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Posted December 20, 2012 in Festivals, Louisiana Travel
Gramercy, along with Lutcher and Paulina, light up for Christmas Eve with hundreds of bonfires.
Christmas Eve bonfires along the Mississippi River represent deep tradition for some Louisiana families, though for others making the trip to experience this amazing spectacle can be tricky. Family obligations and other traditions on Christmas Eve might preclude a road trip, even a short one. But it’s worth the effort, and with just a little advance planning — to put the in-laws on notice perhaps, or to organize a group for the outing — it can turn into an unforgettable part of your holiday.
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Posted October 24, 2012 in Festivals, Louisiana Travel
There is a lot coming up for New Orleans this weekend, but the prospect of excellent, competition-driven Cajun cooking is on the burner too, and that’s often enough to inspire a quick road trip all on its own. My last post was about the French Food Festival this weekend in Larose, while today I’m highlighting a delicious, fun, just absolute sweetheart of a festival in Lafayette: the South Louisiana Blackpot Festival & Cookoff.
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Posted October 23, 2012 in Festivals, Louisiana Travel
There are plenty of high profile cooking contests out there these days, all over cable TV in particular. They have celebrity chefs, celebrity judges, fancy, gleaming kitchen sets and over-the-top cooking challenges. But I’ve always found that when it comes to really good, truly inspirational competitive cooking, you can’t beat a Louisiana festival where local families break out their own treasured recipes. Two examples are coming up this weekend in south Louisiana. And, even though this is a busy time in New Orleans, the allure of the eats that each offers should be enough to tempt a quick road trip. I’ll highlight one today, and the second tomorrow.
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Posted October 15, 2012 in Louisiana Travel
The Angola Prison Rodeo is fascinating, polarizing, wild and unforgettable, and it’s being held the next two Sundays.
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Posted September 26, 2012 in Louisiana Travel
Lately I’ve been contributing as a guest on “Louisiana Eats”, the radio show hosted by Louisiana food maven Poppy Tooker and produced by our local NPR affiliate here in New Orleans, WWNO 89.9 FM.
I’m serving as her “rambling reporter,” providing tips for where to eat while traveling around Louisiana. In the latest segment, we talk about Johnson’s Boucaniere, a great smokehouse in Lafayette with a lot of character, immense flavor and a long history.
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