Louisiana Eats

Building a cookbook is a lot of work. From recipe testing to photography sessions to finalized editing – the process can be grueling. On this week's show, we hear how it gets done from beginning to end and meet some authors who fell in love with cookbooks at an early age.

Brazilian-born New Orleanian Ana Riehlmann was four years old when her grandmother, Voinha, helped whet her appetite for the written word – using recipes. In her self-published food memoir, I Learned to Read with Recipe Books, Ana takes readers around the world with her as she shares memories and recipes from a life in food.

Then, we learn how to write cookbooks with Kit Wohl. The incredibly prolific author has written fifteen cookbooks so far with another coming this fall. When it comes to her titles, Kit does it all: she cooks the food, writes the text, and handles the food styling, photography, and layout design.

We join Kit in her studio to witness one of her cookbooks being made, before speaking with David Spielman to learn how the New Orleans photographer captured some of the stunning portraits featured in Louisiana Eats!: The People, The Food, & Their Stories.

Finally, we speak with Brian Theis, whose debut cookbook, Infinite Feast, is both a guide to hosting loved ones and a colorful nod to cookbooks from the Atomic Era. Bursting with recipes, colorful photographs, and entertainment tips, the hardback also includes interviews with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs like Phillip Lopez and JoAnn Clevenger.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Cajun Nation is a Louisiana made seasoning blend that is catching fire in the world of flavor. Created by brothers, Alfonzo and Troy Bolden who grew up on a working plantation in the 1970’s, their voyage from sharecropper’s cabin to owning and operating a successful seasoning business makes for quite an amazing tale. The distinctive red cans of Cajun Nation seasoning deliver an authentic taste of bayou cuisine. As Troy says, “You bring the rice, and we’ll bring the spice!”

The Red Can will soon be available at Rouses Markets everywhere.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

If you've ever had a New Orleans poor boy then you know it's all about the bread. Real New Orleans French bread is something you can't get just anywhere, or at least that's what we thought. On this week's show, we get down to the dough of it and see what's happening with bread in the Big Easy.

We begin with Graison Gill. For years, Bellegarde Bakery has been milling and baking fresh bread for over 120 local restaurants and markets. We visit his Apple Street bakery, where Graison explains how he came to love New Orleans and baking.

Next up is John Gendusa Bakery, the originators of the famous poor boy bread. We hear the story of the first poor boy loaf ever baked from the inventor’s grandson, John Gendusa. Then, we catch up with the fourth generation, John’s son Jason, who is at the helm of the family bakery today.

Finally, we sink our teeth into a piece of New Orleans cultcha by way of Leidenheimer Baking Company. Sandy and William Whann tell us about their famous bread and bakery, now celebrating 125 years in business.

It's full on festival time in the state that knows how to fest better than most – except once again, due to pandemic restrictions, there are no fests right now. Though with vaccines widely available, and the recent easing of Covid-19 rules, a future with safe public gatherings suddenly doesn’t seem so implausible. Inspired by WWOZ and local restaurants whipping up everything from cheesy crawfish bread to high-proof strawberry lemonade, on this week's show, we look back at some of our favorite festival experiences as we gaze hopefully into the future.

We begin by meeting dozens of talented chefs at the Blackpot Festival & Cookoff, held annually in Lafayette. This gathering of musicians and cooks draws in more and more attendees each year with its come-one, come-all hospitality and generosity of spirit.

Then, we participate in "The Slowest Second Line on Earth" at Brennan's in the French Quarter, where we meet ten terrific turtles and a rapping judge.

Next, we join students, parents, teachers, and neighbors gathered for Edible Schoolyard's Sweet Potato Fest. We visit the garden at Arthur Ashe Charter School in Gentilly to help harvest crops and celebrate all things sweet potato.

Finally, we travel to Greenville, Mississippi for the annual Delta Hot Tamale Festival.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Children's picture books often contain stories that grown ups can benefit from too. That's certainly true of Andrea Wang's new picture book, Watercress, an autobiographical tale of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage. With illustrations by Jason Chin, Watercress takes taste memories to new highs and lows as Andrea recalls a moment in her childhood when her family foraged for the perennial plant on the roadsides of her rural Ohio home.

Andrea and Jason join Louisiana Eats for a conversation about the heart-rending book before we speak with New Orleanian Christina Quackenbush of the Filipino food pop up Milkfish. Christina was born in the Philippines and raised in Indiana farm country before finding a career in food. She tells us about her contribution to The New Filipino Kitchen, a collection of 30 recipes and stories from chefs and home cooks of the Filipino diaspora.

Next, we speak with cooking teacher and author, Hsiao-Ching Chou. Her book, Chinese Soul Food, offers recipes for beloved Chinese restaurant dishes – like pork spare ribs and chili wontons – which she demystifies using ingredients you're likely to already have in your pantry.

Finally, we join Chef Michael Gulotta in the kitchen of his New Orleans Market District restaurant Maypop. Michael explains how he's bending the rules and blurring the lines on where Southeast Asia ends and South Louisiana begins.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

From beignets to poor boys, gumbo to jambalaya, and crawfish to boudin, Louisiana’s cuisine is as eclectic as it is delectable. On this week’s show, we explore our state’s rich food culture, based on centuries of Creole and Cajun traditions.

We begin with New Orleans native and Southern Food & Beverage Museum founder Liz Williams. She spent many years researching her award-winning book New Orleans: A Food Biography, which would go on to be selected for the One Book One New Orleans program during the city’s tricentennial year. Liz explores the roles history, geography, and economics played in shaping the Crescent City’s distinct culinary identity.

Then, we take a close up look at Louisiana’s most emblematic foods with author Maggie Heyn Richardson, author of Hungry for Louisiana. Maggie tells us about red boudin and why it's in danger of disappearing from our state.

Finally, we stir our appetite for roux, rice, and gumbo with The Essential Louisiana Cookbook author Stanley Dry.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

One of the hidden gems of St. Tammany Parish is the Tammany Trace. Originally a well-traveled corridor for the Illinois Central Railroad, today the Trace travels 31 miles through five Northshore communities – accessible only by bike, foot or horse.

Across the street from the popular Mandeville Trailhead in Old Mandeville, Sarah and Billy Rieger are waiting to welcome you at Rieger’s On The Trace. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon ice cream cones and more – it’s the perfect way to begin or end your Tammany Trace adventure.

It may amaze one to learn that Rieger’s culinary adventures all began on a food truck in Canada!

Big thanks to our sponsor, the St Tammany Parish Tourist Commission. Stay, play, and get away on the Louisiana Northshore! Discover the bounty of the bayou and rich culture from award-winning chefs, soulful mom and pop restaurants, extraordinary bakers, and creative mixologists. Request the FREE Explore the Northshore Visitor Guide today for inspirational stories, custom itineraries, and event information at LouisianaNorthshore.com/Guide.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

On this week's show, we meet some folks who have moved on to new adventures

in their lives. We begin with Chef Steve Himelfarb and his wife Becky Retz.

In the summer of 2020, they closed their beloved bakery, the Cake Café,

after 13 years of business. But this isn't the first major life change for

them.