Do you have a favorite hot spot where your family has gathered for generations? Is it still there? Sadly, when it comes to Black-owned bars and lounges, many have been disappearing from local landscapes – often without fanfare or mention. New Orleans native L. Kasimu Harris has watched with dismay as many of these vital Black establishments have closed their doors in recent years. Since 2018, he has been documenting those that remain, capturing photos and oral histories as part of his ongoing series, "Vanishing Black Bars & Lounges." He joins us to talk about the project. Then, we speak with Touré Folkes of Turning Tables. Touré is working tirelessly to bring diversity to New Orleans' bar scene by providing Black professionals with training, mentorship, and the resources they need to access real opportunity. Finally, our dear friend, Vance Vaucresson, is back with big news! After nearly two decades, Vance and his wife Julie are thrilled to be opening Vaucresson's Creole Cafe & Deli in New Orleans' Seventh Ward – where the family had a business and was a vital part of the community since the late 1800s.

On March 17th, 2023, the Dickie Brennan restaurant group purchased the 110-year-old Uptown landmark, Pascal's Manale Restaurant. This new chapter of Manale's guarantees that generations of beloved, delicious authentic traditions will continue to be honored there on Napoleon Avenue. On this week's show, we explore the generational ties that have long existed between Pascal's family – the Defelices – and the Brennan family. We also time travel through the years of the Uptown gem. This history, which has been immortalized in Poppy's 2018 book, The Pascal's Manale Cookbook, focuses on two Sicilian immigrant families, the Manales and the Radostas, forebearers of the Defelice clan. Three generations of family share their stories with us. We also visit Manale's oyster bar for a once-in-a-lifetime shucking experience with celebrity oyster shucker "Uptown T" Thomas Stewart.

Whether you’re observing Easter, Passover, or any of the springtime traditions from across the world, there's a good chance that sugar will play a part of your celebrations. On this week's show, we pay tribute to that beloved sweetener in many ways. First, we learn about Leon Godchaux, Louisiana's own titan of the sugar industry in the 19th century. His rags-to-riches story comes to life in Peter Wolf's new book, The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux, A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave and His Jewish Roots. Peter, who is Godchaux's great-great-grandson, tells us how this poor, illiterate Jewish immigrant built a business empire with his innovative spirit. Then, we tour the century plus old Domino Sugar Refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana – the largest and oldest facility of its type in all the Americas. Every day, the installation processes millions of pounds of raw sugar, turning it into those white crystals you find at your grocery store. Finally, we visit the Easter bunny’s best friend, Elmer's Chocolate in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. If you grew up in the Gulf South, there's a good chance your Easter basket was filled with treats from Elmer’s Chocolate – our state's very own heritage candy company. We tour the factory where Elmer’s prized Gold Bricks, Pecan Eggs, and Heavenly Hash are made. Heavenly Hash is currently celebrating its 100th year. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Want some plants to go with that coffee? On a sunny corner of Olde Town Slidell, Roots Plants and Coffee is keeping the Northshore caffeinated along with views of some tropical greenery. Located in a former antique mall, the cozy café is filled with vintage furniture, warm vibes, and those unique plants available for purchase. On a busy weekday morning, Louisiana Eats stopped by Roots Plants and Coffee to share a cup of java with owner Bryisha Lyons.

Historically, when people consider the roots of classic Creole food, the French are given most of the credit. But lately there has been increasing focus on the African hand that stirred those pots. New Orleans has been blessed in recent years with an influx of young African chefs and restaurateurs who have been busy shedding new light on where our food really came from. On this week's show, we honor those ancestors with the help of New Orleans’ new African culinary guard. From Addis NOLA, we hear from Dr. Biruk Alemayehu and Prince Lobo, the mother-and-son team bringing their authentic Ethiopian dining experience to historic Bayou Road. That includes injera bread and honey wine that have been served in the Horn of Africa for thousands of years. Then, West African chef Fanta Tambajang recounts the journey from her home in Gambia to her French Quarter restaurant Bennachin. You may already know and love her classic jama jama and fried plantains from the Jazz Fest where Fanta has been a sensation for decades. Finally, Queen Ndir describes the genesis of her popular Central City eatery, Ndindy African Cuisine, where the primarily Senegalese menu also features dishes from Ghana, Nigeria, and even Jamaica. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

What does family mean to you? For the folks on this week's show, when it comes to food, family means everything. NOCCA Culinary Arts student and Chopped Junior champion Retiba Hagazzi is a perfect example of that. The bright, ambitious teenager learned how to love people through food from her father, Khalid. They share that love with the world every time their food truck, Sittoo's Kitchen pulls up. They join us in the studio to share their story. Jarred Zeringue of Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse perpetuates generational old food love at the LaPlace landmark. When the Vacherie-born chef acquired the business in 2016, he made sure to keep the Jacob's family recipes authentic, in part because of the vital role they played in his own family’s food traditions. We talk with him about the smokehouse and his new book, Southern and Smoked: Cajun Cooking through the Seasons. Finally, we speak with keepers of the Poor Boy flame, John and his son Jason Gendusa. The Gendusa family bakery has been inextricably tied to that famous New Orleans sandwich since 1929. We’re celebrating their bakery's centennial by hearing the story of how it all began. 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. Tony Marino's family were faithful followers of St. Joseph, and today, he keeps the tradition alive at his Bourbon Street home in New Orleans' French Quarter. We sit down with Tony to hear what it takes to pull off his annual street party, complete with altars and a life-sized statue of St. Joseph. Then, Arthur Brocato, third generation of Angelo Brocato's Ice Cream and Confectionary, joins us to share his family's history and explain the special role Brocato's has played in the St. Joseph's Day celebration. Founded in the French Quarter in 1905, the gelateria and pasticceria continues those traditions today on Carrollton Avenue in Mid-City. Finally, historian Laura Guccione joins us to reveal what she's discovered about the fancy dress balls that were once part of the St. Joseph tradition and to explain the mystical tie between the feast day and the Mardi Gras Indians. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

On this week's show, we explore the ways culture and identity can collide at the table. We begin the hour with a conversation with Andrea Wang, author of the award-winning picture book, Watercress. With illustrations by Jason Chin, Andrea's book is an autobiographical tale of a child of Chinese immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage. Then, 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. Finally, we hear the story of Turkish natives Ozgur and Bulent Duman and their Mandeville restaurant, Duman Artisan Kitchen. Influenced by Turkish, Italian, Israeli, and American cooking, the Dumans have cultivated an eclectic menu the likes of which have not been seen on the Northshore before. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Ask any New Orleanian what they eat on Mondays, and you'll likely get the same reply: "red beans and rice." For 100 years now, that humble bean has been practically synonymous with Camellia Brand. Lucius Hayward founded Camellia in the Crescent City in 1923, naming the company for his wife's favorite flower. Over the last century, generations of New Orleanians have showered much love and devotion on that dried kidney bean, but as you'll learn on this week’s show, it has been far from a one-sided love affair. Vince Hayward and the entire fourth generation of Camellia Beans have devoted their centennial year to showing the Big Easy how much they love those bean eaters back. Over the course of their centennial year, Camellia will be donating one million bowls of beans to Second Harvest Food Bank. To learn more about this year-long partnership, we speak with Second Harvest's President and CEO, Natalie Jayroe. Next, we dig into the Monday red beans tradition with Vince Hayward of Camellia Beans. He gives us a tour of Camellia's "Red Bean City" exhibit at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and offers us a unique perspective on his family business. We also speak with Jamie Warrick, the Research and Development Chef for L.H. Hayward & Company. Camellia Beans is just one of the food businesses that operate under the L.H. Hayward banner, but Chef Jamie explains to us how her relationship with Camellia was established long before she got the job. Finally, we hear from Chef Chris Lusk of Antoine's Restaurant, the oldest continuously operating family-owned restaurant in the nation. He explains the role red beans play in one of the finest old Creole restaurants in New Orleans. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Where are you from? While what we eat may reveal our origins, it can also reflect our life's travels from one home to another. Chef Anh Luu was born in New Orleans to parents who emigrated to the United States from Vietnam. She discovered her love of restaurants at the age of 15 when she first began working the line. When Katrina blew Anh and her family to Portland, Oregon, she became a pioneer of Viet-Cajun cuisine – an amalgamation of her Vietnamese and Louisiana heritage. She's now back in New Orleans, serving up her signature dishes at Bywater Brew Pub. Vishwesh Bhatt discovered an incredible commonality between the Indian food of his childhood in Gujarat and the Southern cuisine he came to love in Oxford, Mississippi – a topic he explores in his new book, I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.