I inadvertently curated a Black female culinary tour of New Orleans
From Leah Chase’s legacy to uncovering a secret menu cocktail by a well-loved bartender, there’s so much deliciousness to devour in the Crescent City.
My last birthday holiday vacation was in 2019 when we traveled to Montreal. That, of course, was a blast as it was my first trip to Canada and we ate well all over the city.
For this birthday back on the road, it just made sense to visit the most decadent town in the country: New Orleans. I had been getting all sorts of signs all year long to return to one of my favorite childhood vacation spots.
For example, several television shows I regularly watch had stars whooping it up on Bourbon Street. Also, CBS News Saturday Morning featured a James Beard-nominated chef behind a popular neighborhood restaurant. And Essence Fest 2023 celebrated 50 years of hip-hop culture and music with performances by Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion.
Black women were, of course, a force at Essence Music Festival, and they’ve also been a force in New Orleans’ culinary history for centuries, most notably with the legacy of the late Leah Chase of Dooky Chase fame. The iconic Creole soul food eatery was named after her husband, Edgar Lawrence “Dooky” Chase Jr., whose family opened the restaurant in 1941.
The author, civil rights activist and television personality—fondly called the “Queen of Creole Cuisine”—passed away in 2019. Leah Chase would have turned 100 in January 2023, yet her legacy lives on in hearty portions of her signature fried chicken, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice and other dishes.
While I didn’t get to dine at her flagship restaurant in Tremé this time around, we did chow down on the red beans and rice with andouille sausage as well as peach cobbler at Leah’s Kitchen. It’s situated prominently in the United Airlines terminal in Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
A 30-foot-long mural of a smiling Chase whipping up her specialty dishes in her kitchen is the centerpiece and a welcome respite for weary travelers accustomed to watered-down versions of local restaurants at airports. There’s also a great soundtrack accompanying your meal. Old school funk and throwback soul are certain to have you munching each bite to the beat. From Curtis Mayfield and Chaka Khan to Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, the music will make you almost forget that you’re in an airport terminal.
My magnificent experience at Leah’s Kitchen also made me realize that I had inadvertently curated my own little Black female culinary tour of New Orleans. How appropriate it ended at the airport with this Dooky Chase restaurant offshoot. Here’s what else I did while I was in town (* are the spots we learned about, but didn’t get to visit).
Bywater American Bistro. Owned by chef Nina Compton—the first Black woman to score a James Beard Award for Best Chef—the neighborhood-focused eatery is in the hip, artsy Bywater district. It’s a casual spot and much less expensive than its sister restaurant Compère Lapin. There were so many highlights during our meal, including blackened octopus drizzled with sweet potato coconut puree; wagyu beef lasagna; and sweet potato churros with rum caramel dipping sauce. The restaurant also feels like a mini gallery with oversized, unique local art decorating almost every wall space available.
Elizabeth’s.* This time, I did get a chance to eat freshly made beignets at Cafe Du Monde. I do wish we had also visited Elizabeth’s, which is one of the few places in the city serving calas—the predecessor to beignets. They’re made from leftover rice mixed into a sugary egg batter, then deep fried and dusted with confectioner's sugar. At Elizabeth’s, they’re served daily with Louisiana cane syrup. The story behind calas is that captured Africans brought this traditional sweet treat from West Africa, and they were sold on the streets of New Orleans by enslaved Black women as early as the mid-1700s. Supposedly, many of these women bought their freedom by selling calas. It’s a shame you cannot find them at many spots around town.
JusTini’s.* Jessica Robinson is behind this slick cocktail lounge and small plates bar that opened in late May. We didn’t get a chance to stop by when we were in the Bywater neighborhood, and that’s too bad because in only a few months the spot is on fire. Food menu highlights range from Sweet Royal St. Thai chili wings to Burgundy Street seafood tacos to Piety Street blackened shrimp salad. And drinks are modern riffs on classics: Bywater Summers (gin watermelon Champagne cocktail), Hurricane Dauphine (classic Hurricane made with Cognac and topped with Grand Marnier float), Sweet Tea cocktail (made with gin).
New Orleans School of Cooking. There’s just so much history in New Orleans—and we devoured as much as we could. We decided not to visit a museum and instead bought tickets to a cooking demo at the New Orleans School of Cooking that was followed by a cocktail history walking tour of the French Quarter. At the school, chef Tasheena Butler was not only whipping up classic local cuisine (shrimp & artichoke soup, crawfish étouffée, pralines), but she was also an accomplished storyteller. Butler discussed the history of the city’s rich cuisine dating back before the Louisiana Purchase and how much influence enslaved Africans, Creoles and Haitians played a role in it. I highly recommend signing up for one of her classes. She not only brings so much color to them, but she also encourages attendees to come forward for seconds of her delicious food!
The Court of Two Sisters. The cocktail history walking tour of the French Quarter was fantastic, and I highly recommend it. Just bring some good walking shoes. You’ll also get at least two comped cocktails along the tour. My favorite part was when we stopped at The Court of Two Sisters and learned about the first Black female mixologist in New Orleans who started her bartending career in the late 1960s and was also responsible for one of the first layered cocktails. Flora Woodard—best known as Miss Flo—created the award-winning Bayou Bash, a New Orleans-inspired sangria cocktail she first made in the 1980s. It’s such a complicated creation that it’s an off-the-menu offering you must ask for by name. Miss Flo passed away in 2010, but her drinks and vivacious spirit still live on at the highly popular establishment.
Vyoone's. Another local fave, this multiculturally inspired eatery is from Vyoone Therese Sugue, whose rich French-Creole-African heritage certainly influences every dish, the art on the walls and even the background music. Menu highlights that will keep me coming back: white bean cassoulet topped with slow-roasted andouille sausage; poisson et pates consisted of grilled Gulf redfish with crawfish stuffing, linguini, tomatoes and mushrooms, topped with lemon beurre blanc sauce; and a classic preparation of beef Wellington.
Au revoir—laissez les bons temps rouler.
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Such an amazing city with fantastic food! Thank you for highlighting these great Black women and venues!