Sally Asher

No matter where you live in Louisiana, it's Mardi Gras time! Carnival is when we all get to suspend our disbelief, don a mask, do or be something outrageous. This week, we explore the many ways people celebrate the season. Abby Roniger's new children's book depicts the joy and excitement of being a kid at Mardi Gras. Sally Asher tells us what it’s like to ride, dance, and roller skate down the parade route. And John LaFleur discusses the Courir de Mardi Gras, a ritual that takes place in rural Creole and Cajun parishes.

As Fat Tuesday draws near, we've got a second helping of Mardi Gras fun for you! Most people are familiar with the images of Carnival revelry: the crowds, parades, and flowing libations. But like every other season in New Orleans, Mardi Gras is also all about the food.

On this week's show, we continue our exploration of all things king cake. Throughout Carnival season, local bakers are hard at work creating their own spin on the treat – one that can make or break their year. When Steve Himelfarb and his wife Becky Retz opened Cake Café, they set out to develop their own signature cake – a delicious combo of apple and goat cheese that has outlasted the bakery itself. We catch up with Steve at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) where his king cake has become an annual fundraising tradition. Then, we conclude our two-part conversation with Matt Haines, author of "The Big Book of King Cake" – a definitive king cake bible. We explore the countless varieties of king cakes from across the state and the bakers behind each innovation.

This year, Americans are expected to spend upwards of 3.4 billion dollars to decorate their homes for Halloween. But here in New Orleans, we don’t have to decorate – we're just plain old spooky already!On this year's Halloween edition of Louisiana Eats, we go Garden District ghost hunting with Kristen Dugas before we welcome nationally renowned psychic Cari Roy – along with ghost-busting, equipment-toting Misti Gaither – into Poppy's Canal Boulevard home. The house was built for Angelina Prima in 1956 by her famous musician son, Louis, and she apparently still likes to hang around there. Finally, we stop off at two of New Orleans' Cities of the Dead with cemetery authority, Sally Asher, owner and operator of Red Sash Tours.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

It’s Mardi Gras season in Louisiana in a year like none other. The coronavirus pandemic brought an abrupt halt to annual balls and parades, and "donning a…

Here at Louisiana Eats, we love a good ghost story. And in the ten years we’ve been on the air, we’ve heard some really spooky ones! This week, we bring…

It’s Carnival time on Louisiana Eats! On this week’s show, we take to the streets with a distinctive krewe of food lovers.We begin with author and…

This week on The Reading Life: Susan talks with New Orleans Museum of Art curator Vanessa Schmid, about the new catalogue, “The Orleans Collection,”…

Stories from the St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans, by Sally AsherVol. 2 Friends of the Cabildo New Orleans Architecture series: Cemeteries.Cemeteries…

Hope & New Orleans: A History of Crescent City Street Names, by Sally AsherFrenchmen, Desire, Good Children, by John Churchill ChaseNew Orleans Streets: A…