Louisiana Eats

This edition of Louisiana Eats takes a look back at the year that was 2025 – and there’s plenty to celebrate!

First, we hear from mixologist extraordinaire, Chris Hannah. His Jewel of the South tavern, named one the 50 best bars in the world in 2025, serves as both a center of cocktail innovation, and an homage to Crescent City highball history.

Then, we mark 150 years of the St. Roch Market, a storied building which has served as a culinary incubator for food professional wannabees since 2015. We speak with the market's director, longtime vendor Kevin Pedeaux, and learn why that bustling spot on St. Claude is the place to be these days.

Finally, we catch up with our New Orleans friends, Kitten N’ Lou, owners of Chance In Hell SnoBalls. In 2025, the duo successfully moved their operation from a front porch pandemic project to a popular brick-and-mortar shop.

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

On February 5th of this year, Steve Himelfarb, a longtime fixture in New

Orleans' food scene and Louisiana Eats producer, passed away at the age of

61 following a battle with cancer. On this week's show, we remember our

friend and colleague by bringing you extended versions of two interviews

with him over the years. We also speak with sound engineer and producer Lu

Rojas, who shares stories of Steve's esteemed music career.

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 Nischen 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 in New York's Seagram Building, Windows on the World in the World in the World Trade Center, and the restored Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. 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.

Legendary bartender Dale DeGroff was a struggling actor living in New York in the 1970s when he first came across Joe Baum, eventually working for him at Aurora, and famously, the Rainbow Room. Charlie Baum, Joe's son, grew up immersed in the hospitality industry, but didn't make a career of it until he was older. Charlie eventually was hired by his father to serve as general manager of the Rainbow Room and became a partner in the Windows on the World restaurant. The two of them join us for a wide-ranging conversation about the impact Joe had on their lives, as well as the world of hospitality.

For twenty years, Melanie Young ran the powerhouse P.R. agency M. Young Communications. She was also instrumental in the creation of the James Beard Foundation Awards as well as New York Restaurant Week. These days, Melanie spends her time leading the Connected Table media company and hosting the podcast The Connected Table, which highlights the chefs, farmers, vintners, and authors who shape the food and beverage industry. But it was during her M. Young Communications days that Melanie worked closely with Joe Baum, right at the time he was setting the culinary world on fire. She sits down with us in the studio to recall those heady days.

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

In our increasingly fast-paced world, traditional foods and foodways often have trouble competing with speed and convenience. But never fear. All over the planet there are people working to save the superior flavor, nutrition, and cultural significance of heritage foods. On this week's show, we introduce you to some of our greatest heritage food warriors.

We begin with Sarah Lohman, author of Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods, who recounts her adventure researching some of the country's rarest ingredients and the often extraordinary efforts to preserve them.

Next, we meet a trio of folks from an organization at the center of this movement, Slow Food USA. They discuss their book, The Ark of Taste: Delicious and Distinctive Foods That Define the United States, which provides an in-depth look at some of the stories behind these disappearing flavors.

Finally, we speak with classically trained chef and food anthropologist Casey Corn. She hosts Magnolia Network's Recipe Lost and Found, a show that helps families recover their long-lost recipes and the memories that go with them.

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

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.

First is Nathanial Zimet. The chef and owner of Boucherie closed his restaurant's doors this summer only to reopen in the fall with a fresh new menu. Nathanial tells us about the change and his ongoing program, Boucherie Feeds, which aims to eliminate hunger among New Orleans youth while ensuring those meals are healthy as well as delicious.

Amanda Toups and her husband Chef Isaac also have a passion for fighting food insecurity. Since the pandemic, their non-profit, Toups Family Meal has brought tens of thousands of meals to New Orleans children and families. Amanda and Isaac join us to talk about the program and give us the scoop on their newest restaurant, Armada, due to open sometime in 2026.

We're also thankful for the Brocato family who have been providing the city hand-churned ice cream and gelato since 1905 at Angelo Brocato's. We sit down with Tony Brocato, who tells us what it's like to be a fifth-generation family member working in the 120-year-old business.

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

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.

First up is Julie Qiu, co-founder of the Oyster Master Guild and the world's first official oyster sommelier. It's a term she coined and a title she has certainly earned. Julie spent 15 years sampling and learning about oysters in 24 countries on six continents. Her contribution to seafood sustainability comes in the form of spreading her love and considerable knowledge of oysters to other aficionados.

Next, we hear from Eli Kirshtein of Inland Foods, the largest seafood distributor in the Southeast, supplying more than 5,500 restaurants and 2,500 retail outlets. Founded in 1977 by an avid fisherman, the company has also earned a reputation as an industry leader in responsible sustainability practices. While that is a laudable position to have, Eli explains that ensuring sustainability is really the only way forward if people want to keep enjoying seafood.

Finally, we speak with Athena Davis of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, an international organization dedicated to transforming the worldwide seafood farming industry into a sustainable source of healthy food.

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

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 begin with Toni Tipton-Martin, who serves as editor-in-chief for Cook's Country magazine, which is published by America's Test Kitchen. Although Toni is not a Southerner by birth, through her role at ATK, she developed a passion for Southern cooking, with a special fascination for the women who played such an influential part in its development. Along with TV personality Morgan Bolling, Toni recently shepherded the publication of When Southern Women Cook, which features 300 recipes and stories from 70 Southern contributors.

Next, we speak to Kaitlin Guerin, the New Orleans gal who was the first baker in the U.S. to become a finalist in the emerging chef category of the prestigious James Beard Awards. We hear how she reached that lofty position and what she's creating at Lagniappe Bakehouse, her Central City shop that's getting such national attention.

Finally, we speak with a new voice of the South, Vassiliki Ellwood Yiagazis, owner of Smoke & Honey in New Orleans. The restaurant and menu draw on Vassiliki's Jewish heritage and her upbringing in Greece.

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

What is "real" Louisiana cooking? There's Creole, there's Cajun, and what’s the difference anyway? However you define it, for many of us, it's simply what your mama used to make that made you feel loved. On this week's show, we meet three Louisiana authors whose cookbooks help tell the authentic story of our state's distinctive cuisine.

First, we hear from Eric Cook, the executive chef and owner of two distinguished New Orleans restaurants: Gris-Gris and St. John. Eric talks about the evolution of our traditional local fare – many examples of which can be found in his cookbook, Modern Creole: A Taste of New Orleans Culture and Cuisine. Eric shares his secrets to success with dishes such as crab and shrimp stew, wild duck cassoulet, and even his mama's chicken and dumplings.

Next, we welcome food writer and culinary historian Marcelle Bienvenu, who has reported on Cajun and Creole cooking for half a century. She shares her expert knowledge and talks about the fifth edition of her classic cookbook, Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?

Finally, for 125 years, Vaucresson Sausage Company has produced its beloved brand in New Orleans' Seventh Ward. In her debut cookbook, Creole Made Easy, co-owner Julie Vaucresson shares recipes and stories both from her illustrious family of origin and the family she married into.

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

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.

We begin with Marita Crandle, author and owner of the Vampire Café and Vampire Apothecary Restaurant & Bar in the Vieux Carré. Marita tells us how she went from owning a little gift shop to building a hospitality empire around those bloodsucking creatures of the night. She explains how her blood bag cocktails became the newest trend in cocktails and why it was so important to make a non-alcoholic version for the kids.

Then, we pry into our vaults to bring you our ghost tour of Courtyard Brewery, which is operating out of an old New Orleans funeral home. We not only hear stories of hauntings from the brewery's staff, but we encounter a possible poltergeist ourselves!

And finally, another favorite Louisiana Eats moment that will never die: our conversation with our resident medium, Debbie Duvall, who put me in touch with Tujague Restaurant's famous cross-dressing ghost, ⁠Julian Eltinge. But not before Julian gave Debbie the fright of her life!

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