In case you are just tuning in to my Loving This Life! New Orleans adventure, here are some quick links to my previous posts.
As you probably can tell, my trip to New Orleans was a complete #FoodieNotFatty adventure. Every scheduled event that I had involved food from learning about food, to tasting food to even cooking food. Yes ma'am! Yes sir! I went all the way to New Orleans and cooked some food. Well maybe not. I really just stood there, watched and took pictures BUT I could've helped if I would've volunteered. I wanted to stand back and watch the magic happen. Where did all of this take place? Langlois Culinary Crossroads!
Located in the Marigny Triangle, Langlois describes itself as "a New Orleans Super Club with a Cajun/Creole Twist".
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I just describe it as genius. Langlois is the brain child and dream come true of Chef Amy Sins, an experience that "preserves Louisiana cuisine through interactive dining demonstrations and classes". Thanks to my friend Kathy Ross, when I first heard about this gem, I knew I had to visit. I was fortunate to be able to experience Langlois before lunch service with Chef Tess, Head Chef Instructor and Missy, Director of Sales.
When I walked into the door, I was immediately blown away. I entered a beautiful yet sleek dining room and kitchen. The thing that I noticed first and appreciated was that the space was not gigantic. It is intimate and I think that is important for cooking and dining experiences. When there are too many people, it waters down the experience for me. Lucky me, since I went before lunch, it was just me, Chef Tess and …show more content…
Missy. When you first meet Chef Tess Connor, you'll notice that she is loud, bold, witty, funny and I can imagine sometimes in your face. Can anyone guess where she is originally from? Did I hear someone say New York? DING DING DING! After Hurricane Katrina, Chef Tess saw a need for trained food service professionals after disasters so she returned to school to train as an emergency and disaster relief food professional and received her Bachelor's Degree at CUNY. After that, she made her way to New Orleans and now calls Langlois home. Her passion for history, education and even the science of cooking is so evident when she cooks. Ask her almost anything as it relates to Cajun and Creole meals and she will tell you all about the history including the where, when and why. Christilisa “Missy” Gilmore is a New Orleans transplant like Chef Tess. She grew up in Alabama, went to high school in Ohio, college in New Orleans and has never looked back. Missy has fallen in love with New Orleans and now she helps others fall in love as well. Missy also let me know that she is becoming a fantastic baker in her own right. Well she didn't word it like that but I did and this is my blog so I can word things how I want to. For lunch Chef Tess served up Langlois' house pickle plate which that day included hog's head cheese, pickled strawberries, carrots, apple butter and biscuits.
Yall! As I sit here and remember this experience, I can taste the combination of the biscuits and apple butter in my mouth. I also feasted on chicken and andouille gumbo served over cheese grits. I personally am a lover of grits and I feel that everything should be served over grits. I had never had gumbo over grits but my world is now rocked. I think we should start a movement that says "out with the rice, in with the grits" when eating gumbo. To bring the meal all the way home for New Orleans, I was served a Pecan Praline Bite which was a cookie, praline hybrid packed with flavor and deliciousness. Chef Tess, Missy and I discussed Langlois, food, Cajun versus Creole, culture, New Orleans and much more.
Can I just interject here and say that I absolutely love Chef Tess and Missy?! I want to hang out with them at least once a month and we all just sit around while Chef Tess cooks, Missy bakes and I eat. If y'all are reading this, let me know how we can make it happen.
Not only did I get to experience Langlois at lunch, I returned for a dinner experience which included a bachelorette party and a couple that recently moved to Shreveport. Throughout dinner we learned more about New Orleans, helped prepare our food and even learned some kitchen hacks. Did you know that you can freeze ginger, let it unthaw then squeeze it
out of it's skin? Yeah me neither until Chef Tess showed us. Our dinner menu: House Pickle Plate Peach and Mozzarella Salad Tempura Fried Shrimp Filipino Crab Fat Fried Rice Mississippi Mud Pie Pecan Praline Bites I learned so much that it would literally take me a few weeks to blog about all of it. With that being said, go visit my friends at Langlois. Whether you are a New Orleans resident or visitor, this is a place you MUST visit. From private classes, knife skills, culinary tours to team building activities, Langlois has it all. When you go: Langlois Culinary Crossroads 1710 Pauger St. & 1841 North Rampart Street (Good ole New Orleans! They are on a corner so they have 2 addresses) New Orleans, LA 70116 langloisnola.com
Can you name just one famous southern Cajun recipe? Well I can and it’s my favorite Cajun meal. Its basic name is gumbo, but there are many gumbo recipes so I’ll be specific. My favorite is “New Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo” and it’s delicious. I got the recipe from a great cookbook. It’s called “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Fork In The Road”. Would you like to learn how to make it? If so keep reading and follow along?
While there are many neighborhoods in New Orleans, Gentilly is a large historical community. It is home to three universities. Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans, and the University of New Orleans are located throughout the area (The Gentilly Neighborhood 1). Gentilly is a peaceful community which includes parks, historical neighborhoods, and golf courses (The Gentilly Neighborhood 1).
November: Faux/Real Festival, Boudin, Bourbon & Beer, Algiers Folk Art Festival, Treme Creole Gumbo Festival.
Taste of Chicago festival is probably of Chicago’s great cultural events it is often imitated but never duplicated this event have tremendous assortment of culinary delights also located in Grant Park the ten-day lakefront festival runs June 25 – July 4th food choices range from ethnic to exotic to Chicago specialties. Millions of people local and nationwide attend this event. Enjoy 319 acres of food from fried alligator tails to fried zucchini during the day grab some food be sure to bring a blanket cause as the sun sets relax enjoy a free concerts that fit your musical genre even fireworks. Let your nose be your guide. Other attractions on the lakefront includes the Art Institute it has one of the largest most extensive collections of impressionist and post-impressionist painting in the world, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Natural history, Navy Pier is home to the 15-story Ferris it was model after the 1893, Ferris wh...
Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America’s Creole Soul. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, c2006.
Voodoo Experience. By New Orleans Klezmer All Stars. City Park, New Orleans, LA. 31 Oct. 2009. Performance.
Creole and Cajun cuisine has been around since the mid 1800’s.[] The best place to trace its origin is New Orleans, Louisiana. The Cajun and Creole recipes are influenced by: French, Spanish, German, African and Italian contributions.[] New Orleans is a place where people live to eat and the living is easy going. Dinning is part of New Orleans culture and you are sure to find a place to find food love. In present day, New Orleans’ menus vary from corner to corner. There is so much to choose from, it is hard to believe that any restaurant could have survived all these years. However, there is one restaurant that has been with New Orleans since the beginning of its exquisite cuisines. Antoine’s a family owned Creole-French restaurant that has had over 174 years of success in the city.[] As we look into the history of Antoine’s, we will discover what is it about this place that keeps customers coming back.
Church, Loletrazina. "Tourist Attractions in New Orleans." Travel Tips. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
The culture of New Orleans is at its best during Mardi Gras. However so are hotels, so if you're planning on making the trip and staying in downtown New Orleans, make reservations a few months in advance. Despite the French Quarters old historic appeal, there are many excellent hotels to stay at. Well, this is how they do it down in "Nawlins", so if you want a bite of culture and fun, Mardi Gras is the place for you. It's just one of those things you have to visit once, take a few friends and family and a note to remind you that you have to go back eventually. Be sure to make it there a few days before the actual Mardi Gras day, to get a feel for it all, b/c after that, it's gone for another year. Treat yourself to something different this year, something fun, something wild, treat yourself to Mardi Gras. Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!! ( Let the good times role)
Imagine you’re in the Deep South, crocodiles, Creole, and the flavor of Cajun America. New Orleans, Louisiana, it’s spring, and it’s time for Mardi Gras. If you want the true Cajun experience, then take a trip down to Broussard’s Cajun Cuisine in Cape Girardeau and they’ll show you what it’s like.
There were people with faces that showed how that they were clueless on what to eat but when they saw people of the same culture through their dressing, they had the expression of happiness written all over them. It felt like they had found a sense of home just by discovering their culture food and those of the same culture. They immediately got their food and went to sit in the section where their culture was present. Women and Men in official clothing chose to dine at the Chinese and Italian section probably because the stand was of a more decorous setting than the other
"New Orleans Official Web Site." New Orleans Official Tourism Web Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 27
insight as to what type of sector of New Orleans the play is set in.
Immerse yourself in Antigua’s rich culinary traditions and indulge in Caribbean flavors on this intimate journey to the home of Chef Nicole, one of Antigua’s most respected and accomplished chefs. Your culinary adventure begins with a drive to Chef Nicole’s breathtaking Caribbean home, overlooking Runaway Beach and Dickenson Bay. Meet Chef Nicole, who will welcome you with an exclusive tour of her private garden. Learn about how fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruit form the foundation of Caribbean cuisine and contribute to the diverse flavors of Antigua. Sample herbs and vegetables fresh from the garden. Then, enjoy Chef Nicole’s hospitality with a glass of home-made traditional rum or fruit punch. Using pre-sourced fresh local ingredients, you’ll
There was incense burning outside which was what had lured me in. Once we got inside, my eyes were popping out of my head with how many items were engulfed inside. There was a lot of hand crafted art, such as jewelry and candles. I marveled for a good long time in there.