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® August 17-23 | 2026 | Volume 47 | Number 33

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Manning Family Children’s

Oritsejolomi Roberts, MD PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGERY

Questions & Answers What’s your favorite thing about New Orleans?

Meet Dr. Roberts I graduated from Duke University and moved to Aurora to complete my residency training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. From there, I moved to Florida for my fellowship at the University of Miami. I am a certiﬁed by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in both neurological surgery and pediatric neurological nursery. I moved to New Orleans about 13 years ago and joined the team at Manning Family Children’s where I lead the hospital’s Neurosurgery Department with my partner Dr. Kelsey Hundley. The hospital represents a tradition of excellent pediatric care focused on serving the families and children of the Gulf Coast and Louisiana. It engages with the community and holds a special place in many hearts. I remember when I ﬁrst got to town, my old barber, who’s passed away now, would reminisce on the compassionate treatment his brother received at the hospital so many decades ago. He wasn’t the only one. I wanted to invest my career in that kind of effort and to collaborate with other equally committed, well-trained and talented people. It’s been challenging, and it has been an absolute blessing. Together with Dr. Hundley, I am also part of the LSU Health New Orleans Department of Neurosurgery and share academic responsibilities in training future neurosurgeons and conducting research, where we work on different platforms with other neurosurgeons around the country and internationally.

Its people; the love of family, the creativity and the tenacious festivity.

Anything else you want to add?

Shout outs: to my wife and kids (love and gratitude and yes, you can ﬁnish college in three years), to The Laissez Boyz, to Crescent City Soccer and GO PELS!

What’s your favorite restaurant?

Dessert ﬁrst: Lagniappe bakery off Oretha Castle Haley. For the feast? Dakar shout out Chef Serigne. I still miss Upperline and Mrs. Joan.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Jollof rice, fried plantain and Egusi stew with ground-up roasted shrimp. A yummy time – Thanks, mom.

Are you planning to attend any fall events/festivals in New Orleans?

Beignet Fest, Oak Street Po-Boy Festival and Freret Street Festival. A cousin of mine is coming in from Jersey for the Funk Festival.

What superpower would you choose and why?

Ooh...warp space and time - all the answers to existence. With great power comes great responsibility, wouldn’t want to end up next to a hungry T. Rex.

Do you have any pets?

There’s a fun crowd in the house! There’s Big Puppy (like Big Poppa), Titus (an English Mastiff or a grumpy old man…not sure which). There’s also Rou the Wascally Wagalicious Wagamuffin. She’s a boxer pit and roving bowling ball. Then there’s Jojo and Sosa - the cats...’nuff said.

What’s the ﬁrst thing you do when you wake up? Check the time - dodge the dogs it’s very close.

What’s one fun fact you want to share?

Helmets. Save. Lives - That’s tons of fun.

Tell us about Manning Family Children’s Pediatric Neurosurgery. The Neurosurgery Department at Manning Family Children’s provides evaluation, diagnostic services, medical and surgical treatment, and follow-up care for infants, children, adolescents and young adults with diseases or congenital anomalies of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. Our team of fellowship trained and board-certiﬁed providers perform a high volume of procedures each year using the most highly advanced technology available. Special attention is given to the treatment of brain tumors, craniospinal trauma, epilepsy, spasticity, craniofacial anomalies and the care of patients with congenital malformations of the central nervous system. The Neurosurgery Department uses specialized, state-of-the-art equipment like the ROSA® surgical robot. It’s an assistant that uses computer-guided, minimally invasive technology to treat children with severe epilepsy conditions. Manning Family Children’s is the only facility in the state of Louisiana with this technology.

manningchildrens.org

Photos provided by Manning Family Children’s

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Meet Our Krewe

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CONTENTS

AUGUST 17 — AUGUST 23, 2026 VOLUME 47 || NUMBER 33

NEWS Opening Gambit ............... 8 Blake Pontchartrain..........15 BONO Best of New Orleans Ballot Categories ............ 27 F E AT U R E S Arts & Entertainment ........ 7 Eat & Drink .................... 49

O R IT E S T IL L YO U R FAV

t a e r T l oo h c S r e t Af Summer Nights Gelato

Music Listings ................. 58 Music ............................ 59 Comedy ........................60 P H O TO BY K AY L E E P O C H E / G A M B I T

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Party time?

After years of dysfunction, are Louisiana Democrats putting the pieces back together?

Going Out .......................61 Puzzles ......................... 63 C OV E R P H O TO S BY E N A N C H E D I A K , SOPHIA GERMER AND MICHAEL J O H N S O N / T H E T I M E S- P I C AY U N E C OV E R D E S I G N BY D O R A S I S O N

@The_Gambit @gambitneworleans

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Special Sections Editor & Staff Writer |

Sales Representatives

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Victor Campbell

Into the pool

ET DEAUX caps ‘Adults Swimming’ album trilogy | by Jake Clapp EVAN THIBODEAUX TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH IN 2021. The New Orleans-born

rapper, producer and artist known as ET DEAUX had lost someone close to him, and amid the pandemic, the restaurant he was heavily involved in had closed, and he found himself slipping into an unhealthy place. Music and art had been constants in his life since he was a young teenager, and whenever his journey led him in different directions, music always seemed to pull him back into place. During the pandemic, there had been a jazz-influenced ET DEAUX beat tape and a couple of singles, but it had been a while since he’d focused on his calling, Thibodeaux says. So he said a prayer to the universe, started working on his physical and mental health and recommitted to seriously making music. The effort has led to the ET DEAUX “Adults Swimming” series, a trio of full-length albums digging into buoyant, genre-bending hiphop exploring what it means to have a rich life and to live your purpose. ET DEAUX released “Adults Swimming III” earlier this year, and a new “Swimmer’s Edition 001” pulls tracks from each of the albums for a curated edition available on vinyl and streaming on Bandcamp. There also have been a pair of instrumental hiphop albums inspired by Thibodeaux’s recent travels. “The world of ‘Adults Swimming’ is the world the way I want it to be,” Thibodeaux says. “I want us to be lounging by the pool, not worrying about who’s president, not worrying about all this bombardment we get on a daily basis. It’s about unplugging. Remember, you’re a human being, and it’s OK. If we want things to be different, we have to start within ourselves.” Thibodeaux initially found inspiration for “Adults Swimming” in the late-night commercial bumpers run by Adult Swim between shows like “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” “Sealab 2021” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” The 10-30 second bumps helped build the programming block’s subversive identity and, importantly, regularly featured underground hip-hop, jazz, lo-fi tracks and unexpected music from around the world. The bumps and the Adult Swimspinoff Williams Street Records introduced a generation of kids to artists like J. Dilla, Madlib, Flying Lotus, Killer Mike and El-P, Thundercat and Boards of Canada. Thibodeaux modeled

ET DEAUX PROVIDED PHOTO BY EVAN THIBODEAUX

his moniker ET DEAUX after one of his favorite artists, the idiosyncratic masked rapper-producer MF DOOM. The sound of the first “Adults Swimming,” released in 2023, built on boom bap hip-hop but quickly grew with other influences, including drum and bass, house and jazz. Halfway through the album, the track “Le Beau Ciel” blooms into an expansive 7-minute track featuring saxophonist Gladney, vocalist BLU, guitarist Houses at Night and drummer King Klave. Thibodeaux continued to grow the dynamic sound with 2024’s “Adults Swimming II” and this year’s third volume, rolling in trap, rock, synth-pop and other styles. He also turned to a number of friends to help make each album, including Knox Ketchum, Rodo and Houses at Night, who appear on each album. Gladney also is included on several tracks, and there are features from Pell, $leazy EZ, Cronos, Lucid Dreams and more. “I create music because it’s [a song] I want to hear and I can’t find it,” says Thibodeaux. “That’s how ‘SpaceGhost’ came about on the first album ... I want to make music that I can’t find — and that’s how I find my voice and who I am.” Lyrically, Thibodeaux and guest vocalists often focus on personal growth across the three albums. There are a ton of swaggering verses about hitting new career heights, living large and watching money roll in, but often, “Adults Swimming” is about self-improvement and letting the complications fall away. Luxury can be subjective: It can mean million-dollar deals, or it could be as simple as having the time to pause and take a breath. The themes also are visualized in the levels of luxury on the album covers, each shot by a different photographer. The cover of the first was shot by Taja Janel and features influencer Brittany

Nicholas next to a pool. Photographed by Trenity Thomas, the second cover sees model and dancer Andre Hubbard taking a break on the tennis court. Caleb Micah photographed Thibodeaux and his friends golfing in the middle of a New Orleans street for the third. “It was this representation of tiers of wealth and what I see for myself, and building the ‘Adults Swimming’ world of positive energy where we’re healing and growing,” Thibodeaux says. Although Thibodeaux took his leap of faith in 2021, the “Adults Swimming” trilogy builds on years of work. Thibodeaux grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School, and he fell in love with hip-hop at an early age. He started writing poetry and freestyling with friends when he was 12, and a couple of years later — inspired by Three 6 Mafia’s “Stay Fly”— Thibodeaux hustled together enough money to buy a computer to start making his own beats. He wrote and recorded music and performed throughout high school, but he originally went to college for nursing. He was close to finishing at the University of Holy Cross when he realized nursing wasn’t the path he wanted to follow. His advisor helped Thibodeaux understand making music was important to him and pushed him to enroll at Loyola University New Orleans. There, Thibodeaux studied music business and in 2016 released his first album as ET DEAUX, “Can I Get Some Change?” He then dropped a number of releases, including a series of beat tapes with his now fiancee DJ Kuti, the album “H.O.M.E. (Helping Others Most Effectively)” and the instrumental “Cigarettes & Jazz.” Thibodeaux also has produced songs for a number of other artists and organizes music- and arts-focused events. In 2019, Thibodeaux helped Adam Lee open and run a permanent home for Lee’s Cajun Cuisine in the kitchen of the Rendon Inn. The experience taught him a lot, Thibodeaux says, but when it was forced to close during the pandemic, Thibodeaux knew he had deviated again from his music-making path. “My spiritual and physical and mental health practices all culminated with ‘Adults Swimming,’ ” Thibodeaux says. “I don’t feel really any anxiety. I’m just being me, and I’m just making the art that I love.” Find the music and more at linktr.ee/et_deaux.

Pianist Victor Campbell was born in Cuba and had already started to make a name in his home country when he decided to move to New Orleans in 2019. An exchange program in 2012 with the Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp had left a mark on him, and he wanted to further explore New Orleans music. In the years since, Campbell has become a well-respected player around town, dynamically blending Latin and New Orleans musical styles in his sets. He next performs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, during the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market’s Summer Music Series in the Lounge. Tickets are $17.55 via jazzandbluesmarket.com.

Victor Campbell PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

‘They Fight’

IN “THEY FIGHT,” WALT IS RELEASED FROM PRISON AND RETURNS HOME TO WASHINGTON, D.C., trying to reunite

with his wife and restart his life. He takes a job coaching youth boxing at a local gym and helps young men find focus. A couple of the boys rise through the ranks and must face each other in the ring for the national championship. New Orleans actor Wendell Pierce stars as Slim, Walt’s mentor, friend and fellow coach. The film is based on a 2018 documentary of the same name. The New Orleans Film Society presents a screening at the Orpheum, and Pierce will walk the red carpet and participate in a panel discussion after the film. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. Admission is free, but RSVP is required via neworleansfilmsociety.org.

Kellen Erskine

COMEDIAN KELLEN ERSKINE’S PLEASANT DEMEANOR AND FRIENDLY OBSERVATIONAL COMEDY are sometimes

upended by menacing ideas, like a joke that went viral about the power one can access just by getting a bike lock. He’s released two comedy specials, “Negative Comments” and “Composed,” and appeared on Nate Bargatze’s “Nateland Presents: The Showcase.” He performs at 9 p.m.

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Which tech bro will Jeff Landry sign an NDA with next?

# TC OH EU N T

T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN

27.7

Louisiana has seen a dramatic drop in heat-related deaths over the last three years, the Louisiana Department of Health recently said. The state began tracking heat-related deaths in 2023, when 88 people died. That number then fell to 53 in 2024 and 31 in 2025. So far in 2026, there have been just eight heat-related deaths in Louisiana.

THE AMOUNT, IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT TO BANKROLL A PRIVATELY RUN ICE DETENTION CENTER WITHIN THE LOUISIANA STATE PENITENTIARY OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS. Morning traffic backs up due to an accident near the Crescent City Connection. PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

The New Orleans Public Library was one of 10 libraries chosen by the Urban Libraries Council to take part in its Civic Makers Lab for Youth, a project where teens ages 15-18 can learn about topics like activism and their civic rights, as well as how to bring change in their communities. The library also received a $25,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, and library staff will take part in virtual events with national experts to help sustain the civic programming.

Liz Murrill has opposed almost all claims for compensation from wrongfully convicted people during her two years as Louisiana attorney general, ProPublica and Verite News recently reported. In Louisiana, people who have had their wrongful conviction overturned or vacated can petition the state for compensation — but the AG can oppose it in court. Murrill has sought to block 22 of the 23 compensation cases that have crossed her desk.

What we know about how New Orleans is, and isn’t, using AI for 911 calls OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, TECH OLIGARCHS and their various

courtesans in media and politics have aggressively pushed AI into virtually every aspect of life. The technology’s supporters have promised a brave new world in which mundane tasks are taken care of for you, work is simpler and easier, and everyone can have the freedom to express their inner painter with a simple prompt. The reality, of course, has been a lot more dystopian. The rush to integrate AI into everything has resulted in mass layoffs. Lawyers are routinely sanctioned for presenting arguments in court with made up legal citations thanks to their use of AI. Rather than artistic renaissance, artists, musicians and writers have had their work stolen and perverted, and the world is awash in AI slop promotional fliers and other images. There’s also been a host of documented instances of AI chatbots encouraging vulnerable people to isolate themselves from family and friends — and even to inflict self-harm. So when word first broke that the Orleans Parish Communications District was starting to use AI in the city’s 911 system, people understandably freaked out. Nobody

wants a computer program that can hallucinate answers to a simple Google query deciding who gets life or death assistance, after all. But according to officials, the city isn’t using AI for most calls to the 911 system, and in the cases in which it does, it is limited to relatively basic functions and cannot end calls, dispatch responders or prioritize calls. In an interview with Gambit, OPCD Executive Director Karl Fasold said he not only understands those concerns, he shares them. He says the AI is limited to helping answer calls from within close proximity to a known car accident and putting them into a queue to speak to a human operator. “AI can’t replace people and won’t replace people,” Fasold said. “It’s a tool that will help our people ... be that voice in the dark on the worst day of your life and get you the help you need.” According to Fasold, one of the biggest strains on the 911 system comes during rush hour, when the system typically sees a spike because of accidents. The OPCD runs the city’s 911 line for emergencies and 311 line for non-emergencies. “We identified problems during drive time. We were always having

“Louisiana Lockup,” the controversial detention center set up by Gov. Jeff Landry in partnership with ICE last year, is overseen by the private company LaSalle Corrections. The company has faced a slew of wrongful death lawsuits and accusations of abuse over the years. Records obtained by the TimesPicayune show it costs taxpayers at least $100,000 a year, per detainee, at the site.

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calls go to the queue because the people answering calls were [already] on calls and things were getting stacked up,” Fasold said. “For every accident that occurs, we get about 20 phone calls,” Fasold said. Most are just other drivers — many of whom didn’t even see the actual event happen — calling to report an accident. “We have a very participatory public,” which Fasold stressed is a good thing. Afterall, it’s better to report an accident rather than assume somebody else will do it. But like virtually every 911 system in the country, New Orleans’ response system has never been “fully” staffed. “Anybody who tells you they’re at full staffing is lying,” Fasold argued. “We all know this is a problem.” Fasold isn’t exaggerating. New Orleans, of course, had significant problems with 911 wait times under former OPCD Executive Director Tyrell “The Real Estate Gladiator” Morris, who left office in disgrace. In 2023, NBC News reported that 82% of the nation’s 911 call centers were understaffed. Burnout, anxiety and other mental health issues are chronic

amongst operators and can lead many to leave the field entirely. It’s gotten so bad in some places, communities have begun training teenagers to work their understaffed 911 call centers. As a result of shortages, when a surge happens 911 systems have to create a queue of calls for the next available operator to pick up. Traditionally, that’s meant when the system gets hit by a flood of calls about a car crash, not only do those calls get put into the queue but so do all the other calls, including those about potentially life-threatening incidents in which minutes can be the difference between life and death. Under the new system, however, that queue can be dramatically reduced. According to Fasold, the AI (which is provided free to the city as part of OPCD’s telephone network service) only comes into play after the first report of a car accident is received by 911. The AI then determines the location of subsequent incoming calls. If the caller is within 200 meters

Karl Fasold, executive director of the Orleans Parish Communications District. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

— roughly two blocks — the AI will pick up the call and ask whether it has to do with that specific car accident. If the answer is yes, the AI will inform the caller that the city is aware of the accident and if they have no other information about the accident or are not involved, they can either hang up or remain on the line to talk to the next available operator.

According to Fasold, if the caller does not provide a clear “yes” answer, they are automatically either placed in the call queue or transferred directly to an operator. Notably, Fasold says, “the system does not hang up on you. You have to hang up.” He also stresses that the AI can’t make decisions about the priority of any call it answers. By its very nature, the AI “can literally talk to all the people at the same time,” Fasold added, which helps speed up the process. It also can result PAGE 11

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in smaller queues, since people who are only calling to alert authorities of an accident won’t have to wait for an operator to do so. Fasold said there are also other safeguards that have been built into the system. For instance, all calls are recorded and logged like traditional 911 interactions. The AI system also retains the main systems’ call-back procedures, meaning if you go into a queue to speak with an operator and then hang up, someone from the call center will contact you when the queue is gone. “If you call 911 and you go into the queue, the most important thing you can do is stay on the line. It will be answered. It may take a while ... to work through the queue to get to you. But we will never hang up on you,” Fasold said. The system also is multilingual and has been trained on how street names are pronounced in New Orleans, for instance. Recordings of 911 calls over a three-year period — which average between 500,000 and 600,000 a year — were used to help it understand the various accents of New Orleanians. The system also includes a default to the queue or operator fail-safe for instances in which system doesn’t understand a person. Notably, the AI is not a Large Language Model like ChatGPT, meaning those calls used to train it and those it handles aren’t uploaded to an outside system. The system also isn’t putting the jobs of 911 operators at risk, Fasold said. “No, never. We cannot hire

New Orleans emergency officials respond to a car crash.

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enough people. We’ve never had full staffing in our entire existence ... we’re doing better. but we’ve never reached full staffing,” he said. Prior to going live in 2023, the city spent several months testing the system. Up until now, Fasold says there have been no problems with the system and it has “not had any false positives or false negatives.” Although the use of AI is limited now, that may not stay the case. State and local governments are under significant pressure from the industry and the Trump administration to embrace the technology and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “move fast and break things” ideology. In fact, the city is already running offline experiments to see if the AI system could handle other types of call clusters beyond traffic accidents. However, it’s not something that is likely to happen in the near future, according to Fasold. “We are not doing that, we have not begun doing that, we are playing with the idea ... and testing it in a testing environment, not 911,” he said. Fasold did say he thinks AI may someday be capable of more complex work in emergency response, but not necessarily in his lifetime. When asked if the city is considering using AI to actually handle calls, he said flatly, “I’m not comfortable doing it.” — John Stanton PAGE 13

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Federal Court of Appeals shoots down Airbnb suit against New Orleans STR restrictions THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

Aug. 6 upheld New Orleans’ shortterm rental regulatory system requiring Airbnb and other platforms to verify every rental they list is legally permitted to operate in the city. Airbnb had sued the city in 2025, arguing the law violated their due process, the constitution’s “takings clause” prohibiting the seizure of property by the government without compensation and the First Amendment, among other claims. A lower court dismissed the case last September. In its ruling, the court found that while the ordinance “may have frustrated the Hosts’ ambitions to operate short-term rentals,” it did not result in “taking” since they can still rent their properties long-term. The court also noted that “if the Hosts expected the City never to regulate residentially zoned property, that expectation was unreasonable.” In a statement, an Airbnb spokesperson said “the Fifth Circuit Court’s decision overlooks the constitutional rights of New Orleans homeowners. More than 60 percent of local hosts rely on home sharing to afford to stay in their homes, while also helping the city welcome visitors, support neighborhood businesses, and provide housing in times of crisis. We will

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always stand up for these benefits for New Orleans residents.” Over the last decade, New Orleans has struggled to reign in the STR industry, which is dominated by Airbnb but includes a number of other rental platforms. The spread of STRs has resulted in widespread displacement of residents, particularly in historically Black neighborhoods like the Treme, and have contributed to the spike in longterm rental prices. Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell was friendly with the industry, and during her tenure, the city rarely enforced permitting requirements, resulting in thousands of illegal rentals being listed. She also put a former STR industry executive in charge of permitting and enforcement. The city council approved the current regulatory regime over residential STRs in 2023. Those rules significantly limit the number of STRs that can be operated on city blocks in addition to the permit verification provisions. The city has put commercial STRs on hold. However, the city is considering a plan to reduce the STR prohibition that covers most of the French Quarter to allow some rentals in a two-block area of Decatur and North Peters Street between Iberville and Conti streets. — John Stanton

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I remember when the building on N. Rampart Street that is now the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center was a funeral home. What was it and when was it in business?

Dear reader,

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was a funeral home and mortuary for most of its existence. According to the Society of Architectural Historians, it was originally two separate town houses built in the 1870s by Cuban immigrant Jules LeBlanc. They were combined into a single house in the early 20th century. Over the years, funeral homes there went by several different names, including F. Laudumiey & Co. Funeral Home, established in 1894 by Fernard Laudumiey. By the 1970s, the business was known was Tharp-SontheimerLaudumiey Funeral Home, following a merger with Tharp-Sontheimer, which also operated funeral homes on S. Claiborne Avenue, Chef Menteur Highway and in Metairie and Marrero. According to newspaper obituaries, another funeral business, first

The George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center PHOTO BY JOHN MCCUSKER / THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE]

called Gaskin, Southall, Gordon & Gordon Mortuary and later GaskinTilly Mortuary, operated from the Rampart Street building in the 1990s and 2000s. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation purchased the property in 2008. After a $9 million renovation, it became the home of the foundation’s free education program, the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music. In 2014, the building opened as the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, named in honor of the founding New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival producer and his wife and business partner, who died in 2005. George Wein was present at a December 2014 ceremony to cut the ribbon on the facility. He died in 2021.

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BLAKEVIEW THIS MONTH MARKS THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY of the opening of St. Augustine High School, the first Catholic high school in New Orleans opened for Black male students. Built at a cost of $359,000, the school was dedicated on Sunday, Aug. 26, 1951. Located at 2600 London Ave. (later renamed A.P. Tureaud Avenue), St. Augustine was founded by the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, better known as the Josephite Fathers and Brothers. Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel, who blessed the campus at the dedication ceremony, said the school “was the first step toward the culmination of a challenge to advance the glory of God by safeguarding the spiritual, intellectual and moral welfare of our youth.” New Orleans Mayor deLesseps “Chep” Morrison celebrated its opening but admitted “New Orleans has a long way to go for its Negroes,” according to the next day’s Times-Picayune. “We have a lot of ground to make up. Schools, high schools and playgrounds have been mighty late in coming. Everything we can do should be done as soon as possible.” Over the decades, St. Augustine would go on to educate more than 10,000 graduates, earning a stellar reputation for its academic and athletic successes. A court victory in 1967 led to the desegregation of Louisiana high school sports. It also became well known for its Marching 100 band, famous for appearing in Carnival parades, the Rose Parade, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and playing for Pope John Paul II during his 1987 New Orleans visit. Well-known alumni include music greats Jon Batiste and P.J. Morton, former New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, former New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet, actors Harold Sylvester and Carl Weathers and sports stars Leonard Fournette, Tyrann Mathieu and more than 30 other current or former NFL players. The school will celebrate its 75th anniversary at a Nov. 14 gala at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

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Democratic Senate candidate Jamie Davis

PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

After years of dysfunction, are Louisiana Democrats putting the pieces back together? BY Kaylee Poche Has the Louisiana Democratic Party found love in a hopeless place?

Rewind back to April 29. The conservative U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map with two majority-Black districts out of six was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander,” despite Black people making up about a third of the state’s population. The Callais decision opened the door for Republican states to eliminate Democratic, often majority-Black districts. Louisiana lawmakers quickly came back and redrew the map to include only one majority-Black district. Other states dismantled all or some of theirs, which will make it harder for Democrats to gain control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections. The worst-case scenario for Democrats had come to life. But it also energized Democrats across the country. Within hours of the decision, donations began pouring into the Louisiana Democratic Party. The party had already begun increasing its fundraising numbers by paying third-party companies to raise money digitally through texting campaigns. They’d raised more than $131,000 in the 28 days leading up to Callais, which would have been a good month for them. The day of the decision and the one following it, they raised more than $290,000. At the end of June, even after big spends, the party had nearly $1 million in cash on hand, which Treasurer Dustin Granger says is the most in years. “The budget that we started out with at the beginning of the year was pretty optimistic for the time, and we’ve just kind of blown that out of the water,” Granger says.

With the money, the party has been able to hire new staff, tour the state and ramp up programming. Since April, it’s also invested heavily in third parties to fundraise digitally for them on a national scale — which, though expensive, has been a game changer. By early May, leaders had also completed a 21-page strategic plan for the party, which Chair Randal Gaines originally said would be completed by January 2025 and released to Gambit. However, leaders have refused to release the plan or give any details about it, citing “proprietary information and vital innovative strategies.” Still, it’s marked a shift for the state party, which has struggled to rebuild in recent years, even with a wave of new leadership. Only time will tell if Democrats can turn the money into victories at the polls. “Whenever you’re having fundraising challenges, it’s like a vicious downward spiral because ... you’re kind of barebone staff, and nobody has time for anything. And your fundraising kind of suffers even more,” Granger says. “We’re finally on a footing where I feel like we can keep growing,” he adds.

HARD TIMES

IT’S NO SECRET the Louisiana Democratic Party has had a series of rough years. Former state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans ran it from 2012 to 2020 but was eventually caught funneling money from the party and her campaign for personal gambling. Peterson paid back the party $53,000 in 2022 and was sentenced to 22 months in prison the following year. Under her successor, Katie Bernhardt of Lafayette, the party continued to

Democratic Senate candidate Jamie Davis PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Executive Director Dadrius Lanus STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

First Vice Chair Katie Darling PROVIDED PHOTO

spiral. She drew the ire of activists and many politicians in January 2023 when she dropped an ad in which she appeared to be considering a run for governor, even as Democrats were struggling to field candidates across the state. That meant there wasn’t a bench of seasoned candidates to call on, making it all but impossible for the party to challenge Republicans for the governorship. While Bernhardt quickly backtracked from the ad and never ran, the damage was done. Sean Wilson, then transportation secretary, wouldn’t announce his run until March 2023, seven months before the primary.

Later that year, Gov. Jeff Landry became governor without a runoff, and Republicans gained supermajorities in both the state House and Senate. Those losses galvanized many to run for seats on the Democratic State Central Committee and oust Bernhardt, which they did successfully. In April 2024, Randal Gaines, a former state representative of LaPlace, became party chair. Nobody thought the party would turn around over night, but for more than a year, leaders failed to attract money needed to hire basic staff positions and organize seriously at a statewide level. PAGE 18 →

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As the party continued to flounder, internal drama became public as many in the party turned to social media to air their grievances with where the party was at and decisions made by leadership. The infighting resulted in a handful of people leaving party leadership. Mel Manuel and Jeremy Thompson, two non-binary members active in the party, quit their positions late last year, dissatisfied with the treatment of LGBTQ members and what they saw as a lack of progress. Lafayette Democratic Parish Executive Committee At-Large Member Jae Regan followed their lead in May. On April 15, longtime party activist Kathy Hurst also resigned from her positions as party parliamentarian and state central committee representative, following a dispute between her and Executive Director Dadrius Lanus. Older drama also was resurrected when Gaines put out a statement in March acknowledging he’d asked New Orleans attorney Blake Corley to be a “political advisor” for party leadership back in May 2025. That original announcement drew blowback, mainly due to Corley’s business and political ties to Trisha Patel, a

Florida woman who helped her husband defraud the U.S. government out of millions while he was in prison for a separate fraud scheme. Corley was not charged with any crime.

PALPABLE ENERGY AND FRUSTRATION

BUT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, the public fights appear to have died down, and party officials and staff have been busy. The party ended the first leg of its 18-city tour around the state in New Orleans with an Aug. 6 rally at Southern University New Orleans that drew around 100 people. They are planning another leg, with stops in 25 cities, leading up to the election. At Southern, the energy was palpable. Lanus acted as a hype man during the event, leading the audience in chants of “fired up” along with an enthusiastic woman in the front row. The crowd stood up for Senate candidate Jamie Davis before and after he spoke, chanting his name. But there was also an underlying sense of frustration.

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“People have been saying for the longest, what is the Louisiana Democratic Party doing?” Lanus said, with some in the audience nodding and audibly agreeing. “We’re doing our part. Now it’s time for us to do it together.” Davis is running against U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow to replace Sen. Bill Cassidy. President Donald Trump backed Letlow in the Republican primary, wanting to oust Cassidy for voting to impeach him in 2021. Democrats haven’t held a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana since Cassidy beat Mary Landrieu in 2014. If elected, Davis would be the first Black senator from Louisiana since Reconstruction. Lanus said when Davis first told him he was running, he was skeptical. Afterall, Davis is a small-town farmer with limited political experience. He served a single term on the Tensas Parish Police Jury from 2015-2019, ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 2023 and now holds a seat on the Democratic State Central Committee. “I looked at the chair, and I said, ‘What in the world is wrong with Jamie? Why would he want to run for U.S. Senate of all things?” Lanus said.

“I am genuinely and authentically now feeling like we are moving in a better direction.” —FIRST VICE CHAIR KATIE DARLING

“Nobody was,” an audience member chimed in. Another called out from the back, “You didn’t believe.” “I didn’t believe because I didn’t see the vision, and often times we don’t see the vision because we’re so downtrodden and we feel like we’ve been so low for so long, we lose faith,” Lanus said, evoking a pastor giving a sermon. Davis said he was told he didn’t have “a snowball’s chance in hell” of winning and talked to some Louisiana Democrats who thought their donations would be better spent in Georgia. But he has raised $1.6 million from April through June, in large part through digital fundraising nationally. PAGE 21 →

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Rep. Delisha Boyd, a New Orleans Democrat, told the crowd she’s fed up with Democrats who don’t believe Davis can beat Letlow. “I’m pissed, but not with them, with us,” she said. “If one more person tells me that Jamie Davis can’t win, I might hurt someone.” The enthusiasm carried over the next night to the party’s annual gala, this year a “Sneaker Masquerade Ball” in honor of its featured speaker, former Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin followed Harris and stressed the importance of increasing investment in state parties, as the national party has done under his leadership. “There is no such thing as a permanent red state or such thing as a permanent blue state,” he said. “There is just a state of mind.”

FUNDRAISING

POLITICS IS A COSTLY BUSINESS. To really build up a party or campaign, an organization has to get serious about fundraising. It’s one of the least sexy parts of the job, but in America today, getting organized will cost you — a lot. Since April, the Louisiana Democratic Party has been leaning heavily on digital fundraising by third-party companies. That often looks like paragraphs-long texts — sometimes written with AI — sent out to millions of Democrats across the country asking for small donations. “Some MAGA members of Congress don KKK hoods, some real, some figurative — Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA),

who calls himself ‘David Duke without the baggage,’ is one of them,” begins one asking for donations for Lauren Jewett, a Democrat and teacher running to unseat Scalise, who is one of the highest-ranking figures in D.C. “I’m Lauren Jewett. I’m the Democrat and special education teacher running against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise because I believe it’s deeply shameful that my Congressman has embraced the hateful violence of the KKK,” it ends. “Can you please make a donation of $25, $10, or even just $5, to power our campaign to defeat Steve ‘David Duke without the Baggage’ Scalise, flip this district, and take back the House for Democrats?” These can yield significant cash by drawing in dollars from people who otherwise wouldn’t have thought to donate to a race in Louisiana. The small donations add up, and not just in the bank. Major donors want to see an effective fundraising operation in place before they start cutting the big checks. But the companies sending out these texts take a large cut, often anywhere between 25% to 50%, a fact that isn’t usually disclosed to donors. The companies also rent out their massive potential donor lists but typically don’t give the parties direct access to them. In June, the Louisiana Democratic Party paid digital fundraising company Ripple Effect Strategies nearly $431,000, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. It was a huge buy for the party, making up more than a fifth of its spending since the beginning of 2025.

“Whenever you’re having fundraising challenges, it’s like a vicious downward spiral because ... you’re kind of barebone staff, and nobody has time for anything. And your fundraising kind of suffers even more. We’re finally on a footing where I feel like we can keep growing.” —TREASURER DUSTIN GRANGER

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← PAGE 19

Mayor Helena Moreno and former Vice President Kamala Harris in New Orleans on Aug. 7. PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

That same month the party spent nearly $136,000 on digital fundraising from True Blue Analytics, about 7% of its expenses in the last year and a half. The party also gave about $27,000 to Groundfloor Political and $16,500 to Pantograph Labs for digital fundraising. When asked in May, Lanus, the party’s executive director, would not disclose what cut the party is paying these fundraising companies. This fundraising model has become increasingly common in recent years, though it’s not without its critics. A political operative who has worked on campaigns in Louisiana says it’s like many aspects of modern culture that he considers “half a scam.” By not being upfront with donors about the cut the company is taking or how competitive the races are, he feels it’s “selling people a bill of goods that’s a little bit of a con.” He argues the money would be better spent targeting close races. “It’s not strategic, and it’s not fair to its own voters,” he says. But there’s no denying that merely bringing in large sums of money is transformative for a campaign. It can make the media start treating a candidate seriously, which in turn can attract more donors. Indeed, Davis’ fundraising haul earned him an article in The Times-Picayune with the headline “Can Jamie Davis raise enough to challenge Julia Letlow for Louisiana Senate?”

EXPANDED PROGRAMMING AND NEW HIRES

IN RECENT MONTHS, the party has made several new hires, including a communications director, fundraising coordinator, voter data coordinator, organizing coordinator, a call time manager and office assistant. Sherice Janaye Nelson, a consultant and researcher with a Ph.D. in political science, started in the organizing role on July 1. Her job is to develop strategies for Democrats to win in the U.S. House and Senate races, with a focus on a Souls to the Polls event to encourage early voting among faith communities on Oct. 24, the second leg of the statewide Vote & Teach Tour, a college tour beginning in late August and leading the voting precinct organizing program. The party has recruited 240 precinct captains who have agreed to volunteer their time to get Democrats in their precincts out to vote by door knocking, calling and texting them. Nelson says her goal is to increase that to 300-400 captains by election day. Louisiana has more than 3,000 precincts total. First Vice Chair Katie Darling also said the party had poll watchers on the May 16 and June 27 elections to monitor any election problems people were having in real time. PAGE 23 →

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“Definitely these things took a little longer than I had liked, but standing in today, I’m very happy with where we are compared to where we were,” she says. “I am genuinely and authentically now feeling like we are moving in a better direction.”

2026 AND 2027 ELECTIONS WHILE STATE PARTY LEADERS ARE OPTIMISTIC about the party’s future, the real tests of its strength will be in the elections this year and next. That will show if the party can translate their fundraising surge into results at the polls. At the Aug. 6 event in New Orleans, Nelson told the crowd Davis needed roughly 816,000 votes to win the election, about 100,000 of which should come from New Orleans. “I need us to overperform in this area,” she said. “We have to overperform here because then it makes it easier across the state.” Though Davis and Democrats running in Republican congressional districts

face uphill battles this fall, even closing the gap would be a sign of progress. Notably, state Rep. Pat Moore of Monroe threw her hat into the Congressional District 5 race for the seat held by Letlow. Moore is the only Democratic state legislator running in a Republican congressional district. Democratic leaders have been encouraging potential candidates to run for governor and statehouse races next year. Granger says he realizes it’s “crunch time” and told Gambit he had a call earlier this month with a “potential bigger name contender” he hoped would run for governor. But he also acknowledged the difficulties of recruiting in districts unfavorable to Democrats. “You can recruit all you want, but you can’t make somebody do it,” Granger says. Darling, who is leading recruiting efforts along with Gaines, says both the state House Democratic Caucus and Senate Democratic Caucus have plans to end the Republican supermajorities in the legislature. “We have a goal to end this Republican supermajority, and I think we will,” she says.

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IN MEMORIAM

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resident, tour guide and reveler, he became a New Orleans icon. Perez died Aug. 8. He was 57. “Frank Perez was larger than life,” said Tomy Acosta, a friend and the owner of Ambush Magazine. “He loved history, he loved documenting history. He loved the French Quarter. He loved telling stories, and nobody was better at telling stories than Frank.” Perez grew up in Baton Rouge and pursued academic tracks in Louisiana and Texas before he moved to New Orleans two decades ago. He jumped into life in the French Quarter, making friends and developing his interest in recording the history of the district and especially the LGBTQ community. He met Jeffrey Palmquist, a bartender at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, and the two co-wrote what would be Perez’s first book on queer history, “In Exile: The History and Lore Surrounding New Orleans Gay Culture and Its Oldest Bar,” released in 2011. More books followed, including “Political Animal: The Life and Times of Stewart Butler,” a biography of the local LGBTQ activist. Researching his books and collecting materials led Perez to co-found and become the executive director of the LGBT+ Archives Project. The nonprofit documents and communicates the history of the queer community. It opened a gallery space on Burgundy Street in spring. Perez also was a columnist for Ambush Magazine, which became online only during the pandemic. Two years ago, Perez convinced A costa to resume a print version, and he became its editor, designer and more. Perez always wore many hats. He gave walking tours of the French Quarter. He returned to academia and taught classes for tour guides as well as courses on French Quarter and LGBTQ history. And he ran for office in 2021 to represent his district on the City Council. He also was part of the Quarter’s social life. Perez supported gay Carnival krewes and he served as one of the grand marshals of the 2018 Southern Decadence

PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

parade, leading the procession dressed as French royalty. Perez started his own Carnival group, the Mystik Krewe de la Rue Royale Revelers, in 2013, and appointed himself the title of Lord of Misrule and annually chose a Grand Reveler. The first parties were held at his apartment and, as they grew over the years, moved to a bar and then the Mardi Gras Museum. “Frank was the life of the party,” Acosta says. “The day of the party, he and some of the Grand Revelers would start the afternoon doing a bar crawl. By the time he got to the event, he was definitely the life of the party. For as much enjoyment as Frank got from hosting that event, he got just as much enjoyment seeing everybody else having a good time.” Perez’s “Rainbow Fleur de Lis: Essays on Queer New Orleans History” was a collection of his pieces that originally appeared in Ambush and the French Quarter Journal. This spring, he released an overhauled and expanded version of his book about Cafe Lafitte and gay bars. He had more books planned, including a history of gay journalism. Perez died of cancer. He is survived by his partner, Chris Trentacoste, and his parents, Louise McCann and Frank Perez. “I have often said, ‘It is the fate of every man to die,’ ” Acosta said. “It is not the fate of every man to be a pillar of a community, and that’s what Frank was, in more ways than one. A funeral visitation was held for Perez on Aug. 15. A celebration of his life will be announced.

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In New Orleans’ decentralized school system, independent charter school boards hold broad power.

Here’s what to know about school closures in the upcoming year. BY M A R TA J E WS O N IN MARCH, MUCH TO THE SHOCK OF STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF, the city’s largest charter operator closed its top-rated high school in an unannounced board vote. KIPP New Orleans School officials maintain the decision that day was unforeseen. They refuse to explain what occurred in the 24 hours between posting a rudimentary school board meeting agenda and the need for an immediate vote to close Frederick A. Douglass High School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. KIPP has another secondary school, Booker T. Washington High School, so it’s unlikely the three-step decision was considered and decided during a single Thursday night meeting. There is a lot to unpack, however, starting with the fact that the board didn’t actually vote to close Douglass. Rather, it voted to close C-rated John F. Kennedy High School, change Douglass’s address to that of Kennedy’s Paris Avenue building and change Douglass’s name to Kennedy. “It was thrown on us — we found out from the internet,” one Kennedy student, an upperclassman, said. While she was excited about the academic and extracurricular opportunities a larger school could offer, she worried about how the newly combined high school would calculate this year’s valedictorian. She has been vying for the top spot, as she knows the importance rankings carry on college applications. “I’m worried about how their Top 10 is going to transfer to ours,” she said. The rising senior was not alone. The murky decision-making process has led to frustration from students, staff and caregivers alike as they scramble to adjust to a new school setting and figure out transportation to a campus miles away, among other concerns. The closure raises broader questions about which schools might be next on the chopping block. Years ago, as the Orleans Parish School Board began reckoning with declining enrollment, the district asked charter groups to consider closing and merging schools. Now, under a new law, the board is attempting to put a citywide plan in place, but charter management organizations still hold vast power in school operations. Ashana Bigard, a longtime education advocate who runs the nonprofit Amplified Justice, says she has little doubt charter schools are making decisions well in advance. She argues the district should ensure charter schools are transparent with school closures. “They know the year before,” Bigard says. “That’s a decision students and parents enrolling in the school should know going in.”

Students in New Orleans charter schools could face more closures and mergers in the coming years. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

A MONTHS-LONG OFFING HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED BY LAMPLIGHTER NEWS show KIPP officials had discussed high school merger and closure scenarios for months last school year, outlining potential community, legal and financial consequences. The charter group hired a crisis communications firm in early February, more than a month in advance of the vote. In an early February email, KIPP CEO Rhonda Kalifey-Aluise described the high school closure discussions as “still early stage and very confidential.” Open Meetings Law attorneys say those documents and discussions could amount to an evasion of the state’s public records laws because they show contemplation of the closure prior to the board’s vote. Regardless, the decision sends hundreds of Douglass students across town this month to integrate Kennedy’s student body, keeping them within KIPP’s network. Aside from students in the Top 10 of their junior class wondering how their class rank would be affected, captains of sports teams wondered if they would maintain their status. Memes of

the storied high schools’ wildcat mascots — bobcats vs. cougars — abound on alumni social media pages. The newly doubled-in-size Kennedy High will maintain the cougar. Education advocate Kevin Griffin says school closure decisions should be made at least a month prior to the enrollment lottery closing. “What about the parent that put their child in Douglass because it was within walking distance?” he says. “Now you have to bring them miles away to Gentilly.” Despite a new neighborhood, teachers, friends and a doublingin-size student body, because KIPP made the merger decision in March, neither Douglass nor Kennedy students could select new schools. The district’s free-market-inspired, citywide enrollment lottery had closed in January. Neither NOLA Public Schools nor the Orleans Parish School Board insisted KIPP students be given a chance to resubmit their school applications, ceding students’ options to the charter group with the largest market share. Though the enrollment application had closed in January, the district did not run the lottery until after the Douglass closure announcement.

Indeed, KIPP officials worried about students leaving the charter network altogether. Losing students to other A-rated high schools, “(Edna) Karr and (Benjamin) Franklin in particular,” fell in the “risks” column of KIPP’s three-scenario merger plan sketched out in January.

WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE TO FAMILIES? PASSING THE PUBLICCOMMENT BUCK CHARTER GROUPS, NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD share a goal of addressing shrinking enrollment in the city. Underenrolled schools stretch budgets thin because operating costs, and things like air-conditioning and basic staffing remain the same, while some classrooms may sit half-empty. According to New Schools for New Orleans, a local education nonprofit that frequently provides data analysis and reports to the school system, the district stands to lose 4,300 students in the next four years. That’s roughly 10% of the student body. PAGE 37

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The Orleans Parish School Board holds charter school operating contracts, including the ones KIPP amended and relinquished to effectively close Douglass. NOLA Public Schools monitors charter groups for contract compliance. And the two public agencies are charged with holding charter schools accountable to the public. Pushed on how the unannounced vote cut parents, teachers, students and community members out of such a big decision, both KIPP and NOLA Public Schools say the KIPP board followed the letter of the Open Meetings Law. Pressed further, KIPP officials said families could take up the issue with the parish school board. “This consolidation requires approval from the Orleans Parish School Board, giving the students, families and the public multiple opportunities to provide public comment if they wish,” the organization said in a statement. Meanwhile, neighboring Jefferson Parish Public Schools has closed seven schools as part of its plan to address declining enrollment. Those decisions have been made as part of a public plan at a series of public meetings.

MORE CLOSURES LIKELY THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL RETURNTO-SCHOOL STORY, but teachers, parents and students should understand that more schools are likely to close at the end of next school year. Who decides which New Orleans schools close? Each year, the city’s charter schools with soon-to-expire contracts come before NOLA Public Schools to ask for a contract renewal. The district evaluates the nonprofit groups based on finances, operations and academics and then grants or denies a new contract. Though the district has long closed under-performing schools, the parish school board has been hamstrung by

the very nature of the system. It can’t close schools in good standing that have active contracts. With more than half of city schools earning a C-rating, most schools comfortably win new contracts. Letter grades of D and F only result in immediate closure if earned the year prior to contract review. With those contract and policy restrictions, over the last several years, the district has asked charter groups to voluntarily merge and close schools. “It allows them to circumvent their responsibilities wholeheartedly,” Griffin says of the board. “At the end of the day (charter groups) are subcontractors. They aren’t beholden to parents.” A new state law aims to give the board more power to close schools mid-contract. Though a new board policy under consideration would “incentivize” charter groups to make decisions by Dec. 1, it does not appear to require closure decisions be announced by that date. Even if the school board approves a comprehensive plan to address shrinking enrollment, without specifically addressing or penalizing late-in-theyear decisions, charter school operators can continue to close and merge schools without giving students the option to select new ones. Griffin wants the school board to take responsibility for closures and says its passive approach does a disservice to families. “The board is the top — they’re the ones who are elected and legally responsible. They hire the superintendent. That’s how this is supposed to go,” Griffin says. “With the charter schools, the parents hold all the responsibility and no one else. That’s ass-backwards.” Journalist Marta Jewson founded Lamplighter News in 2026 to cover the intersections of climate, education and health, and ensure New Orleans school boards continue to be held accountable to the community they serve.

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Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane presents

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Élan Academy celebrates a decade of growth and a future of possibility, all built on learning, leadership and community BY AMANDA MCELFRESH, AMCELFRESH@THEADVOCATE.COM This article is brough to you by Elan Academy.

Ten years ago, Élan Academy opened in New Orleans. The school was intentionally designed as a small environment where teachers would know, challenge and care for each child. The overriding premise of Élan was that all children deserve a high-quality education, a solid foundation and the ability to choose their path in life. A decade later, Élan’s earliest students are community advocates, artists, peer leaders and young scholars raising the academic bar in their high schools. “Our mission has remained remarkably consistent. We exist to educate, equip and empower scholars to lead. We want our children to leave Élan academically prepared, but also confident in who they are and capable of navigating whatever environment they enter next,” said Élan Academy Founder and CEO Dr. Melanie Askew Clark. Élan serves students in pre-K4 through eighth grades, combining a classical curriculum with modern technology and leadership development. It is one of the only K-8 public schools where students learn Latin

beginning in kindergarten. Grammar, logic and rhetoric are enforced as key concepts, while scholars study literary classics and the roots and meanings of words. At the same time, Élan prepares students for the future with teachings on coding and using artificial intelligence ethically. Its partnership with Apple’s Community Education Initiative through Delgado provides Élan scholars with Apple products. Beyond technology, a robust “Leader In Me” program ensures each scholar has life skills such as being proactive, setting goals and plans, prioritization, listening, teamwork and overall wellness. “We have very high expectations for what children are capable of,” Dr. Clark said. “We believe elementary and middle school students can engage with rich literature, speak confidently, wrestle with complex ideas, create, perform and lead.” Except for the year after COVID, Élan has earned an A or B from the state for academic growth every year since its founding. Dedicated staﬀ and families are key to Élan’s success, Dr. Clark said. The school community shows up

for one another, whether it’s raising money for families in need, attending student performances or serving as catalysts for partnerships and philanthropy. “I want the next 10 years to be about going from a strong school to an enduring pillar of our community. I want families in Orleans to see Élan as proof that an exceptional, deeply enriching education can be accessible to every child, regardless of a family’s ability to pay tuition,” Clark said. “The first decade proved that Élan could be built. The next decade should prove what can be built because Élan exists.”

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Art Camp 504 celebrates 10 years with a new home and bigger dreams This article is brought to you by Art Camp 504.

In 2016, Art Camp 504 started as a summer art workshop for a dozen neighborhood kids. A decade later, the non-profit serves over 1,100 New Orleans kids annually through year-round camps and classes.

a performance stage and a green screen room. Art Camp 504 is launching a capital campaign to continue renovations, including a recording studio, ceramics kiln, edible garden, administrative spaces and much more.

This fall, the organization is excited to welcome students to its new home at 2803 St. Claude for afterschool classes. Coinciding with its 10 th anniversary, Art Camp 504 recently moved into the two-story pink building—doubling its square footage and increasing the number of programs it can host and students it can serve.

“We’re embarking on a multi-year plan to turn our new building into something more magical than it already is,” said Art Camp 504 Board of Directors Chair Anna Ruth Peiﬀer. “We’re looking forward to engaging local businesses, foundations and community members in supporting us as we cultivate the next generation of New Orleans creatives.”

“After spending our first decade in shared creative spaces, it was time to spread our wings and have our own building in order to serve our community in bigger, more impactful ways,” said Art Camp 504’s Founder and Executive Director Sam Bass. The Marigny building, which used to be the old Gerkens Bike Shop, features a culinary kitchen,

In the meantime, this fall, the non-profit is oﬀering everything from circus arts and sketch squad to film club and creative writing classes in its new home. The fall semester lineup includes something for kids ages 0 to 16 as well as family classes where caregivers can make music, ceramics and more with their kids. SPONSORED CONTENT

Parents can view the full schedule at artcamp504.org. Scholarships and sliding scale tuition are available, helping the non-profit fulfill its mission of removing barriers to arts access. “We believe in a world where every child has access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts education—regardless of who they are or what zip code they were born in. We’re excited to welcome over 200 fall semester students to our new building starting this September,” said Bass.

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Buildingg Leaders.

FOR GOD | FOR LEARNING | FOR LIFE

OPEN HOUSE October 8 | 3 - 7:30 PM

NEW ORLEANS MILITARY & MARITIME ACADEMY

is ready for you. • A-rated • Open-enrollment ALL metro NOLA parishes

mcacubs.com | Scan to RSVP Mount Carmel Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies.

• High Quality Academic & Character Education Program

• Grades 8-12

• TOPS University or Tech Career diploma

• All students are MCJROTC Cadets

• Purple Star School & Naval Honor School

Nomma.net | (504) 227-3810 425 O’Bannon Street, New Orleans, LA 70114

To SPONSORED CONTENT

University View Academy 3113 Valley Creek Dr., Baton Rouge (225) 421-2900 | universityview.academy

New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy (NOMMA) 425 O’Bannon St., New Orleans | (504) 227-3810 | nomma.net

Edward Hynes Schools Lakeview: 990 Harrison Ave., New Orleans (Grades PK–8) LSU New Orleans: 6101 Chatham Dr., New Orleans (Grades K–7) Hynes-Parkview: 4617 Mirabeau Ave., New Orleans (Grades K–8) (504) 324-7160 | hynesschools.com Hynes Charter Schools—serving Lakeview, Parkview, and LSU New Orleans campuses—are among the highest-performing, open-enrollment schools in Orleans Parish. All three campuses demonstrated strong academic performance and growth in 2025, with Hynes-Lakeview maintaining its “A” rating for the 14th consecutive year, while HynesParkview and Hynes-LSU New Orleans posted signiﬁcant gains. Hynes is a Cognia® System of Distinction and is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI). Hynes-Lakeview and Hynes-LSU New Orleans offer French immersion programs and have been honored with the prestigious LabelFrancÉducation. Arts and social-emotional learning are integrated throughout the curriculum. Rooted in equity, innovation, and excellence, Hynes provides a student-centered, inclusive environment where all learners are empowered to succeed. Register for an Open House Tour at: www.hynesschool.com/admissions Tour Dates: November 12 • November 19 • December 3

NOMMA is an A-rated, open-enrollment public charter high school serving grades 8–12 across greater New Orleans. Every cadet participates in Marine Corps JROTC, thus developing leadership, discipline, conﬁdence and purpose. In a focused college and career preparatory environment, experienced teachers and retired military instructors help each student reach their full potential. Cadets may earn a TOPS University or TOPS Tech Career diploma and access honors, AP and dual-enrollment courses, after-school tutoring, career pathways and Class 4A athletics. Discover what sets NOMMA apart!

University View Academy is a Louisianabased K-12 tuition-free online public charter school available to students statewide from any parish. As one of the most innovative virtual charter schools in Louisiana, we offer a unique online environment with certified teachers and proven curricula that allow student families the flexibility and freedom to learn in a way that fits their lifestyle needs. UVA also offers an early college high school program that allows our students to earn a free two-year associates degree from a partner community or technical college by either attending classes on campus or online via dual enrollment. www.universityview.academy

International School of Louisiana 2518 Arts St. | 1400 Camp St. | 502 Olivier St. (504) 654-1088 | isl-edu.org The International School of Louisiana (ISL) is a tuition-free, public charter school serving K–8 students from any parish in Louisiana. Founded in 2000, ISL provides French and Spanish language immersion education with a focus on international awareness, diversity, and preparing students for a global community. With campuses in St. Roch (K–3), Uptown (4–8), and the Westbank (K–5), ISL empowers students to become multilingual learners and global citizens. Campus tours begin in September or join us for our Open House on Saturday, November 14.

New Orleans School of Ballet 717 Adams St., New Orleans | (504) 866-0652 | neworleansschoolofballet.com Make Your World Beautiful at New Orleans School of Ballet, where exceptional ballet training meets a welcome, inspiring environment. Dedicated instructors provide hands-on, professional guidance and personalized attention, helping students develop technique, confidence, and artistry. Programs are designed for every stage of life, including engaging preschool classes, youth training, and adult classes for beginners and experienced dancers alike. With a supportive studio community and a passion for excellence, New Orleans School of Ballet inspires students of all ages to discover the joy, discipline, and artistry of dance- making their world beautiful through movement.

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2026

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Élan Academy 6501 Berkley Dr., New Orleans (504) 619-9720 | elanacademy.org

Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts (LAAPA)

For 10 years, Élan Academy, a free, openenrollment PreK-8 charter school in Algiers has paired high expectations with a small-school environment where every child is known, challenged, and supported. Grounded in a classical curriculum of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, Élan pairs small classes with a literacy two-teacher model that gives every student double the support they need to thrive. Offering Latin, gifted and talented courses, and A “Leader in Me” school that teaches the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders, while strong family partnerships keep parents engaged every step of the way. With enrichment options sports, band, arts, and garden club to name anfew.At Élan, scholars do more than learn, they learn to lead. Enroll today!

2020 Dickory Ave., #200, Harahan | (504) 208-2301 | laapa.com Join the Fun this Fall! Learn to PLAY, DANCE, SING, OR ACT! Take lessons with our exceptional teachers in a positive & fun environment. LAAPA works with brand new beginners to advanced students preparing for auditions, recording sessions, etc. All programs are structured with the opportunity to tailor their educational experience to their precise interests and goals. Classes are available in person at the New Orleans campus located in River Ridge/Harahan or on the Northshore at the Covington and Mandeville campuses.

School of Rock - Metairie / New Orleans 1907 Veterans Blvd., Metairie | (504) 618 - ROCK | metairie.schoolofrock.com At School of Rock Metairie/New Orleans, we do more than teach music—we make musicians! As a family-owned and operated school, we offer performance-based music education for ages 4 through adult. Programs include Little Wing, Rookies, Rock 101, Performance Program, Adult Program, and our new Songwriting Program. Through one-on-one lessons, group rehearsals, and live performances, students build musical skills while developing confidence, leadership, teamwork, and lifelong friendships. Whether taking the stage with a band or writing original songs, students discover their potential in a welcoming community where they grow as musicians—and as people. Make Music. Build Conﬁdence. Find Your Community.

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De La Salle 5300 St Charles Ave., New Orleans (504) 895-5717 | delasallenola.com

Educators for Quality Alternatives 1614 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans | (504) 267-9060 | eqaschools.org EQA Schools is a forward-thinking network that integrates academic excellence with the development of Emotional Intelligence and Social-Emotional Learning skills. By offering a comprehensive curriculum that prioritizes both cognitive growth and emotional well-being, EQA Schools prepares students for a well-rounded and successful future. Through engaging courses, real-world learning, and valuable resources, our network ensures that students not only excel in traditional academic subjects but also cultivate essential life skills like self-awareness and effective communication. This approach equips students to navigate challenges with resilience, fostering holistic development. Notably, we provide additional support by offering free childcare services to student parents, reinforcing our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.

At De La Salle, students are known, challenged, and inspired to become the leaders they are meant to be. As New Orleans’ only college preparatory, coeducational Catholic high school, De La Salle offers a distinctive Lasallian education rooted in academic excellence, faith, service, and real-world experiences. Our personalized approach to learning and broad opportunities in athletics, arts, leadership, and extracurriculars empower our students to discover their passions and achieve their goals. Guided by the Lasallian mission, De La Salle graduates leave with the conﬁdence and the skillset to thrive in college, career, and life. Lead On!

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Delgado Community College 615 City Park Ave., New Orleans | (504) 671-5000 | dcc.edu Delgado Community College is an open-admissions, comprehensive community college dedicated to providing high-quality education through innovation and excellence in teaching and learning. Serving the diverse New Orleans metropolitan area, Delgado offers associate degrees, workforce programs, professional and advanced technology education, arts and sciences, and traditional occupational programs. Through accessible face-to-face and distance learning opportunities, Delgado creates a student-centered environment that supports achievement and lifelong learning. The College prepares students to reach their educational, career, and personal goals while developing critical-thinking, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Delgado empowers students to become successful, responsible, and engaged members of their communities and society.

Cabrini High School 1400 Moss St., New Orleans | (504) 482- 1193 cabrinihigh.com Why Cabrini? Because we’re not just preparing young women for college; we’re forming bold, capable leaders. At Cabrini, every student is seen, challenged, and empowered through personal mentorship and a closeknit community. From STEM to fine arts and athletics, excellence is expected and achieved. Rooted in the values of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, our graduates lead with faith, compassion, and courage. With $17.7 million in scholarships earned by the Class of 2026, Cabrini is shaping unstoppable futures.

School of Rock – Northshore 1872 N Causeway Blvd., Mandeville | (985) 589-7625 northshore.schoolofrock.com At School of Rock Northshore, we do more than teach music—we make musicians! As a family-owned and operated school, we offer performancebased music education for ages 4 through adult. Programs include Little Wing, Rookies, Rock 101, Performance Program, and Adult Program. Through one-on-one lessons, group rehearsals, and live performances, students build musical skills while developing confidence, leadership, teamwork, and lifelong friendships. Whether they’re picking up an instrument for the first time or taking the stage with a band, students discover their potential in a welcoming community where they grow as musicians—and as people. Make Music. Build Conﬁdence. Find Your Community.

For information about how to experience Cabrini up close, call Teena Costales, Director of Recruitment, at 504-483-8665 or visit cabrinihigh.com.

Christ Episcopal School Christwood Boulevard Campus 80 Christwood Blvd. , Covington, LA 70433 | (985) 871-9902 Christepiscopalschool.org Discover Christ Episcopal School, a mission and ministry of Christ Episcopal Church. We are a coeducational college preparatory day school for students in early pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The school, with its 600+ students, is set on two unique, idyllic campuses in Covington, and our goal is to prepare our students for living in God’s world, with all their rights and privileges, duties and responsibilities. The philosophy of Christ Episcopal School reflects the reasons for its origin: to provide a superior academic opportunity within the framework of a warm and nurturing Christian environment.

Benjamin Franklin High School 2001 Leon C Simon Dr., New Orleans | (504) 286-2600 | bfhsla.org Benjamin Franklin High School students are building the future. Our Pre-Engineering STEM pathway, developed with the LSU College of Engineering, earns students a STEM Diploma Seal and a head start on college credit. Our Robotics Team has qualified for the World Championship in Houston, and students place at the Louisiana Science and Engineering Fair. Add 29 AP courses with a 94% pass rate, five world languages, and a dedicated counselor and mental health professional for every student, and it’s clear why Franklin is ranked the #1 public high school in Louisiana. Graduates go on to Ivy League schools, top HBCUs, and Louisiana’s best colleges. Join us for Open House on October 22, from 5 to 7 p.m.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Early Childhood Campus 120 S. New Hampshire St., Covington, LA 70433 | (985) 892-9156

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Warren Easton Charter High School 3019 Canal St., New Orleans | (504) 324-7400 warreneastoncharterhigh.org

Mount Carmel Academy

Founded in 1843 as Louisiana’s first public high school, Warren Easton continues a legacy of expanding opportunity through public education. Today, Easton is focused on Elevating Academic Performance and Enriching the Easton Experience. Fighting Eagles access AP, honors, dual enrollment, advanced credentials and high-wage, highdemand career pathways, alongside a robust student life featuring athletics, band, choir, arts, clubs and leadership opportunities. From academic achievement to school spirit, students are challenged to discover their strengths, build community and prepare for what comes next, grounded in the Tradition, Excellence, Family and Pride that deﬁne Easton. Our Legacy Forward. 22nd Century Ready.

7027 Milne Blvd., New Orleans | (504) 288-7626 | mcacubs.com The Mount Carmel Academy experience is filled with opportunities for each student to pursue her passions, grow spiritually, and discover the person God created her to become. Students collaborate with peers, view failures as opportunities for growth, and approach the world with an inquisitive mind. Small class sizes ensure an interactive and inclusive learning environment. Students expand their interests through more than 50 extracurricular activities and become active participants in the community through the school’s service learning program. Explore the MCA’s campus, meet students and teachers, and learn more at Open House on October 8 from 3 to 7:30 p.m.

Mathnasium of New Orleans New Orleans | (504) 676-6284 | mathnasium.com/math-centers/neworleans At Mathnasium of New Orleans, our tutors use the Mathnasium Method™ to help students develop a deep understanding of math. Our proprietary approach combines personalized learning plans with mental, verbal, visual, tactile, and written techniques, giving each student math instruction tailored to their unique needs and learning style. The Mathnasium Method™ builds a strong foundation for math success while helping students gain confidence, improve their skills, and even enjoy math. Give your child the tools to succeed in math with personalized instruction designed to make learning engaging and effective. Schedule your free assessment today!

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City Park Movement and Art Metairie Piano Academy 1900 Veterans Memorial Blvd. | (504) 544-0164 | metairiepianoacademy.com Metairie Piano Academy is a modern music school offering group piano instruction for students ages 4 through adult. We believe music should be fun, social, and inspiring from the very first note. Our innovative approach combines traditional piano education with technology, engaging games, collaborative activities, and interactive group learning. Through our LEARN. PLAY. CONNECT. philosophy, students build a strong musical foundation while developing confidence, creativity, and connection in a supportive classroom environment. Whether you’re a beginner or returning to music later in life, our tech-powered, community-focused lessons make learning piano accessible, meaningful, and exciting. We’re creating lifelong musicians one note at a time!

4300 Dumaine St., New Orleans (504) 390-7482 cityparkmovementandart.com We have hatched a unique creative community at City Park Movement and Art. We provide a warm welcoming environment where people of all ages and levels can come together to explore their self expression through the love of dance, movement, music, and art. We focus not only on improving technique but providing programs that promote self confidence, fun, kindness, community, and healthy living habits. Visit www.cityparkmovementandart.com

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NOLA Kidsground 5700 Citrus Blvd., Elmwood | nolakidsground.com | (504) 354-9528 Make this school year a little more fun at NOLA Kidsground, New Orleans area’s premier indoor playground and family play center. Located in Elmwood, NOLA Kidsground offers 3,500 square feet of space where children can climb, explore, imagine and spark their creativity through play. It’s the perfect spot for open play, playdates and birthday celebrations for little ones through age 7. With dedicated party packages and friendly hosts to help with the details, parents can relax with handcrafted gourmet beverages while kids make memories.. Whether you’re looking for an indoor activity after school or planning a special celebration, NOLA Kidsground is ready to play!

Crescent City Stage Studio Arden Cahill Academy

At CCS Studio, we believe every young person deserves access to real theatre training. Our youth acting classes are taught by professional teaching artists and rooted in the same craft-based approach that drives our work on stage. Whether your child is stepping into a classroom for the first time or ready to go deeper, there is a place for them here.

Arden Cahill Academy, voted the #1 Grammar School, Nursery/Preschool and Summer Camp by Gambit Weekly readers, offers an exceptional academic experience for students from six weeks old through 12th grade. Located along Bayou Fatma in Gretna, the school combines rigorous academics with a unique outdoor, country-style setting. From our nurturing Infant Center to our college-preparatory high school, we support every stage of student growth. Highlights include horse stables, a petting farm, STEAM Lab, art studios, music rooms, and a 300-seat theater. Schedule a private tour to experience the Cahill Way. High school students can also be a Whale-for-a-Day. Join us October 21st, 4–6:30 p.m.

3101 Wall Blvd., Gretna | (504) 392-0902 | ardencahillacademy.com

To SPONSORED CONTENT

SPONSORED CONTENT

2026

6063 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 354-8636 crescentcitystage.com

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M > A U G U ST 1 7 - 2 3 > 2 0 2 6

New Orleans School of Ballet

! y a d o t l l o r En Make your world beautiful

Credit Recovery for ages 15-21 Paid Internships Flexible Scheduling Scheduliing Childcare Assistaance Central City, Genttilly, & N.O. East

Top-tier ballet training for ages 3-18, from young beginners to aspiring professionals.

eqaschools.org/enroll

NOW ENROLLING!

www.neworleansschoolofballet.com | 504-866-0652

Hynes Charter Schools are the highest in-demand, open admissions schools in New Orleans. Hynes is a place where cultural diversity, high academic achievement, positive behavior, and school pride are valued and celebrated. Register for an Open House Tour at: www.hynesschool.com/admissions TOUR DATES: November 12 • November 19 • December 3

Cognia System of Distinction Award

Certified academic excellence! Hynes - Lakeview (Gifted PK, K-8) 990 Harrison Ave. N.O., LA 70124

Hynes-LSU New Orleans (K-8) 1901 Leon C. Simon Dr. N.O., LA 70122

Hynes - Parkview (K-8) 4617 Mirabeau Ave. N.O., LA 70126

TOP-RATED K-12 MATH TUTORS

mathnasium

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of new orleans FREE

ASSESSMENT • Specially trained tutors in New Orleans, LA • Test prep and homework help • Assessment-based personalized learning plans Free Assessment until 09/30 | See where your student REALLY IS IN MATH

701 Dante Street #D, New Orleans, LA | (504) 676-6284

Parisian accent

FORK + CENTER

Kandy’s opens in the CBD | by Beth D’Addono

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

“IF YOUR DREAM DOESN’T SCARE YOU, IT’S NOT BIG ENOUGH,” SAYS KANDY TAYLOR.

Taylor says that mantra helped propel her to open her first restaurant, Kandy’s, in New Orleans’ CBD in June. Steps from the Poydras Street office corridor and Lafayette Square, the intimate 38-seat dining room at 514 S. Rampart St. represents a leap of faith for the Paris-trained chef. Originally, she thought she’d open a breakfast spot, which she felt was the safer route. But instead she decided to open a fine dining restaurant. While Taylor considers herself risk averse, her best friend, cheerleader and father to her five children, Marc Griffin-Hagan, urged her to go for it. “I was terrified to open this place, but Marc said, ‘Don’t open a place you won’t love,’ and he was right,” says Taylor, who lives with her family in Arabi. Her vision for Kandy’s was inspired by trips to Paris and New York. The Chicago native moved to New Orleans 19 years ago and enjoys old-school, intimate dining experiences anchored in fresh ingredients and French technique seen through the New Orleans lens. “I love New Orleans food,” she says. “It’s different from other places. I love Chicago, but here, the food reminds me of love, of home.” Opening Kandy’s was a bold and scrappy move. This is literally her first kitchen. Taylor worked for years in hospitality, with her favorite serving job at Emeril Lagasse’s former French Quarter gem, Nola. “That was the first restaurant that really sparked my interest,” Taylor says. “Everything was made from scratch. I was always nosy in the kitchen.” Taylor didn’t have much exposure to good food while growing up. “My mother can’t cook,” Taylor says. “She puts ketchup on a steak and puts it in the oven.” When Taylor fell in love with the Parisian bistro scene in the fall of 2025, something clicked.

Kandy Taylor serves Parisianinspired dishes at Kandy’s. PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

The stay-at-home mom decided to go to culinary school in Paris. She spent the summer attending the Ferrandi Paris school. “I started cooking on social media with the kids during the pandemic, but I’d never cooked in a restaurant before this one,” she says. The jewel box dining room is impressive, with exposed brick, rolled leather banquettes and white tablecloths. Although the city is now offering grants for the restoration along S. Rampart Street, Taylor opened her restaurant before the grant program launched. She hopes to access additional funding to restore the upstairs into a dining room and event space. Kandy’s is fine dining, with prices to match. Appetizers fall in the $13-$22 range, dinner entrees at $32-$68 and lunch at $15-$33. The emphasis here is on quality, presentation and generous portions. The concise menu touches on the chef’s favorites. She tested recipes at home for her kids, ages 7 to 19. “My son Marc Jr. is just like me,” she says. “He’s got a great palate.” Marc Jr.’s favorite menu item is the 10-ounce Snake River Farms wagyu

double cheeseburger, topped with an egg and slabs of glistening, thick-cut bacon on a brioche bun. The shaved prime rib sandwich is another winner, served with melted Swiss cheese, garlic horseradish and jus. Baked Gulf crab and local crawfish add up to a big seller in a rich and creamy casserole of seafood, heavy cream and Gruyere, Monterey jack and Parmesan cheeses. It’s easily (and wisely) shareable among two or three. The crab cake starter is all jumbo lump with barely a whisper of binding, crusted in the salamander, not fried. Garlic-herb crusted drum is served draped over a mound of brabant potatoes and haricots verts, enhanced by a pool of buttery beurre rouge sauce, tangy with red wine vinegar. Taylor put together a creative cocktail menu too, crowned by a fab olive oil sour made with 1792 Bourbon, brandy, sherry, citrus, honey and olive oil. This is an ambitious restaurant, opened by a strong, creative Black female chef. So far, business has exceeded expectations, despite it being summer. “I expected it to be slow, so I didn’t schedule all the staff,” she says. “Then we were so busy, and everybody was working doubles.” In opening her first restaurant, Taylor is keeping the advice of her mentor, chef Lenora Chong of Morrow Hospitality, in mind. “She helped me so much. She told me, ‘Sometimes you’re going to cry. But then pick yourself back up and keep going.’ It’s great advice,” she says.

? WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

HOW

CHECK IT OUT

Kandy’s

514 S. Rampart St., (504) 881-0851; kandysnola.com

Lunch and dinner Wed.-Mon.

Dine-in

Classic French inspired fare at a new CBD spot

Brennan’s 80th

TO MARK ITS 80TH ANNIVERSARY IN BUSINESS, BRENNAN’S IS RUNNING A FIVE-COURSE tasting menu alongside its

regular menu for $80 (before tax, tip or drinks), a good value at this level. If you’ve not visited since Kris Padalino was promoted from pastry chef to executive chef last year, this makes a fine introduction to her style. She brings a marked intricacy and beauty in presentation from the pastry arts over to the savory courses. The tasting menu starts with oysters on the half shell from one of the modern Grand Isle farms (using off-bottom cultivation), a treatment of lobster with barbecue shrimp sauce, redfish Veronique, a French classic with a subtle update, and a beautiful cut of duck breast crusted in hazelnuts.

PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Dessert is the Snickers, a riff on the candy bar and a Brennan’s house standard that has been significantly upgraded. Brennan’s also has “summer saber Fridays,” when a $75 ticket gets a bottle of Champagne and a lesson on saberage — a dramatic way of opening the bottle by knocking off its top, cork and all. Summer saber Fridays are held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each Friday afternoon in August in the courtyard. See brennansneworleans.com/events. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

Northshore dining deals WHILE THE ANNUAL COOLINARY DINING PROMOTION IS UNDERWAY IN NEW ORLEANS this month, on the Northshore

a circuit of new and longtime restaurants are taking part in a separate program that’s become a summer tradition across St. Tammany Parish. Tammany Taste of Summer runs throughout August, with

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E AT + D R I N K

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M > A U G U ST 1 7 - 2 3 > 2 0 2 6

Admission open House events Oct. 13 Oct. 27

Early Childhood Upper School

www.christepiscopalschool.org

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participating restaurants across St. Tammany Parish offering special prix-fixe menus. The list of participating restaurants this year has surged to nearly 70 (up from about 40 last year). While Coolinary in New Orleans has a set structure for courses and price limits, on the Northshore the August offers vary significantly from restaurant to restaurant, from summer tasting menus to discounts and other offers. It showcases the growing diversity of style around Northshore dining. The variety of restaurants listed this year is impressive, from Peruvian cuisine in Slidell at Pablo’s (2128 Front St.) to Northshore stalwarts like Gallagher’s Grill (509 S. Tyler St.) in Covington. Some of the preview menus offer some good summer deals. For instance, Keith Young’s Steakhouse (165 La. Highway 21) in Madisonville goes traditional with a three-course steak dinner for $40, among other options. Steak is also one of the choices on the three-course dinner menu for $52 at the Dakota (310 E. Boston St.), also in Covington. Tavi (330 N. New Hampshire St.) in Covington gives a taste of its modern Middle Eastern flavors across three courses for $28 at dinner, and around the corner Meribo (326 Lee Lane) has three courses for $33, including pizza, pasta and salads. Start with a cool cobia crudo and then foie gras-stuffed quail at Covington’s new French stunner Feliciana (405 E. Gibson St.). Those are among the choices on its $60 three-course dinner menu. Some restaurants get creative with their meal deals. Zea Rotisserie & Bar (110 Lake Drive) in Covington has dinner for two people at $59.99, with a shared appetizer, grilled bread and two entrees. Participating restaurants can provide patrons dinner with a waterfront view at the high-end Tchefuncte’s (407 St. Tammany St.) in Madisonville or take them on a trip down a more languid waterway at Palmetto’s on the Bayou (1901 Bayou Lane) in Slidell. There are more waterfront dining deals at Pat’s Rest a While (2901 Lakeshore Drive) and its newer neighbor in Old Mandeville, Aperitif Spritz + Bites (1943 Lakeshore Drive). Look for updates on participants and details at visitthenorthshore.com. Tammany Taste of Summer is organized by the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

cozy

C o e Pl P nd P rrtyty wwith ithth U Come Playy and Party Us!s!! T he G r eat er New Or l ean s ar ea' s p r em ie r i ndo or pl ay ca fe an d par t y pl a c e 5 70 0 C it rus Blvd, St e D in Elmw oo d | no lak ids gro u nd. c om

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Alama has closed HONDURAN FOOD HAS HAD A STRONG, IF UNHERALDED, presence in New Orleans.

The restaurant Alma gave the nation’s cuisine a higher profile, with a modern menu and stylish dining rooms at two locations. They garnered their chef/ owner Melissa Araujo two nominations for James Beard Foundation awards. The first Alma in the Bywater closed last summer, and now the second in Mid-City has followed suit. People turning up to dine over the last few weeks found the doors locked at 301 N. Carrollton Ave., and a sign in the window advising that the restaurant was temporarily closed awaiting repairs. Now the dining room has been cleared out. Araujo confirmed the restaurant has closed, though she said it wasn’t necessarily the end of Alma. She said the restaurant could return, though offered no further details. She said she needed a break from the business and determined it was in her best interest to close. She’s now working as a corporate chef consulting for other restaurants, she said. The first Alma location opened in the Bywater in 2020. Araujo served Honduran standards like baleadas, pastelitos and pollo chuco, and she introduced a dinner menu with dishes like scallop crudo, aguachile, whole fish and duck confit. The Mid-City Alma opened early in 2025. A few months later, Araujo was arrested on charges of government benefits fraud related to Medicaid, in a case that remains pending. She closed the Bywater restaurant in August 2025. That location, at 800 Louisa St., is now home to a different restaurant, the Mexican breakfast spot Casimiro. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

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Author

by Will Coviello NEW ORLEANS FOOD WRITER MARIELLE SONGY RELEASED HER DEBUT BOOK

about the absinthe frappe cocktail in 2023. She’s following it up with a dive into New Orleans coffee culture and history. Songy explores everything from the history of coffee cultivation to the latest brewing devices, and much of the book focuses on the importance of coffee trade through New Orleans’ port and the explosion of small local coffee roasters and coffee shops. Part of a series of books about the state’s food and drink culture from LSU Press, “Coffee Culture New Orleans” is out Aug. 20. Songy signs books at an event at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at Garden District Book Shop. Visit mariellesongy.com or lsupress.org for more information.

What did you learn about New Orleans’ wider influence on coffee? MARIELLE SONGY: I have always been fascinated by New Orleans’ connection to coffee and how much coffee is a part of New Orleans culture. It always has been, from enslaved people buying their freedom through selling coffee, like Rose Nicaud, through having coffee shops on every corner. It turns out coffee helped put New Orleans on the map and helped build the city. The thing that impressed me the most was how rooted in New Orleans coffee was — it was such a big part of our economy. There was a coffee dock fire in the early 20th century that was this huge news because it was like, “Is this going to affect coffee on a national level?”

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What has been the impact of all the micro roasters in New Orleans? S: All of these roasters have their different countries-of-origin that they like, whether it’s beans from Colombia or Ethiopia or something like that. These smaller roasters have relationships with the farmers and farms where they get their coffee. They’re supporting these family farms by buying coffee and ensuring that this happens for generation upon generation. That’s what I like about supporting the smaller roasters. Before I started researching this book, I used to wonder why when

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIELLE SONGY

you go into a coffee shop, why is a cup of coffee so much more expensive when I can just go into a grocery store and grab some Folgers or a bag of Community Coffee and make it at home? It’s because they are supporting these farmers and small farms who have to make a living. That’s what’s important about supporting small coffee shops outside of the big chains like Starbucks, because it’s going back into these family farms that are keeping these traditions alive. (Small roasters) also are roasting their coffee and they cup it and they’re bringing their expertise for coffee grading. It’s a very personalized thing for each roaster. I think the difference is more than just equipment and beans. I feel like you’re getting the best product. The first wave was basically grocery store coffee. The second wave is associated with boutique coffee shops that were more about the vibe, but they served cappuccinos and espressos. They had sofas and a

ushi rest nt! S / e anes au r a

comfy atmosphere and made coffee shops the third place to hang out. Now, coffee has evolved, so some people only like specialty coffees from say Guatemala or Colombia. The third wave is about very specific tastes. It’s people who appreciate coffee beyond the kick of caffeine. They want it to taste good and not add sweeteners or creamers. They want it to stand on its own. They like the taste of coffee.

What about chicory and New Orleans coffee? S: A lot of people think we invented putting chicory in coffee. A lot of people think it’s rooted in war situations, where there wasn’t any coffee so they had to mix chicory in. It’s nice to tell the full story and debunk the myth that it was just used in war times. It is a very New Orleans thing, but it is starting to fade away, especially with these specialty shops. In part because of the third wave and people who just want specialty coffee, unadulterated. So few coffee shops serve it now. A lot of old locals like chicory. (Culinary historian) Elizabeth Williams says it would be nice if a lot of these coffee shops had at least one chicory coffee on the menu. But that could be extra cost. It might not be worth it to them price wise if not enough people are coming in asking for it every day. I think not enough people are clamoring for it.

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Marielle Songy

On the more recent side, the thing that really intrigued me was the expansion of PJ’s outside of New Orleans. It started as this little neighborhood coffee shop. I was so intrigued to learn about Phyllis Jordan’s influence on cold brew on a national level. Cold brew came about because she wanted to market to this younger crowd to drink coffee when it was hot out. In the ’80s, teenagers were leaning toward caffeinated soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi, and coffee was seen as an older person’s thing. As time progressed, coffee became the cool thing for kids to drink. That had roots in New Orleans, and it had a connection to Japan and cold brew there. Also, nationally, Vietnamese coffee is made with CDM coffee that’s rooted in New Orleans from Vietnamese people settling here after the Vietnam War and getting jobs at Cafe du Monde. They began making their coffee at home with CDM and that went national. CDM was the go-to brand. If you went into Asian markets anywhere in the United States, they had CDM, because it was closest to their Vietnamese coffee.

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Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106. 3rd Block Depot — 316 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood and sausage gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings crab cake Benedict with hollandaise on an English muffin. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Acropolis Cuisine — 3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-9046; acropoliscuisine.com — The menu of classic Greek dishes includes souvlaki, gyros and pita wraps, spanakopita, hummus and Greek salads. Moussaka has layers of eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, ground beef and bechamel. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf fish Capri includes artichokes, crawfish, tomatoes and capers. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, salads, steaks, lamb chops and desserts like bananas Foster bread pudding and lemon icebox tart. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse — 6500 Magazine St., (504) 558-1200; audubonclubhouse.com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Shrimp Tchefuncte combines house-made andouille, mushrooms, popcorn rice and Creole meuniere sauce. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. Beef rib Chiang Mai features a slow-braised beef rib with yellow curry, egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, cilantro and chili oil. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Budsi’s Authentic Thai — 1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636; budsisthai.com — Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 835-2022; gumbostop. com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans. com — The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Seared redfish is served with kale, toasted chickpeas, sesame seeds, chili crisp and whipped tahini. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$ Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant.com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like smoked duck gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp Creole, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Drum amandine is served with green beans and stewed potatoes. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 5860300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse. com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish “on the half-shell” is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of wood-fired Napolitano-style pizzas and house-made pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola. com — Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com — The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 3782840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 527-0006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bangbang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more. In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas, muffins, croissants, scones, beignets and more. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary,

Italian herbs and white wine. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant. net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale.com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleansstyle barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italian-style pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com — Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust. com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Gnocchi are served with crab, summer truffles and Parmesan. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$ Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, wraps, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. A country fried steak is served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables and salad. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and wood-oven pita bread. A chicken schnitzel sandwich is dressed with little gem lettuce, pickles and harissa mayonnaise on sesame brioche bread. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant.com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$ Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 509-7334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Avocado toasts are made with house-baked ciabatta topped with tomatillo, spiced pepitas, pickled onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $

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Thursday, Aug. 20, at Sports Drink. Tickets $28.99 via sportsdrink.org.

Steve Kelly

A FORMER MEMBER OF GRAVY, SINGER-SONGWRITER STEVE KELLY

released the solo album “Here’s the Thing,” with support from members of Galactic, last year. Kelly headlines a Free Fridays concert at Tipitina’s. Zoomst opens at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. Admission is first come, first served. Find information at tipitinas.com.

‘Spanish Romance’

AUSTRALIAN CLASSICAL GUITARIST ANDREW BLANCH and Argentinian

mezzo-soprano Maria Eugenia Nieva present “Spanish Romance,” featuring music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Spanish composers Fernando Sor, Francisco Tarrega and Manuel de Falla and modern pieces by Argentina’s Astor Piazzolla, as well as serenades and love songs from Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and more. There is a set of instrumental music and then a set of them as a duo. At 5 & 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Loyola University’s Nunemaker Hall. Tickets $30 via concerts.andrewblanch.com.

THEBROSFRESH

TWIN BROTHERS TORRENCE AND THURMAN THOMAS GREW UP IN GEISMAR

outside of Baton Rouge and, for the last few years, have put down roots in Austin, Texas, where they’ve quickly built a following as THEBROSFRESH. The duo blends together pop, soul, Southern hip-hop and Southern rock for a unique sound, and they recently released a new album, “Still Want You The Same.” THEBROSFRESH kick off a tour on Thursday, Aug. 20, at Gasa Gasa with a DJ set by PellowTalk. The music starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $14.11 via gasagasanola.com.

The Well

AUSTIN, TEXAS’ PSYCHEDELIC DOOM ROCKERS THE WELL hit the road in

advance of the release of their latest album, “… and flames ran like living animals.” The power trio’s distinct sound comes in part from shared vocal duties from guitarist Ian Graham and bassist Lisa Allen. Moon Destroys opens at 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at Siberia. Tickets $22.44 via siberianola.com.

Gov’t Majik

NEW ORLEANS’ GOV’T MAJIK HAS ITS FOUNDATIONS IN AFROBEAT BUT ROLLS FUNK, jazz, soul and psyche-

delic influences into its sound. After a summer break, Gov’t Majik is back

for the fall and will fit a 10-person band, including vocalist Ten Spencer, into the Good Measure venue at the Barnett Hotel for a show at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. Admission is free. Find more info at goodmeasurenola.com.

George Porter Jr. MUSIC AT THE MAPLE LEAF IS BACK AFTER THE VENUE’S SUMMER BREAK — and

the tragic passing of beloved talent buyer Douggie Trager in July. New Orleans funk legend George Porter Jr. picks back up on his weekly Monday night residency at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17. He’ll be joined by keyboardist Mike Lemmler, guitarist Chris Adkins and drummer Donald Magee. Tickets are $18 via mapleleafbar.com.

NearlyWeds P U B L I C A T I O N

A GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS WEDDINGS + UNIONS

NearlyWeds A GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS WEDDINGS + UNIONS | FALL 2025

Rockin’ Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters EACH THURSDAY EVENING IN AUGUST, THE ERNEST N. MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER hosts a free outdoor concert

on its “porch” overlooking Heritage Park, between John Churchill Chase and Gaiennie streets. The next edition features zydeco mainstay Rockin’ Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters, playing at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20. Admission is free, and there’s a cash bar. Find more info at mccno.com/concert-series.

‘Animalia’ NOLA CONSCIOUS DANCE AND THE PSYCHEDELIC SOCIETY OF NEW ORLEANS

host a mid-day dance and movement session open to everyone ages 15 and up on Sunday, Aug. 23, at the New Marigny Theatre. Somatic practitioner Kate Becker will guide “Animalia: Ecstatic Dance,” with live music from DJ Mashi Chilling. No dance experience is needed and participants can take part at their own pace. “Animalia” runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and admission is $20-$40 via newmarignytheatre.com.

Benson Boone POP ROCKER BENSON BOONE APPEARED ON “AMERICAN IDOL” IN 2021 and

caught some attention from his debut single, “Ghost Town” and 2022’s “In the Stars.” But it was his 2024 single “Beautiful Things” that sent Boone shooting up to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed him a performance at the Grammy Awards. Boone released his second studio album, “American Heart” last year, and the energetic back-flipper is now on his Wanted Man tour. He plays the Smoothie King Center at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. Tickets are $51.15 via smoothiekingcenter.com.

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MUSIC FO R CO M P L E T E M U S I C L I ST I N G S A N D M O R E E V E N T S TA K I N G P L A C E IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, VISIT C A L E N D A R . G A M B I T W E E K LY. C O M

To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com

MONDAY 17 30/90 — The Dapper Dandies, 6 pm; Velvet Collective, 9 pm APPLE BARREL — Mark Appleford, 6 pm; Decaturadio, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Byron Asher, 7 pm BAMBOULA’S — The New Orleans Rug Cutters, 12 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Red Beans & Blues with Washboard Chaz & Jonathan Freilich, 9 pm BROADSIDE — Hot Summer Salsa Nights, 7 pm BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 7 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Biscuits n’ Jam with Meryl Zimmerman & Friends, 10 pm DA JUMP OFF LOUNGE — Sporty’s Brass Band, 9:30 pm BDA — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Tin Men, 5 pm; Richard Scott & Friends, 8 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Tom Hook, 6 pm; The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 8 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; 10 pm NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO — Bluegrass Pickin' Party, 7 pm SNUG HARBOR — Charmaine Neville Band, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Dominick Grillo & The Frenchmen Street All-Stars, 6 pm; Tuba Skinny, 9 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Rose Vaughn + Trent Pruitt, 9 pm TRUE SOUTH — Danny Alexander Blues Jam, 8 pm

TUESDAY 18 30/90 — St. Julien X, 6 pm; Kayla Jasmine, 9 pm APPLE BARREL — Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Jackson’s Flying Circus, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Tangiers Combo, 6 pm BANKS STREET BAR — VetJams, 7 pm BAYOU BAR — The OG’s, 8 pm; 10 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Bruisey's Bottoms Up Open Mic, 9 pm BUFFA’S — Alex McMurray, 7 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — The Super-MostFantastic-Blues-N-Such Jam, 7 pm DOS JEFES — Kris Tokarski, 8:30 pm ELLIS MARSALIS CENTER FOR MUSIC — Booker & Beyond: Shout Young, 6:30 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Colin Myers Orchestra, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Caleb Nelson, 8 pm GASA GASA — The Miss B. Haven Show, 9:30 pm HOLY DIVER — Gravery, Fliora & More!, 10 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Big Joe Kennedy, 6 pm; Kevin Louis & The Home Team, 8 pm THE MAISON — Jacky Blaire, 5 pm; The Melatauns, 8 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm SALON SALON — Or Shovaly, 7 pm SIBERIA — Giant Colors + Poose Productions LLC + Lisbon Girls + Drugstore Lipstick, 9 pm SPOTTED CAT — Brett Gallo Jazz Band, 2 pm; Sweetie Pies of New Orleans, 6 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 9:30 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Hairaoke: Haircuts & Karaoke, 8 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Cuttin’ Up with Lil Prince & the Youngbloods, 10 pm

WEDNESDAY 19 30/90 — Mother Ruckus, 6 pm; Decaturadio, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Jesse Morrow, 6 pm BAYOU BAR — Firm Roots, 8 pm; 10 pm

BOURBON O BAR — Charles Holmes from The Blues Masters, 8 pm BUFFA’S — Joe Krown, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Jam-ilton, 7:30 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Pocket Chocolate + Britti, 9 pm DBA — The Next Level Band, 8 pm DOS JEFES — Jenna McSwain, 8:30 pm FAVELA CHIC — Better Late Than Jake, 8 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Bourbon Street Stars, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm HOLY DIVER — The Amazing Henrietta, 8 pm HOWLIN’ WOLF — Mr. Scientist + Bored Shortz + More Than Grit, 8 pm GASA GASA — Daybreak, Astro Alloy, hey thanks., 8 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Paul Longstreth, 6 pm; Mahogany Hall All Stars: Tom Fischer, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 6 pm MAYFIELD’S 208 — Irvin Mayfield ft. Kermit Ruffins, 6 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES MARKET — Summer Music Series ft. Victor Campbell, 7 pm PAULIE’S — PUPS Jam, 8 pm SANTOS BAR — Chambre Noir with DJ Paco, 10 pm SNUG HARBOR — JFA presents Brian Toval & the Vision, 5 pm; Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, 7:30 & 9:30 pm

Pellowtalk performs with THEBROSFRESH at Gasa Gasa on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. PROVIDED PHOTO BY TRENITY THOMAS

SPOTTED CAT — Brett Gallo Jazz Band, 2 pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 6 pm; Marty Peters & The Party Meters, 9:30 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Robin Rapuzzi’s Glo Worm Trio, 8:30 pm

THURSDAY 20 30/90 — Organami, 6 pm; Xcitement, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Raphael Bas, 7 pm; BANKS ST. BAR — Bimbo-Oke, Karaoke!, 8 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Reggae Night with DJ T-Roy (BALCONY ROOM), 11 pm BAYOU BAR — Cryptic, 8 pm; 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Da Voodoo Kings., 9 pm BLUE NILE — DJ T-Roy, 11 pm BMC — Dapper Dandies, 6 pm; Maurice Cade & ESS, 9 pm BUFFA’S — Jamie Bernstein with Teena May and Jamey St. Pierre, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — The Red Afro Queen Ms. Silky Sol, 6:30 pm; Armani Smith & Soul Ties, 10 pm CAROUSEL BAR — Leslie Martin, 5:30 pm; Lena Prima & Her Band, 9 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Daffodyl & Friends, 9 pm DBA — Vegas Cola Band, 8 pm DOS JEFES — The Mark Coleman Band, 8:30 pm

DOUBLE DEALER — Whitenoise, 9 pm FAVELA CHIC — Josh Benitez, 8 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12 pm; Doyle Cooper Band, 2 pm; John Saavedra Band, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm GASA GASA — THEBROSFRESH + Pellowtalk, 9 pm GOOD MEASURE — Saskia Says!, 8 pm HOLY DIVER — Pogo Mojo Underground Dance Party with DJ Chrischarge, 9 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULE — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm LIVIN SWELL 4211 RECORDING STUDIOS — Thursday Night House Party featuring Stooges Brass Band, 8 pm THE MAISON — The Champagniacs, 4:30 pm; St. Julien X, 8:30 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Booker & Beyond Professor Tim Series FT. Ross Hoppe, 6 pm OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART — Kristin Diable, 6 pm PAULIE’S — Ted Hefko, 6 pm PEACOCK ROOM — Da Lovebirds: Robin Barnes & Pat Casey, 8 pm SANTOS BAR — LAN Party Featuring DJ DPAD, 9 pm SATURN BAR — SATURN RETURNS with Choreboys and Heelturn, 10 pm SIBERIA — The Well + Moon Destroys + High Black River, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Karen Shiraishi Quartet, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10 pm

FRIDAY 21 30/90 — Sean Hobbs & The Hi Res, 5 pm; Half Shell Boogie, 8 pm; Soulcial Club, 11 pm ANNA’S — C’est Funk, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Willie Green, 7 pm BAMBOULA’S — The New Orleans Rug Cutters, 11 am BAYOU BAR — Solid Harmony, 8 & 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Rosy & the Rabbit Fangs, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Rozes, 8 pm; Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, 10 pm; DJ FTK (upstairs), 10 pm BMC — Josh Benitez Band, 6 pm; Big Mike & the R&B Kings, 9 pm BRUTTO AMERICANO — Audrey LeCrone Trio, 8 pm BUFFA’S — T Marie Trio Stories & Songs, 8 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Higher Heights, 10 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Sage Against the Machine, 9 pm CHAPEL CLUB — Fùnké, 9 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Chuck Prophet, 7 pm DBA — Jenavieve Cooke & the Winding Boys, 6 pm DOS JEFES — The Joe Krown Trio, 9 pm DOUBLE DEALER — A.L.T. Soul, 9:30 pm FAVELA CHIC — Hypno Nun, 10 pm THE FILLMORE — La Fiesta del Verano ft. Magic Juan, 10 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Owen Callahan Band, 2:30 pm; Sam Lobley Band, 6 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, 9 pm GASA GASA — West End Motel + Woorms + The Abusements, 8 pm GOOD MEASURE — Gov’t Majik, 9 pm HOLY DIVER — DarkLounge Ministries, 8 pm; Badzy Record Release Party, 10 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Personal Space, 11 pm THE MAISON — Shotgun Jazz Band, 5 pm; The Kazzettes, 9 pm ORIGEN BISTRO — Manny Arteaga & Tony Seville, 7 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Promiscuous - A 2000’s Club Bangers Throwbacks Party, 10 pm SANTOS BAR — Dipsh*t Fest, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Victor Goines, 7:30 & 9:30 pm TIPITINA’S — Free Fridays Concert Series ft. Steve Kelly + Zoomst, 9 pm

SATURDAY 22 30/90 — Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces, 8 pm; Bettis + 3rd Degree, 11 pm ANNA’S — “Say Yes” with Chore Boys, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Pete Olynciw, 7 pm BAYOU BAR — Jordan Anderson, 8 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Miss Martha & her Goodtime Gang + Slow Motion Cowboys Duo, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers’ FunkBox, 7:30 pm; Afrobeat NOLA, 10 pm BMC — Andre Lovett Band, 3 pm; The Rumpshakers, 6 pm; R&R Smoking Foundation, 9 pm BUFFA’S — Buffapalooza, 12 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Decaturadio, 2 pm; The Mysteries, 6 pm; Big Mike & The R&B Kings, 10 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Kris Russ + Vedas + goodbye academy + The Band Chess, 8 pm DOS JEFES — Betty Shirley, 9 pm GASA GASA — Back to School Show: fish band! + Judah Rue + Calitonic, 8 pm GOOD MEASURE — Brasinola, 9 pm

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M > A U G U ST 1 7 ! 2 3 > 2 0 2 6

MUSIC HOLY DIVER — Night Butcher, Dirty Rotten Snake In The Grass & More!, 9 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — CLOUDSAVE, 11 pm THE MAISON — Nola Axe Men; 1 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 4 pm; Sugar & The Daddies, 8 pm; DJ B Dot, 11 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Bullseye Brass Band, 10 pm RABBIT HOLE — Hairitage + Dr. Jax, 10 pm SANTOS — Dipsh*t Fest Night 2, 9 pm SATURN BAR — Bouffant Bouffant’s Homo Cosmic Cajun Discotheque, 10 pm SIBERIA — DANCE... 4 U -Charlie XCX & Slayyyter Dance Party, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Giulia Coba Trio, 4 pm; Oscar Rossignoli Trio, 7:30 & 9:30 pm SWIRL WINE BAR — Phil Degruy & Sasha Elliahna Durta, 4:30 pm TIPITINA’S — Gimme Gimme Disco, 9 pm

SUNDAY 23 30/90 — KreweDeBauchery, 6 pm; Single Malt Please, 9 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Sunday Swing with The High Standards Jazz Band, 8 pm BACCHANAL — David Sigler, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — James McClaskey & the Rhythm Band, 9 pm BMC — Deej Flava & Mother Ruckus, 3 pm; Sugar & The Daddies, 6 pm BUFFA’S — Tape & Tears with Crawdaddy Issues, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — John Lisi & Delta Funk, 4 pm; Issy, 9 pm DBA — Ryan Robertson Jazz Quintet, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — Captain Spalding, 8 pm GASA GASA — TopOppGen, 9 pm HOWLIN’ WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm THE MAISON — NOLA Rug Cutters, 4 pm; Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 7 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Joe Krown Trio feat. Papa Mali, 8 pm SATURN BAR — Shidded, Partial Hangout, The Nancies, Kinky Vanilla, 9 pm SIBERIA — Sincere Engineer + Stay Inside + Smug LLC, 9 pm SMOOTHIE KING CENTER — Benson Boone, 8 pm

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