Our partnership with the New Orleans Saints goes well beyond being the official grocer.
Last year we established a new program, Tackle Hunger, in partnership with the Saints, to supply our food banks and food pantries across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Thanks to your generous donations, we have already donated half a million meals to help feed and support our neighbors in need. I look forward to the good that Tackle Hunger will bring to our communities for years to come.
Mrs. Benson shared her philosophies on community and leadership for this issue of our magazine. I hope her words resonate with you as they did with us.
At the core of Mrs. Benson’s leadership of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans is her belief in the power of hiring the best people for the job, and investing in their success; we wholeheartedly share this philosophy at Rouses Markets. Our commitment to excellence starts with the people we recruit and hire — we draft high in the first round. Part of our investment in our team is education and training, which is ongoing. Like the Saints, we give our team everything they need to succeed on the field — or, in our case, in the field, and in the future.
Like Mrs. Benson, I feel a profound sense of responsibility to the Gulf Coast, and to making my family and community proud. Whether it’s through community initiatives, charitable contributions, or simply being the first to lend a helping hand after a storm or natural disaster, we’re always ready to help.
The Saints make us proud to live on the Gulf Coast. I hope we inspire the same feeling in you.
QYou took over the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans under incredibly difficult circumstances after the death of your husband. How did you navigate this transition period?
A“It was certainly a very difficult time for me and our organization, but I was blessed to have the strength of my faith and a staff that is so committed to doing what is best for our team and community. Resilience is something that is part of our DNA in our region and, together, we were able to move forward. My husband always said, ‘Tough times don’t last, but tough people do’ — and we all try to live by those words.”
Photo by Channing Candies A Q&A with Gayle Benson, Owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans donnyQ
Tell me a little about your relationships with the coaches of your teams.
A“They are not dissimilar from many relationships in our organization. I have always believed in hiring the very best people you can and letting them do their jobs. I believe it is my job to give them all the resources and support they need to get the job done. Fortunately, the expectations they have for themselves are just as high as the expectations I have — winning championships.”
QCan you share some of your most significant experiences and challenges as the owner of the Saints and the Pelicans?
A“Every day presents a new set of challenges; that’s simply the way of the world we live in. The world of professional sports is certainly fascinating and highly visible, and I learned early on that you must have a thick skin in this business. My husband, Tom, was mindful of sharing so many of his experiences and successes with me as he prepared me for this role that I am in today. I feel a tremendous responsibility to help lead teams — and people — that our community will be proud of.”
QCan you discuss the importance of community involvement for your teams?
A“Having grown up in New Orleans, I understand how much the Saints mean to people, and now the Pelicans too. If you look at the players who are most beloved in our community, every one of them is not just a great statistical player; they are the ones who have been most involved in serving and being a part of New Orleans and the Gulf South. I know that each person has something that moves and motivates them, and they strive to make a positive influence in our community; it is my goal to support them in worthwhile causes. I love to see the passion so many of them pour into their community efforts, and they are done for the right reasons and not for show. We are committed to our city and state, and we want to make meaningful and honest contributions. Those are daily commitments, not something we can just do when we feel like it.”
Q How do you balance the demands of owning two major sports franchises while also managing such a broad portfolio of businesses and philanthropic endeavors?
A “It goes back to my previous comments. I feel my job is to clearly communicate what we are trying to accomplish and provide the support and resources to accomplish goals. We have different businesses with different departments, but the goals are common. With the number of games and other commitments I have it does not leave me with a lot of free time, but I like being busy and I enjoy work.”
Q What is your vision for the future of the Saints and the Pelicans? Are there any major changes or initiatives you hope to implement in the coming years?
A“My vision is winning championships that unite our city and region, and making meaningful contributions to our communities. We are always evolving and implementing new strategies, and each one is focused on making our fans first. I am really excited about the ongoing renovations of the Caesars Superdome. The result will be truly transformative, making the game experience significantly better for our fans. I think it is the perfect balance of preserving what people love about the Dome while adding all the modern conveniences fans expect and deserve.
Q Can you share any personal experiences or values that have shaped your approach to leadership, both within your sports teams and in your other ventures?
A “I have been blessed to be around some truly inspirational leaders across the different industries I am involved in, and the very best have the same characteristic of making it a point to share or give credit, rather than take it. The leaders who have the biggest impact, in my opinion, have most often been the ones who make it a point to build people up, who mentor and invest in others’ success. That kind of leadership is not just about being a good person; it is the best way to ensure success for yourself. The fact is, the higher you go, the
more people you depend on for your personnel’s success. Investing in their success is also an investment in your success.”
QFrom your perspective, what do the Saints mean to the city of New Orleans?
A“As I said, I am well aware of how much the Saints mean to New Orleans and feel a tremendous responsibility to make our community proud. We face a lot of challenges and difficulties here, as many places do, but our games have always been a place where everyone comes together, regardless of background, to join in a common purpose. I know how much it lifts the spirits of people when we win — and how much it hurts when we don’t. The bond between our team and fans is unique in sports — it truly is a family, and we lean on each other in good and bad times. My goal, and our team’s goal, is to make sure there are many more good times than bad! I can’t wait for the season to start and I look forward to celebrating many, many good times this year.”
Creative Director & Editor
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Mary Ann Florey
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Advertising & Marketing
ron bonacci
Tim Acosta
Amanda Kennedy
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Charlotte Ghrist
DAVID W. BROWN
David W. Brown is a freelance writer whose work appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American and The New Yorker. His most recent book, The Mission: A True Story, a rollicking adventure about a motley band of explorers on a quest to find oceans on Europa, is in bookstores now. Brown lives in New Orleans.
POPPY TOOKER
Poppy Tooker is a native New Orleanian who has spent her life immersed in the vibrant colors and flavors of her state. Poppy spreads her message statewide and beyond via her NPR-affiliated radio show and podcast, “Louisiana Eats!”
MARY BETH ROMIG
Mary Beth Romig is Associate Vice President for Public Relations for New Orleans & Company. She has been a public relations professional and a freelance writer for more than three decades. She has also served as “spotter” for the Saints Public Address announcer (originally her father, and now one of her brothers) during the team’s home games in the Caesars Superdome.
SARAH BAIRD
Sarah Baird is the author of multiple books, including New Orleans Cocktails and Flask Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Saveur, Eater, Food & Wine and The Guardian, among others. Previously, she served as restaurant critic for the New Orleans alt-weekly, Gambit Weekly, where she won Critic of the Year in 2015 for her dining reviews.
My career has been linked with the New Orleans Saints — with the coaches, players and radio personalities on WWL, the flagship station of the Saints — since my very early days in advertising.
It all began with #57 Rickey Jackson of the Dome Patrol and a commercial for Radiofone, a wireless service provider in New Orleans with a very memorable jingle produced by ad man Robert Alford, who hired me to write a script for Rickey. Robert and I would go on to work together for years at his agency.
In the commercial, #57 used his Radiofone to order 57 cheeseburgers, 57 fries — oh, and a diet cold drink. He had to make weight, after all.
I would meet up with Rickey Jackson again years later when we sold the Hall of Famer’s smoked sausage at Rouses Markets, one of many partnerships we’ve had with former Saints players, including Joe Horn and Zach Strief. Today, we proudly feature Rickey’s fellow Dome Patrol linebacker Pat Swilling’s tequila, Avé, in our New Orleans stores.
On the agency side, I also worked with Mike Ditka of “da Bears” fame during his short tenure as head coach of the Saints. When he was hired, Ditka promised owner Tom Benson and everyone else he would transform the team, but he struggled early and never found any momentum. In 1999, he traded almost all of our draft picks, plus our first-round and third-round picks from the 2000 draft, to get running back Ricky Williams. Run, Ricky, Run. This was such a big commitment on Ditka’s part that ESPN the Magazine posed Ditka as groom and Williams as bride on their cover. Our client, Radiofone, parodied the magazine cover in a commercial. Williams had a disappointing rookie season (it happens), and Benson fired his coach, who, it turned out, didn’t know Ditka about the draft.
In 2000, the Saints hired Jim Haslett. That year, they also brought training camp
back to Thibodaux for the first time since the 1970s. This was the beginning of the Rouses Markets relationship with the Saints, as well as with WWL Radio. I had already worked with WWL with other clients and would meet the Rouses Markets folks in 2001.
Camp was held at Nicholls State University. “John L. Guidry Stadium had, on average, 8,000 people watching practice under the lights every night,” recalls DePaul Smith, director of Saints radio sales. “I’d never been to Thibodaux before, and then I was going down every day for training camp, and the community made such an impression on me. You could see that Rouses Markets was completely at the heart of it.”
As DePaul remembers, there was no rain that year — and no mosquitos. And the excitement of meeting Haslett, and players like Joe Horn, Willie Roaf, Kyle Turley, Sammy Knight, Norman Hand, La’Roi Glover and so many others — Steve Gleason was a rookie that year — heightened the energy to a fever pitch.
Tim Acosta, Rouses Marketing and Advertising Director, agrees. “We were a sponsor. Every day, we were right there next to the field, cooking jambalaya for the fans who came to watch practice. At the time, with 15 stores, that felt like a significant milestone. Now, with 64 stores (and more in the works), we are the official presenting sponsor of Training Camp for the second year in a row, and the official supermarket of the New Orleans Saints. That makes me very proud.”
This was before my time with Rouses Markets, but Tim remembers hearing — then seeing — Saints superfan Whistle Monsta walking up to the stadium at Nicholls. “He could whistle louder than anyone I’d ever heard before. And then to have all of the
players and coaches and fans in our stores. It was unforgettable.”
Saints fans truly are the best in the NFL, and the most creative. I used to ride a River Parish Disposal trash truck around the Superdome with Supa Saint and other fans on game day.
The first year the Saints had training camp back in Thibodaux, they had their first winning season in years, with an amazing 31-28 victory in the wild-card playoffs at the Superdome and Jim Henderson’s legendary call, “Hakim drops the ball! There is a God after all!”
As Tim recalls, we had our very first WWL live show at the new Rouses Market in Thibodaux during that 2000 training camp, and live shows throughout that summer. These were the first of hundreds of live shows (which we call remotes) to come. Now we have remotes at stores all over the Gulf Coast throughout the year. I’m usually on site, and this is one of my favorite things we do in the advertising and marketing department. You can follow along on social media to see when a remote is scheduled in your area.
As I mentioned, I wasn’t there, but Tim remembers that radio personality Buddy Diliberto was at those remotes in Thibodaux, along with New Orleans Saints radio announcer Hokie Gajan. We have a story in this issue about Buddy D, whose unmistakable voice and references to callers as “squirrels” endeared him to countless fans across the Gulf Coast.
I wrote a lot of commercials for Buddy D over the years (and later Hokie Gajan). It didn’t really matter what I wrote, or which client the script was for, though, because you never knew what kind of linguistic
roller-coaster you were about to ride when Buddy D went on the air — Hokie Gajan became Hokie Saigon. But his memorable mispronunciations were part of his charm.
Buddy D died in January 2005. But his remarkable spirit lived on in the unforgettable Buddy D Dress Parade that unfolded after pigs flew, hell froze over, and the Saints won the NFC Championship and were on their way to the 2010 Super Bowl.
Thousands of Saints fans joined forces with Bobby Hebert, WWL Radio and DePaul Smith, and our agency client, River Parish Disposal (“Our Business Stinks, But It’s Picking Up!”), the waste disposal company run by Weldon “the Gator” Frommeyer and his son “Brother” Frommeyer, the Lil Gator. Everyone came together to honor Buddy’s promise to wear a dress if the Saints made it to the Super Bowl. It was a momentous celebration honoring Buddy D and the indomitable spirit of Saints fans. It was a privilege to contribute to putting the parade together. And so, affectionately known as “Buddy’s Brawds,” thousands of men donned dresses, representing the camaraderie of football that unites us all.
In that remarkable Super Bowl season, Pepsi and Rouses Markets had a meet and greet with Drew Brees planned for our customers, initially scheduled for the end of the season. But with the Saints’ winning streak, the event had to be repeatedly postponed. Finally, in February, after that onside kick, a 16-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas, and a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts, we were able to host the meet and greet. The moment was nothing short of electrifying when Drew Brees took charge and led us all in a spirited Super Bowl huddle chant.
The year after Buddy died, Hokie Gajan became the voice of River Parish Disposal. Hokie’s folksy observations and one-liners — we called them “Hokie-isms” — fit perfectly with River Parish Disposal, a company with a great sense of humor.
I wrote a commercial for River Parish Disposal transitioning from Buddy to Hokie with: “Let’s dedicate the season to Buddy Diliberto, boys … let’s win one for the Lipper.” The commercial only ran for two weeks before Katrina hit on August 29, 2005.
I also penned commercials for Hokie for Jani-King, and, later, Rouses Markets. I still reference my favorite Hokie spot ever
— “Deucebumps,” my word that captured the essence of Hokie’s admiration for Deuce McAllister, and how excited he got when McAllister made a play.
Today, we all get Deucebumps when Deuce McAllister makes an appearance in one of our stores or comes to our office. Deuce starred in our Shoppa Style commercial alongside Darwin Turner, the New Orleans West Bank rapper known as Choppa. Turner’s hit, “Choppa Style,” is a favorite in the Saints locker room, on the field and at tailgates. Our whole TV crew got Deucebumps during the Shoppa Style shoot. (I personally get Deucebumps every time Deuce refers to the big screen in the Superdome as the Rouses Markets’ Gumbotron on WWL Saints Radio.)
The Saints personality I’ve worked with the longest is Bobby Hebert. When Bobby talks about Rouses Markets, you know it’s true because he was born on the bayou, just like Rouses.
When Bobby does a remote, it’s great radio, great entertainment and great camaraderie with the fans that come up to see him — fans of all ages. He has to have his Rouses brand Italian sparkling water, because he loves it, and a cup of black coffee. This usually involves the store manager making him fresh coffee throughout the remote because they want to impress him — they are fans, too.
Bobby Hebert is truly the funniest person I know. He recently told me he was like a lizard because he doesn’t have any hair on his arms or legs.
I am lucky to call Bobby a friend, but anyone who has ever talked to him in our stores walks away feeling like they are his friend. This is Bobby’s first question of everyone he meets: “Hey, where you from?” From your answer, he will play Six Degrees of Separation.
Working closely with Deuce, Bobby, Mike Detillier, Mike Hoss, DePaul Smith and the rest of the WWL Radio team — along with Bobby’s son T-Bob and Guaranty Media in Baton Rouge — has been an absolute pleasure and a highlight of my career. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything — not even for almost all of the Saints’ 2024 draft picks, and the Saints first-round and third-round picks from the 2025 draft.
WWL is the flagship station of the Saints Radio Network, and the station extends the weekly action of Saints football throughout the Gulf South. Mike Hoss handles the playby-play duties, former Saints running back Deuce McAllister provides color commentary and Steve Geller is on the New Orleans sideline for all the contests. Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert and Steve Geller host pregame coverage, the Rouses Markets Halftime Show commentary, and “The Point After” at the conclusion of each Saints game.
Mike Detillier, Bobby Hebert, Rich Mauti and others recap the latest Saints games on HTV’s Sports on the Bayou presented by Rouses Markets. Tune in or stream at https://www.htv10.tv.
The NOLA.com: New Orleans Saints News app gives Saints fans exclusive access to the latest news, videos and photo slideshows from NOLA.com. Read exclusive articles about the Saints and other rival teams, catch live social media updates from
David W. Brown with Tim Acosta, Rouses Markets Advertising & Marketing Director
Tim Acosta was already at work in the kitchen at the Rouses Market on Baronne Street in New Orleans, browning ingredients with a wooden spoon in a big iron pot on the stove, when I arrived.
Tim is the Marketing & Advertising Director for Rouses Markets. Every time I write a story about Cajun cooking, he is the first person I call. Today he had invited me to watch and learn how he makes jambalaya. Now, I grew up near and went to high school in Gonzales, Louisiana — the “Jambalaya Capital of the World,” an honor the town takes very seriously — so I certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to witness the preparation of a real Cajun jambalaya.
In Gonzales, jambalaya must be brown. If you order jambalaya in New Orleans it is likely to be “red jambalaya,” or Creole jambalaya, which is made with tomatoes, a staple ingredient in Creole cuisine. Do not bring your red jambalaya to Gonzales, and certainly not to its annual Jambalaya Festival, in which locals compete for the title of world champion. There, it’s brown or nothing.
“There are as many ways to do a jambalaya as there are people,” Tim told me. “It’s like gumbo or boiling crawfish. This is just how one Cajun guy from Thibodaux on the bayou does it.”
Regional ingredients drive jambalaya’s myriad recipes, which is why you can find not only the classic chicken and sausage Cajun jambalaya, but also things like bison, bear, salmon, rattlesnake — even, according to my Google search of random animals, kangaroo
jambalaya — though I cannot imagine recommending any of these.
Pointing to a prep station lined with ingredients he had sliced and diced for the jambalaya, Tim explained, “This is my three-three-three recipe.” Depending on the size of the pot and the number of people he needs to feed, his jambalaya recipe scales up or down. This one, he said, will serve 20 people. “There’s three pounds of pork, three pounds of chicken and three pounds of sausage.” Those aren’t the only threes in the recipe, as I soon learned.
This was not an everyday jambalaya, or a box jambalaya — both of which have their places in our busy lives. No, this was serious business jambalaya. The process so far had taken two hours of prep and browning, beginning with the bacon, all the way through the trinity.
While Tim cooked, now pouring into the pot two containers of low-sodium chicken stock and one of vegetable (three stocks), I watched as a young cook on the other side of the bustling kitchen space seasoned rotisserie chickens, placing each on a pan spaced just so, all bound eventually for a good oven-roasting. Nearer to me, another cook tended to a deep fryer, keeping close watch on chicken turning golden brown in a slightly sizzling oil. These, the cook said, were for chicken sandwiches. He had already prepped dozens of buns with Rouses special dressing. We both kept a watchful eye on some wire baskets bearing Cajun-seasoned fries. I had skipped lunch and, in the presence of all this culinary bounty, I was starving
I glanced at the pot, which was filled with more liquid than I would have expected. I wasn’t sure how Tim would handle that. “When I add the parboiled rice, it’ll absorb all of it,” he assured me — and yes, you guessed it, he used three pounds of rice. He occasionally stirred the pot to make sure nothing was sticking to the bottom. “This part doesn’t take too long,” he said. As the broth slowly began to boil, he pulled a couple of clean spoons from a box, handing me one. We each tasted the liquid. It burst with flavor.
“Once I put the lid on, that’s it — you don’t get to look anymore. If you’re looking, you ain’t cooking!” (I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time he’d made that pronouncement.) He stirred the rice to distribute it evenly in the pot among the ingredients as the broth continued its journey to a full boil. Parboiled rice was best, Tim explained, because it absorbed more liquid than other types. When at last the broth reached a boil, he covered the pot and reduced the heat to a simmer. It would take about 20 minutes to cook, he said.
“This is better when you’re cooking it outside, drinking a cold beer,” he joked. We stepped back from the stove while everything heated and chatted for a bit.
Across the kitchen, the chef tended to the deep fryer, moving the fried chicken and French fries to stainless steel bins, which he set next to the buns he had prepped. He expertly transferred each chicken breast from bin to bun, one after the other. He offered me a chicken sandwich, though I reluctantly refused, saving my feverish appetite for
“Once I put the lid on, that’s it — you don’t get to look anymore. If you’re looking, you ain’t cooking!”
the jambalaya. It was not easy.
We kept an eye on the pot for steam to blow from beneath the lid. Too much, said Tim, and you should lower the heat so the bottom of the jambalaya doesn’t burn. But no matter what, he said, it was important to keep the lid on the pot. That steam is what is cooking the rice. You lift the lid and let it out, and you risk ruining the dish.
After monitoring the steam for a bit, Tim leaned down and listened to the pot. “The jambalaya can tell you when it’s ready,” he said. “You can hear it bubbling slightly. Give it a listen.” I did, and there was
indeed the babbling of jambalaya from within. “You are listening for when it is absorbed in the rice,” said the Jambalaya Whisperer (my new nickname for Tim). “It will get quieter.”
After a bit, he again leaned in and listened to the jambalaya in the pot.
About 25 minutes after the lid went on the pot, the jambalaya told Tim it was time to switch off the heat. It would still need another 20 minutes or so to set, the rice absorbing the last of the stock and flavors. The wait was interminable. By then, the entire Rouses Magazine team
had gathered around the pot: They were beyond ready…salivating, positively starving. Tim removed the lid and fluffed the rice, and you could see the sausage, chicken and pork peeking out from within. The jambalaya he revealed was the proper color, a stunning golden brown — a real Gonzales brown! — and the aroma of the dish filled the room. Frustratingly, though, our enjoyment of it was delayed further: It still needed to be photographed. But once that was done, and the magazine cover was set, we grabbed forks and plates, and no one was shy about digging in.
Folks, even by the stringent Gonzales standards, it was a masterpiece. Just to be 100% sure, however, I had seconds. And then thirds.
When you purchase cast-iron cookware, Tim said, whether a skillet, stovetop pot or giant jambalaya pot, the first thing you must do is season it. This is necessary to protect the pot from rust and the elements. In the old days, these black iron pots came coated in a wax resin that would need to be burned off on an outdoor stove. That is not so much a problem these days, and many come pre-seasoned. If yours is not, however, or if you inherited a little-used pot and want to season it, Tim has some advice.
“The old timers used lard,” he said. “You coat the whole thing in lard, and cook it.” Medium is the magic setting. After about an hour, the iron will be pretty hot. Turn off the heat, let the pot cool, and then reheat it again. After it again cools, turn the pot upside down and coat the exterior in lard, and do it all over again. It is important to do this on an outside burner or barbecue pit because the oil will smoke, and you don’t want your house to smell like the back of a fast food restaurant.
Tim says lard is fine, but he has an even better method.
“I use bacon,” he said. “Good old-fashioned bacon grease.” Slather it inside and out. The process is the same, and you get to eat bacon while you do it.
1 12-ounce package Rouses Hickory Smoked Bacon, diced
3 pounds Rouses Smoked Green Onion Sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
3 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, diced into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into bite-size pieces Cajun seasoning, to taste
3 (32-ounce) containers of Rouses Fresh Cut Seasoning Mix (or 32 ounces of a blend of onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, parsley and green onions, finely chopped)
2-3 bay leaves
2 (10-ounce) cans original Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles
2 (32-ounce) containers unsalted chicken stock
1 (32-ounce) container unsalted vegetable stock
3 tablespoons Cajun Power Garlic Sauce, or more to taste
3 to 5 dashes hot sauce
3 to 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 to 5 dashes Pickapeppa Sauce
3 pounds of Rouses Parboiled Rice
Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and green onions, for garnish
Add bacon to a large cast-iron jambalaya pot (10-quart or larger) and cook over medium heat until just crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon and place on paper towels to drain. If you feel that there’s too much oil left in the pot, blot some of it out with paper towels.
Brown the sausage in the bacon fat, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon to build color. Transfer the sausage to paper towels to drain, using a slotted spoon so the rendered fat drips back into the pan.
Season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown the pork until tender and lightly crispy, stirring slowly with the wooden spoon to build color. Transfer to plate when done.
Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning and add it to the pot. Brown the chicken, then add the fresh cut seasoning mix and sauté until the onions in the mix are translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the bay leaves, and sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Return the reserved pork, smoked sausage and bacon to the pot along with the Ro-Tel. Stir in the chicken stock, vegetable stock, additional Cajun seasoning to taste, Cajun Power Garlic Sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Pickapeppa to the pot, and stir. Turn the heat up to high until the mixture starts to boil, then lower the heat to medium. Let cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the parboiled rice to the pot and stir until the rice is completely covered with the liquid. Cover the pot. When you see steam escaping from under the lid, reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this process.
Remove the cover and stir the jambalaya to combine all the flavors. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Top jambalaya with chopped parsley and green onions before serving.
By Ali Rouse Royster, 3rd Generation
Ilive by my calendars — yes, plural! I have a few, each with their own very unique purpose. They’re color-coded and I cannot deal without them. (Tell me you’re a firstborn child without telling me you’re a firstborn child… ). One of my very favorite routines of fall is blocking in Saints games on Sundays on the calendar. Home game or away game, we’ll be watching our Saints play! And as much as I love going to the Dome, I love watching games at
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We didn’t often go to Saints games when I was a kid, but when we did, the Saints usually lost. I don’t think it was our fault, and there was a good stretch there in 1991 where the Dome Patrol and the Cha-Ching guy helped us finish first in the NFC West. (I remember that season as clearly as the year we won the Super Bowl, down to the front pages of The Times-Picayune and the morning issue of The Advocate . Quarterback Bobby Hebert even made the cover of Sports Illustrated that year.)
What I recall most vividly after a game in those days was sitting with my family for what seemed like hours in Superdome parking lot traffic, while on the car radio on WWL 870 AM, commenting on the spectacle we’d just witnessed, was a nearly unintelligible man named Bernard Diliberto — better known throughout the state as simply Buddy D.
“When Buddy came, he just elevated the whole ‘sports talk’ thing,” says De Paul Smith, the director of Saints Radio Sales at WWL Radio. “Back then, talk radio didn’t have those kinds of great big personalities doing sports. But Buddy changed that, and coming from newspapers first, and television second, radio was the best medium for him. He could really elaborate on his opinions and have fun — and man, he was good at it.”
For 50 years, Diliberto reported on sports in New Orleans across all media. His opinions were deeply informed by a lifetime of sports reporting — and opinions he had, especially about the New Orleans Saints. He started in print in 1950, at The TimesPicayune, ultimately becoming the paper’s daily sports columnist. From there, he moved
to television on WVUE-TV and WDSU-TV, becoming sports director for the latter; and landed finally on radio, with a daily show.
Everyone knew Buddy D. He was a Louisiana fixture with a voice that simply defied imitation, or even description. After wading through his almost impenetrable New Orleans accent, you still had to contend with a melodic cadence that seemed always to zig where you thought it might zag. He spoke in a kind of jovial bark that men of his generation had, but sadly no longer do. His voice was to the ears what your grandmother’s kitchen was to your sense of smell; you can recall it immediately and precisely. As Jim Henderson, the former play-by-play announcer on Saints Radio, observed at a roast of Buddy D in 2003: “It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once said, ‘To be great is to be misunderstood.’ We haven’t been able to understand Buddy Diliberto for 50 years.”
While writing this piece, I found old clips of his show, including one from 1995, when Morgus the Magnificent called in
to Diliberto’s show to discuss Jim Mora, and the sheer New Orleans nostalgia of it all nearly unraveled the space-time continuum. (If someone had sung the Rosenberg’s Furniture Store address jingle aloud at that moment, we would have been done for.) But hearing that voice again made me 30 years younger, a kid in the back seat of my mom’s car.
The genius of Buddy D was that he made it fun to listen to sports talk even when the Saints were routed on the field — which they frequently were in those days, hard as it might be to remember in a post-Brees world. (Although, the 2022 season was a bleak reminder of those Bad Old Days.) During particularly grim stretches, Diliberto called his show “Saints Anonymous,” and callers would begin with such lines as, “Hey Buddy, my name is Carl. I live in Slidell and I am a 20-year Saints fan.”
Buddy D was, to put it mildly, a fierce and mocking critic of the way the New Orleans Saints
front office and coaching staff ran the team, and of a great many plays called on the field. (My mom once quipped that the Saints could win the Super Bowl and Buddy D would still spend half his show criticizing some play in the second quarter.)
Forget reporting live from the Superdome. On television, Buddy D sometimes reported on the Saints from funeral homes and cemeteries, arguing that the interred were more alive than the New Orleans team. During the 1980 season, he wore a paper bag over his head on the air to maintain anonymity as a Saints fan, and vowed to do so until the “Aints” — which he helpfully printed on the bag — won a game. They finally did, in December, going 1-15 for the season. The paper bag tradition caught fire, with Monday Night Football viewers from across the country noticing the
distraught Saints fans in the audience with their Schwegmann’s grocery store attire adorned with eyeholes, beads and pithy messages to the team. Today, distressed fans from every losing franchise have since adopted the tradition.
His uncompromising attitude sometimes led to a misconception that Buddy D hated the Saints. And because of how withering (and accurate) his criticisms could be, Saints
management even kicked him off the team plane. The ban wasn’t for a single season, though — it was for life, plus 10 years “in case you are Lazarus,” said management.
Diliberto took it in stride. He was just doing his job.
“For journalists back then,” says Smith, “you were never supposed to be a fan. Buddy would never wear Saints gear. Ever. They
During the 1980 season, he wore a paper bag over his head on the air to maintain anonymity as a Saints fan, and vowed to do so until the “Aints” — which he helpfully printed on the bag — won a game.
always wanted to be unbiased. Buddy’s take on the team was for them to create change so that they would win.” And he desperately wanted them to win. In many ways, Buddy D was the ultimate Saints fan.
“I work for the guy that sits up in Section 635 that has no voice to make change on the team,” Smith recalls Buddy saying. “The people that have been given an opportunity to create change have a tremendous responsibility, because they have to do it. And I’ve been given the chance to make some change, to speak for the masses.” Diliberto even quoted the Book of Matthew as a way of describing his charge: “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Buddy D was more than a football fan and journalist. He was a father and husband, and served in the Korean War, earning a Purple Heart after taking shrapnel. He was deeply religious — a daily communicant, attending Mass every day. He was an avid gambler (“He’d bet on anything,” one friend of his told me with a laugh.) He was a native New Orleanian, attending Jesuit High School and
later graduating from Loyola. But there are a lot of native New Orleanians. Buddy D would become the voice of the city — and a very unique voice at that, in a city of very unique voices.
He did not offer commentary maliciously, and was not driven by ego. This is perhaps best reflected in the name of the radio show he hosted during the apex of his career, “Hap’s Point After.” Diliberto inherited the show from Lloyd “Hap” Glaudi — known as the “dean of New Orleans sportscasters” — after Glaudi died. Diliberto kept the name. He also was glad to share his airtime with the city.
“Buddy allowed his callers to be genuine characters on his show,” says Smith. “And New Orleans is full of characters. Buddy had this innate ability to really understand New Orleans, and knew how to make it stir. But he wasn’t always fun and games. Really, 95% of Buddy’s content was rich with serious insight, and he was somebody who was always making a point. But that 5% when Buddy was funny — it was like, you’d think he was funny all the time.”
He wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power. In the 1996 season, the Saints went 3-13, and Tom Benson, then the team’s owner, did not have a post-season press conference. Diliberto took umbrage. “So, Buddy started saying, ‘Where’s the emperor? The emperor has not come out to talk to us yet. Until the emperor comes out and talks to us, let’s boycott tickets!’” says Smith.
I called Bobby Hebert, famed former quarterback of the Saints, and asked what it was like on the other side of Buddy D’s unflinching commentaries on the state of New
Orleans football. “Not all the players liked Buddy,” he told me, “and I don’t think Coach Mora liked him being so honest all the time. I never had a problem with him, though — he was speaking the truth. And I think he liked that when he asked me something, I gave him an honest opinion.”
When Buddy D moved to WWL Radio, everyone seems to agree that he hit his stride. I think the reason for his success, aside from his colorful antics and distinct New Orleanian charm, is that he spoke to listeners on a much deeper level than we realized. Long before he sat in a studio, Buddy D sat behind a typewriter. He was a writer.
We think of sports as a visual medium — I mean, there’s a reason they charge so much for those seats — but take away the play-byplay announcements, the referee appearing on the Gumbotron declaring with stentorian authority, “Pass interference,10-yard penalty,” and the cheers and jeers of the crowd, and even the most gripping of sporting events could be jaw-clenchingly boring. Sports is more than a spectacle. On every gridiron in every stadium, what you are experiencing is a story being told.
Football especially fits the classical “hero’s journey” as if by design, which makes every visit to the Superdome a kind of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars experience. The pregame show on radio is the “call to adventure,” in which we learn a little about our heroes (the New Orleans Saints, naturally — all others are villains). Our heroes “cross the threshold” when they walk out onto the field, and then experience their challenges and temptations, and an abyss and a rebirth, and (if we are lucky) a triumph. Talk radio after the game is the “road the hero takes back to the ordinary world.”
Buddy D helped us understand the story we had just experienced. He brought order to chaos. He made it all make sense, the good and the bad.
“Buddy had taught us how it was done. You have to feel like you are a mouthpiece for the fans. That’s how Buddy did it, and that’s the approach I take day in and day out. You have to separate yourself from the team, and be on the common man’s side.”- Bobby Hebert, famed former quarterback of the Saints “Buddy’s Brawds” photo courtesy DePaul Smith Bobby Hebert wore a dress during a parade to honor the legendary sportscaster Buddy Diliberto.
And sometimes, that story was a comic tragedy. In light of that, Diliberto once made a famous vow on the air: “If the Saints ever make it to the Super Bowl, I’m going to wear a dress and dance through the streets.” He made this promise secure in the knowledge that he would never have to make good on it. (He did, however, comfort younger callers and listeners, telling them: “You’ve got time. You might see a Super Bowl.”)
Buddy D died on January 7, 2005 of a heart attack. Hebert was WWL’s first choice to inherit Diliberto’s show. Maybe it was the voice, he joked. “Buddy had his own speech issues and can’t say certain words, and then they get Hebert, a Cajun, and I had a thicker accent than him!” Before his unexpected death, Buddy D played a big role in bringing Hebert to WWL.
“I was doing some radio in Atlanta, things like shows on the Falcons draft, and Falcons pregame and postgame shows, and Buddy called me up,” Hebert recalls. “He and WWL had me come to do the Saints draft show in 2004. I thought that was a one-time thing, and then as Buddy got older, he wanted some help for a lot of shows as a duo instead of him by himself.” Hebert agreed to do that for the 2005 season, but then Diliberto died, and WWL asked the Saints’ former star quarterback to take the job officially.
“Buddy had taught us how it was done,” Hebert says. “You have to feel like you are a mouthpiece for the fans. That’s how Buddy did it, and that’s the approach I take day in and day out. You have to separate yourself from the team, and be on the common man’s side.”
Five years after the city lost Diliberto, the New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime to clinch the NFC Championship, securing their place in Super Bowl XLIV. One week before the final matchup against the Colts, Saints fans, led by Hebert, made good on Buddy D’s promise. Hebert and the crowd wore dresses and paraded from the Superdome to the French Quarter.
“We got in a little bit of trouble with the city,” Hebert says, “because we got a lastminute permit. We thought there would be a few thousand people, maybe.” Instead, he says, 80,000 people showed up: a crowd of men in dresses stretching from the Dome to Oceana Grill on Bourbon St. at Conti. There was barely room to stand, let alone move, and it took five hours to get from start to finish.
“It was so cold that day,” he remembers. “We were feeling so good. It could have been in the teens and I don’t think we would have felt the pain. And they were all there for Buddy. The fans demanded we do that parade for him, and they turned up. It was such a great day, but man, the next morning was hard.”
As for his radio show, Hebert still recognizes that he’s filling big shoes of perhaps the best-loved football commentator the city ever saw. “I didn’t go to school for journalism, but I have the gift of gab,” Hebert says. “You just go with the ebb and flow, and you have to respect the fans and callers. They know their football. And Buddy D understood that.”
He continues, “And like Buddy, I bring my own special experiences to the show. Someone can give their opinion, and I will respect it, but I will also disagree and tell them, ‘No, you don’t understand. It’s not like that on the field.’ Buddy D could educate fans from a perspective of 50 years covering sports. When they were wrong, he’d call them a squirrel. And I can educate them
from my own experiences.”
New Orleans is a city of the world. I travel extensively for my job, and not once in all these years, when asked, have I said that I live in New Orleans and the person’s eyes not lit up. “Really?” they invariably say, as though I lived in Oz or on the international space station. New Orleanians know the day-to-day headaches of life here — every city has them (though probably with better roads). What we offer to the world, though, is something no one else can: a distinct and beautiful culture of art, spirit and cuisine, forged across a sometimes painful and ugly history, but one that is recognized the world over as the best humanity has to offer. Buddy D was a product and emissary of this city. He was born of it, he added to it, and he shared it with all the world. He gave voice to the voiceless and laughter to downtrodden sports fans — those at home, and those trapped in the Superdome parking lot.
But to get his message across, sometimes it required that he do so wearing a paper bag on his head.
Mary Beth Romig was sitting across the table from her brother Mark in a recent meeting when an extraordinary thought struck her: There’s always been a member of the Romig family working inside the Superdome — which is quickly approaching its 50th anniversary — in some capacity or other since it was constructed. The very first NFL game was played in the Superdome on August 6, 1975. The Houston Oilers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 13-7, in a preseason game. The siblings — who both work high-profile “day jobs” as senior vice president of communications and public relations (Mary Beth) and senior vice president and chief marketing officer (Mark) for New Orleans & Company, the city’s destination marketing organization — are carrying on a long-standing family legacy of working for the New Orleans Saints started by their father, legendary stadium public address announcer Jerry Romig; their family tree reads like a who’s who of integral pieces of the Saints’ organization.
For starters, the senior Romig, who retired in 2013 before passing away in 2015 at the age of 86, never missed a game throughout his 44-year and 446-consecutive-game career as the voice of the Saints. Since 2013, Mark has assumed the same chair at the Superdome as his dad (metaphorically) by following in his father’s footsteps as the booming voice of the Saints for what will be his 11th season. (“If I can come close to matching Dad’s tenure of 43 regular seasons plus one preseason, I will be 110 years old when I am done,” he jokes.) Not to be outdone, Mary Beth has worked as a spotter with the team for over 30 — yes, 30 — seasons.
Oh, and did I mention their other brother Jerry “Jay” Romig Jr. is currently the longest tenured employee for the New Orleans Saints in his role as administrative director? “We call him the ‘vice president of doing things nobody else is willing to do’ because Jay just does anything you ask him,” laughs Mary Beth. “He is the go-to guy for the team. He’s like his own department. When you look at a roster, I swear, under his department, it’s him.” All combined, the family has tallied that at least one member of the family has worked with the New Orleans Saints for over 50 years, with no signs of slowing down the family tradition.
“Dad started out as a sportswriter. So, in our family, when you came to the dinner table, even as a kid, you had to know current events and you had to know sports,” says Mary Beth. “That was just what we talked about at the dinner table because we were raised by a sports guy and a news hound.”
“Mom and Dad always made sure that we had an evening meal
together. We would sit around the table, and since Dad was doing [announcing for] Tulane football and basketball before he did the Saints, there was always a discussion about sports,” says Mark. “Then, of course, when he started working with the Saints in 1968, there was always the anticipation for the season, or during the season we would be chatting about what happened at Tulane Stadium — and then the Superdome. It was always terrific, and we were all so close in age that, for the most part, we all were always together.”
The groundwork for the closeness of the Romig siblings’ working relationship and passion for the Saints within such a tight-knit, familial fan base was laid by their father, who was deeply committed to providing a sense of community and ease for Saints fans, no matter the obstacles or where their seats might be in the stadium. Even when the Saints played in San Antonio, Texas after Hurricane Katrina, Mary Beth recalls how her mom and dad would drive to the city for Jerry to announce because the Saints were considered the “home field” at the San Antonio stadium. “The players even commented that it made them feel like they had a touch of home, even though they weren’t in New Orleans, to hear his voice,” says Mary Beth.
When the senior Romig fell ill and began having back issues that made it too painful to sit through the games as stadium announcer, the Saints broadcast his decision to retire while softening the loss with a relief-filled notice that his son, Mark, would be stepping in. “I’m blessed to have a similar-sounding voice to his, a same tone,” says Mark, while Mary Beth points out that there are some subtle differences. “Dad was a little bit more emotional in general than Mark. Sometimes, Dad would be too exuberant and there were strict rules about exuberance. For a while there, you couldn’t even be partial at all. We’d have to say, ‘Dad, calm down, calm down!’ And then they loosened the rules again.”
“I think speaking for the Saints, if I may, I think they saw that the sound that would come out of my mouth and my throat was similar to what my dad had done for all those years, and so they tried to keep it as consistent as possible for the fans, because it’s really all about the fans and making sure that they have a good game day experience,” says Mark. “Being tapped to do that was an honor — and also a huge responsibility — to try to build at least a piece of what Dad left. He’s left such a mark on the game and on the fans. I’ve never really researched this to the point where we can claim it, but I think that he was one of the longest-serving stadium announcers in the NFL.”
Of course, stepping in for his dad ensured there were a few changes to Mark’s game day ritual, all while creating new fan-favorite catchphrases of his own. “Mark had season tickets before he became the
announcer, but he used to leave most games at halftime and go home and watch the second half from his house,” Mary Beth laughs. “So, when he got the job as the announcer, it was this family joke that, ‘Well, now you have to stay for the entire game. You can’t leave!’”
“I wasn’t going to change up some things that my dad had created as signature calls, like his, ‘First down, Saints!’ and his ‘Touchdown, Saints!’ and “It’s good!’ when they would kick a field goal or an extra point. I tried to mimic Dad’s way of doing that and I’ve kept those in place,” explains Mark. “Some of the newer ones that started since I’ve been announcing is my third down call, where I stretch out third down, and that gets the crowds going. Then my other one is ‘First down Saints, move dem chains!’ and when I say ‘Move dem chains!’ I hear the fans through the glass wall saying, ‘Move dem chains!’ That’s become somewhat of an iconic call now. I think it becomes familiar and something that they can all join in no matter where they’re seated or where you’re from — everyone comes together. It’s like all barriers are broken down once everyone’s in that Superdome, because we’re all Saints fans. It’s been a joy just to see that spirit of comradeship. I can hear them emulating that.”
It was so iconic, in fact, that it caught on immediately when Mark was announcing a Saints game in London. “We were at Tottenham Stadium, a soccer stadium, and they have a lot of soccer fans [in London] who follow the NFL. When the Saints would have a first down, and I would say ‘First down, Saints, move dem chains!’, at first they weren’t catching on to that, because there aren’t chains in soccer. But toward the middle of the game, you could hear
all the fans saying, ‘Move dem chains!’ It was interesting to export some of our calls over to England.”
Mary Beth, who jokes that Mark didn’t “cut her from the team” as a spotter when he took over as announcer for their father, has one of the most fascinating and too-often unsung (in my humble opinion) positions within the complex web that makes up the game day experience at the Superdome. Spotters are the people who stand on either side of the stadium announcer and watch every play to tell the announcer who does what: the person to whom the quarterback throws the ball; who makes each tackle; and how far the teams gain all fall under the spotter’s watchful eye — a huge responsibility if there ever was one. In the early 1990s, one of Jerry Romig’s spotters decided to retire from the position, and Mary Beth had the opportunity to begin what would become a decades-spanning run in the position. “My dad knew that I was a huge sports lover and Saints fan, and he asked me if I would start spotting for him. Are you kidding? Duh.”
“I was raised on football,” says Mary Beth. “I mean, we all know football. Even my daughter was raised on football — we just know the game. I think the hardest part probably for me is visiting team defense. Because offense, by the time you get to the regular season, you pretty much have your stable of players. And I know the Saints team by heart, but defense is hard because many more people play defense. But I have a notebook and I make cheat sheets the day before every game because the flip cards have really, really tiny print. So, I have the Saints offense listed, and on the facing page, the opponent’s defense. I open it to that
page, and then I go from there. It’s fun — and it’s more fun when we’re winning.”
On a typical game day now, the Romig legacy is impossible to miss inside the Superdome. There’s the Jerry Romig House Control Booth, named, of course, in honor of the legendary patriarch, and Jay is running the clock in addition to “putting out all sorts of fires,” laughs Mary Beth. Mark and Mary Beth ride to and from the games together in addition to working side by side throughout the game, and each has a unique snack they eat before settling into their high-pressure roles: chicken fingers from the Superdome concessions for Mary Beth and candy — like Twix and Snickers — for Mark. And while she doesn’t attend Saints games in person anymore, Janice Romig, the family’s 91-year-old matriarch, is always tuned in at home while wearing a Saints outfit, praying the rosary, and watching the television with the sound turned down and WWL Radio turned up.
“We’re together at least five or six hours on those Sundays,” says Mark. “It’s a real blessing to be with them, like going to church almost, or having Sunday dinner together.”
“When you think that there are only 32 teams in the entire league — so that’s 32 public address teams — I would love to know if there are any other public address teams in the NFL that are a family like we are. I mean, literally, a family. All of us up there,” says Mary Beth. “It’s just been tremendous fun and a serious honor that I don’t take lightly. I’m thankful that my brothers and I — well, all of our siblings — we dearly enjoy each other’s company. I mean, I would dare say if they didn’t enjoy my company, it would make for a long afternoon.”
THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE ROMIG FAMILY WORKING INSIDE THE SUPERDOME — WHICH IS QUICKLY APPROACHING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY — IN SOME CAPACITY OR OTHER SINCE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED.
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For the fellows who talk sports on WWL AM/FM Radio and during the New Orleans Saints games, all to a man agree that this describes their lives as well. For Mike Hoss, Bobby Hebert and Mike Detillier, talking sports is a passion and a profession. And while they share this same passion, their paths to the airwaves are remarkably dissimilar.
Mike Hoss is now the play-by-play announcer for New Orleans Saints games, sharing the radio booth with Deuce McAllister, the former Saints running back who provides color commentary. They both provide pre- and post-game coverage and appearances during the weeks of football season — and anytime the hometown football team is a hot topic of conversation.
Hoss, a native of Manassas, Virginia, graduated from James Madison University and began his career as a television
journeyman, eventually landing at WWL-TV, and lovingly won the viewers’ affection when he dressed as a moose while covering Fat Tuesday festivities.
His first day on the New Orleans airwaves was Monday, February 27, 1989, when he joined the sports team. He eventually moved to the news desk and remained at WWL until 2017 when, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, he joined a start-up communications company.
Hoss says he was “busy and happy,” when, one Sunday during a Saints game, Doug Thornton, executive vice president, ASM Global, offered him an opportunity to join the Superdome/ Smoothie King team, then managed by SMG, as a spokesperson for the upcoming renovation of the multipurpose stadium. He accepted the role and remains as manager of media relations for Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, Champions
Some 30 years ago a football-crazed young lady wrote, “There are two seasons in our family — football season and waiting for football season.”
Square, and ASM Global/LSED.
But Hoss harbored a dream. He always wished he could be the play-by-play announcer for the New Orleans Saints. When the iconic Jim Henderson retired, Hoss threw his hat in the ring, but Saints defensive lineman Zach Strief announced his retirement from the game, and WWL radio management snagged the former, popular player for the job. Hoss, one of the finalists for the role, describes Strief as “the right hire at the right time.”
Then, as Hoss’s luck would have it, Strief accepted Coach Sean Payton’s offer to join the team as a defensive coach in 2021, and the opportunity once again presented itself. Hoss says it was the “unbelievable break of a lifetime.”
Already blessed with a deep knowledge of and interest in sports and the Saints, Hoss says that as he approaches his third season, he is always practicing and studying.
“I started July 6, 2021, and knew immediately how incredibly, massively behind I was. I was observing training camp, getting to know the team and learning how to prepare,” says Hoss. “First preseason game and there are 90 people on each roster.”
He describes the first year as “all difficult, like a salmon swimming upstream.” Then came Hurricane Ida. “Now, I was preparing for my first regular season game — a home game that had to be relocated to Jacksonville because of post-hurricane conditions in the city — while living with 26 people in a house in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. I had never not covered a hurricane for television, and now I was working on game prep and driving to the city to check on the Superdome, and the football team was in Dallas,” Hoss recalls. “We were not seeing the team on a daily basis and had to hit the airwaves to offer the best game experience Deuce and I could, and the team wins 38-3, beating Green Bay. What a way to start this new career.”
Now entering his third year, Hoss says, “The biggest change is that now it is truly fun. I know how to prepare, seeing some teams multiple times each season, and in the booth on game day I am more relaxed.”
Hoss gives tremendous credit to his partner, McAllister.
“Deuce is so smart,” says Hoss. “It’s like we are watching two different games. He sees stuff before it happens. I’m living my dream and having a blast. It’s seven days a week, and hopefully more than five months, but the New Orleans Saints are a team and an organiza tion that are so much fun to be around.”
For Bobby Hebert, affectionately described
as “the Cajun Cannon,” playing football and talking sports are pretty much all he has ever known, and talking sports is now what he does every day on afternoon Sports Talk radio for WWL.
The so-called “Founding Father of the Who Dat Nation” grew up on the bayous of South Lafourche, specifically in Cut Off, playing high school football at South Lafourche, then attending Northwestern State. Hebert’s first pro gig was in the USFL…first the Michigan Panthers, then the Oakland Invaders, where he received many honors: the Invaders were runners-up in the USFL Championship (1985); in 1983 Hebert led the Panthers to the USFL championship, and he was the MVP in the game and the Most Outstanding Quarterback in the league that season.
Hebert joined the New Orleans Saints in 1985 as a rookie and, in 1991, after leading the Saints to the best start ever in franchise history, he was honored on the cover of Sports Illustrated on October 7 of that year. In 1993, Hebert signed with the Atlanta Falcons and played in the NFL Pro Bowl in 1993. Atlanta was where he landed his first job on the radio talking sports after he retired from play.
“For a while I thought about coaching, but the lifestyle of a coach is hard on a family,” says Hebert. “So, I thought, ‘How can I stay involved in sports?’ I’ve been doing radio for 26 years, starting in Atlanta,” says Hebert. “There, talking sports was more about the Atlanta Braves baseball team, not the Falcons. The Braves were the celebrities, the stars. Back then Buddy Diliberto was on the radio back here in New Orleans, and he called and asked if I would come on his show.”
That invitation eventually led to Hebert’s return to the local WWL airwaves and New Orleans. He says: “It was before Hurricane Katrina, and I was on talking about the draft, then pre- and post-game coverage, and then Buddy died. That’s when it became more of a full-time job.”
Today, Hebert is on the air every afternoon, talking about whatever the hot topic is for the local sports fan: the New Orleans Saints, the Pelicans, LSU, Tulane and more, and sometimes dipping into history and pop culture.
“I find to be successful and entertaining you have to be well-read and do your homework,” says Hebert. Coworkers say he’s the hardest-working guy in the radio sports talk game because he does
things the old-fashioned way. Hebert agrees, because, as he says, “I am like an old newspaper guy. I like stuff in my hand. When you rapidly have to talk on the radio, you don’t always have time to look something up. But I think I have a knack for knowing what’s relevant, which helps.”
Hebert also is not shy to say what he thinks about the teams whose performance he discusses. “I speak the truth, and sometimes the truth as I see it hurts. But in the end, I believe the fans appreciate honesty.”
And the honest truth about the upcoming Saints season has Hebert singing a positive song.
Mike Detillier, Hebert’s afternoon cohost, is positive too and smarter than most when it comes to talking football talent. And his role at
By the time his playing days would end after nine seasons and 97 games, Deuce McAllister had amassed 6,096 yards through 1,429 career carries, with an average gain of 4.3 yards, scoring 49 touchdowns on the ground. And that was just in the running game. He also finished with 234 receptions, totaling 1,720 yards, five of those catches resulting in a score.
WWL is measured in hours and miles, literally. Known to many as “The Football Guy,” Detillier lives in Mathews, Louisiana, and, like Hebert, grew up on the bayou, but Central Lafourche, where he also played football, was home. The former fullback and linebacker studied aquatic engineering at Louisiana Tech and Sacramento State, and eventually took an engineering job for the State of Louisiana. For Detillier, sports — football — was a passion, whereas engineering was a profession.
It was the late Hap Glaudi who invited him to come on his radio show in the early 1980s, and Detillier’s exposure grew when he connected with the late Buddy Diliberto, making regular appearances to discuss his vast knowledge of football players and the NFL draft.
He retired from engineering, and interviews around the nation about football talent kept him so busy, Detillier thought he would never do anything full-time again.
“I finished covering the 2021 draft and I get a call from WWL radio’s management, asking if I would do sports talk full-time again. And working with Bobby Hebert? That was an easy transition,” says Detillier. “One thing Bobby and I have in common besides growing up on the bayous of Lafourche Parish: Neither of us knows when to shut up sometimes.”
For Detillier the drives are worth it and, as he says, if he’s going to do anything he is doing it with “both feet in,” adding: “A lot of people don’t really recognize me but as soon as I open my mouth, it is a dead giveaway. So many people listen, and the outreach is tremendous. Had it been another radio station I am not sure I would have said yes.”
“Deuce is so smart and very humble, and one of the most hard-working guys I know,”
- Mike Hoss
Pat Swilling still feels that rush when he walks into a football stadium. In fact, says the legendary linebacker, he gets more of a rush now than he did when he played for the New Orleans Saints more than three decades ago. He just looks around in disbelief, honored and overwhelmed that he actually played football for 80,000, 90,000 — sometimes 100,000 people.
“Iwas there, man,” he tells me. “It is an indescribable feeling to know that you are one of, what, 1,500 guys in the world to get on that field and be a gladiator on Sunday? I don’t know if there is a word for that feeling. Even right now I get chills thinking about it. It’s just that wonderful.”
Swilling was one quarter of the “Dome Patrol,” the greatest linebacker corps in the history of the National Football League. The other three members were Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson and Sam Mills. From 1986 to 1992, the four men terrorized the opposition and galvanized the New Orleans Saints to achieve what, at the time, were unimaginable franchise successes.
According to the NFL, among the Dome Patrol’s myriad achievements at the time include the fewest points surrendered and most turnovers forced, in 1991; and the fewest points surrendered the following year. Overall, they achieved a second-place ranking in points allowed, at 16.4 per game;
a third-place ranking in allowed yards, at 289.8; a fourth-place ranking with 274 total sacks; and a seventh-place ranking at 123 total interceptions. The NFL reports: “No team held opponents to 200 total yards or fewer in that span more often than the Saints, who accomplished that feat 17 times.” (The nearest team only managed it 13 times.)
In addition, the Dome Patrol led the NFL in shutouts‚ which they did six times, tied only with the Buffalo Bills. The group helped take a flagging New Orleans team and give them an overall win count of 62 games, just behind the Bills and 49ers. To give some context to the magnitude of this achievement, consider that Buffalo and San Francisco were powerhouse teams, and played in Super Bowls regularly.
“We held teams to under 200 yards of total offense,” says Swilling. “That’s unheard of.”
Even that isn’t enough to convey precisely how astoundingly successful the Dome Patrol was. Until 1986 and the Jim Mora
era of New Orleans football, the Saints had never had a winning season. In 1986, the team went into a rebuilding phase, and the following year, the Saints went an astonishing 12-3 for the season, reaching the playoffs for the first time. Except for 1990, when they went 8-8, the Saints, defended by the Dome Patrol, continued their streak, with winning records every season, and a total of four playoff appearances during the Dome Patrol regime.
In 1992, all four members of the Dome Patrol were chosen to play in the Pro Bowl, which never happens. Indeed, 1991 and 1992 saw the Dome Patrol as a unit reach the height of their abilities. It’s like the four linebackers could reach each other’s minds.
The Dome Patrol came together quickly, says Vic Fangio, the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, who in 1986 was the linebacker coach for the Saints. “Rickey Jackson was already on the roster that we inherited when we came to the Saints, and then we drafted Pat Swilling in our first draft
in the third round,” he tells me. When the short-lived United States Football League folded, the Saints signed middle linebackers Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson, both of whom had dazzled in that league.
“Obviously, our knowledge of Sam Mills was immense from having him in the USFL,” says Fangio, who was defensive assistant coach for the USFL’s Philadelphia — later Baltimore — Stars. “We knew of Vaughan Johnson from coaching against him. We acquired Pat, just through the natural progression of the draft. We got three of the four in that one off-season.”
According to Swilling, Rickey Jackson was the key to the Dome Patrol’s early attempts at greatness. “When I got here, I looked around and I looked at him and I thought to myself, ‘If I could be half the player that Rickey Jackson is, we could be special. I could help him.’” Then, two weeks into training camp, a bus pulled up with USFL players that the Saints had the rights to. “Two of those guys were Vaughan Johnson and Sam Mills, and I watched them and thought, ‘Man, those two guys can play!’” That summer, he says, the linebackers realized that they had something really special. “And man, everybody worked their butts off.”
The linebacker corps evolved over the first year. Swilling began as a rookie, and played about half the time. The Saints made Johnson the starting inside linebacker by the fourth game of the season. By the second year, Swilling was a full-time player as an outside linebacker, and the four members of the Dome Patrol became full-time starting players.
“We had a lot of success defensively there, and it just seemed to be that those four guys together, usually, somehow, someway, made the plays to get the stops in critical situations,” says Fangio. “I remember our second year there, when the Saints had never had a winning season in the history of the franchise. Then finally we went to Pittsburgh and got our ninth win in our 12th game, which cemented our first winning season. It was all clinched with a goal line stand late in the game with those inside linebackers making some big tackles down there in the goal line area that preserved the win.”
Rickey Jackson, who played with the Saints from 1981 to 1993, tells me that the Dome Patrol excelled because each of its four members held each other to astoundingly high standards. You just wanted to play your best to keep up with the guy next to you.
“You had three other great players, so you had to try to make sure that you made your plays, too,” Jackson says. “It was a good little competition thing where all four guys tried to be the best on and off the field. You wanted to hold your side up. Each of us had great things that we did and, together, we ended up doing even greater things.”
According to Fangio, the Dome Patrol’s pursuit of excellence and the competitiveness that resulted sometimes needed moderating — and that could be a challenge. “There was friendly, healthy competition between them. All four of them wanted to be the best, and stay the best. There was always a team-first mentality, but I had to referee that sometimes.”
For example, after winning games, the coaching staff would sometimes give one game ball to a defensive player and one to an offensive player. “Sometimes all four of them played pretty damn good,” he said. “I’d have to pick one, obviously, and make the other ones mad, or at least one or two of them mad. They each usually thought they should have gotten it! But that’s healthy. Once you deal with the emotion of it, they all wanted to be recognized for their plays in a good way.”
In 1991, the NFL named Swilling as the
Defensive Player of the Year. “There were so many highs,” he says. “We played some team football, and it was a wonderful feeling to be part of a group that enjoyed playing together. Look, don’t get me wrong: We were full of ourselves — but we were full of ourselves for the team!”
He went down the list. Rickey Jackson, he says, was “one of the toughest and best all-around football players that I’ve ever seen. Truly the most valuable player on anybody’s team. He taught me so much about the nuances of the game.” Vaughan Johnson, he says, “was six-foot-three, 275 pounds, and truly one of the greatest inside linebackers to ever play, truly a Hall of Famer — and had one of the biggest heads I’ve ever seen in my life! It would knock the daylights out of you.” He describes Sam Mills as a “consummate pro, and he was the glue that held us together. Rickey and I were the flamboyant guys on the outside, that everyone talked about and who made all the plays. But Sam and Vaughan did all the dirty work.”
Swilling credits Jim Mora, then the Saints head coach, for bringing out a lot of the team’s greatness. “He had a military background and, hey man, you’d better bring yourself to work every day, do your job, and go home. And if you didn’t bring it every day, he was on you.”
The name “Dome Patrol” came from a poster made by the four linebackers. After taking the photo, there was a lot of discussion about what they would caption it. As Swilling recalls: “Someone said ‘We’re standing in front of the Dome in the picture. It looks like we’re guarding it, like a police department. We’re the Dome Patrol.’ That’s where it started.”
But that’s not where it ended, says Swilling. “Any time I go to a game, all I hear is people still saying, ‘Dome Patrol! Dome Patrol!” Swilling, Jackson, Mills and Johnson have each been inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Between the four of them, they’ve been to the Pro Bowl 20 times. Jackson and Mills are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, Swilling’s son Tre plays for the 49ers. Mills’s son was, until last year, defensive line coach of the Washington Commanders.
Sam Mills died in 2005 of intestinal cancer. Vaughan Johnson died in 2019 of kidney disease. Recalling their time together, Jackson tells me, “You know, everybody did what they did best. When we got in the weight room, when we practiced, when we played, we always brought our best. Sam was on my side
and Vaughan was on Pat’s side, and it was exciting to see who would do what every week as far as their side and our side. Everyone was always showing off all that they could do.”
Fangio explains that it would be hard for any team to build something like the Dome Patrol ever again. First, he says, it was the sheer talent of the four players. In addition, they played before the dawn of the free agency era of the NFL. “So, we had all four of them for seven straight years, 16 games a year,” he says. “So obviously, in the same defensive system, there would be a lot of synergy between the four of them. They knew exactly how each other would play and how they would react to certain plays.”
And though a lot has changed in football over the years, not that much has changed that they would not dominate the field yet again if you turned the clock back. “It would still work,” says Fangio. “If those four guys could be in their mid-20s today, they would still be great players in today’s NFL.”
They certainly set a standard, and if, like Fangio, you started out in the NFL with such a group, it would be a double-edged sword. He says, “I consider myself to be very lucky to have been around those guys that early in my career.” It wasn’t just that they were good players, however. “What it did for me is set a high standard of what a good linebacker should look like. At times, some people around the league have thought I wanted too much, but the Dome Patrol standard was set very early in my career in the NFL, and I’ve always tried to maintain that standard.”
He continues, “These guys were highly talented and very, very coachable. And when you have that combination, things are going to be good — and they were really good. And they undoubtedly were the best group of linebackers on one team for an extended period that’s ever played, and likely will ever play, in the National Football League.”
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Avé Tequila is a relatively new entry to the tequila world. Though it is made in the Altos de Jalisco region of Arandas Jalisco, Mexico, it has a local connection as well. Pat Swilling, the famed former New Orleans Saints player and member of the Dome Patrol, is one of the men behind the product, which is available at Rouses Markets in New Orleans. Avé Tequila is made of 100% Blue Weber agave, which comes through in its aroma of sweet agave with just a hint of citrus. The agave is grown across years at an altitude of three miles on thousands of acres of red, sandy soil that is noted for its minerality. Once harvested, the agave piñas are cooked for 60 hours before beginning a three-day fermentation. All told, it takes about five years to craft a bottle of Avé Tequila.
The bottles look like they were carved from pure ice, but it’s the flavor that’s truly special. “You don’t have to drink it with anything,” Swilling says. “It’s pure and smooth and perfect served neat or over ice.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re a top-tier athlete with a million-dollar sponsored sneaker deal or a first-time player still figuring out the ropes of your sport: Pregame jitters are a frequent occurrence. For some, this means putting in dozens of extra hours during practice to help build confidence, running the same plays ad nauseam to ensure that they’re seared into your body’s muscle memory. For others, it means wearing a lucky sweatband or pair of socks that you’re confident, deep down, are going to be the deciding factor between fist-pumping victory and certain defeat. Even Cam Jordan and the rest of the New Orleans Saints’ defensive linemen aren’t immune from embracing some luck-making, nerve-calming rituals before they play. During a 10-game winning streak back in 2018 — the second-longest in franchise history — the players ate lunch at Wingstop, the lick-your-fingers, deliciously messy chicken wing restaurant, for 10 consecutive weeks while racking up the wins.
For Catholic athletes hoping to assuage some of their performance anxieties before taking the field, a prayer to St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, might be a wise choice.
St. Sebastian, an early Christian martyr who lived sometime between 255 A.D. and 288 A.D., served as a top-ranking soldier for Roman emperor Diocletian while keeping his Christianity a secret and stealthily encouraging Christian prisoners to hold fast to their beliefs. Once his faith was discovered, Diocletian ordered that Sebastian be executed. He was tied to a tree and shot with dozens of arrows, but miraculously lived through the brutality and was nursed back to health by Saint Irene of Rome. His survival shocked Diocletian, and when Sebastian — back from what the emperor assumed was certain demise — publicly rebuked him for persecuting Christians, Sebastian was immediately clubbed to death.
In the intervening centuries, St. Sebastian has been depicted hundreds of times in legendary works of art both inside and outside of the church — by Renaissance master Botticelli, Baroque
icon Guido Reni and 20th-century contemporary artist Louise Bourgeois, among others — most commonly painted, drawn or sculpted as an extremely physically fit and attractive man riddled with arrows. The story of the third-century martyr also served as inspiration for the infamous 1968 Esquire cover in which Muhammad Ali is shot with multiple faux arrows, recreating the imagery of St. Sebastian’s first attempted execution.
Ali’s connection to the saint also stems from the martyr’s role as patron saint of athletes, which, in the grand scheme of history, is a relatively modern connection. In more classical associations, St. Sebastian has served as patron saint of pin-makers and soldiers, as a protector from plagues (particularly during the Middles Ages) and, perhaps most curiously, the patron saint of archers.
“During the early centuries of the church, preachers often spoke of the martyrs as God’s athletes. Just as a boxer, a runner, or a gymnast practiced daily to develop strength and stamina, Christians were expected each day to grow a little closer to God and further from the temptations of the world,” writes Thomas J. Craughwell, author of 2011’s Patron Saints: Saints for Every Member of Your Family, Every Profession, Every Ailment, Every Emergency, and Even Every Amusement. “Both secular and Christian athletes trained for the ultimate prize: a crown of laurel or oak leaves for the secular athlete, the crown of eternal salvation for the Christian. The martyr St. Sebastian is always depicted as a strong young man, someone who possesses both physical and spiritual strength.”
So, for those looking to flex their spiritual muscles, take note: St. Sebastian’s feast day happens every year around January 20, just in time for NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, making it the ideal occasion for any Catholic rooting for the Saints (or even playing for them) to ask the patron saint of athletes, St. Sebastian, for a little extra assistance.
The words of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan’s “Prayer for the Saints” remain as relevant today as they were when he wrote them more than 50 years ago.
“God, we ask your blessing upon all who participate in this event, and all who have supported our Saints. Our Heavenly Father, who has instructed us that the ‘saints by faith conquered kingdoms…and overcame lions,’ grant our Saints an increase in faith and strength so that they will not only overcome the Lions, but also the Bears, the Rams, the Giants, and even those awesome people in Green Bay.
May they continue to tame the Redskins and fetter the Falcons as well as the Eagles. Give to out owners and coaches the continued ability to be wise as serpents and simple as doves, so that no good talent will dodge our draft. Grant to our fans perseverance in their devotion and unlimited lung power, tempered with a sense of charity to all, including the referees.
May our beloved ‘Bedlam Bowl’ be a source of good fellowship and may the ‘Saints Come Marching In’ be a victory for all, now and in eternity.”
In addition to St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, there are 10 saints that many Catholics consider “must know” religious figures — the starting lineup of saints, if you will. Even if you’re not of the Catholic faith, but you live on the Gulf Coast, it’s a good idea to learn more about these first-string saints and better understand their connection to the day-to-day lives of Catholics in the region, so without further ado:
One of three archangels (not technically a canonized saint) mentioned in the Bible along with Gabriel and Raphael, Holy Michael, as he is known, is viewed as the angelic template for becoming a “spiritual warrior” and serves as the leader of the Army of God. Often depicted holding scales, one of his four primary tasks is to weigh “good” and “bad” on judgment day and escort the faithful to heaven when they die.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
St. Michael the Archangel Church in Convent, Louisiana is one of the oldest parishes in the state, having been officially established in 1809 — three whole years before Louisiana became part of America. The St. James Parish church’s Lourdes Grotto, constructed in 1876, is renowned for its serenity and craftsmanship.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT ON GAME DAY:
Thanks to his leadership and strength, St. Michael is considered a healer of the sick. If you’re hoping for an injuryfree game day for players, consider reciting St. Michael the Archangel’s prayer. He also serves as the patron saint of grocers, if you’d like to bless those people working at Rouses to help fans find last-minute snacks.
Perhaps best known for painstakingly carrying a child — who turned out to be Jesus Christ himself — across a dangerous river, St. Christopher’s iconography frequently appears hanging from rearview mirrors to ensure protection when traveling from place to place.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
St. Christopher is not only the patron saint of sailors and those who work on the water, but the patron saint of protection from storms.
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If the Saints have an away game, a prayer to St. Christopher for safe travels is always a wise choice.
One of the 12 Apostles of Christ — and not to be confused with Judas Iscariot — St. Jude is often depicted in iconography holding a club and an image of Jesus, with flames encircling his head representing his acceptance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION: Since opening in 1998, the St. Jude Baton Rouge Affiliate Clinic at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health has provided the most advanced care possible for children diagnosed with cancer and blood-borne illness. (St. Jude also happens to be a patron saint of hospitals.)
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St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations, so if the team is down in the fourth quarter and needs a last-minute miracle, this is the saint to turn to for assistance.
Renowned for his skills as an orator and educator, St. Anthony of Padua became one of the first teachers in the Franciscan order, educating other friars about how to best preach and spread the word of the Lord.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
An oasis of tranquility within the bustle of the French Quarter, St. Anthony’s Garden, located directly behind St. Louis Cathedral, features not only the iconic, shadow-casting statue of Jesus with arms outstretched, but iron fencing where artists hang their works for sale each morning. Originally plotted in the 17th century, St. Anthony’s Garden has served as everything from a kitchen garden for Capuchin monks, to a shelter for fire victims, to a dueling site.
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St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost items, can help you find your misplaced lucky Saints jersey or autographed Alvin Kamara Airhead candy just in time for kickoff by reciting this prayer: “St. Anthony, please come around; something is lost and must be found.”
The husband of Mary and earthly father figure to Jesus, St. Joseph was a carpenter of little means — when Jesus was born, Joseph offered two doves at the temple, an allowance for those who could not afford to offer a lamb — but he was descended from the royal lineage of King David. The Angel of the Lord appeared frequently to Joseph to give instruction, first informing him that Mary’s pregnancy was with the Son of God and not out of adultery, and second, to warn Joseph of King Herod’s plan to kill the infant Jesus, prompting them to escape to Egypt until Herod’s death.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
Get your altars ready! Every year on March 19, New Orleanians throughout the city — from churches, to bakeries, to bars, to Rouses Markets — carry on Sicilian tradition and celebrate the Feast Day of St. Joseph by creating stunningly elaborate altars to thank him for relief from hunger with loaves of bread, cornucopias of pastry, fruit, St. Lucy’s Eyes Pie, fava beans (for luck) and lemons.
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St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, meaning that he’s certainly watching over all the armchair quarterback and stadium-seat referee dads on game day who are getting their blood pressure up over the next play that’s about to be called.
Considered by many to be the most venerated, exalted and holy of all the saints, St. Mary the Virgin — who goes by many names, including Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Mother and Mary, Mother of God — was the mother of Jesus Christ and is an enduring symbol of perfect love in Catholicism.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
In March 2023, two high school math students at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans East figured out the solution to a problem that had been stumping mathematicians for over 2,000 years: how to prove the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry and without using circular logic.
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Pope Pius XI declared St. Mary the Virgin, under the title “Our Lady of Prompt Succor,” as the patron saint of Louisiana in 1928. Say a prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor on game day, on behalf of all concerned Louisianans, if quick assistance is needed.
A fascinating saint well-known for his vow of poverty, humble nature and deep connection with all aspects of the natural world — from animals to the environment — St. Francis of Assisi is considered the founder of all orders of Franciscan monks. St. Francis preached not only to humans, but wildlife. In one well-known story, he preached to hundreds of birds about being thankful to God for their fantastic clothes and independence. The birds stood still as he walked among him, only flying off when he said they could leave.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
St. Francisville, Louisiana, a place well-known for its natural beauty, was named in honor of St. Francis and his peaceful monks upon its founding in 1807.
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As the patron saint of animals, it’s fitting that you talk to your pets about St. Francis of Assisi on game day as you dress them in their blackand-gold collars and pooch-sized jerseys.
One of the most admired theologians and philosophers of his era, St. Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Dominican friar, lecturer and priest who revered Aristotle and pioneered the use of Greek philosophy that featured the power of reason to demonstrate that God and his universe could be understood by reason guided by faith.
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The patron saint of scholars and educational pursuits, St. Thomas Aquinas serves as the namesake for schools and institutions of higher learning across the Gulf South, from Saint Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond, Louisiana to the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church located on the grounds of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.
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If you’re hoping to review statistics and numbers from previous games for greater clarity about what the Saints’ current gridiron matchup might hold, ask St. Thomas Aquinas for focus and wisdom.
One of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ and the First Pope of the Catholic Church, St. Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, is widely recognized for his depth of conviction, strength and the steadfastness of his faith. Originally a fisherman named Simon, he was given the name Peter by Jesus; the name comes from the ancient Greek word Petros, meaning “rock” — due to his rock-solid faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT GULF COAST CONNECTION:
St. Peter is the patron saint of netmakers, fishermen, shipwrights and bridge builders. Any people along the Gulf Coast who work within the seafood industry (or enjoy Gulf Coast seafood, for that matter) should hope St. Peter is watching over them and everyone who is gathering the sea’s abundance.
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If the Saints are locked in a tie, pray to St. Peter, also the patron saint of locksmiths, to break the tie.
A point of French pride, embodiment of independent valor and early feminist, St. Joan of Arc believed she was acting under divine guidance from Archangel Michael when she led the French army to victory over the English at the Battle of Orléans in 1429. While she was neither a knight nor a trained soldier, when she mounted a horse for the first time, she was so self-possessed and natural that the Duke of Lorraine gifted it to her.
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If the triumphant golden statue of Joan of Arc rearing back on her horse, ready to ride headlong into battle, located in the Place de France outside New Orleans’ French Market isn’t connection enough, just wait until you see the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc. Each year on January 6 — or Twelfth Night, the kickoff to carnival season — the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc hosts a Medieval-style walking procession featuring costumes and music from 1400s France, jugglers, knights, stilt-walkers, giant puppets and handmade medieval throws to honor New Orleans’ unofficial patron saint.
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Even among the canonized, Joan of Arc remains lauded for her singular courage. If you’re concerned that the Saints might need a little boost of bravery on the field, a prayer to the heroic “Maid of New Orleans” might be in order.
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Serves 14 to 16
You do not need to thaw meatballs beforehand; you can simply add them directly to the crockpot or slow cooker.
4 dozen fully cooked frozen homemade meatballs or 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen fully cooked homestyle meatballs
24 ounces jar chili sauce or tomato-based barbecue sauce
1 (18-ounce) jar grape jelly
Add the frozen meatballs to a crockpot. Add the chili sauce (or barbecue sauce) and grape jelly. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 6 hours on low until the sauce is hot, and the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 155°F. Serve directly from the crockpot with a serving spoon or toothpicks, or transfer to a serving dish. Alternatively, you can cook the frozen meatballs in a saucepan. Add the chili sauce (or barbecue sauce) and grape jelly. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is hot, about 10 minutes.
Makes 4 dozen
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 pound fresh ground beef
1 pound fresh ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs - plain or seasoned
²⁄₃ cup finely minced onion
½ cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce, if serving immediately:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot, from one shallot
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, knead together the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, minced onion, milk, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper using a strong spatula or your hands. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a rack on top. Arrange the meatballs on the rack and bake until browned with crispy edges, about 20 minutes (internal temperature should reach 155°F).
To freeze: Remove meatballs from oven and allow them to cool completely. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Transfer frozen meatballs to a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Label the container with the contents and date.
Alternatively, you can serve immediately: Make a sauce by combining the ketchup, brown sugar, water, cider vinegar, Worces tershire sauce, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the meatballs. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally. Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and simmer until the meatballs are warmed through. Transfer to a serving platter and spear with toothpicks.
CAJUN MUSTARD SAUCE
Makes about ½ cup
You can cut up smoked sausage ahead of time and roast it in pieces to shorten your cooking time and add some crispness.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon brown mustard
2 teaspoons prepared hot horseradish
2 teaspoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
HOW TO PREP:
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, brown mustard, prepared horseradish, brown sugar, Cajun seasoning garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir the ingredients until well mixed and thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate the dipping sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Stir before serving.
Serves 8 to 10
Thoroughly pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels before seasoning them or, alternatively, allow them to air-dry in the refrigerator for a few hours. This step will make them extra crispy.
4 pounds chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats, with tips removed
4 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Rouses Buffalo Sauce, or your preferred sauce
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack inside it. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine baking powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then, in a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the baking powder mixture until evenly coated. Arrange the coated wings in a single layer on the wire rack, making sure they are spaced apart so they are not touching. Place the wings in the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then, flip the wings and continue to roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden brown, and have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F. To check the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the wing, avoiding the bone.
Once the wings are cooked, transfer them to a large bowl. Add some buffalo sauce and toss the wings to coat them evenly.
At this point, you have two options for finishing the wings:
Grilling method: Place the coated wings on the hot part of the grill and cook them uncovered, turning as necessary, until they are nicely browned on both sides.
Broiling method: Return the coated wings to the broiler for a few minutes, until they become nicely browned.
Once the wings are cooked to your desired level of crispness and color, remove them from the grill or broiler. Serve the crispy baked or grilled chicken wings hot with additional buffalo sauce on the side for dipping.
Serves 4
Atlanta’s favorite flavor for chicken wings is “Lemon Pepper Wet.”
For the Chicken:
2 pounds chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats, with tips removed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Rouses Buffalo Sauce, for dipping
For the Lemon Pepper Sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Rouses Lemon Pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack inside. Combine baking powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the mixture until evenly coated.
Arrange the wings in a single layer on the wire rack far apart enough so that they’re not touching. Roast the wings for 20 minutes. Flip the wings and continue to roast for 20 minutes more, until crisp and golden brown, and wings reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F (to check the temperature, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the wing, being careful to avoid the bone). Remove the wings from the oven and let sit while you make the lemon-pepper sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it just starts to bubble. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, dark brown sugar, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt, and swirl it around in the hot butter for 30 seconds to infuse it. Stir in the lemon juice.
Place the wings in a large bowl, add the lemon pepper sauce and toss until evenly coated. Transfer the wings to a platter and serve with Buffalo Sauce for dipping.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT ROUSES MEMPHIS STYLE BBQ SAUCE ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT THE SHED SOUTHERN SWEET BBQ SAUCE ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT NONI’S KITCHEN HOT LAVA SAUCE ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT 180° CAJUN BLENDZ AND SEASONINGS DRY MOJO RUB
If you scratch Greg Tillery of We Dat’s, he bleeds black and gold. The self-described “Seventh Ward hardhead” hails from the corner of St. Bernard and Broad streets where, in a shotgun house near there, his mom struggled to raise four kids on her own, often working three jobs to make ends meet. A lifelong sports fan, Tillery played high school football and basketball, learning the importance of being a team player — a philosophy that continues to serve him well today.
After graduating from Tuskegee University, a corporate job with Frito-Lay landed him in Selma, Alabama. “Salty snacks have always been my thing. In high school, I had a vending business selling snacks out of my backpack in the locker room,” he laughed.
The food truck phenomenon was just taking off in Alabama, and Tillery thought, “This is something I could do.” Returning to New Orleans, Tillery’s We Dat’s food truck hit the streets in 2013. “I knew nothing about running a food truck or a business,” he reflected. “I experienced every trial and tribulation on that truck,” which undoubtedly is part of We Dat’s success today. The business’s name alone was a bit of divine inspiration. “We Dat’s represents everything I believe in. It’s ALL of us,” Tillery emphasized. “I love this place and the people in it with everything in me. The talent, the creativity…New Orleans is filled with greatness.”
His choice in a business name solidified as Tillery left a Pelicans winning playoff game. “The crowd was shouting ‘Who Dat,’ and answering, ‘WE DAT,’” he marveled. “The Lord blessed me with We Dat’s. He could have put this idea in anyone’s head, but he gave it to me. That’s why I believe in paying it forward and taking care of my city.” When anyone from the community asks for Tillery’s help, he’s always there. “If people call and need us, we’re going to help out,” he stated.
Tillery’s love for the Saints has been reciprocated through a partnership with Centerplate Catering, which invited him to pull the We Dat’s food truck right up on the Superdome ramp during past games. They also served the players themselves: Cam Jordan invited Tillery to feed the Saints defensive line right from the truck. And when Demario and Tamala Davis host their annual fundraiser, “Dinner with the Davises,” Tillery is always there to help.
The food truck’s success has led to five brickand-mortar We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp locations today, including Canal Street, Westbank Expressway and Lake Forest Boulevard stores in New Orleans. His newest location is just steps away from the on-campus stadium in Tuscaloosa.
We Dat’s offers chicken wings in many styles, including Wuzzam Wings, the first product developed on the truck. Wuzzam honors a popular greeting heard on New Orleans’ streets that means “what’s up?” When Anthony Davis played
for the Pelicans, he was a big fan of We Dat’s seafood. “The Brow,” two catfish filets served with fried shrimp down the center, was named in his honor.
Today, Tillery finds the most exciting aspect of his burgeoning business is the creation of new products. He created a line of We Dat’s seasonings; the great New Orleans Creole chef Leon West helped with flavor development before his death in 2020. Additionally, Tillery says, “Chris Acosta, third-generation Rouse Markets family member [then the category manager for seasonings, spices and sauces] actually took a chance on me and our seasoning line.” And Tillery enlisted Dr. Darryl Holliday, University of Holy Cross Food Science Program director, to create formulas for the new Sweet Heat, Lemon Pepper and Wuzzam Buffalo Sauce products. With Seafood Boil, Biscuit and Gravy mixes, and classic Creole boxed meals like Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Red Beans & Rice, We Dat’s grocery offerings now include 16 different products.
And Tillery isn’t resting on his laurels. “If you manage the pennies, the dollars will add up,” he wisely said. “I reinvest every penny I make from the food line into new products.”
With such a bright future, the entrepreneur’s motto remains: “The humble don’t stumble. I’ve been up and I’ve been down. I’m having fun and enjoying the ride,” Tillery said. Luckily, he’s taking us all along on that delicious trip!
“THE HUMBLE DON’T STUMBLE.”
- GREG TILLERY,WE DAT’S
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Pigs in a blanket are a popular tailgate food consisting of lil smokies or slices of smoked sausages wrapped in dough and baked until golden and crispy. A variety of dough types can be used, but it is usually made from crescent roll dough or puff pastry. Popular dipping sauces include mustard, ketchup (spicy or traditional),
barbecue sauce and honey mustard. Chick-fil-A’s Polynesian Sauce adds a tangy twist. Consider sauce pairings based on the sausage flavor you select.
Lil Butcher Shoppe in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, offers their own smoked sausage, which we sell at Rouses Markets, including a sweet blueberry variety with locally sourced berries.
It’s scrumptious served with maple syrup. We also carry Country Pleasin’ from Cooper’s Country Meat Packers in Florence, Mississippi. They make a delicious Blueberry Maple Sausage.
Vaucresson’s Creole Café & Deli, on St. Bernard Avenue in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, continues a family tradition that stretches back to 1899. That was the year Lovinsky Vaucresson, a French-Polish Jew, emigrated to New Orleans from Alsace-Lorraine with his wife, Odile Gaillard, a French woman of color.
Sonny took over the family business when his father passed away, but the bright, ambitious young man did not intend to be limited to the life of a butcher. Very fairskinned Sonny had sky-blue eyes and moved through New Orleans’ business world easily, never announcing that he was a person of color. The handsome, charming entrepreneur successfully expanded into liquor and cigarette machine businesses, making friends along the way with major French Quarter players, including Larry Borenstein, the “father” of Preservation Hall, who had extensive real estate holdings there.
Together, they opened Vaucresson’s Café Creole in 1965, the first black-owned business on Bourbon Street since Reconstruction. The restaurant was revolutionary in many ways, with a menu featuring the traditional dishes of New Orleans’ Creoles of color. From calas with café au lait in the morning through panéed veal and tomatotinged jambalaya, the café was the first of its kind in the Quarter.
In the fall of 1969, Sonny and Larry Borenstein lunched at the café with Alan Jaffe, who had recently moved to New Orleans to run Preservation Hall, and George Wein, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival. While discussing Newport’s success,
it was agreed the birthplace of jazz deserved its own festival. Soon, the element of food entered the conversation. “Sonny can bring food from the restaurant,” they collectively agreed, which is how Vaucresson’s hot sausage po-boy became today’s enduring Jazz Fest staple.
Vaucresson’s Café Creole closed in 1974, and Sonny turned his full attention to the sausage business. In 1970, he’d purchased a building on the corner of North Roman and St. Bernard Avenue, where he was determined to build his own USDA processing facility. He encountered many roadblocks due to the adverse racial politics that dominated Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture at the time, but Sonny prevailed, opening his facility in 1983. The USDA approval allowed him to
missed a beat. A former competitor allowed him to use his facility to get back in business, guaranteeing that Vaucresson hot sausage po-boys would be served as usual at Jazz Fest 2006.
Through the difficult years that followed, Vance pressed on, working festivals and pop ups while exploring different flavor profiles. Crawfish, Alligator, Green Onion and Chicken Jerk joined Vaucresson’s Original Hot Sausage; all were met with great acclaim.
While keeping the business afloat, Vance was determined to reopen back in the Seventh Ward. He withstood years of rejection from lenders until Julius Kimbrough, executive director of Crescent City Community Land Trust, stepped in. “To protect and advance Black entrepreneurs and Black owned businesses for cultural preservation,” the CCCLT mission, dovetailed perfectly with Vaucresson’s goals.
By creating two affordable housing units on the building’s second floor, they qualified for long-term, low-interest loans previously unavailable for the commercial location. Additionally, National Urban League President Marc Morial welcomed Vaucresson’s Creole Café into the Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, granting dollars for
In the fall of 2022, after 17 years, Vaucresson’s Creole Café & Deli opened in its original location on St. Bernard Avenue. In addition to the popular sausage po-boys, the café also serves gumbo and plate lunches. All the sausage varieties are offered by the pound in the deli.
Ask Vance and he’ll agree: His number one asset is Julie Frederick Vaucresson, his wife of over two decades. Julie really knows how to “think outside the casing” when it comes to the sausage business. These days she is known as the “Creole Sausage Queen” as she promotes easy ways to cook New Orleans food on local TV.
Most recently, Julie ventured into the mustard business. “A couple of years ago I looked at the enormous amount of mustard we purchased annually and thought we should do our own. It would be a perfect complement to our sausage and work as standalone products as well,” she said. Hiring a food scientist and recipe developer to acquire the basics, Julie tweaked the recipes until she had just what she wanted. Classic Creole Mustard, Louisiana Pecan and Mango are all popular flavors. Classic Creole Mustard is also offered in a spicy version. “For years I’d watch people douse our hot sausage po-boys with hot sauce, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ We’re in New Orleans and we like spice!” Julie hopes to have the mustards jarred for resale soon. “It’s a dream of ours, to one day have the sausages and
mustards all available for sale in Rouses Markets,” Vance smiled. Plans are in the works at Rouses Markets to make that dream a reality soon.
The couple’s two children, Vance, Jr. (V.J.) and daughter Hilary, grew up in the family business. This Vaucresson generation has created quite a social media sensation. V.J. is an aspiring rap artist who writes catchy material for the family to record. Hilary is the family filmmaker who edits the funny spots. Even Julie’s mom, Josette Frederick, hilariously gets in on the act, making a cameo appearance in every video.
The Creole culture of the Seventh Ward remains paramount in every aspect of Vaucresson’s business. Today, the café is a bustling community hub “where you can come in, see some of your people, meet new ones and immerse yourself in the neighborhood’s history,” Vance said. On Saturdays, they host “Power Girl Pop Ups,” where Black female entrepreneurs sell their products. “So many people generously allowed us to pop up in their businesses while we were getting our brick and mortar together,” Julie said. “We really want to pay it forward.”
New Orleans’ Creole culture is thriving on the corner of St. Bernard and North Roman in the Seventh Ward, with the Vaucresson family as keepers of the flame.
Smoked sausage is a type of sausage that undergoes a smoking process to enhance its flavor and preserve it. It is typically made by combining ground meat (such as pork, beef, chicken or a combinamixture is then stuffed into casings and exposed to smoke depending on the desired flavor profile and the regional richness to the sausage, giving it a unique and savory taste.
In April 2012, the Louisiana State Legislature officially signage and brick red exterior, was founded by cousins flavors of Louisiana — an astonishing 10,000 pounds of boudin are purchased there each week. Fortunately, you don’t have to go all the way to Scott; you can buy Coast, along with the company’s smoked sausages, which are meticulously crafted with the Best Stop’s signature seasoning.
in Alabama where he resided. This flavorful sausage is prepared combination of spices, giving it a distinctive taste that sets it apart char and crisp. The sausage is encased in a natural sheep casing. now oversee the business. Their commitment to quality and tradition has enabled Conecuh Sausage to thrive, with an impressive produc-
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT In 1976, Henry Cooper acquired a small meat packaging business in Mississippi that serviced approximately 30 local stores. During the challenging initial period, Cooper primarily focused on packaging meat, processing deer and providing custom slaughtering services. He also began making sausage. Today, Cooper’s brand, Country Pleasin’, is made at a state-ofthe-art meat processing plant located in Florence, Mississippi, with prime cuts of pork and a careful blend of spices and sugar.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT In 1967, Tillman “Dutch” Stogner, Sr. relocated his family from New Orleans to the small town of Sun, near Bogalusa. His intention was to establish a butcher shop that would offer custom processing services to local farmers. It was during this time that his smoked sausage emerged as a byproduct of hog butchering. Today the company’s hickory smoked sausage, crafted from a blend of pork, cured ham and fat trimmings, is more popular than ever.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT In 1947, brothers Vincent, John and Bennie Manda established Manda Provision Company, laying the foundation for what is now known as Manda Fine Meats. Drawing from their Sicilian heritage and Cajun influences, the siblings created uniquely flavored smoked sausages. Manda Fine Meats offers two variations of their smoked sausages: natural casing smoked sausage and skinless smoked sausage, which is free from casing. Presently, the company is proudly owned and operated by three of Vincent Manda’s grandsons, ensuring the continuation of the family legacy.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Lonnie Richard’s first job was helping out at his grandmother’s small store in Church Point, Louisiana. The star attractions were his grandmother’s homemade smoked sausage, boudin and andouille. Recognizing the appeal and potential, Lonnie ventured to expand their reach. With his grandmother’s blessing, Lonnie purchased a delivery truck to bring the family’s beloved Cajun specialties to other stores in Acadia and nearby parishes. Richard’s has evolved and now offers a comprehen sive range of prepared Cajun favorite entrées that hold the esteemed designation of being Certified Cajun. Alongside these offerings, they continue to provide their original line of exceptional smoked meats.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Eula Savoie (pronounced SA-vwa) grew a small Cajun grocery store in Opelousas into a sausage-making empire known for its traditional andouille, tasso and dressing mixes — she was even the first to market roux in a jar in the 1960s. Savoie’s is still owned and operated by the family, with many employees coming from the same families who first worked for Ms. Eula. Households all over South Louisiana use Savoie’s Smoked Sausages — the original product that started it all — to create their family’s authentic dishes.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT In 1938, J.P. Veron established Veron Smoked Sausage, starting from a backyard meat market in Gramercy, Louisiana. Since then, their sausage has remained faithful to the original recipe. It is made with finely ground boneless shoulder meat, along with a blend of seasonings, garlic, red pepper and traditional spices. The sausage is then hickory smoked in an aged smokehouse and packaged while still fresh. This dedication to tradition ensures that Veron Smoked Sausage continues to deliver its distinct flavor and quality to this day.
Serves 6-8
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef, preferably 80/20
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon of the sauce
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto, kidney or black
beans, with their liquid
1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar Grated sharp cheddar cheese, for serving Sour cream, for serving Chopped red onion, for serving Cilantro leaves, for serving Tortilla or corn chips, for serving
HOW TO PREP:
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Use your hands to break the beef into small chunks, approximately 2 inches each. Add chunks in a single layer to the pot, working in batches, if needed, to prevent
overcrowding the pot. Season beef with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, flipping once, until the beef is browned on two sides (it won’t be fully cooked through). Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder, stirring until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, then return the beef (along with any juices in the
bowl) to the pot. Use a spoon or potato masher to break the beef up into smaller pieces. Stir in the tomato sauce. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the beef is tender and the sauce is flavorful.
Add the beans, including their liquid, to the pot. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid slightly thickens and the beans are heated through, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the chili to sit for 5 minutes, then stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the salt to achieve a rich and well-spiced flavor.
Serve the chili warm with cheddar cheese, sour cream, red onion, cilantro and corn chips, or your desired toppings.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT It’s important to note the distinction between chile powder and chili powder. Chile powder consists of dried and ground chiles, while chili powder is a combination of dried, ground chiles and various spices, providing a unique and specific flavor profile. For the best results, add either of these spices towards the end of the cooking process.
M When it comes to beef in chili, selecting the right cut and cooking method is crucial. Ground beef, the quickest and most affordable option, provides ample fat. Chuck beef, which comes from the shoulder, is a more flavorful choice. Roughly cut the chuck into 1-inch cubes before cooking, and stew it for at least 90 minutes so it becomes tender. Another fantastic option for beef in chili is brisket. Chop it into small pieces and stew for at least two hours so it transforms into succulent shreds. Beef short ribs have a lot of fat content and marbling or connective tissue, so they benefit from long, slow cooking. Trim the meat off the bones and cut into 1-inch cubes.
M If you’re working with poultry, adding bacon or sausage can be a game-changer. It will help retain juiciness and add flavor to the white meat. Another option is using dark meat from the chicken thigh, which is richer and fattier, or even duck.
M Lean farm-raised or wild-shot game calls for the addition of fat to enhance flavor. Blending some ground beef in with the game will do the trick.
M To stretch a chili dish, beans are a simple addition. Pinto and kidney beans are particularly wellsuited for this purpose, adding both texture and substance.
M When seeking to elevate the overall flavor profile, introducing beer to your chili works wonders. It contributes robustness, depth and complexity to the dish. The alcohol in the beer also helps to tenderize the meat.
1. Choose sturdy, thick chips that can handle the weight of various toppings. Avoid thin, restaurantstyle tortilla chips, as they may crack or become soggy.
2. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with the chosen chips. Make sure to spread them out evenly.
3. Sprinkle a generous amount of grated or crumbled cheese on top of the chips. Popular options like Cheddar and Monterey Jack work wonders due to their excellent melting properties.
4. Bake the nachos in the preheated oven for a brief period, about 5 to 7 minutes. The cheese will melt and create a protective layer that preserves the chips’ crispiness.
5. While the cheese and chips alone are delicious, you can take your nachos to the next level by adding additional toppings like shredded chicken, browned ground beef, cooked steak (carne asada), black beans or pinto beans. If you are using Cotija cheese, add it now. Cotija doesn’t melt the same way as Cheddar or Monterey Jack. It softens just enough to cling to the nacho chips but doesn’t coat them.
6. Return the sheet pan to the oven for a few minutes to warm these toppings.
7. Once the nachos are out of the oven, garnish them with cilantro, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, grilled corn, black olives and sliced jalapeños.
8. Serve sour cream, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and pickled red onions on the side in small bowls with spoons. This allows everyone to customize their nachos according to their preferences, and topping them just before eating keeps the nachos from getting soggy.
PICO DE GALLO
Makes 2 cups
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 cups cored, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 cup minced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 stemmed and minced jalapeño or other hot fresh chili
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or more to taste
HOW TO PREP:
Combine all ingredients but the cilantro, and taste to check seasonings are as desired. Stir in half the cilantro, and set aside for 30 to 60 minutes. Adjust seasoning, garnish with remaining cilantro, and serve.
QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS
Makes about ½ cup
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
HOW TO PREP:
Whisk apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Cotija cheese is a crumbly, white Mexican cheese crafted from cow’s milk and named after the town of Cotija.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Cooking ribs to perfection requires a bit of patience, but the actual prep only takes about 30 minutes, and the end result will undoubtedly be worth the wait. Get our 3-2-1 recipe for St. Louis-style ribs at www.rouses.com.
St. Louis-style ribs are cut from the lower part of the rib cage after the top section, known as the rib tips or brisket bone, has been removed. This results in a more uniform and rectangular shape compared to traditional spare ribs, which have a more irregular shape.
The rib tips and excessive fat are also removed, which helps the ribs cook more evenly and present a neat appearance, and the backbone is removed making them easier to handle during cooking and serving.
If I were a professional football player, it’s safe to assume that my meal planning — and late-night snacking — would be over the top from the first day of practice. In my estimation, if you’re exercising constantly to build both brawn and stamina, why not dabble in some late-night trips to the refrigerator for a second helping of Rouses fried chicken, or have mac and cheese and mashed potatoes when grabbing lunch? And while I know in my heart of hearts that there’s a gridiron star in me — if only in spirit — I would not only never make it in the big leagues, but the New Orleans Saints’ director of sports nutrition, Jamie Meeks, would have some serious concerns about my potential nutrition regimen (or lack thereof).
Meeks, a New Orleans native who attended St. Mary’s Dominican and was a cheerleader for Archbishop Rummel High School, has been a pioneer in sports nutrition and athlete-centered dietetics, carving out a position that’s still relatively novel in the world of professional sports, with a mission to educate those in the upper echelons of football about how what they eat and when they eat it are every bit as important as the hours upon hours they put in running agility drills and lifting weights.
“I was about to try out for the Louisiana State University cheerleading team, and my coach recommended that I go see a dietitian to make sure that I was eating right; eating enough; eating for performance; eating for muscle — everything,” Meeks recalls. “I was just amazed at what I learned in one session. I literally went back and changed my major to dietetics. I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’”
The concept of both collegiate and professional sports teams having a dietitian on staff, though, was practically unheard of in 2005. “I knew in my mind I wanted to work with some sort of athlete population. I didn’t know this at the time, but that really wasn’t a thing. Most of the work for dietitians was in a clinical setting. So, when I was talking to my professors about what type of dietetics I would like to get into, and I said sports, they were like, ‘You can possibly do that on the side, but that’s not a real job. You can’t do that.’”
After completing the rigorous requirements to become a certified dietitian — including 1,200 hours of hands-on experience through rotations in hospitals, community settings, school food service and regular food service management — Meeks remained focused on sports nutrition as an end goal, enrolling back at LSU for a master’s degree in exercise physiology.
“I actually went to the athletic department and said, ‘I’m a dietitian. I would love to volunteer my time to counsel the LSU athletes. Anything y’all need?’ And they were like, ‘Sure, free labor.’ So, whenever they needed a nutrition consult for the athletes, they would call me up. It grew into providing team talks and getting more familiar with the athletic staff.” Eventually, a light bulb moment landed Meeks the role she’d been working toward since college. “One day, I was talking to my advisor, and she said, ‘What about making a business proposal for them to hire you full-time?’ And that’s what I did. My whole last semester of grad school, I put together a business plan for LSU to hire their first full-time sports dietitian. Once I graduated, they accepted it, and hired me in 2011.”
Being the first sports dietitian at LSU, however, wasn’t without its challenges. “We started from scratch. I kind of knew what I wanted it to be, but I didn’t really have that experience. LSU didn’t even have experience building a sport nutrition program! We all worked together,” says Meeks. “It was all new! They were used to someone in operations just ordering food, and everybody ate whatever. There was really no reason, no purpose, behind it. Now, there’s a purpose behind it. I won’t lie. It was tough trying to make change because it was always, ‘Well, we’ve always done this,’ and ‘We won with doing this,’ and ‘Why do we have to change it?’ It was not only changing those
habits, but changing those cultures, and it took time.”
On a national scale, the early 2010s marked a shift in how both collegiate and professional football programs began to approach nutrition. “You started seeing schools, one by one, hiring a dietitian here and there. It was right around when they deregulated all of the feeding rules that had tied our hands when it came to what we could and couldn’t feed players. Once we could feed them a lot more, in 2014, you saw colleges hiring dietitians to help. From there, the NFL followed, so the NFL was actually behind colleges on that.”
Meeks’ innovation, dedication to sports nutrition and unflinching ability to build a successful dietetics program, collaboratively, from the ground up was recognized in 2015 when she headed home to New Orleans to become the first-ever, full-time sports dietitian for the Saints, overseeing all facets of care and feeding for the NFL players as part of a tight-knit team.
“I work hand in hand with pretty much every department in this football organization. I work in the weight room a lot, so I’m always making sure that their body composition is where it needs to be for optimal performance and health. That means while they’re doing their workouts, I’m making sure they’re fueling themselves and recovering correctly. It’s the same thing with the athletic trainers and medical staff. If there are any issues, whether it’s an injury or even a medical condition that needs nutrition attention, they’ll tell me about it, and we’ll work together with the player to make some nutritional changes.”
The equipment and operations staff are also central to Meeks’ diligent work providing proper nutrition for the players. “They literally make the football world go round,” she laughs. From packing trunks with hydration and nutrition products when traveling, to loading up
snacks to get the Saints through their games, to setting all the goodfor-you foods out in the locker room, these staff members make sure everything is taken care of on the logistical side of the dietetic equation. “We’ll all work together with the hotel and airline staff to coordinate meals. I’ll develop menus, and they’re very, very specific depending on what our players need. There could be different food allergies, food restrictions or diet restrictions, and that’ll all come into play when we are in different stadiums, so I’m always in contact with somebody — no matter what.”
Developing a deeply researched and nuanced science-backed nutrition program for professional athletes has meant ensuring there’s plenty of data to support every (delicious) decision. “There is a performance purpose behind the types of food we feed them, the times of day we feed them, hydration, as well as proper and safe supplementation. Everything is important for these guys, and I make sure that it’s all backed by science, and effective and safe.”
This also means respecting, and understanding, a less evidencebased tradition: player superstitions around eating “lucky” foods before each game. “Some guys get superstitious, where they eat the same meal on game day. One of the coaches must have his big waffle in the morning as a game day meal, and that’s his thing. You’ll see a lot of players, if they eat something and we have a good game, they’ll make sure they eat the same thing the next week until, say, we lose — then they’ll change it up. Our former quarterback had a specific pasta that he always had to have the night before [the game], and it’s actually still on the menu — I dare not take it off!”
For game days at the Superdome, Meeks has developed a thoughtful and robust menu of dining options for Saints players before, during and after taking the field. A typical noon-game, day-of-eating bill of fare would look something like this:
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“SOME GUYS GET SUPERSTITIOUS, WHERE THEY EAT THE SAME MEAL ON GAME DAY. ONE OF THE COACHES MUST HAVE HIS BIG WAFFLE IN THE MORNING AS A GAME DAY MEAL, AND THAT’S HIS THING.”
“A pregame meal is more of a buffet-style setup. We’ll have full breakfast items: omelets, breakfast potatoes, turkey sausage, bagels, pancakes, waffles, fruit — the whole nine yards. In addition, we’ll have some lunch items set out, like pastas, chicken, vegetables and filet. Some guys like a heavier meal before heading to the Dome or to the stadium, and others would rather have something lighter, but we do push to make sure that they get some protein in them and, of course, a good amount of carbohydrate. That’s what’s going to give them that extra boost of energy throughout the game.”
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT
“When they get into the locker room, I have a little nutrition station setup with all sorts of different snacks and hydration products — everybody has their own regimen. Sometimes, I’ll shake up certain drinks for certain players if they’re busy doing something and get them squared away. On the field itself, I’m on the sidelines helping the trainers hydrate the players. I also have some quick carbohydrates readily available to grab. If a player feels that he’s low, has a low blood sugar, or just needs a little boost of energy, I’ll have some quick carbohydrate options for them, whether it be energy chews, applesauce, light granola bars — things like that.”
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT
“When it comes to halftime, they go back into the locker room, and a lot of guys like to snack on Nutri-Grain bars, bananas, oranges, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretzels…real simple things. We’re not looking to make sure everything’s whole grain and high fiber, because that will mess up their stomachs. We just want something quick and appealing. Usually, Rice Krispies Treats are their favorite.”
“We’ll have different hot meals set out for them in the locker room, whether it’s chicken sandwiches or burritos. Maybe it’s a pizza. Maybe it’s some sort of chicken meal. We also have a family area that’s fully catered for the players and their families to have a nice sit-down meal, and they can let the kids run around on the field after the game. It’s very family-oriented.”
It’s never far from Meeks’ mind that the care portion of “care and feeding” is every bit as important as the nutritional value of the food itself for building a holistic wellness program for the Saints players. After all, what’s more connected to a person’s mental, emotional and physical health than what they eat?
“Food is a very important thing for so many people — and not just us here in New Orleans. Food brings back memories. It can change your mood, and especially for these guys who have a lot of stress. They’re humans, too! They’re not just football players,” Meeks emphasizes. “It’s important to work within the stresses of the season to make sure that we are fueling them correctly, but also that we give them a nice comfort when it’s mealtime.”
April Sins has devoted her career to helping people at every stage of life make thoughtful, healthy choices where food is concerned. As a retail dietitian for Rouses, Sins aims to “meet people where they are with their particular goals and help them shop healthily” — all while ensuring that her teenage athletes at home, a 13-year-old swimmer and 17-yearold runner, are getting the nutrients they need for optimal performance in the pool and on the track.
“Ithink there are a lot of misconceptions about athletes, and one is that it doesn’t matter what they eat because they’re going to ‘burn it off.’ In reality, an increase in activity doesn’t decrease the need for proper nutrition from a variety of foods,” says Sins. “Properly fueling the body can actually give an athlete an advantage over others who don’t focus on nutrition.”
The foundational need for a balanced, vegetable-and-fruitfilled diet holds particularly true for school-aged athletes, who are not only performing strenuous exercise in the blistering Gulf Coast sun but are still in the process of growing and developing. Below, Sins walks us through some accessible ways to encourage smart mealtime choices for your budding football star or tennis pro, building good habits that they will carry with them long after the final touchdown dance or perfectly placed backhand.
While the practice of carb loading, like eating a massive plate of spaghetti before a big race, gets quite a bit of attention as a simple way to jump-start energy, Sins is quick to point out that protein is also crucial for athletes’ overarching endurance.
“In any pre-sport meal, you need to think about energy, which includes higher carbohydrate intake as well as a moderate protein. Don’t forget about protein, because it helps make the carbohydrates last longer,” explains Sins, who suggests chicken, tuna, eggs and milk as go-to sources of not only protein but calcium and leucine, the latter of which helps to build and repair muscles. “Athletes actually require more protein than the average person. And if you think about school-aged athletes, they’re growing. They have growing bones. Their bodies are still developing. They need proper nutrition, not only for their growth and development, but also to fuel them for sports and recover from activities.”
Snacks HalftimeSins was reminded of protein’s importance as a strengthener and sustaining agent in her own student-athlete’s life recently. “A few weeks ago, my son had a long meet day, and he brought some fruit, but he didn’t bring any protein to go along with it. When it was time for his run, he said he was starving, but he didn’t want to eat right before he ran. I told him, ‘That’s because you really needed some protein to go with that fruit you had earlier.’ Even a cheese stick or a little spoonful of peanut butter would’ve helped that energy last longer.”
What a young athlete chows down on directly before their sport of choice is critical to performance, for sure, but building a proper nutritional foundation with healthy meals and snacks throughout the day can give young sports stars an on-field advantage. Sins suggests starting the day off strong (which means, yes, not skipping breakfast) and finishing with a balanced meal that centers on a bevy of colorful vegetables.
“You don’t want to go into your day on an empty stomach — especially kids who have a school day and then have activities after school. Breakfast is important, even if it’s just yogurt, frozen pancakes or even grabbing a cereal bar. Otherwise, their gas tank is going to be empty by the time they get through that training for their sport in the afternoon.”
Most people, even adults, don’t get enough vegetables throughout the day, which is why Sins lays them on thick for her student-athletes at dinner time. “Most people, not just teenagers, don’t eat enough vegetables during the day. We serve vegetables in addition to balanced offerings of carbohydrates, protein, and unsaturated fats. I always have vegetables at suppertime so that they can at least get some vegetables in at night, because that’s what people lack during their other meals.”
“I think rest and recovery days are very important for continuing the message of having a balanced plate,” says Sins. “There’s no magic bullet, but I do keep some things on hand. Kids should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to get all the nutrients they need and also antioxidants that help with recovery. If the kids would rather eat their vegetables in a green smoothie, that’s totally fine, or if they want to
pair their vegetables with some ranch dip, that works. At Rouses, we have wellness shots that have turmeric and curcumin in them. Cherry juice is also good for sports recovery, or even cherries themselves whenever they’re in season.”
Having a range of good-for-you, easy-to-access snacks on hand is standard in Sins’ house, where she’s developed a simple technique for guiding her kids toward making smart snacking choices. “If you want your children to choose healthier snack options, place those snacks inside the refrigerator at eye level of the child. That way, when they open the refrigerator, they’ll see the healthy snack right in front of them.”
“I always keep some things on hand so that it’s a no-brainer and they can grab-and-go. At my house, we love peanut butter and sunflower seed butter because they’re super easy to pair with a sandwich or a fruit, or add to a smoothie. Dried fruit is one that a lot of people overlook, but it’s a super-convenient way to have something that’s portable to take with you on a road trip or to a game,” explains Sins, who also points out that some dried fruits, like raisins, have nutrients like potassium that young athletes need replenished after games.
Sins reinforces that taking the guesswork out of snacking is key, as well as encouraging a pecking order in the kitchen of where to first search for a snack. “A lot of kids want to go to the pantry for a snack. I usually tell my kids, ‘Go to the refrigerator first. If you don’t see anything in there, go to the fruit basket, and if you don’t see anything that you want there, then go to the pantry.’ I think that’s a great way to think about how to get healthier snacking in.”
While food is, of course, critical for the wellness of school-aged sports stars, hydration’s role in a child’s overall health cannot be overstated — particularly in the Gulf Coast heat. “Hydration is very important, not just on the day of the activity, but in preparation. Keeping it in focus at all times is key because proper hydration is going to prevent dizziness, cramping and symptoms of dehydration, while also helping performance.”
Sins notes that it’s not just sports drinks (which replace necessary electrolytes) and water that can provide hydration. Grapes, pineapple and watermelon are also high in water content, making these fruits a great way to restock lost fluids while having a treat at the same time.
No matter their level of athleticism, getting active kids involved in the kitchen can make a world of difference in how they approach refueling while building a lifelong appreciation for the intersection of wellness and what they’re putting in their bodies.
Sins’ advice? Keep it fun and flexible.
“I think if there are too many rules associated with food, it can possibly lead to issues with [children] not being accepting of different foods. Be creative! Get your kids involved; take them to Rouses to choose their own healthy snacks, and be a guide helping them make good choices on their own. Giving them the tools and encouraging them, not just limiting them, is valuable.”
September is National Honey Month and the perfect time to celebrate this wholesome, all-natural food and the honey bees that make it possible! Honey is crafted in nature by honey bees, but their contributions to our planet don’t end there.
Honey bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the world’s food supply, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices. Without them, there’s no honey in your tea, almond butter for your sandwiches, avocados for your guacamole, cinnamon in your latte or apples to make a pie. If it weren’t for important pollinators like honey bees, your grocery store aisles, refrigerators and pantries would look a whole lot different.
When you eat honey, you are directly supporting beekeepers and their ability to keep healthy bees, which in turn helps the environment thrive and feeds the world! Enjoy some honey today and visit honeysaveshives.com to learn more.
Join the buzz. Bee Committed® to eating honey for a better planet.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A PRODUCE TRUCK.
J.P. Rouse founded the City Produce Co. in 1923, bringing fruits and vegetables from local, independent farms to the rest of Louisiana and eventually to stores around the country.
Scan t o experience our City P roduce story.
