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april/may 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com
contents
22
in every issue 6
From the Editor
26 Home
The Battles of the Mooringsport Bridge
True History on False River
This New Roads cottage reflects Louisiana family housing.
10 Rural Life
Buddy in the Spotlight
A Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer unexpectedly shows up at the farm in the middle of a storm, and the family dog steals the show.
12 louisiana Labeled
Splashes of Heat
Unparalleled sauciness in Louisiana
14 Biz Bits
30
Business News
Corporate investments pump up Louisiana’s economy
16 Health
Medical News
Health updates from around the state
18 great louisiana Chef
Thad Waters
Beau Vines Restaurant, Ruston
20 roadside dining
Fried Food Frenzy
Along Lake Maurepas
30 Art
Return to Spring Creek
A Rapides artist specializes in Central Louisiana landscapes.
34 Traveler
Life at the Top
Boom or bust on La. 2
72 Around Louisiana
Louisiana Life presents Around Louisiana, a section featuring events in North Louisiana, Central Louisiana, Cajun Country, Baton Rouge and Plantation Country and Greater New Orleans.
82 lifetimes
Statewide Calendar
May/June events, festivals and more.
86 great louisiana quiz
Filmed in Louisiana
88 A Louisiana Life
Theo Von
A Covington native looks for laughs.
22 Kitchen Gourmet
80
Fresh From the Garden
Using the best of what’s in season
features
SPECIAL SECTION
38 Beer To do
38 LOUISIANA LIFE TRAVEL GUIDE
Louisiana’s craft beer industry bubbles to life.
By Megan Hill
Traveling the Foodie Trail By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry
46 Robust Progress
Encouraging news about the state’s economy
By Kathy Finn
52 Net Gains
2 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Shrimping industry flourishes despite problems
By John Felsher
on the cover Beer, p. 34 Photographed by Eugenia Uhl
May/June 2014 Volume 34 Number 5 Editor Errol Laborde MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Ravits Art Directors Tiffani Reding Amedeo, Sarah George Associate Editors Lauren LaBorde, Melanie Warner Spencer Contributing Editor Paul F. Stahls Jr. Food Editor Stanley Dry Home Editor Bonnie Warren INTERN Lexi Wangler sales manager Kathryn Beck Sanderson kathryn@louisianalife.com
Sales AssistantS Erin Azar, Jenni Buckley Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production designerS Ali Sullivan Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President/ Editor-in-chief Errol Laborde VIce President of sales Colleen Monaghan Director of marketing & Events Kristi Ferrante administrative assistant Denise Dean Newsstand manager Christian Coombs subscriptions Erin Duhe (504) 828-1380
Gold Award Winner for Companion Website 2012 Tiffani Reding Amedeo, 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.
from the editor
The Battles of the Mooringsport Bridge By Errol Laborde
4 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Anything that is 100 years old usually has at least two histories; one about its origin and another about its survival. Take, for example, the Caddo Lake “Vertical Lift” Drawbrige in Mooringsport, a dozen miles south of Shreveport. In 1914 the bridge opened to replace a ferry service. As constructed by the Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Mo., under the authority of the Caddo Parish Police Jury, the vehicular bridge featured an unusual vertical lift in the center to allow oil equipment, especially Gulf Oil Company’s pile drivers, to pass through. The design, by architect James Waddell – whose firm was well known for its creative bridges – had first been used successfully in Chicago in 1893. That was the beginning. Then came the salvation. By the 1970s, the narrow bridge was deemed too outdated to allow for modern traffic flow. In 1989, the state received federal funding to build a new bridge. But then came resistance from citizen groups that wanted to save the old crossing. What followed was a long, tangled tale that hit its high mark in 1991, when an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior declared that the span was nationally significant in its design. The bridge, it was learned, was eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. That officially happened in 1996. The
action saved the bridge. Traffic has since been diverted and the structure now serves as a pedestrian crossing and a tourist curiosity. This year is the centennial of the Mooringsport Bridge, the last of its type in the state. If bridges had memories, this one might recall the summer of 1941 when military maneuvers were held in the vicinity. During the World War to follow, there would be many instances of troops sent out to capture bridges, so the training was no doubt useful when practice battles were held to capture the Mooringsport Bridge. The combatants were divided into the Red and Blue armies. Leading them were two rising star generals: George S. Patton and Dwight Eisenhower. The bridge was bombed with sacks of flower. As the bridge stands nobly for its centennial, its boosters can appreciate their own capture of the bridge when funds that had been earmarked to replace the bridge were eventually diverted to repair and save it. Curiously, as president, Dwight Eisenhower would one day champion an interstate highway system that would take much of the pressure off old roads, such as Louisiana Highway 538, the bridge’s former artery. Now pedestrians can stare down from the railings in peace. The troubled waters have long been tamed. n
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/Louisiana-Life-Photo-Contest. Please note that the URL is case-sensitive.
Our readers’ photographs
MArch Easter Bunny: Bernadette Murphy of Jennings captured this mini rex rabbit, as he anxiously awaited the arrival of Easter in Andrus Cove.
April Searching for my Honey: shot by Alex Bradley of Marthaville LouisianaLife.com | 5
rural life
Buddy in the Spotlight A Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer unexpectedly shows up at the farm in the middle of a storm, and the family dog steals the show. By Melissa Bienvenu
Thanks to last winter’s polar vortex, our dog is a minor celebrity. It happened the afternoon of the first snow. I was working in my office while the boys and their friend from across the highway played in the yard. I could hear them chasing,
6 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
shrieking and laughing as they fired frozen fastballs at one other. Our high-octane puppy, Buddy, was right up in the middle of the madness. After a while, I realized it had suddenly grown too quiet, so I glanced out the window. Across the yard, I saw the kids
talking to a strange man with an expensive-looking camera and a camera bag on his shoulder. The former newspaper reporter in me sensed he was a professional photographer of some kind, but I watched closely for fear a weirdo had pulled in off the highway. He didn’t strike me as a local. We live on a farm 70 miles from anywhere that newspaper photographers walk around with thousands of dollars in fancy equipment. Photojournalists with foot-long telephoto lenses don’t appear in our backyard on a regular basis – or pretty much ever. Fortunately, my first hunch was correct. The stranger in the yard taking pictures of my children was not a creep but a real photographer – a nice one – and not just any old nice photographer. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner from the TimesPicayune who had roamed far into the countryside searching for his snow-related “Photo of the Day.” For about an hour, Ted Jackson snapped pictures while the boys and Buddy gave an Oscar-worthy performance. They chased and tackled and went sprawling into the snow like actors on a movie set. But Buddy stole the show. A highly trained stunt dog could not have hammed it up for the camera any better. For the duration of the shoot, Buddy ran circles around the boys with a red Frisbee clamped between his teeth. He never once let go of that Frisbee. It was just like he knew that any photographer would be a sucker for a black Lab with a red Frisbee frolicking with kids in the snow. Before Ted pulled out of our driveway, the photos were posted on Nola.com. My favorite showed Buddy speeding toward
the camera with his Frisbee. Apparently, the Associated Press liked it, too, because it sent the photo out over its national newswire with the caption, “Watch Him Go.” I could only laugh – and not just because of the crazy improbability of an esteemed photographer unexpectedly showing up at our farm in the middle of a winter storm to take pictures of our children and dog that would be seen all over the country. What really amused me was the stark contrast between Buddy’s new, glamorous image versus the real Buddy. To the newspaper-reading public, I imagined that Buddy surely looked like one of those proper, well-trained city dogs who catch Frisbees and wear bandanas at the doggie park. People admiring that photo probably thought Buddy was the kind who visits a groomer and gets treats from the pet superstore and sleeps in a kennel. A picture-perfect specimen like the one in those photographs was probably hand-selected from a breeder’s litter of purebred puppies. Or perhaps he was a shelter dog who finally found his “forever home.” I just know they thought Buddy came across as one of those pampered city pups who go to the groomer or take nerve pills when it thunders or, God forbid, have things done to their anal glands. (Here in the country, most pet owners have no idea what canine anal glands are or what we are supposed to be doing to them – and we’d like to keep it that way, thanks.) These thoughts are all highly entertaining, because the real Buddy is nothing like the dogs I’ve discussed. The real Buddy – how can I put this as sensitively as possible? – is a barbarian. jane sanders illustration
In the first place, Buddy did not come from a breeder, and I refuse to label him by the overly dramatic term, “rescue,” as if we liberated France from the Nazis as opposed to just doing the decent thing for a stray animal. Instead, Buddy came from the same boutique where we get most of our pets, a little place called A Moving Vehicle. An anonymous donor slowed down in front of our house one morning last fall and dumped him out. That’s a cruel way to get rid of a dog, but, frankly, Buddy didn’t seem all that torn up about it. I just opened the back door and there sat an older Lab puppy thumping his tail on the doormat with a friendly, but totally confident air that seemed to say, “It’s your lucky day – I’m here.” As usual, it wasn’t long before the adorable new dog started revealing the not-so-cute
habits that surely inspired his one-way ride. First, there was the manic energy. Buddy greeted all visitors by charging them with such joyous abandon that he nearly knocked grown men off their feet. Friends who are ordinarily too polite to point out our faults and failings started making comments such as, “That dog is insane.” And, of course, there was the chewing for which Lab puppies are infamous. Soon after Buddy arrived, we began noticing spots on our doorframes, window frames and porch columns that were gnawed down to bare wood. I tried to distract him with a gigantic, $10 rawhide bone, but it vanished in less than 24 hours. Then Buddy started finding his own chew toys in the woods. The first one he brought home was a rotten deer leg. After that, he moved up to a fully intact ribcage with a spinal column. There is nothing like the decaying carcass
of a 100-pound-animal in the yard to enhance your home’s curb appeal. Chewing will probably be Buddy’s undoing. On the rare occasions when we let Buddy into the house, we have to watch him like a toddler. One night he got a Lego stuck in his throat that, for a few moments, I feared would be his last meal. We have saved him from more choking episodes than we ever did our own babies. Still, Buddy is proof that it is possible to eat an asbestos siding shingle, a rubber doormat and a large helping of charcoal briquettes and still lead a relatively normal life. He is a regular inspiration. Every single night, Buddy inexplicably drags all the blankets out of the doghouse he shares with our other dog, Lulu, and leaves them in the grass to soak in the dew. Every day, we put them back. He digs hundreds of little holes all over the farm
looking for moles. He obsessively chases the tractor, meanwhile inhaling noxious farm chemicals and zipping in and out in front of the tires. He turns over garbage cans. He tears up $60 bags of fertilizer and what else I can’t even remember. That is why Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame as a Frisbee dog is so ironic. The truth is he wouldn’t last in a Frisbee dog’s world any longer than it would take his adoptive “parents” to unrescue him, get a refund for the pet treats and cancel their membership to the doggie park. Yes, every day is an adventure with Buddy – generally more to his liking than ours – but we put up with it because of his sweet, loving spirit. Despite all the aggravation, we knew and he knew that Buddy belonged to us from the moment he showed up. Besides, we can’t get rid of Buddy now. It would be all over the papers. n
LouisianaLife.com | 7
louisiana labeled
Splashes of Heat Unparalleled sauciness in Louisiana By Jenny Peterson
To get the signature zest in any Cajun dish, hot sauce made in Louisiana is an essential tool for any chef. Louisiana-style hot sauce – or “Cajun ketchup” as it’s lovingly referred – has been made and sold for over 100 years. It’s what makes Cajun cooking so famously spicy – often transforming a dish with just a few shakes of a bottle. Worldwide, sauces come in many variations, but Cajun chefs find hot sauce made in Louisiana, with its distinct chili-pepper base, to be their first choice. Tabasco and cayenne peppers are the most popular bases, and completing the sauce can be as simple as adding salt and vinegar. 8 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
There is no hot sauce more recognized than the Tabasco brand, the No. 1 selling hot sauce in the country. The McIllhenny Co. of Avery Island has been making Tabasco (from tabasco peppers) since 1868, when Edmund McIllhenny first started selling it. McIllhenny invented the hot sauce category and the family still runs the company, with Tony Simmons, Edmund McIllhenny’s great-great grandson, as the company’s president and CEO. Simmons says, “We’ve carried on the tradition with nearly the same three all-natural ingredients for the last 146 years. We’re honored to carry on the traditions of
generations of Louisianians that came before us.” A 200-person workforce produces more than 700,000 bottles of Tabasco each day. Crystal Hot Sauce came on the scene in 1923 when Alvin and Mildred Baumer produced the first bottle at a plant on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. In the 1940s, the Baumers’ operations moved to a location at Carrollton and Tulane avenues, where it was home until Hurricane Katrina flooded the entire building in 2005. The company opened a new plant in St. John the Baptist Parish following the storm, where it still makes its Crystal Original and Crystal Extra Hot Sauce (three times hotter), as well as a number of complementary sauces, including wing sauce and steak sauce. Another long-standing brand, Frank’s Red Hot, is famous for being the primary ingredient in the first buffalo wing sauce ever made. Its history dates back to 1918 when pepper farmer Adam Estilette partnered with Jacob Frank in New Iberia to create a sauce spiced with the rich flavor of cayenne peppers. In 1920, the first bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce emerged from Estilette’s pickling plant.
The Louisiana Hot Sauce brand was the first to trademark the name for Louisiana-style hot sauce. The cayenne peppers used for the base of this unique sauce are aged for a year or more. The red dot on the label distinguishes it on the shelf. While most hot sauces are manufactured in south Louisiana, Lake Providence in upstate East Carroll parish is the home of the Panola Pepper Company and its line of items including its name brand hot sauce as well as over thirty other seasonings and condiments. Other brands, including Trappey’s Louisiana hot sauce, offer an authentic product in a different style. Trappey’s uses jalapeño chili peppers and offers pickled peppers in its line. Already an institution in Louisiana, the hot sauce trend is steadily growing nationally. Named last year as the eighth fastest-growing industry in the country by IBIS World, hot sauce is everywhere – on hot dogs, hamburgers and even as garnish for Bloody Marys. With all these brands, one thing is certain: the distinct flavor of Louisiana is found in every bottle. n
Hot Sauce Festival The 2014 Louisiana Hot Sauce Festival will be held at the Acadian Village site in Lafayette, July 19-20. There will be cooking contests, samples from companies and vendors, music, food, exhibitors and more – each with a goal of encouraging the use of hot sauce in cooking. For more information, visit lahotsaucefest.com.
Chili Peppers Louisiana-style hot sauces always have a base of chili peppers. The most common are tabasco and cayenne chili peppers. The tabasco plant produces bright yellow-green or red peppers with hints of celery and green onion flavors. The level of heat in chili peppers is measured by a Scoville scale, based on the amount of capsaicin, the heat-producing active ingredient. Pure capsaicin measures at 16 million. Tabasco peppers measure at a heat between 25,000 - 50,000. The cayenne chili pepper can be decidedly less hot, depending on the variety, ranging from a mild 3,500 to a hotter 50,000.
biz bits
Business News Corporate investments pump up Louisiana’s economy. By Kathy Finn
The industrial boom underway along the lower Mississippi River has been the stuff of news headlines as local communities anticipate job growth and new training needs. But not all of the expected employment is concentrated along the river. Here’s a look at some of the job-generating projects taking shape or being planned across Louisiana by companies based in and outside of the state.
Company comes back to its future NEW ORLEANS – The return of a longtime local shipping company holds the promise of new jobs and business expansion in the Crescent City as International Shipholding Corp. relocates its corporate headquarters from Mobile, Ala. Founded in New Orleans in 1947, ISC moved to Alabama after Hurricane Katrina but is returning with a new facility that will create about 100 new jobs. The company expects to complete its move by the end of 2015, when it will formally
10 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
begin operation of its local headquarters. ISC provides brokerage, logistics and other maritime services for a broad array of customers, including the U.S. defense and agriculture departments. New Orleans also received word recently that Phoenixbased Performance Software Corp. will develop a new software development center in the city. The company’s local focus will be on software for the energy and health care industries, and it expects to generate nearly 60 jobs to handle the work.
CB&I flexes its muscle BATON ROUGE – The legacy of The Shaw Group Inc. continues to be felt across south Louisiana as CB&I, which acquired Shaw in 2013, recently landed a blockbuster contract, along with a Japanese company, to jointly construct a $6 billion gas liquefaction plant in Hackberry. The plant, owned by Sempra and Cameron LNG LLC, will not only bring 3,000 new jobs
on-site, but will potentially create several hundred jobs at CB&I’s Louisiana fabrication facilities, and several hundred more engineering and project management jobs in the company’s Baton Rouge offices. While the project awaits permits and a final investment decision from Sempra, the company says it is on track to begin construction this year with full operation in 2019. Cyber jobs will have palpable benefits BoSSIER CITY – Employment growth is on tap in Bossier City as Virginia-based Computer Sciences Corp. has decided to place one of its technology centers in the region’s National Cyber Research Park. CSC will become an anchor tenant of the 3,000-acre research park and is taking 40,000 square feet in the park temporarily while its new, larger facility is being built. The company’s next-generation IT center will rank as one of the largest technology projects in Louisiana history and will generate 800 new direct jobs, according to the Louisiana Economic Development office. Louisiana Tech University and other institutions are expanding their computer science programs to increase the number of graduates qualified for positions such as those the new center will generate. Former paper mill shines in its new role MINDEN – A $2.5 million investment by Fibrebond Corp. will bring some 225 jobs to the area as the company expands its precast concrete shelter business at the forest products mill once operated by International Paper and Temple-Inland. The jobs come on top of the company’s 470 existing positions at its Minden headquarters and manufacturing operations.
Fibrebond will begin construction of the expanded facility shortly and aims to complete the work by the end of the year, reaching full employment by 2018.
Cool jobs coming to central Louisiana ALEXANDRIA – Cool Planet, a Denver-based energy startup recently broke ground on a $56 million bio-refinery that will produce gasoline from wood chips and other lumber industry waste and create about 70 new jobs at the Port of Alexandria. The company also plans two other such plants in Louisiana, including one to be built in Natchitoches. Cool Planet will harvest yellow-pine wood waste and forest byproducts to make gasoline at the plants. The work will begin in early 2015 at the Alexandria facility.
Cracker will be an employment powerhouse LAKE CHARLES – Giant energy and chemical corporation Sasol reported recently that it is nearing a decision on the development of a multibillion-dollar ethane cracker complex. An ethane cracker breaks natural gas into smaller molecules to make ethylene, a major component of plastic. The South African company may invest more than $7 billion in the plant, which also would include a facility to turn natural gas into diesel. Together the facilities could generate some 1,250 jobs with average salaries of $88,000, the company has said. Sasol expects to reach a final decision on the complex this year and meanwhile has partnered with local and state entities on a work force guide to help individuals in southwest Louisiana who are interested in getting a job with the company. n
LouisianaLife.com | 11
health The Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System
Medical News Health updates from around the state By Lexi Wangler
Lafayette Medical Center Becomes Trailblazer in Cardiac Technology Lafayette – On March 19, Lafayette General Medical Center became one of the first hospitals in Louisiana to utilize the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available. One-third the size of an AAA battery, the device is part of a powerful system that allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient’s heart and is implantable without IV’s, sedation or stitches. The Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System, called the LINQ ICM for short, monitors a patient’s heart rate and rhythm and provides an 12 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
electronic record of anything abnormal for up to three years. “Being the first to use technology in Acadiana is something we always take great pride in,” said Dr. Patrick J. Welch in a press release. “But this advancement ultimately means far better outcomes for our patients by reducing risks, improving our capabilities and providing greater longevity for cardiac patients.” Dr. Welch performed the procedure with help from the Lafayette General’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab staff and technological assistance from the Cardiovascular Institute of the South at Lafayette General.
LSUHSC Monitors Mental Health in Communities Affected by Oil Spill New Orleans – From fall of 2010 through fall of 2012, LSUHSC Department of Psychiatry conducted mental health surveillance in communities highly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and found even greater increases in psychiatric symptoms than predicted by the Centers for Disease Control for Prevention. More alarming symptoms included those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, generalized anxiety disorder and increases in physical symptoms. In response to these numbers, the Department of Psychiatry at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine developed a model of care to provide mental health services after the oil spill. The program reduced both mental health and general medical symptoms in an approach that combined psychiatry, psychology, social work and telemedicine resources into primary care clinics in the most affected areas. The Gulf Region Health Outreach Program and the LSUHSC work together to provide services in clinics, schools and communities. Now a possibility for communities at risk for disasters and rural communities with limited mental health resources, the initiative was featured in the March 2014 issue of the Psychiatric Services medical journal.
Ochsner Receives New Accolades New Orleans – Ochsner Medical Center has been named one of the “100 Great Hospitals in America” for the third consecutive year as of April 4 by Becker’s Hospital Review. Ochsner has nine hospitals and more than 40 health centers across the state, and is the only Louisiana hospital to be recognized by US News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across eight categories. “We are honored to be included on Becker’s annual list for a third year in a row,” said Robert Wolterman, CEO of Ochsner Medical Center. “This award speaks to the dedication and excellence displayed to our patients every day from our remarkable team of physicians and employees here in New Orleans.” The hospitals included on the annually released list are home to many medical and scientific breakthroughs, provide the best of in-class patient care and pillars of their communities, serving as academic hubs and local mainstays. Sources establishing the “100 Great Hospitals in America” list included US News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics’ 100 Top Hospitals, HealthGrades, Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the Leapfrog Group and more. Hospitals cannot pay to be included on the list. n
LouisianaLife.com | 13
great louisiana chef
RECIPE Creole Shrimp and Grits 24 jumbo shrimp 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 cup diced bell pepper 1 cup diced celery 3 large minced garlic cloves 2 ounces unsalted butter 12 grape or cherry tomatoes (halved) 1 pound andouille sausage 1 lemon 1 pint heavy whipping cream green onion for garnish
Creole seasoning 2 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon black pepper 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix Creole seasonings in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, and saute onion, bell pepper and celery for about 2 minutes. Add andouille and continue cooking.
Thad Waters Beau Vines Steakhouse, Ruston
Chef Thad Waters, a native of Ruston, was exposed to Creole food at a young age, thanks to his father, who grew up in a big family in Hammond. “I started to get into cooking at around 8 years old,” recalls Waters. “As soon as I was big enough to work the stove, I graduated my Saturday morning cartoons from cereal to eggs and bacon.” At 18, he began working in kitchens, washing dishes, and after bouncing around a few restaurants in Ruston, he got a job at 102 A Bistro. “That is where I cut my teeth in the world of true cooking,” he says. Despite not having any formal schooling in the culinary arts, he says he learned his craft from not just a lifetime of family cooking, but also from the chefs he worked for. “I have a passion for this,” he acknowledges. “Life is pretty great when you look forward to every day. I know I still have a lot to learn, and I love living in the greatest culinary state in America in which to do it.” Today he is executive chef at Beau Vines Steakhouse, a fine-dining interpretation of the classic American steakhouse in Ruston, which incorporates Waters’ Creole-cooking influences. Information, 2647 S. Service Road W., Ruston; (318) 255-1008, beauvines.com 14 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Juice half the lemon and add the shrimp, tomatoes, garlic and Creole seasoning, and reduce to medium-low heat. When the shrimp are nearly cooked, stir in the heavy cream and continue until it simmers. Salt to taste. Place your grits in the center of four bowls and use tongs to arrange shrimp around them. Slowly pour or ladle your sauce into the bowls. Garnish with green onion. Serves 4
sherry owens photograph
LouisianaLife.com | 15
roadside dining Seafood Platter
Fried Food Frenzy Along Lake Maurepas By Bernard Frugé III If you take a map of Louisiana and draw a triangle using Baton Rouge, Covington, and New Orleans as the vertices, Lake Maurepas will be at the center. Bounded by wildlife management areas and Tickfaw State Park, the Lake Maurepas area provides a nearby nature getaway for residents of southeast Louisiana. The banks of the lake are also home to two of the best fried seafood joints in the state, Charlie’s Restaurant and Middendorf’s. Charlie’s is located on the northwest side of Lake Maurepas, in the Livingston Parish town of Springfield. It gets packed right away from the early-dining crowd, but there is a large bar adjoining the entry room to ease the pain of waiting in line. We showed up on a Friday during Lent, so the place was teeming with hordes of hungry patrons. We sat down at the bar and read the giant menu. 16 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Charlie’s is a fried seafood mecca: Of the 20 appetizers on the menu, only four are not fried. In anticipation of an imminent fried feeding frenzy, I opted for the boiled shrimp appetizer. The shrimp were large and fresh and the boil was well-seasoned. It was large for an appetizer portion but I took it down quickly. Now that my palate was cleansed with something not deep-fried, I was ready to get down to serious business. We were seated in the main restaurant, which is an open 30-by-50 or so foot room filled with tables heaped with giant seafood platters. Shortly thereafter we were presented with a seafood platter, a soft-shell crab dinner and the special “seafood dip.” The dip is basically a cheese sauce with crabmeat and crawfish in it that is ladled on many of the dishes at Charlie’s, served with fried pita chips. It is extremely rich, and I would
recommend dipping everything liberally into it. The “Seafood Platter No. 1” contains catfish, shrimp and oysters. I particularly like the batter and fry job at Charlie’s; it includes plenty of cornmeal for the extra crunch. Oysters strongly benefit from the crispiness, and they were among the best offerings we sampled. The seafood was fresh and the freshly cut sweet potato fries were also delicious. The star of the show, however, was the soft-shell crab. The extracrunchy batter works very well with soft-shell crab, as crispiness complements the soft textures beneath the mushy shell. In conclusion, Charlie’s is the perfect cap to a day trip to Tickfaw State Park. Just be sure to walk every nature trail to work up an appetite, as the platters are enormous. Information, 30123 Louisiana 22, Springfield, (225) 294-0100. n
Middendorf’s The eastern side of Lake Maurepas also boasts a famous fried seafood joint, Middendorf’s. Located on the Pass Manchac waterway that connects Lake Maurepas to Lake Pontchartrain, Middendorf’s will celebrate its 80th birthday this summer. In the last few decades the restaurant has grown substantially and is now a sizeable waterfront compound featuring indoor and outdoor dining areas and bars. We got there early for lunch at 11 a.m., but by 11:30 the place was packed. The atmosphere is casual and familyfriendly; there’s even a sand pit for kids beside the rear deck. The signature dish, very thinly sliced fried catfish, originates from the original owner. Josie Middendorf’s 80-year-old recipe produces the best fried fish I have ever had, and as a Cajun from southwest Louisiana I have certainly had my share. The catfish is sliced so thin that it curls in the fryer like a potato chip. It’s light, flaky and delicious. The batter is markedly less crunchy than the cornmeal-heavy crust at Charlie’s, but it is perfectly suited to catfish. The lighter, softer-textured batter also works well for shrimp, which were fresh and delicious. Chef Horst Pfeifer and his wife, Karen, who had previous operated the upscale and elegant Bella Luna restaurant in New Orleans, made a dramatic change in locations and menus by taking over Middendorf’s after their New Orleans restaurant was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Middendorf’s is only 45 minutes from downtown New Orleans and much closer to Metairie and the Northshore. If you’re in the mood to get out of town for an afternoon or evening and eat some of the best catfish you will ever have, Middendorf’s lives up to the hype and is worth the drive. Information, 30160 Hwy. 51, Akers, (985) 386-6666 middendorfsrestaurant.com
lauren carroll photograph
LouisianaLife.com | 17
kitchen gourmet
Fresh From the Garden Using the best of what’s in season By Stanley Dry
This is a wonderful time for eating from Louisiana gardens, either yours or someone else’s. Farmer’s markets are overflowing with delicious vegetables and fruits, making decisions about what to buy and cook more difficult than usual. But what a pleasure it is to wander leisurely through the market, while working over in your mind what you will do with all the bounty in front of you. Using what is fresh and in season is the very essence of good cooking. Those fortunate enough to have their own backyard gardens know well the joy of an abundant harvest. Shopping in a farmer’s market is not the same as growing your own food, but when we arrive home laden with bags of fresh produce we face a challenge familiar to all gardeners: What can we possibly do with all those vegetables? That’s a wonderful dilemma after a winter as cold and miserable as the one we had this year, but it does mean that it’s time to get to work in the kitchen. With the heat of summer coming on, this is a good time to cook up a variety of vegetable dishes that can be refrigerated, ready to form the basis of quick meals and impromptu snacks. For those who freeze or preserve foods for the future, the coming months are a prime time to be in the kitchen making the most of the harvest. Globalization has almost obliterated the notion of seasonal foods. Since we can buy fruits and vegetables from distant countries when they are not available locally, we have lost a vital connection to the cycles of nature, as well as the periods of feasting and fasting that characterized agrarian societies. Farmers and gardeners retain that harmony with nature, and given the current fashion for eating locally grown foods, even urban dwellers can regain some of what has been lost. Whether the current enthusiasm for eating locally is merely a passing fad or a more permanent change remains to be seen. Unfortunately, many children have little or no acquaintance with fresh foods. Their diets consist mainly of fast food and processed products that come from a package or a can. Hopefully, with the proliferation of farmer’s markets, community gardens and school gardens, that will change, if even on a small scale. Two friends who spearheaded a garden project at a New Iberia elementary school report that the students there will eat anything they grow themselves. That is one of the most optimistic things I have heard in a long time. eugenia uhl photograph
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recipes Peach And Pepper Jam This bracing jam will perk up your morning toast or biscuit. As a condiment, it is particularly good with pork.
Spicy Artichokes With Lemon Mayonnaise Artichokes are made for hot weather. They can be cooked ahead and served cold or room temperature with a mayonnaise or vinaigrette.
1 1/4 pounds peaches, stoned, peeled and cut into chunks 1 cup water ½ cup sugar ½ cup lemon juice 1/4 cup minced jalapeños, or to taste
2 tablespoons Cajun/Creole seasoning 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 lemon 4 medium artichokes
Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Makes about 1½ cups.
Lemon Mayonnaise This tart mayonnaise will whet an appetite jaded by summer’s heat, whether served with artichokes, spread on a sandwich or served with cold poached fish. Making your own mayonnaise is not difficult. As you slowly add oil to the egg yolks, be sure that the two are forming an emulsion. If in doubt, stop drizzling oil and just whisk from time to time. 4 large egg yolks ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks, salt and lemon juice with a wire whisk until pale yellow and creamy. Continue beating with whisk, while slowly adding olive oil, a drop at a time in the beginning. As the mixture emulsifies, increase slightly the amount of oil you are adding, while continuing to whisk, until all the oil has been added. Add lemon zest. Transfer mayonnaise to a bowl or storage container, cover and refrigerate. Makes a bit more than 1 cup.
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Fill a large pot with one or two inches of water; add Cajun/Creole seasoning and hot sauce. Place a steamer rack in the pot. Remove large outside leaves from artichokes, cut off the tips of remaining leaves with scissors, peel stems, and cut about ½-inch off the top of each artichoke. Rub each cut with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Squeeze remaining lemon juice into pot. Place prepared artichokes on steamer rack, stems up, cover pot and steam for about 25-30 minutes. When done, leaves will come off easily when pulled. Remove artichokes with tongs and place on a rack to cool. Serve room temperature or cold with lemon mayonnaise (recipe follows). Makes 4 servings.
Peach Vinegar This vinegar will mellow and become more flavorful as it ages. 1 large peach, stoned, peeled and sliced 1 cup cane or white wine vinegar Combine peach slices and vinegar in nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. When cool, transfer to jar or bottle. Makes about 1 cup.
Twice-Cooked Green Beans With Red Bell Pepper Cooked this way, green beans are very flavorful, both crisp and chewy at the same time. The diced red pepper adds a colorful note. 1 pound green beans, trimmed 1 red bell pepper ¼ cup olive oil, divided Coarse salt Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until just tender. Drain beans in a colander and place under cold running water to cool. Drain beans thoroughly, then dry with a clean kitchen towel. Stem pepper, remove seeds and ribs and dice. Simmer in 1 tablespoon olive oil for a few minutes. Preheat broiler. In a mixing bowl, toss beans with remaining olive oil. Spread beans on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil beans, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. Serve beans sprinkled with diced pepper. Makes 4 or more servings.
Tomato Bruschetta Improvisation is the word for this tasty snack or appetizer. Good bread is imperative, but you can dress these tasty toasts as you please. If you love garlic, rub both sides of the toast with garlic; if you like, you can add some fresh basil to the tomato. But excess is no virtue here. Don’t lose sight of the fact that this is a simple and earthy preparation that shouldn’t be gussied-up too much. 4 thick slices French or Italian bread 4 garlic cloves, peeled ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 ripe tomato Coarse salt Toast bread on both sides. Rub toasted bread with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Cut tomato in half and squeeze out the juice. Chop tomato and spread on toasted bread. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Makes 4 servings.
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home
True History on False River This New Roads cottage reflects Louisiana family housing. By Bonnie Warren / Photographed by Craig Macaluso
The LeJeune House in the Pointe Coupee Parish town of New Roads is the center of the active lives of preservationists Randy Harelson and Richard Gibbs. The two fully embraced the 200-year-old home when they purchased it in 2006. The historic structure is worthy of study and preservation – measured drawings of the house are kept in the Library of Congress as part of 22 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
the Historic American Building Survey. The building is noted by local tradition as the oldest home in New Roads. Harelson, a writer, illustrator and horticulturist, and Gibbs, an architect, agree that the house is indeed an important part of the history of Louisiana. “An added bonus of purchasing this home was becoming a part of an area of our country where
preservation is revered and respected,” Harelson says as we sit on the broad gallery and turn the pages together of his recently published book New Roads and Old Rivers: Louisiana’s Historic Pointe Coupee Paris. (He collaborated with Richard Sexton and Brian J. Costello on this publication.) He loves to share the stories of each home and building in the book.
The house was part of a 500-acre plantation along the banks of False River, so named when the Mississippi River changed course in 1722 and left a lazy lake where once the mighty Mississippi flowed. Today the LeJeune House is in the heart of New Roads, surrounded by two acres shaded by a centuries-old live oak tree 20 feet around, two venerable Southern magnolias,
Facing page: Light fills the salle (salon) on the second level that is built entirely of cypress. Mary Magill Gibbs, Richard’s mother, who studied and taught at Parsons in Paris in the 1930s, painted the watercolors over the sofa. Many of the antiques throughout the home came from Randy and Richard’s parents. Top: The first property in New Roads to be designated on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the LeJeune House has seen many changes over the years. The Creole house, typical of Pointe Coupee vernacular architecture, was refashioned in the Greek Revival style later in the 19th century. Bottom, left: Richard Gibbs and Randy Harelson Bottom, right: A pigeonnier, a structure intended to house pigeons, has a place of honor in the garden.
vegetable and flower gardens, a greenhouse and a new barn, designed to look as if it had
always been on the property. “The original house is believed to have been built in
the early 1800s,” Gibbs says. “It is an early Creole house refashioned in the Greek Revival style later in the 19th century. Our house has no internal hallways and features the main living quarters on the second floor. The basement is built of briquette entre poteaux (brick-between-posts), and the main living floor upstairs is constructed of wood frame filled with bousillage (mud and
moss). The house was built without nails.” “Our home is a genuine, old Louisiana family house,” Harelson adds. “In its whole life, it was never abandoned; it was always lived in. It has been here since Louisiana became a state, and it has seen great wealth and dire poverty, but it has always retained its dignity and simple beauty.” LouisianaLife.com | 23
He continues: “The LeJeune House was the first property in New Roads to be designated on the National Register of Historic Places. We marvel each day of our good fortune in finding this house. It’s a comfortable retreat for us to cherish and enjoy at this time in our lives. We hope that it will still be here 200 years from now, and that it will always be loved and cared for by people who love history, culture and fine old gardens.” n
Top, left: The historic bed in the master bedroom was purchased at the Mary Plantation auction in Braithwaite. Top, right: The cozy kitchen on the first level has modern conveniences within the original structure of the old house. Bottom, left: Oscar and Miss Press enjoy nap time in the guest bedroom on the first floor. Bottom, right: A weathered birdhouse made by neighbor Gerald Guidroz is nestled within azaleas and ardesia in a corner garden. Facing page, top: The ground-floor dining room is furnished with an antique American mahogany table and gondola chairs similar to furnishings brought into New Orleans from New York and Philadelphia around 1830. Facing page, bottom: A wall in the Randy’s downstairs office has been peeled back to show the brick between posts construction.
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art
Return to Spring Creek A Rapides artist specializes in Central Louisiana landscapes. By John R. Kemp
Like so many artists who have looked to Louisiana’s natural landscape, Margie Tate finds her expression not in the coastal marshes or swamps but in the forests, glades and along the creeks that cut through the countryside of Central Louisiana. There, she lives and paints on a secluded hill surrounded by pines, live oaks, large azaleas and memories. 26 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Her paintings are not grand sweeps of the landscape but more intimate and contemplative settings enveloped by warm light and the forest. Tate’s ethereal landscapes evoke a sense of peace and beauty, and the artist’s lifelong connection to a place. The place is the small community of McNary, located in Rapides Parish southwest of Alexandria
along Highway 165 between Glenmora and Forest Hill. In 1998, Tate and her family returned to McNary after living away for almost 30 years. They bought a house and land close to her childhood home. “Most of my landscapes are of rural Central Louisiana where I grew up,” says Tate, who was born in nearby Lecompte. “Coming back to live here revives childhood
memories. This is home. I remember walks through the piney woods, the rolling hills and the icy cold water of Spring Creek, where we would shiver and our lips would turn blue, but we didn’t want to leave the swimming hole. When I come upon the creek now with light shimmering through the trees, it still inspires me to capture its essence.”
As evident in paintings such as Creek Bank Symphony, Spring Creek Memories and Bridge Over Creek, the narrow, meandering Spring Creek has had special meaning to her. “Over many years I have painted the creek, which is walking distance from where we live now,” she says. “Creeks are one of my favorite things to paint, not rivers. I like the closed intimate landscape and the lushness of our summer greens and abundance of pines and hardwoods. I also am drawn to azaleas and dogwood in the spring, fall colors, piney woods, trails through the woods, dappled light, old buildings, rolling hills and cloud formations and shadow patterns – ordinary subjects which I hope to allow to transcend into art.” Tate describes herself as a continuous student of art and painting. She received a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, during which time she also took private lessons with Monroe artist Don Cincone. Over the years Tate also attended painting workshops given by nationally acclaimed artists including pastel painting with Alan Flattmann, oil portraiture with Daniel Greene and William Kalwick, watercolor with Lian Zhen, and plein air landscape painting with Morgan Samuel Price and Stapleton Kearns. She also admires the work of John Singer Sargent, Vermeer and other artists whose books and published works have influenced her through “osmosis.” LouisianaLife.com | 27
All of these influences, including her mother’s creativity and her father’s love of learning, have left their mark on her paintings. “Although I have studied under many artists, the style of my work is a composite of all my influences and painting experience,” she explains. “Learning to paint is a cumulative experience. I have been a student of art for more than 35 years. I feel that the best way to study painting is to paint. I found out early that you never quit learning to paint; just trying another media can keep you humble. Painting is one of the few things you can get better at as you get older. I have experimented extensively with and explored the unique qualities of each of the different media: oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastel. My favorite medium is oil paint. I love its richness, permanence, flexibility and ease of framing. Every medium 28 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
that I have tried has taught me something that helps me enrich my oil paintings.” Like many artists, Tate enjoys working en plein air, or on location, and in the studio. “Even though I can easily compose from a reference photograph and don’t have to contend with changes of light and weather conditions in the studio, I prefer to paint from life, whether landscape, still life or portraits,” she explains. “Plein air painting is fresh, exciting, sometimes frustrating but fulfilling. It makes you see better and compose and paint faster to capture the subject before the light changes. In the studio later, I can manipulate color and value and add detail.” Tate approaches her paintings with a light touch that creates mood and depth much like the light, airy images created in the late 19th century by the French Impressionists.
Like memories, her scenes seem to be more about light and shadows and how they play upon the landscape. Her paintings call to mind what Claude Monet once said about his own work: “My only desire is an intimate fusion with nature.” Tate reveals similar thoughts about what she paints and what she hopes to express in her compositions. “What I try to capture is light,” she explains. “Light is what draws me to a subject, whether grand or ordinary. It may be reflections and shadows on water, dappled light filtering through the trees or a strong light showing form. I try to capture the beauty that light reveals. I don’t try to say anything in particular. Hopefully, the piece itself will speak to the viewer. I try to reveal the beauty in ordinary places and hopefully the viewer will have a emotional response.
I call it ‘color poetry.’ ” Through light and composition, Tate continues, “I make a concentrated effort to transcend the ordinary in everyday life and find beauty, poetry and an emotional response. My paintings show my love of color, nature and light. My observation and kinship with nature has inspired most of my artwork, but I am also inspired by my observation and kinship with actual paint during the process. I love the endless possibilities of paint.” n
for more information To see additional paintings by Tate, visit the Natchitoches Art Guild Gallery in Natchitoches, and, in Alexandria, the Gallery House, River Oaks Square Arts Center and the Alexandria Museum of Art.
portrait photo by Margie Tate
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traveler Main Street, Springhill
Life at the Top Boom or Bust on La. 2 Paul F. Stahls Jr.
Both born in the northwest corner of Louisiana, Highways 1 and 2 soon part company, one bound for the Gulf of Mexico and the other crossing our tiptop tier of parishes to the Mississippi. As La. 1 leads to the land of Cajun cabins and sauce piquant, La. 2 leads through Louisiana’s piece of the pioneer South, with its log
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cabin landmarks and cornmeal catfish – a seriously busy but seriously beautiful region, its terrain and citizens best described by the placenames: Springhill, Summerfield, Oak Grove, Plain Dealing, Goodwill. Through it all the old road rolls along, taking the pine-hill highs and hardwood bottoms as they come, skirting mossy-cypress
lakes and rolling farmlands, its path beribboned with bayous and bejeweled with pretty towns. Because the highway’s four westernmost parishes are bonded by a history of risky businesses, like farming, wildcatting, steamboat/railroad ventures and modern-day gaming, La. 2’s trek through that stretch has been dubbed the “Boom or Bust Byway” by Louisiana’s Trails & Byways program, described by Byways director Doug Bourgeois (Culture, Recreation and Tourism Dept.) as “essentially the old Scenic Byways program
of the 1990s but with a strong new emphasis on local history and traditions.” Colorful Boom or Bust signs mark the route, kiosks extol local history and recreational assets, and an audio-visual guide is available from Google Play, the iTunes app store and boomorbustbyway.com (or by “checking out” a GPS device or downloading to an iPhone at state or local welcome centers). While you’re at it, stick with La. 2 through all eight of the top-layer parishes, exploring the cities, snapshooting landmark homes on the National Register of Historic Places, and, everywhere, sampling upwards of 20 state and federal parks, refuges and forests. For an early start, it’s best to overnight in ShreveportBossier, since Step 1 is a drive up La. 1 to connect with La. 2, and there’s nothing like a bedand-breakfast for getting to know historic homes and local characters. Shreveport’s first and oldest (1870) is Fairfield Place at 2221 Fairfield Ave. – (318) 848-7776 –where you can launch your tour in grand style in a veritable gallery of art from around Louisiana and the world, with a breakfast feast conceived by owner/ restaurateur John Cariere himself or built on a memory from his family’s 80-year history at the Cotton Bowl (on Fairfield near the inn). From Texas Street, where a statue of folksinger, bluesman and composer Huddie Ledbetter stands near the classic Caddo Courthouse, take La.1 to the Caddo Lake town of Mooringsport where blues pilgrims can detour 7.0 miles south on La. 169 and 2.2 west on sometimes-identified Parish Rt. 6 to the “Leadbelly” monument at Shiloh Church. Then (or “instead”) drive
Lynn Dorsey photo
through Mooringsport to its Mini-Museum (facing the Post Office on Croom Street), filled with arts and artifacts related to Caddo Indians, Leadbelly, steamboating and early oil drilling – by appointment, (318) 996-7660. Croom Street (La. 538) leads past a century-old Waddell vertical-lift bridge (National Register) to connect with La. 1, which passes 40-acre Williamson Park at lakeside on the way to Oil City (home of the Gusher Days Fest, first Saturday of May). There take Savage Street to the
accoutrements and regional history. A block away on La.1 (111 N. Pine), a 1931 Chevy dealership houses Sandra Stevens and Joey Platt’s auto and motorcycle collection— beauties like a 1930 Model A and ultra-rare ‘66 Dodge Hemi—free by appointment, (318) 453-2136, or by request at their restaurant called Rascal’s (just steps away at 117 W. Louisiana) where the lunch buffet offers bonafide Southern cooking. The woods are still full of “grasshopper” oil pumps as La. 2 heads east past big Black 1860 log cabin in Ford Museum
State Oil and Gas Museum (Wednesday-Friday only) filled with its hands-on artifacts and wax-figure-populated wigwams, oil-worker houses, saloon and rigs. Outside are a National Register bank, vintage KCS depot and (across the tracks) a vast and impressive “oilfield junkyard,” and just up Land Avenue is the studio of book restoration artist James Jackson Jr. (restorabook.com). Next comes Vivian (home of the Redbud Festival in March) where a right on E. Louisiana leads to a Boom or Bust kiosk and Railroad Station Museum, a National Register KCS station where visitors can expect a warm Betty Matthews welcome and intriguing collections of depot
David Watson photo
Bayou Lake and Preserve to Hosston, and there a 4-mile sidetrip leads down U.S. 71 to the Red River Crossroads Museum (a half-block off 71 on Main Street in Gilliam), with its nostalgic glimpses of river-valley life. Call (318) 296-4303 for schedule. Bonus: 71 passes beneath a brand new stretch of I-49, last link in the Louisiana-to-Kansas City connection and biggest quantum-leap in transportation hereabouts since the KCS. East of Hosston, passing pastures and fertile farms, La. 2 crosses Red River, rises into gentle pine hills, enters Bossier Parish and soon arrives in Plain Dealing, with its Boom or Bust kiosk (a block beyond La.3) and “Mayberry” business district.
Fifteen miles later the road crosses big Bodcau Wildlife Management Area (hunting, swamp walks, camping and boating) as it enters Webster Parish, where two potential sidetrips depart from the town of Sarepta. The first leads 6 miles down U.S. 371 to visit the old town of Cotton Valley and to see the 1870 Greek Revival manor called Hodges House (private – a euphemism for “let ‘em alone”). The second option would take you to Springhill (with its big PRCA Rodeo May 30-June 1), where Arkansas Street leads to Arkansas, specifically to the town of Welcome, which saved the cost of a second sign. After a stop at the Springhill Chamber/Info Center (400 N. Giles at Main Street), proceed to the highlight of your visit: the pleasure of dining, shopping and maybe catching a movie along broad and handsome Main Street, with its vintage storefronts and 1946 (but big-screen) Spring Theater (a new or old show nightly). Now take La. 157 and 159 east and south to Shongaloo to rejoin La. 2 for a pine-hill ride to Homer, with its traditional town square crowned by the 1840 Claiborne Parish courthouse. Other National Register landmarks include the Todd-Moss House, N. 5th at W. 3rd; Capers-McKenzie House at 708 Belmont; and nearby Monk-Richardson House on Richardson Loop (off North La.9 at Parish Rt. 39), all built in the 1850s, all Greek Revival, all private. The Ford Museum (9a.m.-4 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday) grew from the collections of the late Herbert S. Ford and in 1982 occupied four levels of the 1890 Claiborne Hotel on the square. The floorplan involves an ingenious interweaving of large items like the full-size façade of a
traditional barn, moonshine still, ancient pirogue, 1925 Ford and an entire 1860 hewnand-pegged log cabin from Haynesville, while betwixt and between are nestled such smaller-item categories as quilts, church bells, Indian artifacts and oil-drilling paraphernalia. Just east of town on La. 2 you’ll find a Boom or Bust kiosk at Lisbon Landing, on 6,400-acre Lake Claiborne, and here the byway ends with a loop around the lake via La.2 east, La. 518 south (notice the 1859 Killgore House at the turn, private), then back to Homer on La. 114 (passing the entrance to Lake Claiborne State Park with its cabins and campsites, hiking and biking trails, boat and canoe rentals, nature center and sand beach). So here La. 2 begins its jaunt through the eastern parishes, but start by detouring up La. 9 from Homer through a scenic stretch of Kisatchie National Forest. It’s 10 miles to Moon’s (delight of the steak and barbecue crowd), then another 10 (through Summerfield) to the entrance of Kisatchie’s Caney District, where an immediate right and two-mile drive on the forest road lead to free-use Corney Lake Recreation Area. Most of Caney’s hiking-biking-camping activities can be found at other sections, near Homer and Minden, but Corney Lake with its fishing pier and launches is a favorite for beginner and veteran fishermen, a mecca for turkey and duck hunters and, with its pavilion and barbecue pits, beloved by locals and travelers. Back on La. 9 take the eight-mile drive (so you can say you did) up to Junction City. Grab a bite at the Dual State Grill on Main Street and, after reading the marker heralding the meetingplace of two states,
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Kisatchie’s Corney Lake
a county and two parishes, take each other’s pictures on State Line Road and head south on U.S.167 to the historic Union Parish town of Bernice. Just north of town, turn west and drive a mile on Alternate 2 to sweet little Sweet Onion (National Register, private), an 1865 heart-pine beauty with front loggia and external (English) chimneys, then follow 167 to the city tourist center – 115 W. 4th, (318) 285-9333 – for tips on points of interest. Who knew, for instance, that the Rock Island Line, made famous by Leadbelly’s song, stretched to Louisiana? Well, Gladys Harkins remembers, and she’ll be waiting (10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday) at the 1899 Rock Island depot to tell the stories and share the artifacts of the little museum – 426 E. 4th, (318) 285-2433. For us kids, the highlight of a La. 2 adventure might just be the 1939 caboose sidetracked by the depot, it’s child-high display cases filled with vintage toys that include, of course, a Rock Island train set. For a quick nine-mile sidetrip, take U.S. 167 south to Dubach to see two pristine log dogtrots, starting with the 1883 Colvin House facing 167 at Boulevard Street, recently moved from the nearby Mineral Springs community 32 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
and restored to serve as Dubach’s Dogtrot Welcome Center (travel information plus tours and giftshop). A block farther, turn right to follow westbound La. 151/152 (Hico Street) to the 1849 Absalom Autrey House standing at the fork of the two roads. The Colvin House will not open till this summer, and the Autrey House schedule is temporarily in flux – call the Lincoln Parish Museum at (318) 251-0018 for current status – but both are accessible anytime for exterior inspection and for walking through the center breezeways to read interpretive materials. Eastbound from Bernice on La. 2, exit south on Evergreen Road (Parish Rt. 4410) to enter Lake D’Arbonne State Park, with its launches and piers, trails, beach and cabins – (318) 368-2086. A mile later the road crosses a leg of the immense lake and enters Farmerville (Union Parish seat and host of the ever popular Watermelon Festival in July), and there to greet you is a dramatic view of a giant Queen Anne Victorian named Edgewood. The National Register mansion, built in 1902 and recently restored, now serves as a lavish B&B – edgewoodplantationlouisiana.com, (318) 368-9709. East of town La. 2 skirts D’Arbonne National Wildlife
Refuge (via La. 143, hunting, horses, hiking and birdwatching) and soon crosses into Morehouse Parish and merges with U.S. 165 for the ride to Bastrop, known for its 1914 Beaux Art courthouse. The square is lined with offices, antiques shops, 1925-ish Rose Theater and, of course, a city café (P.T.’s Eat a Bite). Other points of interest are Gothic 1875 Christ Episcopal at 206 S. Locust and the Snyder Museum at 1620 E. Washington (La. 2), open Tuesday-Friday. Vintage farm equipment is displayed in and around the old Snyder carriage house, and the 1929 mansion itself was transformed in 1972 by its art gallery, artifacts and library into a genteel glimpse of the city’s past. A Visitor Center at 124 N. Washington – (318) 281-0911, morehouse.com – can also provide directions to nearby parish attractions like the hiking and canoe trails of Chemin-a-Haut State Park (10 miles north on the bluffs of Bayou Bartholomew), and to the William B. Reily Nature Preserve called Kalorama, 8 miles south at 7197 Collinston Road (La. 593). Kalorama was the summer retreat of the Reily family, owners of Luzianne Coffee, where songbirds and native wildlife feel at home and native plants and old-forest trees cover the steep ridges of the Bastrop Bluff formation. Call (318) 874-7777 or visit kalorama.org for schedule or appointments. East of Bastrop La.2 leads down the old divided Main Street of beautiful Mer Rouge (“M’Rouge,” originally named Prairie Mer Rouge for the acres of red sedge found there by settlers), and soon crosses the Boeuf River into West Carroll Parish. Next comes Goodwill near some units of Colewa
Bayou Wildlife Management Area, known by doves and dove hunters for its sunflower fields) to the handsome columned courthouse and brick storefronts of Oak Grove. Bayou MaÇon marks the East Carroll line and gives us the Bayou MaÇon Wildlife Management Area, and 6 miles later good old La. 2 comes to an end at an oxbow lake and parish seat, both named Lake Providence. It’s three miles down U.S. 65 to the Louisiana Cotton Museum (Tuesday-Saturday), built around the original Hood family house, with a replica cotton gin where artifacts and life-size dioramas tell cotton’s 300-year history in the state. The Byerley House Visitor Center at 600 Lake Street (U.S. 65) – open daily, (318) 559-5125 – is a circa-1900 Queen Anne that now dispenses information on the old River city’s Historic District plus directions to such landmarks as the 1901 and 1937 old and “new” courthouses and circa-1832 Arlington Plantation (214 Arlington St., private). The most dramatic landmark, however, is directly across the highway from Byerley House: a small park featuring a 600-foot boardwalk alongside a 1,000-foot length of Grant’s Canal, the remains of Gen. Grant’s failed attempt to create westbank detours around Vicksburg for his troop transports in 1863. Departing Lake Providence it’s a quick drive down U.S. 65 to I-20, but take La. 134 instead, and stop at the Poverty Point mounds on Bayou MaÇon, “largest of the old and oldest of the large” mound complexes in America. n
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to do
Louisiana’s craft beer industry bubbles to life By Megan Hill
isit the Abita Brewing Company’s Northshore tasting room any given weekend, and you’ll likely be met with a parking lot jammed with cars and a throng of fans waiting in the French Quarterstyle courtyard for a tour and a chance to pull the taps for free beer. Inside, still more people are buying T-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, glassware and growlers filled to take home. Flat-screen televisions display information about Abita’s history and beer-making process before visitors shuffle through the brewery itself, past towering stainless steel fermentation tanks. It wasn’t always so happening here. Until 1994,
Photographed by Eugenia Uhl
taking a tour at Abita’s current location was much more low-key. You could sip beer outside at an aging picnic table, and it’s likely you’d only be joined by a handful of other people. Tours started and ended in an employee break room with a few taps and an old couch. “Luckily grunge was in back then,” says company president David Blossman. Abita’s original site is now a 100-seat restaurant, the Abita Brewpub. Abita is growing still, about 15 percent a year in terms of production, says Blossman. Visitors continue to pour into the brew house – so much so that Abita has already outgrown its “new” space, which is only a few years old.
A $12 million expansion is in the works, which will increase the brewery’s beer-making capacity significantly and give visitors more elbow room. Abita’s continued expansion has made it the 14th-largest craft brewing company in the country based on volume. Abita’s growth isn’t happening in a vacuum. In 2006, Abita was the state’s only craft brewery (generally defined as a smaller, independently owned brewery with an emphasis on tastes and techniques). Today, there are seven in Louisiana: Abita, Bayou Teche Biere in Arnaudville, Covington Brewhouse, Chafunkta Brewing Company in Mandeville, NOLA Brewing LouisianaLife.com | 35
in New Orleans, Parish Brewing Company in Broussard and Tin Roof Brewing Company in Baton Rouge. More are slated to open throughout this year, including Gnarly Barley in the Hammond area, 40 Arpent in Arabi, Mudbug Brewery in Thibodaux, and Courtyard Brewery and Cajun Fire Brewing in New Orleans. What was once a latent industry is suddenly booming. The Story Behind the Growth Every beer nerd seems to have a slightly different take on the reasons fueling this growth. In New Orleans, brewers point to the city’s rebounding after Katrina and the influx of young entrepreneurs from other places – beer-loving places like Washington State, Oregon and California. Abita is certainly benefiting from the Northshore’s post-Katrina growth. And others point to Louisiana’s slow, cautious approach when following national trends. For Kirk Coco, who started NOLA Brewing, New Orleans’ postKatrina atmosphere drove him to start a business. “I was a naval officer and was stationed up in Seattle when Katrina hit,” Coco says. “I was born and raised in New Orleans, and I had to come back home as soon as the levees broke. I made a vow to come back, but I had no idea what I was going to do.” Coco helped friends and family members gut their homes while tossing around ideas for his next move. “I was drinking Dixie beer pretty religiously just to support the local brewery, and one day I read on the bottle it was being made in Wisconsin. I was like, I can’t believe we don’t have a brewery in the city anymore,” he
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says. Little by little, he gathered supporters and got started, though Coco says banks were dubious about supporting a new business in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction. “You had to convince people in fact there would be a city, and it was going to continue to grow again – and then you had to hopefully sell people on the idea you knew what the hell you were doing,” Coco says. NOLA Brewing is alone no longer. They’ll soon be joined by Cajun Fire Brewing, which founder and brewmaster Jon Renthrope hopes will open later this year. Renthrope, a New Orleans native, won a grant from Idea Village, a business incubator, for his brewery. Renthrope’s journey reflects the experience of a growing number of people –nationally and in Louisiana – who are interested in local, craft food and beverages either as consumers or as hobbyists. More and more are turning a foodie passion into a hobby into a business. For Renthrope, it was going to college in Gainesville, Fla., that ignited a passion for his hometown’s cuisine. “When I moved out there, the first thing I wanted was to find some seafood,” Renthrope says. “Gainesville is in central Florida, so it doesn’t have access to fresh seafood. I’m a bayou boy so I need my fresh seafood. I had to learn how to cook a lot, and I just started developing a passion for culinary arts.” Craft beer seemed like a natural extension of his growing interest, especially given his limited college-student budget. “My first batch came out extremely well. The batch after that turned out trash,” Renthrope says. “But that first batch inspired me to keep going. I moved back to
the city and kept home brewing, looking into the market and noticing a huge void. I took the risk and it’s been paying off since.”
A Natural Progression It stands to reason that Louisiana, with its nationally respected cuisine, would add beer to the mix eventually, says Josh Erickson, who started Mandeville’s Chafunkta Brewing Co. with his wife, Jamie. “We have the best food in the country, why can’t we have the best beer? A lot of the same art, creativity, and passion you find in great chefs and the foods they prepare, you can also find in great brewers and the beer they brew,” Erickson says. Chafunkta opened in June 2011 with just two beers, the Voo Ka Ray IPA, and the Old 504 coffee porter. They’ve since added a third, a cream ale called Kingfish Ale, which will be sold on draft and in six packs throughout the southeastern part of the state starting this May. Renthrope says Louisiana residents are so thirsty for craft beer, outsiders are taking note. “Right now it’s a situation where if a local company doesn’t capitalize on it, we’re seeing outside companies looking in and trying to capitalize on the market,” he says, pointing to out-of-town craft breweries like New Belgium Brewing, the Fort Collins, Colo.-based company that is a favorite in other areas but only started distributing in Louisiana last spring. “They’re breaking into the market and doing well.” Exotic Brews Craft beer is growing, and consumers’ palates are evolving too. They’re not just reaching for a generic, Budweiser-style lager;
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they’re increasingly curious, and increasingly educated about styles previously thought to be exotic and thus not marketable here. “If you think about it when Abita Amber first came out it was a radical beer for the market. It really was,” says Blossman. “There wasn’t anything like it out at that time and I think that our consumer has evolved with us. I think we’ll see more of that and I find the craft consumer really enjoys experimenting with different flavors and styles. And we want to make sure we have something to offer them.” NOLA Brewing’s Coco says his time in Seattle gave him a unique perspective on the industry. In the Northwest, bitter, hoppy India Pale Ales (IPAs) are common. That’s not the case in Louisiana, but things, naturally are evolving. “We started with our brown and blonde ales which are really approachable beer,” Coco says of his brewery’s first products. “We were dealing with a ridiculously unknowledgeable customer base at the start. Any time anybody tried to introduce hops or any unusual style it completely died. The first time we made an IPA it was seasonal because we didn’t think people would buy it.” Coco says NOLA’s IPA is now its second most popular beer. Coco says he was seeing New Orleanians’ taste buds evolving in part because of the influx of out-of-town newcomers, people from beer-loving places like Colorado and Oregon who moved temporarily or permanently to help out after the storm, or to help revive what they viewed as a national treasure in the city of New Orleans. “Those people who came in – they were like, ‘Where the hell’s all the craft beer?’ So it worked out great because they kind of built our customer base themselves,” Coco
says. NOLA has since branched out even beyond the basic IPA, producing an imperial IPA, which is even hoppier and typically has an alcohol content above 7.5 percent by volume and a cask-conditioned ale, which is unfiltered and unpasteurized and is not bottled. “When we did it, no one knew what the hell it was,” Coco recalls. “But it was a huge success.” This meteoric growth in the Louisiana’s craft beer industry is following a national trend of an increase in small-producer beer. The U.S. craft beer industry grew by 15 percent by volume in 2012 and 17 percent in retail dollars, reports the Brewers Association. And 48 states brewed more craft beer in 2012 than in 2011. But until lately, much of that growth has centered around the West Coast, where craft breweries are plentiful. Louisiana’s seven craft breweries pale in comparison to Washington State’s over 150, and California’s over 300. Still, Louisiana is getting there. “The Gulf South is like the last bastion of tradition, whatever it is,” Coco says. “My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, ‘You want to find out what’s going to happen in Louisiana 10 years from now, look at what California is doing now. We were just very slow to change and we take a look at everything a little closer than the rest of the country does and we make our decisions very slowly. But part of that is a good thing, I think. Certainly keeps us steeped in our traditions, which is something our tourists love and we love and makes us distinctive in the country.” Pushing the Flavor Envelope Louisiana may be following a national trend, but our local breweries are putting a unique
spin on beer flavors, creating brews unique to what’s grown and eaten locally. This state’s craft brewers are putting their own stamp on the industry, from what they put in their beer to what they name their creations: Cajun Fire plans to release a Praline Ale, with praline mix added to the boil; upcoming brewery 40 Arpent, set to open in Arabi this spring, will brew a café au lait beer and Red Bean Ale, a red ale made with red beans; Abita brews seasonal beers with Louisianagrown strawberries, grapefruit, satsumas and pecans; and NOLA’s 7th Street Wheat is made with lemon and basil. These beers are often designed to complement dishes unique to Louisiana: Abita hopes you’ll pair their Amber with boudin or the Andygator with crawfish or fried foods. You won’t find a grapefruit or praline beer on the West Coast. “We tend to not follow rules very well,” Coco says of Louisianians. “That helps, too, because some people will go, ‘You can’t do that to beer.’ And we go, ‘Yeah, we can. Look, we just did it.’” Chafunkta’s Erickson thrives on that anything-goes philosophy. “This is what we really enjoy about our jobs,” he says. “There are no limits, no boundaries, no rules on how far you can take a beer. Granted, it does need to sell, but the trend continues that people out there – besides us – want these crazy, creative, unique beers, things that they’ve never tried or would ever think of, and this makes our job that much easier. Creativity, personality, uniqueness, all things that thrive in Louisiana and the craft beer industry.” A growing number of Louisianans will gladly drink to that. n
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L
RobuSt Progress Encouraging news about the state’s economy By Kathy Finn 40 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
ouisiana has done a better job than most other states of capitalizing on its resources in recent years to stave off the effects of national economic recession. Two Louisiana State University economists documented the state’s progress and offered a look into the future in a recent “economic outlook” published by LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business. In their report, Professor emeritus Loren Scott and Professor James Richardson predicted “very robust progress” for Louisiana as it adds nearly 68,000 jobs during the next two years. “If our forecasts are near the mark, sometime in 2015 Louisiana will have more than 2 million people employed for the first time in its history,” they wrote. The economists noted, however, that progress “will be geographically uneven, with regions along and below I-10 performing much better than the central and northern areas of the state.” Scott and Richardson said they are keeping close watch on certain assumptions, including: • Expectations that oil prices will hover around $95 per barrel as more oil comes on the market from the shalefracturing process. “This price will still make the Gulf of Mexico a very profitable field for exploration,” they predicted. • Projections of continued low natural gas pricing at around $4 per million BTUs, “due to the ocean of this fuel that has” become available through shale fracturing. • A continuation of the boom in Louisiana’s chemical industry stemming from low-cost natural gas. The economists also are keeping a wary eye on three unknowns: • how much money will be pumped into the Louisiana economy via payments by BP PLC in connection with its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; • whether the new National Flood Insurance Program will be fully enacted once the current hold on implementation expires; • what the impact of the federal budget cuts, and particularly Defense Department budget reductions, will be on Louisiana businesses and military facilities. Keeping all these issues in mind, the following highlights from the report by Scott and Richardson offer a revealing look at the future of six Louisiana regions. Joseph Daniel Fiedler illustration
GREATER NEW ORLEANS As the past nine years have clearly shown, New Orleans is coming back strongly from its darkest hour. The city has recovered from the disastrous hurricane and flood of 2005 to the point where it is projected to add about 11,000 jobs in the near term, bringing employment to almost 90 percent of the pre-Hurricane Katrina level. New Orleans managed this despite the loss of 3,500 jobs at Huntington Ingalls’ Avondale shipyard. Massive amounts of spending to rebuild houses, flood-protection levees and other public works helped buoy the local economy through the recent national downturn, and an estimated $12.6 billion in construction spending will continue driving economic expansion, the LSU economists say. Completion of a 400-bed hospital in 2015 to replace Big Charity hospital will generate about 1,000 jobs in a complex that will include several medical buildings. At the same downtown site, a nearly $1 billion 200-bed Veterans Affairs hospital is taking shape, slated to employ 2,220 people when it opens in 2016. A stalwart in the New Orleans region is Textron Marine & Land Systems, a builder of military vehicles that employs nearly 1,000 and has continued to land big international contracts even as domestic defense spending declines. Employment also is picking up at the Michoud Assembly Facility, with several NASA space projects under way,
along with Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing of tanks to hold liquefied natural gas. The USDA Finance Center located on this eastern New Orleans campus employs 1,300 people, and economic development officials are chasing nearly a dozen more potential new projects for the site. One of the great non-manufacturing wins for the region was drawing GE Capital’s Technology Center to New Orleans last year, bringing the prospect of 300 new jobs by 2015. “The region has also become a worldwide leader in coastal sustainability,” Richardson says, noting that the city is equipping itself to “export its knowledge” to flood-prone areas throughout the world. Other parts of the region that lie closer to the Gulf of Mexico also have prospered. Houma and Port Fourchon are exploding with economic activity after suffering through the oil and gas pullback that followed the BP oil spill of 2010. Houma has added 4,700 jobs in the past two years, and the economists say it is on track to continue the growth. Supported by such oilfield service companies as Gulf Island Fabrication and Edison Chouest Offshore, the area “will break through the 100,000 employment mark for the first time in its history” next year, they predict.
Baton Rouge/Plantation Country The state capital region is known for its colorful political history and many stately mansions that reflect the economy of a bygone era. But today, the most prominent economic feature of Louisiana’s plantation country is an unprecedented industrial expansion. “It is difficult to temper one’s optimism about the future for the Baton Rouge area,” Scott and Richardson wrote in their report. Their statement is impressive given that this area lost more than 10,000 jobs during the economic recession of 2008-2010. The capital region’s recovery has been striking. By the end of 2013, new hiring had not only offset all the job losses but was putting the area on track to set new employment records. The nine-parish metropolitan area is benefiting from some $20 billion in industrial projects that will nearly double the demand for construction workers in the region during the coming year alone, the economists say. Big names in the petrochemical industry, ranging from BASF, Methanex and Georgia Pacific to Honeywell, Shintech and Dow Chemical, are building or expanding plants to take advantage of low-cost natural gas that can not only fuel their manufacturing operations but in some cases serve as feedstock for the chemical products they produce.
Other industrial projects under way include ExxonMobil’s new synthetic aviation oil blending center, which will make Port Allen the world’s largest producer of finished lubricants. Genesis Energy soon will complete an 18-mile pipeline from Port Hudson to the ExxonMobil Refinery; Trafigura is doing preliminary work for a $270 million coal export terminal near Geismar; and not far away Avalon Rare Metals plans a rare earth metals separation plant. All of this activity is helping to boost business at the Port of Baton Rouge, which has made considerable investment into its own expansions. Meanwhile, the area is experiencing a technology boomlet, with IBM bringing an 800-person technology center to the capital city, and Ameritas Technologies on its way to becoming a 300-employee operation. In all, the economists estimate nearly 22,000 new jobs will come to plantation country, including East and West Feliciana, Pointe Coupee and St. Helena parishes, during the next two years.
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Acadiana Anchored by the cities of Lafayette and Lake Charles, the culturally rich region known as Cajun Country has economic assets that reach well beyond infectious music and boiled crawfish. Known for a high-quality local work force, the area has capitalized on its wealth of underground resources and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Charles is the fastestgrowing metropolitan area in the state, LSU economists say. The economy of the area, encompassing Calcasieu and Cameron parishes and beyond, is largely focused on chemical production and refining, with almost two dozen chemical plants and two refineries employing nearly 7,000 people. The plants also are generating a large number of construction and other jobs related to expansion and maintenance. The economists predict that Lake Charles will add almost 8,000 jobs during the next two years, driven by $40 billion worth of plant construction. Leading the way are new terminals to handle the exporting of liquefied natural gas, which has become feasible because the ready availability and low price of Louisiana’s gas are attracting buyers from afar. “It’s very important for relatively inexpensive natural gas to continue to be available because it’s all built around that,” Richardson says.
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Northwestern louisiana Gambling is another economic lynchpin in southwestern Louisiana, and a large new Golden Nugget casino and 700-room hotel soon will expand on the success of two gaming establishments already operating in the area. Meanwhile, several large aircraft repair and maintenance employers, including Northrop Grumman and CB&I Modular Solutions, anchor the growing activity at Chennault Industrial Airpark. To the east, in Lafayette, economists say about 4,000 new jobs are on tap stemming from a surge in oil and gas exploration. With deep-water drilling ships predicted to increase by more than 60 percent, service firms will be hiring. And several exploration companies and related firms have major expansions under way in locations including Broussard, Youngsville and St. Martin Parish. Important sources of non-energy jobs in Lafayette include ambulance provider Acadian Cos., which employs about 1,200 local people; jewelry setting manufacturer Stuller Settings, with about 1,200 employees; physician staffing company Schumacher Group; and the expanding Lafayette General Medical Center and Park Place Surgical Hospital.
With an estimated 175,000 jobs, the parishes of Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto have the highest concentration of durable goods manufacturing in the state, and recently, several players in this sector have come on strong, including cellular tower maker CellXion, kitchen appliance maker Frymaster and Ternium, a steel components manufacturer. The region is also home to the state’s largest and most successful gambling market, encompassing six riverboat casinos and a race track casino that employ more than 6,000 people. Meanwhile, some 12,000 military and civilian workers earn their living at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City. Though the region is home to diverse business interests, a single industry delivered what the LSU economists term “a huge economic jolt” in the past decade when natural gas producers learned how to extract the gas from shale that lies beneath much of this region. When they began using a rock-fracturing process to force the gas from the shale, the industry took off in a big way. The Haynesville Shale deposit drew billions of dollars of investment and made millionaires of local owners of gas-rich property. While extraction activity has tapered off, the mineral leases remain important to the area,
and when demand for the gas rises – as commodities experts believe it eventually will – shale fracturing will pick up steam. The Haynesville resource and activity at Barksdale, which gained more than 1,000 jobs related to the Defense Department’s Global Strike Command, helped offset job losses in other sectors, including a shutdown by General Motors and layoffs at two Georgia Pacific plants. But challenges remain, including a recent decline in military jobs related to federal budget cuts. Still, Richardson believes northwestern Louisiana will return to growth. The Port of Caddo-Bossier soon will be home to a new $900 million manufacturing complex of Benteler Steel Tube, which expects to employ 675 local people. And custom-printed paper packaging company Ronpak invested in a new manufacturing center that will employ about 175 workers. Meanwhile, the opening of a new Margaritaville Casino will help buoy the area. “The region has enough job diversity to maintain steady growth,” Richardson says, predicting the addition of about 1,800 jobs through the end of 2015.
Northeastern Louisiana With a history rooted in agriculture, and lacking the underground mineral resources that have enriched other parts of the state, northeastern Louisiana has found attracting industry and jobs a challenge, and LSU economists expect this will be the state’s “quietest” region during the next few years. That said, the area has scored some economic “wins” in recent years, and employment has risen in its largest city, Monroe. A major driver of economic activity is the Fortune 500 telecommunications company CenturyLink, which has been expanding aggressively through acquisition. Last year the company made a commitment to keep its headquarters in Monroe through 2020 and broke ground on a new Technology Center of Excellence, which expands its local footprint by 250,000 square feet. The project will help fulfill the company’s promise of 800 new jobs and push the company’s statewide annual payroll past $200 million. CenturyLink currently employs some 2,000 people in the local area. “The great hope is that as CenturyLink continues to grow it will attract many of its vendors – such as KPMG, Ericsson and Huawei – to the city,” the LSU economists wrote in their report.
More growth lies ahead as package carrier FedEx is building a new $30 million, 50,000-square foot distribution center in Monroe. And Gardner Denver Thomas, which relocated its Wisconsin pump and compressor operations to the area in 2010 with an eye towards a total workforce of 225, has been so successful that it now employs 300. Elsewhere in the region, Foster Farms reopened the shuttered Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing plant in Union Parish and has grown employment back up to 1,200 workers. In nearby Sterlington, Angus Chemical invested about $100 million in its plant, which helped the firm remain productive enough to retain its 174 jobs. And Graphic Packaging International, which employs about 450 local people in West Monroe, recently expanded its local consumer carton plant with a $9 million investment that adds about 50 more jobs. The LSU economists predict that northeastern Louisiana will continue to gain employment ground inches at a time over the next few years.
Central Louisiana With rolling hills and the city of Alexandria at its heart, central Louisiana is home to several key industries, including durable goods manufacturing and forestry products. Both are vulnerable to economic recessions, as workers saw during the downturn of 2008-2010. Union Tank Car, Dresser Industries and Louisiana Hardwood Products all laid off workers, and International Paper closed its Pineville mill. But after several years of job losses, LSU economists are projecting that employment in the region will edge up during the next two years. Two biofuels companies – Sundrop Fuels and Cool Planet Energy – are making big investments in the area, and Pineville-based Crest Industries is expanding its headquarters in a move that will create 90 new jobs. In addition, business outsourcing company Sutherland Global Services announced it would open an operations center in Alexandria that will employ some 600 people. Alexandria will also get a new 150-person Immigration and Customs Transfer facility at England Airpark, which is investing about $10 million in site upgrades. Meanwhile, several stalwart employers continue to anchor the region’s economy. Procter and Gamble employs more than 1,000 workers and
contractors in Pineville, while Roy O. Martin Company, which operates three lumber and wood facilities in the region, employs 1,200 local people and is investing $20 million to expand its plywood plant in Chopin. Pineville-headquartered utility company Cleco could add to its 1,300 employees in coming years. Government employment is important in this area, as evidenced by the 400-employee Huey P. Long Medical Center (which is being taken over by two of the private hospitals in the region), and Pinecrest Support and Services Center for the mentally disabled, which employs 1,300 people. Central State Hospital for the mentally ill has about 300 workers, and nearby Fort Polk is the largest military installation in the state. In addition, Camp Beauregard, a 12,000-acre site near Pineville that’s devoted to training for the Louisiana Army National Guard, accounts for more than 800 active guardsmen, civilians and state military personnel. LSU’s economists say a potential hope for the local economy is the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale natural gas deposit. If demand for natural gas picks up, shale-fracturing producers might become more interested in central Louisiana.
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net gains SHRIMPING INDUSTRY FLOURISHES DESPITE PROBLEMS. Written & Photographed by John N. Felsher
FOR CENTURIES, Louisiana fishermen thrived off the bounty found in the extremely fertile coastal waters nourished by the Mississippi, Atchafalaya and other rivers. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana produces more than 76 percent of all seafood coming from the Gulf of Mexico and 34 percent of the total from the contiguous United States, landings worth about $2.5 billion annually. Shrimp typically account for more than 60 percent of Louisiana seafood harvests. Consistently leading the nation, Louisiana shrimpers traditionally catch 45 percent of the Gulf landings and 29 percent of the national total. In 2012, Louisiana shrimpers landed 100.4 million pounds. These numbers come despite shrimpers facing enormous problems during the past 10 years. Several hurricanes between 2005 and 2012 devastated the shrimping fleet. In 2010, just as the industry began to recover from the storms, a massive Gulf oil spill shut down fishing in many areas. Some areas remain off limits. In addition, competition from foreign imports, rising fuel prices and federal regulations makes life tough for shrimpers. Many shrimpers, some following traditions going back several generations, called it quits in recent years. “My grandfather started shrimping in a sailing schooner before he had an engine on his boat,” says Clint Guidry of Lafitte, president and CEO of the 600-member Louisiana Shrimping Association. “My dad was a shrimper all his life. I did it on and off for all of my 65 years. From 2003 to 2009, Louisiana lost 75 percent of its offshore shrimping fleet and 40 percent of the inshore fleet. We’ve been through a lot in the past 10 years, but we’re still here.” The good news is, with fewer boats working coastal waters, shrimpers earn more for their catches now. In addition, worldwide production dropped recently because shrimp raised in ponds overseas started dying mysteriously from something called Early Mortality Syndrome. With demand for shrimp high and fewer imports reaching American ports, remaining Louisiana shrimpers can better support their families. “Early Mortality Syndrome only affects pond-raised shrimp, not wild shrimp,” explains David Chauvin, who owns David Chauvin’s Seafood Company and Bluewater Shrimp Company in Dulac. “It does not affect humans at all. Since EMS caused a global shortage of shrimp, prices rose. That’s actually good for people making a living off wild shrimp.” Unlike in other states where most shrimpers work for large seafood corporations, Louisiana shrimpers typically own and operate their own boats. About 3,000 of the 5,500 Louisiana shrimpers run smaller boats to fish bays and estuaries between the Sabine and Pearl rivers. Larger boats head offshore. “Louisiana has one of the biggest inshore fleets of any state,” Guidry says. “Most Louisiana shrimp boats are
TOP LEFT: Live shrimp go into the bait tank after a good trawl.TOP RIGHT: Droopy Williams deploys his net to catch shrimp. BOTTOM: Sea birds flock to a shrimp boat preparing to anchor after a night of trawling in the Gulf of Mexico south of Cocodrie.
independently owned and operated by families going back many generations. People can catch shrimp in all Louisiana coastal waters, but historically, Barataria Bay and the Terrebonne Basin are some of the best places for shrimp. The Mississippi Basin, from Pearl River to the mouth of the Mississippi River also produces a lot of shrimp.” These small, independent fishermen keep up with shrimp movements so they can catch enough crustaceans to feed their families and pay their bills. Captains running smaller inshore boats, usually with one deckhand or family member helping, frequently leave the dock around 5 p.m. during the season. Since everything eats the “bread of the sea,” shrimp frequently hide during the day and move at night. Shrimpers return to the dock around sunrise, hopefully with several hundred pounds of succulent crustaceans to sell. Larger boats may stay out several weeks, depending upon how long it takes to fill their holds with shrimp or how much fuel and supplies they can carry. A big offshore boat might carry a captain and four to five deck hands. Some boats ice their catch and some boats carry their own refrigeration systems that allow them to stay at sea as long as their fuel and supplies last. Both boat types use trawls to net their shrimp. Larger boats may deploy two nets off booms hanging over the sides and pull one or two nets directly behind the boat. Large wooden or aluminum planning boards spread the nets open as the boat moves. In inshore waters, smaller boats often hang skimmer nets off the sides to fish shallow estuaries.
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“Skimmer nets can fish in different water depths,” Chauvin explains. “Skimmers work best at night because shrimp are nocturnal animals. During the day, they hide from predators because just about everything eats a shrimp. Shrimp bury themselves in the mud or sand and come out at night when they are less likely to get eaten.” Louisiana shrimpers mainly catch two species – brown and white shrimp. Both species live in the vast Louisiana estuaries and migrate out to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. When spawning, a single female shrimp may produce more than a million offspring. “The two species have similar life cycles, but spawn at different times,” says Martin Bourgeois, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries marine biologist in Baton Rouge. “Brown shrimp spawning peaks in winter, whereas white shrimp spawning peaks in early summer.” When a boat full of shrimp docks, the captain negotiates to sell the catch for the best price. Larger shrimp bring in more money per pound. With money in hand, the boat captain resupplies his vessel for the next trip out while the processor prepares the shrimp for human consumption and shipping to a distributor or directly to restaurants. “We process about 10 million pounds per year,” Chauvin says. “Probably 60 to 70 percent of what we process is sold in Louisiana. The rest goes to other states. When people go to restaurants or grocery stores to buy shrimp, they should ask where the shrimp originated. I urge everyone to demand Louisiana shrimp.” Catching shrimp remains hard, dirty work, but most shrimpers would never consider doing anything else. They rebuild after storms, fight escalating costs and overcome other obstacles to bring succulent crustaceans to seafood lovers everywhere – just like their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers did. n
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Booty’s Street Food
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the Foodie Trail inLuscious Louisiana Chasing delectable bites, from the back roads to the storied neighborhoods, funky enclaves and hip city streets By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry
Memorial Day weekend
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kicks off the sizzling summer travel season. If you’re in the process of dreaming up a new adventure that’s a departure from sitting under a beach umbrella, consider planning a foodcentric holiday that is culturally rich and closer to home. In Louisiana, where every city and town boasts gifted home cooks and passionate chefs, you can easily hit gastronomic gold while coming across a terrific little seafood joint or diner at a fork in the road, on a moss-draped bayou or in a charming old neighborhood off the beaten path.
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Booty’s Street Food
Another Side of New Orleans Our journey through south, central and north Louisiana begins in New Orleans, the food-crazed city of almost 1,400 restaurants (600 more since Katrina). More than 10 percent of the jobs in the metro area are in the restaurant biz, compared to an 8.2 percent average nationwide. We’re not visiting the usual star-chef or rising star establishments, the old-line dynasty landmarks or the new James Beard awardwinning places in the Big Easy this time. Instead, we head off the grid and into the bohemian Bywater/Marigny area, just past the fabled French Quarter. A subculture unto itself, blossoming Bywater is at the forefront of the city’s contemporary arts scene, and is home to an edgier enclave of restaurants, bars and galleries. Our foray into Bywater begins on a steamy, starlit Friday night. We pass the thumping clubs of Frenchmen Street, including my favorite
Mint
spot, Three Muses (great gourmet small plates and jazz; thethreemuses.com), and continue in the direction of hotelier Sean Cummings’ graffiti-bedecked Rice Mill Lofts, gazing into the big windows of Chef Ian Schoenbelen’s Italian-inspired Mariza (marizaneworleans.com). Instead of pricey food art, we’re on a quest for the casual, hipsterstyle Booty’s Street Food, (bootysnola.com) where there zany rotating bathroom
photo courtesy: booty’s street food; mint
art exhibits add to the overall allure. Chef Michael Capalango is churning out his minimalist, globally inspired small plates tonight. We notice the unicorn behind the bar, a symbol of the owners’ popular Unicorn Booty website. The eatery is their first “blog-to-brick” project. We sample a crisp Japanese salad in a refreshing ginger-sesame vinaigrette topped with tofu while dunking skewers of grilled
Brazilian cheese into pools of oregano-flecked olive oil, and nibbling on lithe Korean tacos with a spicy-sour kimchi edge. We cool off with creamy Japanese mango coconut custard and the chef’s latest dessert creation, studded with nuts atop luscious lavender cream cheese. Chef tells us all about Booty’s new dessert and sweets shop opening in July 2014 and also discloses news about a larger Booty’s restaurant opening next year in the same area. After a few light bites, we head to Mimi’s in the Marigny (mimisinthemarigny.net) for some dancing and tapas, then stop by briefly at the Country Club New Orleans (thecountryclubneworleans. com) a Bywater neighborhood “secret” ($10 cover for the pool; open to the public). Housed in an Italianate raised center hall cottage, this off-the-radar spot houses a restaurant, bar and a large saltwater pool area (be prepared: pool clothing is optional!). For the final touch, we stop in at Mardi Gras Zone, (mardigraszone.com) a wacky all-hours grocery serving up hot pizza and cool trinkets to night owls. The next day we stroll down Freret Street, the continually evolving Uptown stretch of eateries and music spots. We visit the hot new Mint, a sleek Vietnamese restaurant and bar that opened in January, bedecked with whimsical chandeliers and flat screens galore. We grab a bar stool and enjoy the view and some Vietnamese
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San Francisco Plantation
iced coffee and tapioca smoothies, then check out a few steampunk-inspired eateries, coffee houses and hip cafés and land at Chef Adolfo Garcia’s High Hat (highhatcafe.com) diner for Abita root beer floats and gumbo. George Porter is taking the stage later at the cavernous Publiq House. We end the evening on South Carrollton at Rock ‘n’ Bowl (rocknbowl.com) with the cowboy-hat dudes twirling ladies to the irresistible zydeco beat.
Capitol Summer
The next weekend, I take the long, scenic route to Baton Rouge, that culturally rich, “friendly big city with a small-town feel” in the heart of Plantation Country to meet up with a couple from Avignon, France, and their three children. I travel toward
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the storied plantations on the Great River Road, which is invariably called La. and Route 44 and 75 on the east bank of the river, and Route or La. 18 on the West Bank. Watching the sun sparkling across green fields, I meander past ancient oaks, 23 miles upriver from New Orleans, and drive past Destrehan Plantation and continue 18 more miles to San Francisco Plantation, the steamboat Gothic marvel in Garyville. Heading toward Donaldsonville, after crossing the Sunshine Bridge, I take Highway 70 to the rickety old railroad tracks and drive until the road splits, landing up at the art-filled Grapevine Café and Gallery (grapevinecafeandgallery.com). I always come for the white
chocolate bread pudding, made by chef-owner Cynthia Schneider. She joined chefs John Folse and Emeril Lagasse to prepare it at a James Beard Foundation dinner in New York City; Schneider was the former head chef of Café des Amis in Breaux Bridge. After a tall glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, I head to another favorite spot just outside of Baton Rouge on the
Tsunami
Iberia Parish line and enjoy a light lunch at Roberto’s River Road Restaurant (robertosrestaurant.net) on Highway 75 in Sunshine. Nestled in an obscure little house facing the levee, it produces smooth-asvelvet cream of brie soup with oodles of lump crabmeat, and lovely fried green tomatoes. Once in Baton Rouge, I spend the day with family
breakfast at Frank’s (franksrestaurantla.net), a great old diner with a smokehouse next door, decorated with animal trophies and machine parts. We love the famous biscuits hot from the oven, especially those topped with pools of lemony hollandaise studded with shrimp. Great sausage sampler, fluffy short stacks with melted Reese’s, and buttery crawfish omelets with a peppery little kick. After breakfast, we’re headed into a pink-hued sunrise towards Lafayette, while the little ones fall back to sleep in the rear seats, tummies full of pancakes and syrup, their little blonde curls bobbing gently down the smooth highway. French Press
exploring the sites including the Louisiana Art and Science Museum (lasm.org) that’s housed in an old railroad depot. We view the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, the mesmerizing Chaos and Order show and the soaring planet tower with Saturn’s huge 15-foot rings. We head to the 125,000-square-foot Shaw Center for the Arts (shawcenter.org) for dinner at Tsunami, (servingsushi.com), and relax on the breezy sixth floor terrace. On Saturday morning, we catch a cooking demo at the Red Stick Farmer’s Market, and enjoy some take-out fried seafood from Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli (tonyseafood.
com) where the catfish are pulled out of the tank live, then cooked for patrons on the other side. Adding to the explosion of live music venues is the chic new Blues Room, (facebook. com/pages/the-blues-room). We head there after a quick stop at the earthy little petfriendly BYOB Red Dragon Listening Room (reddragonlr. com). We check out the hopping Mud and Water (facebook.com/mudandwater) hidden under the Mississippi River Bridge and end up at an old shotgun house featuring blues acts in nearby Zachary, Teddy’s Juke Joint, strewn with Christmas lights year ‘round (teddysjukejoint.com). The following morning, we do an ambitious 5:30
photo courtesy: san francisco plantation; tsunami; french press
Allons a Lafayette, Mon Cher!
After fighting light morning traffic, it’s a straight shot to Lafayette on I-10 through the murky swamplands and across those time-worn bridges edging the small towns and obscure country roads, some without names. Since we have just a short time to spend in the area, I bring the family to get oriented at Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife Park (vermilionville. org). We begin by taking a self-guided tour around the grounds to view the restored buildings that date back to 1765. At 1 p.m., it’s time for the Cajun jam session led by the Huval family of Breaux Bridge. A few young local musicians sit in for the jam session, and the kids get up and dance, but not the Cajun way. That lesson will come later. For lunch, we decided
on the down-home little Olde Tyme Grocery (oldtymegrocery.com), where the poor boy French bread has just the right crackle to the crust, and you can enjoy snowballs (sugar-free, too) right behind the little joint at Murph’s Olde Tyme Snowball Stand. (Tip: poor boys are half-price after 6 p.m.). Since our Avignon guests are asking to see some live crawfish or crabs, we take a short drive to the Fruit Stand, a rustic little place that is adjoined to Ferdi’s Market and Café in nearby Breaux Bridge. At the market, we order some fresh rabbit, frog legs and alligator meat as gifts for our hosts. The children slurp on smoothies while gazing in utter horror at the slow-moving live crabs, which the owners throw into the boiling pot. We poke around the quaint antique shops, and head back to Lafayette to view the Memorial Retrospective Exhibition at the George Rodrigue Studio (georgerodrigue.com) near the Oil Center (on view until January, 2015), then head to Café Vermilionville (cafev. com) where we enjoy crispy braised pork belly with truffled white bean puree, puffy crawfish beignets flecked with bacon, dark and rich turkey gumbo and some fresh sea bass for dinner. After a memorable repast, we cool off with some fall-down fun at Planet Ice Skating Rink (planeticerinkla.com; summer ice skating session are held May 29-July 31). We hit two more great foodie spots before leaving Lafayette, Ruffino’s on
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Janohn’s
Landry Vineyards
the River (ruffinoslafayette. com) for dinner and the French Press for breakfast (thefrenchpresslafayette.com) where James Beard nominated, Chef Justin Girouard serves the kids banana pancakes. I’ve been coming here since it opened and I always order my cousin Roland’s LeBlanc’s Cane Jelly with the fried chicken and waffles with Steen’s Syrup that’s made in my hometown; I usually direct newcomers to the popular Cajun Benedict, simply because Girouard explained to me once about the odd way he came to invent the dish made with Hebert’s Meat Market boudin blended photo courtesy: louisianatravel.com;
with poached eggs topped with gumbo. But visitors love such novelties, and so does the national press. Baton Rouge chef Peter Sclafani’s latest success, Ruffino’s is our final stop on the culinary tour. We feast on his butternut squash and shrimp bisque, and marinated broiled pork chops Tchoupitoulas topped with enormous, zesty barbecue shrimp while gazing over the serene water. After dinner, we head to the wildly popular Blue Moon (bluemoonpresents. com) for some steamy Cajun dancing and honky-tonking under the stars.
The following weekend, I load up the car with rods and reels, camping gear (just in case), and riding boots for the Hayes E. Daze Lodge and Hemphill Horse Farms (they provide guided rides along the trails in Kisatchie National Forest, www.fs.usda. gov/kisatchie). Planning to meet up with a couple of equestrian friends for some outdoor adventures, with fishing side trips that include dropping a line at Indian Creek, I head up to Alexandria/Pineville in central Louisiana, where the cypress-studded lakes, moss-draped bayous, rushing rivers and cold water creeks attract anglers, boaters and water sports enthusiasts from afar. All paddles are up for the colorful Louisiana Dragon Boat Races May 10 and the second annual Alex River Fête (facebook.com/alexriverfete), presented by the Alexandria Museum of Art. Folks gather for a view of the rolling Red River from the Riverfront Amphitheater, while families gather at the water’s edge for impromptu picnics and boating throughout the summer. Before our outdoor adventures, we explore the five galleries of the Alexandria Museum of Art (themuseum. org; tip: check out the popular after-five yoga classes). Next, we stop to see the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (sfxcathedral.org) built in 1898; it was once home to General and Mrs. George C. Armstrong Custer during the Civil War Reconstruction and contains over 50 priceless windows. The stately Kent Plantation
House (www.kenthouse.org) is next on our agenda, a FrenchCreole manse completed in 1800 and the oldest standing structure in Central Louisiana. Out of curiosity, we check out the Silver Dollar Pawn and Jewelry, home of the History Channel’s hit series, Cajun Pawn Stars, and it’s everything we expected, and then some! We get in one more stop at the intriguing River Oaks Square Arts Center (riveroaksartcenter.com), which is home to over 30 resident artists. We check out the circa 1899 Bolton House and the rather new studio annex, and chat with some of the artists as they work on various projects. It was finally time for our group of foodies to gather for a memorable meal at Verona Italian Ristorante, a hidden gem near the Alexandria Zoo. It’s a charming, cozy restaurant and the owner, Tony, comes out to greet guests like family. We enjoy the succulent, plump lamb chops au jus and some ultra-fresh red snapper, tender pillows of ravioli cradling moist chunks of lobster, and the melt-in-themouth, silken tiramisu before floating to our hotel on a cloud of bliss. The next morning, before packing up for all the outdoor adventures, we enjoy breakfast at Atwood’s Bakery and Deli (bakingmemories. com), where we nibble on eggs Benedict, flaky croissants and buttery biscuits, plus a slice of their bundt cake studded with walnuts and scented with apples and hints of cinnamon. Before leaving town, someone suggests that we check out Janohn’s in nearby Boyce (facebook. LouisianaLife.com | 55
Calling All Duck Commanders
After Alexandria, we head to our final Louisiana destination on the way to Linden, where we have a culinary weekend planned at the Comodore, with a side trip to Amber Falls Winery. We are northward bound to the Monroe-West Monroe vicinity. We’ve recently heard the latest skinny about the Robertsons’ (of Duck Dynasty fame) new guided tour that was created by the CVB. We also want to check out some great little eateries in the area. First stop on our culinary journey is the cozy, 40-seat Not Just Pie, ((318) 322-9928), a popular café in Monroe since the mid-1980s. We savor the creamy shrimp bisque, chunky chicken pot pie, overstuffed roast beef poor boy dripping with luscious brown gravy (the French bread is from Gambino’s in New Orleans), plus slices of summer blueberry cheesecake and strawberry-banana pie. We end up taking an entire 56 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
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com/janohnsrestaurant). We get in some fishing and riding first, and then return for a trip down Highway 1 to the sophisticated but tiny restaurant that’s nestled inside an old cotton gin and run by a Cordon Bleutrained chef (it’s only open Wednesday-Saturday). We decide to dine at the bar. The two best dishes of the night: a juicy, pepper-crusted, mesquite-smoked filet mignon and a pecan-dusted fresh grouper atop a bed of creamy risotto, flecked with crabmeat and finished with a velvety beurre blanc and the slightest drizzle of Steen’s cane syrup.
caramel banana pie with oodles of fresh whipped cream “to go” since it is, hands-down, the best pie of the pickings. Next stop is a visit to Landry Vineyards (landryvineyards. com) where we are led into the tasting room to sip, savor and learn about the upcoming summer outdoor concerts (June 7 and July 19). Back at our B&B, the newly refurbished Hamilton House Inn (hamiltonhouseinn. com) located in the historic Cotton Port District of West Monroe, we relax in style before going on our celebrity sightings hunt. First, we browse through the circa 1920s Tudor-style building that houses the Mansur Museum of Art (mansurmuseum.org) which is currently holding their 51st annual juried art competition until June 14 (showcasing works by contemporary artists throughout the U.S.). Later, we feast like kings at the Waterfront Grill (waterfrontgrill.com), which offers a splendid view of the bayou (torches are lit at night). We enjoy cool, tall cocktails with cracked ice out on the deck, moving indoors for pan-seared ahi tuna, and the surf-and-turf fashioned with a thick and juicy Black Angus hand-cut ribeye served with a succulent, tender lobster tail destined for drawn butter and a squeeze of lemon. The following day, we tour the lovely Biedenharn Museum and Gardens (bmuseum.org) and view the elegant home of Joseph Biedenharns (the first bottler of Coca-Cola) and his lush gardens. After a shopping spree through Antique Alley, we dine at Big Momma’s Fine Foods ((318) 388-5678), a
Hamilton House Inn
great little obscure soul food joint with huge portions. Yummy pork chops, greens, fried chicken, and hot-water cornbread, a house specialty, served up with soft butter and warm smiles. We planned this leg of the trip after learning that Gov. Jindal traveled to West Monroe in the spring to the Duck Commander headquarters, where he presented the Robertson family with the inaugural Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. We visit the Robertsons’ headquarters and their adjacent shop (duckcommander.com), where around 5,000 visitors are now showing up on the weekends, resulting in a tourism boon. The CVB’s new visitor guide that was released in February (monroewwestmonroe.org) and self-guided tour of all the various spots where Duck Dynasty episodes have been filmed is all the rage. As friends pose for pictures near the enormous duck call in the shop, we are pleasantly surprised to have a celeb sighting after all, when Si
Robertson strolls in for a minute. Cameras whir. It’s the perfect ending to our travels through all the little country roads and scenic highways, where every day brings joyful dining to passionate foodies seeking adventure. First stop on our culinary tour is Nonna (Italian for grandmother), a new Italian eatery with a charming courtyard in the heart of Monroe’s Garden District. It was opened by chef Corey Bahr (Restaurant Cotton) just two weeks after he was named as the Gulf Coast region’s “People’s Best New Chef 2014” by Food and Wine magazine. We savored the house-made pasta laced with moist rabbit and mushrooms and the mouthwatering panéed veal with lemon, sage and mascarpone and ended with a delicious olive oil cake laced with Limoncello cream and vanilla gelato presented in a tiny cast iron pot. Check out the hilarious “Blue Haired Angels” portraits of local grandmas.
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Louisiana Destinations:
Celebrate Summer Statewide Indoor exhibits, outdoor excitement—there’s always a lot going on across Louisiana in the summertime. Sunny festivals, scenic roads and waterways, historical tours and celebrations, and an undying love of savory, spicy, and sweet foods make this state a favorite for visitors and a lifelong home to residents. May and June present a long list of offerings for things to do and places to see, so load up and take a day, weekend, or weeklong trip across Sportsman’s Paradise for an unforgettable adventure. The following parishes, cities, and towns offer a multitude of events and destinations founded on family and fun, and from “roughin’ it” camping to luxurious resort stays, the perfect accommodations await.
Parishes, Cities & Towns Visit beautiful Bayou Lafourche for a wide array of unique Louisiana events and destinations. The good times start rolling this spring and summer at the Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair & Parade on May 1-4. On June 6-8, The Bon Mangé Festival takes over Gheens with food, music and carnival rides. Get your fishin’ rods ready for the Golden Meadow-Fourchon International Tarpon Rodeo July 3-5 at Moran’s Marina in Fourchon, and celebrate the 4th of July this year with fireworks, food and fun at the Let Freedom Ring Festival at Peltier Park in Thibodaux. Summer is also a great time of year to venture outdoors and see Louisiana’s unique wetlands on one of the area’s many available swamp tours, or learn about the area’s history at the Jean Lafitte National
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Park Wetlands Acadian Culture Center. Additionally, don’t forget to take the kids by the new Bayou Country Children’s Museum in Thibodaux for a day full of fun and adventure. Find endless events and attractions at visitlafourche.com and experience all Lafourche has to offer. Surrounded by the waters of Bayou Teche, the 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 spring or summer 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 number one golf course in Louisiana by Golfweek Magazine in 2008 and 2009. This spring, St Mary Parish is alive with festivals and events including the Jet Ski Hydro Race, Bayou BBQ Bash and the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival. For more information, visit cajuncoast.com. St. Martin Parish draws visitors year-round with welcoming hospitality, world-class music and famous local cuisine. Accommodations include beautiful B&B’s, cabins, campgrounds and chain hotels. Breaux Bridge offers an array of shopping, antiquing and world-renowned 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 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.
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photos courtesy louisiana office of tourism
Natchitoches
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. Outdoors enthusiasts should take advantage of numerous canoe/kayak/bicycle rentals. Highlights of year-round events include the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Creole Zydeco & Okra Festival, Rice & Gravy Cookoff, See “where Cajun began,” at CajunCountry.org. Natchitoches (Nack-a-tish), the oldest city in Louisiana, is celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2014. Chances are, the thing you’ll love most about Natchitoches, aside from the famous meat pies, is the charming 33-block National Historic Landmark District, a shopper’s paradise and a bed & breakfast lover’s dream. Natchitoches, well known for the filming of Steel Magnolias, is full of anniversary activities throughout 2014. Join them on May 24 for the Fleur de Lis Arts and Crafts Festival indoors at the Events Center, plan a “Girls Getaway” weekend with special events on June 6-8, celebrate July 4th on the banks of Cane River Lake with a spectacular firework show, and celebrate their Tricentennial during the
Rayne
Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival on July 18-19 in historic Natchitoches. In all of Louisiana, no other place as unique as the Cane River Country exists. Visit Natchitoches.com for travel information, or call 1-800-259-1714. Let Mansura, Louisiana (Avoyelles Parish) do the cooking for you this Mother’s Day Weekend. The 40th annual Cochon de Lait Festival held in the Cochon de Lait Capitale of the World will begin on Thursday, May 8th and end on Sunday, May 22nd with the grand feast. Whether you want to enter the hog-calling contest, eat your way through the boudin eating contest or dance your night away in the street, find it all in downtown Mansura (318-964-2152). Culture continues to delight May 16-18 at the 19th annual Tunica Biloxi Pow-Wow. The Chief Joseph Alcide Pierite Pow-Wow Grounds provides the perfect setting for festive and colorful dance and music competitions. Native Americans from throughout North American meet annually to compete for the coveted awards. Aw Shucks! Head to Bunkie for the 28th Louisiana Corn Festival on June 13-15, the family festival destination for “corny contests”. Avoyelles is the “Destination Festival for 4th of July,” with live music, food, bbq
cook-off and parade beginning at 11am in downtown Marksville. Contact the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism (800-833-4195) for details, find them on Facebook, and visit LouisianaTravel.com when planning your Louisiana vacation. 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, LA, 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, LA, and visit the Le Vieux Presbytere Museum with bousillage, mud walls. Roberts Cove, LA, is home to the LouisianaLife.com | 71
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South West Louisiana German Heritage Museum and the popular Germanfest. For more information, events, destinations and festival dates check out AcadiaTourism.org or call 877-783-2109. 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. Stroll through Abbeville’s Annual Daylily Festival and Garden Show held on June 1 in historic downtown. Hundreds of plants, garden items and more will be for sale in Magdalen Square. While in Abbeville, visit the Depot at Magdalen Place, an authentic freight depot with two cabooses for gift shopping and more. Farmers Markets abound this summer. Find one in Kaplan every 2nd Saturday of the month (337-643-2400). Call for dates and info on the following: Erath Farmers Market at Erath City Park (337-522-2338), Delcambre Seafood & Farmers Market at Shrimp Festival Grounds (800-884-6120 ext. 6), and Abbeville’s Farmers Market at Magdalen Square (337-898-6600). For more destinations, events and travel ideas, visit MostCajun.com. Webster Parish, in the piney hills of Northwest Louisiana, is a beautiful destination for a safe, fun and familyfriendly outing. Just 30 miles east of Shreveport, the natural beauty and historic charms of the region draw visitors, festivalgoers and even professional filmmakers. This summer, Webster Parish warms 72 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Lafayette up with the Heflin Sawmill Festival on May 3rd followed by the grand opening of Muddy Bottoms ATV and Recreational Park during Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26. This will be the largest ATV park of its kind in the nation, offering 5,000 acres of an ATV rider’s paradise featuring RV hook-ups, pro shop and general store, fueling station, garage and repair facility with mechanics, bath house with hot showers, spray park for the kids, an amphitheater and more. Visit muddybottoms.com for info. For more information on Webster Parish festivals and fun, call 800-2MINDEN or check out visitwebster.net. With summer on its way, it’s time to start daydreaming about summer vacations and quick weekend getaways for you or the whole family. Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana is right down the road with a variety of attractions and fun times. How many other places have the diverse combination of casino gaming and big city living so close to Louisiana’s Outback? Luxurious accommodations, top entertainment and a variety of dining experiences are always in full swing at Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel, the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel and L’Auberge Casino Resort. Golf links and boudin links are hot in Southwest Louisiana, with many public courses to explore. Plus, the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail aims to please your Cajun cravings. Get outdoors and drive down the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road. From birding to spotting an alligator to crabbing for blue crabs there are many adventures to be found along the trail.
For more information on attractions, casino gaming, live entertainment, outdoor recreation and festivals, visit visitlakecharles.org/stepout or call 800-456-4952. At the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun Country, Lafayette is known for letting the good times roll or, as they like to say, laissez les bons temps rouler. That’s in large part because Lafayette has a festival for everything, from beer to boudin, steampunk to sugarcane, gumbo to gratons and anything else you can imagine. No matter what time of year you visit Cajun Country, there’s always something to celebrate. One summer-long celebration that taps into the area’s savory cuisine is EatLafayette, which takes place June 16 – September 1. Locals and visitors alike are invited to manger at more than 70 of the area’s well known and not so well known locally owned eateries to celebrate Lafayette as one of the tastiest towns of the South. For a list of participating restaurants and specials being offered, visit EatLafayette.com. For more events, destinations, and information, visit the city online at Lafayette.travel. For a spring or summer festival adventure, let Houma be your passport to Louisiana’s Bayou Country. With thrilling swamp tours, a wildlife park and alligator farm, world-class charter fishing and a wide assortment of festivals, fairs, fetes, fais do dos and more, there’s always something fun to do. A terrific lineup of family-friendly events includes the TFAE 5K Run for Excellence and Cajun Food Fest presented by The Courier on May 10 with a one mile Fun
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photos courtesy louisiana office of tourism
Lafitte Run, Walk, 5K race and plenty of food to delight. For great South Louisiana music, food and family fun, make plans to attend the Stomp’n on da Bayou Music Festival on May 30 through June 1 at the Evergreen Cajun Center, 4694 West Main Street. On July 5, salute the flag with family fun at the Houma/Terrebonne Independence Day Celebration, which features a Memorial Service at Houma’s Veteran’s Memorial; the Patriots Parade; entertainment and food at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center; the Independence Day Dash sponsored by the Bayou Runners Association; and a fireworks show beginning at 9:30pm. Stay the entire weekend, and let Houma be your passport to adventure! For more information, call 985-868-2732 or visit houmatravel.com. The Alexandria/Pineville area is at the heart of family fun this summer. Central Louisiana is a great place for a family escape, with affordable lodging, family-friendly restaurants, and exciting kid-friendly activities. With museums, zoos and safaris, the Children’s Museum and train rides, the whole family is sure to enjoy a summer getaway in the Heart of Louisiana. Need a more thrilling adventure? Explore the great outdoors by hiking the longest hiking trail in Louisiana, the 28-mile Wild Azalea Trail, located in Rapides Parish in the beautifully verdant Kisatchie National Forest. Or, hit the links and explore rolling green fairways at one of Alexandria/ Pineville’s six competitive golf courses. For an unconventional golfing twist, play one of the area’s disc golf courses.
No matter your interests, the Heart of Louisiana has it all! Visit AlexandriaPinevilleLA.com today to plan your summer getaway. It’s peach season in Louisiana, and for Ruston-Lincoln Parish that means it’s festival time! Come out and experience the fun and excitement of the 2014 Louisiana Peach Festival. Mark your calendars now for June 27-28. Downtown Ruston will be rocking both Friday and Saturday nights with live performances from the Molly Ringwalds, Swamp Donky, Chubby Carrier and rising country star Dylan Scott. Music and peaches aren’t the only draw to this 64th annual festival. All your favorite festival food vendors will be showcased, as well as activities like the Peach Parade, antique car show, arts and craft booths, fair, peach eating contest and so much more! While you’re in the area, don’t forget to stop by local restaurants and try their signature peach items during the week of the festival! For more information about Ruston and Lincoln Parish and upcoming events, visit experienceruston.com. For more Peach Festival highlights, follow their blog at rustonlincolncvb.blogspot.com. Baton Rouge is a city full of colorful history, rich culture, vibrant music, and exquisite cuisine—truly a cultural hot spot that is sure to impress. Be it music, arts or festivals, Baton Rouge takes advantage of every opportunity to revel in the good times. So whether your travels bring you in for the weekend or an extended stay, treat yourself to a grand tour of one of the most historic, vibrant, and unforgettable cities in the South. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Bayou Country Superfest. Experience the
star studded, three-day celebration in LSU Tiger Stadium (May 23-25). The 2014 lineup includes George Strait, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Reba, Eric Church, and many more! Baton Rouge is also thrilled to welcome the 2014 Miss USA pageant to Louisiana’s capital city! The pageant will be held on Sunday, June 8, live from the Baton Rouge River Center at 8/7c! For more information, call 800-LAROUGE or visit VisitBatonRouge.com. For more on each event, visit BayouCountrySuperFest.com and missuniverse.com/missusa. Explore the heart of the Barataria Basin, touring the mysterious swamps, eating some of Louisiana’s best seafood and learning the secrets of notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. Located in Jefferson Parish, the town of Jean Lafitte is home to Lafitte’s Barataria Museum & Wetland Trace that tells the 200-year-old story of this historic fishing village 20 miles southwest of New Orleans. Featuring a multi-media theatre presentation, an animated museum exhibition and a nature study trail, the museum leads visitors on a journey through the life of pirate Jean Lafitte, the stories and folk traditions of wetland dwellers and the realities of coastal erosion and natural and man-made disasters. At the end of the exhibit, visitors emerge to a cypress swamp trail leading to a bayou, rookery and marsh area, filled with alligators, snakes, turtles and exotic birds. For more information, visit townofjeanlafitte.com or call 504-689-2208. Call Lafitte’s Barataria Museum & Wetland Trace at 504-689-7009.
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For a serene escape into a place of beauty, visit Iberville Parish, an 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 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.
Accommodations & Entertainment Enjoy Louisiana’s sunny summer 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 pantile, overhanging eaves and honeycolored stucco. Dedicated in 1926, the current campus includes 46 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the 1930s, many of LSU’s live oaks and magnolia trees were planted by landscape artist Steele Burden. The roughly 1,200 towering oaks have been valued at $50 million and are supported through the LSU Foundation’s Endow an Oak program. LSU’s landscaping was called a “botanical joy” in its listing among the 20 best campuses in America in Thomas Gaines’ The Campus as a Work of Art. With a myriad of architectural and natural beauties, several museums and year-round theater, art and athletic events, opportu74 | Louisiana Life May/June 2014
Lowes New Orleans Hotel nities abound to experience Louisiana’s flagship university. Visit lsufoundation.org to learn more about what the school and campus have to offer. 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. The captivating spirit and style of the Big Easy is alive and well at Loews New Orleans Hotel, where plush surroundings, lively flavors and extraordinary service are all within walking distance of the French Quarter and Riverfront attractions. In the lobby, locals and guests alike mingle over perfectly presented craft cocktails and live music pays homage to New Orleans’ jazz culture every Friday and Saturday night. If the city’s renowned restaurant scene
excites your palate, their Gourmet Getaway package is for you. Each restaurant and bar included are hand-picked and are quintessential examples of New Orleans’ food and drink-done right, including the playful, modern Creole cuisine in their own Café Adelaide, by the Commander’s Palace Family of Restaurants. For more information or to book, visit LoewsNewOrleans.com or call 800-23-LOEWS. The Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans is excited to bring back their “Best Value of the Summer,” the French Quarter Fling Package, with savings for the budgetconscious traveler. Named “Best Weekend Getaway” by Country Roads Magazine, “Best Day Trip” by FestivalSouth and “Top Budget Destination” by AOL Travel, New Orleans is the destination hotspot. The French Quarter Fling Package starts at just $159 per night and includes deluxe accommodations in a room overlooking the historic French Quarter or with a view of the beautiful courtyard. The Royal Sonesta’s large pool deck and Oasis Pool Bar add to the warm summer fun. Enjoy a complimentary bottle of champagne upon arrival to toast the start of your best vacation ever. Begin planning your Big Easy adventure today with the Sonesta Savings Pack, which includes over $250 in discounts to New Orleans’ most popular attractions, sites and museums. (Two-night minimum stay and travel by September 30, 2014.) For more information and to make reservations, visit Sonesta.com/RoyalNewOrleans or call (504) 586-0300.
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Regional Travel: History & Culture on Display
Louisiana is known for celebrating its rich history and culture with museums, events, festivals and tours. The surrounding region has plenty to share, too. As the landscapes change, so have the cultures and their histories—from civil rights demonstrations in Mississippi to the Victorian homes in Arkansas and the pioneer towns of Texas. Ways of living, food, architecture and art define every nearby destination, and each place demands a visit to experience just what makes it so unique. Find historical exhibits, artwork, tours, relaxation and more among the following regional travel destinations perfect for a summer stay. Located on the campus of West Texas A&M University, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (PPHM) is the largest history museum in Texas, with more than two million artifacts dedicated to preserving this area’s past. PPHM offers visitors a chance to step into panhandle history with special exhibits, a permanent collection, Pioneer Town, cell phone tours, educational tours, special events and more. Throughout 2014, PPHM will present six exhibitions emphasizing the significant role of women. Like all history, the story of the women of the West is as complex and varied as the people who lived it. They are pleased to present a small part of that story and hope that it will stimulate thought about the women who helped us get where we are today. This program is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about PPHM’s admission, The Women of the West exhibitions, special events and more, visit panhandleplains.org. This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement is on view at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, MS. through Aug. 17. The exhibition presents the Civil Rights Movement through 157 black and white photographs by nine activist photographers who chose to document the national struggle against segregation from within the movement. Accompanying
exhibitions include The Slave Series: Quilts by Gwendolyn A. Magee (on view through May 18) and Norman Rockwell: Murder in Mississippi (June 14 – Aug. 31). This Light of Ours is organized by the Center for Documentary Expression and Art. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by the Bruce W. Bastian Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Local presentation of this exhibition is made possible through the generous support of AT&T, Jones Walker LLP, Wynne and Bill Seemann, Mississippi Power Company, Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, Leslie Hurst, The Clarion-Ledger Media Group, and Regions. Cost: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students (includes admission to accompanying exhibitions). Free for Children 5 and under. Free for Museum members. For more information, visit msmuseumart.org or call 601-960-1515. Indulge in a weekend of soul searching in The Natural State. The culturally rich Arkansas Delta offers an authentic experience and unforgettable taste of the Deep South. Spend the weekend in one of the Delta’s antebellum Victorian homes dating back to the 1800s, where you’ll experience genuine Southern hospitality, original Victorian décor and individually decorated rooms. Sink your teeth into one of the Delta’s proudest traditions at the nationally recognized James Beard award-winning
Jones’ Bar-B-Q diner in Marianna, offering savory pork barbecue sandwiches served on white bread with smoky, vinegary sauce that will leave your mouth watering for more. Then, lose yourself in the harmonic, rhythmic blues of the Delta before heading to Hot Springs. Immerse yourself in the steaming mineral waters of Bathhouse Row, where natural springs gurgle from the ground, and spa treatments are available around every turn. End your getaway on one of Arkansas’s lakes, where crystal-clear waters will leave you with a calming peace of mind. Refresh your senses in Arkansas by visiting Arkansas.com to order your free Vacation Planning Kit, or calling 1-800NATURAL. There is much talk these days about Mississippi’s Creative Economy and the rewards it brings. Artists from throughout the region work and display their masterpieces in Vicksburg. Washington Street has become home to several galleries and a large community of artists. The city itself is a living piece of art from its life-sized depictions of the city’s history found at the Riverfront Murals to the priceless works of art that are housed in the commemorative art collection found in the Vicksburg National Military Park. No other city in the South can claim such a bounty of public art. Vicksburg is a treasure trove of architectural wonders in both its civic and residential structures. Beaux Arts, Greek revival, Romanesque revival—what an eclectic, unexpected and exceptional collection of architecture! Eleven historic homes are on tour year-round for visitors to explore Vicksburg’s history. So, consider a drive around town to explore and enjoy Vicksburg’s incredible art and architecture. For more information, visit visitvicksburg.com or call 1-800-221-3536.
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around louisiana Events and Highlights / By Jeanne Frois
North Steamboating in Columbia On a natural crossing of the beautiful Ouachita River, the town of Columbia, seat of Caldwell Parish, was founded in 1827. The river is named for the Ouachita Native Indians; the word Washita is an Indian word that means “silver waters.” Indeed, the river, deemed among the most beautiful in the nation, frames the northeastern Louisiana landscape by separating the piney and rolling hill country on its western banks from the wetlands and delta farmlands on its eastern shores. And at some point in the 1800s, Columbia became a bustling steamboating town with a front-row seat to Louisiana’s river history. To commemorate its rich heritage as a thriving river port where thousands of steamboats docked throughout the nineteenth and early 20th centuries, Columbia has staged the Riverboat Festival for the past 11 years. Called “Gateway to the Ouachita,” Columbia was a hub of travel and commerce on the beautiful sparkling waters that lasted nearly 100 years. The sound of a steamboat’s whistle or horn could draw people to the riverbanks in droves. The 78 | Louisiana Life March/April 2014
Monroe, the first steamboat to ever travel up the Ouachita, passed here – but only after it first traveled to New Orleans, where it promptly sank and was then raised. Though the steamboat was described to be as ugly as a monster upon its resurrection, the town of Monroe was named for it. While some of the riverboats were as beautiful as wedding cakes, they were still workhorses when it came to carrying cargo, bales of cotton and riverboat gamblers. In 1866, a steamboat named the Edna exploded at Columbia; crewmen and debris were sent flying into the town’s streets over 500 feet away. Ten miles above Columbia, a haunting, awe-inspiring river landmark named Lone Bluff rises 100 feet above the river. At the top of the bluff, sheltered by venerable old pine trees, lies the unmarked grave of a young woman. Lone Bluff, made of red clay and sandstone, rises over a hole in the river at least 85 feet deep, the deepest to be found on the Ouachita. This river hole lies at the base of Lone Bluff on the junction where Lone Grave Bayou spills into the Ouachita. The grave atop the bluff is said to belong to a young wife of a plantation overseer who died
early in their marriage from consumption. Before she died, she asked him to bury her there so she could watch over him and their home across the river. The Riverboat Festival pulls out all the seacocks to do justice to the proper celebration of this heritage. Nor has it overlooked the heritage of river gambling on the Ouachita. As part of the festival, the Poker Run on the River, a family oriented event launches at the Main Street Dock and sails for 16 miles and 45 minutes. Participants enjoying a scenic river ride also play rounds of poker. Checkpoints for poker hands dot the river’s route where each
player receives a card at each stop. The best hand at the end of the run wins a cash prize. The streets of downtown Columbia will be filled with the sounds of live entertainment and lined by booths filled with food and arts and crafts. Carnival rides are there for the taking, and as a grand finale to an enjoyable day, the much-revered Rubber Duck Race will commence as hundreds of tiny rubber ducks are dropped from the Ouachita Bridge for a race to the finish line. Columbia Riverfest will take place May 17. n Information, columbiariverfest.com
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Central
Les Cochons de Mansura One of my early recollections of Mansura as a little girl on a visit was that everything in the town seemed to be named Roy. When Imitation of Life was re-released, I sat in the Roy Theatre sobbing along with the rest of the audience watching this tearjerker with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. I seem to remember there was a hardware store also named Roy; there was a Teska Roy Lane and a Tony Roy Road, and it was Mayor Kirby Roy who petitioned Governor Earl K. Long to name Mansura le Capitale de la Cochon de Lait of the world after the blowout success of its first year back in 1960. The celebration was actually held in 1960 to commemorate Mansura’s Centennial. Weeks prior to the fête, Mansura residents dressed in 1860s era-garb and traveled in bus caravans throughout the state to promote the celebration.
They did their job very well – more than 10,000 people attended – Mansura’ population is under 2,000. The Friday night before Mother’s Day, the street dance is held. I do have a magical memory from that first visit of dancing in the street under white lights strung across the way and then walking past a vacant lot filled with fireflies. Mansura goes a little mad each Mother’s Day weekend in May with swine fever. In Avoyelles Parish, as a dining favorite, pigs rule, and the Cochon de Lait Festival fairly squeals when it comes to celebrating this porcine tradition. Thousands converge on the tiny town. Cooking this revered porker involves a precise method to obtain the maximum benefits of slow roasting it to succulent perfection. It’s a daylong affair. The entire pig, minus head and hooves, is split but remains
in one piece. After seasoning and scoring the skin, the pig is carefully pinned between two large sections of fencing wire. This rack containing the splayed cochon is then suspended outdoors in the large roasting shanties filled with pecan and hickory wood burning at a lazy pace. The aroma is unforgettable. The pig racks filling the shanty are slowly turned hour after hour until they render meat that could melt in your mouth with a crispy outer skin. Perfect side dishes include dirty rice made with hog liver, cochon de lait jambalaya, boudin and/or boudin balls. This Central Louisiana festival resembles Mardi Gras in New Orleans when it comes to hilarity and fun. There’s a parade, featuring the lucky winner of the beauty pageant crowned, “Miss Cochon de Lait.” Carnival rides thrill the youngsters and their parents. Arts and Crafts and food booths abound, and cochon de lait jambalaya is ceremoniously
served at noon on Saturday. The organizers of the events for the festival outdid themselves – there is a Children’s Hog Calling Contest and an Adult’s Hog Calling Contest. Not only is there a Men’s Beer Drinking Contest, there is also a Ladies’ Beer Drinking Contest. Not to be missed are the Hog Imitation Mix Contest, the Boudin Eating Contest and the Greased Pig Contest. The latter is geared to children and provides some of the biggest laughs of the entire weekend. The music of Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie along with live local talent will keep everyone jumping. And like any good Catholic French community, the festival schedule also includes Mass at St. Paul’s Catholic Church on Saturday and Sunday. The festival goes from May 8-11. n Information, (318) 964-2152, cochondelaitfestival.com
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Cajun Country STARKS CELEBRATES THE MAYHAW BERRY With the rallying cry of “bring your lawn chair,” the Starks Business and Civic Association welcomes everyone to attend the 21st annual Starks Mayhaw Festival, May 15-17. The festival was born out of the community’s desire to promote a positive image of Starks, earn money for nonprofit groups and to gather the good citizens of the town together, along with any visitors who are fans of the glorious mayhaw. The mayhaw berry springs from the graceful beauty of the hawthorne tree. Starks, located six miles from the LouisianaTexas border and 30 miles from Lake Charles in Calcasieu Parish, is in an area where the hawthorne tree grows wild. Found in river bottoms and swamps, thorny and not overly tall, the hawthorne blooms with beautiful white flowers in the months of February and March. In recent times, a large number of the trees were transplanted into residential areas from the swamps. It was thus christened Mayhaw because the tree yields the delicious, small, ruby-colored berries from April to early May. When the berries ripen, gathering them is as simple as spreading a sheet, either cloth or plastic, on the ground below the tree and giving it a good shake. Some of the more time-venerable members of Starks have fond recollections
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of capturing mayhaws with a bucket as they floated on streams and bogs. The trees have been known to bear berries for as long as 50 years. No one in Starks recommends store-bought mayhaw jelly. Homemade jelly is a must. Each year as part of the festival, a jelly contest is held, and in an area rife with delicious homemade mayhaw jelly, competition is keen. Each contestant must submit two jars of jelly to be judged on color, consistency and taste. This family-friendly fair allows no alcoholic beverages on the premises, and only animals trained to help the visually and hearing handicapped can set their paws on the fairway. In addition to the bounteous presence of the mayhaw, the festival has a full spectrum of entertainment venues. Booths are filled with arts and crafts while children and young-at-heart-adults enjoy carnival rides. Local creativity is showcased and tested in the festival’s talent show. A festival parade, beauty pageant, auction and delicious food contribute to three wonderful days of good, old-fashioned enjoyment in a beautiful Louisiana spring. On Friday night, May 16, the Grammy-nominated gospel group, The Bowling Family, will treat festivalgoers to a performance. This internationally renowned group had 23 No. 1 gospel songs, four of
which came from one album, Faith to Believe. They have performed worldwide at places including Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. The mayhaw berry itself has numerous health benefits. Filled with the bioflavanoid named oligomeric procyanidins, it provides marked antioxidant activity that increases the elasticity of blood vessels; in turn, this has a beneficent influence on circulation, lowering blood pressure and reducing
cholesterol levels. Some studies have shown that the mayhaw possibly improves the overall function of the heart in people who have already been diagnosed with heart failure. With its delicious taste and marked health benefits, the mayhaw berry is indeed worth celebrating – especially with a festival named in its honor. n
Information, mayhawfest.com
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Baton Rouge
Going Greek in Baton Rouge In a tradition that’s graced the area for the past three years, once again the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will sponsor the Baton Rouge Greek Festival. According to festival chairman, James Burland, this new festival has received a lot of influence from New Orleans’ own Greek Festival. “We have a long history with helping the New Orleans festival, and we thought, why not try to start something up here to raise money for our local charities?” says Burland. Holy Trinity Church in Baton Rouge first began as a mission church from the New Orleans Greek Orthodox Church and has now evolved into a cathedral. (One of the lovely practices of the Greek Orthodox Church is to call Mary, the Blessed Mother, Theotokos; the name being a combination of two Greek words, Θεός, meaning
God, and τόκος, meaning parturition or childbirth. Literally the name means the one who gives birth to God.) The festival is held the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend. This year that puts it on May 10. The Baton Rouge Greek Festival, Inc. is a nonprofit charity group. All proceeds from the festival are donated to local charities. This year activities will include a 5K toga run. Booths will feature the handiwork of participating vendors: lockets and charms from Geaux Origami; artwork by Stan Routh; Susan Rodrigue’s handmade pottery; women’s clothing, shoes and jewelry from Divinity Boutique; and organic seasonings from Wildtree. There’s a beautiful abundance of Greek food, all produced by the willing hands and hard working members of the church. It’s suggested that you sip
delicious Greek wines like rich, fruity red Agiorgitiko or white Malagousia with its jasmine and melon flavors while you sit on the lawn and watch the church workers grill the marinated lamb, chicken and pork souvlaki (kabobs) – while also preparing the gyro sandwiches. The dishes offered at the fair are aromatic and mouthwatering. The grilled lamb chop plate is served with dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), salad, orzo, Grecian sauce and pita. The combo plate is filled with sliced lamb gyros, chicken marinated in Grecian sauce, pita bread, orzo and dolmades. Marinated grilled pork tenderloin wrapped in pita with Grecian sauce serves as a delicious Souvlaki Skewer while crisp seasoned fries are served topped with a velvety, creamy feta cheese sauce. Greek traditional pastries are some of the most delicious to be enjoyed in the world, and the festival will be filled with baklava; kourambethes (which are similar to Mexican wedding cookies); koulourakia, small twisted butter cookies studded with sesame seeds over an egg-white glaze; and fenikia, cookies dipped in honey and covered with nuts. You may purchase boxes of
these delights at the festival. If your conscience bothers you because of all the wine, hummus and gyros you’ve ingested, the day is filled with several opportunities to learn Greek dancing. The Cultural Booth is a spot where you can learn more about the beautiful heritage of Greece and its Eastern Orthodox faith. Mediterranean arts and crafts, religious icons and T-shirts can also be purchased at the festival. The sounds of Greek music, the spectacle of Greece’s cultural dances as well as the performance of belly dancers fill the Baton Rouge area with the joyful spirit of the Mediterranean. Festivals were an ancient and revered practice in the history of Greece, producing a cultural impact still felt by the world to this day. A festival that honored Dionysos, held in ancient Athens, sported a competition between playwrights. Competitors included Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles, who gave us some of the best-written plays that are still performed today. n
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New Orleans Oysters on the Riverfront Woldenberg Park on the French Quarter riverfront will be the site of annual New Orleans Oyster Festival. In this particularly beautiful bend of the Mississippi, some of the finest restaurants in the area will provide the hoards hungry for this tasty bivalve with some righteous oyster eating: Acme Oyster House, Antoine’s, Andreas, Café Reconcile, Galatoire’s, Desire Oyster Bar, Drago’s, Jacque-Imo’s and GW Fins, to name a few. Whether you like crispy fried oysters cradled by toasted French bread slathered with butter along with a dash of hot sauce and ketchup; slurping down raw oysters on their pearly shells accompanied by lemon, hot sauce and a straight-up dry martini christened with just a splash of vermouth; or a poor boy filled with barbecued oysters, you’ll be in bivalve heaven. Added to the fun of enjoying delicious food is live entertainment along with contests in the categories of oyster eating, oyster shucking and largest oyster. The festival takes place May 31-June 1. Turning New Leaves New Orleans Historic Homes is a book filled with photographs and stories of time-honored dwelling places in the Crescent City from different eras and areas, with various architec82 | Louisiana Life March/April 2014
tural styles. These homes are renovated and decorated by people who express their own magical artistry. Luckily, the stories of the homes and their owners have been written by someone who recognizes the spirit of New Orleans as well as a proprietor’s individual expression. Author and Louisiana Life contributor Bonnie Warren does just that. Forty historic homes from areas such as Bayou St. John; faubourgs Bouligny, Hurstville and Marigny; Bywater; Pigeon Town; Central Business District; the French Quarter; Uptown and more are showcased in the book. Interspersed in the history of each home are stories from the owners, who relate the emotional value they have for their home. Warren respectfully and wisely lets each whimsical story tell itself. With evocative photography from award-winning photojournalist Cheryl Gerber, and under the inspired art direction of Eric Gernhauser, New Orleans Historic Homes emerges as a treasure. The first thing I wanted to do when I finished poring over its sumptuous photographs and reading its rich text was to paint, but not walls – I wanted to set up my easel, brushes, oils and go swirling at a canvas, something that usually only happens to me after I’ve spent the day in the French Quarter or sightseeing
up and down the River Road. The book is a wealth of vivid color, almost a metaphor for the unique culture of the Crescent City itself. Pictured within its pages are the whimsical exteriors and interiors of charming gingerbread houses; the stately neutral grandeur of the Garden District; a bedroom with walls made of naked bargewood; a Central Business District townhouse with an exquisite hand-painted wall mural showing Jackson Square in 1803 when the American flag was first raised over Louisiana; the view from Tennessee Williams’ former upper gallery overlooking the French Quarter and a homeowner who begins her day there with a cup of coffee and ends it there at night with a glass of wine. It did not escape my notice that while the Garden District homes kept to a neutral color palette to offset their antiques and treasures, homes in the Faubourgs, Bywater, Bayou St. John, Mid-City,
University Area, Central Business District and French Quarter seemed inhabited by dwellers who were wonderfully unafraid of color. These homes were filled with vibrant reds, greens, eggplants, terracotta and blues with artwork and treasures interspersed within, and frequently captured trotting through the lush beauty were glimpses of the families’ resident canine (and no doubt the ruler of the house). Warren has captured the voices and style of people who love history enough to preserve it and also add their own expression. Gerber’s photography perfectly validates her words. New Orleans Historic Homes is an enchanting invitation for an armchair tour of some of the Crescent City’s loveliest homes and to meet their imaginative owners. n Information, neworleansoysterfestival. org; Pelican Publishing Company, 1 (800) 843-1724, pelicanpub.com.
lifetimes
Statewide Calendar
Royal Street Stroll, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
May/June Events, Festivals and More. Compiled by Judi Russell
NORTH May 1-4. “All Because of Agatha.” Dixie Center for the Performing Arts, Ruston. (318) 255-1450. May 3. Heflin Sawmill Festival. Various locations, Heflin. (318) 377-7539. May 3. Rock-N-Shop Craft Bazaar. Outside Hot Wheels Skating Palace, Bossier City. May 3. Tour of Piney Hills Bicycle Ride. Ruston Junior High School, Ruston. (318) 366-0930. May 4. Spring Open House on Antique Alley. 110 Trenton St., West Monroe. (318) 388-3920. 84 | Louisiana Life March/April 2014
May 9. Water Reservation Festival. The Outlets, Bossier City. (318) 752-1455. May 15-17. Starks Mayhaw Festival. Corner Hwys. 12 & 109, Starks. mayhawfest.com May 23-26. Mudbug Madness Festival. Festival Place, Shreveport. (318) 222-7403. June 20-22. Let the Good Times Roll Festival. Festival Plaza, Shreveport. (318) 470-3890. June 21. Sunflower Trail & Festival. 12797 Main St., Gilliam. (318) 296-4303.
CENTRAL April 8 - May 24. Nilda Comas Exhibit. River Oaks Square Arts Center. 1330 Main St., Alexandria. (318) 473-2670 May 2-3. 39th Annual MayFest Arts & Crafts Festival. Downtown Leesville. (337) 238-0782. May 3-4. Melrose Plantation Arts & Crafts Festival. Melrose Plantation, Melrose. (318) 581-8042. May 8-11. Alexandria River Fete. 915 Third St., Alexandria (318) 449-5225. May 10. Louisiana Dragon Boat Races. On the Red River, Alexandria. (318) 443-3458.
May 16-18. Tunica-Biloxi Pow Wow. Chief Joseph Alcide Pierite Pow Wow Grounds on the TunicaBiloxi Reservation, Marksville. tunicapowwow.org. May 27 - July 5. Jacob Broussard Exhibit. River Oaks Square Arts Center. 1330 Main St., Alexandria. (318) 473-2670 June 6-7. Cookin’ on the Cane BBQ Competition & Festival. Downtown Natchitoches. natchitochesjaycees.com/bbq.
BATON ROUGE/ PLANTATION COUNTRY May 3. Spanish Town Walking Tour. LSU Museum, Baton Rouge. (225) 389-7200.
Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival
June 7. Jerry Crochet Horseshoe Pitching Tournament. Kemper Williams Park, Patterson. (985) 385-3838. June 7-8. Cajun Heritage Festival. Larose Park and Civic Center, Larose. (985) 228-0845. June 14-15. Lafayette Event Center Gun & Knife Show. Lafayette Event Center. (985) 624-8577. June 20-22. Louisiana Catfish Festival. St. Gertrude Catholic Church, Des Allemands. (985) 758-7542.
May 10. Baton Rouge Greek Festival. 102 France St., Baton Rouge. brgreekfest.com
May 2-4. Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. Parc Hardy, Breaux Bridge. bbcrawfest.com
May 22-25. Jambalaya Festival. Various locations, Gonzalez. (225) 647-2937.
May 3. 18th Annual Celebration of Herbs & Gardens. Old Sunset High School grounds, Sunset. (337) 662-3542.
May 23-26. Bayou Country Superfest. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge. visitbatonrouge.com May 26. USS KIDD’s Memorial Day Observance. 305 So. River Rd., Baton Rouge. (225) 342-1942. May 31-June 1. Baton Rouge Repticon Show. Lamar Dixon Exposition Center, Baton Rouge. repticon.com/batonrouge June 8. World’s Ocean Day. Baton Rouge Zoo. (225) 775-3877.
CAJUN Through May 11. Contraband Days. Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles. contrabanddays.com May 1-3. Abbeville Spring Festival. On the Square, Abbeville. abbevillespringfestival.com May 1-4. Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair & Parade. Thibodaux Firemen’s Fairground, Thibodaux. (985) 446-3247. May 2-3. Relay for Life of Iberia Parish. New Iberia Senior High School, New Iberia. relayforlife.org
May 3. Relay for Life – West St. Mary Parish. Franklin Senior High Stadium, Franklin. (337) 578-2537. May 3-4. Hydro drag, Mud Bug National, Jet-Ski event. Lake Pal, Morgan City. mpyoungjr@aol.com May 9-June 1. Bayou Playhouse Presents “Driving Miss Daisy.” 101 Main St., Lockport. (888) 99BAYOU. May 10. 2nd Annual Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo. Patterson Area Civic Center, Patterson. mcofr@yahoo.com
June 27-28. Le Festival de Viande Boucanee (Smoked Meat Festival). North Side Civic Center, Ville Platte. (337) 363-1416.
Greater New Orleans May 1-4. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Fairgrounds Race Course, New Orleans. (504) 558-6100.
May 10. Greater New Orleans International Dragon Boat Festival. Tchefuncte River, Madisonville. (416) 962-8899. May 16-18. Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. Banks of Bayou St. John, New Orleans. thebayouboogaloo.com May 21-24. New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. Various locations, New Orleans. nowfe.com May 23-25. Greek Festival New Orleans. 1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans. greekfestnola.org May 31-June 1. New Orleans Oyster Festival. Various locations, New Orleans. neworleansoysterfestival.org June 7-8. French Market Creole Tomato Festival. 1008 N. Peters St., New Orleans. frenchmarket.org June 14-15. Louisiana Cajun & Zydeco Festival. Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans. (504) 558-6100.
May 9-11. Festival in the Park. Cassidy Park, Bogalusa. (985) 735-9188.
June 19-22. Festigals. Various locations, New Orleans. (855) GAL-WKND.
May 10. Crawfish Mambo Cook-off & Music Festival on the Lake. The Cove, UNO Campus, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans. crawfishmambo.com
June 20-22. New Orleans Pride Parade & Festival. Washington Square Park, New Orleans. prideneworleans.com
May 10. Hammond Spring Festival. Downtown Hammond. (985) 277-5680.
June 21-22. Kenner Great Southern Gun & Knife Show. Pontchartrain Center, Kenner. greatsoutherngunshow.com n
May 22-June 1. Cajun Heartland State Fair. Cajundome, Lafayette. cajundome.com. May 24. Splash Bash. New Iberia City Park, New Iberia. (337) 369-2337. May 21. Clifton Chenier Celebration. Clifton Chenier Club, New Iberia. (337) 339-5903. June 6-8. Bon Mange Festival. Vacherie-Gheen’s Community Center, Gheens. (985) 532-6307.
ATTENTION FESTIVAL-PLANNERS & CARNIVAL PARADE-PLANNERS! Help Us Promote Your Event!
– 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. – To submit a festival, show or special event go to: MyNewOrleans.com/ Louisiana-Life/Submit-an-Event – To submit a parade for carnival season go to: MyNewOrleans.com/ Louisiana-Life/Submit-a-Parade-to-Louisiana-Life LouisianaLife.com | 85
great louisiana quiz
Filmed in Louisiana 1. Pictured here is a scene from 12 Years A Slave. One of the performers won an Academy Award. Which one? A. Michael Fassbender – Best Actor B. Michael Fassbender – Best Supporting Actor C. Lupita Nyong’o – Best Supporting Actress D. Chiwetel Ejiofor – Best Supporting Actor
B. Shreveport C. Minden D. Bordelonville 4. Blaze is about former governor Earl Long’s relationship with stripper Blaze Starr. Who played Long? A. Robert Redford B. Robert Mitchum C. John Wayne D. Paul Newman
2. Another movie, filmed largely in Louisiana, competed with 12 Years A Slave for Best Picture. What was it? A. American Hustle B. Dallas Buyers Club C. Gravity D. Philomena
5. The famous café scene in Easy Rider was filmed in this town. A. Bossier City B. Morganza C. LeCompte D. Lake Providence
3. The original Tarzan movie was filmed in Louisiana in 1917. Near what town was it filmed? A. Morgan City
6. While overcome with too much Boone’s Farm, your friend has this wild idea for a movie in which men go to space but land instead in New
86 | Louisiana Life March/April 2014
Orleans on Mardi Gras and think they are on another planet. He doesn’t know that that was done already in 1953. What was the movie? A. The Three Stooges in Space B. W.C. Fields’ Big Adventure C. The Ass-tronauts D. Abbott and Costello Go to Mars 7. Filmed largely in the vicinity of Natchitoches, Steel Magnolias starred six famous actresses. Which one was NOT one of them? A. Sally Field B. Meryl Streep C. Shirley MacLaine D. Julia Roberts 8. Among his many roles, this star played a fictional Saints quarterback in the film, Number One and Gen. Andrew Jackson in the film The Buccaneer, both set largely in New
Orleans. Who was he? A. Charlton Heston B. Errol Flynn C. Jimmy Stewart D. Anthony Quinn 9. Besides doing film work locally, this star maintained a residence in New Orleans and has been involved in building post-Katrina housing. A. Steve Zahn B. Brad Pitt C. Matthew McConaughey D. Ron Howard 10. This actress adopted a son in New Orleans and has supported a high school there. Who is she? A. Cher B. Sandra Bullock C. Cicely Tyson D. Rene Russo
Answer this BONUS QUESTION and be eligible to win an overnight stay for two at the luxurious PARAGON CASINO RESORT: There are three AMTRAK passenger trains that go through parts of Louisiana. What are their names and what are their final destinations? 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 re-modeled Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville. Winners’ names will be announced in the September/October 2014 issue. For our JANUARY/FEBRUARY issue, the question was: What casinos in Louisiana are owned by tribal communities? Where are they located? What is the name of the tribes? The correct answer was: Cypress Bayou (Charenton) – Chitimacha; Coushatta Casino Resort (Kinder) – Coushatta; Paragon Casino (Marksville) – Tunica-Biloxi; Jena Choctaw Pines Casino (Creola) – Choctaw. Winners were: Arleen Orgeron – Brousssard Deirdre Yanes – Baton Rouge (Note: One other person qualified for the drawing but did not include his/her name and address.)
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS: 1.C 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.B 6.D 7.B 8.A 9.B 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 | 87
a louisiana life
Theo Von A Covington native looks for laughs. By Megan Hill
Theo Von makes his living making people laugh, but he’ll be the first one to admit comedy isn’t all fun and games. “It is a lot of hard work,” Von says. “It’s a lot of changing from one thing to the next.” His numerous projects include hosting TBS’s hidden camera ambush show Deal With It and Yahoo!’s daily recap show Primetime in No Time, Von keeps a packed stand-up schedule performing in comedy clubs around the country.
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The Covington native got his first taste of life outside Louisiana when he competed as a contestant on MTV’s reality series Road Rules in 2000, where he earned a reputation as a funny Southerner. He was just a 19-year-old student at LSU when he ran into producers looking to recruit for tryouts. “That was something that just sort of happened when I was walking across campus one day,” Von says. “It was
just kind of a crazy thing that happened.” He survived a series of cuts and was ultimately selected as one of six people to drive around the southern U.S. in an RV, completing challenges like walking from one hot air balloon to another on a beam. The show’s producers suggested Von participate in Semester at Sea, which takes students on a several months-long trip around the world on a floating school for class credit. That’s where Von got his first taste of stand-up, performing in an open microphone night that was well-received by his fellow students on board the ship. Von’s accomplishments have stacked up since that first television appearance back in 2000. He’s appeared on Chelsea Lately and OMG Insider and had the highest rated of Comedy Central’s half-hour specials in 2012. He was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing and was voted Fan Favorite on the show. Von won Comedy Central’s Reality Bites Back, and has performed at several prestigious comedy festivals. And he has several projects in the works, including a book. In his free time, Von is a bit of a gym rat. “I started taking these classes that a lot of chicks take, the ones with some weird names to them,” he says. “I always thought that dudes
were way stronger than chicks overall, and oh, my gosh – I’m like, ‘How do they even do this?’ I’m just in there, crying, and there’s one other dude across the room, and we’re making eye contact just to make sure each other are OK.” Von has lived in Los Angeles for the past 10 years, a move he made to establish his comedy career. His family and friends were supportive of his choices, Von says, but finding that support system in L.A. was lonely work. “Once you get out to L.A. you still have that support, but it’s tough to get started. It comes down to yourself and how much you can deal with things until you find your comfort zone,” Von says. “You spend a lot time with yourself, especially as a comedian – you’re writing jokes by yourself and performing by yourself. It gets daunting. Travel by yourself. Even though it seems like it’s all filled with tons of different people, it’s definitely a loner’s road, especially right when you get out here.” Though Von has traveled the world, he hopes to end up back in Louisiana, where his family still lives. His ultimate goal is to become an executive producer, perhaps the creator of a series based around interesting Louisianians. It’s a topic he knows well. n