Louisiana Life - January/February 2021

Midnight Trains

Let us pause a moment to consider midnight trains: Winston Hall is a Shreveport musician, song writer and music history buff. His town was once the home of the “Louisiana Hayride,” a Grand Ole Opry-type radio concert that helped grease…

Pelican Briefs: Ship It, Don't Shuck It

Good Eats chef-owner, Boyer Derise, has expanded his Baton Rouge and Lafayette-based prepared food delivery service locations with the all-new Bayou Carlin Oyster Co. The Delcambre native is now shipping grilled Gulf oysters (via dry ice) with four topping options:…

Keep Calm and Parent On

This past year has been full of anxiety and uncertainty for people across the globe. That is also true for children, who have endured months of staying at home, as well as separation from friends and fun activities. Even though…

Celebrate the Culture

Snapshots in Time New Orleans Portrayed  Photographs by David G. Spielman What makes a good photograph? Is it the right lighting? A perfect composition, person or place? Or is it capturing both in an instant? New Orleans photographer DAvid G.…

Cut and Dried

Belief in the resurrection runs deep in Dreux Barra’s life, and as it turns out, in his gumbo pot, too. The Youngsville-based food entrepreneur’s holy trinity mix — that’s bell pepper, celery and onion, for those unbaptized in the wild…

Beading Rhythms

New Orleans is a gumbo of people of all different nationalities and races and all those people show a lot of love to each other,” says artist and Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Demond Melancon. “I’m part of that gumbo.”…

At Home In The Woods

  In work and in life, artist Rebecca Rebouché is enthralled by the beauty of the natural world. Trees, birds, butterflies and other flora and fauna dominate the whimsical language of her symbolic paintings.  They also surround her rural Northshore…

Louisianians of the Year

music  PJ Morton Grammy-winning recording artist, keyboardist for Maroon 5 and New Orleans native PJ Morton released his new album, “Gospel According to PJ,” in August. He said people often asked him if he would do a gospel album, in…

Travel Resolutions

Forget those diet resolutions.  When do those 10 pounds ever come off? Especially with Carnival following the holidays. Instead, resolve to visit cities and towns in one of America’s most fascinating states — Louisiana! Here are suggestions to put on…

Soup’s On

The world of soups includes everything from the precious and esoteric to the homey and comforting, from thin and intense consommés to thick and hearty concoctions that blur the boundary between soups and stews. I love them all, but my…

Floating Along

My mother always sewed my Mardi Gras costumes growing up, leaving room for turtlenecks and T-shirts should the weather turn cold. One never knows what Louisiana winters will bring. The weekend could prove warm and mild, our faces basking in…

Traveling Around Louisiana

Travel these days is all about finding that perfect escape—a few days away from home when you can leave behind the stresses of routine. Celebrate the start of a new year this season with an escape to a Louisiana destination…

Farther Flung: The Path of History

There’s so much on the horizon for Natchez this year.  Dunleith, the historic plantation with its sprawling estate and cozy fine dining restaurant, opens this spring after a long renovation. The historic home built in 1885 was acquired by the…

A Louisiana Life: Struck with Compassion

As Hurricane Laura bore down on the southwestern Louisiana coast, Kendrick Johnson of Lafayette fielded a call that would change the pattern of his daily life for weeks — and ultimately help Calcasieu Parish take important first steps to recover…