Louisiana Eats

By Poppy Tooker

Louisiana Eats! is a radio show for people who cook and people who love to eat well—all with a Louisiana point of view and Poppy’s distinctive Louisiana voice. In each program listeners join Poppy

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FAQs about Louisiana Eats:

How many episodes does Louisiana Eats have?

The podcast currently has 720 episodes available.

Louisiana Eats episodes:

July 26, 2025 Behind The Bamboo Curtain
Although South Louisiana does not provide the easiest growing conditions, when fueled by passion and obsession, it's amazing what can be done. On this week's show, we introduce you to some real alternative thinkers who are successfully cultivating the unusual and the exotic.
We begin with a trip to the SG Tiki Farm just across the state line in Pearlington, Mississippi. There, Chef Ernie Foundas grows exotic fruits and vegetables used in the dishes he serves at his restaurant in New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood, Suis Generis. With a passion for sustainability, both Ernie and his partner Adrienne Bell use every scrap of food to achieve a zero-waste model in their restaurant.
Then, we head down to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward to meet bamboo guru Mark Sanders – founder of Ninth Ward Nursery. He tells the story of turning his bamboo obsession into a business.
Finally, get ready to see bamboo on your dinner plate. We chat with Kay Koppedrayer, author of Cooking With Bamboo, who shares how she came to make bamboo part of her family's diet and how you can do the same.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
July 19, 2025 Cocktail Evolution
Each year in July, cocktailians by the tens of thousands descend on New Orleans for an industry convention unlike any other: Tales of the Cocktail. This week, we take you behind the scenes of the annual five-day event and meet some of the people you might run into there.
We begin with Charlotte Voisey, who was just named Executive Director of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. As a Tales participant since 2006, Charlotte has seen firsthand how the annual conference has grown over the years. She tells us about this year’s theme – "Evolve" – and how it applies to both the drinks industry and Tales itself.
Next, we speak with Eric Seed, who has been called “the Indiana Jones of lost spirits.” He tells us about Haus Alpenz, his import company known for reviving obscure and rare liquors.
Distiller Jackie Summers then introduces us to Sorel, a magical sip straight from the Caribbean islands.
Finally, we learn what inspired Tim Etherington-Judge to found Healthy Hospo, an initiative that aims to make the hospitality industry a healthier and happier place.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
July 12, 2025 Kitchen Wisdom
Here in Louisiana, intergenerational cooking is a way of life. Who doesn't treasure their great grandmother's gumbo recipe or still use their mom's roasting pan? This week, we talk with two women of East Asian heritage whose families and cultures share that motherly love expressed through food.
Local-girl-made-good, Chef Nini Nguyen, grew up among the large Vietnamese population in New Orleans and shot to national prominence on "Top Chef." Nini joins us to talk about her rise to fame, her family, and her publication, "Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook," which was named cookbook of the year by NPR.
Then, we hear from Sarah Ahn, the social media manager for America's Test Kitchen and creator of Ahnest Kitchen, the website on which she recounts stories of her life and those of her Korean immigrant parents. Sarah's also the author of, "Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes." She tells us about her bestselling cookbook, which is also part family memoir and part cultural history.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
July 05, 2025 French Connections
French culture holds a special place in Louisiana's heart, whether it's music, language, or food! On this week's show, we travel to France virtually and bring home a taste of their lifestyle and cuisine.
We begin with Makenna Held, author of "Mostly French: Recipes from a Kitchen in Provence," which is both a cookbook and a chronicle of life in the French countryside, where she runs an innovative cooking school at Julia Child's former home.
Then, James Beard Award-winning author Aleksandra Crapanzano lets us in on the sumptuous secrets of Parisian home bakers found in her book, "Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes."
Next, we revisit our 2015 trip to Paris, when Paris By Mouth's Jennifer Greco introduced us to a charming charcuterie in the Marais called Caractère de Cochon, a play on words that means "pigheaded."
Finally, we head back to New Orleans to speak with Dominique Rizzo of Celtica Bakery. The French-born chef moved here decades ago to share his passion for the food of his native country.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
June 28, 2025 Rising Horizons
A lot of magic can be made with nothing more than flour, sugar, and, of course, butter! On this week's show, we explore the magic that some folks are achieving with just that combination.
First, we hear from Juliana Fernandes and Juliana Freire, the dynamic duo behind one of New Orleans' newest eateries, Juliana's Brazilian Bakery and Café. Playfully decorated in pastel pinks and greens, the cozy Lakeview neighborhood café features a pastry case brimming with beautiful cakes and Brazilian bonbons known as brigadeiros. The kitchen also offers a breakfast and lunch menu, including the Brazilian national beans and rice dish, feijoada. The two Julianas tell us all how their little Brazilian outpost came to be.
Next, we chat with the affable Ralph the Baker, a local cook who has become an international social media sensation. He explains how he has built his online presence to include millions of followers and why he's the baker who almost never bakes.
Finally, we learn about the little bakery that king cake built. Only a few years after Martha Gilreath achieved fame for her Nolita king cakes, she has opened up a brick-and-mortar bakery in New Orleans – selling items like bialys, boudin danish, and something called "cros'saints." We stop by her warm, sunny space, located just a few blocks from Bayou St. John in Mid-City.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
June 21, 2025 Louisiana Legends - Part Two
This month, as Louisiana Eats marks our 15th anniversary, we're relishing the opportunity to bring you some favorite moments from our archives. We begin with our 2011 interview with the late civil rights activist, Dr. Rudy Lombard. He talks about his role in the 1960 McCrory's lunch counter sit-in and what motivated him to write his seminal 1978 book, "Creole Feast."
Then, we revisit our 2011 tribute to one of the chefs featured in that tome: Clarence "Buster" Holmes. British jazz drummer Barry Martyn and Chef Susan Spicer both share memories of their friend and mentor.
Next, we hear again from the late Michael Mizell-Nelson, who spent his career studying the experience of working-class New Orleans. We bring you the second half of our streetcar ride with Michael in 2010, as he shares the history of public transportation during the era of Jim Crow.
To end our show, we spotlight our 2011 conversation with local icon Mildred Covert, who taught the world how to cook Creole and Cajun while keeping kosher.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
June 14, 2025 Louisiana Legends - Part One
Louisiana Eats hit a major milestone last week – 15 years on the air. That's well over 500 episodes featuring somewhere around a thousand different voices! This week, we bring you three interviews from our archives that celebrate some late, great Louisiana legends.
We begin with a tribute to Chef Paul Prudhomme, his wife Kay, and their lost French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's. We revisit an unforgettable conversation we had with Sandy Hanson and her brother-in-law, Chef Frank Brigtsen, after Paul died in 2015. Both Sandy and Frank were K-Paul veterans from the restaurant's earliest days. They share memories of their time there and the profound impact both Kay and Paul had on their lives.
Then, we bring you the voices of two late New Orleans TV icons. The first is broadcast pioneer Terry Flettrich Rohe. Those who grew up in the Crescent City in the 1950s may remember Terry as "Mrs. Muffin" on a WDSU-TV daily children's program that she hosted for almost a decade. She was also the producer and host of Midday, one of the network's most popular programs.
The second is seafood magnate Al Scramuzza, who passed away in May at the age of 97. Al's comical and campy TV ads dominated the airwaves for decades – and each of them he wrote, produced, and starred in. But even before his commercials made him a household name, Al was combining his acumen for business and marketing to turn a profit. All the while, he played a major role in the mudbug's rise to culinary fame.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
June 07, 2025 15 Years Of Louisiana Eats!
On this week's show, we're celebrating the 15th anniversary of our show's debut!
We've dug through our archives to bring you some of our favorite moments over the past decade and a half, with an emphasis on Louisiana culture and cuisine. The very first episode of Louisiana Eats broadcast on June 9, 2010. That year also marked the 125th anniversary of New Orleans' streetcar line. We look back at our very first field piece, when we took a streetcar ride with the late, great historian Michael Mizell-Nelson.
Then, we revisit our conversation with Priestess Miriam Chamani, who presides over North Rampart Street's Voodoo Spiritual Temple.
Next, we return to Pascal's Manale's oyster bar for a once-in-a-lifetime shucking experience with celebrity oyster shucker "Uptown T" Thomas Stewart, before wild man Joey Fonseca takes us on a virtual alligator hunt.
Finally, we rediscover our 2014 field trip to Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport, where we learn all about what makes the flavor profile of craft beer in the Shreveport-Bossier area distinctive.
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50min
June 01, 2025 Poor Boy Pride
In 1983, the Louisiana legislature named crawfish as the official state crustacean. In 2008, they proclaimed the Sazerac as New Orleans' official cocktail. And on June 1, 2024, Billy Nungesser, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, proclaimed Blue Plate Mayonnaise to be the official mayo of poor boy sandwiches. On this week's show, we explore some other essential poor boy ingredients.
We begin with the story of the first poor boy loaf ever baked from the inventor's grandson and great-grandson, John and Jason Gendusa. The Gendusa family bakery has been inextricably tied to that famous New Orleans sandwich since 1929.
Next, Sandy Whann of Leidenheimer Baking Company shares the story of his family's bakery which dates back to 1896. We also speak with his son William Whann, who is carrying on the family business.
Finally, we have a taste of Chisesi Brothers and hear the delicious story of their 100-plus year-old family history from fifth generation Nicholas Chisesi and his octogenarian dad, Philip.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min
May 24, 2025 A Tribute To The Cake Man – Steve Himelfarb
On February 5th of this year, Steve Himelfarb, a longtime fixture in New Orleans' food scene and a true Renaissance man, passed away at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. Kind, passionate, and endlessly creative, Steve took on many different roles in his life. He was by turns an acclaimed sound engineer, door-to-door cake salesman, café owner, king cake pioneer, teacher, and all-around community treasure.
He was also our dear friend and colleague. Steve joined Louisiana Eats as a producer in 2022, working on this show over the last several years with his wife, Becky Retz. His contributions behind the scenes have been vital to what we do here.
Over the years, Steve actually appeared on Louisiana Eats several times. In 2021, we interviewed Steve and Becky about the legacy of their beloved Marigny mainstay, Cake Café, and their love letter to diners: The Cake Café Cookbook. In 2023, Steve discussed how his specialty king cakes became a fundraising tradition at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
On this week's show, we remember our friend by bringing you extended versions of these two conversations. We also speak with sound engineer and producer Lu Rojas, who shares stories of Steve's esteemed music career.
For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.
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50min

FAQs about Louisiana Eats:

How many episodes does Louisiana Eats have?

The podcast currently has 720 episodes available.

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