Beginning Jan. 4, Touchet’s Bar hosts in Maurice from 2 p.m.-till, and beginning Jan. 11, Museum Café in Erath will host from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. All are invited to enjoy the music and dancing!

Mardi Gras kicks into high gear this February with Le Krewe du le Originales et les Enfants Mardi Gras Run in Gueydan.

The traditional run is followed by a parade and fais-do-do. Check MostCajun.com for dates and details and for other destinations, events and travel ideas in Vermilion Parish.

Just off I-10 and west of Lafayette lies the “Cajun Prairie,” Acadia Parish, an area known for its unique attractions, numerous year-round festivals and rich history and folklore. In Crowley, home of the International Rice Festival, tour the Rice Interpretive Center, the Historic Crowley Ford Motor Company, built in 1920, as well as the J.D. Miller Recording Studio. Travel the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Byway and visit Kelly’s Landing Agricultural Museum to take an informative walk through the past while viewing the farming equipment of yesteryear and learning the importance of crawfish and rice to the region.

See why Rayne, home of the annual Frog Festival, is both “The Frog Capital of the World” and the “Louisiana City of Murals.”

Similarly, check out the Buggy Festival at “The Buggy Capital of the World,” also known as Church Point, and visit the Le Vieux Presbytere Museum with bousillage mud walls. Roberts Cove is home to the German Heritage Museum and the popular Germanfest. For more information, events, destinations and festival dates check out AcadiaTourism.org or call (877) 783-2109.

Spring means festivals in Central Louisiana. The festival season kicks off with the state’s biggest party – Mardi Gras.

Festivities in the Alexandria/Pineville area

are family-friendly and fun with parades, a Taste of Mardi Gras, and the Mardi Gras Madness 5K. The party continues into the month of March with the Central Louisiana Outdoor Adventure Festival. This new festival highlights the varied outdoor adventures and events in the Alexandria/ Pineville area. Visitors and locals alike can experience Civil War re-enactments, downtown walking and musical tours, the Louisiana Nursery Festival, a day in Kisatchie National Forest, a car show, golf tournament, ArtWalk, Cotile Trade Days and more!

Discover the great events this spring, and throughout the year, in the Alexandria/Pineville area by visiting AlexandriaPinevilleLa.com.

Come to Avoyelles Parish and view or purchase marvelous works of talented local artists exhibited in the 4th Annual Les Peintres des Avoyelles Art Show at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath FH Community Room. Oil, water color, acrylics, pen and ink are some of the media used to showcase awe-inspiring cypress and swamp scenes,

weathered old cabins, wildlife, florals, children at play, and historic buildings and photography. The works will be on display from Jan. 11-24.

Celebrate Mardi Gras this year at the Krewe of Cyllenius Parade on Jan. 26 and the Krewe of Cronus on Feb. 1 in Bunkie.

Easter in Avoyelles begins on Easter Saturday (April 20) in Cottonport and in Effie (on Red River) with egg knocking.

Easter décor contests and egg hunts complete the festivities. On Easter Sunday morning at 9 a.m., the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse in Downtown Marksville is the place to be for more “egg pacquing.” Come experience “Joie de Vivre” in Avoyelles Parish, the Egg Knocking Capital of Louisiana.

For a serene escape into a place of beauty, visit Iberville Parish, a historical Louisiana gem tucked between the quiet swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin and the bustling capital of Baton Rouge. Step through time and elegance at one of the many magnificent antebellum homes like Nottoway Plantation, the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion located in

Rayne Annual Frog Festival

Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism

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ADVERTISING SECTION White Castle. Other historical attractions include The Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site, The Hansen’s Disease Museum in Carville, The Iberville Museum and the majestic St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the purest example of Italian Romanesque architecture in the South.

With so many beautiful diverse waterways, fishing and bird watching opportunities are endless, making it a premier outdoor getaway in the heart of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. Enjoy a relaxing golf outing at one of Louisiana’s most popular courses, The Island, located in Plaquemine. End your day by dining along the mighty Mississippi and enjoying fresh seafood with a Louisiana sunset at Roberto’s River Road Restaurant located in Sunshine. For more destinations and events, go to VisitIberville.com.

Experience the southern charm of North Louisiana by visiting Ruston & Lincoln Parish. Home to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Grambling State University Tigers, the area is fired up with sports excitement. Fans come from all across Louisiana for the variety of events at the universities.

Meanwhile, history and art buffs flock to the beautiful historic downtown district of Ruston offering specialties shops and boutiques, delectable restaurants, art galleries and unique architectural wonders.

Area destinations include the Lincoln Parish Museum, Louisiana Military Museum, Autrey House and the Eddie G. Robinson Museum. Those looking for an adventure can tackle the best mountain bike trail in the south at Lincoln Parish Park, also a great place for hiking, fishing, camping and more.

The Dixie Center for the Arts has also kicked off the New Year with many events planned. For more information on Ruston and Lincoln Parish and upcoming events visit experienceruston.com.

Driving into Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana, you’ll notice that there is a true myriad of experiences near at hand.

How many other places have the diverse combination of casino gaming and big city living so close to Mother Nature’s gems found along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road? Luxurious accommodations, top entertainment and a variety of dining experiences are always in full swing at Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & 90 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

Hotel, the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel and L’Auberge Casino Resort, complete with spa and golf facilities.

Golf links and boudin links are hot in Calcasieu Parish, with many public courses to explore. Plus, the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail aims to please your Cajun cravings. Not only is it time to gear up for Mardi Gras, but the area also has 75 other annual festivals, museum and gallery exhibits, including the Mardi Gras Museum, which houses the most Mardi Gras costumes in the world so you can experience Mardi Gras year-round! Check out VisitLakeCharles.org/Magic for this year’s Mardi Gras schedule, or call (800) 456-7952.

St. Martin Parish draws visitors year round with its welcoming hospitality, world-class music and famous local cuisine. Accommodations offerings include beautiful B&B’s, cabins, campgrounds and chain hotels. Breaux Bridge offers an array of shopping, antiquing and worldrenowned hot spots like the famous Zydeco Breakfast at Cafe des Amis or Cajun music and dancing nightly at Pont Breaux’s Cajun Restaurant. The Henderson area, at the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin, offers airboat and swamp tours and great family-owned restaurants such as Robins Restaurant and Crawfish Town USA. On Sundays, Dancing on the Levee starts at McGee’s Landing at noon, ventures to Whiskey River for Zydeco and ends the night at Pat’s Atchafalaya Club. St. Martinville plays host to countless festivals and quaint cafes in the beautiful downtown

district. Take heritage tours at Acadian Memorial, African American Museum and Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site.

Highlights of year-round festivals and events include the Newcomer’s Mardi Gras Parade, the Acadiana Memorial Festival, the Parks Cracklin Cookoff, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival and the Creole Zydeco Festival among many others. See “where Cajun began,” and visit CajunCountry.org.

Surrounded by the waters of Bayou Teche, Atchafalaya River, and the Atchafalaya Swamp Basin, the Cajun Coast, in St. Mary Parish is known for its natural splendor and “road less traveled” atmosphere. There’s no better way to spend a fall day than exploring the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area or winding along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway. Cajun Jack’s Swamp Tours takes visitors through the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest overflow swamp in the U.S., or you can experience the wilderness by paddling through the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge.

Golfers won’t want to miss a chance to hit the Atchafalaya at Idlewild, which was rated the No. 1 golf course in Louisiana

by Golfweek Magazine in 2008 and 2009.

This winter and spring, St. Mary Parish is alive with festivals and events including Mardi Gras, the Eagle Expo (Feb. 20–22), the Cypress Sawmill Festival (April 4-6), the Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival (April 11-13), and the Bayou Teche Wooden Boat Show (April 11-13). For more information, visit cajuncoast.com.

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Lake Charles Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism

ADVERTISING SECTION Lafayette is full of exciting year-round events, and this January and February, warm up with some dancing at any of the area’s top live music venues. Enjoy both a delicious dinner and lively dancing at Randol’s Restaurant and Cajun Dance Hall. For an upscale dinner with entertainment, visit Charley G’s for delectable meals and music. In the morning, wake up with Sunday Brunch Live at Blue Dog Café or a Saturday Zydeco Breakfast at Café Des Amis. Unforgettable evening performances always abound at the famous Blue Moon Saloon, one of America’s premier venues for roots music.

The Acadiana Center for the Arts features world-class performances, community shows, affordable family events, music, dance, theater and film in its visually stunning James D. Moncus Theater. The premier event is Louisiana Crossroads, an award-winning concert series now in its 14th season. Visit the calendar online (acadianacenterforthearts.org) to see what’s coming up this season!

For more information on all the Lafayette area has to offer, visit LafayetteTravel.com.

Bossier is a launch pad for progress and a parish on the go. “Bossier Innovates” through combined community resources such as technology, education, workforce and economic development, and, most importantly, partnerships; the community is leading the region and state to a brighter future.

One example of innovation is the announcement of Benteler Steel’s 675-job manufacturing plant at the Port of CaddoBossier. Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) recently broke ground on a $22 million training facility that, after meeting the needs of Benteler Steel, will focus on the broader needs of manufacturing companies throughout the region.

Bossier Parish School System is ranked among the top 10 school systems in the state. Higher education institutions such as BPCC are leading the way in educating and equipping future leaders to fill critical workforce demands.

In 2007, Bossier City, Bossier Parish, and the State of Louisiana made a strategic investment of $107 million in the creation of the National Cyber Research Park and Cyber Innovation Center, demonstrating a commitment to growth by building the necessary critical infrastructure to support and attract 21st-century jobs.

Performer at one of Lafayette’s many festivals Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism

To see how “Bossier Innovates,” visit bossierchamber.com.

Events & Destinations Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder is Louisiana’s premier gaming and entertainment destination. Enjoy 2,800 newest and hottest slots, over 70 thrill-a-minute table games including live poker plus bingo and off-track betting, free live entertainment every weekend in Mikko Live!, deluxe overnight accommodations in 900 luxurious rooms, a supervised childcare facility and teen arcade, an RV resort with 100 cozy chalets, and nine dining options to satisfy any palate. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store on their immense 100,000-square-foot gaming floor, and non-smokers will love their enormous 12,000-square-foot non-smoking slot area.

Play your favorite slots and table games to rack up points and comps in Coushatta’s Advantage Players Club.

Golfers! Koasati Pines at Coushatta championship golf course is rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest’s readers – it’s the top casino course in Louisiana. See for yourself why this is “Louisiana’s Best Bet!” Visit CoushattaCasinoResort.com.

Enjoy warm, indoor family fun this winter season with a trip to Thibodaux’s newest family destination, the Bayou Country Children’s Museum. An educational museum disguised in fun and adventure, the Bayou Country Children’s Museum offers signature exhibits that include a Sugar Cane Harvester climbing structure and Sugar Cane Maze, an Alligator Mardi Gras Float, The Grand Old Oak (toddler reading area), a Duck Blind for spotting local water fowl, and plenty more. The LouisianaLife.com | 91

ADVERTISING SECTION Cajun Cottage restaurant exhibit features regional fare while the Bayou Boogie exhibit provides a hands-on opportunity to play Cajun musical instruments.

Full of Cajun flair, the museum offers visitors increased knowledge of bayou country and the Cajun way of life. The museum is designed for children ages 2-12 and offers a unique learning environment outside the classroom. Open year round, the Bayou Country Children’s Museum offers party rooms that can be booked for birthdays and other celebrations.

For more information, visit BayouCountryChildrensMuseum.org.

adults enjoy the decadent dining, peaceful shopping or a romantic evening stroll along the river and fountains.

This winter, stock up on all the latest fashions, gifts and gadgets. From salon and spa treatments to clothing and sporting goods, The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk’s numerous retailers cover every need. Nestled conveniently near Shreveport-Bossier’s vibrant downtown, it is the perfect destination for shopping and fun in north Louisiana.

Visit LouisianaBoardwalk.com for more information, event listings and a store directory.

Enjoy Louisiana’s mild winter weather with a stroll around LSU’s historic campus, home of the LSU Foundation. The 2,000-acre property, nestled in South Baton Rouge, is defined by an Italian Renaissance character marked by red pan tile, overhanging eaves and honey-colored stucco. Dedicated in 1926, the current campus includes 46 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Recently named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, and one of the 20 best campuses in America in Thomas Gaines’ The Campus as a Work of Art, LSU’s enviable landscape history began in the 1930s when landscape artist Steele Burden planted many of the live oaks and magnolia trees. The roughly 1,200 towering oaks have been valued at $50 million and are supported through the LSU Foundation’s Endow an Oak program.

With a myriad of architectural and natural beauties, several museums and year-round theater, art and athletic events, opportunities abound to experience Louisiana’s flagship university. Visit lsufoundation.org to learn more about what the school and campus have to offer.

For a season filled with food and beverages, what better place to satisfy all your Mardi Gras needs than your local grocery store? Especially one that is Louisiana owned and operated. Family owned Rouses Markets is now in its third generation.

Having served Southeast Louisiana for more than 50 Mardi Gras seasons, Rouses knows king cakes and uses gourmet cinnamon dough that entices you from the moment you walk through the doors. Pick up a traditional king cake or any of your favorite flavors for a tasty Mardi Gras treat (visit rouses.com for shipping), but don’t forget their famous fried chicken, party trays and platters, as well as supplies for your crawfish boil. For those wanting crawfish pre-prepared, the Rouses Bayou Boys will be boiling through the season with their time-honored South Louisiana recipe. Take everything home with you in one of the Rouses reusable green grocery

In Bossier City, located along the picturesque banks of the Red River is a shopping, dining and entertainment mecca full of stores, tasty dining options and family-friendly entertainment. Host to dozens of retailers, The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk has brand-name stores for everyone, offering rustic outdoorwear, clothing specialties for the little ones, and the hottest styles and brands for teens. The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk brim with activity year-round. With special events, an IMAX stadium-seating movie theater, arcade and carousel, kids can play while 92 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

bags and you’ll see just how convenient they are for holding beads at every party and parade.

Rouses now boasts 43 stores with the newest located in downtown New Orleans, Mardi Gras central, at 701 Baronne St. For more information, visit Rouses.com.

Regional Travel Situated high on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, Vicksburg, Miss., prides itself on its perfect location as a midway point between Memphis and New Orleans as well as Dallas and Atlanta. This strategic location made it a focus point during the struggle to unite our nation during the War Between the States. On July 4, 1863, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. John Pemberton negotiated Vicksburg’s surrender giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi River and the western part of the United States.

Visitors can relive that history by visiting Vicksburg’s historic homes, churches, museums and the Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi’s Attraction of the Year. From four world-class casinos to some of the most fascinating historic sites, Vicksburg offers an authentic Southern experience you don’t want to miss. Just be sure to leave some time to eat at one of its signature restaurants and browse the many boutiques and antique shops.

For more information, visit visitvicksburg.com or call 1 (800) 221-3536.

around louisiana Regional Reports / By Jeanne Frois

North Madame Millionaire Sarah Breedlove was born two days before Christmas, almost two years after the end of the Civil War on Burney, a cotton plantation near Delta in Madison Parish. She was the fifth child of two former slaves, Owen and Minerva. Of all their progeny, Sarah was the first to be freeborn. When Sarah turned 7, her mother died. When Sarah was almost 8, her father followed his wife to the grave.

The orphaned girl began a new life with her sister Louvinia and her abusive brother-in-law in Vicksburg, Miss., earning her keep by picking cotton and other miscellaneous menial jobs.

Finding life intolerable due to the combination of her brother-in-law’s cruelty and the heavy workload she was forced to endure, she married Moses McWilliams at the age of 14 and four years later gave birth to daughter A’Leila. In the meantime, Sarah’s brothers had relocated to St. Louis and established themselves as successful barbers; when her husband, Moses, died two years later, Sarah and her young daughter joined them.

Working to support her daughter as a washwoman who earned less than $2 a day, she nevertheless made certain A’Leila was enrolled in public school while Sarah attended night school to educate herself.

After crossing paths with

94 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

C.J. Walker, who worked in advertising, she married him.

She also acquired a diseased scalp condition; her life would change forever.

By the time the 1890s had rolled around, Sarah Walker’s scalp condition caused her to lose much of her hair. By 1905, through experimentation with home remedies and commercial products, she developed her own unique line of cosmetic hair care products and grooming system for black women. Walker’s system promoted healthier hair and scalps through more frequent shampooing, massage and her special healing ointment.

Replacing the traditional practice among black women of straightening hair by ironing it, Sarah concocted a revolutionary straightening system that used a hair softener aided by a straightening comb. Her cosmetics and hair straightening method soared to success in St. Louis; she expanded to Denver, where she and C.J. were married.

C.J.’s public relations acumen helped expose Sarah’s work to widespread attention, and he insisted she use the moniker, “Madam C.J. Walker” as her business handle, although they divorced six years later.

During their marriage, the two traveled extensively throughout the South and Southeast, giving demonstrations on the “Walker Method”

which involved her own formula for pomade, brushing and the use of heated combs.

While she was building her hair care empire, Madame Walker work tirelessly to promote black self-help and pride, becoming a major contributor to the NAACP and the black YMCA. As her profits grew, she opened a factory and beauty school in Pittsburgh, eventually moving to Indianapolis.

By 1910, the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company was a huge success.

The Indianapolis location not only manufactured cosmetics, but also began training sales beauticians. Named the “Walker Agents,” their fame spread throughout the black communities of the United States promoting Walker’s own credo of “cleanliness and loveliness” as a step in promoting the advancement of African-Americans.

She was a tireless supporter of charities and educational causes. Madame

Walker made one of the largest contributions to the cause of purchasing the home of Frederick Douglass to save it as a historical site. After her divorce from C.J., she traveled throughout Latin American and the Caribbean to promote her business and teach hair care methods.

When she transplanted herself to Harlem, N.Y., she founded philanthropies that supported educational scholarships, donations to a home for the elderly and was a huge supporter of the National Conference on Lynching. She died at her New York estate home at the age of 51 from hypertension.

This daughter of former Louisiana slaves is credited with being the first black woman to become a self-made millionaire. The Hermione House Museum in Tallulah has a special exhibit that honors her accomplishments.

Hermione House Museum, 315 Mulberry St., Tallulah, (318) 574-0082. n

around louisiana

Central

Cultural Riches in Robeline The Adai Indian Culture Center lies in close proximity to Toledo Bend Lake Country in Robeline on a historic site and offers a fascinating glimpse into the heritage of the remarkable tribe, the role they played in settling of both Texas and Louisiana and its peaceful co-existence with European settlers. Located on the grounds are their historical dwellings, tepees and St. Anne’s Catholic Church as a visual history lesson to guide you through their story. Discovered artifacts revealed the Caddo tribe has been in North America since at least 800 A.D. The 18th-century activities that occurred in the area of present-day Robeline were an irritation that forced the

French to produce the pearl that is Natchitoches.

When the Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands arrived in Cane River country during the early 18thcentury, the establishment of missions caused the French enough chagrin to respond in kind and found the first town in Louisiana known as Natchitoches.

The Spanish, upon arrival, also met the Adai, a Native American offshoot of the Caddo tribe. As far back as the early 1500s, the writings of Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca chronicled the first European encounters with the Adai. The name “Caddo” is derived from a French abbreviation of “Kadohadacho,” which means “real chief.” The

Adai get their name from a derivative of the Caddo word, “hadai,” for the brushwood that covered the land. The tribe’s own oral history also recounts tales of peaceful trading with explorers Iberville and Joutel in the 17th century.

From the time the Spanish arrived, the lives of the Adai and the settlers would be forever intertwined. In 1716, the Caddo Adai were introduced to Christ by the Catholic Spanish when the mission of San Miguel de Los Adaes was founded. Less than 10 years later, the Spanish raised the Fort of Adayes, a palisaded structure that not only protected their mission but proclaimed to everyone that the mahogany-colored Red River belonged to Espana. It served as a crucial stronghold on the border between Spanish and French territories until 1763 when Louisiana was ceded to Spain.

Additionally, it was a royal fort. For 50 years, the Presidio Espagnol de la Province de Tecas remained the Spanish capital of the Texas Province.

Here the Adaesanos (the descendants of Spain) and the Caddo Adai co-existed and worshiped together in loyal harmony. In 1773, the fort was closed, the Spanish established a new capital at Bexar

(present-day San Antonio) and the Adaesanos were ordered to relocate there. Some of the Caddo Adai migrated with them, but many returned home to join the stubborn Spaniards and their own families who refused to leave the area of the presidio. Relocating their church to the Shamrock area, the two cultures worshiped side by side until 1886 when once more the church was moved and renamed St. Joseph.

When St. Joseph’s Church was lost in a fire, a new church was built by the faithful in 1916. It was a beautiful little church built in a Gothic Revival style that’s rarely found in Cane River country. With its pitched roof, lancet windows and a two-stage belfry, it was called the Church of St. Anne.

Since the parish was originally founded back in 1716, St. Anne’s remains the oldest Catholic church to be found in all of the Louisiana Purchase area.

Both the Caddo Adai and the Adaesanos still adore their God there together. Both cultures consider the church a symbol of their faith and resilience, a sacred tribute to their ancestors who would not give up on their home or their faith.

The Adai Indian Nation Cultural Center, 4460 Hwy. 485, Robeline, (318) 472-1007. n

LouisianaLife.com | 95

around louisiana

Cajun Country

NUEVA IBERIA At the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, as part of the Treaty of Paris, the French government ceded La Louisiane to Spain, a vast spread of real estate that included all territory along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Louis, and all western lands with rivers that spilled into the father of waters. It was a large area that needed to be populated to give the Spanish a strong foothold against the British, who held the Eastern Bank of the Mississippi called West Florida. The expelled Acadians from Nova Scotia were given passage to New Orleans on a fleet of Spanish ships granted

by King Charles III of Spain.

By the time the American Revolution began in 1776, 96 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

Louisiana’s Spanish governor was young Bernardo de Galvez, and although he was a Malagueno from the beautiful Andalusia region of Spain, he was as much a fire-breathing patriot of the American cause as any solider from the 13 colonies. Galvez hated the British. He smuggled supplies to the Americans fighting the War for Independence on the East Coast and regularly seized British ships found in Louisiana’s water. To achieve his dream of populating Luisiana, he brought colonists from his home of Malaga, an area founded by the Phoenicians in 770 BC, and ruled by Carthage, Rome and Islam during its 2,800 year long history. Settlers also came from the Canary Islands to Louisiana.

In June 1778, the brigantine San Josef left Malaga with the first wave of Malaguenos headed for Louisiana. On board were the families of Juan Garrido and Teresa Gomez (widow of Antonio Villatoro). For five months, this difficult voyage brought them to Cadiz, Puerto Rico, Havana and finally to New Orleans where they waited several months due to the arguments between Galvez and his second, Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Bouligny.

Adding to the delay were preparations of supplies and equipment needed for the new settlement. Galvez and Bouligny bickered back and forth about choosing the actual location of the new Spanish settlement.

They finally reached an accord when both agreed that a site in the Attakapas district on Bayou Theis (Teche) would be ideal. On Jan. 26, 1779, 20 settlers in two large vessels departed New Orleans bearing the names of Romero; Gomez; de Aponte; Ortiz; de Porras; Segura. Leaving the Mississippi, the group traveled through the marshes of Bayou Plaquemines and stopped finally when they reached Bayou Teche. They christened their new home Nueva Iberia and planted barley, wheat, cotton and

hemp, but years later would learn the land was far better for raising cattle than hemp.

Under the scarlet and gold flag of Spain, Galvez soon fought the American Revolution with his Spanish troops on Louisiana soil. He expelled the British from Fort Richmond (Baton Rouge) and drove them out of West Florida at Pensacola although a hurricane destroyed his original fleet. The routing of the British from Louisiana and West Florida territories helped to hasten the end of the war and the American victory.

Floods, epidemics and other mayhem caused the new settlement to be relocated several times, until it came to its present day location on Bayou Teche; when the Spanish arrived, the area was already populated with the Acadians. The two cultures dwelled together in much harmony.

The Segura family settled on a body of water that would later be christened Spanish Lake. Located deep in the heart of Cajun Country, the revered and celebrated Spanish cultural influence on the city of New Iberia stands harmoniously apart from the flavors of Acadiana, adding another rich layer to the diversity of Louisiana. n

around louisiana

Baton Rouge

A MAGNET FOR HISTORy Each January once the holidays are over, I fall back to earth with a thud, but through the years I’ve found the only panacea to these post-holiday doldrums is hitting the River Road and driving someplace historical.

The Pentagon Barracks in East Baton Rouge Parish lie in close proximity to Huey P. Long’s Art Deco capitol skyscraper, but back in the early 1700s this space was a French military facility after Iberville discovered the area.

By 1779, after Baton Rouge was ceded to the British 16 years earlier, it was the site of a humble dirt fort. Named Fort Richmond, Louisiana’s Spanish governor, Bernardo de Galvez, with Spanish troops, victoriously fought the only battle of the American Revolution that

didn’t take place within the 13 colonies on the east coast of America. The Spanish renamed it Fort San Carlos. At the very same fort, 31 years later, the rebels of the West Florida Republic, raising their new flag of independence named the Bonnie Blue Flag were outraged that they had not been grafted into American citizenship, as had the rest of Louisiana.

Vehemently opposed to remaining under Spanish rule, they conquered the old fort by sneaking through an old cow path and renamed it Fort Baton Rouge. Offering it to the United States as a petition to become part of the new Union, Federal troops occupied it later that year.

From 1813 to 1815,

the fort was an assembly site for American troops who were headed for the Creek War and then the Battle of New Orleans.

Due to the fact it was so close to New Orleans, and in the event of an attack supplies could be moved quickly south, it became an U.S. Army Ordnance depot. During the Mexican War of 1847, it was a vital supply source for troops.

A young Army engineer, Lt. James Gadsen, was responsible for its construction. Five oblong buildings placed in the shape

of a pentagon were erected, four were barracks, one was a multi-purpose building poorly constructed and demolished the year it was built. Today, the Pentagon Barracks still bears its five-sided name, but actually only consists of the four original brick, columned buildings.

At the time of his election as president of the U.S., Zachary Taylor was post commander.

When Louisiana seceded from the Union in 1861, Governor Thomas Overton Moore sent state militia troops to overtake the fort that then supplied ordnance for the Confederate Army. Once again, the fort fell in 1862 when it was captured by Union troops who withheld it through the duration of the Civil War. Louisiana State University leased the land in 1884, but moved downriver in the 1920’s to make way for the new state capitol building.

The barracks now house the office of the Lieutenant Governor, state offices and also serve as apartments for some state officials. n LouisianaLife.com | 97

around louisiana

New Orleans

ELIZA JANE I used to indulge in a Sunday morning tradition each week of luxuriating in bed with a cup of French Roast coffee reading the Sunday newspaper. This tradition started back in the 1980s but ended with the last decade, because truthfully I didn’t find the Sunday editions nearly as interesting or enjoyable as in years before – certainly not worthy companions to a good cup of coffee on a honey-colored morning. One such morning last November, I revived this tradition with The New Orleans Advocate and enjoyed the Sunday newspaper, as I hadn’t

98 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

in years. Although the TimesPicayune publishes a Sunday edition, I once again pondered how the New York-based owners of the Times-Picayune deemed New Orleans wasn’t worthy of a printed daily. That, naturally, led to the question: What would Eliza Nicholson think of all of this?

Eliza Jane Poitevent Holbrook Nicholson was born in Gainesville, Miss., in the 1840s and was later reared by relatives in Hobolochitto, Miss., former Choctaw Indian territory. Moses Cook, quartermaster to Andrew Jackson when Old Hickory passed through on his way to fight

the Battle of New Orleans, established this town, perched on a bluff over the Hobolochitto creek, as a post.

From the beginning it was apparent Eliza was different.

There in Pearl River County, she lived as a fey little girl who communed with nature and who drew wildlife to her like bees to honey. She wandered dreamily through the countryside and wrote poetry, many of which were published is respected periodicals. When her work caught the eye of Colonel Alva Morris Holbrook, publisher of The Daily Picayune (New Orleans’ daily newspaper) not long after the Civil War, she accepted his offer to become its literary editor and married him in 1872. It was unheard of for women to write for a newspaper, much less be paid for it. She wrote under the pen name, Pearl Rivers to “protect” her family. Holbrook, considerably older, was divorced; his ex-wife later tried to attack the new Mrs. Holbrook with a gun and a bottle of rum.

Four years later, Holbrook died in bankruptcy. The Daily Picayune was mired in debt and lawsuits. Eliza’s family begged her to give it up, but her brilliant business manager, George Nicholson, offered his financial support. The consummate journalist who could not give up writing Eliza finally accepted his offer. Now

helming the Picayune, in four years she transformed it from a dying daily to one of the leading papers in the country. In the meanwhile, Eliza and Nicholson fell in love and married.

The paper’s print expansion included hiring Dorothy Dix, a pioneer in women’s advice columns and introducing the jaunty “weather frog” in the 1890s. It became a paper that was family-oriented with more illustrations and a wider scope of topics to appeal to everyone.

The paper fought corruption, was the voice of advocacy for good causes, supported railroad expansion and political reforms. A devoted lover of animals, Eliza wrote many editorials protesting dog fights and the abuse of horses.

She can be considered one of the main reasons for the charter of the Louisiana State Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established in 1888.

In 1877, she helped found the Ladies New Orleans Pacific Railroad Aid Association that was a force in the completion of railway lines into New Orleans.

She renamed her hometown of Hobolochitto to Picayune, Miss., after her newspaper.

George Nicholson died of influenza in 1896, and Eliza followed him 11 days later.

Her legacy of providing New Orleans with reliable daily printed news lasted almost two centuries. n

lifetimes

Statewide Calendar

Sesquicentennial Civil War Battle Reenactment in Pineville

January/February Events, Festivals and More.

Compiled by Judi Russell

North Louisiana

central louisiana

Jan. 11. The Classics Recovered Band.

Dixie Center for the Arts, Ruston.

(318) 255-1450. (318) 257-2930.

Jan. 23-26. 4th Annual Mardi Gras Cluster Dog Show. Alexandria Riverfront Center, Alexandria. (800) 551-9546.

Jan. 31-Feb. 2. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Stone Theatre, Ruston. (318) 257-2930.

Feb. 28-March 2. Alexandria Mardi Gras.

707 Main St., Alexandria. (318) 442-9546.

Feb. 8. Springhill Main Street Mardi Gras Parade & Street Party. Downtown Springhill.

(318) 539-5699.

Feb. 28-March 2. Sesquicentennial Civil War Battle Reenactment. 135 Riverfront St., Pineville. (318) 484-2390.

Feb. 14. Brass Transit: “The Musical Legacy of Chicago.” Strand Theatre, Shreveport. (318) 226-8555.

cajun country

Feb. 15. Fasching Karneval & Parade.

Downtown Minden. (318) 371-4258.

Feb. 21-22. North Louisiana Quilters Guild Quilt Show. West Monroe Convention Center, West Monroe. (318) 396-5000.

Feb. 28-March 2. Sesquicentennial Civil War Battle Reenactment. 135 Riverfront St., Pineville. (318) 484-2390.

Jan. 10-11. 56th Annual Louisiana Fur & Wildlife Festival. Downtown Cameron.

(337) 775-5649.

Jan. 16. Night at the Museum. 131 E. Main St., New Iberia. (337) 606-5977.

Jan. 20. MLK Jr. Day Celebration. 201 Gilbert St., New Iberia. (337) 369-2395.

Jan.18-19. Rollin’ Buccaneers RV Rally.

Kemper Williams Park, Patterson. (985) 395-2298.

Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Joel Savoy’s Honky Tonk

100 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

Merry-Go-Round & Special Guests. Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette. (337) 233-7060.

Feb. 2. Cajun Ground Hog Day. 102 W. Main St., New Iberia. (337) 365-6773.

Feb. 15-March 2. And the Rain Came to Mayfield. Lake Charles Little Theatre, Lake Charles. (337) 433-7988.

Feb. 22-23. Tabasco Shootout Soccer Tournament. 601 Sucrose Drive, New Iberia.

(337) 365-8200.

Feb. 23. Krewe of Ezana Jeanerette Mardi Gras Parade. Martin Luther King Jr., Canal and Main Streets, Jeanerette. (337) 276-4164.

baton rouge/plantation country Jan. 11. Civil War Sesquicentennial Speaker Series “Post Civil War Pointe Coupee: An Abrupt Transformation.” 500 W. Main St., New Roads. (225) 718-4275.

Through Jan. 12. Filmed in Louisiana: Civil War Era Movie Memorabilia. West

4th Annual Mardi Gras Cluster Dog Show in Alexandria

Baton Rouge Museum, Baton Rouge.

Jan. 18. Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy.

Manship Theatre, The Shaw Center for the Performing Arts, Baton Rouge. (866) 451-2787.

Feb. 4-9 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Saenger Theatre, New Orleans. (504) 525-1052.

Jan. 21. ERTH’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo. Manship Theatre, The Shaw Center for the Performing Arts, Baton Rouge. (866) 451-2787.

Feb. 28-March 2. Ponchatoula Antique Trading Days & Craft Fair. 160 S.E. Railroad Ave., Ponchatoula. (985) 386-0026. n

Feb. 1. Taste of the South. 58535 Mille Ave., Plaquemine. (225) 687-2029.

Feb. 8. Native Guards Battlefield Tour.

236 Hwy. 61, Jackson. (225) 654-3775.

Feb. 15. Afternoon Tea, Fashion & Fancies.

Windrush Gardens, Baton Rouge. (225) 765-2437.

new orleans Jan. 1-Feb. 28. The African Presence in Mexico.

Ashe Cultural Arts Center. (504) 569-9070 Jan. 10. The Fresh Beat Band. Saenger Theatre, New Orleans. (504) 525-1052.

Jan. 15-16. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.

Saenger Theatre, New Orleans. (504) 525-1052.

Jan. 17-19. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles.

Saenger Theatre, New Orleans. (504) 525-1052.

Jan. 24-26. New Orleans Spring Gem, Jewelry

ATTENTION FESTIVAL-PLANNERS & CARNIVAL PARADE-PLANNERS! Help Us Promote Your Event! & Bead Show. Pontchartrain Center, New Orleans.

(504) 465-9985.

Jan. 24-Feb. 8. Golda’s Balcony at Le Petit Theatre. Le Petit Theatre, New Orleans. (504)

422-2081.

– Go online to provide information for our calendar section and webpage. Remember, the sooner we get the information, the better able we are to help you.

Superdome, New Orleans. (504) 587-3822.

– To submit a festival, show or special event go to: MyNewOrleans.com/Louisiana-Life/Submitan-Event

Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Rock ’n’ Roll New Orleans – Health & Fitness Expo. Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Halls A & B1. (504) 582-3000.

– To submit a parade for carnival season go to: MyNewOrleans.com/Louisiana-Life/Submit-aParade-to-Louisiana-Life

Jan. 25. Monster Jam. Mercedes-Benz

LouisianaLife.com | 101

great louisiana quiz

Tribes – Fanciful and Factual 1. Pictured here are a group of kids who are part of the next generation of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians. Indian tribes can be seen several times during the year.

Which is not one of those times?

A. Mardi Gras morning B. The Sunday nearest St. Joseph’s Day C. Jazz Fest D. Thanksgiving 2. The mingling of blacks and American Indian culture is believed to trace back to slaves finding refuge from what group?

A. Choctaws B. Cherokees C. Sioux D. Apaches 3. Early Mardi Gras Indians were influenced in their costume design 102 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

by seeing this show come to town: A. P.T. Barnum Circus B. Dan Rice Horse Show C. Plains Indians Showcase D. Buffalo Bill Wild West Show

the furthest north within the state?

A. Chitimacha B. Coushatta C. Jena Band of Choctaw D. Tunica-Biloxi

4. This town is the headquarters of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

A. Port Allen B. Lacombe C. Elton D. Bordelonville

7. Your friend wants to start his own tribe of Mardi Gras Indians.

He has come up with four possible names. You have to tell him that three of those names are already taken. Which one is not?

A. Wild Tchoupitoulas B. Yellow Pocahontas C. Wild Magnolia D. Raging Buffalos

5. Prehistoric American Indian mounds are located near this town.

A. Gonzales B. Bossier City C. LeCompte D. Lake Providence 6. There are four federally recognized tribes in Louisiana.

Which one’s reservation is located

8. Your friend also says that when he starts his tribe, he’ll introduce a new innovation by having a costumed young man go ahead of the tribe to search for other tribes so that the groups can mingle. Here

again, he doesn’t know that that position already exists. What is it called?

A. Spy Boy B. Warrior C. Shadow Chief D. Captain 9. American Indian mounds are also located on the grounds of this Baton Rouge area landmark.

A. State Capitol B. Governor’s Mansion C. LSU Campus D. Southern University Campus 10. Choctaws were said to introduce this item, which is now a part of local cuisine.

A. Tabasco B. Filé C. Boudin D. Cracklins CHERYL GERBER PHOTO

Answer this BONUS QUESTION and be eligible to win an overnight stay for two at the luxurious PARAGON CASINO RESORT: What casinos in Louisiana are owned by tribal communities? Where are they located? What are the names of the tribes?

Send in your answer on a postcard addressed to: Louisiana Life Bonus Question 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 Two winners will be drawn from among the correct answers. Each will receive an overnight stay for two at the recently expanded and remodeled Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville. Winners’ names will be announced in the May/June 2014 issue.

For our SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER issue, the question was: In what Louisiana towns, and their parish, are there festivals dedicated to the food items: cochon de lait, strawberry, tamale, poke salad, gumbo, andouille, crab, shrimp.

The correct answer was: Cochon de Lait – Mansura (Avoyelles); Strawberry – Ponchatoula (Tangipahoa); Tamale – Zwolle (Sabine); Poke Salad – Blanchard (Caddo); Gumbo – Morgan City (St. Martin) or Chackby (Lafourche); Andouille – LaPlace (St. John the Baptist); Crab – Lacombe (St. Tammany); Shrimp – Delcambre (Vermilion/Iberia) Winners were: Cheri Holton of Bourg and Jim & Bootsie McCoy of Shreveport (Note: One other person qualified for the drawing but did not include his/her name and address.)

ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS: 1.D 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.D 6.C 7.D 8.A 9.C 10.B SCORING Score 10 points for each correct answer: 0-20 Consult your nearest library.

30-60 Begin by buying a good road map.

70-90 You should run for office.

100 You’re a candidate for a Ph.D. in Louisianaology.

LouisianaLife.com | 103

a louisiana life

Anthony Ryan Auld Life Threads of A Designing All-Star

By Megan Hill Designer Anthony Ryan Auld derives a great simple pleasure from winning Season 2 of “Project Runway: All Stars”: sleeping till noon.

“I’m really able to do what I am doing right now on my own time schedule,” Auld says. “I’m the boss. I’m not a morning person. I love to work nights.”

But even though he sets his own schedule, his newfound fame has kept him busy. He’s juggling a constant barrage of emails, showing at fashion weeks, working on a Nine

104 | Louisiana Life January/February 2014

West handbag collection (which will debut next fall) and traveling often.

Auld, who calls Baton Rouge home, didn’t begin his career path as a designer. The 30-year-old started out as a graphic design major at LSU, but after a year and a half of college coursework, he grew tired of sitting at a computer.

“I’ve always wanted to work with my hands,” Auld says. He took four years off school and went to work at the Buckle, a designer clothing retailer.

“One day it just kind of clicked

that I was good with clothing and bringing this graphic approach to it. I found out LSU had a small apparel design program, and they seemed to have the core fundamentals that I needed from a construction standpoint. The rest is history.”

But he had to learn to sew, which Auld says took lots of practice. “I sewed a quilt with my grandmother when I was like, 8, but that’s the only time I sat at a sewing machine.” Six years after starting LSU’s apparel design program, he’s clearly got his fundamentals down.

Auld started watching Lifetime’s Project Runway in its third season, he says.

Friends asked him if he’d ever thought about trying out for the show, and before long, a casting call appeared in his email.

“I said, ‘Let me give it a shot,’” Auld says. “I sent in everything that was necessary, 60 pages of application, all these photos, and they called me to do a private casting in Dallas.” Auld was out of college, working at the Buckle again, struggling to find a job in design, when he got the call. Would he like to be a contestant on Season 9 of “Project Runway”?

Auld, who is colorblind, surprised judges with graphic prints and bright colors. He finished seventh that season and says he was shocked to get the call to join “All Stars.”

This time, Auld had experience and knew how to strategize.

“For anyone who knows anything about how to make a garment, to make one in like, 10 hours is kind of

unheard of,” Auld says. “I knew what I was getting into this time, and I knew the time constraints. It was really about changing the deck and trying to stack it in my favor.

I knew I was going to bring strong garments, because I had grown so much and kind of did a 180 from where I was on Season 9. I knew I was going to surprise them with that. It’s just playing the game. If you maintain a sense of who you are, you can fare pretty well.”

Among his “Project Runway: All Stars” winnings was a $150,000 check and a sewing and embroidery studio sponsored by Brother International. Auld has been tinkering with the Entrepreneur Pro machine, which digitizes Auld’s sketches and embroiders them onto a garment.

“From a distance it looks like a great print or even a cool screen. But when you get up close it has that great texture and that great hand, and honestly, it looks more expensive than just screening or actually printing a print,” Auld says.

Auld hopes his success will put Louisiana on the map for fashion. “Right now it’s great to be in the state and for me to show the fashion industry that you don’t necessarily have to be based in New York, that you can make a dream happen somewhere else.”

And maybe part of that dream involves more television time.

“You never know,” Auld says.

“You might see my face grace your screen again, but we’ll keep that under wraps.” n