New Orleans Magazine February 2022

NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2022

MARDI GRAS

FINANCIAL PLANNING

HEART HEALTH

myneworleans.com $6.95

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

FEBRUARY 2022

2

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

3

Contents

FEBRUARY 2022

/ VOLUME 56 / NUMBER 5

FEATURES 24

52

Carnival Time Getting into the spirit

BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN

34

For Your Heart's Sake Heart healthy eating

BY KATHY FINN

36

Damage Control Managing pandemic finances

BY CHRIS PRICE

54

STANDARDS 6

8

10

Carnival Spirit JULIA STREET

Purple, Green and Gold NEWS + NOTES

Top Things to Do, Read & Try

12

BAR TAB

14

THE DISH

16

18

16

FROM THE EDITOR

ON THE COVER

The krewe of Rex parades down St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras day. p. 24

Best Bars, Drinks & More

News from NOLA Kitchens

Photograph by Cheryl Gerber DIAL 12, D1

46

STYLE

Carnival Chic

48

PERSONA

Touré Folkes

20

MODINE

22

VINTAGE

Lenten Rules

1910

50

52

TRAVEL

54

GROWING PAINS

56

HOME ADVICE

58

Mountain Time Auld Lang Syne Adam Lambert TABLE TALK

Dressed Up

80

CHEERS

Mardi Gras Time NOSH

Mardi Gras Mambo DINING GUIDE

Listings from Around the City STREETCAR

Rex at 150

Carnival and Black History Month are celebrated this month on WYES. A new documentary tells the remarkable story of legendary Mardi Gras float builder Blaine Kern, while programs honoring singer Marian Anderson, local legend Irma Thomas and activist Fannie Lou Hamer celebrate Black History Month.

View the entire WYES programming schedule and check out upcoming WYES events at wyes.org.

New Orleans Magazine, (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: one year $19.95; no foreign subscriptions. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright © 2022 New Orleans Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine are registered. New Orleans Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in New Orleans Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine managers or owners.

4

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

5

FROM THE EDITOR

C

arnival season is in full swing, and with that comes all the best of the city – food, music, art and people. While we are still experiencing the lingering symptoms of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are relieved to be able to spend the season with friends and family. Whether you're on your front porch, in the driveway or on the neutral ground, it's just a great feeling to be back in the Mardi Gras spirit and hear the sound of marching bands in the air..

In this issue, we ask a few notable New Orleanians, “What does Mardi Gras mean to you?” While the question is the same, their answers are as varied as their costumes, crafts and Carnival traditions. For me, Mardi Gras means getting dressed up in the hand-beaded corset that I have worked on all year with the marching krewe I am so honored to be a part of, the Dames de Perlage. We unveil our theme each Twelfth Night and get dolled up to strut, sashay and shimmy along the parade route. It’s so Have something you want rewarding to see all of the faces, young and old, out to share with us? Email along the parade route, smiling, singing and cutting ashley@myneworleans.com. loose, for an afternoon, at least. This year, we will be taking extra precautions within our own krewe to keep each other and the community as safe as possible, but we are excited nonetheless to be a part of the magic of Mardi Gras.

Additionally, we have some important resources for those that are looking to shore up their personal finances, a topic that has become increasingly timely due to pandemic expenses, inflation and planning for the future. Plus, we recognize “Heart Health” month with some tips on how tweaking your diet (Lent is just around the corner) can make a big impact on both your cardiac and overall health. And don’t forget out usual round-up of restaurant and bar news, recipes and much, much more.

It’s a jammed packed issue for a jammed packed month of celebrations, both big and small. Stay safe out there and enjoy the Mardi Gras ride!

6

FEBRUARY 2022

THERESA CASSAGNE PHOTO

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

7

JULIA STREET

W I TH P O Y DR AS THE P ARROT

Purple, Green and Gold

Associate Publisher Kate Henry EDITORIAL

Executive Editor Errol Laborde Editor Ashley McLellan

Creative Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo Digital Media Editor Kelly Massicot Contributing Writers Jyl Benson,

Dear Julia, I know Rex is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Since Rex originally selected purple, green and gold this, would be the anniversary of the colors too. What is the truth behind the colors’ origin? - Fred Jones (River Ridge)

Cheré Coen, Lee Cutrone, Fritz Esker,

Jay Forman, John Kemp, Misty Mioltio, Liz Scott Monaghan, Andy Myer,

Elizabeth Pearce, Eve Crawford Peyton ADVERTISING

There was a time when Poydras argued that the green was in honor of the color of his feathers, but then, on a cruise, he met a wizened sage and learned the truth, something that Poydras had not been familiar with: The key word here, and a word that has been missing from attempts to solve the colors’ origin is - “heraldry.”

Dating as far back as the 15th century, the rules of heraldry governed the colors of coats of arms and, hence, flags and banners. In1872, the founding men of Rex, educated and steeped in the romanticism of monarchy, would have been familiar and respectful of heraldry. ​According to heraldry, the “fields” in a heraldic device, such as a flag or banner, should consist of “metals” and “colors.” The metals are either silver, represented by white, or gold.

Indeed, every national tri-color has either white or gold. So then, for one of Rex’s choices the selection was narrowed to two. Should the metal be gold? Or should it be white? The choice of gold for royalty seemed obvious.

Now with the metal settled, how about the colors? According to heraldry, there are only five acceptable choices. In the context of Rex, they are startling. The acceptable colors are: red, blue, purple, green and black. With purple being a logical choice, especially for a king, and with gold as the metal, the final choice came down to two combinations: purple, gold and green or purple, gold and black. Which would you pick? ​But now there’s a concern. According to heraldry, a metal should never touch a metal and a color should never touch a color. It would be improper, for example for, a flag to be, red, blue and white. Yet, Rex’s field is often spoken of as being purple, green and gold, a heraldic faux pas placing a color on top of a color. Does this disprove the heraldry theory? No, it supports it because . . . In the days preceding the first Rex parade when the Royal edicts were published, the field, as first mentioned in Edict XII, were stated as being, in this order, “green, gold, and purple.” Over time the order of the colors would be changed in popular verbal usage, yet when Rex first pronounced them, they were in perfect heraldic order. (The combination of colors does have the extra benefit of looking good together). ​Could there be another answer to the meaning of the colors? Perhaps, but any other answer would have to contend with the colors fitting so perfectly into heraldry. ​What then should the simple answer be when the color’s origin is asked? The problem is that the answer is not simple, certainly not as simple as the prevailing inaccurate answer of “justice, faith and power.” But the truth only strengthens Rex’s monarchical status: Like all great sovereigns, the colors are based on the laws of heraldry.

Case closed.

SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS

Poydras is looking for something to do. Send your questions to julia@myneworleans.com and be sure to include your name and information. For the subject line use: Julia and Poydras Question.

8

FEBRUARY 2022

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Kate Henry, Kate@MyNewOrleans.com Account Director Meggie Schmidt Senior Account Executives

Erin Chiartano, Brooke Genusa, Penn Larocci Rachel Webber

RENAISSANCE PUBLISHING MARKETING

Coordinator Abbie Whatley PRODUCTION

Manager Rosa Balaguer Arostegui Senior Designer Meghan Rooney CIRCULATION

Subscriptions Jessica Armand Distribution John Holzer ADMINISTRATION

Office Manager Mallary Wolfe

Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne

WYES DIAL 12 STAFF (504) 486-5511

Executive Editor Aislinn Hinyup

Associate Editor Dominic Massa Art Director Tiffani R. Amedeo NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

Printed in USA

A Publication of Renaissance Publishing

110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005

MyNewOrleans.com

For subscription information call (504) 828-1380

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

9

NEWS+NOTES

BY FR ITZ E SKE R SEE THIS

1 “DISNEY’S FROZEN”

Disney’s classic tale of sisters Anna and Elsa will be live on stage at the Saenger Theatre Feb. 10-20. It features both beloved songs from the original film and an expanded score for the stage version. SaengerNOLA. com

2 HOT WHEELS MONSTER TRUCKS LIVE

February 19-20, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live returns to New Orleans with three shows at the Smoothie King Center. Fans of all ages will thrill at the expanded lineup of epic monster trucks brought to life. There will be real-life versions of classic designs like Bone Shaker, Tiger Shark and V8 Bomber. The event will also feature brand new designs like Bigfoot Midwest Madness, the first-ever collaboration between Hot Wheels and Bigfoot. The car-eating, fire-breathing Megasaurus will make an appearance, as will high-flying freestyle motocross riders.

The kid-friendly show will also feature the Crash Zone Pre-Show Party before every performance. It will give fans access to the competition floor to see the outrageous size and designs of the monster trucks. Crash Zone attendees will receive an autograph card and souvenir passes (Crash Zone passes will be sold separately).

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit HotWheelsMonsterTrucksLive.com.

KREWE DU VIEUX

The French Quarter’s satirical Krewe du Vieux will (cross fingers) roll Feb. 12 (knock wood) to mark the return of parade season (praying to deities of every religion) after 2020 parades were cancelled due to COVID-19. In this year’s parade, New Orleans health director Dr. Jennifer Avegno will serve as the parade’s queen.

“THE PURSUIT OF SALVATION: JAIN ART FROM INDIA”

On loan at the New Orleans Museum of Art until May 15, this exhibition features art displaying beliefs of India’s Jain faith. Jainism is a belief centered around nonviolence and karma, and these beliefs inform the artworks. NOMA.org

3 MOZART AND HAYDN

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2021-22 season continues with a performance of favorites from Mozart and Haydn, Feb. 2 at the Orpheum Theatre. Carlos Miguel Prieto will conduct the orchestra with Anne Marie McDermott on piano.

OrpheumNOLA.com

4 “FLY”

CLINT BLACK AND

LISA HARTMAN BLACK

Country music singers and real-life spouses Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black will be performing at the Orpheum Theater for one night only on Valentine’s Day. OrpheumNOLA.com

10

FEBRUARY 2022

Set in summer of 1943, “Fly” tells the story of four of the almost 1,000 Black airmen trained in Tuskegee, Alabama to serve in World War II. This is the New Orleans premiere of a show that was commissioned in 2005 by the Lincoln Center Institute. It will play Feb. 4-13 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. jpas.org

“I CAME ALL THIS WAY TO MEET YOU”

It’s a challenge for anyone to unlock their own creativity when they’re struggling with the stresses and worries of the modern world.

New Orleans-based writer Jami Attenberg’s book “I Came All This Way To Meet You” is a memoir about Attenberg’s life and how she learned to embrace her own creativity.

Attenberg grew up as the daughter of a traveling salesman from the Midwest. She developed an early wanderlust and traveled across the United States and many foreign countries. In her book, she reflects on these journeys as well as issues like mortality, friendship, independence, class, drive, and making it in the world as a single woman. She also examines how she grew as a writer and nurtured her own creativity along the way.

“I Came All This Way To Meet You” is a moving exploration of art, individuality, and finding a home in the world from a writer “Kirkus Reviews” called “the poet laureate of difficult families.”

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, please check all event websites for the most up-to-date information.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

11

BAR TAB

BY MISTY MIL IO TO

NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT

Champagne Brunch

Criollo Restaurant, the contemporary New Orleans-inspired restaurant located in the historic Hotel Monteleone, is offering a new Taittinger Champagne Brunch. Offered only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., the brunch includes Taittinger Champagne for $39 per bottle. Meanwhile, the Creole-inspired brunch menu features dishes like blue crab and corn beignets; turtle soup; eggs Tchoupitoulas; shrimp and grits; and more. Guests who visit for brunch also can take advantage of $5 all day parking at the nearby Solaris Garage. 214 Royal St., 681-4444, criollonola.com.

FEBRUARY DELIGHTS

During Mardi Gras, be sure to swing by Tujague’s for its specialty Carnivalinspired cocktails from beverage director Amber Harrington. Try the Mardi Gras Smash, which includes bourbon, housemade blackberry syrup, Giffard blackberry liqueur, fresh lemon and blueberry. And for Valentine’s Day, guests can enjoy Tujague’s a la carte Creole dishes from executive chef Gus Martin, along with specialty Valentine’s Day desserts from recently-appointed pastry chef Karen Anderson. 429 Decatur St., 525-8676, tujaguesrestaurant.com.

TASTY SUDS

The owners of the 700 Club have opened a new LGBTQ+-friendly bar called American Townhouse, located on North Rampart Street across from Armstrong Park. The new inclusive neighborhood restaurant and bar is located within a beautifully renovated building and features a cool courtyard. The menu of elevated bar food includes snacks, salads, nachos, dips, sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas and more. There’s also a wide selection of beer, wine on tap, and craft cocktails and daiquiris. 1012 N. Rampart St., 354-8533, atnola.com.

SIP & SHOP

Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts has opened a new wine bar and cafe, dubbed Vine & Tap, in Center Court at Lakeside Shopping Center across from the Apple Store. In addition to wines by the glass (everything from Prosecco and rosé to chardonnay, cabernet and pinot noir), Vine & Tap offers frozen cocktails (like frosé and seasonal margaritas), beer and seltzers, and a selection of bottled wines for purchase. Also be sure to check out the cafe food menu. Lakeside Shopping Center, 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie.

COCKTAIL CLASSES

Briquette, the Warehouse District restaurant and bar known for its open kitchen and 18-foot seafood display, is offering new craft cocktail classes this year.

The private events can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, which includes the cocktail class plus a three- or four-course meal, or without food.

Choose from classes like the Historic New Orleans Prohibition Class or the Bad & Bougee Cocktail Class (aimed toward younger guests who want to try new takes on cocktails). The classes are available for six to 20 guests (ranging from $40-$100 per person), and classes can even be tailored for special requests such as all-bourbon or all-tequila cocktails. 701 S. Peters St., 302-7496, briquettenola.com.

Hammond-based Gnarly Barley Brewing has added a fifth brew to its core beer lineup with the introduction of Skater Aid Pilsner. The new beer joins Radical Rye IPA, Catahoula Common Lager, Korova Milk Porter and Jucifer Hazy Juicy IPA. Based on an Italian-style Pilsner, Skater Aid features a foundation of pale Pilsner malt bolstered by a generous dry-hopping of Hallertau Blanc hops. As a result, the beer features a vibrant and verdant nose, and a crisp, dry finish. It is the second lager in the core lineup after Catahoula Common, a light American Lager. The name itself, Skater Aid, represents Gnarly Barley’s commitment to support the skate community, and a percentage of sales will be donated to skateboarding initiatives. Skater Aid is available in six-packs of 12-ounce cans. Also be sure to look for Gnarly Barley’s rotating lineup of four new seasonal beers, including HiFi Hefeweizen (spring), Planet Juice Hazy Juicy IPA (summer), Festbier (autumn) and Micro Giant Belgian Dubbel (winter). 1709 Corbin Road, Hammond, 985-318-0723, gnarlybeer.com.

12

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

13

THE DISH

BY MISTY MIL IO TO

KING CAKE SEASON

1

V-Day Dinner Commons Club at the new Virgin Hotels New Orleans is offering a decadent three-course prix-fixe dinner just in time for Valentine’s Day created by executive chef Alex Harrell. Also be sure to try the special raspberry truffle martini, made with Godiva white chocolate liqueur, Skyy raspberry vodka, Chambord and blackberry syrup served in a cocoa rimmed glass with Luxardo cherry garnish. 550 Baronne St., virginhotels.com

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

The Emeril Lagasse Foundation recently granted $350,000 to two nonprofit organizations—Son of a Saint and Youth Empowerment Project—based on the shared mission to support youth through culinary, nutrition and arts education with a focus on life skills development. The foundation also awarded a grant following its annual Carnivale du Vin fundraising weekend to The Watering Hole Foundation and its Kids Education Program. This program sponsors elementary and middle school visits to the Alex Beard Art studio, where creating art is combined with learning about endangered wildlife and the environment. 829 St. Charles Ave., 212-2222, emeril.org

For the first time in its 75-year history, Brennan’s is offering a regal trio of king cakes. Executive corporate pastry chef Brett Gauthier and the culinary team are offering a traditional king cake, a pink parade king cake (strawberry cream cheese) and a bananas Foster king cake (from the restaurant where the beloved dessert originated). Cakes serve 15-20 people. 417 Royal St., 525-9711, brennansneworleans.com

2 King Cake Hub, which offers more than 60 different varieties of king cakes from a number of local bakeries (such as Hi Do, Bywater Bakery, Sugar Love Bakery and Brennan’s), has two new locations for the 2022 Carnival season. The main King Cake Hub will share space with Zony Mash Beer Project (1464 S. Broad St.).

Zony Mash and King Cake Hub also have collaborated on a special-edition King Cake Stout beer. The second pop-up location is at The Gift Shop at Historic New Orleans Collection (520 Royal St.).

The partnership with HNOC coincides with the new Making Mardi Gras exhibition. Also be sure to try the 2022 King Cake Coterie, a different king cake that’s being offered each week during the Carnival season. 4800 Canal St., 518-2953, kingcakehub.com

3 BRING ON BRUNCH

Ruby Slipper will open a second Metairie location this summer near Clearview Mall, offering both indoor and outdoor seating with brunch favorites like eggs Benedict, beignets and bananas Foster pain perdu, plus eye-opening cocktails. 4236 Veterans Blvd., therubyslippercafe.net Mister Mao's Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., features Kashmiri hot chicken Benedict on a Hawaiian pineapple roll with Vidalia onion milk gravy; gentleman’s relish (smoked pork shoulder, anchovy butter toast, soft scrambled eggs); and hot veg Sunday (turmeric creamed greens, buttered turnips, crispy fingerling potatoes, sunny-side-up eggs). For cocktails, try the Walk of Shame (vodka, passionfruit, rose water and lemon) or Hellfire Mary (Tabasco mashinfused vodka, tomato and sumac pickle). 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 345-2056, mistermaonola.com.

14

FEBRUARY 2022

And at Cochon Butcher and La Boulangerie, Link Restaurant Group’s executive pastry chef Maggie Scales is offering several flavors and sizes of king cakes through Feb. 25. Try the Elvis, a soft brioche filled with peanut butter and roasted banana, topped with house-cured bacon, toasted marshmallow, and Mardi Gras sprinkles. In place of the iconic small plastic baby, all of Scales’ cakes feature a petite pink pig. At La Boulangerie, be sure to try the traditional French Galette des Rois (two rounds of puff pastry filled with delicate almond cream) or the savory pretzel king cake (decorated with Mardi Gras-colored salt and served with Cochon Abita mustard). 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-7675, cochonbutcher.com; 4600 Magazine St., Ste. 1518, 269-3777, laboulangerienola.com

Childhood comes and goes in a blink.

We’re here through the stages of your life, with the strength of the cross, the protection of the shield. The Right Card. The Right Care.

01MK7641 11/21

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

15

Style

BY ANDY MY E R

This fabulous look screams “the party’s started.” Shot at the picturesque Virgin Hotel, Corey Lynn Calter’s silk Roses Pants paired with a festive top and accessories will take you from celebratory gatherings to the streets in supreme style.

Head to Saint Claude Social Club for more special finds, Saint Claude Social Club, saintclaudesocialclub.com.

Ellen Macomber’s headdresses have become a local Mardi Gras favorite. The talented artist’s eye-catching ski appliques with hand-dyed fringe are a take-along accessory that may be added to any outfit for instant flair and can also be displayed as a wall hanging. Available through Ellen Macomber, ellenmacomber.com.

Designed exclusively for The Historic New Orleans Collection, this understated flambeaux lapel pin is a lovely nod to Carnival. Named for the torch and the torchbearers of Mardi Gras, the tradition of carrying of a cross-like torch to light the route dates back to the first Comus parade in 1857.

Available through The Shop at The Collection, shophnoc.com.

Carnival Chic Mardi Gras accessories and more

Handmade in England, Corita Roses’ whimsical clutches are made from colorful, original designs printed on cotton velvet with silk lining. Perfect as a handbag, makeup bag or insert for a larger tote and available in a range of styles at West London Boutique, westlondonboutique.com.

16

FEBRUARY 2022

An uplifting COVID-19 silver lining, the house float tradition must carry on. Celebratory paper carnival flowers brought joy throughout the city last year.

Each is signed by the artist and comes with a d-ring hook for easy hanging. Available in an assortment of colors and sizes at Home Malone, homemalonenola.com.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

17

PERSONA

BY KE L L Y MASSIC O T

TOURE FOLKES

I

n 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic Q: What is Turning Tables and how knocked out the entire world, The Data did it come about? I have been in Center released its tourism and hospitality the service industry a long time and report. In a breakdown of the report, Nola. often times [been] passed and not com noted the finding that of the 207,800 given the same opportunities as my jobs counted in New Orleans, 15,458 of them made white counterparts. It took a long up the hospitality and tourism “cluster” in Orleans time to get off the treadmill and seek Parish. Additionally, the report stated that a rough out better opportunities for myself estimate of 564 full-service restaurants called the city and see value in what I brought to of New Orleans home. Those restaurants and the the spaces that I became a part of people that work in them were all severely impacted since becoming a part of this industry. when the pandemic hit. Not only did many of them Ultimately, I grew tired of not seeing lose their jobs, but the pandemic also people that looked like gave them an opportunity to speak LAGNIAPPE me and started doing I love to travel, up about injustices they saw in the the work to be a part of photography is one community. Touré Folkes started the changing that! I have of my many loves, and I should never hospitality non-profit Turning Tables always volunteered and be trusted with a because he wanted to see more people looked for ways to give microphone when doing karaoke. of color, people that looked like him, back to the community.

Soon after I moved in the industry he grew to love over MORE INFO the past decade. Turning Tables is to New Orleans, I Turning Tables, doing its part to educate people in turningtablesnola.org started volunteering the New Orleans community, while with Liberty’s Kitchen, giving them exposure to those in the industry, as teaching classes to students interested well as additional personal resources like mental in the service industry and assisting health. Folkes shares his start and how Turning them in their fundraising efforts Tables hopes to effect true change into the future for their annual gala, “Come Grow With Us” and their monthly “Guest of the service industry.

Chef Night.” A lot of those experiQ: Tell us about yourself. I was born and raised ences with the students informed in New York City and came to New Orleans six what would be the training method years ago with [more than] 10 years of hospitality and curriculum for Turning Tables. experience, working every position in the front of Together we collaborated on a grant the house including management. Your ancestors that we submitted to Tales of the have a way of calling you back home, and my Cocktail, which we were successful in roots to Louisiana go way back. Prior to moving getting. After an extremely successful here, I came to visit at various points of my life, first year, I made moves for us to as a tourist during Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras and become a non-profit and obtain then as a photographer covering the oil spill. A our own 501c3 status. solo road trip convinced me that this was the place I needed to be.

Q: What training do you provide?

Turning Tables is the only organiza-

18

FEBRUARY 2022

tion in New Orleans—a city with a rich history surrounding hospitality and spirits—that offers what we do: a craft bar training program that provides technical training, education, industry exposure, job placements, and extensive community resources (including mental healthcare). Our students have access to local and national industry leaders, who collaborate with us to develop a unique curriculum. Students gain the tools to pursue a wide range of pathways in food and beverage, including brewing, distilling, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and brand ambassadorship. Through our partnership network we have also started to consult for bars and restaurants, collaborate with the community to put together dynamic events and fundraisers and partner with like-minded organizations and individuals to spearhead a deep level of engagement in equity work in hospitality. We have become so much more than how we started.

Q: What about the mission is important to you? My life and experiences and those of my peers is what drives our mission. The most important thing in all our work is our community of support and family we have created. Despite this industry’s flaws, I love this industry and the community that I have built while in it. Without a doubt, the lockdown would have been completely different had I not had that community. This whole initiative is driven by a community of people that want real change and 100 percent this is a collaborative effort that starts from that ethos.

Q: What has been the impact of COVID-19? This industry has needed to change for a long time on so many levels and the protests galvanized the community towards social activism. For so long we have accepted conditions where we are undervalued, underpaid, work long hours and work in environments that can be both hostile in the form of microaggressions, racism and sexism. We were one of the first markers of normalcy that the general public looked forward to because we have always been there for people because of the value we bring in memorable experiences, special occasions and general comfort of being a home away from home. The pandemic made a lot of people in the industry realize that they were not being taken care of themselves and that there was no actual value seen from the general public in the people that are integral to those experiences. I think this is a great opportunity for the restaurant industry to reset, improve work conditions, invest in their workers, and provide more opportunities for advancement. Hospitality workers are no longer going to accept the way things were before.

To continue this conversation, and find out what’s next for Touré Folkes, visit our website for exclusive online content. MyNewOrleans.com

Q

A

GREG MILES PHOTO

MODINE GUNCH

Lenten Rules

Putting off those resolutions

Two rules about king cake: 1. You don’t eat it before King’s Day, which is January 6, or after Mardi Gras. Now, you can eat something that looks like a king cake at other times, but it ain’t king cake. It’s fake cake.

Even if it has a plastic baby in it.

2. The baby has to be IN it. Not on the outside with some legal jabber about eating plastic babies at your own risk. Nope. It has to be baked right in, like God intended. Just don’t bite down hard.

And here’s a third rule, that don’t strictly have to do with king cake, but sort of.

3. Do not make New Year’s resolutions. Make them for Lent instead. Not only does that earn you brownie points in the Afterlife, but Lent only lasts 40 days - not counting Sundays - instead of a whole year. You can probably last 40 days.

(You don’t even have to be religious to follow this advice. It works for everybody.) Also - and this is important - Lent don’t include king cake season.

Unfortunately, this year, my sister-in-law Larva got terrible guilts from Christmas eating and goes to WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and turns herself in right after New Year’s.

She’s two weeks into it - and king cake season has started - when she gets a text from my other sister-in-law, Gloriosa, asking her to bring a king cake, like she usually does, to the St. Mary’s Mothers’ Club Fried Chicken Carnival party.

She texts back that no, she’ll bring the salad.

Gloriosa texts no, Tiffany LeBouef is going to bring the salad.

Larva texts “Tiffany always brings Snickers

20

FEBRUARY 2022

salad!” - which if you don’t know (and this is true) - is made out of vanilla pudding mix, whipped cream, caramel, cut-up Snickers candy bars, plus green apples (to make it healthy, I guess.)

“There won’t be nothing at this party that I can eat,” texts Larva.

“So eat before you come.”

- Gloriosa.

“So I can sit there and drool?”

- Larva Afterward, Gloriosa is fuming.

“I got everything all organized and assigned and now Ms. Thinks-She’s-Fat wants to mess it up,” she tells her husband, waving her phone around for emphasis. Her finger hits the transcribe button, just when she finishes up with, “That bitch!”

And that is what Larva reads.

There’s a ding on her phone and Gloriosa looks down - and realizes what she just said has been transcribed into text and sent to Larva. Who is now texting her back. Things that ain’t nice.

So Gloriosa answers back, likewise.

Fingers are flying; manicures are being ruint, and they are both

texting stuff they’ll don’t mean and will regret.

The thing about texting is when your fight is over, you can’t pretend it never happened. You can reread it and get mad all over again. (This might be a clue to why the world is in the state it’s in now. Too many stupid things recorded online, and once you’ve posted it, there’s no taking it back.)

Finally, Gloriosa tries to get Larva to believe she was talking about her mother-in-law and just happened to hit the ‘send’ button. Larva ain’t that stupid, but she pretends to believe it. She says she’ll brink the cake to the party, but she has to leave early.

Anyway, Larva dropped off a gorgeous king cake - with “That Bitch!” written in purple on the paper lining underneath it.

Gloriosa cuts the first few slices. Her eyes bug out. She knows without even having to see the whole thing - what it is going to say.

So she has to rush the cake into the kitchen, slide it onto a cookie sheet, and ball up Larva’s nasty message and hurl it into the trash.

She don’t say a thing to Larva. She starts plotting revenge instead.

She thinks of getting some of them new giant beads that people are decorating their houses with, and decorating Larva’s house to spell out - well, you know what she would spell out. She has a real good time thinking about that.

Almost as good as doing it. But she don’t. She lets it go.

After all, it’s almost Lent.

LORI OSIECKI ILLUSTRATION

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

21

VINTAGE

B Y JO HN R . KE MP

1910

N

ew Orleans entered the 20th century on a wave of modernism last yellow fever epidemic in 1905 and the great influenza pandemic in 1918. that began in the 1890s and continued by Mayor Martin Despite those improvements, rising industrialization in other American cities, a national network of railroads and other economic forces caused Behrman, the longest serving mayor in the city’s history.

Seen here sitting at his desk in City Hall (then Gallier New Orleans to slip from the 9th largest city in the nation in 1870 to 12th Hall) is a photograph of Behrman taken by New Orleans in 1900, and 17th by 1920.

Throughout Berhman’s career, “silk stocking” good government “Times-Democrat” photographer John Hypolite Coquille for his groups usually lead by the “Times-Democrat” and its successor one-day series “A Typical Day in the Life of Mayor Behrman.”

Mayor Martin The New York-born Behrman grew up an only child in the Behrman opens the “Times-Picayune” constantly blamed him and the Ring for the his mail, ca French Quarter, working and playing in the French Market where 1910, Photo by city’s vice and other problems. Opponents accused him of living J H Coquille, his widowed mother worked in a dry goods stall. in a mansion, when he actually resided in a modest cottage in Courtesy New Rising in New Orleans politics in later life, Behrman served as Orleans Public Algiers. As the head of a political machine based on ward politics Library and patronage, Behrman was a critic of civil service. He once wrote, mayor from 1904 to 1920 and from 1925 until his death in 1926.

As mayor, he reined over the city’s politically powerful Regular “You do not appoint men (to jobs) . . . because you can get control Democratic Organization, known as the Old Regulars or Ring. of their votes but because they are already with you.” He also noted that once the “reformers” defeated him in 1920, they didn’t implement civil Though initiated by previous mayors, Behrman’s administration made service for city workers either. numerous municipal improvements, including parks, fire stations, schools, the Public Belt Railroad to serve the port, a water purification plant, an At the time of his death, the same newspaper that had criticized Behrman extensive drainage canal system to open new land for an expanding city, throughout the years, now hailed him as “a kindly citizen, a forceful leader and, despite his own protests, the closing of the city’s tenderloin district, and a municipal servant who made the most of his opportunities for service Storyville, during WWI. Also during his administration the city weathered its to the city he loved.”

22

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

23

THE CARNIVAL SEASON returns, but after a year missing out on parades and floats and neutral ground picnics, many New Orleanians are celebrating more than just a return to the route. The Carnival celebration means catching up with friends and family; cultivating the perfect purple, green and gold look; setting up the family ladder, wagon or lawn chairs in just the right spot.

It’s about sharing the experience and the joy of Carnival creators, artists, makers and musicians. It goes way beyond floats.

It’s about being together, whether physically or (Mardi Gras) spiritually.

We asked some familiar faces, “What does Mardi Gras mean to you?” and the answers, while varied, all reflect the same themes: Carnival and Mardi Gras goes beyond beads and floats; it lives within the souls of the community that make it come alive.

IT’S CARNIVAL

Big Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson

BY SE AS

BY LEC HLE TH T PH Y M ER O C ES TO LEL A GR LA CA A N SS PHY AG NE

TIME

GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME MAROON SOCIETY My father, the late Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr., was born during the Carnival season, January 27th. It is absolutely my favorite time of year. It’s family time, sewing parties, singing and listening to my father sing “Two-WayPockey-Way” and “Shallow Water” from my brother Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr.'s iconic recording, Indian Blues daily as motivation and in anticipation of the big day. Mardi Gras is the culmination of the Carnival Season.

It is the day I debut my original fine art ceremonial attire, also known as a suit.

It’s a hard deadline, one I rarely miss. As my dad often said, “a suit is never truly finished, when it’s time to go, put it on and walk out of the door.” Mardi Gras means walking outof-the-door as pretty, pretty Queen Reesie of the Guardians of the Flame Maroon Society.

Favorite parade route meal: Petite chicken salad croissants with a dash of hot sauce, Zapp’s potato chips, fresh pineapple chunks, an ice cold Barq’s Red Cream Soda in a can or a spicy ginger beer in a bottle. I am a queen, I have a very specific royal diet.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

25

Mardi Gras is 24/7 life, if I’m not masking Indian, I’m performing with my band bringing Mardi Gras to the world.

I can skip Christmas, Thanksgiving or my birthday and go straight to Mardi Gras.

Bo Dollis, Jr.

MUSICIAN AND BIG CHIEF OF THE WILD MAGNOLIAS

Favorite parade route meal: On Carnival, they have food trucks on St. Charles, and they have Polish sausage po-boys – that’s when you know it’s Mardi Gras.

1 Parades

Historian Arthur Hardy says parading can be traced to the days of the Roman Empire, when massive military and coronation processions were held. The Phoenicians put wheels on ships and pulled them through the streets in victory parades. They did the same in Spain with small ships called flotas.

Etymologists suggest “carnival” came from “carrus navavlis” – or, “ships on wheels.” (“Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History”)

2 Carnival Colors

Mardi Gras is known for its official colors: purple, green and gold. Rex chose them in 1872, but Hardy is not sure why. In 1950, when Rex felt compelled to assign a meaning to each color, he recalled his 1892 parade, “Symbolism of Colors,” where each float’s color carried a theme. Rex decreed: purple stands for justice, gold for power and green for faith. (“Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History”)

3 King Cakes

In the decades following World War II, Americans gravitated toward more sugary foods. So in the 1960s, king cake bakers experimented with sweeter doughs, and in the 1970s, icing. By the 1980s, sweet fillings were added, and the king cake’s evolution to its present form was nearly complete.

Today, the variety of king cakes seems endless. (“The Big Book of King Cake”)

Megan Forman PASTRY CHEF, CO-OWNER GRACIOUS BAKERY Not having a proper Mardi Gras last year really brought into focus how meaningful the season is to me personally, to us as business owners and to New Orleans as a whole. At its most basic level, there is the action of connecting with others that happens at parades, parties and over king cake that just doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. But it is so integral to New Orleans as a community and last year, we all really missed that.

As a business owner, we love to see customers respond so well to seasonal products- and economically we rely on it.

Favorite parade route meal: Well, I have to say [Gracious Bakery’s] savory hand pies, grilled cheeses and hot roast beef sandwiches are everyone’s favorites on our parade menu.

If I’m outsourcing, it’s got to be Popeyes!

Donald Link EXECUTIVE CHEF AND PRESIDENT LINK RESTAURANT GROUP, CO-FOUNDER, LINK STRYJEWSKI FOUNDATION Mardi Gras for me?

My favorite part is walking up Magazine Street and visiting friends on the route, and when possible, introducing first timers to Mardi Gras. [My favorite parade is] Muses, always at a friend’s house Uptown, or random places along Magazine. My daughter and I, before she left for college, always watched Muses together at Herbsaint.

You could also say it is what I miss the most about Mardi Gras too.

Favorite parade route meal: McHardy’s Fried Chicken.

4 Zulu History

When the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club honored Louis Armstrong as king in 1949, Armstrong told Time magazine, “There’s a thing I’ve dreamed of all my life, and damned if it don’t look like it’s about to come true – to be King of Zulu’s parade.” He boasted a strong connection to the club. During the parade, he was able to greet his grandmother, Josephine.

Unfortunately his float broke before reaching the end of the route; it was destroyed by souvenir hunters. (“Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History”)

5 Marching Groups

Muses is credited with being the first krewe to parade with adult marching groups – and ones with cheeky names, at that – including the Bearded Oysters, the Camel Toe Lady Steppers and the Muff-A-Lottas.

The parade launched in 2001 with the theme, “Muses’ First Time,” 600 women and dazzling signature throws. The krewe honors a muse each year, rather than a king or queen. (“Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History”)

Errol Laborde EXECUTIVE EDITOR, RENAISSANCE PUBLISHING, HOST OF “BEYOND THE BEADS” PODCAST Y’all, we have to realize that what we have here is something that is really, really special.

New Orleans is blessed to have one of the world’s major urban street festivals. There are days each year when a million or so people mingle, dance and boogie, most often in peace. That is priceless.

Some of the music they dance to is itself from the streets.

Imagine people in neighborhoods and neutral grounds dancing to the city’s own sound including rhythm and blues, jazz and Mardi Gras Indians chants. Top that Houston or Atlanta!

We’re blessed that the weather is usually favorable for Carnival and that there are plenty people who care about Carnival because they grew up here. And if there is a father who is anxiously awaiting the year when his daughter can be a maid or queen of a ball, there’s nothing wrong with that. It is another benefit of the urban experience.

What is especially amazing is that the parades are paid for by the participants.

Corporate underwriting is not allowed. Last year when there were no parades allowed, the neighborhoods created their own parade

of house floats. If the floats could not come to the people, the people went to the floats.

How special is that?

As the Mardi Gras Indians might say: “Iko! Iko! Jock-a-mo Fee No Nay.” No one knows exactly what that means, but it is believed to say roughly “we mean business; don’t mess with us.” Good advice on the streets of an urban carnival.

Favorite parade food meal: There are two types of parade foods; those bought from a stand or those lifted from the table at a pre-parade party. Of the former there is one that distinguishes itself above all others, spewing an oniony fragrance from the gawdy vendors’ trailers that add a touch of Vegas class along key parade routes. What else could it be but the polish sausage sandwich?

In preparation, a sausage link is plopped into a bun.

That link embellishes the night air with its own eau de boiled sausage. But there are more flavors to come.

The sausage IS ladled with onion slivers, pepper pieces and steamy chopped greens.

From there the customer makes choices by splashing on mustard; brown, or, for visual embodiment, yellow.

Catsup is optional, but why?

Back in the old country, fine cuts of meat are usually enhanced by a wine; but for a polish sausage sandwich the need is different. There is one drink that works perfectly: a Coke. Properly served in a tall Styrofoam cup with lots of ice, the drink adds EFFERESCENCE to the experience and, to the discriminating tastebud: Does the Coke have a hint of strawberry? If that’s important you, try the cotton candy stand nearby.

FOUNDER, KREWE OF HOUSE FLOATS Mardi Gras is all about getting together with friends and family, letting loose and setting the worries of everyday life aside for a time. It is when New Orleans really gets to shine and everybody gets to live a little (or maybe a lot) more than folks in other places.

Favorite parade route meal: Popeyes and king cake! But mostly king cake.

Wendell Pierce

Megan Boudreaux

FEATURE FILM AND TV ACTOR Mardi Gras means a gathering of family friends, and neighbors. You already know that over the course of a few weeks, you will see those you are close to and those you haven’t seen over the years.

Mardi Gras allows us to fill a huge capacity of joy, while we reflect on those we have lost, with their memory warming our hearts. It’s the biggest block party in the world. My favorite parade is the entrance of a rival gang of Mardi Gras Indians to the last Indian practice on the Sunday night before Lundi Gras. To be in a small local bar, the location is a guarded secret that is ultimately exposed, then … here they come. The place is filled with drumming, dancing and the age-old chants passed from generation to generation. They next appear on Mardi Gras morning in the most “pretty” living works of art.

Favorite parade route meal: During Mardi Gras, “adult” beverages dominate my intake, but when the hunger hits, a hot sausage sandwich off of somebody’s grill on the neutral ground hits the spot.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

29

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DEFENSIVE END Being a part of the city and coming down here 10 years ago, seeing the traditions and celebrations; it’s special. You learn about the greasing of the poles, you learn about the floats and the time that goes into them and the people that create them.

Mardi Gras is a special time and it’s become one of my favorite holidays. I love the Zulu ball. I love Endymion, Bacchus, any parade you go to you’re going to have blast. But I look forward to the Zulu parade at the end, that’s an awesome parade to attend. I love catching the coconuts!

Favorite parade route meal: I would skip the meal and go straight to king cake! Randazzo’s is a staple, Haydel’s is phenomenal and then you got Dong Phuong.

That’s the top three, no order, you can interchange those and be happy with any of them.

Staci Rosenberg

Cam Jordan

FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE KREWE OF MUSES To me, Mardi Gras is a couple of weeks of spending quality time with friends and going to lots of parades since I live inside “the box” and can’t easily leave. Up until Muses “tHERsday,” it also means a lot of work but in the most fun way, since I am busy organizing the Krewe of Muses parade. After Muses, it’s all fun, with some recovery time mixed in.

Favorite parade: Muses and I watch from a float.

There really is no better vantage point to see the parade route and the crowds and it’s just an amazing experience.

6 Parade Ladders

Pictures dating back to the 1940s show revelers sitting on A-frame ladders to get a better view of passing floats. Ladders with a wooden seat fastened by four bolts came next. Then someone known as “Mr. Wheeler” arrived on the scene and attached the wheels from his lawn mower to the ladder, making it easy to transport. Ladders are now covered with cushions and rigged with “loot chutes” so paradegoers can quickly stow their beads. (“The Ladders of Mardi Gras”)

7 Baby Dolls

The origin of New Orleans’ sweetly-dressed Baby Dolls is somewhat of a mystery – although there is evidence of prostitutes in “Black Storyville” masking as Baby Dolls around 1912. Or maybe one masker started the trend. Regardless, authors Echo Olander and Yoni Goldstein say the Baby Dolls were one of the first women’s street masking groups. “They marched with bravado, contrasting the feminine appearance of a doll with powerful masculine symbols, such as cigars, money and sometimes weapons.” Several factions emerged, differentiated by music and dance styles. (“I Wanna Do That!”)

Dr. Stephen Hales REX ARCHIVIST, AUTHOR “REX: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL OF DESIGN” I appreciate the deep historical roots of Carnival.

Communities benefit from that kind of continuity, an annual renewal of celebrations with traditions and rhythms that we enjoy together. Mardi Gras brings us together in a special way—lines that sometime divide us tend to fade on the parade route. And the art of Carnival is so important and unique—a beautiful and ephemeral art form that is unique to New Orleans.

Favorite parade: No surprise here--I love the Rex parade, representing a century and a half of tradition and artistry. The imagination and creativity involved in developing themes and float designs and the use of traditional materials and techniques produce a beautiful parade, a counterpoint to the spectacular “superkrewe” parades. I watch the parade from the reviewing stand at the Hotel Intercontinental. It is always a special moment when Rex pauses there to offer a toast to the Queen of Carnival and the Rex court.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

31

OWNER, WE DAT CHICKEN [Endymion] runs right past our location on Canal Street, and we were so exicted by all the customers that came in and maybe had not heard of We Dat before. Not only does it help with exposure, but it’s also so great to see all the people that come out and stand in line for our food. I ride in the truck parades.

Mardi Gras day is my favorite day. You get to see so many people in the city. During this time and festival time, it’s great to see people of all backgrounds, no matter race, religion, we all have common ground when we are celebrating.

Favorite parade route meal: I have a tradition that I bring plenty of chicken on the float for Mardi Gras day, and then I go check all the stores after we finish up the parade, and I get a plate to go for myself.

Tony Leggio

Greg Tillery

VETERAN EVENT PLANNER, FORMER KING AND CAPTAIN OF THE MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, GRAND MARSHAL GAY EASTER PARADE, NEW ORLEANS PRIDE AND SOUTHERN DECADENCE

TROMBONE SHORTY

To me Mardi Gras means tradition. I have so many Mardi Gras traditions that I share with my family, my friends and my co-workers. During the season, different traditions with different groups, but each is special. And the main thing is, each one makes me glad I live in this city. Whether I am catching shoes with my family on Magazine Street for Muses, listening to great bands in the Caesar’s Superdome for the Endymion Extravaganza, or doing the Lundi Gras lunch at Arnaud’s with my friends in costume, I enjoy it all. And tradition goes hand in hand with community. I have been a member of one of the gay Carnival krewes and dressing in costume as part of their tableau for their Bal Masque is exhilarating. What is wonderful about Mardi Gras, is there is always the opportunity every year to make new traditions, because this holiday is truly for everyone!

What does Mardi Gras mean to me? The big thing is to get an early start to make sure you can catch it all. As a kid I would follow some of the Indian tribes through the neighborhood for a few hours, then hit the Zulu parade to try and catch the coconut and to hang out under bridge with some barbecue, some secondlines. To me, that's Mardi Gras.

Favorite parade: I've got to give the shout out for my “Shorty Gras” and the Krewe of Freret parade, and seeing everybody having a good time from my float!

McKenzie's Legacy

In “The Big Book of King Cake,” author Matt Haines boldly states: “the grandfather of the modern day Louisiana-style king cake” is McKenzie’s cake – a sweetened brioche dough dusted with purple, green, and gold sugar. Henry McKenzie established McKenzie’s Pastry Shoppe on Prytania Street in 1929. Less than a decade later, his former boss bought him out for $83, but he kept Henry as head baker and retained the shop’s name. Over time, McKenzie’s became a 54-store empire. The bakery made their first king cake for a Carnival ball, but continued baking them for decades. At its height, the bakery sold more than 350,000 king cakes a year.

9 Beans and Babies

MATHIEU BITTON PHOTO

Favorite parade: Krewe Du Vieux is definitely my favorite parade for many reasons.

It is normally the first time of the Carnival season I get to dress in costume, which I love to do, the more outrageous the better. It also feels like a more locals’ parade. I always catch it in the Marigny (and if you do it right, you can see it twice), which becomes quite the scene that night. So many people host house parties in the neighborhood, you spend most of the pre and post parade party hopping. But the parade itself is genius. It is funny, satirical and very naughty.

The throws and costumes are inspired and the bands will keep you dancing the entire time.

MUSICIAN, PRODUCER, PHILANTHROPIST

8

Before there was a king cake baby, there was a coveted bean.

In ancient Greece, leaders were chosen by tallying votes cast with beans. Ancient pagans believed the bean was magical.

But when Christianity made its way through Europe, the bean was considered blessed. The French expression, “Il a trouvé la fève au gâteau!” is used when someone makes a lucky discovery, writes Haines, but the translation, “He has found the bean in the cake!” refers to king cake. In modern-day New Orleans, the woman who receives the bean at the annual ball of the Twelfth Night Revelers is crowned the krewe’s queen. (“The Big Book of King Cake”)

FOR YO UWATR CHHWHAT E AR T ’ S SAKE …

YOU EAT

BY KATH Y FIN N

F

or much of his life, Jackson Ellisor believed he was leading a “pretty healthy” lifestyle. Though he occasionally indulged in an ill-advised food choice – a bacon cheeseburger or pork ribs slathered in barbeque sauce, for instance – he felt he was offsetting the potential harm with regular exercise, such as jogging.

Then, a few years ago, at the age of 57, the husband and father of two began feeling short of breath while running a race. “After about a mile I had to slow down to a walk,” he says. At first, he brushed off the incident. But when the same thing happened again a few weeks later, Ellisor decided to see his doctor.

A stress test, in which a technician monitored his heart and respiration while he ran on a treadmill, suggested that blood was not flowing freely through Ellisor’s cardiovascular system. A follow-up angiogram, in which doctors viewed x-ray images of blood flowing through his heart, indicated significant blockages in several arteries.

His cardiologist recommended that Ellisor have bypass surgery, a procedure that shuts off blocked portions of an artery and repairs the vessel with a vein taken from another part of the body. Wary of proceeding right away, Ellisor sought another opinion.

The second cardiologist he consulted suggested he do a scan called a PET cardiac stress test, which enables a clear view of blood flow while using a drug to accelerate the heart rate rather than having the patient walk or run. This time, Ellisor received better news. “You don’t need bypass surgery,” the doctor told him. “I think we can treat this with diet, exercise and medications.”

With that, Ellisor got an opportunity that evades many cardiac patients.

34

JANUARY 2022

Temporarily spared from heart surgery, he had the chance to try to address his cardiovascular problems himself. The way nutritionist Molly Kimball sees it, such a reprieve from invasive treatment is a gift.

Kimball, a registered dietician with Ochsner Fitness Center, says it’s a good idea for cardiac patients who are not severely ill to talk with their doctor about potential alternatives to procedures such as bypass surgery or the placement of stents in arteries. “Ask if you can have a three-month window to lower your blood pressure or reduce your cholesterol on your own,” she says.

Having counseled hundreds of cardiac patients on nutrition during the past few decades, Kimball says she has seen many reap benefits from a better diet even after having a heart attack or surgery. In 2013, she founded Ochsner’s “Eat Fit” program, which develops health-conscious menu items and recipes for use in restaurants. Kimball has worked with chefs throughout New Orleans and many other regions to encourage them to put Eat Fit options on their menus for patrons who are trying to manage their weight, diabetes, blood pressure or cholesterol. “Our goal is to help people by making the healthy choice the easy choice,” she says.

While better health is the goal, Kimball says a common reason that people seek help with their diet is vanity: “The majority come in with a goal of losing weight.” But people with weight problems often have related conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which can increase their risk of heart disease, she says.

Kimball advises anyone who wants to improve their diet not to feel overwhelmed by the challenge. “Too many people put up barriers to their success before they even give it a try,” she says. A nutritional adviser can

help break the process into manageable steps, such as reducing sugar intake.

Though it is widely understood that consuming too many fatty foods, particularly those that are high in saturated fats, can produce long-term damage to the cardiovascular system, people tend to be less aware of the dangers in added sugars and processed foods, Kimball said. Sugars added to most soft drinks, and “white” carbohydrates typically contained in cereal bars, granolas and crackers, can be just as damaging as saturated fats. “White, refined flours are often found in foods that masquerade as nutritious,” she points out. A dietician can help steer people away from such traps.

The importance of diet in maintaining overall health, and heart health in particular, has become increasingly clear in the medical community. As public health professionals have focused on common chronic health problems in the population at large, primary care physicians and cardiac specialists have also come to view dietary changes as crucial to a successful treatment outcome.

Keith Ferdinand, a cardiologist and professor at Tulane School of Medicine, sees a rising awareness in the medical community that addressing chronic issues requires educating people about how to lower their own risks. “If you want to decrease the disease burden on society, the best way is to change the dynamics across a whole population,” he says.

Ferdinand, who holds the Gerald S. Berenson Chair in Preventative Cardiology at Tulane, notes that many heart ailments that become evident in middle age are rooted in a person’s childhood. Some problems have genetic links, but conditions like obesity, high glucose and high cholesterol, can also arise from the diet and lifestyle of an individual’s early life. “Preventive cardiology aims to treat the disease before it becomes clinically evident,” Ferdinand says.

He adds that a “bedrock” of prevention is a plant-based diet that limits red meat, avoids saturated fats and incorporates proteins from fish. “You don’t have to become a vegetarian, but studies have shown that basic dietary changes can substantially decrease a person’s risk of dying from a heart attack.”

Ferdinand emphasizes that a patient who has been diagnosed with a cardiac problem should follow a doctor’s orders regarding treatment,

TIPS TO HELP PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association in 2019 jointly issued guidelines that include the following:

n

The most important way to prevent atherosclerotic vascular disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation is to promote a healthy lifestyle throughout life.

n

All adults should consume a healthy diet that emphasizes the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean vegetable or animal protein and fish, and minimizes the intake of trans fats, red meat and processed red meats, refined carbohydrates and sweetened beverages.

n

For overweight adults, counseling and caloric restriction are recommended for achieving and maintaining weight loss.

n

Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderateintensity physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity physical activity.

n

For adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, lifestyle changes, such as improving dietary habits and achieving exercise recommendations, are crucial.

n

All adults who use tobacco should be assisted and strongly advised to quit.

n

Source: The 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

including prescriptions for blood pressure medicine, statins to lower cholesterol and blood thinners for atrial fibrillation or arrhythmia.

“For a person who has already developed significant cardiovascular disease or had a heart attack, stroke or heart failure, it would be a mistake to think that medications are not necessary,” he says.

But evidence that changes such as limiting one’s salt intake are effective in reducing hypertension, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, among other conditions, has made dietary discussions part of Ferdinand’s routine patient care. Sometimes he also refers patients to an innovative nutrition program at Tulane for further counseling.

Heather Nace, operations director at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane, has seen numerous referrals from medical professionals around the city. “We are here to primarily serve the medical students because, traditionally, students learn very little about nutrition,” Nace says. “But we also offer free, community cooking classes that involve the same things we are teaching the students.”

Founded in 2012, the program focuses on how to choose nutritious foods and prepare healthy meals at home. Nace, who is both a registered dietician and a chef trained in culinary nutrition, realizes that a lot of talk about carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals can be boring, so the Tulane program tries to show students and community participants what a good diet and healthy cooking actually look like.

“It’s easier to talk about nutrition when you have experience doing it,” Nace said. “And when physicians can do this in their own lives, they are better able to share their own healthy behavior with their patients.”

In her classes, Nace teaches students how to be mindful of what they eat, read nutrition labels and look for foods that contain the least sugar, salt and fat. She shows how to plan meals in advance to incorporate crucial food groups. But she also offers tips on how to make a meal healthier on the spur of the moment, by adding a salad or a bag of frozen vegetables, for instance. “We’re all busy and we can’t make every meal from scratch,” she says. “But if we understand how to put together a simple, nutritious meal that’s also delicious, then we can improve our health.”

One person who has taken heed is Ellisor, who now is four years removed from the threat of surgery to repair his blocked arteries.

Initially, along with taking a beta blocker, a blood pressure medicine and a statin prescribed by his doctor, he began revamping his diet to focus on fruits, vegetables and fish. He cut out fried foods and reduced his sugar and salt intake. And he began bicycling every day. The result: He has dropped 30 pounds, his blood pressure is under control, and the only medicine he still takes is the statin to maintain a healthy level of cholesterol. A recent scan showed that the narrowing in his arteries also has improved.

Ellisor says he feels great and that his sense of well-being is a reward for the lifestyle changes he has made. But he acknowledges that he certainly did not undertake those changes on a whim. “The prospect of having my chest split open to repair my arteries was a huge motivator for me to try something else,” he says.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

35

BY CHRIS PRICE ILLUSTRATION BY JASON RAISH

DAMAGE CONTROL

W

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS HAD A MASSIVE IMPACT ON AMERICANS’ RETIREMENT PLANS, BUT EXPERTS SAY NOT ALL OF THE CHALLENGES ARE NEGATIVE

hen am I going to retire? How much money am I going to need? How long will the money need to last?

These are valid questions to ask, and ask often, but it seems they have grown in importance as the COVID-19 pandemic has raged over the past 21 months.

Pre-pandemic, many economists were worried Americans were facing a growing retirement crisis. According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, a 65-year-old American is expected to live an average of another 19.4 years, and the typical retirement-age American spends $50,220 a year. That means the average American who wants to retire at 65 needs an estimated $1.12 million to enjoy a comfortable retirement.

But a 2019 report from the Federal Reserve found that nearly one in every four American adults have no retirement savings.

During the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many companies were forced to furlough and lay off employees, many Americans not only stopped contributing to their retirement plans but also withdrew funds so they could survive. With variants continuing to slow the economy and raising inflation, along with escalating housing, healthcare, and long-term care costs, many are all but sure the days of packing up the office at 65 for a life of leisure are but a dream to but a handful. Today, most Americans (59 percent) believe that they will have to keep working longer to be able to retire comfortably and 36 percent say they will never have enough money to be able to retire at all, according to the latest data from the Natixis Global Retirement Index. Of those who are still holding on to hope that the day will eventually come, 41 percent said their ability to be financially secure in retirement is “going to take a miracle.”

Still, experts say there are ways to start saving that could produce enough predictable income that lasts through retirement so that the golden years aren’t tarnished or elusive.

MY NEWORLEANS .COM

37

“Savings is important,” said Gregory Ricks, founder and CEO of Gregory Ricks & Associates, a Metairie-based independent financial advisory firm that specializes in creating custom financial and retirement plans.

“It gives yourself life options. You can choose to do something else. You could choose to not work or change jobs or keep working. Savings gives peace of mind. You should not have a reason to save; it’s a basic principle we all should have and do.”

“For the average worker, Social Security was originally designed to replace 40 percent of their income,” he said. “For the poor, it was designed to replace 90 percent of their income.

The SSA increases its payment with annual cost of living adjustments (COLA). They are usually relatively small – between 2013 and 2021 its average was 1.43 percent – but the increase for 2022 is 5.9 percent due to COVID-related higher inflation.

How much a retiree receives from Social Security depends on how much they have earned over their working lives, COLA increases, and LOOMING RETIREMENT CRISIS? when they begin to take benefits. Age 62 is the year at which people first Living through both the pandemic and the Great Recession of 2007 to become eligible for Social Security. However, by claiming early, they will 2009, the second-worst economic crisis in U.S. history when 8.8 million jobs and $19.2 trillion in household wealth were lost, according to the U.S. receive permanently reduced monthly benefits. If instead they wait until full Treasury Department, has been a one-two retirement age – up to age 67, depending punch to the financial gut for Generation on when someone was born – they will X (ages 44 to 55) and Millennials’ (25 to get 100% of the benefits they earned. If 43) dreams of achieving financial security they wait until 70, they will maximize in retirement. According to the National TIMING MATTERS their monthly benefit amount.

Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS), One of the main criticisms of Social Age for full Social Security retirement benefits for full retirement age (FRA) 64 percent of Millennials and 54 percent Security is that most of the payroll taxes workers of Generation X have increased concerns collected from today’s workers are used to about their retirement security compared pay benefits to today’s recipients. Another Year of birth FRA to 42 percent for Baby Boomers (56 to 74) is potential lack of funds. An August report 1937 and earlier.............................. 65 and 25 percent for the Silent Generation by the Treasury Department said The 1938............................. 65 & 2 months (75 and older). Much of their concern Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Fund is 1939............................. 65 & 4 months comes from Americans’ achieving longer only able to pay scheduled benefits until life spans and the associated rising health 2033. That means a likely deduction in 1940............................. 65 & 6 months and long-term end of life care costs facing benefits, a tax increase, or both.

1941............................. 65 & 8 months them in the future that will not only “The way it’s set right now, if Congress 1942.......................65 and 10 months reduce their standard of living but also doesn’t do anything to fix that, benefits 1943-54............................................ 66 will be reduced,” Ricks said. “It’s been hinder their ability to meet their basic 1955............................. 66 & 2 months needs in retirement. Rising costs are also more than 30 years since they increased 1956............................. 66 & 4 months a cause for concern. Inflation rose 6.8% the payroll tax. So, they could increase 1957............................. 66 & 6 months the payroll tax 1 percent on both sides in November compared to the previous 1958............................. 66 & 8 months of employee and employer side, and it year, the fastest acceleration since 1982, 1959...........................66 & 10 months according to Consumer Price Index data. probably fixes it for the next 75 years or so.”

1960 & later..................................... 67 If there is good news for Louisianans, He said Congress will be forced into it’s that the cost of living in the Pelican action because no politician will want to SOURCE: THE U.S. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA) State is relatively inexpensive. According call for a benefit cut and alienate a big to 24/7 Wall St., an online financial news block of voters. Instead, he sees incremental company, the average retiree in Louisiana increases added to payroll taxes and/or will need $918,844 to live comfortably additional taxes on Social Security benefits. through retirement. That’s seventh least “At some point somebody’s going to in the nation. The average nationwide is more than $1.12 million. raise the taxes,” Ricks said. “Fifty percent of the population has not saved money, so half of them are dependent upon it. Then, of those who have SOCIAL SECURITY saved, half of them don’t enough, so they are dependent upon it, too. So, Most American employees have an account with the U.S. Social Security unless the politicians want to cause the next great recession they won’t Administration (SSA) that collects taxes from 12.4 percent of their income cut back Social Security. It would wreck the economy, so they’re not going paid equally from their pay and employer and is available for monthly to let it happen.” disbursement when they retire.

Social Security has become the fallback retirement option for many INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS Americans, but even the SSA says “the average Social Security check was In addition to Social Security, experts recomend Individual Retirement Accounts or Arrangements (IRAs), which allow people to make investments, never meant to replace a retired worker’s full income.” usually made up of stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, into a retirement The administration recommends that Social Security not be a retiree’s single source of income, but part of a diversified financial retirement plan. fund. Investments involve risk of possibly losing money. Generally higher The average Social Security check for retirees in August 2021 was risk means higher reward, but there is also the chance for higher losses. $1,558.54, according to the SSA. That’s just $389.64 a week.

Traditional IRAs are set up by individuals. They work by depositing set amounts of money into the investor’s account(s). If pulled from a paycheck, Ricks said Social Security was designed to take care of the poor.

38

MY NEWORLEANS .COM

it is taken before the amount is taxed. While investors get a tax break on the front end, distributions, including earnings, are includible as taxable income at retirement. While money can be pulled from the account at any time, if you are under age 59 ½ you may have to pay an additional 10 percent tax for early withdrawals unless there is a qualified exception.

Roth IRAs are similar, except that money is shifted to the account from the employee’s pay after it has been taxed and qualified withdrawals can be made without taxes or penalties.

Payroll deduction IRAs, like 401(k), and 403(b)s, are accounts set up by an employer for the employee, who choose to have a portion of their wages to an individual traditional or Roth account. Many employers will put a percentage of the employee’s salary in the account and match a certain percentage of the employee’s contribution. Experts say this is one of the fastest ways to increase your nest egg because and employee’s contributions are doubled by their employer’s match and that sum grows through compounding interest.

THE MAGIC OF COMPOUND INTEREST If Guy Williams, president and CEO of New Orleans-headquartered Gulf Coast Bank & Trust has a catchphrase, it’s “Interest never sleeps.”

Williams said retirement plans are designed to grow through compounding interest on the principle and earned interest in the account. The longer the account is open the greater the return. While saving early and continuously during working years is difficult for many, it is the tried-and-true method to get ahead.

“Keep doing it year after year and you are going to be fine,” Williams said. “But you need to start early. If you start at age 25 and stop at age 35 and your friend – same age, same interest rate, same monthly contribution – starts at age 35 and continues until age 65, believe it or not, you will be ahead at the end.”

According to the compound interest calculator at Investor.gov, a website run by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, a 25-year-old who invests $5,000 every year for 10 consecutive years ($50,000 total) and makes no additional investments after they turn 35 will have approximately $787,180 if they keep the account open until they reach 65. The 35-year-old who invested $5,000 every year for 30 consecutive years ($150,000 total) will end have roughly $611,730.

Ricks says the “Rule of 72” is an easy calculation to help understand how

COMPOUND INTEREST’S RULE OF 72

The “Rule of 72” is an easy calculation to help understand roughly how long it will take money to double with compound interest by dividing 72 by the account’s interest rate to determine the sum. Figures shown with no additional contributions to the principal and interest compounded annually.

Principle Rate Years Total 36-year Total $5,000........... 2%...........36............ $10,200......... $10,200 $5,000........... 4%...........18............ $10,129......... $20,520 $5,000........... 6%...........12............ $10,061......... $40,736 $5,000........... 8%...........9.............. $9,995........... $79,841 $5,000........... 10%........10............ $12,969......... $154,563 $5,000........... 12%........6.............. $$9,869......... $295,678

long it will take money to double with compound interest by dividing 72 by the account’s interest rate to determine the sum.

“If your money is earning 7.2 percent, using the rule, it doubles every 10 years,” he said. “If you were able to accumulate $200,000 by age 40, even if you’re not adding anything to it, at that return, it goes from $200,000 to $400,000 at 50. Then by 60, it’s gone from $400,000 to $800,000. At 70, you’re at $1.6 million.

“When you’re young, it seems like it takes forever, but it’s like a snowball growing as it rolls downhill,” he said. “It’s slow, but it just keeps growing and growing, and then it grows more and more and more. That’s the magic of compound interest.”

MAXIMIZING SAVINGS Williams says the easiest way someone can ensure they’ll have more than enough in retirement is to start saving early and don’t stop. He recommends starting by putting 10 percent of your salary into retirement savings.

He says the advantage of retirement contributions coming out of a paycheck pretax is that people should set their budgets without that amount in mind.

“You’re not going to miss it because you don’t see it,” he said.

Trying to save money by using take-home pay is difficult and requires a ton of discipline.

“I’ve seen it over and over again where people think, “Oh, I’m going to save whatever is left after I pay for my expenses and then there’s nothing left.”

No matter where one is in retirement savings – from contributing continuously from the very beginning of a career to starting to save mid-career to reaching crisis mode – experts say there are ways people can get ahead.

Williams advises people who get pay increase or pay off debts to shift the amount of their raise or monthly payment to savings.

“When you get a raise or pay off a loan – a car loan, house loan, student loan – put that payment into savings every month,” he said. “You were already living without it. If you don’t put it aside for the future, in six months it will have disappeared into your budget, and you’ll have no idea how you made it without that money.”

PANDEMIC-CAUSED OPPORTUNITY COVID-19 has caused myriad problems, but Williams said it has had some positive effects, including pushing people to adapt to technology much faster, many industries allowing employees to work from home, and individuals reassessing their work-life balance.

“The labor force has changed permanently,” he said. “Baby boomers who were close to retirement accelerated their plans. They’re gone, and they’re not coming back.”

Additionally, many two-earner families have found their lives are better with one person working less to have more time caring for and being present for their children.

“All of these have shrunk the workforce, which means if you want to work, you have more opportunities,” Williams said. “That’s why more Americans quit their jobs in November (the “Great Resignation”) than ever in history. They didn’t quit to go home. They quit to get other jobs. So, if you’re thinking about shifting, this is the time employers are desperate. They’re looking for employees. Everybody’s hiring in every market. It really is a great moment for people to get ahead. There’s never been a better time.”

SOURCE: INVESTOR.GOV COMPOUND INTEREST CALCULATOR

MY NEWORLEANS .COM

39

40

JANUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

41

42

JANUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

43

44

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

45

TRAVEL

B Y CHE R É CO E N

WESTGATE SMOKY MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA

but it’s well worth the GPS struggle.

The upscale but casual dining experience includes delightful views of the surrounding woods, indoor and outdoor cozy fires, hand-cut prime steaks and craft cocktails. There’s even a Greenbrier Whiskey Society featuring some of the most soughtafter whiskeys and bourbons, and the Greenbrier Women of Wine. It’s really not that hard to find; head east on the Parkway, turn right on Ridge Road, then left on Newman Court and follow the road to its conclusion.

Mountain Time Gatlinburg Mardi Gras Getaway It’s Carnival time, and for those who are not too keen on Mardi Gras parades and crowds, there’s a Tennessee ski vacation close at hand. Head to Gatlinburg and take the two-mile aerial tramway to the top of Mount Harrison where there’s truly something for everyone at Ober Gatlinburg.

Visitors may choose from hitting the slopes, dropping down 50 feet snow tubing or enjoying the ski mountain coaster. There’s also indoor ice skating, hockey, shopping and dining.

“We’re the only ski resort in Tennessee,” said Marci Claude, public relations manager at Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And we always have snow, since it can be made. We can make it at 70 degrees.

It’s like a snow cone ice maker.”

And even though Christmas is

46

FEBRUARY 2022

but a memory, there’s still a magical glow about Gatlinburg. The Smoky Mountain Winter Festival, which lights up in November for the holidays, continues through the end of February.

“We have 30 miles of lights from one end of the city to another,” Claude said.

STAY

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa lies just outside the bustling action of Gatlinburg, offering a little bit of a nature getaway — bears have been spotted! — but with lots of modern amenities. Villas offers plenty of room for families, with patios overlooking mountain views or bubbling creeks.

After a day on the slopes, visitors may enjoy the resort’s heated indoor waterpark or a relaxing treatment or massage at Serenity Spa. Outdoor recreational activities abound as well, weather permitting.

GET HIGH

In addition to Ober Gatlinburg, there are several ways to linger among the clouds. Choose between the Chondola or the Ridge Rambler to access the mountain amusement park of Anakeesta, an outdoor theme park that includes quaint “villages,” the TreeTop SkyWalk experience, and the AnaVista Tower, the highest point in downtown Gatlinburg. Or scale the country’s largest pedestrian suspension bridge at Skylift Park.

Visitors take a ski lift 140 feet up to the bridge, then cross 680 feet across Crockett Mountain. Both attractions offer panoramic views of the Smoky Mountains.

DINE

It’s a bit tricky winding through the back roads to reach The Greenbrier restaurant on the outskirts of town,

A QUIETER PARK

The last two years saw record visitation for the National Park Service, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited of all parks, was no exception.

“Last year, we welcomed more than 12 million visitors to the park,” said Dana Soehn, the park’s management assistant for public affairs. “And, in 2021, we’ve set monthly visitation records each month.”

Each season, including winter and early spring, offers a unique Smokies visit, Soehn said.

“In the winter, hikers have the opportunity to see mountain landscapes and historic features like stonewalls without vegetation obscuring views,” she said.

Winter may also offer less crowds and a more back-to-nature experience.

Soehn still recommends visiting in early morning or late afternoon or during mid-week to avoid peak times.

“The busiest time in the park is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” Soehn explained. “During those times, people should expect congestion and crowded parking lots at popular locations.”

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

47

GROWING PAINS

Carnival season isn’t really my scene even in the best of times. Every year, I have to psych myself up to get out on the parade route, and although I usually have fun once I’m out there, I also would have just as much fun staying home and eating pasta in my sweatpants.

I’ve had truly magical days along the route, running into old friends and making new ones, hoisting my kids up for stuffed animals, getting pelted with beads, dancing to marching bands, watching kids make jump ropes out of broken beads.

I’ve also had truly miserable days when I was wet and cold and cranky and had blisters on my feet and was hungover by 4 p.m.

This year, even though my kids and I are all fully vaccinated, it just feels like more risk than I’m inclined to assume – and that’s if it even ends up happening. If I try to do a risk-reward analysis, I end up with all the normal bad stuff plus the additional stress of willingly participating in what I fear will be another super-spreader event.

If I really loved parades, I’d probably still do it, so no judgment for those who make it out to the route, but as someone ambivalent, I’m planning to stay home.

But it has made me reflect on some of my more memorable Carnival seasons.

There was the first one I remember back in 1984 when it rained on Mardi Gras and so my parents threw beads at me from the second floor.

Then there was the first one I celebrated without my parents, back in 10th grade. The less said about that one, the better, but suffice it to say that I’m borderline terrified of my own 15-year-old daughter going out with her friends this year, and not just because of COVID-19.

In 1998, I skipped Mardi Gras to go visit colleges, and that was actu-

48

FEBRUARY 2022

BY E VE C R AWFO R D PEYTON

Auld Lang Syne

A remembrance of Carnivals past ally sort of exhilarating, realizing how much my world was about to change and expand. Of course, the very next year, I was achingly homesick as I trudged through the Missouri snow to go take a test on Fat Tuesday.

The first Mardi Gras after Katrina will always hold a special place in my heart – my mom and I drove down from Missouri and went to every parade and made friends with strangers who invited us to their

various house parties. We laughed and cried and ate and drank way too much. We didn’t want to leave and swore we’d move back one day.

Ruby’s first Mardi Gras was the next year, and I was still living in Missouri, but we flew down for the occasion. In hindsight, bringing a 9-week-old baby to Bacchus was a bad idea, as she got incredibly overstimulated and screamed for about three straight hours, but honestly, I can’t even say I regret it. I’ll always

have a picture of her dressed up like a tiny baby money … being held by my dad’s friend who was dressed up like Satan.

By 2008, we were back in New Orleans, just in time for an early Carnival season, and I brought Ruby, a toddler by then, to almost every parade, where she would return triumphantly with massive piles of stuffed animals. By Fat Tuesday, her Pack ’n Play was filled to the brim with toys, which was fine because she didn’t use it anyway.

The 2010 season was incredible because it coincided with the Saints Super Bowl win, and 2012 was memorable because I was pregnant with Georgia, but after that, it all starts blurring together. There was the year we realized, two years after buying our house, that we lived just blocks from the Rex route, and there was the year we all got the flu but recovered enough to make it out For more Eve, check out her blog to a few “Joie d’Eve” on Tuesday mornings at parades on myneworleans.com the big day.

There was the year a woman on the Zulu route twerked on Georgia’s head, but then gave her a coconut by way of apology, and the year that Ruby gashed her eyebrow on a trash can edge on St. Charles on Lundi Gras and we ended up at Children’s Hospital while they poured the strongest antibiotics ever invented into her because God only knows what was on that trash can.

I’ll always remember Mardi Gras 2020 as one of the last “normal” times in my life before everything went crazy … and Mardi Gras 2021 as the year of house floats.

This year, I guess, will be the year I sit it out … but I am hopeful that in 2023, I’ll be back at it, ready and willing to accept the good and the bad inherent in the season, fortified, as always, with plenty of beer and King Cake.

JANE SANDERS ILLUSTRATION

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

49

HOME ADVICE

BY L E E CUTR O NE

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Adam Lambert grew up above his father’s Magazine street antiques shop and was attending and helping out at local auction houses by the age of five. He as an MBA in international business with a side focus in auction theory and more than 20 years of experience in the field of auctions. His favorite thing to collect at auction are paintings of Hawaii, where he lived for six years.

ADAM LAMBERT Crescent City Auction Advice

A

s “the auction mecca of the south”, New Orleans is a great place for finding deals on antiques and decorative items with a history. And as decorating trends are shifting away from minimal monochromatic interiors to traditional décor inspired by 18th and 19th century design, auction houses are valuable resources for everything from furniture and rugs to china and art.

Crescent City Auction founder, president and auctioneer Adam Lambert offers the following advice on shopping auctions.

“Brown furniture is making a comeback,” said Lambert, explaining that “brown furniture” usually refers to English period pieces (such as Victorian and Georgian) in woods like mahogany and walnut as well as categories like Louisiana furniture such as armoires and beds by Prudent Mallard. According to Lambert,

50

FEBRUARY 2022

1 sales of brown furniture fell off during the early aughts, again following the housing market crash of 2008 when auction houses were flooded with inventory, and in the last five years. Today such items sell at auction for a fraction of what they once did, making them good buys for the return to traditional design schemes.

Supply issues have contributed to a resurgence in sales of brown furniture.

“Something new that is made to look old is so expensive right now,” said Lambert citing material, production and shipping costs.

In contrast, an antique can be purchased at auction for an affordable price. Plus, Lambert adds, a quality antique is made to last and it has the cachet of having had “a story and a life before you.”

Renewed interest in visually layered interiors has meant an uptick in sales of patterned upholstered pieces, patterned china and Chinese porcelain at Crescent

Do your research before going to an auction.

Third-party bidding sites like Liveauctioneer. com, invaluable.com and bidsquare.com enable you to view items and see comparable values.

2 Check the condition of a piece for defects and always request a condition report. An expert can tell you if it’s been relined, cleaned, restored and so on.

3 It’s wise to set a bidding limit – but sometimes going over the limit may be worth it if it’s an item you’re not likely to see again. “You don’t want to be penny wise and pound foolish,” says Lambert.

City, as well. A patterned sofa or floral china that may have seemed grandmotherly five years ago, now seems on trend with millennials for whom everything old is new again. Lambert says sales of Oriental rugs, which “took a nosedive with the decline of brown furniture” have likewise rebounded. Consumers are also collecting paintings to hang in groupings or to fill a wall gallery- style. And all can be acquired for prices well below those in retail settings – as can timeless pieces that never go out of vogue in New Orleans like 19th century Louis Phillipe commodes.

Lambert follows designers and millennial collectors on Instagram and suggests that buyers, especially young buyers and newcomers to the auction world, do the same for inspiration on how to combine antiques and vintage wares with a fresh eye. While the internet has also made it easy to bid on items anywhere in the world, he cautions that there is a higher buyer’s premium for online sales.

Another caveat: Lambert advises against approaching the auction market purely as an investment strategy.

“My biggest piece of advice is buy what you like,” he said.

“Enjoy them and use them.”

GREG MILES PHOTO

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

51

TABLE TALK

BY JAY FO R MAN

Dressed Up Poor boys and comfort food at Bevi

MESSI SWINE POBOY

F

ew purchases offer more comfort than a shrimp poor boy. A warm hug wrapped in butcher paper, they suspend time with a gentle reassurance that things are going to be ok. And while there is no shortage of places to get one, vendors who provide essential components like French bread are a vanishing breed and not everyone uses Louisiana seafood, especially the high-volume tourist-facing outposts more likely to source seafood from the Gulf of Tonkin rather than the one by Mexico.

Enter the chef-driven neighborhood poor boy shop. Mid-City’s Bevi Seafood occupies a corner than has long represented Louisiana seafood.

It was K-Jeans for many years before Bevi’s chef and owner Justin LeBlanc expanded into the space with a fine dining skill set and a desire to cater to everyday tastes. “I’d always wanted to do something casual like traditional poor boys along with some specialty things that set us apart,” LeBlanc said. Although he concedes, “we could do a hundred ‘more interesting’ sandwiches and still sell more shrimp poor boys than anything…”

52

FEBRUARY 2022

Confidently executed bellwether sandwiches like shrimp poor boys are his bread and butter, done up in a proper batter with egg wash, seasoned flour and cornmeal then served on Leidenheimer bread. For dressing, LeBlanc subscribes to the Blue Plate mayo school. Composed sandwiches unique to his shop present more complex house-made components, like the bacon fat mayo on his formidable Hogs-famous Messi Swine. A behemoth built around a porcine foundation of fried pork belly, pulled pork and ham, “All layers of hog are represented.”

More refined options – if such a word can be used to describe a poor boy – include fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. There is also a Tabasco-glazed shrimp and oyster iteration with blue cheese dressing.

Swinging hard in the other direction lies “The Cure,” a hangover-targeted prescription of sausage patties, egg over easy and pepper jelly.

Bevi is essentially two businesses in one – a boil house and a sandwich shop. Going into the project LeBlanc knew a mere boil house wouldn’t pay the bills, so he built out a full kitchen to augment the seafood.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Justin LeBlanc is a New Orleans native who grew up in Gentilly and went to high school just down the street from Bevi. His first restaurant job was at the ‘ain’t dere no more’ local steakhouse Chateaubriand, which was located just across the street.

At Bevi he brings a fine dining sensibility to the neighborhood poor boy shop. A strong network of connection to local purveyors gives his good access to gulf seafood, and he is available to cater high-volume offsite boils as well with his trailer rig. Bevi is named for his children, Benjamin and Violet.

Crawfish and shrimp are available live, fresh and boiled, and oysters come by the gallon or mini-sack. On the sandwich side, concessions to COVID-19 have pared back his menu but the focus remains on locally sourced seafood and skilled, unfussy preparation. “We put a bigger focus on quality then variation now,” he said. “We have a smoker in the back.

If we have pork belly on menu, we cure it, brine it, smoke it and fry it to order.”

Other adjustments to this new reality include a phalanx of outside picnic tables to augment the indoor seating as well as – more intriguingly – a growing array of craft daiquiris. “One thing we did during the pandemic was add three daquiri machines.” Unlike cookie cutter daquiri shops, LeBlanc takes the restaurant approach to his concoctions. His Peach Bellini over New Year’s was built around a base of real peaches cooked down in-house, and he uses quality pours in his creations.

“Nothing goes better with crawfish than something cold and sweet. Beer is classic, but trust me – a watermelon Pimm’s Cup daiquiri on top tastes pretty good too.”

The initiative has paid off. “People love frozen drinks. Put real fruit and real booze in a daquiri and it makes a difference.”

Bevi Seafood, 236 N Carrollton Ave., Mid-City. (504) 488-7503.

JEFFERY JOHNSTON PHOTOS

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

53

CHEERS

B Y E L IZ ABE TH P E AR CE

KING CAKE SAZERAC

Mardi Gras Time

2 ounces Rye whiskey 1/2 ounce cinnamon brown sugar simple syrup (see recipe below) 5 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters Absinthe rinse of the glass.

Colored sugar rim Add whiskey, bitters, and syrup in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for approximately 12 seconds. Strain drink into a glass that has been coated with absinthe and rimmed with colored sugar.

Mixing up the go-cup

While most New Orleanians view Carnival as a time of raucous celebration, French Quarter bartenders view it with more complexity. Andrew Guerin, bartender at the Bourbon Orleans Bourbon O bar observes, “It is both wonderful and terrifying.” Most of the drinks he makes at Carnival require speed. However, Andrew has created a Mardi Gras pop-up bar within the Bourbon O, where he can make craft drinks. This King Cake Sazerac fits perfectly among those cocktails.

Andrew’s front seat on Bourbon Street’s action gives a window to all that Carnival offers. “It is a chaotic and wonderful celebration of life.”

He admits that sometimes guests can get a little rowdy, and he sees his role behind the bar as not only there to provide entertainment, but also to look out for people’s safety. As you head out to the revelry, give a thought for all the bartenders who keep the party rolling until Lent.

PODCAST

LISTEN TO ELIZABETH’S PODCAST “DRINK & LEARN;” VISIT ELIZABETH-PEARCE.COM

EUGENIA UHL PHOTO 54 FEBRUARY 2022

1 The cinnamon simple syrup pairs well with Old Fashioneds and other whiskeybased drinks as well as spiced rum drinks. It is also delicious in coffee.

2 Drink more water than you think you need. Andrew says that during Carnival “people forget water exists.”

3 Don’t be afraid to veer away from traditional drinks. Everyone is wandering around drinking a hurricane, and maybe now is the time to try a Pimm’s cup.

CINNAMON BROWN SUGAR SIMPLE SYRUP

1 cup water 1 cup of dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 ounce vanilla extract Mix all ingredients in a small pot and stir until sugar is dissolved. Syrup keeps in the refrigerator for up to three months.

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

55

NOSH B Y JY L B E N S O N

Mardi Gras Mambo Fried Chicken Gumbo for Brunch

My friend Kit Wohl featured a version of this over-the-top, unconventional gumbo in her book “New Orleans Classic Celebrations.” She said Chef Gary Darling of the Taste Buds dreamed up the recipe to compete in a Tennessee Williams Festival throw down.

As gumbo is our “cold” weather mothers’ milk and fried chicken, especially Popeyes, is a Mardi Gras standard, either or both make perfect “sense” when hosting an all-day parade brunch. Any fried chicken will work in this hearty concoction but a shortcut using Popeyes chicken tenders is my time saving preference.

56

FEBRUARY 2022

1 If using full pieces of fried chicken instead of tenderloins, remove the skin from the fried chicken and discard. Remove chicken meat from the bone and discard the bones, fat, and any tendons.

2 Chefs and wise cooks call it their mise en place, it literally means “set in place,” and it refers to having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. Onions are diced, spices are measured, and broth has been portioned.

When working with roux it is particularly important to have everything prepped and organized before beginning because you cannot leave the roux unattended for even a minute. Turn on some music, secure a beverage, and keep your phone close at hand if that’s your jam.

3 Serve gumbo over warm rice or cool potato salad.

FRIED CHICKEN GUMBO

Serves 18-20

COOK WITH US!

Join Jyl in the kitchen each third Tuesday of the month for a cook-along with tips, tricks and more. @NewOrleansMagazine

4 quarts salt-free chicken stock, plus additional for thinning the final gumbo if needed 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped 4 ribs celery, finely chopped 3 green bell peppers, finely chopped 1 pound andouille sausage (I like the andouille from Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse in Laplace, which is available for purchase at the smokehouse or online at wjsmokehouse.com), casing removed, sausage cut into1/4-inch half-moons 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon dried sage, rubbed 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 16-piece box Popeyes skinless fried chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces, use either mild or spicy as desired hot, cooked white rice or creamy potato salad for serving 1. Heat the chicken stock. Cover and keep warm.

2. In a large (8 quart) cast-iron pot or Dutch oven set over medium-low heat bring the oil to the smoking stage. Test the oil by wetting your fingers lightly with water and shaking a few droplets into the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.

Begin sifting the flour into the oil while whisking constantly until the flour is dissolved into the oil and the mixture becomes the consistency of cake batter. Switch from the whisk to a flat-bottomed wooden roux spoon. Stir constantly. The roux will begin to thicken slightly and darken. The desired color is dark mahogany brown, 20-30 minutes.

3. As the color gets to one shade lighter than where you want it to be, start adding the minced onions. Continue stirring until the onions soften, turn translucent and then start to caramelize. Add the celery and the bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are translucent and tender. The roux will continue to darken.

4. Gradually add the hot chicken stock to the roux mixture, stirring to incorporate well.

5. Add the andouille sausage, if using.

6. Add the rosemary, sage, thyme, and cayenne.

Stir well and let simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes 7. Add the chicken and any crumbs of batter.

Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste the gumbo before adding additional salt or seasoning: both the andouille and the chicken tenders are packing heat and salt.

SAM HANNA PHOTO . KIT WOHL STUDIO

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

57

DINING GUIDE The Dining Guide is comprised of restaurants recently reviewed and visited by New Orleans Magazine.

The list will change regularly to provide information on others that are also worth noting and acknowledging.

Please check restaurant websites for up-to-date hours and locations. If you feel that a restaurant has been misplaced, please email Editor Ashley McLellan at Ashley@MyNewOrleans.com. $ = AVERAGE ENTRÉE PRICE

AMERICAN

Acorn City Park, $ AcornNola.com

$ = $5-10

$$ = $11-15

$$$ = $16-20

$$$$ = $21-25

Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill Multiple Locations, $$$ ZeaRestaurants.com

Port of Call French Quarter, $$ PortOfCallNola.com

ASIAN FUSION/PAN ASIAN

The Company Burger Uptown, $ TheCompanyBurger.com

$$$$$ = $25 & UP

ITALIAN

Arnaud’s Remoulade French Quarter, $$ Remoulade.com Chartres House French Quarter, $$$ ChartresHouse.com

Audubon Clubhouse Uptown, $$ AudubonInstitute.org

Blue Giant Lower Garden District, $$ BlueGiantNOLA.com

Boulevard American Bistro Multiple Locations, $$$ BoulevardBistro.com

Hoshun Restaurant Uptown, $$ HoshunRestaurant.com

Broussard’s French Quarter, $$$$ Broussards.com

Caffe! Caffe!

Metairie, $ CaffeCaffe.com

Little Tokyo Multiple Locations, $$ LittleTokyoNola.com

Café Degas Faubourg St. John, $$ CafeDegas.com

Café NOMA City Park, $ CafeNoma.com

Lotus Bistro Lakeview, $$ LotusBistroNOLA.com

Coquette Uptown, $$$ CoquetteNola.com

Camellia Grill Riverbend, $ 309-2679

Magasin Uptown, $ MagasinCafe.com

Justine French Quarter, $$$ JustineNola.com

District Donuts Sliders Brew Multiple Locations, $ DonutsAndSliders.com

MoPho Mid-City, $$$ MoPhoNola.com

La Crêpe Nanou Uptown, $$$ LaCrepeNanou.com

Five Happiness Mid-City, $$ FiveHappiness.com

Rock-N-Sake Multiple Locations, $$$ RockNSake.com

La Petite Grocery Uptown, $$$ LaPetiteGrocery.com

Martin Wine Cellar Multiple Locations, $ MartinWineCellar.com

Union Ramen Bar Lower Garden District, $$ UnionRamen.com

Lilette Uptown, $$$$$ LiletteRestaurant.com

New Orleans Social House CBD/Warehouse District, $$ NOSocialHouse.com

BAKERY/BREAKFAST

GASTROPUB

Breads on Oak Carrollton, $ BreadsOnOak.com.

Bouligny Tavern Uptown, $$ BoulignyTavern.com

Pascal’s Manale Uptown, $$$$ PascalsManale.com

Café du Monde Multiple Locations, $ CafeDuMonde.com

Cane & Table French Quarter, $$ CaneAndTableNola.com

Red Gravy Uptown, $$ RedGravy.com

CC’s Coffee House Multiple Locations, $ CCsCoffee.com

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro French Quarter, $$$ OrleansGrapevine.com

Restaurant R’evolution French Quarter, $$$$$ RevolutionNola.com

Parkway Bakery and Tavern Mid-City, $ ParkwayPoorBoys.com Restaurant August CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ RestaurantAugust.com Rib Room French Quarter, $$$ RibRoomNewOrleans.com

Gracious Bakery + Café Multiple Locations, $ GraciousBakery.com

The Grill Room CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ GrillRoomNewOrleans.com

Ruby Slipper Café Multiple Locations, $$ TheRubySlipperCafe.net

The Pelican Club French Quarter, $$$$$ PelicanClub.com Ye Olde College Inn Carrollton, $$$ CollegeInn1933.com

58

FEBRUARY 2022

BURGERS

Bayou Burger French Quarter, $$ 5SportsBarNewOrleans.com

FRENCH

Domenica CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$ DomenicaRestaurant.com Gianna Restaurant CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$ GiannaRestaurant.com Irene’s Cuisine French Quarter, $$$$ IrenesNola.com Josephine Estelle CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ JosephineEstelle.com Liuzza’s Mid-City, $$ Liuzzas.com

Tucked away in a residential neighborhood Uptown is Pascal’s Manale. A place where time stands still, this unassuming Creole Italian restaurant is one of New Orleans’ oldest establishments.

While its major claim is the creation of the oftimitated BBQ Shrimp, the menu presents a wide assortment of comforting seafood dishes and pastas that evoke nostalgia for the generations of New Orleanians who have dined here. An excellent oyster bar and throwback cocktail program serve as a time capsule of New Orleans history.

Muriel’s Jackson Square French Quarter, $$$$ Muriels.com Napoleon House French Quarter, $ NapoleonHouse.com

Patrick’s Bar Vin French Quarter, $$ PatricksBarVin.com

Tommy’s Cuisine CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ TommysNewOrleans.com

Sylvain French Quarter, $$$ SylvainNOLA.com

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine Multiple Locations, $$$ VicentsItalianCuisine.com

The Delachaise Uptown, $$ TheDelaichaise.com

PASCAL’S MANALE

LOUISIANA FARE

Acme Oyster House Multiple Locations, $$ AcmeOyster.com

JOSEPHINE ESTELLE

Josephine Estelle brings to New Orleans an osteria from James Beard Award-nominated chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. Italian cuisine meets the U.S. South in this groundbreaking statement restaurant in the Ace Hotel. Their in-house pasta program provides the bulk of the canvas for expression here, coupled with a forward-looking cocktail menu augmented with third-wave coffee from the Stumptown housed just across the lobby. This is a fun restaurant for large groups and happy hour meetups, thanks to its downtown location.

Antoine’s French Quarter, $$$$$ Antoines.com

Gautreau’s Uptown, $$$$$ GautreausRestaurant.com

The Bombay Club French Quarter, $$$$ TheBombayClub.com

Arnaud’s French Quarter, $$$$$ ArnaudsRestaurant.com

Herbsaint CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ Herbsaint.com

Toups’ Meatery Mid-City, $$$ ToupsMeatery.com

Austin’s Metairie, $$$ AustinsNo.com Boucherie Carrollton, $$ Boucherie-Nola.com Brennan’s French Quarter, $$$$ BrennansNewOrleans.com Brigtsen’s Riverbend, $$$$$ Brigtsens.com Café Reconcile Central City, $$ CafeReconcile.org Casamento’s Uptown, $$ CasamentosRestaurant.com Clancy’s Uptown, $$$ ClancysNewOrleans.com Cochon CBD/Warehouse District, $$ CochonRestaurant.com Copeland’s Multiple Locations, $$ CopelandsofNewOrleans.com Commander’s Palace Garden District, $$$$ CommandersPalace.com Court of Two Sisters French Quarter, $$$$$ CourtOfTwoSisters.com

House of Blues French Quarter, $$ HouseOfBlues.com/ NewOrleans Jack Rose Garden District, $$$$ JackRoseRestaurant.com Katie’s Restaurant and Bar Mid-City, $$ KatiesInMidCity.com Mandina’s Mid-City, $$ MandinasRestaurant.com Mother’s CBD/Warehouse District, $$ MothersRestaurant.net Mr. B’s Bistro French Quarter, $$$$ MrBsBistro.com Mulate’s CBD/Warehouse District, $$ Mulates.com NOLA French Quarter, $$$$$ EmerilsRestaurants.com/NolaRestaurant Palace Café CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ PalaceCafe.com Ralph’s On The Park Mid-City, $$$ RalphsOnThePark.com

Crabby Jack’s Metairie, $ CrabbyJacksNola.com

Richard Fiske’s Martini Bar & Restaurant French Quarter, $$$ RichardFiskes.com

Criollo French Quarter, $$$ CriolloNola.com

Royal House French Quarter, $$$ RoyalHouseRestaurant.com

Dooky Chase Restaurant Treme, $$ DookyChaseRestaurant.com

St. Roch Market Upper 9th Ward, $$ StRochMarket.com

Drago’s Multiple Locations, $$$$ DragosRestaurant.com

SoBou French Quarter, $$ SoBouNola.com Tableau French Quarter, $$$ TableauFrenchQuarter.com

Emeril’s CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ EmerilsRestaurants.com Galatoire’s French Quarter, $$$$$ Galatoires.com

The Bistreaux French Quarter, $$ MaisonDupuy.com/dining

Tujague’s French Quarter, $$$$$ TujaguesRestaurant.com PIZZA

Pizza Delicious Bywater, $ PizzaDelicious.com Reginelli’s Pizzeria Multiple Locations, $$ Reginellis.com Theo’s Pizza Multiple Locations, $$ TheosPizza.com Pizza Domenica Multiple Locations, $$ PizzaDomenica.com SEAFOOD

Borgne CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ BorgneRestaurant.com Briquette CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$ Briquette-Nola.com Deanie’s Seafood Multiple Locations,$$$ Deanies.com Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House French Quarter, $$$$ BourbonHouse.com Don’s Seafood Metairie, $$$ DonsSeafoodOnline.com Grand Isle Restaurant CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$ GrandIsleRestaurant.com GW Fins French Quarter, $$$$$ GWFins.com Kingfish French Quarter, $$$ KingfishNewOrleans.com Le Bayou French Quarter, $$$ LeBayouRestaurant.com Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant Metairie, $$ AustinsNo.com

Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House Multiple Locations, $$$ MrEdsRestaurants.com/ oyster-bar New Orleans Creole Cookery French Quarter, $$$ NewOrleansCreoleCookery. com Oceana Grill French Quarter, $$ OceanaGrill.com Pêche CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ PecheRestaurant.com.

Pier 424 French Quarter, $$$ Pier424SeafoodMarket.com Red Fish Grill French Quarter, $$$ RedFishGrill.com SPECIALTY FOODS

Antoine’s Annex French Quarter, $$$ Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex STEAKHOUSE

Crescent City Steaks Mid-City, $$$$ CrescentCitySteaks.com Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse French Quarter, $$$$ DickieBrennansSteakhouse. com

WORLD

1000 Figs Faubourg St. John, $$ 1000Figs.com Barracuda Uptown, $ EatBarracuda.com Bayona French Quarter, $$$$$ Bayona.com Bywater Brew Pub Bywater, $$$ BywaterBrewPub.com Compére Lapin CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$$ CompereLapin.com El Gato Negro Multiple Locations, $$ ElGatoNegroNola.com Lucy’s CBD/Warehouse District, $ LucysRetiredSurfers.com Lüke CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ LukeNewOrleans.com Mona’s Café Mid-City, $ MonasCafeAndDeli.com Patois Uptown,$$$ PatoisNola.com Saba Uptown, $$$ EatWithSaba.com

Doris Metropolitan French Quarter, $$$$ DorisMetropolitan.com

Saffron NOLA Uptown, $$$ SaffronNOLA.com

Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak French Quarter, $$$ Galatoires33BarAndSteak. com

Seaworthy CBD/Warehouse District, $$$$ SeaworthyNola.com

La Boca CBD/Warehouse District, $$$ LaBocaSteaks.com

Shaya Uptown, $$$ ShayaRestaurant.com

Mr. John’s Steakhouse Uptown, $$$ MrJohnsSteakhouse.com Ruth’s Chris Steak House Multiple Locations, $$$$$ RuthsChris.com The Steakhouse at Harrah’s CBD/WarehouseDistrict, $$$$$ HarrahsNewOrleans.com

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

59

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

SPONSORED

Briquette

New Orleans Creole Cookery

Briquette-Nola.com 701 South Peters St, New Orleans 504-302-7496

NewOrleansCreoleCookery.com 508 Toulouse St, New Orleans 504-524-9632

Briquette is proud to showcase contemporary and coastal dishes like Snapper Pontchartrain, Louisiana Redfish on the Half Shell, and Prime 14oz.

Ribeye. Happy Hour Daily from 3-6pm.

Enjoy Oyster Happy Hour Daily from 3-6pm in our beautiful French Quarter courtyard. Brunch served Saturday and Sunday from 11am-3pm offering Bloody Mary’s and Shrimp & Grits.

Saffron NOLA

SaffronNola.com 4128 Magazine St, New Orleans 504-323-2626 Saffron NOLA, a swanky Indian restaurant by the lauded Vilkhu family. Intertwining Indian tradition with New Orleans soul on a modern stage. The Vilkhus pay tribute to where they come from while also honoring where they live, New Orleans. Saffron is oneof-a-kind experience on Magazine Street.

The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel WindsorCourtHotel.com/Dining/ The-Grill-Room/ 300 Gravier St, New Orleans 504-522-1994

The Grill Room is recognized as a local leader in Modern American cuisine with a distinct New Orleans flair. Whether it’s a dinner with a menu that defies categorization or the gourmet “meat and three” Plate Lunch menu for only $23.00, The Grill Room transforms fine dining to make it accessible and fun.

Parkway

ParkwayPoorboys.com 538 Hagan Ave, New Orleans 504-482-3047 Parkway can now take your orders over the phone or through the official Parkway Bakery App. Order online for a seamless poorboy pick up. Parkway is open from 10am to 6pm Wednesday through Sunday for dine in and parking lot pick up.

Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco

Titoscevichepisco.com 5015 Magazine St, New Orleans 504-267-7612 Tito’s is an intimate Peruvian Restaurant in Uptown New Orleans with premier handcrafted cocktails such as pisco sour, sangria and chilcano, heart healthy Peruvian wines, a variety of melt in your mouth ceviches, grilled octopus, tiraditos (sashimi), savory meats, and seafood.

SPONSORED

GIFT GUIDE Home Malone HomeMaloneNola.com 629 N Carrollton Ave, Mid-City 504-324-8352 4610 Magazine St, Uptown 504-766-6148 Carnival season also means King Cake season! This purple, green and gold door hanger will be a staple for your New Orleans Mardi Gras house float décor! $48.

Sazerac House Museum SazeracHouse.com 101 Magazine St, New Orleans 504-910-0100 Cheers to you! Set of 2 cognac glasses designed by Mignon Faget with satin frost and 22k gold details, $52.

Indigo Boutique ShopIndigoBoutique.com 605 Metairie Rd, Suite C, Metairie 504-635-7874 “Laisse Le Bon Temps Rouler”! Stop in or shop online at Indigo Boutique for the latest Mardi Gras clothing and accessories.

Bleu, a Blow Dry Bar BleuaBlowDryBar.com 701 Metairie Rd #112, Metairie 504-309-5999 No need to guess their love language. Trust us, LOVE is in the HAIR. Gift the lady in your life the luxury of not having to worry about theirs. Dry styles, blowouts, updos, treatments, makeup applications and more – BLEU has you covered!

Perlis Clothing Perlis.com 6070 Magazine St, Uptown 600 Decatur St, French Quarter 1281 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie 8366 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge 800-725-6070 The tricolored Crawfish Mardi Gras 100% hand-stitched needlepoint Italian leather koozie with neoprene liner is made exclusively for PERLIS by Smathers & Branson. A Mardi Gras must have!

The Shop at The Collection (Museum shop of The Historic New Orleans Collection) hnoc.org 520 Royal St, New Orleans 504-523-4662 Hand-carved sterling silver oak tree cuff bracelet. Designed and handcrafted in New Orleans, $225.

NOLA Boards NolaBoards.com 4228 Magazine St, New Orleans 504-256-0030 NOLA Local Treats Gift Basket, $85

Art & Eyes ArtAndEyesNewOrleansLa.com 3707 Magazine St, New Orleans 504-891-4494 Art & Eyes, where Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras collide.

The best in classics as well. Pictured: Francis Klein, LaraD’, Platoy, Eyevan, and Jacques Marie Mage.

SPONSORED

Heart Health F

ebruary is a time to celebrate many things—romance and sweets, Carnival season, Black history and much more.

February is also American Heart Month and National Wise Health Care Consumer Month, and when improving heart health, it behooves us all to also be wise health care consumers. Research goes a long way to getting you top notch healthcare and connecting you to the many resources that help improve wellness. From knowing your risk of heart disease to finding out what lifestyle changes could keep your ticker tocking longer, heart health information is widely available online and from local healthcare providers. Do your due diligence this month, and find out what screenings, treatments, and therapies may benefit your heart and keep you celebrating all that February—and every month—brings.

Thibodaux Regional Heart & Vascular Center Thibodaux Regional’s Heart & Vascular Center, located in Lafourche Parish, provides comprehensive cardiovascular care, including education, prevention and screening programs, a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab, heart and vascular surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, home health, and WellFit Cardiovascular Care. Combining expertise and the best cardiovascular imaging equipment in the region, the heart team at Thibodaux Regional provides the best possible care in the fight against heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments.

Thibodaux Regional is one of only two hospitals in Louisiana to be named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health for high performance in delivering the best quality and most efficient cost-effective heart and vascular care. Call 985-493-4326 for more information, or visit thibodaux.com.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is devoted to its mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay on top of your health care, especially if you’re over 60 or have a long-term condition like diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure.

Plan your annual wellness visit for the New Year now. This checkup is a great opportunity to talk to your primary care provider about any health concerns you have, including any questions you have about the COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Make an appointment today for your 2022 annual wellness visit—and make sure your children have an annual checkup, too.

For more on keeping up with care, visit bcbsla.com/keepupwithcare.

Follow on social media (@BCBSLA) for health and wellness tips all year long.

Offices are located at 3501 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite 600, Metairie, LA 70002 and 1340 Poydras St., Suite 100, New Orleans, LA 70112.

The Blood Center Find out if you’ve had an immune response to COVID-19 with The Blood Center (TBC). This free service informs blood donors if they carry the COVID-19 antibodies produced from previous exposure and/or vaccinations. TBC is performing COVID-19 Antibody screenings to find potential candidates for COVID Convalescent Plasma collections when and if needed for transfusion.

Receiving the vaccination, choosing not to, or previous exposure to the COVID-19 virus do not affect blood donations or the patients whose lives are touched every day by blood donors. Potential donors are urged to give as the country battles a critical need for blood, provided they are healthy and meet all other eligibility criteria for blood donations.

Scheduled donations are encouraged to practice social distancing and ensure a safe, stable blood supply. Immune response results post three to five days after a completed blood donation. Following the donation, donors need to visit TheBloodCenter.org and log in to My Account for their results. To schedule your blood donation and help save lives, visit TheBloodCenter.org or call 1-800-86-BLOOD. •

62

FEBRUARY 2022

SPONSORED

Hospital Buzz W

hether you’re heading into a hospital for a routine screening or for a complex surgery, you want full confidence that the physicians and staff will be prepared and knowledgeable—after all, it’s your health on the line. Fortunately for area patients, local hospitals are constantly improving their offerings in their efforts to serve you and your health. From upgraded technologies and highly specialized staff to heightened focus on patient-centered care, patients have come to expect the best from institutions that promise top care. From the buzz of bustling hallways to the buzzes and beeps of the latest medical equipment, the following “buzz” from local healthcare providers may guide you to the services you need.

Crescent City Surgical Centre Crescent City Surgical Centre (CCSC) is America’s premier physician-owned surgical hospital. Owned and operated by a combination of 42 elite local practicing physicians and Louisiana Children’s Medical Center, CCSC offers eight operating rooms and two procedure rooms. Using cutting-edge DaVinci robotic laparoscopic technology, CCSC offers patients minimally invasive surgery resulting in less pain and faster recovery time.

Twenty VIP private rooms are available, and CCSC can make accommodations for those whose loved ones wish to stay overnight. Catered restaurant-style meals are served and designed to meet patients’ personal dietary needs. They offer expedited wait times on appointments in a relaxing and comfortable environment. CCSC features surgical specialists in the fields of Bariatric, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, ENT, Colo-Rectal, General Surgery, Gynecological Procedures, Urology, Interventional Radiology, Pain Management, Plastic, Reconstructive and Advanced Cosmetic Surgery.

For more information about Crescent City Surgical Centre, please call 504-830-2500 or visit ccsurg.com. • MYNEWORLEANS.COM

63

64

FEBRUARY 2022

MYNEWORLEANS.COM

65

SPONSORED

66

FEBRUARY 2022

A Special Section of New Orleans Magazine WYES-TV/Channel 12 PROGRAM & EVENTS GUIDE FEBRUARY 2022

CARNIVAL WY E S H AS

COVERED!

Head to wyes.org/mardigras for a fill list of programs PHOTOS COURTESY: PABLEAUX JOHNSON, KATHY ANDERSON, CHERYL GERBER

CARNIVAL HIGHLIGHTS WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

For all Carnival program details and air dates, go to wyes.org/mardigras.

BLAINE KERN: THEY CALL HIM MR. MARDI GRAS Monday, February 7 at 8pm

See the story of legendary float builder Blaine Kern, who rose from humble beginnings to become a major influence on New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. Through interviews with family, friends, Carnival insiders and Kern himself, producer/narrator Dennis Woltering shares his colorful life story.

The business Kern built 75 years ago opened Carnival to people of all races and backgrounds and continues to build spectacular parades here and around the world.

STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time” Thursday, February 10 at 7:30pm

Host Peggy Scott Laborde, along with Carnival historians Arthur Hardy and Errol Laborde, give their annual overview of the upcoming Carnival season. Hardy is the publisher of Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide, now in its 46th year. Errol Laborde is the author of many Carnival-related books, including Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival. This year’s topics focus on activities concerning the 150th Anniversary of the Rex Organization, the 35th anniversary of Lundi Gras and changes to the celebration brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One example is the popularity of the House Floats phenomenon.

THE 2022 REX BALL AND MEETING OF THE COURTS OF REX AND COMUS Tuesday, March 1 at 7pm & 11:30pm

WYES presents live coverage of the 2022 Rex Ball in its entirety, along with the historic Meeting of the Courts of Rex and the Mistick Krewe of Comus. Both Carnival balls will return after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year is also historic since the Rex Organization celebrates its 150th anniversary. Special features will highlight the history of both krewes. Executive Producer and host Peggy Scott Laborde will interview current and past royalty and provide commentary, along with Carnival historian Errol Laborde and Rex historian Will French. The program will also stream live on WYES’ Facebook and YouTube pages. Executive Producer is Jim Moriarty and coordinating producer is Barbara Sillery.

Get a “Carnival Close-Up with Peggy Scott Laborde” every Tuesday Online!

Join Peggy Scott Laborde online each Tuesday from now through Mardi Gras, for a Carnival Close-Up. She'll share some pieces of the past and her collection of Mardi Gras memorabilia, with slices of Carnival history as we count down to the big day. Look for a new segment each week on WYES' Facebook and YouTube pages.

D2

Mardi Gras Marathon on Saturday, February 19 starting at 3pm!

Enjoy many of WYES' classic Carnival programs back-toback, along with new segments featuring commentary and appearances by special Carnival guests. From the Mardi Gras Indian tradition to the history of Rex, Zulu, the gay Carnival and a behind the scenes look at float-building.

WYES IS PROUD TO CELEBRATE

ALL YEAR ROUND! This February we celebrate Black History Month with new PBS films and your favorite local programs that recognize the moments, memories and people in Black history that inspire.

AMERICAN MASTERS “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” Tuesday, February 8 at 8pm; Sunday, February 13 at 3pm Best known for her performance at the legendary Freedom Concert on April 9, 1939, Anderson, in a bold protest against racial intolerance, sang before a diverse crowd on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (pictured).

In that moment, she became a symbol for the nascent civil rights movement, even inspiring a 10-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr., who listened on the radio. Photo Credit: Courtesy of World History Archive / Alamy Stock

A PLACE CALLED DESIRE Monday, February 7 at 9pm The documentary highlights and shares the stories of the New Orleans Upper 9th Ward Desire community. Leonard Smith III is producer and director.

IRMA: MY LIFE IN MUSIC Monday, February 14 at 10pm The 90-minute film on the life and career of GRAMMY Award-winning artist Irma Thomas includes extensive interviews with Thomas herself, as well as archival and new interviews from many of her colleagues.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Riveted: The History of Jeans” Monday, February 14 at 8pm America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric.

From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, the civil rights movement, rock and roll, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American culture and politics are writ large.

FANNIE LOU HAMER’S AMERICA: AN AMERICA REFRAMED SPECIAL Tuesday, February 22 at 8pm Watch a portrait of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist. The film focuses on the incredible life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders and the injustices that made her work essential.

Hamer’s great-niece, Monica Land, is coproducer. Photo Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images

Reservations are now on sale at wyes.org/events

Sunday, March 20 EXECUTIVE CHEF: RICHARD HUGHES

$150

1st Course

PELICAN CLUB BAKED OYSTERS Wasabi Tobiko Cremant D’alsace Brut Rose Camille Braun

2nd Course

Thursdays March 10, 17, 24 & 31 EXECUTIVE CHEF: JIMI SETCHIM

Tuesday, March 15 CO-CHEFS AND CO-OWNERS: AMARYS KOENIG HERNDON JORDAN HERNDON

$125

HOUSEMADE STEAMED BUNS WITH KOREAN SLOW COOKED DUCK Pickled Vegetables, Hoisin, Kewpie Mayo, Sriracha Barbera D’asti ‘Tre Vigne’ Vietti 2019

3rd Course Four seatings of 10 in Prohibition Room. *Chef Jimi would like to note that the below is only a sample menu and may change due to availability of product.

1st Course

BEET CURED SALMON Dill Blinis, Lemon Creme Fraiche, Pickled Fennel

2nd Course

SHRIMP & FOIE GRAS BOUDIN Roasted Garlic Aioli, Crystal Gastrique, Pickled Red Onions

3rd Course

TROUT EN PAPILLOTE Seasonal Vegetables, Smoked Shallot Remoulade

4th Course

STRAWBERRY MASCARPONE CAKE Toasted Pistachios, Strawberry Jam Community Coffee® House Blend Wines: Coming Soon!

1st Course

CORNER STORE CRUDO Yellowfin Tuna, Pineapple Big Shot Nựớc Chấm, Daikon, Fresh Herbs, Shrimp Chips Nortico Alvarinho 2020 Portugal

2nd Course

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS P&P Worcestershire Dressing, Toasted Pecans, Prima Donna Gouda Mi Terruno Rose 2020 Argentina

3rd Course

SMOKED PORK BELLY Steen’s Salsa Negra Glaze, Field Peas & Hominy Ventisquero Reserva Pinot Noir 2018 Chile

4th Course

LA STRAWBERRY TRES LECHES CAKE Created by Pastry Chef Shalonda Berry Community Coffee® Café Special®

HEIRLOOM LETTUCES Housemade Creamy Farmers Cheese, Spicy Pepitas, Alicia’s Tomato Chutney Truffle Vinaigrette Sancerre ‘Les Baronnes’ Henri Bourgeois 2020

4th Course

JUMBO LUMP CRAB & CRAWFISH CAKE Ravigote Sauce, Duck Fat Baby Potato Confit & Pesto

Tuesday, July 19 EXECUTIVE CHEF: ARVINDER VILKHU

$125

1st Course

TUNA CHAAT Yellowfin Tuna, Sesame, Mango, Cucumber, Puffed Rice, Watermelon Radish, Kashmiri Rice Wine Vinaigrette

2nd Course

GULF SEAFOOD UTTAPUM Gulf Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crab, Spiced Tomato & Coconut Chutneys

3rd Course

KHYBER LAMB CHOPS Marinated In Dark Rum, Rogan Josh Sauce, Kichidi

4th Course

GINGER CREME BRÛLÉE Shattered Raspberries, Candied Ginger, Mint Community Coffee® Breakfast Blend Wines: Coming Soon!

Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast MacRostie 2019

5th Course

FILET MIGNON & TRUFFLED FOIE GRAS Oyster & Shitake Mushroom Perigourdine Sauce, Celery Root Puree, Buttered Asparagus Mountain Cuvee ‘Proprietor’s Blend’ Chappellet 2019

6th Course - Dessert

CRÈME BRULEE TRIO Chocolate Godiva, Orange Grand Marnier, Vanilla Bean Cognac Community Coffee® House Blend Noah’s Mill Bourbon Cocktail

THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

1 TUESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

8pm IN THEIR OWN WORDS “Chuck Berry” Exploring the life of guitarist Chuck Berry and how his blend of “hillbilly” music and R&B helped create the popular music that became rock ‘n’ roll.

9pm FRONTLINE 10pm THE GROVELAND FOUR In July 1949 four young black men were accused of rape by a 17-year-old woman in rural Lake County, Florida. The case included a race riot, torture, multiple murders, two trials and a Supreme Court reversal. The case helped lay a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

2 WEDNESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm NATURE “Pumas: Legends of the Ice Mountains”

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm STEPPIN’ OUT Host and producer Peggy Scott Laborde welcomes regular guests Poppy Tooker, Alan Smason, plus new roundtable visitors every week to discuss New Orleans restaurants, arts and entertainment. Missed an episode?

Go to wyes.org/steppinout.

7:30pm BRITISH ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 8pm MARGARET: THE REBEL PRINCESS (Pt. 2/2) 10pm MASTERPIECE “The Long Song” (Part 1/3) This three-part miniseries based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel about the end of slavery in Jamaica follows July (Tamara Lawrance, King Charles III), an indomitable, young slave who works on a sugarcane plantation with her detestable mistress, Caroline Mortimer (Hayley Atwell, The Avengers).

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

4 FRIDAY

7pm INFORMED SOURCES

8pm NOVA “Arctic Sinkholes” Season 49 kicks off with the question: How does the resulting release of methane affect us now and what will be the future effects?

9pm MAGICAL LAND OF OZ “Land” (Pt. 1/3) Burrow into the magical depths of Australian animal life.

11pm STEPPIN’ OUT 11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

3 THURSDAY

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

PREMIERE

into exile. After three years he returns to the ring, but he’s lost a step.

7:30pm LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN 8pm WASHINGTON WEEK 8:30pm WALL $TREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE 9pm MUHAMMAD ALI “Round Two: What’s My Name?” (1964-1970) (Pt. 2/4) Cassius Clay publicly joins the Nation of Islam and takes the name Muhammad Ali. When he refuses induction into the Army, he is stripped of his title and forced

5 SATURDAY 6pm LAWRENCE WELK: SALUTE TO SINATRA 7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Mexican Roots” 8pm COUNTRY MUSIC “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1953-1963) (Pt. 4/8) Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in the era of rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America’s racial divide by recording a country album. Patsy Cline shows off Music City’s smooth new Nashville Sound.

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Mexican Roots” Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and guests Mario Lopez and Melissa Villaseñor look at the Mexican-American experience as seen through the lens of two families.

10pm NATURE “Pumas: Legends of the Ice Mountains”

10pm AUSTIN CITY LIMITS “Olivia Rodrigio/ Phoebe Bridgers” The chart-topping Olivia Rodrigo performs tunes from her bestselling debut Sour, while Phoebe Bridgers sings songs from her critically acclaimed LP Punisher. Now in its 47th season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. AUSTIN CITY LIMITS is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts.

11pm FRONT AND CENTER “Lady A” (Pt. 5/8)

6 SUNDAY 6pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 5/8) Though wealthy, Fogg discovers that someone has put a hold on his credit in Hong Kong, making further progress impossible.

Passepartout puts his larceny skills to use.

D5

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

WEEKDAYS ON

HIGHLIGHT

4PM ODD SQUAD Designed to help kids ages 5-8 learn math and problem solving skills. The show focuses on the Odd Squad, a kid-run agency whose mission is to save the day whenever something unusual happens.

5:00AM XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM 5:30AM ARTHUR 6:00AM MOLLY OF DENALI 6:30AM WILD KRATTS 7:00AM HERO ELEMENTARY 7:30AM ALMA’S WAY 8:00AM CURIOUS GEORGE 8:30AM DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD 9:00AM DONKEY HODIE 9:30AM ELINOR WONDERS WHY 10:00AM SESAME STREET 10:30AM PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC 11:00AM DINOSAUR TRAIN

D6

11:30AM CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG

7pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 6/8) Facing starvation on a desert island, Fogg and Passepartout have a falling out. The valet’s superior survival skills are desperately needed to save their lives, much less the roundthe world wager. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Graham Bartholomew - © Slim 80 Days / Federation Entertainment / Peu Communications / ZDF / Be-Films / RTBF (télévision belge) – 2021 8pm MASTERPIECE “All Creatures Great and Small, Season 2” (Pt. 5/7) James has to settle old scores both on and off the playing field when a familiar face returns to Darrowby, while Tristan and Siegfried must acknowledge their differences.

NOON SESAME STREET 12:30PM DONKEY HODIE 1:00PM DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD

2:30PM WILD KRATTS 3:00PM ALMA’S WAY 3:30PM XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM 4:00PM ODD SQUAD 4:30PM ARTHUR

9pm VIENNA BLOOD, SEASON 2 “Darkness Rising, Part 1 of 2” (Pt. 5/6) A monk is found murdered, and suspicion falls on a religious Jew who had a run-in with him.

8 TUESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

10pm BEFORE WE DIE, SEASON 2 (Pt. 5/8) A murder throws the investigation into chaos as The Circle reveals its true power.

11pm SEASIDE HOTEL, SEASON 2 “The Son from America” (Pt. 3/7)

5:00PM MOLLY OF DENALI

7 MONDAY

5:30PM READY JET GO!

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

6:00PM PBS NEWSHOUR

9pm A PLACE CALLED DESIRE shares the stories of the New Orleans Upper 9th Ward Desire community. Producer and director Leonard Smith III recreates the historical memory of a community and documents the legacy of pride by those who lived in this post-World War II development.

10:30pm INDEPENDENT LENS “Owned: A Tale of Two Americas” Is the “American Dream” of home ownership a false promise?

1:30PM LET’S GO LUNA! 2:00PM NATURE CAT

8pm BLAINE KERN: THEY CALL HIM MR. MARDI GRAS tells the story of legendary float builder Blaine Kern, who rose from humble beginnings to become a major influence on New Orleans’ Mardi Gras.

Through interviews with family, friends, Carnival insiders and Kern himself, producer/narrator Dennis Woltering shares his colorful life story. The business Kern built 75 years ago opened Carnival to people of all races and backgrounds and continues to build spectacular parades here and around the world. Photo Courtesy: Cheryl Gerber

7pm ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Sands Point Preserve” (Hour 3 of 3)

7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Fighters” Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sits down with Terry Crews and Tony Danza, both guests who overcame adversity, to discover they aren’t the first in their families to beat the odds through sheer force of will.

10pm NATURE “Penguins: Meet the Family”

8pm WASHINGTON WEEK

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

8:30pm WALL $TREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE

10 THURSDAY

7pm STEPPIN’ OUT

11pm STEPPIN’ OUT

HIGHLIGHT 8pm AMERICAN MASTERS “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” Directed by Emmy- and Peabody Award-winner Rita Coburn, the film explores the life, career, art and legacy of the singer of classical music and spirituals. Best known for her performance at the legendary Freedom Concert on April 9, 1939, Anderson, in a bold protest against racial intolerance, sang before a diverse crowd on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (pictured). In that moment, she became a symbol for the nascent civil rights movement, even inspiring a 10-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr., who listened on the radio. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo 10pm JOSEPHINE BAKER: THE STORY OF AN AWAKENING details the amazing story of the first black superstar.

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

9 WEDNESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm NATURE “Penguins: Meet the Family” A celebration of one of Earth’s most iconic and beloved birds, featuring footage of all 17 species of penguins for the first time, from New Zealand, Cape Town, the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica.

11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

HIGHLIGHT 7:30pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time” Host Peggy Scott Laborde, along with Carnival historians Arthur Hardy and Errol Laborde, give their annual overview of the upcoming Carnival season. Hardy is the publisher of Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide, now in its 46th year. Errol Laborde is the author of many Carnivalrelated books, including Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival.

This year’s topics focus on activities concerning the 150th Anniversary of the Rex Organization, the 35th anniversary of Lundi Gras and changes to the celebration brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One example is the popularity of the House Floats phenomenon.

8pm CALL THE MIDWIFE, SEASON 10 (Pt. 1-2/7) Watch a repeat of the beloved British drama’s 10th season. Continues next Thursday at 8pm.

10pm MASTERPIECE “The Long Song” (Part 2/3) 11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

11 FRIDAY

8pm NOVA “Secrets in the Scat”

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

9pm MAGICAL LAND OF OZ “Ocean” (Pt. 2/3)

7pm INFORMED SOURCES 7:30pm LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN

12 SATURDAY 6pm LAWRENCE WELK: SALUTE TO NASHVILLE 7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Fighters” 8pm COUNTRY MUSIC “The Sons and Daughters of America” (1964-1968) (Pt. 5/8) See how country music reflects a changing America, with Loretta Lynn speaking to women everywhere, Merle Haggard becoming “The Poet of the Common Man” and audiences looking beyond race to embrace Charley Pride.

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

9pm MUHAMMAD ALI “Round Three: The Rivalry” (1970 - 1974) (Pt. 3/4) Muhammad Ali battles his fiercest rival, Joe Frazier, and the U.S. government, as he attempts to regain the heavyweight title. He first loses to and then defeats Frazier, but to become champion again, he will have to beat George Foreman.

10pm AUSTIN CITY LIMITS “The Best of Nanci Griffith” Enjoy the best from the Texas singer-songwriter.

11pm FRONT AND CENTER “Maddie & Tae” (Pt. 6/8)

13 SUNDAY 6pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 6/8) 7pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 7/8) The three adventurers meet a lawman with his fugitive captive in the Old West. Making their next train connection hinges on Abigail’s journalistic cool in a shootout.

8pm MASTERPIECE “All Creatures Great and Small, Season 2” (Pt. 6/7) James solves both medical and romantic emergencies.

Meanwhile, Siegfried, Tristan, and Mrs. Hall also face hurdles.

D7

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

SATURDAYS ON

10pm BEFORE WE DIE, SEASON 2 (Pt. 6/8) 11pm SEASIDE HOTEL, SEASON 2 “Love” (Pt. 4/7)

14 MONDAY 9:30AM KEVIN BELTON’S COOKIN’ LOUISIANA In his fourth public television series, awardwinning Chef Kevin Belton visits locations across the state for a look at the authentic food traditions of Louisiana cuisine. Back in the kitchen, Chef prepares his take on recipes that reflect Louisiana’s complex blending of cultures. Photograph by Denny Culbert.

Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.

5:00AM MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD 5:30AM ARTHUR 6:00AM MOLLY OF DENALI 6:30AM WILD KRATTS 7:00AM P. ALLEN SMITH'S GARDEN HOME

11:30AM AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FROM COOK’S ILLUSTRATED

7pm ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Omni Mount Washington Resort” (Hour 1 of 3)

12:30PM CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL’S MILK STREET

10pm IRMA: MY LIFE IN MUSIC Legendary singer Irma Thomas tells her own story, allowing viewers to relish the opportunity to get to know the artist and woman that, quoting Bonnie Raitt, “Her voice today is as—just as beautiful and sultry and powerful as it was on her first records And she’s a legend. She’s as good today as she was the day she came out of the church singing.” The program is produced

by Michael Murphy Productions with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rick Olivier 11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

15 TUESDAY

HIGHLIGHT

NOON COOK’S COUNTRY

10AM 5:00PM KITCHEN QUEENS: ANTIQUES NEW ORLEANS ROADSHOW 10:30AM CHEF PAUL PRUDHOMME’S ALWAYS COOKING

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

11:00AM LIDIA’S KITCHEN

1:00PM 7:30AM WOODSMITH SHOP PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE 8:00AM 2:00PM AMERICAN SARA’S WOODSHOP WEEKNIGHT MEALS 8:30AM THIS OLD HOUSE 2:30PM TASTEMAKERS 9:00AM ASK THIS OLD 3:00PM HOUSE NOVA 9:30AM KEVIN BELTON’S 4:00PM COOKIN’ LOCAL LOUISIANA PROGRAMMING

D8

9pm VIENNA BLOOD, SEASON 2 “Darkness Rising, Part 2 of 2” (Pt. 6/6) Max discovers a clue that reveals a hint at the murdered monk’s behavior. The atmosphere intensifies when another brother is found dead.

To untangle the truth, Max will need to become acquainted with the devil dressed in all his finery.

8pm AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Riveted: The History of Jeans” is the fascinating and surprising story of the ultimate American garment.

Worn by everyone from presidents to supermodels, farmers to rock stars, they’re more than just a pair of pants — America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric.

From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, the civil rights movement, rock and roll, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American culture and politics are writ large. Pictured: Hollywood’s first Western star, Tom Mix, in Mr. Logan, U.S.A. c. 1919. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Library of Congress 9pm BLAINE KERN: THEY CALL HIM MR. MARDI GRAS Through interviews with family, friends, Carnival insiders and Kern himself, producer/narrator Dennis Woltering shares the legendary float builder’s colorful life story.

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Forgotten Journeys” Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their ancestors, uncovering crucial pieces of their own identities that were lost on the journey to America 8pm AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The American Diplomat” 9pm FRONTLINE 10pm INDEPENDENT LENS “Bulletproof” What is the cost of feeling safe? In an era of mass shootings, lockdown drills and teacher firearms training are as much a part of life as homecoming dances and basketball practice. Take a provocative look at fear, violence, and what Americans will do to feel safe in schools.

11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

16 WEDNESDAY

5:30pm BIG QUEENS OF CARNIVAL: IT’S YOUR GLORY gives voice to the powerful women in a tradition best known for its male leaders.

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

8pm NOVA “Great Mammoth Mystery” 9pm MAGICAL LAND OF OZ “Human” (Pt. 3/3) 10pm NATURE “The Ocean’s Greatest Feast” 11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

17 THURSDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm STEPPIN’ OUT 7:30pm BRITISH ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Host Fiona Bruce sets out to reveal those valuable and not-quite-so-valuable antiques tucked away at the back of the cupboard.

8pm CALL THE MIDWIFE, SEASON 10 (Pt. 3-4/7)

8:30pm WALL $TREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE looks at the past week’s market and brings local and national investment professionals to you. Have a question for André? Email andre@ wallstreetwrapup.info.

9pm MUHAMMAD ALI “Round Four: The Spell Remains” (1974-2016) (Pt. 4/4) Muhammad Ali shocks the world by defeating George Foreman, winning back the heavyweight title and becoming the most famous man on earth. After retiring in 1981, he travels the world spreading his Islamic faith, and becomes a symbol of peace and hope.

19 SATURDAY 3pm ALL ON A MARDI GRAS DAY celebrates black Carnival in New Orleans in all its riotous, colorful and spiritual glory.

4pm CHAPPY GOES TO MARDI GRAS

18 FRIDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

8pm WASHINGTON WEEK

8pm MARDI GRAS: THE PASSING PARADE

11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

7:30pm LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN

7pm BLAINE KERN: THEY CALL HIM MR. MARDI GRAS The business Blaine Kern built 75 years ago opened Carnival to people of all races and backgrounds and continues to build spectacular parades here and around the world. Hear his story through interviews with family, friends, Carnival insiders and Kern himself.

11pm STEPPIN’ OUT

10pm MASTERPIECE “The Long Song” (Part 3/3)

7pm INFORMED SOURCES

6pm LAWRENCE WELK: MARDI GRAS In this 1966 show viewers are invited to "Come To The Mardi Gras,” the Lennon Sisters sing a whimsical "I Dreamed,” and Natalie Nevins performs a beautiful rendition of "Mr. Wonderful.” The cast and band swing out to close the show with the "South Rampart Street Parade.”

5pm BIG CHIEFS OF CARNIVAL: THE SPIRIT MOVES MY NEEDLE captures the artistry and strength of the legendary leaders of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indian tribes.

Every year the neighborhood tribes create intricate suits of the finest beads and choicest feathers, competing for the role of “prettiest” when they mask on Mardi Gras morning. Photo Credit: Pableaux Johnson

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

7pm NATURE “The Ocean’s Greatest Feast” is the story of South Africa’s annual sardine migration. Each summer, the sardine run sees billions of sardines spawning and traveling up the coast, providing a feast for an array of marine predators.

9pm NEW ORLEANS PARADES FROM THE PAST Enjoy rare home movies and archival footage of past parades of Rex, Comus, Zulu, Endymion, Bacchus and nearly a dozen other krewes. The one-hour program is hosted by Peggy Scott Laborde and produced by Dominic Massa. Providing commentary throughout the program are Carnival historians Arthur Hardy and Errol Laborde. Pictured: King Zulu 1940 Photo Credit: Courtesy The Times-Picayune 10pm THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS charts the evolution of the gay Mardi Gras krewe scene over the decades, illuminating the ways in which its emergence was a seminal factor in the cause of gay liberation in the South.

11:30pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time”

20 SUNDAY 6pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 7/8)

D9

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

SUNDAYS ON

10pm INDEPENDENT LENS “Apart” Three mothers imprisoned on drug-related crimes enter an innovative prison program in Cleveland that will prepare them for reuniting with their families as well as provide them with the skills needed to get a job and stay sober.

11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

22 TUESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Songs of the Past”

12:30PM ROAD FOOD Meeting local cooks, pit-masters, bakers and proprietors of local eating establishments, host Misha Collins explores the roots of each dish.

5:00AM MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD

9:30AM INFORMED SOURCES

5:30AM ARTHUR

10:00AM VARIOUS PROGRAMMING

6:00AM MOLLY OF DENALI 6:30AM WILD KRATTS 7:00AM HERO ELEMENTARY 7:30AM ALMA'S WAY 8:00AM WALL $TREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE

D10

7pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 8/8) In the season finale, Fogg meets an old friend at New York’s Grand Central Depot and must decide whether to continue his trip.

Unbeknownst to him, astronomical effects will decide the outcome.

11:00AM KEVIN BELTON’S COOKIN’ LOUISIANA 11:30AM KITCHEN QUEENS: NEW ORLEANS NOON PATI'S MEXICAN TABLE 12:30PM ROAD FOOD

8:30AM LOUISIANA THE STATE WE’RE IN

1:00PM RICK STEVES' EUROPE

9:00AM FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER

1:30PM SAMANTHA BROWN’S PLACES TO LOVE

DIAL 12 | January 2019

HIGHLIGHT 8pm MASTERPIECE “All Creatures Great and Small, Season 2” ‘The Perfect Christmas’ (Pt. 7/7) In the season finale, James and Helen question their future together in the run up to Christmas Day, while things look grave for one of Darrowby’s most beloved animals. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Playground Television (UK) Ltd. 9:30pm MASTERPIECE “All Creatures Great and Small, Season 2” ‘The Perfect Christmas’ (Pt. 7/7) 11pm SEASIDE HOTEL, SEASON 2 “Sales Agreement” (Pt. 5/7)

21 MONDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Omni Mount Washington Resort” (Hour 2 of 3) 8pm ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Desert Botanical Garden” (Hour 1 of 3) 9pm NEW ORLEANS PARADES FROM THE PAST

8pm FANNIE LOU HAMER’S AMERICA: AN AMERICA REFRAMED SPECIAL The award-winning documentary series America ReFramed, a coproduction of WORLD Channel and American Documentary, Inc., launches its landmark tenth season with the world premiere of Fannie Lou Hamer’s America, a portrait of the fearless Mississippi sharecropperturned-human-rights-activist. The film focuses on the incredible life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders and the injustices that made her work essential. Hamer’s great-niece, Monica Land, is co-producer. Photo Credit: George Ballis/TopFoto 9:30pm FRONTLINE 10:30pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time” 11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

23 WEDNESDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm NATURE “American Horses” Follow the history of the uniquely American horse breeds that helped shape our nation and meet the people who are continuing in the long tradition of caring for them.

8pm NOVA “Augmented” 10pm NATURE “American Horses” 11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

6pm PBS NEWSHOUR 7pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time” Peggy Scott Laborde, along with Carnival historians Arthur Hardy and Errol Laborde, give their annual overview of the upcoming Mardi Gras season.

7:30pm BRITISH ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 8pm CALL THE MIDWIFE, SEASON 10 (Pt. 5-7/7) In the last episode of the season, the birth of a very special baby leads many people to count their blessings.

11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

25 FRIDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

11pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It’s Carnival Time” 11:30pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

26 SATURDAY 6pm LAWRENCE WELK: THE ITALIAN SHOW 7pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS “Songs of the Past” 8pm COUNTRY MUSIC “Will the Circle be Unbroken” (1968-1972) (Pt. 6/8) 10pm BLAINE KERN: THEY CALL HIM MR. MARDI GRAS Produced and narrated by Dennis Woltering.

11pm FRONT AND CENTER “John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and Special Guest Tommy Emmanuel”

27 SUNDAY

8:30pm AGATHA AND THE TRUTH OF MURDER Join the crime writer as she investigates the murder of Florence Nightingale’s goddaughter, during her 11-day disappearance in 1926. Christie’s involvement in the case influenced her later work. Starring Ruth Bradley as Agatha Christie.

10pm BEFORE WE DIE, SEASON 2 (Pt. 7/8) 11pm SEASIDE HOTEL, SEASON 2 “Amanda’s Choice” (Pt. 6/7)

28 MONDAY 6pm PBS NEWSHOUR

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

24 THURSDAY

9pm AMERICAN MASTERS “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” Discover the man behind the legend. With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, rare photos and new interviews.

7pm ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Junk in the Trunk 8”

6pm MASTERPIECE “Around the World in 80 Days” (Pt. 8/8)

7pm INFORMED SOURCES Now in its 37th year, the weekly series hosted by Marcia Kavanaugh and produced by Errol Laborde, gives an in-depth look into the important news of metro New Orleans and Louisiana.

Repeats Sunday mornings at 9:30am.

7:30pm LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN 8pm WASHINGTON WEEK 8:30pm WALL $TREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE

8pm ALL ON A MARDI GRAS DAY 7pm AGATHA AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDERS Discover the writer’s plan to sell a manuscript that kills off her famous detective—Hercule Poirot. Struggling with money and under investigation by tax authorities in America and the UK, Agatha (Helen Baxendale) must come up with an enormous sum. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Darlow Smithson Productions, Ltd.

9pm STEPPIN’ OUT “It's Carnival Time” 9:30pm THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS 11pm AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

D11

Lagniappe FOR MORE INFORMATION WYES Address 916 Navarre Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70124

WYES-TV/CHANNEL 12 PROGRAM GUIDE | FEBRUARY 2022

Business partnerships

WYES’ quality programming and events are brought to you through the generous support of the following businesses and corporations.

To join our list of community-minded groups, contact Jim Tapley at (504) 837-8987, jtapley@wyes.org or Kerri Blache at (504) 483-8487, kblache@wyes.org.

PBS KIDS 24/7

BRITISH ANTIQUES ROADSHOW MASTERPIECE “DOWNTON ABBEY”

BRITISH ANTIQUES ROADSHOW ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

Mailing Address P.O. Box 24026, New Orleans, LA 70184 Web Site wyes.org Questions or Comments info@wyes.org

Pauline Strayhorne is a dedicated volunteer who enjoys sharing her tips for a successful life with young people. She wants young people to know that the world is bigger than the place they are occupying at this time. For this reason, she has left her PBS station a gift in her will. If you are thinking about including a charitable interest in your plan please consider making WYES part of your lasting legacy.

Find out how you can plan a gift Contact: Robin Cooper 504.486.5511

WALL STREET WRAP-UP WITH ANDRÉ LABORDE

DAVID ORECK

FINDING YOUR ROOTS

LAWRENCE WELK

More of the best public television programs available on…

RICK STEVES TRAVELS

on 12.2

MASTERPIECE

on 12.4

NATURE

IRMA: MY LIFE IN MUSIC

Suzie and Pierre G. Villere STEPPIN’ OUT AND INFORMED SOURCES

GET ACCESS TO THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF VIDEOS ON DEMAND.

Learn more: wyes.org/passport D12

Membership (504) 831-1503 Programming Questions (504) 486-5511

WYES OFFICERS Chair Lori Savoie Vice-Chair Mark Romig Secretary Greg Bensel Treasurer Len Aucoin

STEPPIN' OUT

SANDRA AND RUSS HERMAN

General (504) 486-5511

TRUSTEES Ryan Berger Wayne Baquet, Jr. Manny Blanco Stephanie Burks Karen Coaxum Michelle Dodenhoff Filippo Feoli Tony Gelderman Laurie Guillaume Renette Dejoie Hall Jennifer Heebe Benjamin Karp Rick Kirschman Bill Langenstein Marc Leunissen Jonathan C. McCall Sharon Perlis Paul Peyronnin Anne Redd Richard Rodriguez Susu Stall Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux Tommy Westervelt President & Chief Executive Officer Robin Cooper Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Dominic Massa

NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE KNOWS NEW ORLEANS.

SUBSCRIBE We’re New Orleanians through and through.

We know the city—its history and its present.

Food, drink, parties, parades, people, all the way up to ya mama ‘n dem—we know them all—and we’ll keep you in the know.

Don’t get left out: join the party and subscribe.

MyNewOrleans.com/subscribe

STREETCAR

BY E R R O L L ABO R DE

Rex at 15 0 Carnival’s Finest Moment

C

arnival has many rituals, but only one that makes the sky explode. That happens on the night before Mardi Gras, now more familiarly known as Lundi Gras, and the setting is the stage at Spanish Plaza right alongside Riverwalk.

Since 1987, Rex has arrived there, originally on a Coast Guard cutter, to greet the crowd. Beginning in 1999, the monarch has had a visitor, King Zulu and his entourage. The black and white of it is that two monarchs, sometimes thought to be representing separate parts of the universe, are backslapping and cheering on Lundi Gras afternoon. Nearby is the mayor. There have been five different chief executives since the tradition started and all have been eager to be part of the show. The big moment comes when the mayor is asked to concur with a proclamation issued by Rex asking that schools and businesses be closed the next day so that the polity can enjoy Mardi Gras Day without fear of the local gendarmes. To date, every mayor has concurred, giving civic backing to the royal wish list. And this is where Carnival’s finest moment occurs. A contraption with a raised handle is placed before the empowered three. Each grabs hold to a part of the handle prepared to push it down at the proper moment. Toward that moment the excited crowd yells the countdown “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…”

In a season filled with royalty there are many moments of scepter-waving,

80

FEBRUARY 2022

and kings and queens bowing to each other. One of the most famous moments happens Mardi Gras night when Rex and his queen greet Comus and his consort. In a moment laden with symbolism, the King of Carnival, who is celebrating his 150 anniversary this year, acknowledges Comus, who in 1857, started the parading tradition that would characterize the city. In the world of rituals, the “Meeting of the Courts” is hallowed as monarchs from antiquity honor each other. To get there though, there was the countdown from the night before.

“Five, four, three, two, one...” Down goes the plunger powered by two kings and the mayor. And then the sky is filled with rockets’ red glare, and the colors of the spectrum. Blasting from the loudspeaker are the infectious rhythms of New Orleans’ indigenous rhythm and blues carnival medley.

Rex, who on the next night will be promenading to Giuseppe Verdi’s “Grand March from Aida,” is, for the moment, boogieing to Profess Longhair’s “Going to the Mardi Gras.”

If only the moment could be freeze-framed, as rulers and their subjects celebrate Carnival’s only fireworks show, brightening the night with the message that Mardi Gras, the day, is arriving. The sky is filled with splashes of many colors.

And the moment itself is pure gold.

ARTHUR NEAD ILLUSTRATION