inRegister [September 2020]

SEPTEMBER 2020

Stars in Her Eyes

ASTRONAUT-IN-TRAINING ALYSSA CARSON PURSUES A GRAVITY-DEFYING GOAL

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CONTENTS

MELISSA OIVANKI

EDITORIAL Publisher: Penny Font Editor: Kelli Bozeman Assistant Editor: Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois Community Editor: Christina Leo Digital Content Editor: Mark Clements Contributing Writers: Aimee Broussard, Ashley Sexton Gordon, April Hamilton, Scott Reis, Maggie Heyn Richardson, Jeff Roedel, Kate Stevens Contributing Photographers: Catrice Coleman, Jordan Hefler, Jenn Ocken, Melissa Oivanki, Jeannie Frey Rhodes, Collin Richie ADVERTISING Sales Manager: Elizabeth McCollister Hebert Senior Account Executive: Tricia Reed Account Executives: Liz Firesheets, Sadie Fury Ad Coordinator: Brittany Nieto

38

Features

Departments

18 Experience

8 From the Editor

Socially distant trekking on local trails

25 Quality of Life

Expert tips on making the most of this school year Alyssa Carson reaches for the stars— and Mars Opéra Louisiane’s new ways to connect with audiences

38 Interiors

Step into the Ivy House showhome’s public spaces

48 Cuisine

inRegister.com • September 2020

6

22 On Exhibit 54 Off the Page

36 On the Town

16 Dish 20 Giving Back

28 Cover Story

11 In the Know

Inside the kitchen that fuels LSU athletes

56 The Creatives 58 Aimee’s Pretty Palate 61 Sommelier 63 Community 72 Datebook 74 Long Story Short

ON THE COVER: Alyssa Carson takes flight as she preps for a career in space.

Photo by Jason Hook/ Courtesy Space Coast Magazines.

Story, pg. 28.

CORPORATE MEDIA Editor: Lisa Tramontana Content Strategist: Allyson Guay Multimedia Strategy Manager: Tim Coles MARKETING Chief Marketing Officer: Elizabeth McCollister Hebert Marketing & Events Assistant: Taylor Floyd Events: Abby Hamilton Community Liaison: Jeanne McCollister McNeil ADMINISTRATION Assistant Business Manager: Tiffany Durocher Digital Manager: James Hume Business Associate: Kirsten Milano Office Coordinator: Tara Lane Receptionist: Cathy Brown PRODUCTION/DESIGN Production Director: Melanie Samaha Art Director: Hoa Vu Graphic Designers: Melinda Gonzalez, Emily Witt AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Audience Development Director: Katelyn Oglesby Audience Development Coordinator: Ivana Oubre A publication of Louisiana Business Inc. Chairman: Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. President and CEO: Julio Melara Executive Assistant: Kathleen Wray Editorial Director: Penny Font Circulation/Reprints 225-928-1700 email: circulation@businessreport.com Subscriptions/Customer Service 225-421-8181 email: subscriptions@businessreport.com Volume 32 Issue 1 ©Copyright 2020 by Louisiana Business Incorporated. All rights reserved by LBI. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

INREGISTER (USPS PE658 ISSN 2162-0474) is published monthly

by Louisiana Business Inc. Business address: 9029 Jefferson Hwy., Ste 300, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Business phone: 225-924-5339.

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Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of this information cannot be guaranteed.

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inRegister.com • September 2020

10675 Coursey Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70816 | 225.291.1919 www.antonsfinejewelry.com | #whereBRgetsengaged

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FROM THE EDITOR

Happiest Place on Earth

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Until next month,

KELLI BOZEMAN

Masked Marvels

ON

No, this isn’t the next superhero film or Disney attraction. Several of Baton Rouge’s interior design visionaries came together for a common cause in late July and early August—to fill the rooms of the Ivy House Designer Showhome in support of Heritage Ranch.

And what a show it was! All while navigating the nuances of the COVID-19 pandemic, these pros managed to make over blank spaces with their own unique aesthetic styles, and the results were memorable. Beginning on page 38 in this issue, we highlight the home’s public spaces, and in our October issue we’ll take you inside the intimate private rooms that make it a house anyone would want to quarantine in.

COURTESY RACHEL CANN

inRegister.com • September 2020

JORDAN HEFLER

T

here’s hot, and then there’s Disney-World-in-late-July hot.

Halfway between the spinning teacups and the Swiss Family Treehouse, my then-3-year-old hit a wall.

Her face was flushed.

Her mouse ears drooped.

She could not take one. More. Step.

Let’s face it, she wasn’t the only one who was minutes from a meltdown. My shirt stuck to my back, and sweat mixed with sunscreen as it dripped into my eyes, obscuring my view of the crumpled Magic Kingdom map I had pulled from my pocket. My mission? To find some place, any place, that offered that sweet, sweet rush of cold conditioned air we craved.

Aha! There it was, tucked into the corner of Tomorrowland. An attraction that ticked all the boxes: Cushioned seats. Darkness. A thermostat set to Antarctic levels.

I’m pretty sure I heard an angel choir singing behind us as we pushed past throngs of people—this was well before anyone had ever heard the words “social distancing”—and stepped right up to the doors. Behold, I told my crew in a hushed tone that could have been caused by either reverence or heat exhaustion, the Carousel of Progress.

The beauty of choosing an attraction that opened during the Gerald Ford administration is that, for most Disney World guests, the thrill is gone. There were no lines to get in on that sunny afternoon. No sabertoting teens giddy over the latest Star Wars ride. No toddlers in tiaras begging to mug with Moana. In fact, aside from the lone perky cast member who welcomed us inside, we had the place to ourselves. The whole glorious rotating theater was ours for the relaxing.

We kicked up our feet, sat back and let the animatronic family on stage transport us from the dawn of the 20th century to the 1920s to the ’40s and finally to a frozen-in-time take on “the future.” When it was all over, no one arrived to usher us out—so we kept our patooties parked right where they were and did the whole thing over again. By the time two revolutions were finished, we had experienced a revelation. And a rejuvenation. So what if we had already logged 20,000 steps on our Fitbits! With our newfound enthusiasm, we squinted straight into the sun and headed back out into the park.

On every trip to Disney since, we have been sure to pay a visit to our old friend, the Carousel. It’s a respite from crowds, and a shelter whether the weather is broiling or freezing in the park around it. But there’s something else about this attraction that always draws us in. Something about the way Walt mashed up futurism and nostalgia. Something about those “state-of-theart” inventions from 100 years ago, those corny dad jokes, and the slightly creepy robotic dog. Something that manages to make me sentimental about simpler times while feeling excited for the advances up ahead. Who knows—next time they update the show, maybe they’ll be talking about how Americans like our cover story subject Alyssa Carson recently landed on Mars.

But for now, no matter how hot it is outside, I can’t stop humming “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” as we move toward the next magical adventure.

Now would someone hand me my lightsaber? I’ve got a line to stand in.

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Your New Home Awaits

THE SETTLEMENT ON SHOE CREEK

YOUR LOUISIANA HOME BUILDER A LVA R E Z C O N S T R U C T I O N I S CO M M I T T E D TO E XC E L L E N C E

inRegister.com • September 2020

Smart Living with a Small-Town Vibe This NEW Central, LA community offers smart living, parks and commercial spaces for all ages.

Live, shop, and grow together

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RESERVE YOUR HOME AT THE SETTLEMENT ON SHOE CREEK TODAY

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IN THE KNOW

Top Knot

T

PHOTO BY CATRICE COLEMAN

outfits today. People would see my ties and ask me to make ones for them.”

From those early commissions, Jarvis found his passion for not only sewing, but the process of creating a new garment.

For him, the act of getting dressed is more than just a necessity, it’s an opportunity to transport oneself to another place and time, all simply by dressing the part.

Naming his handmade bowties after some of his favorite towns and landmarks, Jarvis makes each accessory to order, even customizing them to suit right- or lefthanded wearers. He also offers handsewn pocket squares that coordinate with his most popular ties. Each piece takes its wearer on a journey, whether to somewhere as distant as Dublin or as close as the LSU campus.

“I want to give people the chance to still experience the world even though

we can’t exactly travel right now,” he says. “I know it sounds funny when it’s talking about ties but if you think about it, what’s the first thing you think of when you’re going on a trip? For me, it’s what to pack.”

As Tie Travel continues to attract an audience in Baton Rouge and beyond, Jarvis is hoping to expand to even more handmade and curated items like lapel pins and long ties, in addition to launching a video series that will feature professionals from across the country.

“I want to give people the tools to look and feel their best,” explains Jarvis. “I’m not here to say everyone should dress formally. My ties can be worn casually with something like a denim jacket, too. Style is all about setting yourself apart. That’s what I hope my ties do.” tietravel.com

inRegister.com • September 2020

he first bowtie to leave Jared Jarvis’ sewing machine following the March 2020 launch of his handmade accessory line Tie Travel was “The New York.” Before he and his wife made the move to Baton Rouge to offer aid following the 2016 flood, Jarvis called the Big Apple home. Growing up in Staten Island, his favorite pastime was scouring thrift shops looking for neckties from days past. Vibrant colors and eye-catching patterns were hallmarks that spoke to a different time but that also spoke to Jarvis’ modern fashion sense.

“I love dressing formally,” he remarks, noting the lost art of dressing to the nines that was a way of life in times like the 1950s. “I would take the ties, which were usually thicker in width, and remake them into something that would work with my

BY RILEY BIENVENU BOURGEOIS

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IN THE KNOW

ETC.

KUDOS

Dog Days

D-D Breaux

COURTESY MARY BIRD PERKINS CANCER CENTER

BACK TO SCHOOL is a little brighter this year thanks to fifth-grader Anna Grace Boudreaux. The 10-year-old spent her socially distanced summer cooking up her latest creative endeavor: a custom sneaker business called Sweet Kicks by AG, which specializes in bright and often glitter-covered designs. From butterflies to sprinkles, Boudreaux carefully paints each shoe herself, yielding one-of-a-kind pairs for each customer. “She’s so motivated,” says her mother Shanna Boudreaux, owner of Rodéo Boutique. “She has stacks of shoes all over the house. She’s really taken this project to heart.” @SweetKicksbyAG on Instagram

Johnnay Benjamin

Pat Van Burkleo

August marked the 30th anniversary of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge president Pat Van Burkleo’s first month on the job. Since taking the position in 1990, he has grown the program exponentially, gaining national recognition in the form of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Executive of the Year award in 2012 and the John W. Barton Excellence in Non-Profit Management Award in 2007.

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Rachel Cannon

ST

K OC

PH

OT

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JESSIE PREZA

inRegister.com • September 2020

Food for Thought FOODIE PHOTOGRAPHY has a new and exciting role in the hands of the team at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The new PortionSize app, currently in testing, will allow users to accurately see how many calories they have consumed simply by snapping a photo of their plate. With portion sizes steadily increasing over the last decade, this method gives users the tools to cut down on overeating and make choices that contribute to a healthier lifestyle. “One of the keys to successful weight management or weight loss is making sure you are eating the correct amount of food,” explains professor Corby Martin. “More often than not, people underestimate how much they have really eaten.” pbrc.edu

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center director of early detection and education Johnnay Benjamin has been recognized by the Prevent Cancer Foundation as the recipient of the 2020 Laurel Award for Dedication to Community Service. Benjamin and her team work to connect with the community through the Prevention on the Go initiative, which has seen the screening of nearly 100,000 people since its start in 2002.

BRIAN BAIAMONTE

BARRETT COUVILLON

Kick It

JEANNIE FREY RHODES

COURTESY MARSH DOG

WITH INCREASED dog surrenders due to the financial strain caused by COVID19, local pet treat brand Marsh Dog is responding with its “Save a Dog, Save Our Wetlands” project. Through the end of September, the brand will donate a bag of its Wild Nutria Blueberry treats for every dog adoption made at participating local shelters. In addition to raising awareness for homeless pets and getting dogs off to a good start in their forever homes, the treat donations help conserve Louisiana wetlands by cutting down the number of nutria left to feed on essential marsh vegetation. marshdog.com

After 43 years, legendary LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux is leaving her place at the helm of the university’s championship-winning team and turning her attention to relaxing in retirement. During her time at LSU, the coach and January 2020 inRegister cover subject not only overhauled the gymnastics program, but became known as the “Dean of Coaches” for her leadership role.

The interior designer and host behind the podcast Loudmouth Introvert has been named as part of Traditional Home magazine’s New Trads class of 2020.

Cannon has been recognized along with nine other designers from across the country as a designer to watch thanks to her ambition and out-of-the-box take on traditional interiors.

Issue Date: September 2020 Ad proof #1

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MY FAVORITE THINGS

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PLACE FOR LUNCH City Cafe TV SHOW Dateline WAY TO SPEND A Bike riding around an empty SATURDAY MORNING LSU campus with my son Saturday nights in

CHILDHOOD MEMORY Tiger Stadium with my grandfather, Ben Cook “#41” by Dave

SONG ON MY PLAYLIST Matthews Band LOCALE FOR A Gino’s Restaurant DATE NIGHT TIME OF YEAR Spring ITEM IN MY WARDROBE 1980s edition LSU coaches polo WAY TO UNWIND Kayak in the LSU Lakes APP ON MY Twitter SMARTPHONE OUT-OF-TOWN Austin, Texas DESTINATION CONCERT I EVER Jimmy Buffett at the ATTENDED PMAC with my grandfather WEBSITE TO KILL Old sports highlights SOME TIME on YouTube Back from the Dead

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inRegister.com • September 2020

IDEA OF PERFECT Quality time with my son HAPPINESS

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IN THE KNOW

Back to the Future W

BY RILEY BIENVENU BOURGEOIS

e went to the moon in 1969. However, long before Neil Armstrong made that giant leap for mankind, the world was obsessed with all things space. The unknown frontier characterized everything new and exciting and embodied the era’s affinity for innovation. From The Jetsons to French designer Pierre Cardin’s futuristic mod styles, the sky wasn’t even the limit for creators of the ’60s. In the spirit of space exploration, we rounded up some local picks that bring a little something celestial to wardrobes and homes.

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Designer Pierre Cardin became known for his over-the-top Space Age styles that launched in the ’60s. “The clothes that I prefer are those I invent for a life that doesn’t exist yet,” Cardin once said. “The world of tomorrow.”

inRegister.com • September 2020

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1. “Burst” chandelier, $2,045, Capital City Lighting 2. Moon phase necklace, $45, MoonGlow (use code “support-laartandscience” to benefit LASM) 3. Eye lightning sweatshirt, $45, Rodéo Boutique 4. Retro sunglasses, $18 each, Time Warp Boutique 5. Vintage silver purse, $28, Time Warp Boutique 6. Moon dominoes, $50, Anthropologie 7. Golden Goose sneakers, $560, Aria 8. Etoile fringe dress, $282, Rodéo Boutique 9. Smeg tea kettle, $170, Williams Sonoma 10. Midcentury modern chair, Price upon request, Monochrome

Strong. Stable. Here for you.

David Thompson Market President 225-928-8209

Tracy Rutledge Commercial Banker 225-928-8290

Henry Schexnayder Commercial Banker 225-928-8263

Laura Marshall Commercial Banker 225-928-8203

Jordan Hultberg Commercial Banker 225-928-8202

Brian Wilkinson Commercial Banker 225-928-8237

Edwin Lagarde Treasury Management 225-928-8252

To reach your long-term goals, you need a bank you can count on. Our Baton Rouge team is experienced, committed and here to make it all happen—today and tomorrow.

redriverbank.net • 225-923-0232 Alexandria • Baton Rouge • Lake Charles • Northshore • Shreveport

DISH

Pastime’s

BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON • PHOTO BY JENN OCKEN

Boudin Pizza

I

inRegister.com • September 2020

n recent years, the pizza scene has evolved considerably in Baton Rouge, but fans of the Pastime find comfort in its pies’ stubborn consistency.

The crust is notably dense—all the better to support gooey mozzarella and layers of toppings that get tucked under the cheese rather than scattered on top. “It’s more like a pie that way,” says owner Randy Wesley, whose father, Bobby, took over the beloved lounge’s operations in the 1960s.

Pizza began as simple pub

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grub, but grew to become the menu’s anchor. Decades of LSU fans, politicians and barflies have enjoyed a slice—or several—at the Pastime, choosing from a lineup that includes the popular Boudin Pizza, pictured here, prepared with special-order Tony’s Seafood pork boudin, red onions, bell peppers, jalapeños and mozzarella, provolone and cheddar cheeses. “It’s been on the menu for about 16 years, and the name is trademarked,” says Wesley. We can taste why.

Pastime Restaurant 252 South Blvd. pastimerestaurant.com (225) 343-5490 Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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WAITING TO WELCOME YOU AT OUR NEW LOCATION Ghere Plastic Surgery is now located at 5049 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA

DR. MARY GHERE / BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON 225.412.4774 / ghereplasticsurgery.com / @ghereplasticsurgery

/ 5049 Bluebonnet Blvd / Baton Rouge, LA

inRegister.com • September 2020

Dr. Mary Ghere looks forward to more exceptional outcomes for patients in the new, upgraded space, enhanced with our own operating facility and medical spa.

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This

EXPERIENCE

Take a Hike inRegister.com • September 2020

Frenchtown Road Conservation Area

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“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world,” wrote John Muir more than a century ago. Though the naturalist could never have predicted the pains of 2020, his words are a balm to those looking for an escape from the current barrage of bad news. As we welcome fall this month, what better way to lift our spirits than to transport ourselves into an outdoor paradise right beyond our doors? Start at Frenchtown in Central (pictured above), where BREC offers more than 3 miles of trails through bottomland hardwood forests and bamboo groves and along the Amite River inside its largest park. Birders should keep an eye out for the yellow and grey prothonotary warblers that nest in the cypress and tupelo trees within the swamps. brec.org/frenchtown

BY KELLI BOZEMAN PHOTO BY JORDAN HEFLER

Black Swamp Trail This short but picturesque path is part of a 3-mile network of trails at LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Tucked into an oasis beside I-10, this shaded route is packed with points of interest, including helpful (and kidfriendly) signs about the wildlife and plants that have inhabited this spot since long before visitors ever trod here. At the end of the trail is a boardwalk loop that takes hikers over a tupelo swamp. Before you head home, venture a little farther into the property to see the rose garden, a children’s garden, and an Insta-worthy sunflower field now in bloom. lsu.edu/botanic-gardens

Port Hudson State Historic Site Get your steps with a side of American history at this Civil War battlefield in Jackson that was the site of a 48-day-long siege in 1863 and later a recruiting center for African American troops. Six miles of hilly trails weave past earthworks once used to shelter soldiers during the fighting, and visitors get a sense of the story by hiking through areas with names like “Artillery Ridge” and “Fort Desperate.” lastateparks.com

Clark Creek Natural Area You’ll be crossing the state line, but it’s worth the hour-long drive up U.S. Highway 61 from Baton Rouge to get to one of this area’s most memorable hiking destinations. Dozens of waterfalls up to 30 feet in height provide muchappreciated cooling-off spots along the steeply sloping trails through hardwood and pine forests. Stop off at the 1881built Pond Store just outside the park for refreshments after a hot and sweaty hike. Note: At press time, this park remained closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, so check the website before heading out to hike. mdwfp.com

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THE DIFFERENCE: With over 70 years of design experience in the Baton Rouge area, Dixon Smith Interiors has never been concerned with trends. Offering clients one-of-a-kind pieces to perfectly suit their styles and spaces. Dixon Smith is more than a store. A design haven in the community that invites you to explore and learn while fulfilling your interior design visions. Whether hunting for that one special piece or looking to rework an entire space, the team at Dixon Smith Interiors can guide you through every step.

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GIVING BACK

Red Stick Together

BY CHRISTINA LEO

PHOTOS COURTESY BROADMOOR UNITED METHODIST

W

hen Broadmoor United Methodist Church began its Red Stick Together meal-sharing initiative in December 2019, the rumbles of COVID-19 had barely reached the ears of Americans. Louisiana’s 15% unemployment rate in April 2020 would still seem unimaginable, as would the social distancing measures designed to keep us apart, as friends and families gathered in the church’s halls once a week to share a meal and a sermon from Senior Pastor Donnie Wilkinson. Little did Wilkinson know that his history as a pastor in the neighborhood spanning two sides of Florida Boulevard—where he began preaching in 2016 right before the Alton Sterling shooting and the floods that soon followed—had prepared him for dealing with disaster through simple acts of love that help transform a community, plate by plate.

“In December, we started out sharing sit-down meals with about 40 people once a week,” says Wilkinson.

“Now, we hand out between 225 to 250 meals a day at 6 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Broadmoor Shopping Center.”

By mid-March and the start of social distancing guidelines, Wilkinson and his team, including Executive Pastor Rev. Kennon Pickett and Assistant to Senior Pastor Mary Saltzman, knew that they would have to find a way to keep the program going without gathering in person. In a new world where physical contact could Issue Date: Sept. more Ad proof end up hurting people#1 than helping them, a drive• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. through takeaway option became the safest and most • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions effective change of course. are received by the close of business today.

From left, Kristen Prettelt, Rev. Kennon Pickett, Rev. Donnie Wilkinson and Mary Saltzman are among the team that prepares free meals for pickup.

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225.663.6845 | Stone-br.com | 1575 Lobdell Avenue & 11840 Airline Highway

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Addiction Treatment BEGINS

TODAY

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When Red Stick Together first materialized as a drive-through, it ran out of meals within minutes. Even now, with 250 meals prepared each day, cars line up around the Broadmoor Shopping Center for a taste of chef Steven Martinez’s boxed dinners.

ideal landscape to examine how Baton Rouge can look more like what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “the Beloved Community.”

For Wilkinson, part of the inspiration toward the answer comes from a favorite passage from the Book of Revelation.

“People get nervous, especially these days, when preachers start quoting Revelation,” he says with a laugh, “but I think it paints the most beautiful picture: ‘I looked and I saw a multitude beyond which anyone could count, of every nation, tribe, people and language surrounding the throne of God in robes of white, and holding palm leaves in their hands.’ Imagine Black, white, brown, Hispanic, Asian, Anglo, straight, gay, all finding the commonality in their relationship with God. That was our vision with the dinners in the first place, to create a space for people who otherwise wouldn’t sit down and share a meal together to do so, and in so doing, build relationships across all lines of separation that divide us.”

Those interested in lending a hand to Red Stick Together can do so by donating canned food or money ($10 will feed a family of four), or by volunteering to help distribute meals in what Wilkinson hopes will be additional drive-through locations in the near future.

“We also ask that you come pick up food for anyone you think could be in need,” says Wilkinson.

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inRegister.com • September 2020

“Our first day doing that, we made 100 meals and ran out within five minutes,” said Wilkinson. “That’s when we knew how great the need really was, so we more than doubled the amount of meals and increased distribution to three days a week.”

But Wilkinson wanted to provide more than just a meal to the families and individuals who drove by every week—he knew that people were hurting spiritually as well as financially from the economy’s downturn, the isolation from friends, the nationwide protests surrounding racial justice, and the simple uncertainty of what the future would hold. So he’s willing to talk. For each car that pulls up to collect any of the hundreds of homemade meals prepared fresh by chef Steven Martinez, who came aboard full time during lockdown, Wilkinson asks its passengers how he can be praying for them.

“There are people struggling with food and money right now who never thought they’d be in this position,” he says. “I had a young couple pull up in a truck the other day, with a baby in the backseat, who told me they would like a prayer to help them find work. We prayed together that God would open some doors for them, and when I looked up, this otherwise handsome and rugged young man had some tears welling up in his eyes. It’s beautiful to be able to bond in that way.”

Wilkinson notes that the Broadmoor neighborhood and its surrounding areas are some of the most culturally, racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse areas in Baton Rouge—an

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ON EXHIBIT

This Same Dusty Road LSU MUSEUM OF ART, OPENS SEPTEMBER 17

COURTESY LETITIA HUCKABY

L

ouisiana Highway 19 may not have the same ring as Route 66 or the Blue Ridge Parkway, but for multimedia artist Letitia Huckaby—and anyone who has spent a good chunk of life in the parishes of East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana—it constitutes a collage of memories too vast and too spiritual for a traditional mode of art. Or rather, for just one traditional mode of art.

In “Letitia Huckaby: This Letitia Huckaby, “East Feliciana Altarpiece,” 2010, pigment print on silk.

Same Dusty Road,” which opens September 17 at the LSU Museum the fore of national conversations pieces of Huckaby’s work, hanging of Art, Huckaby—who holds three right now amid Black Lives Matter like tapestries meant to be gazed degrees in photography and jourand COVID-19.” upon, and not glanced at, lend nalism—uses heirloom fabrics, One of Huckaby’s most complex texture to the art of forging and traditional hand-quilting techpieces of photography printed on preserving memory. niques and photography to map silk, “East Feliciana Altarpiece,” “With so many of us distant, the images of her family legacy in features the artist’s grandmother unable to visit family and friends, a visual journey at once personal Jessie as its central figure, borI think her work offers connecand universal. Centering pardered by an ornate frame and surtion, affirmation and a critical ticularly on her family matriarchs rounded by photographs of local perspective,” says LSU MOA curaIssue Date: Ad of proof #1 and theMarch complexities African trees, yards and parking lots—the tor Courtney Taylor. “Her work • Please respond by e-mail faxthe withSouth your approval American lifeorin bothor minor revisions. geographies of place and purpose also confronts racial, social and • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions past and present, the roughly 20 in everyday life. Every detail economic inequities that are at are received by the close of business today.

matters: her use of cotton relates to the significance of cotton in the lives of her enslaved ancestors, and her “Bayou Baroque” series traces another, broader matriarchy—the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans.

“There are many artists working with photography who print on fabric, and many artists that incorporate quilting techniques into their work,” says Taylor, “but Letitia certainly brings a unique approach—and the unique approach combining her faith, family and cultural history and its rootedness here in Louisiana will be special for our audiences.”

Huckaby will also serve as guest curator to embed works from LSU MOA’s next exhibition, “Southbound: Photographs Of and About the New South,” into the permanent collection. In the meantime, her work will be on display until March 14, 2021. lsumoa.org —CHRISTINA LEO

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QUALITY OF LIFE

School Daze

BY KATE STEVENS

EDDY PEREZ/LSU STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

RAPIDLY CHANGING RECOMMENDATIONS CREATE ANXIETY FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL-AGE KIDS, BUT LOCAL EXPERTS SAY IT’S POSSIBLE TO FIND CALM AMIDST THE CHAOS

Anna Long knows professionally and personally what it’s like to deal with the start of an uncertain year for kids, as both an associate professor of psychology at LSU and a mom to daughter Simone.

I

old, says her anxiety lessened a bit when the East Baton Rouge Parish School District announced students would learn remotely from home until after Labor Day at least. “I wouldn’t want them to be back in school full time right now,” Barnes says. “I feel really good about our schools’ plan.”

Local experts say it’s totally normal for parents—and children—to experience anxiety and even depression as the COVID-19 epidemic affects yet another school year. Ally Bayard, a licensed professional counselor who works with students at St. James Episcopal Day School, and Anna Long, a licensed practicing psychologist and associate professor in the LSU Department of Psychology, offer advice on how to worry less this fall as children head back to class—one way or the other.

“It makes sense that many parents and children are concerned about returning to the school environment,” says Bayard. “For children, much of life is outside of their control. Schedules, routines and decisions are put into place for children every day, so when the world feels off-kilter, it makes sense that children would be particularly affected as they have less control over their worlds anyway.”

For younger children, anxiety can manifest in behavior changes like fussiness, clinginess, meltdowns or regressions, according to Long. Older children may experience problems falling or staying asleep, suffer from physical ailments like stomachaches, and have a more difficult time paying attention in class, she adds.

Long, who counts crisis response as one of her specialties, wrote “Helping Kids Cope

with COVID-19” for distribution to parents from LSU’s Office of Strategic Communications.

She advises parents to create a consistent schedule or routine for their children because it’s that structure that gives children a sense of safety and security. “It’s also really good for us as adults,” Long says.

She also urges parents to ask their kids how they are feeling and if they have any questions or concerns about going back to school. Then, listen to them and provide accurate information that balances fact with reassurance. If a child tells you they are worried they will get infected with COVID19 at school, a parent could say they understand their concerns and show the different things the school is doing to keep students safe, Long suggests.

Don’t over-respond or provide

inRegister.com • September 2020

vy Barnes was worried.

Would it be safe to send her kids back to school this fall during the COVID-19 epidemic? The unfamiliarity of the virus and the search to find factual information about it had left the local stay-at-home mom on edge.

“This has just felt so extreme,” says Barnes. “It’s not like, should I start solids at six or seven months? These are serious health and life decisions. For me, that’s been the hardest part—not really knowing a solid source for information.”

Barnes has coped with COVID19-related stress by taking daily walks and with yoga. She also tries to keep her house as orderly as possible with eight people living, working and learning from home. Barnes, whose six children range in age from 3 to 15 years

25

too much information that kids one day. “Lastly, with the return aren’t asking about in the first to school, I encourage parents and place, Long says; that can underteachers to really check in on their mine healthy coping. She also students,” she says. “Some children recommends that parents monitor are legitimately afraid that they the amount of COVID-19 exposure are going to get the virus and die. their kids may be accidentally Others are afraid to spend time absorbing like the evening news or with their parents or grandparents an adult’s phone conversation. out of fear of spreading the virus, even if they have no reason to Bayard, who recently launched Sparenting, a fully digital resource think they themselves have been providing parents personalized exposed.” education and support through A parent’s outlook is also impormessaging and virtual consultatant when trying to help a child. tions, advises that parents should “You want to think about you as a acknowledge this is a difficult time parent, what you’re modeling,” says by accepting their own worries Long. “They are paying attention and the worries of their child. to your stress response to this, so “Precautions like social distancing if they see you stressed out a lot, have left many adults and children that’s going to cause them to be feeling isolated, lonely and fearful,” more stressed.”

Bayard says. “It is not wrong to Long has seen adults stressed acknowledge these emotions.” over helping their children learn from home during the workday and She also encourages parents to ask questions about what their the quality of their kids’ education. child’s school is doing to keep But all students are in the same children and school staff safe and boat right now and kids will be able to catch up, she notes. engaged. “Sometimes having information is all we need to reduce a What should you do instead? great number of concerns,” Bayard “Focus on how you can make the says. most of your kids’ instruction in the Issue Date: Sept 2020reminds Ad proof #4 here and now,” Long advises, “and Bayard constantly • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your or minor revisions. don’t worry so much about things parents and children thatapproval all this • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions further in the future.” is temporary and that it will end are received by the close of business today.

COURTESY IVY BARNES

QUALITY OF LIFE

The master bedroom has become a command center for the Barnes family, as dad Stephen shares workspace with daughters Bliss and Farrah while they attend school virtually from home. Finding enough room for parents Stephen and Ivy and their six children to work has required some creativity—and some powerful Wi-Fi!

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LEARN HOW TO LEARN You can learn to utilize the online resources necessary in this virtual world at the EBR Library’s digital academy. Here are just a few:

• GOOGLE: Get instruction on everything Google from Gmail to spreadsheets, docs and slides, as well as how to utilize the cloud.

• OVERDRIVE: Learn how to get eBooks in an easy tutorial. OverDrive connects you to the library’s digital collection in a web browser and offers two ways to download your library loans.

• HERITAGEQUEST: A database of

genealogical sources, local and family histories, and research aids. It contains records for individuals in more than 60 countries, with coverage dating back to the 1700s.

• MANGO LANGUAGES: A language

learning tool that offers instruction in more than 70 languages. There are even courses for people who are learning English as a second language.

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s more events and performances move to a virtual platform, knowing how to tune in isn’t always clear. You don’t have to miss out on anything because your friendly librarian is here, like a fairy godmother, to get you up to speed and turn your pumpkin into a coach.

Your East Baton Rouge Parish Library has easy tutorials available in its Niche Academy to help improve your online savvy. The Digital Library can also help you

trace your ancestry, learn a new language, find book recommendations and even teach you how to use social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

EVENTS TO ATTEND

Try out your new skills at the Library’s events. The Maker Faire will be held entirely online this year. Visit the events calendar at ebrpl.com. It is updated regularly with links to all of the Library programming you love.

and crafts video tutorials, giving you on-demand access to expert instruction in drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, baking, and more.

• GOODREADS: A terrific social

networking site where you can track what you’ve read or want to read, connect with friends, and share book recommendations with millions of readers worldwide.

• NOVELIST: Provides book

recommendations based on appeal factors, curated lists, and read-alikes for titles you enjoy.

• FACEBOOK: From sign up to set up.

• INSTAGRAM: Learn about the app and how to best use it.

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inRegister.com • September 2020

LEARNING TO LIVE IN AN ONLINE WORLD

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27

COVER STORY

Stars in Her Eyes

BY CHRISTINA LEO

inRegister.com • September 2020

ASTRONAUT-IN-TRAINING ALYSSA CARSON PURSUES A GRAVITY-DEFYING GOAL

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inRegister.com • September 2020

“What started out as a way to document my own aspirations has become an awesome way to connect with and inspire other people who have the same dreams.”

JASON HOOK PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY SPACE COAST MAGAZINES

After earning her pilot’s license at age 18, Baton Rouge native Alyssa Carson now has her sights way beyond Earth’s atmosphere in her quest to become one of the first humans on Mars. Her mission has resonated with astrophiles around the globe, and her @nasablueberry Instagram account now has more than 307,000 followers.

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COVER STORY training, microgravity flights, skydiving, a self-published book, and completion of all seven of NASA’s international space camps, among other accomplishments—the fact that Carson has only just entered her second year of college this fall reads as a refreshingly relatable checkpoint.

“College is something I’ve especially looked forward to, since I can officially take classes I feel are really meaningful and work toward something I’m interested in,” she explains during a late-summer interview from the Baton Rouge home she shares with her father, Bert. Shortly after our conversation, Carson travels back to the Florida Institute of Technology, a private university on America’s “Space Coast” near the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and home to the Aldrin Space

Institute, a program created with the specific aim to advance space exploration and development toward a permanent human presence on Mars. And while anyone might use similar words to talk about pursuing their dreams through the college major of their choice, Carson’s choice is, shall we say, pretty stellar.

“Astrobiology is a difficult major to find,” says Carson. “It’s a huge field, though, so you can study anything from bacteria and plants in space to entire planets or entire solar systems.”

Despite her extensive training in the science and mechanics of space flight, which would be necessary tools in any astronaut’s arsenal, Carson’s research interests currently lie in extraterrestrial soils and plants—some of the most rapidly advancing and critical areas in astrobiology,

NIKE

inRegister.com • September 2020 30

and Austria—as well as in countless public engagements, panels, and interviews conducted in Spanish, French and Chinese—has echoed similar sentiments, but with a twist Bradbury would never have seen coming: Carson, this contemporary speaker for the stars, is only 19 years old, and has been heralding humans’ path to Mars since her childhood in the mid-to-late-aughts—a timeframe that sparked the beginning of the end for Bradbury’s fictional doomed colonists, but actually was the tip of the iceberg (or extraterrestrial supervolcano) for one of the world’s youngest astronauts-in-training.

With so much already under her belt—four languages thanks to an education at the Baton Rouge International School, a pilot’s license, scuba certification, G-force and decompression

Carson’s space quest has led to collaborations with big companies, from a Berlin-based designer of “space tourism” luggage to these Marsinspired images from Nike’s “Space to Dream” campaign. She even tested Final Frontier Design’s space suits for the Canadian Space Agency.

COURTESY

O

n November 12, 1971, the eve of the Mariner 9 space probe’s entrance into Martian orbit, planetary science professor Bruce Murray hosted a seminar of thinkers to discuss the significance of the event. The panel included New York Times science editor Walter Sullivan, cosmologist Carl Sagan, and science fiction writers Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, the latter of whom had published his collection of forward-thinking short stories, The Martian Chronicles, more than 20 years earlier. “What’s the use of looking at Mars through a telescope, sitting on panels, writing books,” Bradbury said to the audience, “if it isn’t to guarantee, not just the survival of mankind, but mankind surviving forever!”

Alyssa Carson, standing solo on TEDx stages in Greece, Romania

particularly as they relate to the 8-hour car ride—as the primary possibilities of future human instrument tender. She’s also settlement on the Red Planet, in been trusted with NASA-funded which Carson hopes to play a role. instruments in high-altitude and “Florida Tech specializes in a lot hypoxic situations at 25,000 feet of Martian research,” says Carson. in a pressurized plane. It’s been “There’s a lab where we try to great to see her interact with simulate Martian conditions in a peers and professionals with such space about the size of a closet— ease and responsibility.” basically a ‘Mars box’—where we For Carson, the task of proving try to recreate its atmosphere, its herself at such a young age is all soil ... just researching the possiin a day’s work. “There have been bilities of using and altering those several times where, for example, things to see how we can use them if I meet an astronaut, I want in growing plants, for example.” them to know that I’m not just Her college work is only the another kid saying I want to be latest research venture for Carson. like them,” she says. “I want them Jason Reimuller, executive to realize that I’m working hard. director of the Project PoSSUM I’ll try to throw out big words aeronomy research and educasometimes, or remind them that, tion program, a citizen science yes, I do research campaigns, I do initiative where Carson began test Final Frontier equipment, and training for space conditions as a things like that. It’s a big thing, to 15-year-old, knows firsthand the be taken seriously.” verve with which she approaches Not that someone who logs her studies. training hours experiencing “Alyssa’s been in all of our parabolic flight in pressurized citizen science campaigns, which plane cabins can’t, well, feel the is a feat in itself, since they’re pressure. “There have been times pretty novel experiences,” he says. in college where I’ve had to check “One required going up to northmyself and ask if I should be doing Issue Date: Septto2020 Ad proof #3 so many things at once,” Carson ern Canada study noctilucent • Please respond by e-mail or fax with yourright approval or minor revisions. clouds, and Alyssa was there says. “College really pushes you, • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions with us—after a long flight and an but it’s been exciting to do that are received by the close of business today.

COLLIN RICHIE

When inRegister first featured Carson in the fall of 2014, she was an eighth-grader at the Baton Rouge International School and already doggedly focused on achieving her dream of traveling to Mars. “This was not something I pushed her into,” her father Bert told inRegister at the time. “This is all her.”

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31

COVER STORY

NASA PHOTO/TOM TSCHIDA

MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY VIA AP

EL MERCURIO GDA/AP IMAGES

Carson’s ambitions have afforded her the opportunity to interact with dignitaries in the United States and abroad. Here, she met with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera (second from right) at the Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago, Chile, in 2018.

Among Carson’s many trips to NASA facilities was this 2015 visit to the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California after she became the first person to complete the NASA Passport program by going to all 14 NASA visitor centers.

inRegister.com • September 2020

Carson sits in a replica cockpit of a space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merrit Island, Florida. Her college home, Florida Tech, is less than an hour’s drive away from Kennedy.

32

and see how I’m developing and learning about myself in general.”

After all, Carson isn’t too far removed from the days when speaking engagements, homework, extracurriculars and socializing with friends all revolved in the same handful of hours after school. Leaving time for Khalid meet-and-greets, Post Malone playlists, and binge-watching Netflix’s Outer Banks is all part of the delicate scheme to keep teenagedom intact.

“My dad and I definitely wanted to make sure I had the same experience as everyone else,” she says.

“For example, once I had a speech

in north Louisiana on the same night as a school dance, four hours away. Afterward, my dad just sped down the road while I changed in the backseat, doing my makeup in the visor mirror. We went straight to my friend’s house and started taking pictures right away—it was still fun. I made sure not to miss anything I felt was too important.”

Pursuing a passion in the public eye, while never her initial goal, has nonetheless provided the opportunity to expand her social role in the sciences. “The reason I started speaking and doing more public events was really just because I saw, when the shuttle

program ended, that there was a huge gap between what was really going on in the space industry and what the public had an understanding of,” she says. “People were acting like NASA was closed, or that there was no more need for astronauts, when that’s not true at all! So what started out as a way to document my own aspirations has become an awesome way to connect with and inspire other people who have the same dreams.”

If anything, Carson’s presence— whether in the sciences or on the stage in front of fellow starry-eyed hopefuls—is stronger than ever before. Masked and goggled in

the university labs only 50 miles from the site where Mariner 9 first lifted off into the exosphere, Carson awaits the next rumble of Bradbury’s own Rocket Summer, when a liftoff to Mars leaves with the drumming of her contributions “beating into the night”— and perhaps with her place in the passenger seat.

“It’s been fascinating to watch Alyssa bond with established professionals and young peers like herself,” says Reimuller. “Her ambitions and messages are so important right now, and she’s definitely giving a face to the brighter future of humanity.”

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COVER STORY

Lifting Off

NASA/MAF PHOTO BY JUDE GUIDRY

Renee Horton stands before a 140-footlong liquid hydrogen tank being produced for NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon.

BY CHRISTINA LEO

RENEE HORTON BUILDS CONFIDENCE—AND ROCKETS

inRegister.com • September 2020

‘Y

34

ou know what, it was nine years ago to the day,” says Renee Horton, interrupting herself. “Nine years ago on August 5, I walked across the stage, and there has not been another yet to follow in my footsteps.”

That was the day when Horton, Baton Rouge native and current Space Launch System quality engineer in the NASA Residential Management Office at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, became the first—and only—African American to achieve a Ph.D. in materials science with a concentration in physics from the University of Alabama. Once a self-described geeky teen whose hearing impairments prevented her from fulfilling her dreams of becoming an astronaut, these days, her expertise in rocket science sustains NASA’s space launch systems designed for deep space travel— including the largest rocket fuel tank ever built—and takes her around the world, inspiring thousands with her journey to success.

Oh, and she writes poetry, too.

“It’s true,” she says, “I

published a volume shortly before graduation. That was the first release of my creativity.”

Also the author of the Dr. H series of children books, Horton credits the birth of her third child, a daughter, now 22, as the impetus that drove her to realize her “unfulfilled purpose” after years of relegating space science to the backburner.

“I immediately knew as I was looking at her that I wanted the world to be different,” she says.

“I wanted her opportunities to be different. And that is what truly shook me out of the pity party that had tricked me into thinking that there was something wrong with me, and that I’d never do something amazing in this world.”

Achieving a degree in electrical engineering from LSU in 2002, followed by the University of Alabama Ph.D. in 2011, Horton began work with NASA as a student in 2009, and as a mechanical test engineer in 2012. The project she works on now, the SLS Core Stage, might one day be among the tools that take astronauts to Mars, an achievement owing much to years of hard work and, on occasion, a sense of isolation.

“There were times when it was extremely lonely, being the only person like me in my program,” she says. “Even now in my career I can feel lonely when I walk into a room and there’s still no one who looks like me. The difference is that I’m really happy doing what I do now. All of that was worth it, and these days I spend a lot less time alone.”

Horton is committed to making sure her experience as a successful woman in STEM doesn’t remain an anomaly for long.

Her nonprofit, Unapologetically Being, specializes in just the sort of mentorship that helped her succeed as a student, with as much emphasis on embracing happiness as embracing the drive toward careers in technology. For young women, this could mean learning how to identify and push past gender-based discrimination.

For young men—especially young white men who already dominate STEM fields—this could mean learning how to be advocates for minorities, helping to open doors before they begin slamming shut.

“Not all mentors need to look like you,” Horton says. “One of my Ph.D. mentors, Dr. Preston McGill,

who works for NASA, was a huge influence on me. To him, I never was different, and that was a really positive thing for me during some tough times.”

Horton also credits her aunt, who likewise worked in STEM, for demonstrating an inspirational path to success, as well as Shirley Ann Jackson, the first president of the National Society of Black Physicists. In 2016, Horton herself was elected to the office.

“It’s important to let kids play out their imagination without fear of gender roles,” she says.

“Even cooking, which has often been relegated to ‘women’s work,’ is all about math and chemistry, but we don’t teach it that way. So mothers and women have often been overlooked.”

As for the next generation of young girls looking toward the stars but fearing to face the status quo? “You’ve got to do it anyway,” says Horton. “Growing up, I used to be one of those nerdy kids that other kids made fun of for liking reading and science. But now, I’m a rocket scientist. It’s okay to be different, and it’s worth it to explore all of those things that make you happy.”

Out of this World

BY CHRISTINA LEO

ASTRONAUT AND PHYSICIAN SERENA AUÑÓN-CHANCELLOR BRINGS HER EXPERTISE TO BATON ROUGE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

S

Before treating COVID-19 patients on south Louisiana’s terra firma, NASA astronaut Serena AuñónChancellor hitched a ride on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station in 2018.

human performance.”

After all, Auñón-Chancellor estimates that up to 80% of experiments performed on the ISS—which include studies on Parkinson’s Disease, chemotherapy, muscle atrophy, plant growth and more—are conducted for the benefit of life on Earth. Having been selected by NASA in 2009, she logs hour after hour observing our world at its most extreme so that the rest of us might live normal, carefree lives. She also continues to cover medical issues and on-orbit support in the Astronaut Office. Some studies being performed right now look at plant growth in microgravity and altered soil environments, she says, as well as how cement mixes in microgravity. And if any of that hints at a future of extraterrestrial construction, well, you might be onto something.

“The Artemis lunar exploration

program is one of NASA’s biggest projects right now,” says AuñónChancellor. “The moon is what we’ll need to shoot for again if we eventually want to travel to Mars, kind of like a stopover.”

NASA aims to have boots on the ground of the moon again in 2024, including those of the first woman to walk on the moon. But even an astronaut longs for the vintage vibes of home sweet home, a place that becomes more novel the more it shrinks in a spaceship window.

“When you’re on the space station, you can look out and see this big beautiful planet, but it’s much harder to feel it,” says Auñón-Chancellor. “You miss the feel of the Earth, you miss the smells, you miss the weather, you miss feeling the rain and the wind.

You miss standing outside on your back patio in the early morning and listening to the silence. You

miss the crickets at night, you miss the locusts, all those things that make this planet so hard to replicate.”

With her feet on the ground for the time being—and still recovering from the disuse osteoporosis all astronauts experience after months in microgravity—AuñónChancellor can look at the sky and find the stars ever bright, a beacon of Earth’s finer future courtesy of galactic science, and a memory of her honor to serve as America’s envoy.

“Up there,” she says, “you move in three dimensions, you float, you fly—those are things I still dream about. You understand that each day up there is a gift, and each day you have huge expectations put upon you, and you want to make sure you meet those expectations and do a good job for your country while still having fun. And that’s all it comes down to.”

inRegister.com • September 2020

pend enough months on the International Space Station one year, and you’ll remember to bring your Darth Vader costume the next.

Or so says Serena AuñónChancellor, the Indiana-born and Colorado-raised physician and astronaut now teaching at the LSU Health Sciences Center’s Baton Rouge campus. Back in October of 2018, she could still be found approximately 220 miles above the Earth’s surface, taking part in an impromptu Halloween party with cosmic colleagues Alexander Gerst of Germany and Sergey Prokopyev of Russia—when she wasn’t conducting essential experiments as flight engineer or operating robot arms or staving off microgravity bone loss, that is.

Earlier that month, the team had expected to be joined by more colleagues until the would-be launch aborted, leaving the three astronauts to continue the remainder of their 197 days aboard the ISS alone.

“It was movie night, and we had watched a documentary on Shackleton, the explorer whose ship got stuck on ice in the Arctic for months,” says AuñónChancellor. “Shackleton had continued to celebrate birthdays and holidays to keep up behavioral health, so Alex, who was our commander at the time, decided we’d have a Halloween party with costumes and music and good food—he had brought the Darth Vader costume, Sergey was Elvis, and I was a mad scientist. I even had Halloween candy that my husband had packed for me.”

Now training internal medicine residents and treating COVID-19 patients simultaneously, AuñónChancellor, who has trained extensively for life in extreme circumstances as well as in the fields of internal and aerospace medicine, couldn’t be more up to the challenge.

“I look at it this way: regular medicine is ‘normal environment, abnormal body.’ Aerospace medicine is ‘normal body, abnormal environment,’” she says. “It’s about looking at how human physiology changes in those conditions, and how that impacts

35

ON THE TOWN

Bel Canto

BY CHRISTINA LEO

T

his April should have set the stage for Opéra Louisiane’s production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, an end-of-season show about love and fantasy starring tenor Frederick Ballentine fresh off his Met debut, and a thrilling start to a new decade for the organization dedicated to bringing excellence in music to Baton Rouge since 2007. We all know what happened instead.

COVID-19 saw the postponement of Tales as well as the halting of musical theater all over the world, with performers and organizers stranded in a perpetual waiting game.

But Opéra Louisiane is far from its curtain call. Last month, taking inspiration from the Baton Rouge community’s love of sports, its first-ever virtual performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville was cast via audience vote in a

“Fantasy Opera Draft” in time for an October 16 premiere, and its educational programs and outdoor performances still sit high on the roster for the rest of 2020.

“We looked at different ways to make opera available and accessible—and not just any opera, because anyone can tune into the Met right now and watch their nightly broadcasts. That’s the best of the best,” says Leanne Clement, general director of Opéra Louisiane. “So we were challenged with asking: what would make tuning in and watching something from Opéra Louisiane special?”

To start, fans and patrons of the organization can look forward to more of its existing specialties throughout the year. The “Sofa Series” performances from years past, for example, will continue online, with plans to collaborate with teaching artists in and out of the Opéra Louisiane artist family.

MICHELLE NGUYEN

OPÉRA LOUISIANE’S VIBRATO RINGS VICTORIOUS AMID COVID-19

Opéra Louisiane artistic director Michael Borowitz provides piano accompaniment to sopranos Keturah Heard and Elana Gleason during the organization’s “Shifting Gears” outdoor concert on July 22 at BREC’s Milford Wampold Memorial Park.

The Lunch with Leanne concert series will pursue a Zoom format complete with cocktail performances and meet-and-greets. And July’s successful “Shifting Gears” outdoor concert at BREC’s Milford Wampold Memorial Park will expand to additional locations throughout Baton Rouge, including plans to perform live in the downtown amphitheater.

“Thanks to the support of the community and our patrons, we’ve been able to stay flexible and creative,” says Clement. “They’re what make the shows happen. It’s a real family feeling here, and we want to be able to provide live music to Baton Rouge however and whenever it’s safe to do so.” operalouisiane.com

10.10.20 Virtual Annual Fundraising Event SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 - 12 NOON inRegister.com • September 2020

Please join us as we create awareness and raise funds

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inRegister.com • September 2020

Vincent and Jewel Centanni are the husband-and-wife team behind the Ivy House Designer Showhome. In addition to pulling together a roster of local designers, the pair chose all the finishes in the home.

38

Show & Tell

COURTESY IVY RESIDENTIAL CONCEPTS

The home’s exterior has a French formal look. Cedar shingles add character and warmth, while visually connecting with the woods used throughout the interior.

THE IVY HOUSE DESIGNER SHOWHOME BRINGS LOCAL PROFESSIONALS TOGETHER TO TRANSFORM A NEW HOME IN THE ADELIA AT OLD GOODWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD

BY RILEY BIENVENU BOURGEOIS

A

PHOTOS BY MELISSA OIVANKI

empty spaces in the 4,291-square-foot home were facing delivery delays, not to mention that amid quarantine, the idea of hosting hundreds of guests in a single space was unimaginable. Finally, near the end of July, the designers were able to install their room elements, and a plan was put into place to ensure social distancing.

“Luckily, we had a great response from the community,” says Jewel of the two-week event that benefited local nonprofit Heritage Ranch. “And we’ve also created new resources so that people who are just hearing about the home now can virtually walk through and shop the spaces.”

While the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath house is still up for sale, Jewel and Vincent are already busy at work on their next project: a holiday showhome in Bocage set for 2021.

“This whole process is a lot, but our energy comes from our passion,” Jewel explains. “We have wanted to do this for so long, and we are truly living out our dream.”

On the following pages, find photos and designer details from Ivy House’s public areas. Stay tuned for a closer look at the showhome’s private spaces in inRegister’s October issue.

And take your own virtual tour of this showhome through September 15 at liveivy.com/showhome.

Tour proceeds benefit Heritage Ranch.

inRegister.com • September 2020

s the French-inspired home on their lot in the new Adelia at Old Goodwood neighborhood began to take shape, Jewel and Vincent Centanni were across the world in the South of France soaking up sunshine and design inspiration. Traveling throughout the idyllic region for several weeks last summer, the couple, who owns home design and construction concierge company Ivy Residential Concepts, were on a mission to bring authenticity to their new build, which would soon serve as the canvas for the first-ever Ivy House Designer Showhome.

“It’s always a challenge making a new-construction home look old,” notes Jewel of the house designed by Andy McDonald of Andy McDonald Design Group and built by contractor Colony Homes. “We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the details to create spaces that brought together the French style I was going for while using timeless materials that stand the test of time.”

Two years earlier, the Centannis made the move to Baton Rouge from the Northshore to oversee the project and fulfill their dream of hosting a showhome that married sophisticated new construction with creative interiors. However, as the house neared completion, a new obstacle stood in their way, one they hadn’t in all of their hours of planning prepared for: COVID-19.

The 11 interior designers and numerous specialists who had been lined up to transform 13

39

INTERIORS

Living Room inRegister.com • September 2020

Dixon Smith Interiors

40

IT ALL STARTED with a blue velvet sofa. An unlikely item for all three Dixon Smith designers—Hilary Smith Kennedy, Joel Fazende and David Coco—to readily agree upon, the statement piece set the stage for the transformation of the showhome’s largest space: an open-concept living room that feeds seamlessly into both the kitchen and entry.

“There’s no stopping and starting,” says Fazende of the space. “Therefore, everything needed to work together.”

Filling the space with a mixture of showroom pieces and special-order items, the three designers tackled the challenge of creating a space intended to accommodate a lot of foot traffic. “There are so many ways to get through the room,” explains Coco. “That made it a tricky space.”

Orienting the sofa to face the fireplace, the designers added four chairs to allow for uninhibited views through the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Travel paths are left open as a small coffee table occupies one side of the room and a dark grey ottoman is utilized in the other.

Underfoot is one of Kennedy’s favorite pieces: an orange and blue rug. Pairing the floor covering with a bit of chinoiserie fabric in the form of throw pillows, the pop of orange coincidentally offers a sense of continuity between the living and library spaces, as it went along with Ty Larkins’ design.

“We didn’t plan that,” says Kennedy with a laugh.

“I think the pop of color was just what the room needed.”

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Entry

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Dixon Smith Interiors IN THE ABSENCE of a defined foyer, the Dixon Smith team outfitted the space between the white oak staircase and the dining room with a round white table and two chartreuse velvet stools. Overhead, the beams bearing the weight of the second floor bridge, which connects upstairs living spaces, take the place of a grand chandelier, providing a dose of warmth and grounding the home’s high ceilings. FireRock pavers in the color “Ore” were chosen by Jewel Centanni to cover the entire first floor. The manmade concrete flooring helped pull together Centanni’s French vision, as it has an antique stone look while still providing durability.

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V I R T U A L

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Grab the ladies for a virtual paint and drink! Check out BREC’s new adult-only art classes designed to encourage and inspire creativity while painting your home rosé!

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inRegister.com • September 2020

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41

INTERIORS

Kitchen

Ivy Residential Concepts/Dixon Smith Interiors NOWHERE DOES the French country style shine more than in the large kitchen space. A limewashed stone wall housing a 60-inch Thermador range from Ferguson sets the scene for the interaction of rustic and luxe, while a white oak island and cabinetry add warmth that ties in with the finishes throughout the rest of the home.

“The key to giving a home a more upscale look is to home in on what you want the house to be,” explains Jewel Centanni. “Stay consistent with construction materials and style. Only add in the trends when it comes to interiors that can be changed.”

Dixon Smith Interiors provided that dose of creativity with shearling-accented barstools in a dark wood, echoing the black shade of two large overhead lanterns. “We didn’t want high-back chairs that would block off the kitchen from the living space,” says designer Hilary Smith Kennedy. “The curved shape combined with the shearling touch made them a cool and funky addition to the room.”

To the side of the room, the main sink has been moved under a large window to provide a view while also opening up the main island, which features the same Carrara marble used throughout the room.

Behind the stone wall, a service space with a second sink, two dishwashers, an ice maker, individual fridge and freezer columns, and a wine fridge complete the kitchen’s functional and entertaining-oriented layout.

Dining Room

inRegister.com • September 2020

Fireside Antiques/Laura Roland Interiors

42

AT THE FRONT of the house, the dining room sits flooded with natural light. Rays interact with the room’s statement chandelier, a oneof-a-kind piece created by Laura Roland of Fireside Antiques and Laura Roland Interiors, who collected each of the crystals and hand-strung them one by one. The tiny light reflections create Roland’s intended illusion of water on a sunny day.

“The John Evans painting was the first thing I found, and it was my inspiration,” explains Roland of the pond scene hung over the buffet. “I wanted you to feel like you’re in the painting.”

Algae-hued paint, Benjamin Moore’s “Mountain Moss,” sets the room off from the larger living spaces to which it connects. A jute rug further immerses guests into Roland’s nature-oriented vision. “I wanted to bring people down to earth,” she says, “but still touch on the elegance of nature that I think fits well in a dining room.”

When it came to adding those refined touches, Roland struck a balance between casual and formal. Simple green pickling jars with garden clippings fit seamlessly beside a setting of Haviland & Parlon “Syracuse” plates. Antique Venetian port glasses and etched drinking glasses stand alongside taper candles in a variety of colors.

“Unexpected is my thing,” Roland notes.

“When I was thinking about the space, I was stuck on the question of what you put on your table that’s meaningful. I think that comes from a collection.”

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Mudroom

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Abat-Jour Interiors

THE INCLUSION OF a mudroom—an often forgotten but invaluable space—demonstrates the Centannis’ focus on the function behind the aesthetics, a theme they carried throughout the home.

A white oak built-in with drawers and seats for setting down bags or putting on shoes is the major statement in the small space. Rivaling for attention, though, is a bust perched on a custom iron table, both added by Abat-Jour Interiors owner William Evans.

“I try to get things you don’t normally find,” explains Evans, noting that the two iron lamps are his own design, nicknamed the “perfect floor lamp” for their hidden bulbs and wires.

To finish off the space while bringing comfort to the all-wood built-in, Evans added custom-made grey cushions, as well as brown velvet throw pillows sourced from McMillin Interiors.

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In Line Organizing

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inRegister.com • September 2020

CANS ARRANGED IN color order, baskets with dry erase labels, Lazy Susans galore. This pantry is Instagram-worthy.

However, according to organizer Anna Napier of In Line Organizing, the elements that she brought to this space are more than just easy on the eyes. Each basket, bin and jar is rooted in practicality.

“Often, organization fails because the person who did the organizing knows where everything goes but the other family members might not,” she explains, noting that labels and a can riser are her musthaves in any pantry. “A good system keeps everything in its place no matter who is putting away the groceries.”

However, this space is also about the bones from which Napier was working. A counter with space for appliances, as well as large storage shelves below for more rarely used small gadgets, helps cut down on clutter on the kitchen counters.

43

INTERIORS

Library

inRegister.com • September 2020

Ty Larkins Interiors

44

THIS OAK-PANELED library is one of the many touches contributing to the home’s Old World feel. Right off the living room, the area serves as a quiet sanctuary while acting as a grand entrance to the master suite.

“Dedicated spaces comprised of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves are rarely installed in new homes today, so this space felt like a throwback,” explains designer Ty Larkins. “We wanted this space to not be a slavish recreation of a past library, but one that reflects how we currently live today and what might be found on the shelves of a modern-day family.”

For Larkins, that meant magazines. Lining one wall are the white spines of publications including Architectural Digest and Vogue. “We wanted to make the point that magazines, unlike books, reflect the type of physical reading that still takes place today,” he notes.

Monochromatic books handmade specifically for the space fill the remainder of the shelves, creating a soothing backdrop for statement pieces including a pair of framed Hermès bags and a large painting by Tony Mose, titled “Houses.”

For seating, a simple but effective arrangement was dreamt up by Larkins to maximize useable space without inhibiting foot traffic. The space is centered around a custom-designed tufted, armless sofa and chaise lounge, and overhead is a 19th-century antique alabaster chandelier.

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INTERIORS

Powder Room Nancy Zito Interiors

EVERY POWDER room needs a statement piece, and in this one, it’s a French limestone sink that Jewel and Vincent Centanni found at Crown & Colony on an antiquing trip to Fairhope, Alabama. Giving it the same limewash finish as the stone in the kitchen, the sink stands out without overtaking the space.

To draw some warmth into the small space, designer Nancy Zito of Nancy Zito Interiors added a textured wood mirror over the vanity, as well as a seagrass ottoman underneath. “The right mirror is a must-have in any bathroom,” Zito notes. “In this room, the round mirror softened the strong linear elements of the space and complemented the woven ottoman under the stone vanity.”

Backyard inRegister.com • September 2020

Ivy Residential Concepts/Centanni Grounds Management/Red Onion

46

A FITTING SETTING for a period film, the home’s backyard features one of the most envied hallmarks of French design: a manicured garden. Evoking visions of the famous Garden of Versailles—though on a considerably smaller scale—Jewel Centanni says the outdoor space was meant to transport guests straight to France.

Centanni did a majority of the landscape design herself, enlisting Centanni Grounds Management to help with the execution. To complete the space, a grand urn was sourced from Red Onion as a centerpiece of the garden, from which the hedgelined pathways diverge.

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CUISINE

Feeding the Tigers HUNGRY ATHLETES FIND HEARTY AND HEALTHY OFFERINGS AT THE LSU PERFORMANCE NUTRITION CENTER

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STEP 1 VISIT THE MUSEUM

inRegister.com • September 2020

Learn and engage with art: visit the museum during our modified hours to view current exhibitions.

48

Living with Art: Selections from Baton Rouge Collections closing September 27 Image from Living with Art (detail): Pharaoh Baker (American, 1925-2002), Halted Between Two Opinions, c. 1983, oil painting, Courtesy of Salomia and Ben Jeffers

STEP 2 CREATE & LEARN AT HOME TODAY Stay connected to the museum at home. Visit our online resources for arts education activities and virtual programming. lsumoa.org/online-resources

hen Joe Burrow says thank you, he covers the whole spread. His unforgettable teary tribute to Coach O at the Heisman Trophy presentation is a testament to his sincerity. “I sure hope Coach O gets a lifetime contract,” he said. “He deserves it.” Again as the world watched and LSU crowned an undefeated season with a national championship, the winning quarterback recognized all the people who made the trifecta season possible, many of whom work behind the scenes.

While the confetti cascaded, the announcement heard around the world was music to chef Michael Johnson’s ears. His friends and colleagues far and wide also noticed. “My phone blew up when everybody heard him say thank you to the chefs and caterers,” Johnson recalls. “I was emotional.

It was a really powerful moment.

All the energy and investment that we put into it being recognized right there live in front of you. I’m tearing up right now thinking about it.”

“Chef Mike” joined LSU as the executive chef of the Performance Nutrition Center just before the ribbon cutting of the renovated Football Operations Center, which features the state-of-the-art dining hall for student athletes.

Working in partnership with another newcomer, registered dietitian and director of football nutrition Zach Bennett, Johnson is passionate about feeding athletes.

It is exponentially more than serving three meals a day.

“It’s a balance,” Johnson says.

“Provide exceptionally nutritious foods that are comfortable for them. Good tasting with healthier results. Three times a day we have an opportunity for our team to be creative. I love coming to work every day. We have a committed staff who want to support the health of the students. It speaks volumes to the culture of LSU.”

A full season ago, the sparkling space was buzzing at full throttle with meal service for student athletes from every LSU sport, breaking bread together.

“Everybody usually eats in here,” Bennett says. “Our chef likes to promote a family environment. He and I share the same vision. It’s really powerful.”

“Zach is a super smart guy and I love working with him,” Johnson says. “This is a family culture.

We designed a ‘Taste of Home’ program to build relationships with athletes and their families.

We feature families’ recipes. We’ve done taste of England, taste of the Pacific Islands, taste of north and south Louisiana.” The duo is eager to return to business as usual without the obstacles of a global pandemic.

Now the polished purple, white and gold terrazzo floor is temporarily marred with “Keep a safe distance” footstep stickers at 6-feet intervals. The educational screens above the dining buffet that normally promote hydration and nutrition now include messaging about hand washing and social distancing. “When the whole country was in quarantine, we faced some of our biggest challenges and made sure our kids had safe access to healthy food. Our dining hall was able to stay open when some of our athletes were unable to return to their homes,” Bennett says.

Until they can reopen at full capacity, the meals are packed in compostable or recyclable to-go containers for easy pickup or delivery. “Right now we are serving two or three choices,” Bennett says. “We normally serve a big variety to offer everyone an option that appeals to them and fuels them. We know if they are not comfortable eating our food, they will go somewhere else. We are here to offer them help and guide them. We are not the food police. We want the kids to make their own choices.”

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C hampions We dress

everyday.

LSU Performance Nutrition Center executive chef Michael Johnson, who crossed over to the college level after a stint with the Seattle Seahawks, often whips up menus inspired by athletes’ hometowns near and far.

involved. It’s a lot about educating the student athletes. The athletes make us look good. We’re fortunate we have such high-quality athletes who are interested in joining our environment.”

As the students return to campus for their teams’ camps and a new school year, there is palpable enthusiasm for things to return to normal. An amended football game schedule has been posted, and without a doubt one thing is certain. The gameday menu before the Tigers hit the field will stay the same. “Chef travels two days ahead to ensure the quality of our meals on the road,” Bennett says.

“It obviously paid off! When you win a national championship, it’s everyone pulling their weight.”

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inRegister.com • September 2020

Since his arrival, Johnson has also worked to develop a network with LSU Agriculture Sciences, the Horticulture Club and LSU Campus Sustainability to build relationships across campus and make the kitchen one of the greenest in Baton Rouge. Up next is a garden that encourages athlete participation with the harvest featured in the Performance Nutrition Center, giving credit to the athletes who grew it.

“The food has changed a lot with Mike coming in,” Jack Marucci, director of athletic training, says. “Every little piece is important. Also, we’ve never had this many dietitians. We have four full time and an intern, plus the university has students who get

49

CUISINE Director of football nutrition Zach Bennett stands inside the year-old dining hall for athletes. The space offers students choices ranging from stone-fired pizza to carved meats.

FROM THE PLAYBOOK OF SPORTS NUTRITIONIST

ZACH BENNETT

Whether you are a performance athlete or watching from the sidelines, here are some of Zach’s tips for how to (and not to) fuel. He likes the 80%-20% rule. “Eighty percent of the time, do the best you can,” he says. “Twenty percent of the time, you can take a break from it. It’s important to have that balance, then you don’t feel guilty. One hundred percent causes people to give up. I truly believe in giving yourself permission, and I try to embody what I say. I have fried chicken every now and then.”

RECOMMENDED:

• High fruit and vegetable intake—“Eat the Rainbow” • Pineapple—Good for muscle tissue recovery • Yogurt/Greek yogurt • Spinach • Walnuts • Turmeric—Can help in recovery and fight inflammation

FOODS TO LIMIT:

IN

N PE OW RK OP IN EN S RO WE

• Processed meats—Instead, go with a natural choice without preservatives • Candy—Choose 80% cacao for a high-quality option • Packaged desserts • White bread—Choose wheat bread with fiber and B vitamins (an exception is right before competition; weekday guidance is way different than gameday) • Soda and energy drinks

TAKE THE HOMEWORK FIGHT OUT OF THE HOME. CAN’T HELP YOUR TEEN WITH ALGEBRA II? IT’S OKAY, WE GOT THIS.

inRegister.com • September 2020

Located in Perkins Rowe, Studyville is a revolutionary tutoring concept where teens can drop in and study in a safe environment with expert tutors on-hand to help, along with a coffee bar, group project space, and private study rooms.

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BRAISED BEEF OVER HERBED PASTA INGREDIENTS

6 lbs. bone-in short ribs Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed Vegetable oil, as needed 1 onion, diced 3 medium carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 cup red wine 1 (14-oz.) can crushed tomatoes 1 (29-oz.) can tomato sauce 2 bay leaves 2 large sprigs thyme 1 sprig sage 3 cups beef stock 1½ lbs. spaghetti 2 Tbsp. butter High-quality grated parmesan, to garnish Fresh parsley or fried sage, to garnish

Let short ribs sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Season generously with salt and black pepper on all sides.

Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add enough vegetable oil to just coat bottom of pot.

Working in batches, sear short ribs really well, about 3 to 4 minutes on all 4 sides.

Transfer each batch of meat to a foil-lined sheet pan or plate once seared.

To pan drippings, add onion, carrots and celery.

Season with salt and black pepper. Sauté vegetables for a few minutes until tender and caramelized. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in flour and let cook for a minute or so, stirring continuously. Deglaze pot with red wine. Bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of pan to release all of the flavors. Let simmer for another minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, thyme, sage and another pinch of salt. Let tomatoes simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in beef stock. Add short ribs back to pot. Bring liquid to a simmer. Cover pot, leaving a small crack open to allow some steam to escape. Turn heat all the way to low and let short ribs braise for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

To assemble: Prepare of large pot of boiling, salted water.

After 3 hours, remove short ribs from pot.

Strain sauce, using a wooden spoon to really

press and release all of the flavor from vegetables and herbs.

Pour sauce back into pot. Using a folded paper towel, blot as much fat off top as possible. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let sauce cook and reduce for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, use your hands and a pair of gloves to shred meat, discarding any large chunks of fat, bone and connective tissue. At the same time, drop spaghetti into boiling, salted water and cook for 2 minutes less than package instructions.

Once sauce has reduced and thickened, whisk in butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Stir shredded meat back into sauce. Taste and season with more salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed.

Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Alternatively, ladle sauce over the spaghetti. Serve with parmesan cheese and herbs on top.

inRegister.com • September 2020 51

CUISINE

GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD INGREDIENTS

MARINADE/DRESSING:

2 Tbsp. olive oil Juice of 1 lemon (1⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice) 2 Tbsp. water 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley 2 tsp. dried basil 2 tsp. garlic, minced 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. salt Cracked pepper to taste 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or chicken breasts) SALAD:

4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried 1 large cucumber, diced 2 Roma tomatoes, diced 1 red onion, sliced 1 avocado, sliced 1⁄3 cup pitted Kalamata olives (or black olives), sliced (optional) Lemon wedges, to serve

Issue Date: SEPT/2020 Ad proof #1

Whisk together all marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate remaining marinade to use as dressing later.

Add chicken to the marinade in bowl; marinate chicken for 15 to 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for chicken, prepare all salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.

Once chicken is ready, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with remaining untouched dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today.

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Where Retirement Dreams Become Reality

inRegister.com • September 2020

Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, Elder Care Planning, and More

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225-925-8312 | ellisfinancial.com Gordon D. Ellis, Jr CLU®, ChFC® and Daryl R. Ellis, CFP®, CAP®, Registered Representatives offering securities through NYLIFE Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, A Licensed Insurance Agency.

8280 YMCA Plaza Drive, Building 1, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, 225-925-8312. *Financial Advisors offering Investment Advisory Services through Eagle Strategies LLC, A Registered Investment Adviser. NYLIFE Securities and Eagle Strategies are New York Life companies. Ellis Insurance & Financial Group is not owned or operated by NYLIFE Securities LLC or its Affiliates.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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Welcome back TO TOWNE CENTER!

IN STORE, CURBSIDE PICKUP, DELIVERY & ONLINE.

HEALTH • BEAUTY • DESIGNER SHOPPING • HOME DECOR • GOURMET DINING • AND MORE

inRegister.com • September 2020

Corporate Blvd at Jefferson • 225.925.2344 • townecenteratcedarlodge.com •

53

OFF THE PAGE

The Origins of Southern College Football conflicts. And today, the emphasis put on the decision of the SEC to continue with the fall 2020 season speaks to the importance of the game to the South’s culture and its economy.

GR In the beginning of his book, AP HY Bell asks why countless decades of Andrew fans have contributed their time and McIlwaine money to see the rise of the sport and Bell their teams. While the answer is in no way simple, in the face of a pandemic it seems easier to understand. Football offers not only an escape from daily drudgery, but an opportunity for human connection. In a time when everyone has been separated by mandatory distancing, the chance to connect on an emotional level, cheering for the team that has endured through countless disasters and emergencies, is a priceless opportunity that can’t be overlooked or undervalued.

“Football, after all, has never been a static, motionless game but one that is constantly moving and adapting to changing circumstances, both on and off the field,” Bell writes in the book’s introduction. “In other words, it has continually been reshaped by the broader cultural and political currents of American life.”

GR

OW E

X P LO R E

PH

OT

O

LSU PRESS

A

s COVID-19 and its accompanying restrictions have upended nearly every aspect of life, a line has been drawn in the South. A line defending that which is sacred and therefore cannot be touched. It’s not church—that was moved online months ago. Rather, it’s football.

When University of Virginia professor Andrew McIlwaine Bell began work on his chronicle of football’s transformation from a loosely organized game for Ivy Leaguers to the multibillion-dollar enterprise it is today, he couldn’t have anticipated the new relevance that would be cast onto the contents of his book at the time of its release.

For Bell, football is a lens through which societal values and cultural changes can be easily examined. And while The Origins of Southern College Football: How an Ivy League Game Became a Dixie Tradition focuses on those that characterize the time between the end of the Civil War and the end of World War I at the very start of football’s reign, the same method can be used to examine the current environment.

At its start, football aided in helping a recently defeated South find a new sense of pride and a place in the rapidly industrializing Issue Date: Oct. Ad proof #3 United States.

Throughout the years, it contin• Please respond by be e-mail or fax with force your approval minor revisions. ued to a unifying amid orstruggles from • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions economic depressions to worldwide military are received by the close of business today.

—RILEY BIENVENU BOURGEOIS

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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THIS IS HOW WE DO SOCIAL

54

IT’S FUN! 225.928.5466

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Guy Oliver and his team are true professionals. We built a new home and extensively remodeled a pool that was on site. Our pool is a major feature of our home and we wanted one that looked incredible and could be enjoyed by our growing family. We are so happy with our pool and glad we chose GW Oliver Construction! It is refreshing to work with highly skilled craftsmen who keep their word. We highly recommend them. Thank you Guy and team!!

225.757.5577 | www.gwoliver.com @gwoliverconstruction

“

- Rex and Gina Ellison

Issue Date: Sept. Ad proof #2

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THE CRE ATI V ES

This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

OVER 30 YEARS

of expert guidance for families

capsbr.com Now more than ever, let us help you plan the educational future for your student.

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LAUREN STRAIN HOMETOWN: Baton Rouge AGE: 30 ARTISTRY: Owner and pottery artist, Pollumination Ceramics ONLINE: pollumination.com, @pollumination on Instagram

Kiln ’Em with Kindness

BY JEFF ROEDEL

inRegister.com • September 2020

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

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P

aw after paw tiptoes quick across the top of the backyard fence. It’s a high-wire act at full speed. “Oh, yeah,” says Lauren Strain, smiling as she glances out of her workshop window from her seat at a long white table loaded with radiant pots, mugs, candles and vases. “That’s either Blackjack or Cash.”

The Baton Rouge native is in the middle of her own balancing act as a creative entrepreneur, and she’s just been reminded of her first real artistic endeavor as a teenager. Armed with a thrift store camera, Strain made a film portrait of her cat as a freshman taking photography at Runnels.

“Seeing that first photo developing, it felt like magic before my eyes—I absolutely lived with my camera in high school,” says the founder of Pollumination—a clever portmanteau of pollination and illumination.

Strain is inside the former shed her contractor father built out into a studio. Having a dedicated space for her creativity has changed everything, she says, though she does still paint some in the house, she admits. While her adventurous 2-year-old naps, she’s studying a prismatic image of a hummingbird, its pattern of breast feathers rainbow-wild. The artist will be using an iridescent glaze and a color palette inspired

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promotes the health of pollinators and ecosystems through conservation, education and research.

Strain hand-paints and glazes a variety of bisque blanks with her own designs, and in May British Vogue featured a colorful row of them.

Sales have been strong even through the pandemic. She’s been leaving local pickup orders on the porch for customers, but she has plans to finish her workshop with a small retail space later this year.

Throughout, the brand has allowed her to combine all of her passions and experiences into one focused career.

“I can see how I learned all the different pieces and parts to this along the way,” Strain says.

“Photography, graphic design—I even started out studying environmental science, and that’s where the pollination comes in. I just feel like I’m doing what I’m made to do.”

WIN A 2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLB 250 SUV Donated by Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge $10.00 PER TICKET

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October 17, 2020 • 3:00 pm If winner is under 18 years old, car title will be awarded to parent or guardian. Winner must claim vehicle by November 1, 2020.

inRegister.com • September 2020

by the tiny flying wonders for her newest line.

“There’s inspiration everywhere,” she says. “All around us.”

A few years ago, having returned to Baton Rouge from Ohio, Strain was pregnant and confined to a desk job she hated. “It paid the bills, but I’d be sitting in my cubicle just drawing things and daydreaming, I was so unfulfilled,” she says.

The former portrait photographer toiling in the medical field then had an actual dream about combining a candle and a planter with a bee theme. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me,” Strain says. “Later, after a long night of brainstorming and prayer, I returned to that initial inspiration.”

In November, she launched Pollumination eco-ceramics online and joined with the Pollinator Partnership to give a portion of her proceeds to the nonprofit that

57

A IMEE’ S PRE T T Y PA L ATE

Football Season Snacks WHILE FOOTBALL SEASON may look a little different this year with its fewer games and a somewhat socially distanced, reduced-capacity stadium, one thing is for sure—my football snacks are coming out of hiatus.

If you find yourself hanging out at home hosting a small gathering rather than heading to campus, here are some easy entertaining recipes to make you feel better about having to watch the games on TV. In my opinion, every gathering should involve a good cheese ball. They’re versatile and easy. You’ll find several holiday variations already on my website. A spider-looking cheese ball for Halloween? Did that. In two different sizes, in fact—a large spider and mini creepy-crawler bite-size cheese balls. A pumpkin-shaped cheese ball for Thanksgiving? Did AIMEE BROUSSARD that, too.

And now I’ve whipped up a football-shaped Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball to add to the cheesy collection. Double the recipe AIMEE BROUSSARD is a Southern if you find you’re serving a larger crowd, and either make food blogger and award-winning one large football or create two footballs for ease of serving. cookbook author. Seen on QVC, The Pecan Praline Baked Brie brings some pizazz to your Rachael Ray and more, she is a selfsnack tray options. It’s as delicious as it is beautiful and the proclaimed accidental entrepreneur with a penchant for porches and perfect combination of sweet and salty. Bonus points for sweet hospitality. Find her online at being ready in less than 30 minutes! aimeebroussard.com.

And last but not least, don’t forget about your canine friends. My crew goes absolutely bonkers over the Peanut Butter Molasses Football Cookies. You’ll want to keep them separate from your human snacks, though. They’re so cute Issue Date: Sept 2020 Ad proof #6 that they’ll easily be mistaken for human treats, and even • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. though they’re human grade, your guests will likely find • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions them bland. are received by the close of business today.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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58

We give people the help they need to live in the place they love.

CAREGIVER SERVICES:

• COMPANIONSHIP

• DEMENTIA CARE

• PERSONALIZED CARE

• LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING

HOURLY | OVERNIGHT | 24/7 CARE Complimentary Consultation

225.328.9898 | GRISWOLDHOMECARE.COM

Locally owned and operated

by Rachel and Hunter Dale

BACON RANCH CHEESE BALL

PECAN PRALINE BAKED BRIE INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped, divided 1⁄3 cup pecans, chopped, divided 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 green onions, chopped 2 Tbsp. ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix 2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce (I use a sweet to balance the saltiness of the ranch) 1 stick string cheese (for football laces) In a small bowl, combine half of bacon and pecans and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, green onions, ranch seasoning, barbecue sauce, and remaining bacon and pecans, and mix well. Turn mixture out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Completely wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Remove cheese mixture from refrigerator and, with plastic wrap still attached, shape into a football. Remove top of plastic wrap, and pat reserved bacon and pecans on top and sides of cheese ball. Carefully transfer onto a serving dish. Cut string cheese to resemble the laces of Issuethe Date: Sept football and 2020 place onAd top.proof #4 • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

Makes 6-8 servings.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless revision requests are received within 24 hours.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

1 (8-oz.) wheel brie 1½ cups pecan halves, lightly toasted 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup 4 Tbsp. butter ½ cup light brown sugar 1⁄3 cup heavy whipping cream Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove brie from package and place on a baking sheet (leave rind on cheese). Bake brie for 12 to 15 minutes.

While brie is baking, toast pecans in a skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small saucepan over mediumhigh heat, melt corn syrup, butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until bubbly. Add heavy cream and continue to stir for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add pecans, and set aside to cool.

Transfer brie from oven to a serving plate and, when ready to serve, pour warm praline sauce over the top.

Serve immediately with crackers, fruit, graham crackers, etc.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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Just imagine…

WE’LL TAKE CARE OF THE REST.

225-275-2660 N Sherwood near Choctaw

Choctaw near Monterrey

stantonsace.com

inRegister.com • September 2020

Perkins near College

59

A IMEE’ S PRE T T Y PA L ATE

PEANUT BUTTER MOLASSES FOOTBALL COOKIES (FOR DOGS!) INGREDIENTS

1½ cups oat flour (or whole wheat flour) 2 Tbsp. molasses 2 Tbsp. peanut butter 2 to 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil Plain Greek yogurt (for frosting)

Issue Date: September 2020 Ad proof #2

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, molasses, peanut butter and melted coconut oil with ½ cup water. Allow mixture to rest for 15 minutes.

Turn out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Using a footballshaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper and bake until firm, about 10 to 12 minutes for small cookies or up to 20 minutes for larger cutouts or thicker-rolled cookies.

Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Add ¼ cup Greek yogurt “frosting” to a small piping bag and create football laces.

Place cookies in refrigerator for yogurt to harden.

Makes 2 dozen mini footballs.

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today.

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60

225-753-0054 | RTEMILLWORKS.COM

SOMMELIER

LAB Branco

W

hat’s more friendly than a white Labrador? LAB Branco White Wine!

Citrine in color with aromas of lime blossoms on the nose, LAB delivers delightful ripe honeydew melon flavor up front finishing with spicy Meyer lemon and Valencia orange zest.

Creating a delightfully different taste with a QPR that can’t be beat, this bright white blend includes arinto, Portugal’s finest white grape, and loureiro, Portugal’s answer to riesling.

Spiked with a citrus punch from the trajadura blending grape, LAB is crafted exclusively with Portuguese grapes unknown to the American market. Casa Santos Lima Winery winemakers have crafted this gentle food-friendly white wine that has international appeal. When times permit, you can take a horse and carriage ride through the winery located way north of Lisbon. Until then, consider this wine a gold medal winner at bargain basement prices.

Thanks to Saskia Spanhoff, you can find LAB available BTG at her Cocha Restaurant, where it pairs well with the perfectly prepared salmon. Color this light white as crisp as sauvignon blanc, as round as chardonnay and as approachable as a puppy.

ASK THE EXPERT Q. IS WEARING A MASK NECESSARY? DOES IT PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19?

A. The short answer is: Yes! In addition to hand washing and social distancing, wearing a mask in public is one of the most effective tools we can use to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Some studies have shown that up to 40% of individuals with COVID-19 can have minimal or no symptoms, which can lead to unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Also, because of their minimal symptoms, they may not feel ill and be more inclined to venture out into public areas. This is the main rationale for all individuals (regardless of symptoms) to wear a mask or face covering in public.

Face masks prevent transmission from infected individuals, including those who have asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infection. When you talk, cough, or sneeze, large respiratory droplets containing the COVID-19 virus can be expelled into the air. Face masks trap these larger droplets and prevent the spread of the virus from infected individuals. Face masks also protect the wearer's nose and mouth from contact with droplets, splashes, and sprays that may contain germs including the COVID-19 virus.

Q. SHOULD I GET A FLU SHOT? A. Although there is not a vaccine for COVID-19, there is a vaccine to protect yourself from the flu. This year, more than ever, it will be important to protect yourself from the flu. Each year, millions of people get the flu, tens of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands die from it. Last year alone there were 185 deaths in children attributed to the flu.

This year we are recommending you receive your flu shot as soon as it becomes available. Visit our website and social media for the most up-to-date information on getting your flu shot today!

SCOTT REIS

MAIN CLINIC: 7373 PERKINS ROAD BATON ROUGE, LA 70808 (225) 769-4044 BATONROUGECLINIC.COM

inRegister.com • September 2020

The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone over 6 months of age as the first, and most important step, in protecting against this serious disease.

61

ADVERTISEMENT

Episcopal School of Baton Rouge Welcomes New Head of School Dr. Carrie Steakley

A

inRegister.com • September 2020

fter an extensive nationwide search, Episcopal School of Baton Rouge welcomes Dr. Carrie Steakley as Head of School. With decades of experience in education, Dr. Steakley was most recently the Head of Upper School for St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Steakley began her career as an educator in Tennessee public schools. Eventually, her passion for students and commitment to teachers inspired her to take on senior leadership positions, including the Shelby school district’s National Science Foundation Grant Program Manager and the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools STEM Mentor. Dr. Steakley is a founding board member for One Schoolhouse, an online educational institution and has taught aspiring educators as a professor at Union University and Christian Brothers University. Now, Dr. Steakley brings that dedication to educating tomorrow’s leaders to her role as the fifth Head of School in Episcopal’s 50+ year history.

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“It may be impossible to fully convey the sense of honor, responsibility, and excitement I feel to serve as the next Head of School at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. Throughout the entire search process, every member of the Episcopal family with whom my husband and I interacted embodied the school’s mission with remarkable clarity, enabling me to understand why the school is so well-positioned for continued success in the years ahead.

It became readily apparent that the foundation for the future has been established over the past 50 plus years because of Episcopal’s unwavering commitment to its Episcopal heritage within a diverse community where a life of honor and service to others binds generations of graduates past, present, and still to come.”

Dr. Carrie Steakley

E PISCOPAL School of Baton Rouge

Dr. Steakley joins Episcopal at an exciting time in the school’s history. Members of the Class of 2020 celebrated completion of their senior year with all students matriculating to universities best suited for their future success, including numerous highly selective institutions. In March, school officials celebrated the opening of the Episcopal Field House, which serves students in all divisions and is a symbol of the school’s commitment to health and wellness. Construction

“It became readily apparent that the foundation for the future has been established over the past 50 plus years because of Episcopal’s unwavering commitment to its Episcopal heritage within a diverse community...”

Dr. Carrie Steakley

is nearing completion on the QUEST Center which will provide an inspiring and innovative environment in which Lower and Middle School students can engage in project and experiential-based learning.

Within the past three years, Episcopal also celebrated the opening of the new Academic Commons and the renovation of the Lewis Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd. These campus improvements ensure students have learning spaces to support their academic journey,

and teachers have environments in which to challenge students to think critically and live lives of purpose and meaning.

Episcopal is enrolling now for the 2020-2021 school year.

For more information on the opportunities Episcopal can provide your child, log on to www.episcopalbr.org or contact the Admission Office at (225) 755-2684.

COMMUNITY

Love and Marriage

BY RILEY BIENVENU BOURGEOIS

LEEKAY PHOTOGRAPHY

LOCAL COUPLES WON’T LET COVID-19 KEEP THEM FROM TYING THE KNOT

family and bridal party could be there in person,” says Anna Claire, noting the obstacle that came with Rex’s family residing in Hawaii. “But we decided that we would have a small vow exchange in my parents’ neighborhood now and have a small, intimate celebration with our people later.”

With only a few days to prepare,

Anna Claire and her family took to working out the details, which included a beaded gown for Anna Claire and Hawaiian leis for the couple in a nod to Rex’s heritage and the place the pair met and fell in love.

“Having worked in the wedding industry for many years, I knew

the party wasn’t what was most important,” says Anna Claire, who is the designer and artist behind Anna Claire Calligraphy. “We just wanted to be married and start our life together.”

Read on for the intimate wedding days of other local couples who found perspective in the face of a global pandemic.

inRegister.com • September 2020

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress and Kim Kardashian’s televised wedding special, the phrase “the wedding doesn’t make the marriage” has fallen to the background. Over the years, ceremonies and receptions have become decidedly more elaborate, with towering cakes, lush floral arrangements and newly popular Champagne walls popping up across social media platforms. However, much like in many other aspects of life, COVID-19 has brought about a swift reality check, reminding people of what’s truly important.

For Anna Claire Welch and her fiancé Rex Jugueta (pictured on this page), that was getting married on their original May 29 wedding date, regardless of fanfare.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the pair made the decision to cancel their upcoming nuptials. But as their intended wedding date grew closer, they couldn’t imagine themselves waiting any longer to make it official.

“We originally planned to wait until the fall so that our entire

63

COMMUNITY

Katie Clark & Patrick Haynes JUNE 5

“It wasn’t a question for us if we were going to delay our wedding due to COVID,” says Katie of her year-and-a-half engagement with Patrick.

“We changed our reception venue to my mom’s backyard where our family and wedding party celebrated with us.

I’ve always wanted to have a backyard wedding, so it was extremely special to be able to do it at my childhood home. We were emotional leading up to the day knowing that so many of our loved ones couldn’t be with us, but the intimate wedding was so incredibly special. We were able to soak up every single moment of the day. It was pure magic.”

Issue Date: February Ad proof #1

PLANNING BY WEDDINGS BY ALLIE/ PHOTOS BY BROCATO PHOTOGRAPHY

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

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64

* FROM THE STONE QUARRY * TO OUR STONE YARD * TO YOUR HOME * BATON ROUGE: 7150 Pecue Lane • 225-753-5870 NEW ORLEANS: 720 S. Galvez St. • 504-837-1511 Hours: M-F 8am-4:30pm • Saturday 9am-12:30pm • WWW.TUSCANSTONEIMPORTS.COM

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL EVENT

2020 Influential Women In Business BUSINESS REPORT honored eight successful women from the Capital Region during a virtual awards event held on July 29. This year’s celebration was streamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. Business Report’s editorial director,

Penny Font, led a Q + A session after Mayor President Sharon Weston Broome presented each honoree with an award.

The discussion offered inspiring advice from the 2020 Influential Women in Business. The virtual event was

sponsored by b1BANK, Kean Miller LLP, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge, Skincare Aesthetics, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana.

The 2020 Influential Women in Business honorees

Julio Melara, Karen Stephens of Skincare Aesthetics, and Heather Roemer of b1BANK

Erin Kilgore and Linda Perez Clark of Kean Miller LLP with Fran Kretzsinger and Nick Pentas of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge

inRegister.com • September 2020

2020 honoree Gloria Moncada of Exxon Mobil

2020 honoree Norisha Kirts Glover with Mayor Sharon Weston Broome

The highlight of the event was an inspiring Q + A session with the honorees

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COMMUNITY

Jessica Moran & Brian Hightower

Jamie Roddy & Trent Pellerin

“The decision to go forward with the wedding or to delay it came down to two main questions.

First, if we delayed it, when would we be able to get married the way we designed it? And second, what should take priority: the party or the marriage?” explains Jessica. “Not knowing what the future would hold, coupled with our desire to begin our married life together, drove us to make what we feel now was absolutely the right decision. We were able to celebrate our marriage with our family.”

“We originally chose April 18 and I remember telling my mother that I researched and found that nothing would be going on that weekend.

Well, I was correct.

Absolutely nothing was going on that weekend due to COVID-19,” Jamie says.

“My mom is the ultimate planner and she had everything ready to go by February.

When it became apparent that we would have to postpone, we chose June 27, prayed about it and took the leap of faith. Our day was absolutely perfect with perfect weather, perfect social distancing and perfect masks. Everyone had a beautiful and memorable time.”

MARCH 20

JUNE 27

PLANNING BY KBCOOK WEDDINGS/ PHOTOS BY EMILY GREEN PHOTO

PHOTOS BY AB PHOTOGRAPHY, APRIL BUFFINGTON AND JOHN OUBRE

Reach the active, affluent woman

ON THE GO!

inRegister.com • September 2020

For more digital opportunities, contact liz@businessreport.com

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Thank you to our inRegister.com partners:

Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge

Subscribe to our FREE weekly e-Newsletter

at inRegister.com

inRegister.com • September 2020

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COMMUNITY

Capitol Park Museum

The Capitol Park Museum hosted an opening event for its “A Colorful World in Black & White: Fonville Winans’ Photographs of Louisiana” exhibition on July 14.

1. Allison Burnette, Mason Burnette & Madison Burnette 2. Anne & Fred Trapp 3. Melanie Bennett 4. Carolyn & Charles Perrault 5. Ferin Jones & Amanda Moak

6. Rodneyna Hart, Lluvia Peveto & Raven Duncil 7. Gerri Hobdy & Amy James 8. Mary Durusau 9. Daniel Stetson PHOTOS BY JORDAN HEFLER

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Your city, your app.

inRegister.com • September 2020

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The new 225 Magazine App premieres this month Watch for the announcement to download for free and register to win special prizes!

D I S COV E R . E X P E R I E N C E . C E L E B R AT E.

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Issue Date: November Ad proof #1

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2019. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

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225.753.3001 • 504.885.3188 • 985.871.0810 louisianacustomclosets.com Call for Free Estimates Experienced Designers & Installers Don Wise, Owner

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COMMUNITY

Krewe of Cypress The Krewe of Cypress held its Summer Social event to announce its 2021 debutantes on July 11 at the home of Dean & Kitty Martin in St. Francisville.

Cassie Smith, Sheà Bennett & Bailey Desselles (back row); Morgan Noel, Karlee Patrick & Sara Ross (front row). Not pictured: Juliette Gautreaux PHOTO COURTESY KREWE OF CYPRESS

DO YOU THINK

inRegister.com • September 2020

OUTSIDE THE

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Our team is looking for ENTHUSIASTIC & CREATIVE thinkers with proven sales experience.

Submit your resume today to liz@businessreport.com

B X?

WOMEN with a CAUSE Nominate a woman who is making a difference!

DO YOU KNOW a special woman who is passionate about supporting a cause that is close to her heart? Nominate her to be included in our December issue of inRegister. We will highlight women who go above and beyond to serve others in their community. Let’s take this opportunity to spotlight women who truly make a difference.

Go to inregister.com/women for more information and to nominate.

Deadline for nominations is October 10.

ASHLEY FERGUSON Cause: Dose of the Coast

inRegister.com • September 2020

2019 Women with a Cause honoree

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DATEBOOK

SEPTEMBER

RANDY ROUSSEL/COURTESY ACGBR

BACK TO SCHOOL, BACK TO BUSINESS, AND BACK TO THE NEW NORMAL OF LATE SUMMER EVENTS

“The Year of No Azaleas” exhibition at the Firehouse Gallery will host an in-person reception on September 10.

Bella’s Ball

SEPTEMBER 8-9 ONLINE

Transformed this year into a silent auction and raffle, this annual event benefitting the Bella Bowman Foundation and the work toward a cure for pediatric brain cancer will take to the virtual sphere for two days of fundraising, from 6 a.m.

September 8 until 9 p.m. September 9. bellabowman.org

“The Year of No Azaleas” SEPTEMBER 10-28 FIREHOUSE GALLERY

inRegister.com • September 2020

This photography show and sale featuring works

by Randy Roussel includes a socially distant reception on September 10 from 4 to 6 p.m.

All proceeds will go toward the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s new Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, which will include a gallery, studio workspaces, theater rehearsal spaces, meeting rooms and more. artsbr.org

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Reflections in the Garden: Utilizing Natives for Successful Landscapes SEPTEMBER 14 ONLINE

The latest installment of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens’ popular educational series welcomes Heather Kirk-Ballard, LSU AgCenter assistant professor and extension specialist for consumer horticulture, as she tackles the question of how to best take advantage of Louisiana’s natural beauty to enhance your own abode. lsu.edu/botanic-gardens

Byrde’s Dancers Scholarship Luncheon SEPTEMBER 17

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION AND ONLINE

Of Moving Colors Productions has always been a creative force, even when planning its mid-pandemic events. This fundraiser benefitting arts opportunities for local children will double up as an in-person and virtual luncheon.

Both will feature guest speakers and great food; special baskets of goodies and drinks will be provided to Zoom attendees. ofmovingcolors.org

Memories in the Making SEPTEMBER 17 ONLINE

To raise awareness and to help sustain critical funding for research, Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area will host a virtual version of its annual fundraiser.

Proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s services including caregiver support groups, educational seminars and Charlie’s Place Activity and Respite Centers. alzbr.org

McMains Virtual Wine Tasting Fundraiser SEPTEMBER 24 ONLINE

Reserve your tickets by September 17 for this event in support of the McMains Children’s Developmental Center. Tickets include a delivery of wine from Frias Family Vineyard and a picnic basket full of hors d’oeuvres

from Heirloom Cuisine to enjoy at home while viewing a musical performance from the Hot Club of Baton Rouge, plus more. mcmainscdc.org

American Son

SEPTEMBER 24-OCTOBER 4 THEATRE BATON ROUGE

Directed by executive artistic director of New Venture Theatre Greg Williams Jr., this in-person play tackles the subject of an estranged bi-racial couple who must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by local police following a traffic stop incident. theatrebr.org

LASM’s 35th Annual Gala SEPTEMBER 25 ONLINE

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s H2O-themed virtual auction and raffle takes inspiration from its latest exhibition, “Capital City Contemporary 5: Water,” which features works with an emphasis on our state’s connection to its rivers and gulf. lasm.org

Fête des Fidèles OCTOBER 1 ONLINE

2020 has shown us just how much we owe to healthcare heroes around the country, and this annual event gives us the opportunity to say thank you in particular to the alumni and staff of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University during the school’s annual fundraiser. franu.edu

Issue Date: Sept 2020 Ad proof #4

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today.

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“IT’S NOT WHAT WE DO, IT’S HOW WE DO IT” inRegister.com • September 2020

225.413.0508 • itshowwedoit.com

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LONG STORY SHORT

Food for the Taking

BY ASHLEY SEXTON GORDON

inRegister.com • September 2020

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSE SANTANA FIRPO

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SOUTHERNERS HAVE LONG loved a buffet. Not because we are a slovenly, overfed, underserved bunch— heck, no. It’s because we have such sophisticated palates that we want to sample everything that might tickle our fancy when it comes to dining, and buffets are great places to try something new. Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta? That sounds interesting. Truffled Macaroni? I can make room on my plate. Sesame Chicken Wonton Cups? Don’t mind if I do.

However, Hollywood movies featuring nuptials have always thrown us off. Invariably, they feature a wedding reception with a formal sit-down dinner that looks about as much fun as Great Aunt Hester’s stuffy, fine-china, Thanksgiving fam jam. Cue the harpist and fall asleep face down in the gravy. How very not-Southern. Instead, down here, we saunter around at weddings with a cocktail in one hand while balancing a plate full of Natchitoches meat pies, a skewer of fresh fruit and a mound of crawfish fettucine in the other. All topped off with a justsliced piece of prime rib. We mingle, we munch, we dance to a live band when the buffet is down to the last crumbs. We enjoy ourselves, and the accessible food often makes the moments.

Speaking of accessible food: several years ago, I walked in on my hilarious sister-in-law squeezing a vat of grape jelly into a disposable

aluminum baking dish filled with miniature sausage links. Heavens to Betsy, I thought, why would those two ingredients ever be thrown together? With little-to-no prying, she announced she was making Lil’ Smokies. (Did you know grape jelly was in Lil’ Smokies?) I think I threw up in my mouth. And then, the kicker: She was making them for a potluck wedding reception in a small town north of Lake Charles.

Turns out she wasn’t a big fan of the bride and groom, and she didn’t want to waste a lot of money making a dish.

A potluck wedding reception. If that don’t beat all. Forget BYOB, just Bring Your Own Food. (A beer keg was provided.) Much like potluck Sunday dinners on the lawn after church, this wedding reception might have offered everything from fried chicken to boudin. The newlyweds put themselves at the mercy of the guests, even family members twice removed with some decadesold grudge they’re still carrying. (“That potato salad might look good but Wanda made it, and you know how Phil ticked her off in ’98 over the family farm. Don’t. Eat. It. No tellin’ what she done to it.”) But knowing the Lil’ Smokies contained no grudge ingredients, just economic sense, I’m sure this tailgating favorite was all gone by the end of the night. Grape jelly and all.

Which brings us to the tragic state of affairs we are now living through

thanks to a pandemic that came in hard, invaded our personal space, and has stayed too long and worn out its welcome. That’s right: buffets are out. I went to a very small reception after a very small event— which followed Phase 2 guidelines— and instead of placing food out on the table for the guests to sample, we were each given a box filled with food. Basically, anything that would have been served buffet style was in the container. I sat down on a chair, hot heavy box in my hand, and a piece of my soul died. We have been through so much as a community. The tragic loss, the uncertain future, the distance from family and friends. And now this. Our favorite foods have been shoved together and piled high in a disposable box, and we don’t even feel comfortable taking off our masks to eat. It doesn’t feel like fighting anymore. It feels like giving up. It feels like the end of time.

But don’t despair. The Phase that brings back buffets has to be just around the corner, right? We have the uncanny ability to make lemonade out of lemons down here, and put a positive spin on just about anything—hot heavy box full of food included. So hang onto hope of a brighter tomorrow, but dive right into the mélange of meats and pastries in your lap today. That’s what I did. You might even find a small container of Lil’ Smokies to sample.

Don’t mind if I do.