Louisiana Eats

Folks are familiar with New Orleans' home-grown Creole and Cajun cuisines. But the Crescent City is also the perfect place to taste the diverse and vibrant flavors coming out of Latin America. This week, we pay tribute to chefs who are bringing Latin American fare to local tables.First, we sit down with Ana Castro. In January, Ana was named a semi-finalist for the 2026 James Beard award for Best Chef: South. Ana explains the path she took before she and her sister Lydia opened her much-lauded contemporary Mexican seafood restaurant, Acamaya.Then, we visit father-son duo Carlos and Will Avelar at their family business, Mawi Tortilleria. Will was a rising star in the culinary world when he and his father decided to join forces to provide fresh, authentic corn tortillas to the community.Finally, we hear from Carlos Sanchez, owner of Tournesol Café and Bakery, who spends his days in downtown Covington creating the delicious breads and pastries of his native El Salvador.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

March 19th might be just another day in other parts of the United States, but here in New Orleans, it's a day when revelers take to the streets in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph. The tradition of food altars dedicated to Jesus' foster father came to the Crescent City in the late 1800s with immigrants from Sicily, where Joseph is the patron saint. What was called Mi-Carême (or Mid-Lent by the Creoles) was a day when fasting was suspended and festivities abounded. On this week's show, we explore the holiday and join in on the celebration.

In her book, To Boldly Grow, author Tamar Haspel uses the term "first-hand food" to describe anything you get with your own two hands – meals we grow, fish, hunt, or even forage. According to the Washington Post food columnist, growing and sourcing your own food just makes it taste better. On this week's show, we're getting our hands dirty and meeting some people who are taking a do-it-yourself approach to food.We begin with Tamar, whose book chronicles the adventures of her and her husband as they go about raising livestock, growing vegetables, and even hunting their own meat. Recounting tales of their successes and failures, Tamar fills the pages with practical tips and hard-won wisdom for those looking to cultivate their own food.Then, we hear from fifth-generation chicken keeper, Lisa Steele, whose blog Fresh Eggs Daily inspired her book of the same name. Lisa shares her story as well as some egg-centric tips and tricks.Finally, we explore one of the South's favorite backyard crops – the mirliton. After our mirlitons drowned in Hurricane Katrina, they were saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of Dr. Lance Hill. We get an update from the good doctor and learn how mirliton lovers from across the globe have connected through his website, Mirliton.org, resulting in the world's largest collection of mirliton recipes.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

It's no secret that Louisiana culture and cuisine have broad national and even international appeal. This week, we look at some local companies that have successfully leveraged a love for Louisiana to expand their operations across the state and beyond.

On December 18th, the great chef, author, and culinary educator Jacques Pépin turns 90 years old. This week, Louisiana Eats celebrates by bringing you our interview with Jacques as he shares stories from his childhood, his education in New York, and the importance of giving back.We're also joined by Jacques' daughter Claudine Pépin and son-in-law Rollie Wesen, who joined the French chef in creating the Jacques Pépin Foundation in 2016. They explain the impetus behind the project, and we learn how their 90/90 Dinner Series has served as both a birthday celebration and fundraiser to empower communities through culinary education.In November, Dickie Brennan hosted one of those celebratory dinners at his newest event space, The Josephine in New Orleans. Dickie joins us in the studio to talk about the star-studded dinner, which featured the culinary talents of Susan Spicer, Frank Brigtsen, Michel Nischan and Dickie himself.Finally, we speak with Chef Michel Nischan, a founding board member of the Jacques Pépin Foundation, who shares the scoop on how the organization is working to develop the next generation of restaurant professionals.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Joe Baum was considered by many to be the greatest restaurateur of the last century. Before he died in 1998 at the age of 78, Joe had created no fewer than 50 restaurants. He’s responsible for creating America's first themed restaurants like the Four Seasons, Windows on the World, and the restored Rainbow Room. On this week's show, we pay tribute to the great Joe Baum by speaking with three people who knew him well: Charlie Baum, Dale DeGroff, and Melanie Young.

It's that time of year again where we gather with family and friends to give thanks. On this week's show, Louisiana Eats brings together some New Orleanians we're grateful for. Guests include Nathanial Zimet of Boucherie, Amanda and Isaac Toups of Toups' Meatery, and Tony Brocato of Angelo Brocato Original Italian Ice Cream Parlor.

As Louisianans, we count among our blessings an abundance of fresh, local seafood and the fishers who spend their days on boats catching that haul for us to devour. However, people in many places do not have access to such natural resources. And even those of us who do have seen favorite aquatic species on the verge of extinction. This week, we talk with three people who are helping to sustain our favorite seafood, making sure they are still around for generations to come.

Many of us in the South were lucky enough to grow up surrounded by women whose devotion to family and culinary skills filled our lives with delicious food. This week, we pay tribute to those flavor mavens with a trio of interviews celebrating Southern women's culinary voices.

We're creeping closer to Halloween, and Louisiana Eats is spoiling for a fright! We're back with the second episode of our 15th anniversary scare-a-thon, bringing you tales of haunted New Orleans locales and a businesswoman in the French Quarter who's just batty for vampires.