One person who most identifies a city is its mayor. There are council members, legislators, judges, sheriffs and police chiefs, but it's the mayor who usually, for better or worse, is in the best position to direct the future. Friday…
LSU is known for its achievements on the playing field and in the classroom, but before any of that could happen there were political battles and maneuvers to grow the university and to make it nationally prominent. Chief among the…
There is a crop that is grown here in Louisiana that is not found anywhere else in the world. Even in Louisiana it is a rarity sprouting from the ground in only one parish. Perique tobacco has been cultivated in…
When ordering, one might wonder why the cup in which their coffee is served has an image of the devil on the outside or, especially, why the coffee when poured into a serving bowl is on fire. The real jolt…
In the years prior to the passage of the federal Civil Rights Bill, the responsibility of offering higher education to Black students went to a few segregated universities. After the bill passed the doors were open and Black students were…
French is perhaps one of the most beautiful languages. It is also a vital part of Louisiana’s history. Through the effort of some dedicated individuals looking to preserve our culture, we have the opportunity to hear more of the language…
During the year after the 2010 BP oil spill, much of the Gulf of Mexico’s sea life was scarce — including oysters. It wasn’t until the following February that I saw servable raw oysters again. The occasion was a debutante…
Chris Thomas King has been close to the blues all his life. His is the son of a legendary blues musician, Tabby Thomas, who operated a blues club in Baton Rouge. King has excelled not only on guitar, but also…
Kouri-Vini is the name given to Louisiana’s endangered, indigenous Creole language. It is spoken largely in rural south Louisiana by both Louisiana Creoles and Cajuns. Linguist and performer Clif St. Laurent joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with…
Here are some questions about our native jambalaya that you might not have thought about, but should: Is our native jambalaya an offshoot of Spanish paella? Is seafood jambalaya more of a casserole since jambalaya originated as a meat dish?…
According to legend, the original cocktail was invented in an apothecary in New Orleans’ Vieux Carré. The neighborhood, with its many restaurants and bars, is such a watering hole for classic drinks it seems only right that there would be…
Officially known as “Hansen’s disease” but the world recognizes the jarring, more familiar term “leprosy.” A place in south Louisiana known as Carville was, along with a facility in Hawaii, the national center for the care of patients with the…
So, you thought you knew a lot about crawfish. Well, how about this? What global event triggered the interest in boiled crawfish in Louisiana? Sam Irwin, the author of the book “Louisiana Crawfish, A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean,”…
There is so much talent in Louisiana that selecting finalists for Louisiana Life’s annual Louisianian of the Year issue is one of the magazine’s toughest challenges. But, It was accomplished! And, there are many promising prospects left for the future.…
On April 27, 1928, at a recording studio in New Orleans performers gathered for what would be an historic session. Joe Falcon and his future wife Cléoma Breaux immortalized a song that would become an anthem for a culture. He…
Imagine three great cooking styles served in one place, or written about with recipes in one book. The place is Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse in LaPlace (St. John the Baptist Parish); the book is "Southern and Smoked: Cajun Cooking through the…
There are all sorts of anniversaries in life, however seldom is a milestone celebrated for a candy. But then there are few confections as worthy of special recognition as Heavenly Hash. This year is the centennial of Elmer Chocolate creating…
There are two principal ways of Carnival group ritual in Louisiana. One is the New Orleans style float parade with bands, marching groups and maskers flinging throws from floats. And the other is the Cajun style Courir de Mardi Gras…
A century ago, a New Orleans based company, founded by Lucius H. Hayward Jr., was in the business of purveying dried beans, most notably the red kidney shaped variety. The company would eventually trademark the name Camellia Brand Red Beans.…
It's funny... Lafayette doesn’t look a day over 150, yet the town is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The commemoration is based on the state issuing a charter, in 1823, to what was then known as Vermilionville. (In 1884, the name…
Louisiana is the only state where beads are known to dangle from oak trees. That phenomenon is especially common in New Orleans where the trees along certain avenues are nurtured by Carnival floats passing beneath their limbs late each winter.…
There are four meaningful seasons in Louisiana: football, hurricane, Carnival and elections. All are important; two are fun. Robert Mann, holder of the Manship Chair in Journalism at LSU and a former staffer with Governor Kathleen Blanco and Senators John…
We have heard of Shriners Hospital but, but we bet you didn’t know that the organization’s children’s healthcare movement began in Shreveport in 1922. Steve Caskey, chairman of the Board of Governors for Shriners Children’s Shreveport, tells Louisiana Life Executive…
Had it not been for a few men wanting to rescue a lost ritual seven decades ago, there would be no Cajun Mardi Gras to talk about today and only faded ancient memories. Carnival, especially as practiced in New Orleans…
Errol LabordeErrol Laborde holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Orleans and is the Editor in Chief of Renaissance Publishing. In that capacity he serves as Editor/Associate Publisher of New Orleans Magazine and Editor/ Publisher of Louisiana Life Magazine. Errol is also a producer and a regular panelist on Informed Sources, a weekly news discussion program broadcast on public television station WYES-TV, Channel 12. Errol is a three-time winner of the Alex Waller Award, the highest award given in print journalism by the New Orleans Press Club. Errol’s most recent books are "Krewe: The Early Carnival from Comus to Zulu" and "Marched the Day God," a history of the Rex organization. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis and traveling with his wife Peggy to anywhere they can get away to, but some of his favorite spots are the Caribbean and historic locations around Louisiana. You can reach Errol at (504) 830-7235 or errol@louisianalife.com.