Category Archives: People

Jambalaya by Kernest Gagnard

Posted on February 6, 2011 by | 3 Comments

“How we lookin, baby?” - Kernest Gagnard

A character. A walking, breathing, filled with energy and moxie
C H A R A C T E R.
Kernest is a true Cajun and comes complete with an accent, deeply steeped cooking knowledge and is a thrill to be around (full disclosure: pretty ladies of all ages BEWARE.)

Maybe it’s because of the ladies that he volunteers in the “kitchen” every year at a church fundraiser, to be around all the women and delicious food ingredients bustling around. Kernest is in charge of the Jambalaya and he makes roughly 300 servings of it at a time.
Kernest’s understudy is a gentle man named David Stark who also served as translator when Kernest’s accent proved too thick for me to understand.

“I don’t measure. I just look at it. If it’s not the color I want, I just add some more of something.” – Kernest Gagnard

Even though it was only 11 in the morning I already had a beer in my hand, courtesy of Kernest.
“I left the country to find me a wife. She won’t let me drink until ‘leven. What time is it? 10:26? Is she lookin’? Mimi ya wanna beer?” – Kernest Gagnard

“You gotta watch your kitchen bouquet. Use the spices you want. Don’t fry the pork before, honey. It’ll break up.” – Kernest Gagnard

“Too much stuff! Too much!! Keep it simple, you can always add more.” – Kernest Gagnard

Kernest is from a purely Cajun parish, deep in Louisiana. St. Francesville township where everybody knows everybody else.
I sat listening to his story, entranced.

“My momma and daddy could barely speak English. My daddy had to think before he spoke. I failed first grade because I couldn’t speak English, only Cajun french. SO I said, my kids will never learn french from me. Now my sons can’t even boil water either. Ha! My momma never measured nothing. But I did give each of my kids a seasoned black pot when they moved out. You know you should never make a red gravy in a black pot. It’ll go sour honey. Anyhow. My daddy was no fool, baby. He married a country girl who could cook. Ooooh. Baby could she cook. My momma was da bess.” – Kernest Gagnard

“My great grandparents and grandparents never spoke english. I only spoke to them in country french. Kernest generation is the last generation to speak like that. Baby Dis. Baby Dat. So boisterous and fun, so raw and fun and french.” - Dave Stark

At that point, Kernest proudly announced “I’m a shit starter!”

Then he leaned into a woman sitting near him, who was busy building small salads into to go containers, and pointing at me with a wink said, “She gon get my whole fambly history. Whooeee. I like her. Yes baby, I do.”

“Chicken thigh meat is where it’s at. Ya got to add that.” – David Stark


“Green onyons are the best seasoning. Ya add those when ya done. ‘Bout 6-8 cups of them at the end.” – Kernest Gagnard

Jumbalaya is neither a soup nor a stew. It’s a thick, well-seasoned rice dish.
You always start with 2 times as much rice as you have meat. And you always have 10 times as much pork, chicken or sausage meat as you have bacon.
To make this for a crowd, follow this recipe. You can always cut it down a bit, retaining the right ratio’s of meat:rice:seasoning

Gagnard Jambalaya

Ingredients:
60 Pounds parboiled rice
30 Pounds pork
30 pounds pork sausage
3 pounds bacon
1 pound celery, bell pepper, onion diced
5 gallons of water
2 cups worcestishire sauce, kitchen bouquet
5 tablespoons salt, garlic powder, tony’s seasoning

Total Cooktime: 3 hours

Instructions:
1. Cook your meat, in a large pot set on a gas or charcoal powered fire pit. As meat browns, add your parboiled rice. Cook for 45 minutes.
2. Add your vegetable and cook another 15 minutes. Then add your bucket of water.
3. Add your seasonings, stir and cover the pot for about an hour. Peeking occasionally.
4. Every thirty minutes, take a oeek and make sure you do not need more water and the color of the rice/water is a deep golden.
5. After about 3 hours, your rice will be done, water will be cooked down, seasons melded and meat & vegetables softened. You are done!

“Cook the meat directly in the pot, girl. Do not fry it beforehand. It’ll fall apart.”

I left the church parking lot, where the kitchen was set up, around 4pm in the afternoon after consuming more beers than I care to think about … but I put more jumbalaya in my stomach to soak it up. So I think I left pretty even steven. Full and Happy. As I was leaving, I hugged David and Kernest goodbye. Behind them was a line, a mile long jumbalaya line.

“Cajuns are like ants. They everywhere!” – Kernest Gagnard

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Road Trip

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The Cajun Microwave & Cochon De Lait

Posted on December 26, 2010 by
cochondelait_001

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Part-Two in the Cochon de Lait Trilogy. So you wanna cook meat outdoors like a Cajun? If you go to Crawfish Guy, he has a clear recipe for Cochon de Lait on his website to be cooked in a Cajun … Continue reading →

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Boyer Family Chili – New Orleans, LA

Posted on November 17, 2010 by | 1 Comment

I first met Anna, the younger Boyer sister who had hauled, arranged and prepped everything for our dinner like she was in the cutest cooking show ever produced — at the NOLA Treehouse. Everything she’d put before her on the work table was neat, tidy, old-fashioned and perfectly paid attention to. Her mire poix was a thing of beauty. Her attitude was calming and you could sense what a kind lady with a genuine sense of fun existed beneath her cooking apron. She was like the clean organized eye of a storm (we were cooking in a loud art coop and her beautiful, vivacious sister had yet to arrive).

“I love bureacracy. Haha. I am so organized.” – Anna Boyer

And then Anna’s sister Vaidan had arrived and like the moon rising, the party had started.

Cute. CUTE. Keeeeeew-yuuuute.
The Boyer family is adorable and full of life. They interacted with each other seamlessly and in harmony. A thing of beauty.

The Sisters Boyer and their pop, Arnie, cooked for me on a balmy Sunday Evening in a kitchen filled with windows. They made their mothers chili recipe which they grew up feasting on. They have since modified the original recipe to fit their vegetarian diets. They good-naturedly discussed the various pros and cons of chopping versus dicing. The exact number of beans to use in the recipe and how many teaspoons of a certain spice to add into the pot.

“I usually like white potatoes, but the girls like sweet potatoes.” -Arnie Boyer

Each person had an opinion and a valid reason for wanting to do something a certain way. As I watched them come to a common consensus it struck me how many twists and turns can arise during a recipe. How many choices we are faced in our travels to a specific taste destination.


“This was our mom’s recipe. It used to have beef in it and was a staple in our lives. But we became vegetarians in our ten years so we changed it to have soy. Once my mom tasted it with soy, she never went back to beef.” – Anna and Vaidan, in unison

“Something chemical happens when you crush the garlic. Magic happens. When it cooks it makes everything creamy. And it cooks so evenly.” - Anna Boyer

“You have to achieve the feng shui of garlic.” - Anna Boyer

“Always check the chili powder for its spice levels. Never trust that it’ll always be the same.” – Arnie Boyer

“One time we accidentally put in instant coffee into the chili instead of chili pepper. It was still good, kind mole-like. Not as bad as the time I screwed up the sugar and the salt.” - Anna and Vaidan, in unison

Boyer Family Chili

Ingredients:
2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
3 medium onions, diced into 1/4″ cubes along with EVOO (for simmering)
2 #10 cans of whole peeled tomatoes + juice
4 oz tomato paste
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed in a mortar and pestle until creamy
1/2 LB of textured vegetable protein
1tbsp. cumin
10 whole cloves
3-4 bay leaves
5-10 tsp of New Mexico chili powder (to taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Simmer onions until clear, about 8 minutes. When clear add the garlic.

2. When onions and garlic are mixed and cooked (about 6 minutes) add in tomatoes and gently crush them by hand as you add them to the saucepan. Add spices.

3. Stir the chili and let bubble away for a few moments. Add sweet potatoes. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

4. Stir chili. Add beans.

5. Salt and Pepper to taste, after Chili has simmered an additional 10-12 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with toast for dipping.

To learn more about the art gallery scene in New Orleans, visit Vaidan’s PK Gallery website for upcoming art exhibits and projects.

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special welcome to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, NOLA Treehouse, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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Harvesting Sugarcane

Posted on November 10, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Across the street from The Polidore’s home is a pretty large expanse of sugarcane fields. Jessica Defils took us over to the field and together she and I picked a stalk of sugar cane. Tumbling to the ground from the effort of yanking that fibrous pole from the ground (and there were two of us heaving and pulling). One can begin to imagine what life might be like for a full time cane sugar field worker.
It was purely amazing, though, to stare into that forever expanse of blue, blue skies a few splatters of fluffy clouds and olive-lime green leaves and stalks as far as the eye could see.
Eventually, I tore myself away. I couldn’t help it. My California sense of justice, fairness, compassion, political-correctness and earth fever set in and I vowed to read up on sugarcane and the important role it played and continues to play in The South and in The World.

Sugarcane, is one of the most efficient photosynthesizers in the plant kingdom. It’s a C-4 plant, able to convert up to 2 percent of incident solar energy into biomass.
6CO2 + 6H2O (+ Sunlight) —-> C6H12O6 + 6O2
What does that mean, you ask?

Only perhaps the most dramatic natural event in our planet’s history. Three billion years ago, simple, one-celled forms of life appeared, which we now call procaryotes (bacteria); one family of procaryotes was the first to perform the miracle of photosynthesis . This means that these sun-eating pioneers were able to absorb the sun’s energy and use it to digest water and CO2, releasing the precious atmospheric oxygen that later would allow the entire food chain to sprout and flourish in all its rich diversity. The miracle continues to this day. Read more about photosynethis and the miracle of life, here.

In order to fully understand the history of sugarcane in the United States, start here. Essentially…

Sugar cane, native to Southeast Asia, is a tall grass with sweet sap in its thick, fibrous stalks. It was one of the early crops introduced to the Caribbean area by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, where it flourished.

In 1751, Jesuit missionaries brought sugar cane plants, along with experienced field workers, to what is now downtown New Orleans.
The harvesting and production of sugar cane was labor-intensive, and that fueled the slave trade. By the 1860s, the sugar industry was using 300,000 slaves, according to Richard’s account.

The country’s largest sugar plantation during this period was Houmas House near Baton Rouge, known in its heyday as “The Sugar Palace.”

-Raising Cane

A huge thank you to Jessica for taking the 30 minutes from her day to show us and tell us all about sugarcane. I have learned so much. So incredibly much from this little micro-focus on locality and seasonality. I had no idea how important and culture-steeped sugarcane truly is.
Sometime in my lifetime I would like to experience fresh sugarcane juice.

Sugarcane juice: a combination of fresh juice, extracted by hand or small mills, with a touch of lemon and ice to make a popular drink, known variously as ganne ka rass, guarab, guarapa, guarapo, papelón, aseer asab, Ganna sharbat, mosto and caldo de cana

A sugarcane pole is divided into lengths by it’s nodes, or joints. Jessica started out by peeling off the leaves from the different joints. Then she cut off the root and starting as close to the bottom of the pole as she could, she began peeling off the skin by using a knife. Much like one would peel a carrot with a simple vegetable peeler.
When she’d finished peeling a length of node, she would hand it over to one of us in the house so we could crunch down on it and squirt the inside of our mouths with filmy, dreamy sugar juice.

I miss it so much, right this moment.
mmmmm

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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Laisse le bon temps rouler : Gumbo with The Polidore’s

Posted on November 8, 2010 by | 36 Comments

This might be the most random intervention of fate, I’ve thus far experienced with this project. I occasionally write articles for Edible East Bay a food magazine in Northern California. My editor sent me a cryptic message, knowing I was going to be in Louisiana in a weeks time. The message said that a woman named Jeanette was looking for tree collards starters, only available in CA — would I be interested in tracking some down and bringing them to her.

When I phoned Jeanette, my ears were greeted with the sweetest, softest voice. She assured me that it would ok if I couldn’t find the collards. And when I broached the subject of this project she said she was willing to host me and share her family’s gumbo recipe. Ten days later, with my friend Mariah Sinclaire in tow, I arrived in Franklin, Louisiana about 2 hours west of New Orleans. Sparsely populated, dotted with cane fields and screaming of beautiful back country.

Franklin and the Polidore Family were everything I was hoping to see and experience.

From the moment we walked in the door, 20 month old Zaré was the center of the universe. A cuter child has never existed. I’m sure of it.
I am still in love with her to this moment. Zaré’s mom, is 25 year old Jessica de Fils who is the daughter of Jeanette Polidore. Both women love to cook and I can see that Zaré and her sister Shay have a long delicious life ahead of them.

“Okra, shrimp, chicken gumbo. We don’t do all that weird chicken feet crap. No alligator here.” – Jessica

Gumbo is very eclectic. It’s a roux based stew and is a simple collection of meats and vegetables that you have readily available. The seasonings are almost usually similar though never exact. The flavors are similar, though never exact. The style can range from red gravy gumbo to white gravy gumbo. From Creole to Cajun.

“Certain families are very secretive. My aunt makes crawfish fettucine that takes first place in the state of Louisiana but she WILL NOT share that recipe with anyone. Maybe when she gets older.” - Jessica

Jeanette comes from a long line of strong women with colorful histories. She has 13 brothers and sisters and it’s rumored her grandfather was struck down by Bonnie and Clyde, in Burwick, LA. Her french lineage keeps her current family stewed in delicious francophile Creole tendencies in the kitchen. It’s a beautiful melding of cultures.

“Creole food is nothing without filé (pronounced Feel-Lay).” – Jeanette

“These sausages are too big. They need to be smaller for my babies.” – Jessica
“They are the perfect size. Why you cutting them?” – Jeanette
“We always argue over the size of the sausage. Always.” - Jessica

And one more thing before we dive into the recipe. The correct way to pronounce the ever present seasoning found all over Louisiana, Tony Chachere is like this …
SAH-Sure-eeE


De Fils Gumbo
Ingredients:
Roux: 1 C. Flour and 3/4 C. Cooking Oil – Cook over medium heat into a thick, creamy gravy-consistency. Keep at the Roux until you have a milk chocolate color. Don’t burn the Roux or you’re gumbo will taste starchy.
1 Bag of Dried Shrimp
1/2 gallon of Water
4 Bouillion cubes
10 Drumsticks
3 lbs Shrimp
2 cups Okra
1 lb of Beef Sausage
2 C. Cooked Rice
Tony Chachere Filé, Cayenne Pepper and Tabasco to taste

“My secret is two pinches of fresh cilantro.” -Jessica

Instructions:
1. Add your finished Roux into a large stockpot with the water and bouillion. Bring to a slow boil on medium-high heat.

2. Toss in the bag of dried shrimp and drumsticks.

3. Meanwhile deslime your okra by heating in 3 TBLSP cooking oil and 2 TSP vinegar and fry it just a few moments, to soften the okra. Then add it to the stockpot, along with pinches to taste of Chachero Filé, Cayenne Pepper, Tabasco, Salt & Pepper.

4. After the Gumbo has cooked for 20 minutes add the sausages and let cook another twenty minutes before adding in your rice. Wait 5 minutes, then add shrimp. Let the gumbo go for another 5-6 minutes and shut off the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve with a big dollop of potato salad, square on top of the gumbo – country style.

Jessica’s Tips
1. Play with your sausages: Use all pork or all beef, or try cajun style sausage which is a blend of the two.
2. Coconut Oil or Olive Oil can be used instead of Cooking Oil, like Vegetable Oil.
3. Be creative when it comes to your seafod. Try crab legs, scallops, almost any kind of seafood can be used to create a more interestingly flavorful dish.
4. Try substituting brown rice for the white rice.
5. Use fresh ingrediants whenever possible to make your gumbo really POP.

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special thank you to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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Crepes and Tacos – Advice and Recipe from Hassan

Posted on November 2, 2010 by | Leave a comment

“In my other life, I was a pianist.” – Hassan Allen

One of the most interesting characters I met during my time in NOLA was the flamboyantly practical, Hassan. A singer, a chef and expert in many topics. I enjoyed watching someone else boss everyone (Aymeric and Hunter) around for a change (usually its me doing the bossing). Hassan had Buenos Hermanos wafting deliciously through the sunny kitchen. He expertly opened a chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc and poured it into small jelly jars for everyone working in the kitchen.

The table was littered with fresh ingredients. There were knives, cutting boards and bowls of mustery spices everywhere.
It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon with three handsome men.

“We’ve only known each other one month. And this was Hunter’s idea to cook once a week.” – Hassan Allen

“I’m old-fashioned, honey. I get indignant with fast food.”- Hassan Allen



“I come from a long line of cooks, most of my family members have cooked in restuarants.”- Hassan Allen

“I mixed collards, kales, mustards, broccoli rabe and turnip greens together. Seven bunches that will cook down, together for a long time on low, to nearly nothing.” – Hassan Allen

“I’m gonna hand mash these chilies and add them into the greens at the 45 minute mark. I know the trick to getting the chile off your fingers. White Vinegar!” – Hassan Allen

“I love to cook in big earthenware cookware, so it goes slow all day so I can puts around and make love to people. Crock pots are ideal for what I love to do. Slow! Slow.” – Hassan Allen

Hassan’s Greens

Ingredients:
7-8 large bunches of assorted greens (kale, mustards, chards, collards)
5 cloves of garlic, smashed/minced
1 medium white onion, finely diced
2-3 chilies, cleaned and minced
1TBLSP apple cider vinegar
2TBLSP red wine vinegar

“I try to stay away from overly sweet greens.” -Hassan Allen

Instructions:
1. Soak and clean the greens in the sink. Discard dirt and sand. Hand rip the greens into manageable pieces.

2. Add greens, along with 2 cups of water and salt & pepper to taste to a large stockpot, set on medium/low heat.

3. At the 45 minute mark, add remaining ingredients, tossing softly into the greens.

4. Cook 3-4 hours on medium low heat.

You may choose to add roasted beets to your greens to sweeten them naturally. Hassan roasted his in a foil pouch on an outdoor grill for about 40 minutes. He then let them cool a bit to the touch and peeled and diced them. You may add them to your greens towards the end of the cooking process.

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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crepes & tacos underground dinner

Posted on October 28, 2010 by | Leave a comment

“Taco-ification available upon request” – Hunter Daniel

Crepes & Tacos is an underground, backyard dinner party that started about a month ago in the green common space behind Hassan, Aymeric and Hunter’s house. The fellas strive to keep the price point at under $10 per person which is a great deal considering you get dinner (tacos) and dessert (crepes).

“This was Hunter’s idea to start up this dinner thing.” – Hassan Allen

Hunter, whom I met at one of the Nola Treehouses, is originally from Memphis and is the taco brains behind the operation.
Aymeric, from Lille, France (but in the U.S. the last 8 years) is the crepe master.
Hassan, is the Southern Cookin’ go-to-guy. Originally from Compton, Hassan came to NOLA 6 years ago.

“I’m known for Tacos. Tacos are very easy to make. You don’t have to have alot of kitchenware. I’ve been eating them exclusively for about a month. But I’ve slowly added in burritos and crepes. So. You know I’m kinda leaving behind the corn tortilla.” - Hunter

Because this particular backyard dinner menu was a blend of Southern (Gumbo, Greens, Dirty Rice, Sweet Potato Pie) and French (two sweet crepes) and the crowded kitchen was going to be difficult to maneuver around in (not to mention hot and sweaty). Most people were cooking up their pieces of the meal the day before.
The beets were put on an outdoor grill. Aymeric’s apples and pears were carmelizing in skillet alongside Hassan’s greens and sweet potatoes.

Later when the food was done cooking, they would turn their attention to the great backyard. A band would be setting up to amuse the guests (and eat for free). There were lights to be strung, candles to be lit and pathways to be cleared between the communal restroom, the backyard accessible kitchen and the patio tables set up.

“In France they say a good crepe will stick to the ceiling.” -Emelie, Aymeric’s friend
Stick a wine cork on the end of a fork, dip it in butter and use that homemade utensil to butter your pan before each crepe.

In my 12 days in New Orleans I was invited to 4 backyard underground dinner parties. I was only able to attend two of them. But they seem to be on the rise and very, very hip. If you want to attend Crepes & Tacos, I suggest you sneak over to 1040 Montegut Street on a Tuesday Evening.

Aymeric’s Crepes
tripinamerica@gmail.com
“These are crepes by feeling.” – Aymeric

500 grams of flour
1 liter of milk
3 eggs
3 sips of beer

Blend thoroughly in a blender or whisk by hand. Ladle into a hot skillet and cook each side like you would a pancake.
The first one will rarely turn out well, so do not be discouraged.

Filling Ingredients:
2 yellow/reddish apples and an asian pear, peeled and cubed
A few Tbslp of White Sugar
1-2 Tblsp of Sesame Seeds
1 Tblsp of Brown Sugar

Instructions:
1. In an iron skillet on medium heat, heat apples and pear in a few pats of butter and the tablspoons of white sugar.

2. Allow to carmelize and grow soft (6-8 minutes), reduce heat.

3. Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a separate smaller pan.

4. Add seeds to apple mixture, along with the brown sugar and allow to slowly heat through and through (8-10 minutes).

5. Spoon into Crepe

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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New Orleans, Tree House Dinner pt.2

Posted on October 25, 2010 by | 3 Comments

Though we were in New Orleans, this dinner could have taken place in any health conscience, seasonally-minded home. We feasted on Vegan Enchiladas (the best I’ve ever had) and Apple Crisp. In the next post, we’ll cover the Boyer Sister’s special chili that accompanied the dinner.

“I make these enchiladas at Burning Man. We cook and vacuum seal everything so all you have to do is simply drop a bag in hot water on the playa and then pig out. I’m part of the Black Rock Boutique.” -Margarete Beeson

“You have to serve the apple crisp with ice cream. have to.” – Lizy Hapgood

Margarete Beeson’s Vegan Enchiladas
antigravy@gmail.com

Ingredients:
30 Tortillas (flour or corn)
3 Cans Enchilada Sauce (red)
1 Large Onion, peeled, diced
1 Corn on the cob, cut
1 Can black beans
Vegan Cheese: 1/4 C Ground Cashews, 1/4 C. Brewers Yeast, 1 1/2 C Water, Pinch Black Pepper, 1 Tblsp Lemon Juice, 1 Tblsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions:
1. Combine Vegan Cheese ingredients in a large sauce pan, boil on medium high heat until thick and creamy like melted nacho cheese. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix corn, beans and onion. Set aside. Open enchilada sauce and put into large bowl, suitable for dipping tortillas into (make sure it has a wide mouth).

3. Fry tortillas slightly, until soft, limp in a medium skillet.

4. Dip tortillas into enchilada sauce. Fill with spoonfuls of vegan cheese. Add scoops of bean/corn filling. Roll. Place in baking dish.

5. Top rolled, filled tortillas with sauce and any extra toppings you may have leftover.

6. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees, until slightly crispy on top. Serve hot.

The NOLA Treehouse, a communal art and living space, located at 1614 Esplanade Avenue in the 6th Ward of New Orleans, houses roughly 10 artists and creatives.
Although a new NOLA Treehouse is being built, several minutes away, on the corner of Presse and St. Claude. The new Treehouse is churning out to be the central hub of activity: parties, gatherings, projects, idea meetings and potlucks.
These Treehouses are the brainchild of Scott and Kim Pterodactyl and are executed by a small army of individuals dedicated to the arts and exploring the status quo.

To learn more about the art landscape in New Orleans, visit the Life is Art Foundation page for upcoming art exhibits and projects.

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special welcome to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, NOLA Treehouse, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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New Orleans, Tree House Dinner pt.1

Posted on October 22, 2010 by | Leave a comment

The NOLA Treehouse, a communal art and living space, located at 1614 Esplanade Avenue in the 6th Ward of New Orleans, houses roughly 10 artists and creatives.
Although a new NOLA Treehouse is being built, several minutes away, on the corner of Presse and St. Claude. The new Treehouse is churning out to be the central hub of activity: parties, gatherings, projects, idea meetings and potlucks.
These Treehouses are the brainchild of Scott and Kim Pterodactyl and are executed by a small army of individuals dedicated to the arts and exploring the status quo.

I was invited into the Treehouse by Lizy Hapgood, who has lived onsite for a year. Hapgood is a realism muralist and designer. Joining her was a friend of Scott’s, named Bill who has helped around the treehouse for almost 3 years. Both of them stole a few quiet moments away from the hubub to express their appreciation for the house and all the goodness it bestows upon them.

Smile.
It is wonderful to hear words of appreciation for a home.

There was a tenuous period last winter (2009/10), when the city shut down the Treehouse. You can read about that on Twitter.

# we may not have power, but we’re far from being powerless. hard times bring strength. this is a beautiful struggle. (tweeting in the dark) Fri Feb 19 17:33:08 2010 via mobile web

# it’s extremely cold n the basement, about 2 set up the turntables, rock some jams 2 warm up – again, w/ power from next door. thank u conoco Sat Feb 13 15:58:11 2010 via web

# I’m tweeting from a computer at the house, with a router that is powered by an extension cord being run from the conoco next door Sat Feb 13 15:55:58 2010 via web

# The past three days have been a roller coaster like you wouldn’t believe Sat Feb 13 15:54:43 2010 via web

# we will fight this, new orleans!! thank you for all of your support. it means so much. it’s bringing me to tears 3:19 PM Feb 11th via web

“Crime went up in the neighborhood when we were shut down. Yep, it was truly dark outside and people in the neighborhhod were running around more. Something about the lights of the Treehouse are calming and inspiring. As soon as we were allowed to function again, the lights went back on and the neighborhood calmed down. We are a beacon of light.” -Collection of voices in the Arthouse Kitchen

“They are totally my style. My people. Just always creating.” -Margarete Beeson

The front room of the house on Esplanade is a gallery space, and the next show is a Dia De La Muertos exhibit scheduled to open this week. The shed and backyard are open for projects. And while there are no real organized house meeting-type structures in place. Everything is pretty “mellow and lowkey”, explained Beeson. It felt that way, too.

As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode.

Recipes and the actual dinner at the Treehouse, coming next week. Stay tuned.
To learn more about the art landscape in New Orleans, visit the Life is Art Foundation page for upcoming art exhibits and projects.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, NOLA Treehouse, People, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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Street Shrimp Boil

Posted on October 19, 2010 by | Leave a comment

There I was in New Orleans, minding my own business, walking down the street in the Marigny district, when I saw a man heave two huge laundry-like baskets full of shrimp onto the street. Of course, said my friend Megan, It’s the Friday Street Shrimp Boil.

I met Pete & the boys on the corner of Royal & Kerec in front of the Royal Inn. They do a “frahday shrimp boyl. Do it ever’ frahday.”
They made me eat a whole clove of garlic and sample spicy headcheese (see above photo) before they let me join them behind the line of generators, on the street. It’s nothing short of bad ass to see three men set up and make enough shrimp for 50 people, give it away, break down the equipment and hose off the street in under four hours.
In no terms was I infringing on them, they were so happy to tell their story. This was a total PARTY and neighbors from up and down the street came out to the corner with camping chairs and beers to watch and sample the festivities.
In fact, when I saw them a week later in the same place doing the same thing. They waved me over so I could inspect that weeks haul of shrimp.

One of the men, a Cajun that I think (I’d had four beers at this point) said his name was Dave, told me he used to be a shrimper until Katrina. His boat was wiped out and he hasn’t been able to replace it. He’s doing office work now. I could tell the job was killing his beautiful outdoorsmen spirit. The wistfulness in his voice and the sad cloud that descended upon his face was heartbreaking. But only for the briefest of seconds. Then in true cajun form, he busted open a few beers and started speaking in melodically upbeat tones about the magic of the Gulf and the resilience of the Gulf.

“These here are white shrimp, mimi. They carry they babies above they tails. When this season over, they gonna go into the Gulf. That’ll be the real testament for that oil. If they don’t come back, next year, they gone. The oil is more than we dreamed, then. We don’t know what all is going on out theah. But these here are 12-16′s of white shrimp. The number refers to the number of’em in a pound.I never eat less than a twelve.” -Cajun Dave


“This a real good community. This here’s a neighborhood boyle.” – Pete

“Who dat for?
Fer dah peaux-peaux right there.”

A policeman stopped his squad car, in the middle of the street for a to go container of potatoes, onions, shrimp and corn.

For more information about the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, click here

Boiled Shrimp a la Royal
For easy cleanup, line your table with newspaper so everyone can have fun peeling and eating the shrimp. Serve with corn on the cob and boiled potatoes.

Ingredients
20 quarts water
Ladies clean nylon stuffed with Shrimp Boil Spices*
6 teaspoons ZATARAIN’S® Concentrated Shrimp and Crab Boil
3 tablespoons salt
6 lemons halved
4 pounds large shrimp with shells on
10-12 small red potatoes
10 ears corn on the cub, cleaned and halved
4 onions, peeled & cut into wedges
4 entire bundles of garlic, unpeeled, thrown into the pot
10-12 stalks of celery, cut in half
5-8 carrots, cut into thick thirds
1 lb of asparagus, trimmed

Directions
1. Bring water and salt to boil in large saucepot.

2. Stir in shrimp and Crab Boil, Nylon Bag Seasonings and Lemons. Return to boil; cover.

3. Add in Potatoes, Garlic and Onions let cook for 8-10 minutes.

4. Add Corn. Continue cooking additional 4-6 minutes.

5. Add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain well.
You may reserve liquid to use as seafood stock for soups, gumbo or dirty rice.
Serve with crusty baguette, lemon wedges and plenty of napkins.

*Ingredients Shrimp Boil Bag:
* 1/4 cup pickling spices
* 1/4 cup sea salt
* 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
* 2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
* 2 Tablespoons hot red pepper flakes
* 1 Tablespoon celery seeds
* 1 Tablespoon minced dried chives
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 5 bay leaves
Cut the leg off a pair of nylons, stuff in your spices and tie the leg off. Trim excess material.

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Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.

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