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January 12-18 2026 Volume 47 Number 2
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GUMDROP
Kennel A0059912887
Gumdrop is a delightful 6-month-old pup looking for her fur-ever
home! Known for her friendly demeanor, she loves being the center of attention and is always ready to play. She thrives in social settings, making everyone around her smile. Gumdrop has mastered the command ‘sit,’ though she can be a bit rough when taking treats. Her playful spirit and love for companionship make her the perfect addition to any family looking to add a bundle of love and fun to their home.
To meet Gumdrop or any of the other wonderful pets at the Louisiana SPCA, visit 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd., from 12 PM-5PM, Monday-Saturday, or call (504) 368-5191. She can’t wait to meet her future paw-rents
r Make a plan with ou events calendar at CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM
YABBA DABBA
Kennel A0059821246
Yabba Dabba is a curious, chatty 2-year-old pup looking for his
fur-ever home! Yabba Dabba loves being part of the action, and quiet alone time is not his thing, as he thrives on attention, companionship, and staying close to his people. He already knows his “sit” command, and he’s a very smart boy and a graduate of our New Leash on Life Program. Smart enough to figure out how to get out of a yard or fenced area if not being watched, which also makes him the perfect pup for learning new tricks and showing off his skills.
To meet meet Yabba Dabba or any of the other wonderful pets at the Louisiana SPCA, visit 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd., from 12 PM-5PM, Monday-Saturday, or call (504) 368-5191. He can’t wait to meet his future paw-rents.
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CONTENTS
KIDS STAGE FREE ADMISSION
JAN. 24, 2026
FEDERAL CITY ALGIERS (Gen Meyer Ave. & Shirley Dr.) U.S. Marine Reserve Jazz Band Edna Karr-Voices of Pride Monkey Hill Band | Big Frank/Little Frank BJ So Cole | Naydja CoJoe (& The Jazz Experience) Big Sam’s Funky Nation | Brass-A-Holics COMMUNITY PARADE 9am Start - L.B Landry and Lamarque, proceed down L.B Landry then right on Newton St./Gen Meyer Ave. then left into Federal City Algiers, Disband at Festival Grounds
Helena Moreno during a December press conference. P H O TO BY S O P H I A G E R M E R / T H E T I M E S- P I C AY U N E
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Inauguration 2026 After eight turbulent years, a new mayor and city council look to the future.
JANUARY 12 — JANUARY 18, 2026 VOLUME 47 || NUMBER 2
I N A U G U R AT I O N 2 0 2 6 Helena Moreno................ 11 JP Morrell .......................13 Matthew Willard ............. 14 Lesli Harris .....................15 Freddie King ...................16 Eugene Green .................17 Aimee McCarron ..............18 Jason Hughes ..................19 NEWS Opening Gambit ............... 7 Blake Pontchartrain........... 9 F E AT U R E S Arts & Entertainment ........ 5 Eat & Drink .....................21 Music Listings ................. 27 Music ............................ 29 Going Out ...................... 30 Puzzles ..........................31 COVER PHOTOS BY SCOT T THRELKELD, TR AVIS SPALDING, MA X BECHERER, DAVID GRUNFELD, SOPHIA GERMER, HIL ARY SCHEINUK / THE TIMES-PIC AYUNE AND PROVIDED COVER DESIGN BY DOR A SISON
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Krewe Mosaique
To BBQ or not to BBQ The NOLA Project presents Pulitzer Prize winning ‘Fat ham’ | by Will Coviello IN JAMES IJAMES’ “FAT HAM,” JUICY HAS ALREADY MADE A DECISION about
whether to barbecue or not to barbecue. He’s going into human resources. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is based on “Hamlet,” though it’s much more of a comedy. Juicy’s father has just died, and his uncle Rev has moved in on his mother Tedra. And far from Medieval Denmark, the action takes place at a Black family’s backyard barbecue in the South. The NOLA Project presents “Fat Ham” at Dillard University from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6. In “Fat Ham,” Juicy’s life is thrown into turmoil after the death of his father, who’s been killed in prison. In stunning time, Rev has moved in and married his mother, and the backyard barbecue is actually a wedding celebration. Juicy and his friend Toi are setting up a mishmash of streamers and leftover holiday decorations when Juicy’s father appears as a ghost. Pap says Rev had him killed. He wants Juicy to exact revenge. Juicy already has been having problems with Rev. Juicy is queer, and Rev is loud, opinionated and thinks Juicy is too “soft.” But there’s also a kingdom at stake. Juicy’s father owned a barbecue restaurant, and it’s not clear if it’ll stay open or who will own or run it. Tedra loves her son, and her practical approach is to try to smooth over the tensions between Rev and Juicy, or just to encourage people not to talk about it. The tensions are buried under a good time. Toi is distracted by all sorts of things on his smartphone and tech toy distractions, and he leaves to get beer and ice for the party. Tedra’s friend Rabby comes over for the party, and she brings her children Larry, a Marine suffering from PTSD, and Opal, who’s also queer and not comfortable in her clothes or body. Negotiating family tensions is a big part of the drama and humor. NOLA Project Artistic Director Tenaj Wallace, who is directing the show, says they started working on the play at just the right time. “We’re doing it right after the holidays,” Jackson says. “I told them we’re getting back into this. I hope you used your holiday family time and did some method acting.”
Rayshaughn Armant stars as Juicy. PROVIDED PHOTO BY JILLIAN DESIREE OLIVERAS
But nobody at the barbecue wants trouble. They put out a spread and haul out karaoke to keep the good times going. In many ways, Ijames is having fun with Shakespeare. He even slips in one of Shakespeare’s most quoted lines, “The play’s the thing,” which comes from “Hamlet.” In the tragedy, Hamlet arranges for a play-within-the-play to try to expose the person guilty of murdering his father. Here, it’s sort of a bridge to a game of charades. There are other appropriations of lines from “Hamlet” and some jokes about its events. But Ijames is serious about exploring ideas of masculinity, generational trauma and identity. Tedra has a difficult balancing act, trying to both care for her son and make room for her new husband. “Tedra is accepting, but in a very mild way,” Jackson says. “She’s not against (Juicy’s) lifestyle or what she believes his lifestyle might be, but she’s also perpetuating that toxic masculinity, because she allows these father figures to physically harm him because of the way he is.” Jackson says the way the family members laugh in the presence of very serious situations is a natural fit for New Orleanians and their sense of humor. The play is supposed to be set in the South, though Ijames specifically suggests it be set in North
Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee or Virginia – but definitely not in Mississippi, Alabama or Florida. At Dillard, the set may bear some resemblances to the surrounding Gentilly neighborhood, Jackson says. Ijames didn’t have Louisiana in mind when he included a line about “your mama and nem.” And Jackson isn’t departing from the script, but she says there may be some references to New Orleans bounce and the last show the NOLA Project presented at Dillard, the original show “Catch the Wall” in 2013. Jackson performed in that show, and it was her first production with the NOLA Project. Many in the “Fat Ham” cast are new faces to NOLA Project productions. Rayshaughn Armant plays Juicy. Delphine J is Tedra, and Justin William Davis is Rev and Pap, Juicy’s father. Dillard students were invited to audition, and three are in the show, including Condoleezza Semien as Opal, Jordan Melancon as Tio and Colby Muse as the understudy for Juicy (who’s scheduled to perform Jan. 30 and Feb. 3-4). “Fat Ham” is the second Ijames play the NOLA Project has produced. In 2023, it presented “White” at the New Orleans Museum of Art. In that satire, based on real events at New York’s Whitney Museum, a white painter hires a Black actress to pretend to be him, in a drama exploring race, representation and appropriation. “Fat Ham” was originally set to open during the pandemic in Ijames’ native Philadelphia, but premiered as a filmed show instead. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022 and debuted on Broadway in 2023. “Fat Ham” runs Jan. 15-Feb. 6 at Dillard University’s Cook Theater. Tickets are $20-$55 via nolaproject.com.
Krewe Mosaique parades through the heart of the French Quarter on Saturday, Jan. 17. The parade features 14 small krewes, including … and Boleyns, Krewe of Conus, Krewe de Mayahuel, The Weather Girls, Krewe of Heavenly Bodies, Krewe of Nyads, Mondo Kayo, Haus of the Rising Dragons and Order of the Crescent Crinum. New to the parade this year are The Great Ratsby, Magical Krewe of Exotique, Legendary Order of the Casket Girls and Krewe du Fool. Hand-made mosaic tiles are among the krewe’s DIY throws. The procession starts at 6 p.m. at the gates of Armstrong Park on St. Ann Street and switches back and forth in the center of the Quarter on Bourbon and Royal streets. For information, visit @krewe_mosaique on Instagram.
PHOTO BY WILL COVIELLO / GAMBIT
Kamala Harris
The former senator and vice president last year released the book “107 Days,” detailing her 2024 presidential campaign from when former President Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection to Election Day on Nov. 5. Harris is now on a book tour and speaking to audiences around the country. She’ll stop in New Orleans for an event at the Saenger Theatre at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13. Tickets start at $60.39 via saengernola.com.
Music of Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane, wife of John Coltrane, was a jazz pianist and harpist and bandleader who was known for her advocacy of spiritual jazz. She also was a Hindu spiritual leader and went by Swamini Turiyasangitananda. Her music PAGE 26
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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS
Rest in Peace Renee Nicole Good. May her memory be a blessing.
# TC OH EU N T
T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN
62
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SERVED AS MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS PRIOR TO HELENA MORENO.
New Orleans saw a decline in violent crimes for its third straight year in 2025 and hit a 50-year low in homicides. Following a high of 266 murders in 2022, last year saw 121, which included the 14 people killed during the Jan. 1 terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.
Avoyelles Parish recently erected a bronze statue of Solomon Northup outside of the parish courthouse in Marksville. Northup was born a free Black man in New York but was kidnapped in 1841, sold into slavery and trafficked to Louisiana through New Orleans, where a plaque on Esplanade Avenue also is dedicated to him. Northup fought for and won back his freedom in 1853 in an Avoyelles Parish court. He wrote “Twelve Years a Slave” about his life.
The Trump administration wants to build a new ICE detention camp in Hammond, but officials in Tangipahoa Parish say they don’t know much about the plans, The Times-Picayune reported. First reported by The Washington Post, the warehouse facility in Hammond would hold 9,000 people as part of the regime’s ongoing anti-immigrant actions. Hammond Mayor Pete Panepinto said he hasn’t heard from anyone in the federal government about the facility.
When Moreno is sworn-in as the 63rd top city official, she will make history as New Orleans’ first Latina mayor and just the second woman to hold the office. Moreno has had a long career in public service, previously working as a journalist, state representative and two-term council member. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
C’EST W H AT
New Orleans City Council overrides final Cantrell veto THE NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL JAN. 8 OVERRODE OUT-GOING MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL’S FINAL VETO, imposing a ban on
Cantrell’s ability to spend city funds in her final days as mayor. The ban, which ran through Cantrell’s final day Jan. 12, was designed to protect funding the city needs to help close funding gaps in the city’s budget. On Dec. 18 the council passed the ban as part of the council’s push to cleanup the city’s finances. For months, the council and the state’s legislative auditor have been working to fill a massive budget deficit facing the city through the end of 2025 that could have meant workers would miss paychecks through the holidays. At the same time, the council was working to fill an even bigger short fall for this year’s budget caused by Cantrell’s mismanagement of city funds. The outgoing mayor had proposed a 2026 budget that would make massive 30% cuts across every program except NOPD. But the council rejected that plan and instead passed a more tailored
spending plan proposed by in-coming mayor Helena Moreno. Predictably, Cantrell vetoed that budget, forcing the council to override her. Cantrell clearly understood her veto of the Dec. 18 spending ban ordinance would be symbolic at best: the ban was passed unanimously, and her official justification was based on unfounded claims it might make it difficult to address some unspecified emergency during her final days in office. Speaking of the office, her veto wasn’t the only symbolic gesture from the embattled Cantrell. According to multiple sources, Cantrell and her team have been largely uncooperative during the transition between administrations and waited until Jan. 7 to physically move out of their City Hall spaces – and were as of press time refusing to give Moreno or her team access to them until the official swearing in on Jan. 12. Up next for Cantrell: a federal corruption trial which is expected to take place next fall.
?
Helena Moreno and City Council members will be inaugurated on Jan. 12. What should be their top priority?
5%
FIXING THE SAFETY AND PERMITS OFFICE
2.5% ADDRESSING BLIGHT
87.5%
IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE WORK
5%
BUILDING NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Vote on “C’est What?” at www.bestofneworleans.com
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BL AKE PONTCHARTR AIN™
Hey Blake,
2
While on a road trip, I saw a sign for Covington, Georgia. I know there’s also a Covington in Kentucky and, of course, the city in St. Tammany Parish. Are they all named for the same person?
Dear reader,
COVINGTON, THE PARISH SEAT OF ST. TAMMANY, WAS FOUNDED IN 1813 as the Town
of Wharton. According to geographer Richard Campanella and a history posted on the city’s website, John Wharton Collins paid $2,300 for the 1,600 acres on which the city was established. The seller was Jacques Dreux, who planned to lay out a town there called St. Jacques. Instead, Wharton purchased it and hired New Orleans surveyor Joseph Pilié to lay out a street plan. Wharton proposed the new community be named in honor of his grandfather, Thomas Wharton. According to Campanella, when the Louisiana Legislature incorporated the town in 1816, it chose Covington instead, to honor Brigadier General Leonard Covington.
catch our sale! 35 % 5% 60%
75%
50% The St. Tammany Parish courthouse grounds in Covington PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
Born in Maryland in 1768, Covington joined the army in 1792. He was also a member of the Maryland Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives. His name would become well-known when he participated in the 1810 takeover by the U.S. of the Republic of West Florida and what would later become Louisiana’s Florida Parishes (St. Tammany, East Baton Rouge, Feliciana and St. Helena). Covington served in the War of 1812, where he was promoted to brigadier general and was fatally wounded in 1813. Among other places bearing his name are cities and towns in Georgia, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
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BLAKEVIEW FORTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS FANS CELEBRATED the news that the team had hired Jim Finks as president and general manager. The man who built Super Bowl teams in Minnesota and Chicago would lead New Orleans to its first winning season, divisional championship and playoff appearance in team history. Born in St. Louis in 1927, Finks played as defensive back and quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, retiring after the 1955 season. He coached for a few years before becoming general manager of the Minnesota Vikings in 1964. Four years later, the Vikings won their first NFL division championship, launching a dynasty that would include four Super Bowl appearances. Finks was named NFL Executive of the Year in 1973. He left to become the Chicago Bears’ executive vice president and general manager, modernizing the team’s operations and building one of the dominant NFL teams of the 1980s. He also improved the fortunes of the Chicago Cubs, as the baseball team’s president and CEO in 1983-84. Soon after purchasing the Saints in 1985, owner Tom Benson hired Finks to turn around the football team which had never experienced a winning season in its 19-year history. “We have been working to win, and now we bring you a winner,” Benson said as he welcomed Finks at a Jan. 14, 1986, news conference. Finks’ first move was to hire Jim Mora as coach. By their second season, the pair had built a team which won 12 games, resulting in the club’s first winning season. In 1991, the Saints captured their first-ever division crown. They would go on to make four playoff appearances in Finks’ seven seasons with the team. Finks died from lung cancer in 1994. That same year, he was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame the following year and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
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TURNING THE LIGHTS BACK ON: Helena Moreno on restoring hope in New Orleans
B Y K AY L E E P O C H E A N D S A R A H R AV I T S HELENA MORENO OFFICIALLY becomes the mayor of New Orleans on Jan. 12, but she’s been unofficially acting as the city’s mayor ever since she was elected in October. “Not 24 hours after I was elected mayor, I was pretty much treated like the de facto mayor,” she says. The city was in a major financial crisis, and Moreno, along with City Council President JP Morrell and Budget Chair Joe Giarrusso, went up to Baton Rouge to ask state officials to let them get a $125 million loan to pay workers through the rest of the year. Shortly after, Moreno tapped Giarrusso to be her chief administrative officer. Meanwhile, Mayor LaToya Cantrell was missing in action. Moreno came up with her own 2026 budget after calling Cantrell’s budget, which contained across-theboard cuts, “untenable.” Inheriting a $222 million deficit, Moreno had to make difficult cuts herself, including layoffs and furloughs at City Hall, many of which were in the mayor’s office. “That was tough because some of the people who, unfortunately, we did have to send a (layoff) letter to are people who I know,” she says. It’s estimated it will take around two years to dig the city out of its financial hole. With ongoing tensions with Cantrell, Moreno tells Gambit it has been “challenging” getting all the information her administration wanted from the Cantrell administration, including details like login information for social media accounts and the website. Though she says bringing in the outside firm Public Financial Management and Louisiana Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack has helped. “We just fully expect that there’s going to be surprises,” she says. “I mean, I don’t know if I’m going to have a whole stack of contracts ... or a stack of invoices.” But, she says, her team will be “prepared for whatever, and whatever comes our way, we’ll just handle it head on.”
P H O T O B Y S O P H I A G E R M E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
A FORMER TV REPORTER AND ANCHOR, Moreno was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2010 and served two terms. She then served two terms as an at-large member of the New Orleans City Council, starting in 2018 and ending this month. She has long said that her previous career in journalism — and digging into corruption — drove her into politics. Moreno says her team knows to only loop her in on certain key issues, like city finances, her legislative agenda, infrastructure, Safety and Permits, “urgent matters of the day” and communication — the latter of which is especially important to her given her experience as a journalist and working in communications. “Just because of my background, it’s hard to find a comms expert better than me,” she says. Moreno’s run for mayor wasn’t surprising. She announced her
campaign significantly earlier than any major candidate and remained the frontrunner the entire time — successfully avoiding a runoff. Moreno started training for the job — literally — well in advance. She talked with former Mayor Marc Morial years ago, who advised her to address any weaknesses she had before running for mayor. “He told me, ‘Whatever cracks you may have, fix those now. Because as soon as you get elected into this office, all of those will blow wide open,’ ” Moreno says. She decided she wanted to be in better physical shape to improve her stamina and recruited Mackie Shilstone, who has trained the likes of Serena Williams and other top athletes. “He agreed to take me on, although he believed that I was not going to be able to follow his program. And when you challenge me like that, I’m going to prove you
wrong, and I think he knew that, too,” Moreno says. “So he nearly killed me when I first started out, but he also got me to probably the best shape that I’ve ever been in my life.” ALONG THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, Moreno pledged to make city government deliver basic services, like fixing potholes and broken street lights. She vowed to be a “24/7 mayor,” a jab at Cantrell’s sparse official schedule. Giarrusso, who served on the council with Moreno for eight years, says that’s not just a campaign slogan. He says he often wakes up to emails and texts from Moreno sent well past midnight, though she says she’s more of a morning person. “Helena is an extraordinarily hard worker,” he says. “A lot of people just see her on TV or read about her in the paper, so they don’t see the day-to-day work she puts in to drive her decision making.” P. 12
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INAUGURATION 2026
Moreno says she wants to hear her team’s honest opinions, even if they’re different from her own. “I don’t surround myself with ‘yes’ people,” she says. “I surround myself with people who are going to tell me what their expertise believes is the right thing for me to do ... Sometimes I’ll agree with them and sometimes I won’t, but I want people to give me that type of feedback.” Moreno also has developed a reputation for steadiness and poise. During campaign season, she was seemingly unflappable when opponents attacked her during debates, quickly shutting them down while maintaining her cool. Moreno says she is able to take the emotions out of the job and focus on the work at hand. “I’m built in a way where I never let myself get too high or really too low. I don’t believe the hype, and I don’t believe all the negative stuff,” she says, adding “I look at this as a job. Obviously, it’s an honor to have the title of mayor, but I look at it more as a CEO position.” It’s something Giarrusso has noticed as well. “I’ve tried to aggravate her, but she never takes the bait,” he says. “Almost everybody succumbs at some point — but she’s the exception to the rule.” “She does a good job of managing her emotions, which in turn helps others manage theirs,” he adds. “If your leader is calm and collected, you will be calm and collected.” MORENO SAYS that many of the problems she saw during her time as council member can be fixed with good leadership and management, starting with department heads. In addition to Giarrusso, she’s hired Jenny Mains as her deputy mayor of economic development and Steve Nelson for the combined role of deputy CAO of infrastructure and director of Public Works in charge of the city’s streets. Mains, who Moreno says has experience looking at economic projects and identifying how to improve them, will start by focusing on opportunities in New Orleans East. Giarrusso will help lead a revamp of the Department of Safety and Permits, which people have long complained makes it harder to do business in the city. Nelson will oversee one of the new administration’s first initiatives: a “Lights On” program to restore electricity to broken traffic lights and street lights. Nelson also brought to Moreno’s attention that the city doesn’t employ any electricians, meaning all electrical work has to be contracted out. He’s working on hiring electrical workers now and will also work with Mains to
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create a street maintenance workforce program potentially guaranteeing jobs for college students who complete it. Moreno says she’s getting positive feedback about Nelson from Public Works employees calling him “a breath of fresh air” and is already seeing a shift in morale from Public Works employees. “That level of leadership and management is going to go a long way,” she says. Shortly after being sworn in, Moreno will meet with NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick and her deputy mayor of public safety, former police chief Michael Harrison to work on securing the city amid Carnival season. She’s also looking for input from the public and will be launching online surveys where residents can weigh in on their priorities. “I think that’s what the people of the city really want to see: That their government or their government leaders may not be perfect, but this mayor does expect excellence, and that hard work is going to be happening every single day by the entire leadership team all the way down,” Moreno says. Despite the obvious challenges ahead, Moreno says she’s excited for the work and is optimistic about the city’s future. She ran on a campaign of hope, something that resonated with many voters in the city who hadn’t felt that for a while. “I hope that leads to the vibe in the city changing like, ‘Oh, wait, I really do feel really good about New Orleans and the direction that New Orleans is going in,’ ” Moreno says.
“Hard work is going to be happening every single day by the entire leadership team all the way down.”
PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
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JP Morrell isn’t giving up on transforming New Orleans city government in second term B Y J O H N S T A N T O N | Gambit editor
It was a significant cultural shift for the council as an institution. While previous councils have had that authority, it was rarely, if ever, actually used. But with his longtime friend and political ally Helena Moreno now in the mayor’s office, the question is whether Morrell will still be as loud — and more importantly, whether he’ll be willing to wield his powers against her. Morrell says much of the fireworks of his first term were a result of Cantrell’s lack of communication with the council. He says he only met with Cantrell once, in February 2022, and that it was not uncommon for her to limit access to department heads and even direct entire agencies not to cooperate with the council. “I expect full access to all levels of government... and for them to be responsive to the council and the public,” Morrell says. “Communication is critical ... if that doesn’t occur, then you’re going to see the same kind of contentious council hearings that we had.” Morrell also insists he will continue to be aggressive in terms of oversight of the mayor. “I don’t take anything for granted. The things that I did like confirmation fundamentally changed the relationship between the mayor and the council ... [and] I did that knowing the next mayor wasn’t going to be LaToya Cantrell,” he argues, adding otherwise “I wouldn’t have been doing confirmation changes and changing the relationship with the city attorney ... I would have simply waited it out.” In fact, Morrell says he wants to enact more limits on the executive branch, as well as additional oversight mechanisms. One of his top priorities will be to “redefine the relationship between the mayor, the council and the public” when it comes to the budget, he says. To do so, he’s working on a charter amendment he hopes to put before
New Orleans City Council President JP Morrell, right, with Mayor-elect Helena Moreno PHOTO BY BRET T DUKE / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
“Communication is critical ... if that doesn’t occur, then you’re going to see the same kind of contentious council hearings that we had.” voters this year to drastically reign in the mayor’s ability to shift funds around after the budget is passed. Currently, the mayor can essentially treat the budget as more of guidelines rather than legal requirements. She can decide to move money from one program to another and even spend money on new things never authorized by the council. The charter change would remove much of that flexibility. Morrell says he also hopes to expand the number of confirmable positions in government. He told Gambit the goal is to include more top-level positions that have significant power in the city. He pointed to the city’s chief zoning officer as an example. During Cantrell’s first term, she appointed Peter Bowen, an STR executive, to run the office that has regulatory authority over the industry. Perhaps predictably, under Bowen, the city did little to enforce existing laws — something Morrell said could have been avoided with a confirmation process. “You don’t want a repeat of the STR bro being in charge of STR regulation,” Morrell says.
Other priorities Morrell has for the new council include getting out in front of some potential problems before they arise, particularly when it comes to the tech sector. For instance, he wants to impose rules on Waymo, a driverless cab company that has recently begun working in limited parts of the city. “The city failed to aggressively police Uber, the city failed to aggressively police STRs, and we need to be in the habit of not being reactive,” Morrell says. He also is increasingly concerned about Bitcoin mining operations and AI data centers. While he would personally like to simply see them banned from the city, at a minimum he expects the council to pass a strict regulatory system to govern them. Pointing to a number of communities around the country where these industries have caused huge financial and environmental damage, Morrell says the council is “going to have to take point on how the city of New Orleans responds to that ... [and] I would rather be on the front end on whether this technology is allowed and where it’s allowed.”
INAUGURATION 2026
CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT JP MORRELL’S first four years on the council were, in a word, loud. From his bright Captain Marvel kicks and extremely active Instagram account to his combative style on the dais, Morrell definitely leaned into it. It was a marked difference from the previous council, which — like many of its predecessors — had often been content to get along to go along, especially when it came to dealings with the mayor. During his first term on the council, Morrell was perhaps most well-known for his willingness — many would say eagerness — to throw bombs at a moment’s notice. He regularly was at odds with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, of course, and he sparred with her advisors on a regular basis during council hearings and on social media. But Morrell’s brashness wasn’t just reserved for his political opponents. He brought the same sort of energy to policy fights as well, most notably his yearslong fight with the short-term rental industry, which for years ran rampant in the city before he enacted a series of changes forcing the industry to reign in the thousands of illegal rentals. It also was a key part of his successful push to reform government and drastically reshape the power dynamic in the city. He created a confirmation process for many of the top positions in government. He also won approval of key changes to the city attorney’s office to ensure it represents the city’s interests and not just the mayor’s. The city council also ramped up its oversight activities of the executive branch. During his first term, the council forced out a series of Cantrell officials over allegations of corruption, ethical and legal violations and general incompetence. It also weaponized the budget, withholding funds from departments which were resisting reform efforts, failing to enforce city laws or refusing to implement new ordinances altogether.
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Council Member Matthew Willard: New Orleans needs ‘a cultural reboot within City Hall’ BY K AY L E E P O C H E
“One thing I never understood, still don’t understand, is why a person in my legislative district or anywhere in the city of New Orleans has to reach out to me to get a pothole replaced or to get a street light repaired ...”
At-large Council Member Matthew Willard
INAUGURATION 2026
P H O T O B Y T R AV I S S P R A D L I N G / T H E A D V O C AT E
AS A STATE LEGISLATOR for nearly six years and a lifelong New Orleanian, Matthew Willard is well aware of the struggles residents face on a daily basis. From broken street lights and torn-up streets to blighted properties and a fraught permitting system, he’s watched businesses close and people leave the city altogether. New Orleans’ population declined by more than 39,000 people between 2020 and 2024, the Census Bureau estimated last year. “If you want me to show you a community that’s not doing well, [I’ll show you] a community that’s hemorrhaging population,” he says. In his role as a state representative, Willard’s office fielded quality-of-life complaints regularly. While he did his best to address them, Willard notes
that if city government had been working as it should, most residents wouldn’t have had to call him in the first place. “One thing I never understood, still don’t understand, is why a person in my legislative district or anywhere in the city of New Orleans has to reach out to me to get a pothole replaced or to get a street light repaired or to get a new trash can when they’ve been reaching out to the department and 311 for weeks or months. Then all of a sudden, they reach out to me, and suddenly it happens in a more expeditious fashion,” he says. Willard says he thought he could have a larger impact by moving from the state legislature to the city council and putting his efforts toward making city government functional. He won election to one of two citywide seats
last fall and will help lead the council in his new role as vice president. In his new role, he wants to improve how city departments are run and have city workers instead of contractors handle more projects. That starts with the council confirming department heads that have plans on how to tackle existing issues and “how to shift the culture within their department,” Willard says. “We need a cultural reboot within City Hall,” he says. In his first 100 days, Willard says he’ll focus on fixing street lights. In his term, he also wants the city to begin finishing road projects in a timely manner and for officials to create a long-term plan to grow the city’s economy. Willard says he’s also interested in being active on a number of council committees, including Budget, Utilities, Economic Development, Public Works and Community Development. Willard is stepping into city government at a hectic time. The city ended 2025 in a major financial crisis, taking out a $125 million loan to pay its employees, which it’ll need to pay back by the end of June. Federal immigration agents also have ramped up raids in the area, causing distress among immigrant communities. “It’s really heartbreaking just to see [immigrants] essentially being targeted for political posturing at this point by the federal administration,” he says. “It may keep parroting this talking point that we’re cleaning up the streets, but we’re seeing time and time again that the
individuals that they are detaining overwhelmingly are not violent and don’t have these criminal records that the administration continues to talk about.” “I think we really have huge, pressing issues that we need to focus on as a society of Americans, and this is not something that’s moving the ball forward,” he adds. Those issues include addressing home insurance costs, which have skyrocketed in recent years. In 2023, Willard got state legislation passed to create a program that offers Louisiana homeowners $10,000 grants to fortify their roofs, which so far has been the only proven method for lowering rates. “With the more adoption of fortified roofs that you have in a certain ZIP code area, you de-risk that building stock,” he says. “Insurance companies see that as a less risky investment.” Willard says he supports the city putting money toward fortifying roofs and is exploring the idea of working with state legislators to have the state match funds a local government puts in, similar to early childhood education funding. He also hopes to use his state connections to secure more funding in general for the city. With everything happening in New Orleans, Willard says he’ll consider his first term a success if he, the rest of the council and Mayor Helena Moreno can stop population loss. “If you want to gauge if this council and this new mayor are successful in that first term, you look at the population,” he says.
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Council Member Lesli Harris on lessons learned and hopes for second council term BY K AY L E E P O C H E
City Council Member Lesli Harris in March 2022.
“Certainly, what New Orleanians don’t want and what the state does not want are 2,000 people back on the street. That’s not anything that helps either the state or the city of New Orleans.”
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that as one of her two biggest accomplishments in her first term. The other is dedicating city funds — and state money with the help of state Rep. Mandie Landry — to clear the backlog of rape test kits and other DNA kits at the state crime lab, many of which were from New Orleans. In 2022, there was a backlog of around 4,600 kits. By April 2025, only 187 remained. “We’ll continue to work, even within this budget-constrained time, to make sure that we don’t go backward on that,” she says. The city is working on opening its own crime lab, with a DNA testing lab set to start operating at the end of 2027, according to the New Orleans Police Department. With enough funding, the city will be able to do its own DNA testing in house and make money by testing DNA from other parishes, Harris says. During her first term, Harris says she was most surprised by the level of criticism council members receive, whether that’s in person during the council’s public comment period or on social media. But she says she’s
learned to trust her team — and to not look at online comments too often. “The lesson learned is to grow a thicker skin and delete X and social media, look at it sparingly and let my team handle it,” she says. For her second term, Harris says she’ll continue working to get blighted properties back into commerce, an issue she’s already researching with incoming At-large Council Member Matthew Willard. “Making sure, legislatively, we take down some of the barriers that allow properties to get into responsible landowners’ hands is going to be one of my major priorities,” she says. Harris says she’s looking forward to the demolition of the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center and the plans to turn the space into housing and retail and entertainment businesses. She also says there are talks about turning the abandoned Plaza Tower into affordable senior housing. Additionally, the council will be changing its rules for short-term rentals in commercial areas.
The year, however, is already starting off with a major housing challenge: The Trump administration is attempting to limit how much federal money local governments can put toward permanent housing. Those plans are on pause for now, but housing advocates say if the changes go into effect, the city would have to stop paying the rent of 2,600 formerly unhoused New Orleans and Jefferson Parish residents. That would reverse the progress New Orleans has made in tackling homelessness in recent years. Working with state and nonprofit partners, the city reached its goal of housing 1,500 people in 2025. Harris says it’s unclear if the state will provide additional dollars for permanent housing if the federal changes go through. “Certainly, what New Orleanians don’t want and what the state does not want are 2,000 people back on the street,” she says. “That’s not anything that helps either the state or the city of New Orleans.”
INAUGURATION 2026
WITH THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS trying to climb out of a financial crisis, District B Council Member Lesli Harris is taking on a crucial role in her second term in office: budget chair. Her goal? Making sure “the budget is transparent and that there aren’t any issues like what we’ve seen [in 2025],” she says. District B covers a wide, diverse swath of the city and includes Central City and Broadmoor as well as parts of Mid-City, Bayou St. John and Uptown. During her first term, Harris often took the lead on housing issues, particularly when it came to the unhoused. She was an outspoken critic of Gov. Jeff Landry sending unhoused New Orleanians to a warehouse turned makeshift temporary shelter in Gentilly ahead of the Super Bowl, saying the money would have been better spent on the city’s existing housing efforts. Harris also led the push to create the Housing Trust Fund in 2024, which requires the city to set aside 2% of its general fund — around $17 million each year — for affordable housing. She cites
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Council Member Freddie King is still trying to figure out how to be in two places at once in District C
INAUGURATION 2026
BY JAKE CL APP A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE New Orleans closed the book on 2025, the developer leading the project to transform the former naval base in Bywater announced that critical financing had been secured and construction would begin in late January. With plans for affordable housing and a technology hub, it was major news not just for the city but also for the region, and City Council Member Freddie King III says he’ll be watching closely as he begins his second term representing District C. One of his priorities this year “is making sure the Poland (Avenue) naval station project starts off on a good foot and it’s completed,” King says. “That’s a big project we’ve helped in my first term get funding, get permitted — a lot of behind the scenes things that folks didn’t realize were being done. We’ve helped get it to this point, and I think it’s very important the project comes to fruition. It can be a game changer for the city.” One thing he’s expecting to be busy with as the project gets underway, King says, is talking with Bywater residents, especially those living close to the naval base, about the development and how construction will impact day-to-day life in the neighborhood. “I think a lot of it is kind of early to see, but just be respectful of the community while that project is going on is something I want to look out for,” King says. King, an Algiers native and lawyer, was elected in 2021 to represent District C, arguably one of City Council’s more diverse areas. The district covers all of Algiers, the French Quarter and the Marigny and parts of the Treme, the 7th Ward, St. Roch, Bywater and St. Claude neighborhoods. It’s a diverse area with urban, suburban and even rural areas, and it’s both an economically and culturally important region. During his first term, King helped end Lucky Dogs’ 50-year monopoly on pushcart vendors in the French Quarter, which has allowed new food businesses to compete in the neighborhood. On the West Bank, he helped open a renovated aquatic facility on General Meyer Avenue and supported the renovation of Skelly Rupp Stadium, which is now the home baseball field
"We’ve helped get it to this point, and I think it’s very important the project comes to fruition. It can be a game changer for the city.”
District C Council Member Freddie King III PROVIDED PHOTO
for Xavier University of Louisiana. King also worked with Gretna officials to allow Algiers residents to freely use the Burmaster Transfer Station waste dropoff facility. King in 2023 helped craft the city’s new short-term rental rules, including the one-per-square-block limit, which was proposed as a compromise after hearing from both STR critics and from small, local STR operators. Looking ahead to his next term, King hopes to improve the St. Claude Avenue corridor. The road is a state highway, so King intends to work with state officials to make St. Claude safer for pedestrians and cyclists. And he wants to better support existing businesses and attract more to the corridor. “It’s a lot of money going up and down St. Claude, and we want people to stop there and support those local businesses,” King says.
Across the river, there are two projects on King’s “wish list,” he says. One would be to finish demolition of DeGaulle Manor, the former public housing complex that closed in 2012. Demolition had originally started in 2024, but contract issues stalled work until last fall. “If we can either get that developed or demolished, that will be a big win for the city,” King says. “You can build, put restaurants, make it mixed-use commercial. That’s more tax dollars and revenues for the city.” Similarly, the second project would be to do something with Brechtel Golf Course, a 115-acre course extensively damaged by Hurricane Katrina and closed since 2011. King isn’t sure about what the property could become — although he doesn’t see it reopening as a golf course given the other course options in the city — but the land should be developed in some way, he says.
District C can be a difficult district to represent, King says. In fact, King is the first council member to win back-toback terms in District C since now-U.S. Rep. Troy Carter held the seat in the ’90s and early-2000s. Each neighborhood has its own unique interests, and it takes a lot of work to show up in both Treme and all the way out in English Turn. “We have more in common than we have that separates us. And I think there is a thought that there has to be an adversarial relationship between different groups, because that’s where it’s been for so long,” King says, giving an example of competing interests between business owners, residents and preservationists in the French Quarter. “I never did like that approach,” he adds. “I always felt like we can work together, and I think we’ve done a good job of that.”
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District D Council Member Eugene Green wants to continue the work started in his first term BY JAKE CL APP businesses and families. And there “have been a significant number of businesses to move into the district,” he says. He also has supported — and received criticism for — legislation allowing the city’s police department to use controversial technology like license plate readers as well as facial recognition software, an effort ultimately withdrawn last year. Green says he has had success in building better communications with his constituency. His office launched a weekly newsletter with updates about the district, like street construction, blight removal and the cleanups at illegal dumping sites. He also created a system of community liaisons in his office to help with matters around the district and attend community meetings. Green says reducing crime will again be a priority in his second term. He intends to support legislation or funding that will involve local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together, “and we’re going to continue to prioritize and provide the funding for recruiting of NOPD officers and support the training and those resources needed for them to be more efficient.” But along with that, Green adds, he recognizes there are community programs that have had a positive impact on local youth. He wants to continue to provide grant support to organizations offering recreational activities, music, dance, workforce training and “building up of institutions of that have played a role in helping us to reduce crime in the city.” Infrastructure and street work also will continue to be a major focus in the district, Green says. And he wants to support further development of the Gentilly Resilience District — an effort helping the area reduce flood risks and bring in new green infrastructure — as well as projects like Carver High
District D Council Member Eugene Green P H O T O B Y S C O T T T H R E L K E L D / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
“I recognized that the pressures on government, especially municipal government, are significant.” School’s long-dreamed-of stadium in the 9th Ward. “It’s going to help us to be able to attract more investment to the Desire community,” Green says. Green says he also is looking to bring in new businesses and organizations into District D, like the Good Shepherd School’s plans to build a second campus in the Desire neighborhood. In 2023, the organization received a major donation from Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson to get the expansion rolling.
Green says he will look for ways to work more with the state on infrastructure projects in his district, like on Chef Menteur Highway and Gentilly Boulevard, both of which are state thoroughfares. “I want to work with the state for better maintenance of the state highways that run through the district,” Green says, “and potentially on the Lakefront community, creating more green infrastructure, more trees and better (road) striping.“
INAUGURATION 2026
BEFORE BEING ELECTED to City Council’s District D seat in 2021, Eugene Green II was already a recognized figure in New Orleans. In the past Green served on the New Orleans City Planning Commission and as the director of the Office of Small and Emerging Businesses under former Mayor Marc Morial. He’d also made previous unsuccessful runs for a council seat and the state House of Representatives. And he’d made his name in the business world as the founder and president of the real estate brokerage firm Nationwide Real Estate Corporation. Still, Green says, his first term on the city council gave him a better understanding of the constant pressures city departments are under. “I never knew so many people ran into light poles and knocked them out,” Green says. “I never knew there were so many times fire hydrants were hit, or that Sewerage & Water Board had so many emergency leaks because of the cement settling… I recognized that the pressures on government, especially municipal government, are significant.” Green begins his second term this week representing District D, which includes Gentilly and parts of Treme, the 7th Ward, the 9th Ward, New Orleans East and the Lakefront. Green entered his first term focusing on public safety, blight reduction and economic growth in his district, areas he feels he has had success in the last four years. He told Gambit ahead of his inauguration in 2022 that crime was one of the biggest issues facing his district. During his first term, Green has supported legislation improving street lighting in the district and funding community organizations. The city has demolished more than 175 blighted structures in District D, Green says, an important goal to make the area more attractive to
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'Open for Business': Council Member Jason Hughes wants to revamp New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward
INAUGURATION 2026
BY SAR AH R AVITS DISTRICT E’S JASON HUGHES joins the New Orleans City Council fresh from the state legislature, where he served as a Democratic representative for the last six years and as the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee. While some New Orleans lawmakers have left Baton Rouge because of hostility between the two political parties, Hughes says that’s not the reason he ran for local office. The New Orleans East native says he joined the race, which drew the most candidates — including former Council Member Cyndi Nguyen — because he saw an opportunity to finally fix some ongoing problems. “I was very comfortable at the legislature,” Hughes says. “But (New Orleans) is a city in complete dysfunction. The basics don’t work, streetlights aren’t lit, streets are torn up. We’re at a critical crossroads.” Council Members At-large JP Morrell and Matthew Willard also draw from previous experience as state lawmakers, as does Mayor-elect Helena Moreno. Hughes calls that collective experience “a plus.” “We have four former legislators that bring enormous credibility and great relationships for the city,” Hughes says. “There’s no better time to come onto the council than while I have those relationships in Baton Rouge. The speaker of the house, the governor — the entire legislature wants to see New Orleans succeed.” A self-described problem solver, Hughes says one of his top priorities is to clean up commercial blight and make his district, which includes New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward, more attractive to businesses.
He says he plans to work with Moreno to figure out ways to streamline the permitting process so potential business owners don’t get caught up in endless bureaucracy. He also wants to attract entities outside of the hospitality and tourism industry. “I do want to send the message that the Lower 9th Ward and New Orleans East are open for business,” he says. “Collectively, as a city, we need to be intentional about diversifying our economy. Look at Houston, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta — the part that gets lost is that Entergy is the only Fortune 500 company around here.” Hughes is keenly aware that in order to spur economic growth, the city first needs to restore basic services and invest in the district, which has lagged behind others in recovery from Hurricane Katrina. “It has become so damn hard to live here, and we need to make it easier,” he says. “Before we get to talking about Fortune 500 companies, we have to make sure we get the basics right.” Hughes remembers life as a kid in the ’90s in New Orleans East. His dad worked for the U.S. Postal Service, and his mom was a state employee who worked with children and family services. “I didn’t even know how to get to other parts of the city because you never had to leave New Orleans East,” he says. “Everyone came to New Orleans East. It was this thriving community.” He entered politics shortly after college and worked with former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Former Louisiana Rep. Jason Hughes will join the New Orleans City Council, representing District E. P H O T O B Y H I L A R Y S C H E I N U K / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
“We have four former legislators that bring enormous credibility and great relationships for the city. There’s no better time to come onto the council than while I have those relationships in Baton Rouge.” He also worked on the campaign for his predecessor, Oliver Thomas. Hughes also wants to rehab the reputation of the East. “We don’t have a people problem,” he says. “Cleaning up the image of District E is a top priority.” Hughes says “the sky is the limit” when it comes to the potential of his district. “The good news is, it’s the only part of the city left to grow,” he says. “We
have all this vacant land. Developers are excited, and people who were (previously) skeptical are excited about the new mayor and the council ... We have an opportunity to reimagine it.” “I’m excited to get to work,” he adds. “I’ve been in public service for 22 years. I look at this as a legacy term for me, I have no desire to run for anything else ... I want to leave District E better than I found it and quietly pass the torch and get out of the way.”
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For District A’s Aimee McCarron, good government starts with the basics B Y J O H N S T A N T O N | Gambit editor
“Street lights are ‘something that everyone across the district and city has a problem with. There are some neighborhoods like Hollygrove where they straight up don’t have enough street lights.’”
Councilmember Aimee McCarron P H O T O B Y S O P H I A G E R M E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E
“It continues with our climate goals, we save money since we don’t pay into the [power] system and Entergy, we can put them wherever we need to, and they’re cost efficient. It’s an easy reach,” McCarron says. Similarly, McCarron says that while the city’s funding problems will make getting a lot of major street repair projects completed, she hopes to work with the administration to find ways to get temporary relief to residents. For instance, she hopes to expand patching and smoothing of streets in District A
to make getting around easier for residents while they wait on major repairs and construction to take place. As with street lights, McCarron says the city will need to bring much of those functions back in-house if New Orleans actually wants to make progress on infrastructure, and she says she hopes to work with other members and local unions to begin the process of training and hiring a new generation of city workers. On a related note, McCarron tells Gambit she will push to require Omni
Hotels to hire members of the Unite Here union to staff its massive new hotel complex. As part of her work on the committee, McCarron, who had significant support from clean energy advocates during her campaign, says she’ll take up where former committee chair Helena Moreno left off. For instance, she says, she’ll work this spring to get the city’s virtual power plant program off the ground and grow community solar projects in the city. More broadly, McCarron also says she wants to build off former district member Giarrusso’s constituent services and accessibility, which were a hallmark of his eight years on the council. McCarron says she wants to be more present in the communities she represents and that she’ll begin holding regular satellite office hours at community centers in her district on Fridays to help better reach her constituents. “What do we really have to do at City Hall on Fridays?” McCarron quips. “Let’s face it, nobody is really working at City Hall on Fridays, so let’s be out in the district. Let’s be in a neighborhood where people can access me directly.”
INAUGURATION 2026
SOMETIMES THE SEEMINGLY SIMPLEST PROBLEMS turn out to actually be an opportunity to address much bigger, institutional failures. Like turning the lights on. It’s literally been one of the most basic functions of government for more than a century. In New Orleans, though, it’s become anything but. So when new City Council Member Aimee McCarron says “my thing is the street lights” when describing her priorities, it may sound a little like low-hanging fruit. But in reality, it’s the first step toward a broader goal of rebuilding the city’s gutted municipal workforce. A former council staffer in charge of budget issues for incoming Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso, McCarron is keenly aware of how decades of neo-liberal policies favoring private contractors have failed the city. She hopes to at least begin to break that cycle in her first term and says she’ll work with trade unions to “create a pipeline and then hire people at City Hall. Because right now it costs so much for outside contractors ... [and] our money is going to Jefferson Parish,” where many of the city’s contractors are based. But it all starts with getting the lights on. McCarron says she plans to hold “Light the Night” events in District A to draw attention to dark areas and build support for bringing the work back into city government. “That’s something that everyone across the district and city has a problem with. There are some neighborhoods like Hollygrove where they straight up don’t have enough street lights,” McCarron says. The goal also dovetails with her new role as chair of the council’s climate committee, where she hopes to build off of a solar-powered street light pilot project on Moss Street. The lights, installed last year, aren’t connected to the grid and come with battery backups that can run for up to 80 hours. The lights are significantly less costly than traditional ones since the city won’t have to pay Entergy for power — and because they’re not wired into the grid, there’s no copper wire at the base of the polls, which can be easy pickings for thieves.
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Mexican home cooking
FORK + CENTER
A River Ridge spot for Mexican cuisine | by Beth D’Addono
Email dining@gambitweekly.com
IN MEXICO, A FONDA IS A SMALL, HOMESTYLE FOOD STAND, often a kiosk in a
larger commercial space. Partners Gilberto Flores and Ivan Cortes Castillo both learned to cook in their family’s fondas. Flores started working for his aunt in his hometown south of Mexico City when he was 9. Castillo learned to cook helping his mother in the town of Potrero Nuevo in the state of Veracruz. The couple have been together for 12 years, and for several years they ran their own fonda, Antojitos Garibaldi, serving traditional Mexican cuisine in the Algiers Mini Mart flea market on Behrman Highway. “That was to see if we could make it,” Castillo says. Three years ago, during the pandemic, they took the leap to open their own restaurant in River Ridge. They named it Garibaldi’s after the massive public square in Mexico City.Garibaldi’s is a hidden gem tucked away on a side street. It serves traditional Mexican cuisine, a point of pride for both chefs. “We didn’t want to serve Tex-Mex food,” says Flores, who came to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “Some people said we were crazy serving real Mexican food — that Americans were not going to know it,” Castillo says. “But that was the idea — for people to know what is authentic. We just keep doing what we are doing, and it’s working.” There are enchiladas, fajitas and nachos, and chilaquiles for breakfast. There also are less familiar dishes like machetas, a popular, large, folded quesadilla-like street food made with corn masa and filled with seasoned pork or cheese. On the breakfast menu, enfrijoladas are corn tortillas dipped in a creamy black bean sauce and topped with queso fresco. Entomatadas are stuffed tortillas topped with savory tomato sauce. There’s a section on the menu of antojitos Mexicanos, which loosely translates as Mexican snacks. Items include quesabirrias tacos, gorditas and memelas, which are open-faced, thick and crunchy tortillas topped
New Mid-City Thai
GREAT THAI COOKING CAN FEEL LIKE A REVELATION OF FLAVORS, with sour,
Gilberto Flores (left) and Ivan Cortes Castillo serve traditional Mexican dishes at Garibaldi’s. PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
with meat or vegetables. Tlayudus are an Oaxacan specialty made with an oversized crispy corn tortilla and a variety of toppings. Other dishes include tortilla soup, ceviche, grilled chicken a la plancha and chicken encebollado, which is braised with caramelized onions. Tilapia comes fried or veracruzana, which is simmered in a tomato-based sauce spiked with garlic, onions, olives, chiles and capers. The Garibaldi’s space is homey, with a grill and counter on one side and shelves filled with Mexican candies and handicrafts. On the other side, there is seating for 25 at a scattering of tables and chairs. On a recent Sunday, however, the dining room was quiet. “It’s because of ICE,” Castillo says. “Usually, we have a lot of families on the weekend. But people are afraid.” Castillo and Flores practice a kind of hospitality rooted in community. Castillo also performs in drag as Ivett Donnelly, a name used in tribute
to a trans woman who was killed in Mexico. As Ivett, Castillo was assaulted in New Orleans. “I didn’t want other people to experience this alone,” he says. The couple made it their business to become a pillar of family support and vital health information for the queer Latino community and all people of color. What started with welcoming and cooking for folks in their home on Sundays has grown into special events like Miss Latina drag pageants and a monthly drag Mexican loteria bingo at the restaurant. Their combination of homestyle Mexican cooking and queer activism has not gone unnoticed. They were featured in a Spanish language short documentary called “El Camino del Mole a New Orleans,” a film showing how Castillo uses mole and drag performances to celebrate his cultural identity, particularly within the LGBTQ+ Latino community. The project is part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Foodways Film Series, highlighting immigrant food cultures in Southern cities. “We are passionate about our food,” Castillo says.
? WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
HOW
CHECK IT OUT
Garibaldi’s
208 Tallulah Ave., River Ridge, (504) 800-8878; garibadldisla.com
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Tue.-Sun.
Dine-in
Traditional Mexican cuisine in a LGBTQ+ friendly spot
spicy, fermented and fresh alternating from bite to bite. That’s a bit like what it feels like to walk into Chada for the first time. This new Thai restaurant at 3420 Bienville St. in Mid-City has transformed an old shotgun house into a progression of beautiful dining spaces that unfold before your eyes. Chada officially opened Jan. 1, after a few trial runs, and serves lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Mondays. Chada is the next restaurant from the people who run Dahla in the CBD in part of the South Market District development. That restaurant is known for bold flavors, traditional dishes and a lushly rendered interior with a stylish setting for anytime casual meals. In Mid-City, Chada takes this to a different level. The restaurateurs bought the building for Chada, and they have poured much more into it.
Chada Thai restaurant PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
It gives a modest impression from the street, appearing like just another one of the shotgun homes lining this block across from the derelict Lindy Boggs Medical Center. But inside, diners find a front dining room with a luminous bar, centered by an oversized chada, the traditional Thai headpiece that gives the restaurant its name. Polished wood partially sheaths the walls below dark wallpaper. The lighting gives a golden glow. Decorative bells seem to dance on the ceiling. The way to the second dining room is a corridor lined with intricate chandeliers imported from Thailand and lotusshaped light sconces. PAGE 22
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More bells, cathedral-sized this time, seem to float over the tables in a space that has the flexibility to become a private dining room. The back patio is a two-level terraced space with tropical plantings and a peacock motif. The Chada menu has Thai standards like papaya salad, curries, fried rice and, or course, pad thai and tom yum soup. But, like Dahla, it also goes deeper on regional Thai specialties and street food. Look for chicken wings stuffed with pork and rice noodles; goong sarong, or fried shrimp bundled in fried vermicelli noodles; beef short ribs in panang curry; whole steamed fish; khao soi, a rich curry with crispy egg noodles; and chor muang, or royal flower dumplings, with wrappers made purple with butterfly pea flower. Chada was created by Tom Intavichai, Glenn Mahiya and Sara Jinawong. Intavichai’s family once ran the Metairie restaurant Thai Ocha (now closed) before moving their business to New Orleans to open Dahla in 2023 with Mahiya. But they had also been eyeing a possible MidCity location all along and decided to expand with a second restaurant when this property became available. “It’s a great neighborhood and it has a community that we can feed,” Mahiya says. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
Let them eat cakes
Littlle Tropical Isle 435 BOUR RBON Tropical Isle Original 600 BOURBON Tropical Isle’s Bayou Club 610 BOURBON Tropical Isle 721 BOURBON Honky Tonk 727 Bourbon
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF JAN. 6, Carnival is underway. That’s also the beginning of king cake season for King Cake Hub, a seasonal emporium that offers various types of king cakes from more than a dozen bakeries. King Cake Hub is at a new location in 2026, after a few years at the now shuttered Zony Mash Beer Project. The new spot is at 3300 Gravier St., convenient to the corridors of Tulane Avenue and S. Norman C. Francis Parkway. Among the king cake producers stocking the hub are Gambino’s Bakery, Hi-Do Bakery, Cannata’s, Bywater Bakery, NOCCA, Caluda’s, Sugar Love Bakery, Caywood and Randazzo’s Bakery, Gracious Bakery, Breads on Oak, Brennan’s Restaurant, Bittersweet Confections, Nolita Bakery, Mad Batter Bakery, Marguerite’s Cakes, Tartine, District Donuts, Laurel Street Bakery, Hubig’s, Mr. Bubbles, Antoine’s Famous Cakes and Pastries, Joe’s Cafe Donut King Cakes, Big Boy’s King Cake Ooey Gooeys and more.
The shop will offer as many as 70 different cakes, though not all varieties will always be available. A few cakes are unique to King Cake Hub and not available elsewhere. The shop is open from 8:30 a.m. until it sells out or 6 p.m. King Cake Hub does not offer pre-ordering or shipping services. For more information, visit kingcakehub.com. — Will Coviello
Kenji expands THE OWNERS OF A POPULAR NEW ORLEANS SUSHI RESTAURANT plan to
open a second location in Metairie with a different concept than the original spot at 217 Camp St. Kenji Omakase is known for its dryaged sushi, part of its omakase dining experience, in which the chef selects dishes for a multi-course meal. Kenji owner and chef Matt Nguyen explained in an Instagram video that Kenji means “second son,” which he is in his family.
Tu Nguyen opened Kenji Omakase. PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
The new location, Kenji Kazoku, adds “kazoku,” which means family, and Nguyen says he and his business partner, Malachi Dupre, are now “opening their arms” and extending the family by adding new partners, Logan and Paris Jean, for this new concept. The new restaurant will be located at 2929 Metairie Road, and Dupre says it will be more accessible, with omakase-style dining not being the only focus. While the same principles of dry-aged Japanese fish will be central to the new spot, it will include new menu items such as grilled octopus, toro toast, Texas wagyu and crispy rice. Nguyen says there will be omakase dining once a week at Kenji Kazoku. Kenji Kazoku is expected to open soon, but an exact date has not been specified. — Chelsea Shannon / The Times-Picayune
23
3 COURSE INTERVIEW
Chefs
by Will Coviello ERIC MARSHALL AND SHAUN CHAMPAGNE BOTH CAME TO NEW ORLEANS for school and both worked
in pizza parlors, which led to culinary careers. Marshall is from Houston and has worked at Domenica and Mid City Pizza. Champagne is from New Iberia and worked at Mid City Pizza, Compere Lapin, Avo and elsewhere. Together, they launched Hi-Tide Pizza, which offers pizzas, crudo and some appetizers. Hi-Tide is at Henry’s Uptown Bar on Sundays and Mondays, will be at Miel Brewery and Taproom on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and is filling its calendar for upcoming dates. For more information, visit hitidepc.com or @ hi_tide_pizza on Instagram.
How did you get into making pizza?
SHAUN CHAMPAGNE: Originally, one of my first cooking jobs here was at Lazaro’s, attached to Banks Street Bar. It was a pizza place that ended up becoming Mid City Pizza. I was working there and learning everything I could. I worked at other restaurants as well, but I always went back to Mid City Pizza. I worked at Compere Lapin for a long time. I started out at garde manger and worked at a bunch of stations. I worked at the raw bar for the longest amount of time. ERIC MARSHALL: I came to New Orleans for graduate school. To get a scholarship, I had to live here and be a resident. So I got a job at Domenica, and I worked there for a few months. When Mid City Pizza moved across the street, I started making pizza there, and Shaun was a manager there. I taught for six years and worked at a bunch of pizza places, like Echo when that was going on. I worked at Zee’s and St. Pizza as well.
How did you start your pop-up?
MARSHALL: We both have kids and were looking to make something happen. We were looking to do something with pizza. We were brainstorming and thought of the pan pizza idea because it’s pretty mobile. But the pans are
Eric Marshall, left, and Shaun Champagne PROVIDED PHOTO BY KATHERINE KIMBALL
really expensive. We didn’t have the money to buy them until I won a bet on a golf tournament. It covered like 18 pans. With Shaun’s raw bar experience, we were doing something different. That’s how we came up with what Hi-Tide does. CHAMPAGNE: We always wanted to try our hand. We worked at so many restaurants, and you always wonder, “If it was me, I might want to try it like this.” MARSHALL: We are grateful to Nick (Lama) over at Avo. When we started, Shaun was the chef de cuisine at Avo. CHAMPAGNE: Avo was closed on Sundays and Mondays so we got the pizza pans and did some testing. We really didn’t have a place to go. We didn’t have an oven, so we needed a kitchen. I brought it up and Nick said, “Why don’t you do it here?” Luckily the weather was nice. We’d just open the door to the kitchen and sell directly out of the kitchen. It was pretty cool. MARSHALL: Now we have a mobile oven, and we can go anywhere. It’s a gas oven with a pizza stone. It’s all you need.
What’s on your menu? MARSHALL: It’s a pan pizza, and the pans are Detroit style. They’re Lloyd Pans. They’re really good.
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Eric Marshall and Shaun Champagne
With our heavier pizzas, we can put certain ingredients that work better on a pan pizza. They’re kind of unmanageable on a New York slice. CHAMPAGNE: We used to do a patatas bravas pizza, where we had a salsa roja and salt-roasted potatoes. The caviar pizza idea was just for fun. It was like, what else can we throw on these pizzas that no one else does? I love caviar. I was like, if we can find a way to sell some caviar pizzas, we can make some money and have some caviar to take home. That was one of the pizzas that blew up and took off. We were aiming for three or four of them, but then we sold out in the first couple hours. So it was like, OK, let’s do more. People were making TikTok reels and videos about it, and it started getting us a lot of traction on Instagram and things like that. When people tried that and liked it, they were willing to try other things. So we were like, let’s get some lobster and try that on a pizza. MARSHALL: Other things started as one thing and morphed into something else. We have a Pizza Parlor, which is guanciale with vodka sauce and confit garlic. That’s one of more classic pizzas. But it started as a cheese-less amatriciana vodka pizza. The Bacon Parm, which has an onion sauce on the bottom — caramelized onions that we puree — it comes with this Parmesan cream that Shaun makes that people have really been liking. We have a strong rotation of five pizzas that people always want to see. CHAMPAGNE: The OG Tuna was our first crudo. It’s officially a tartare dressed with za’atar seasoning, lemon juice, mint and toum, which is like a garlic mayo. Another popular crudo was the Broken Coconut. That was more of a sashimi sliced crudo with lime zest and sea salt and mango relish, and if kumquats are in season, I put kumquat wheels on there. Sometimes I do it with salmon roe or trout roe on top. It’s got coconut milk seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice and zest, and chili oils and herb oils. It’s a gorgeous plate.
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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. 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 Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with goat cheese and chardonnay sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$ The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served with rosemary garlic butter sauce over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. The menu includes po-poys, fried seafood platters, raw and char-grilled oysters, boiled seafood in season, and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — The menu of contemporary Creole dishes includes bronzed redfish with jumbo lump crabmeat, lemon beurre blanc and vegetables. Brunch includes Benedicts, avocado toast, chicken and waffles, turtle soup and more. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available in the courtyard. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. Sandwiches include po-boys, a muffuletta on flatbread and a burger. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Fri.-Mon. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. There also are crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. Outdoor
$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up seating available on balcony. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dahla — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 766-6602; dahlarestaurant.com — The menu includes popular Thai dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, curries and fried rice. Crispy skinned duck basil is prepared with vegetables and Thai basil. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; 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, 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. $$$ El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, ceviche. tamales and more. Pescado Vera Cruz features sauteed Gulf fish topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers, served with rice and string beans. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, salads, rice and bean bowls with various toppings and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes chargrilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941;
higginshotelnola.com/dining — The all-day bar menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbreads and a couple entrees. A muffuletta flatbread is topped with salami, mortadella, capicola, mozzarella and olive salad. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Mon., 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 steak and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bernaise, 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. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura items, udon noodle dishes, teriyaki, salads and more. The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ 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. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans and rice with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as shrimp Creole, seafood platters, po-boys, char-grilled and raw oysters, salads and more. Side items include carrot souffle, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato tots and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese and garlic butter, and other options include oysters Rockefeller and loaded oysters. The creative menu also includes seafood bread, a Cajun-lobster potato, wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood pasta, loaded fries and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers cheese boards and appetizers to nosh with wines. The menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Parish Grill — 4650 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 100, Metairie, (504) 345-2878; parishgrill. com — The menu includes a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza and salads. For an appetizer, sauteed andouille is served with fig preserves, blue cheese and toast points. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ 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. $$ Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. Crab beignets are made with Gulf crabmeat and mascarpone and served with herb aioli. No reservations. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ 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 veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
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is being celebrated by her daughter, vocalist and composer Sita Michelle Coltrane, and harpist Brandee Younger in conjunction with local composer Courtney Bryan. There’s a free recital followed by a discussion at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Tulane University’s Dixon Annex. Coltrane and the Devotional Ensemble and the Brandee Younger Trio perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at New Marigny Theatre. Suggested donation $15. Find information via eventbrite.com.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane reprises its summer 2025 production of Shakespeare’s comedy. In the show, meddling spirits try to sort out two couples of young lovers lost in the forest as a bumbling group of townsmen prepare a short play for the wedding of the king and queen. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Tickets $30 via neworleansshakespeare.org.
‘Somnotomy’
Jane works the nightshift at her family’s gentrification-themed coffeeshop, where she finds herself battling a sleep
paralysis demon. The difference blurs between her waking and sleeping states as she seeks the help of a sleep interventionist, and the demon starts to prey on others. ‘Somnotomy’ is the latest devised show from Intramural Theater, and Bennett Kirshner directs Mary Langley, Ja’Quan Henderson, Monica Harris, Sly Watts and more. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, through Tuesday, Jan. 20, and continuing Jan. 23, 25 and 26 at Caribbean And New Orleans Arts (4210 St. Claude Ave.). Tickets $25-$35 via intramuraltheater.org.
Mary Gauthier
Folk singer Mary Gauthier is no stranger to Louisiana. She attended LSU before dropping out and starting a Cajun restaurant in Boston. But she’s best known for her music. Last year, she re-released her early album “Drag Queens in Limousines” on its 25th anniversary. Her most recent release is 2022’s “Dark Enough to See the Stars.” Jamie Harris opens for her at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets $39.29 via chickiewahwah.com.
Rob Wagner Trio
In the ’90s and 2000s, saxophonist Rob Wagner could often be seen leading his creative jazz trio with bassist James Singleton and a rotation of standout New Orleans drummers, including for a stretch James Alsanders. Wagner Trio performances have become less frequent in recent years, but on Wednesday, Jan. 14, Wagner will reunite with Alsanders and be joined by bassist Martin Masakowski for a show at Cafe Istanbul. The concert is presented by Valid Records, which released the great Wagner Trio album, “Walking, Crying, Laughing, Running.” Tickets are $20 at the door.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
If we had to guess, 9 out of every 10 record stores have a worn-out copy of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ 1965 record “Whipped Cream & Other Delights” for sale. The pop album was massive when it was released, spending 185 weeks on the Billboard chart, including eight at No. 1. The cover itself is an iconic piece of pop art. Last year,
trumpeter Alpert reformed The Tijuana Brass with new players to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the album — as well as his 90th birthday and 50th studio album. They are now on tour and perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the Orpheum Theater. Tickets start at $55.20 via orpheumnola.com.
Cigar Box Guitar Festival
Inspired by home-made guitars, the Cigar Box Guitar Festival brings three days of concerts to the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Bluesman and author Chris Thomas King and author Michael Shurtz are guest speakers. Performers include the Boogie Long Band, Hillary Klug and Meredith Moon, La Durance Blues Band, Mahmoud Chouki, Janky, Brett Gardner, Three Strings Down, April Mae and the June Bugs and more. There are forums for guitar-makers on Friday and Saturday. Events run Jan. 15-17. Single-day admission is $37.24 for Thursday, and $43.11 for Friday or Saturday, and festival passes are available on eventbrite.com. Visit neworleanscbg.com for information.
’s o t a c o r B to o b m a M TUES - SAT 10AM - 10PM
SUNDAY 10AM - 9PM
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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 12 30/90 — Margie Perez, 6 pm; Piano Man G, 9 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm BACCHANAL — Byron Asher, 6 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Red Beans and Blues ft. Washboard Chaz and Jonathan Freilich, 9 pm BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL —Lit Band, 7:30 pm CAPULET — Belinda Moody, 6 pm DBA — Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10 pm DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm HOUSE OF BLUES — Shaun Cassidy, 8 pm THE MAISON — Aurora Nealand, 5 pm; Gene’s Music Machine, 8:30 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; 10 pm MAYFIELD’S 208 BOURBON — Kermit Ruffins ft. Irvin Mayfield: Red Bean Mondays, 6 pm SANTOS BAR — Karaoke a Go Go with Alesondra, 10 pm SATURN BAR — BC Coogan, 8:30 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Lesser Man, 9 pm
TUESDAY 13 30/90 — Sugar & The Daddies, 6 pm; Higher Heights Reggae, 9 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Freaklesque, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Tangiers Combo, 6 pm BANKS STREET BAR — VetJams, 7 pm BUFFA’S — Alex McMurray, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Super-Most-FantasticBlues-N-Such-Jam, 7 pm; 10 pm CAPULET — Lady O & The Expats, 6 pm DOS JEFES — Tom Hook, 8:30 pm HIDEOUT BAR — Kid Merv, 4 pm HOLY DIVER — The Amazing Henrietta, 8 pm THE MAISON — Jacky Blaire & The Hot Biscuits, 5 pm; Paradise Jazz Band, 8 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — A Very Good Tuesday with Herlin Riley, David Torkanowsky, Donald Ramsey & More!, 9 pm MAYFIELD’S 208 BOURBON — Irvin Mayfield ft. Kermit Ruffins, 6 pm MRB — DJ Mr. Bubble, 7 pm SALON SALON — Silver Lining Serenaders, 7 pm
SATURN BAR — Baile Ritmo Presents: ¡CUMBIA! with Los Guiros and DJ C’est Funk, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Danny Barker Birthday Tribute with Detroit Brooks, 7:30 & 9:30 pm VAUGHAN’S — Lil Prince & The Youngbloods, 10 pm
WEDNESDAY 14 30/90 — Dapper Dandies, 6 pm; The Budz, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Jesse Morrow, 6 pm BUFFA’S — Mark Carroll, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Jam-ilton, 8 pm; 10 pm CAPULET — Washboard Chaz, 6 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Mary Gauthier + Jaimee Harris, 7 pm DOS JEFES — Javier Gutierrez, 8:30 pm DOUBLE DEALER — Sariyah Idan, 9 pm JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 7:30 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Nina Hungerland Family Band, 8 pm MAYFIELD’S 208 BOURBON — Irvin Mayfield ft. Kermit Ruffins, 6 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — Gregory Alan Isakov, 8 pm SANTOS BAR — The Dark Disco, 10 pm VAUGHAN’S — Robin Rapuzzi’s Glo Worm Trio, 8:30 pm
THURSDAY 15 30/90 — Josh Benitez, 6 pm; Deltaphonic, 9 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Van Ella Bordella, 7 pm BACCHANAL — Raphael Bas, 6 pm BJ’S — Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Irvin Mayfield’s Music Church with Special Guests, 9 pm; 11 pm BRATZ Y’ALL — Tiffany Pollack & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm BUFFA’S — Tom McDermott & Aurora Nealand, 7 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Armani Smith & Soul Ties, 6 pm; Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 10 pm CAPULET — Dylan Decker Trio, 6 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Frankie White + Allie Moss + Lyla DiPaul + Gabe Parsons, 8 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — An Evening with Benmont Tench, 8 pm DOS JEFES — The Lyons St. Quartet, 8:30 pm DOUBLE DEALER — Coyote Anderson, 9:30 pm GOOD MEASURE — Pleasure Savior Presents High Top Fade, 10 pm JOLIE — Audrey LeCrone & Jeremie Henan, 5 pm
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Band play the Orpheum Friday, January 16, at 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — J The New Orleans Catahoulas, 6 pm; Jamil Sharif & His New Orleans Extravaganza, 8 pm THE MAISON — Tuba Skinny, 4:30 pm; Single Malt Please, 8:30 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Booker & Beyond with André Bohren, 6 pm; Johnny Vidacovich Trio, 8 pm OKAY BAR — Itchy Stitches + Rosie’s Rabbit Fangs + Dead Magnolia, 8 pm POOR BOYS — The Magic Mic, 8:30 pm SANTOS BAR — Tainted Love 80’s Night, 10 pm SATURN BAR — Oh Dang, Mediocre Flying Dream, and the Bomb Pulse, 9 pm SIBERIA — Juno Dunes + The Get + Paul Faith & The Barstool Prophets, 7 pm SNUG HARBOR — CubaNola presents Ethan Santos Septet, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Hash Cabbage, 9 pm TIGERMEN DEN — Robin Rapuzzi’s Glo Worm Trio, 9 pm TIPITINA’S — The Radiators 2026 Anniversary (Night 1), 9 pm VAUGHAN’S — Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10:30 pm
FRIDAY 16 30/90 — Jon Roniger & The Good For Nothin Band, 2 pm; Jeff Chaz Blues Band, 5 pm; Kyle Sharamitaro, 8 pm; T. Cherrelle & Lou’s Bayou, 11 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Bayou Blues Burlesque, 8 pm
P H O TO BY M AT T H E W H I N TO N / T H E A DVO C AT E
BACCHANAL — David Sigler, 1 pm; Willie Green, 7 pm BAMBOULA’S — The Rug Cutters, 11 am BJ’S LOUNGE — Bruisey’s B-Day with Big Diamonds + Stargazer & The Lillies, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Kermit Ruffins & The BBQ Swingers, 10 pm BRATZ Y’ALL — Johnny J & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm BUFFA’S — The Freudian Slips, 8 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Flip Flop Republic, 2 pm; Jamey St Pierre and the THC, 6 pm; Higher Heights Reggae, 9 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Third Fridays with Sweet Magnolia + Sean Hobbes & Hi Res + Brass T-Rex, 9 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — James J ordan’s Album Release Party with Sari Jordan, 9 pm CIVIC THEATER — Queen of the Tease Competition featuring Gerald French and the Storyville Jazz Band, 6 pm; Teaser Fest: Queen of the Striptease, 7 pm DBA — Michael Watson & The Alchemy, 6 & 10 pm DOS JEFES — The Joe Krown Trio, 9 pm DOUBLE DEALER — Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 9:30 pm HOLY DIVER — Rik Slave’s DarkLounge Ministries, 8 pm; Filth Abyss with DJs Mange & Scythe, 10 pm PAGE 28
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NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE
SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS For Council District B
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans announces a Declared Vacancy, effective Wednesday, November 19, 2025, of one (1) existing seat on its Board of Directors for Council District B. Pursuant to La. R. S. 33:4071, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans hereby gives notice that it is accepting applications from persons from Council District B interested in serving on the Board of Directors. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans is comprised of eleven members, seven of which are citizens appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council from a list of nominees submitted by the Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee. The Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee is comprised of representatives from the following organizations: Dillard University, Loyola University, Tulane University, Xavier University, Delgado Community College, Southern University at New Orleans, University of New Orleans, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. ELIGIBILITY, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS The term of office for members appointed to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans is four years. Additionally, a member shall serve no more than two consecutive terms of office. Each nominee shall be a registered voter in Orleans Parish and shall have been a domiciliary of Orleans Parish for two years prior to his/her appointment. Please note that nominees for the Council District vacancies must reside in the City Council District for which he or she applied. Consumer/Community Advocacy nominees may reside anywhere in Orleans Parish. Each nominee shall have experience in architecture, environmental quality, finance, accounting, business administration, engineering, law, public health, urban planning, facilities management, public administration, science, construction, business management, community or consumer advocacy, or other pertinent disciplines. All members of the Board of Directors of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans must comply with all ethical requirements of Louisiana law, including but not limited to the filing of financial statements pursuant to La. R.S. 42, et. seq. APPLICATION PROCESS For more information and to begin the application process, please visit our website at: https://www.swbno.org/notices/vacancydistrictb. The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. on January 31, 2026. Contact 504-585-2190 or ProspectiveBoardMemberApplications@swbno.org with any questions.
MARDI GRAS CA R N IVA L C OVE R AG E I N
2 BIG ISSUES ®
17-23 February 2025 46 Volume 7 Number
®
February 24-March 2 2025 Volume 46 Number 8
WEEK 1 - FEB 2
R ES E RV E S PAC E BY: JA N 2 3
WEEK 2 - FEB 9
R ES E RV E S PAC E BY: JA N 3 0 Contact Sales & Marketing Manager Abigail Bordelon 504-636-7427 or Abigail.bordelon@Gambitweekly.com
MUSIC PAGE 27
HOUSE OF BLUES — Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience, 9 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Smoker’s World, 11 pm THE MAISON — Nola Sweethearts, 3 pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 5 pm; Feral House Cats, 8 pm; DJ G Gerado, 11 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — MoJelly ft. KUL, 6 pm; Burris Single Release Party with Special Guests Jordan Anderson, Renée Gross, Doyle Cooper & More!, 8 pm; The Rumble, 11:00pm MILAN LOUNGE — VetJams, 7 pm ORIGINAL NITE CAP — Davis Rogan, 5:30 pm ORPHEUM THEATRE — Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Band, 8 pm REPUBLIC NOLA — Gasolina : Reggaetón Party, 10 pm SANTOS BAR — Victim of Doug + The Pause + Mango, 9 pm; Pluggnb Music ft. Wannieonline : Dance Party (upstairs), 10 pm SIBERIA — Twilight Live Score with Fatplastik, walmart2, Cornhusk Doll & More!, 9 pm SATURN BAR — SLAAP Cabaret, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Jason Marsalis & Trio Excursions, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — B-Sides Soul Club + DJs O & Crushed Velvet, 9 pm TIPITINA’S — The Radiators 2026 Anniversary (Night 2), 9 pm
SATURDAY 17 30/90 — Organami, 2 pm; Scotty Yost & The Most 5 pm; Hotline, 8 pm; Zena Moses & Rue Fiya, 11 pm APPLE BARREL — Smoky Greenwell Blues Band, 10:30 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Kumasi Afrobeat Orchestra, 9 pm BRATZ Y’ALL — Dick Deluxe & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm BUFFA’S — Beach Bums, 8 pm BYWATER BAKERY — Bywater Bakery King Cake Fest ft. Buko do Choro, Charlie & The Tropicales, Dave Navarro & More!, 11 am CAFE NEGRIL — Sunny Side, 1:30 pm; Bon Bon Vivant, 6 pm; Higher Heights, 10 pm CARROLLTON STATION — The Band Melrose + Oversight + Doggish, 8 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Papa Mali’s Monthly Residency, 9 pm; Isaac Eady & Third Moon, 1 am DBA — Tuba Skinny, 6 pm DOS JEFES — Betty Shirley, 9 pm HOLY DIVER — Chef Menteur, Caldwell & Get Dressed, 9 pm HOUSE OF BLUES — Teaser Festival Presents Sensualité, 6 pm
LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Joey Houck, 11 pm THE MAISON — Nola Axe Men, 1 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 4 pm; Big Easy Brass Walker, 8 pm; DJ RQ Away, 11 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 8 pm; The Rumble, 11 pm MRB — Silver Lining Serenaders, 7 pm OKAY BAR — Scutii + Acath + fish band!, 8 pm RABBIT HOLE — AYYBO + Dr. Romance, 4 pm SANTOS BAR — Kitty Dungeon ft. M3OWMIX, 10 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Heather Littlefield, 9 pm SATURN BAR — The Pink Pages w/ Siren, Otto, & Sean Straynge, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Sariyah Idan, 4:30 pm SUNNIES — Craig Cortello, The “Canine Crooner”, 11 am TIPITINA’S — The Radiators 2026 Anniversary (Night 3), 6 pm
SUNDAY 18 30/90 —Richard Rourke & The Easy,3 pm; The Andre Lovett Band, 6 pm; Manic Mixtape, 9 pm ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Sunday Swing with Silver Lining Serenaders, 8 pm BACCHANAL — Nahem Zdybel, 1 pm; Noah Young, 7 pm BANKS STREET BAR — The Go Cups ft. Danger, Barnes & Wilson, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, 9 pm BRATZ Y’ALL — Jerry Dugger & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm BUFFA’S — Lexi Weege, 7 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Mike Delacera, 1 pm; John Lisi & Delta Funk, 6 pm; Next Level Band, 9 pm DBA — The Jump Hounds, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — Raphael Bas, 8 pm GASA GASA — Shiner with Bursting, 8 pm THE MAISON — Eight Dice Cloth, 3 pm,; Genevieve & The Winding Boys, 6 pm; Krewe Debauchery, 9 pm TIPITINA’S — Raw Oyster Cult, 9 pm SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR
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MUSIC
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 > J A N U A RY 1 2 - 1 8 > 2 0 2 6
Past lives by Jake Clapp
IN THE LATE ’90S, BASSIST AND VOCALIST JAKE SPRINGFIELD AND HIS JAI ALAI BANDMATE, DRUMMER JAY ABBOTT,
split a double camelback shotgun house on Cortez Street between Banks and Palmyra. With Springfield and his then-girlfriend on one side and Abbott and a roommate on the other, it was cheap, and there was plenty of space to practice in the giant house. “I was thinking about — and you don’t hear this anymore — but we’d walk to Mona’s (Cafe on Banks Street) and we would hear three bands practicing,” Springfield says. “That certainly has changed. I think there’s more practice spaces available than there were, but housing was so cheap, you didn’t need another practice space.” From around 1998 to 2005, Springfield anchored the indie rock band Jai Alai, which included Abbott, guitarist David Dismukes, percussionist Dave Greengold, keys player Tim Perkins and other musicians in different lineups during its run. The band was active in the era’s small indie rock scene, frequently playing the Mermaid Lounge and touring regionally with a couple of trips to the East and West coasts. And Jai Alai recorded a full-length and a couple of EPs of meditative indie rock with post-rock and math-rock leanings. But as is often the case, life took people in different directions, Jai Alai slowed down, and Hurricane Katrina turned the page on the band. Jai Alai reunited at least once, in 2011 for a tribute night to the Mermaid Lounge, which closed in 2004, but there hadn’t been much heard from the band prior to this year. New Orleans label Strange Daisy Records on New Year’s Day re-issued three Jai Alai releases: the band’s first cassette, “99,” the 2000 EP “Division” and a 7-inch with two songs. There also are plans, Springfield says, to throw a Jai Alai reunion show this year. Patrick Bailey had two dream albums he wanted to release when he started Strange Daisy, which has released music from some of the city’s best indie rock and punk bands. He checked off one in late 2022 when Strange Daisy and Community Records re-issued the influential self-titled album by the band Community — which led to the band reforming.
6 2 0 2
Jai Alai bassist and vocalist Jake Springfield PROVIDED PHOTO BY JASON AFFOLDER
Jai Alai’s “Division” was his second goal. “I’ve always been a fan of a mathrock, post-rock type of sound, and this just impressed me,” says Bailey, who discovered Jai Alai in 2004 when his brother gave him a burned CD of “Division.” “None of my friends knew about them, and I only had this one CD,” Bailey says, but it was a record he would always come back to, even 20 years later. After the Community release, Bailey turned to re-issuing “Division” — the band’s 2003 full-length album, “Drive Safe,” also is available through the label SunSeaSky. Bailey reached out to Springfield, who lives in New Orleans, and although Springfield was onboard with the re-issue and tracked down Abbott and Dismukes for their blessings, Katrina flooding had destroyed most of his Jai Alai materials. Through DJ and label owner Brice Nice, though, Bailey was connected to NOLA ‘Nacular’s Anthony DelRosario, who had an original “Division” CD, the 7-inch and the rare “99” cassette. All of the tracks were then remastered by Greg Reierson at Rare Form Mastering. “I just wanted this stuff to exist,” Bailey says. “This is my goal: to have this exist. If one other person finds this and they like it, then awesome. And I know that’s happened already.” For Springfield, he’s glad to have these tracks back out into the world. And it’s helped him revisit the Jai Alai days and reconnect with former bandmates like Dismukes and Abbott. If something you’ve made has an impact on “one person, with something you’ve made at 23 years old, that’s amazing,” Springfield says. Find Jai Alai and links to the music on Instagram: @jaialaiband.
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Night moves by Will Coviello
THE QUEEN OF THE STRIPTEASE competi-
tion, complete with a live jazz band and retro styles, is one of the main events at Teaser Fest, but the burlesque festival has a fun, darker side. Last year, founder Elle Dorado added a themed showcase called Spooky: Things That Go Bump (and Grind) in the Night. “We had a lot of spooky, campy, scary goth acts,” she says. “That was a big hit last year.” Teaser Fest returns this week with a new Queen of the Striptease competition, another Spooky showcase and more at local venues on Jan. 15-18. The lineup features many local burlesque performers, like Qween Quan and Aria Delanoche, and touring stars including Minxie Mimieux, Foxy Lexxi, Midnight Foxes and members of No Ring Circus. Last year, the Spooky showcase featured costumes and themes involving Maleficent, sexy devils, occult and fetishy outfits, and grinding tools spinning off showers of sparks. “It can be all the things you can run into in New Orleans in the dead of night, whether it be a vampire or a witch or a possum or a cockroach,” Elle Dorado says. There actually is a cockroach act this year. British-born performer Banbury Cross, who splits time between London and San Francisco, is bringing a sparkly cockroach act. “If a cockroach was a Las Vegas showgirl with glitz and glam,” Elle Dorado says. Elle Dorado also is performing in the showcase. Though she’s a former professional ice skater and has done skating acts in past festivals, she’ll do a vampire act based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula story. The showcase will be hosted by the performers of Le Vampyre Cabaret. It is at 9 p.m. Saturday at House of Blues. After the show, there’s the Rhinestone Rodeo dance party with some Western-themed burlesque acts, headlined by Qween Quan. It starts at 11 p.m. at the Parish at the House of Blues. The Queen of the Striptease competition features 11 competitors performing to Gerald French’s Storyville Jazz Band. The competition is built on the styles of the classic burlesque of the 1950s and ’60s, with “gowns, gloves, big props and feathers,” Elle Dorado says.
Aria Delanoche performs at Teaser Fest. PROVIDED PHOTO BY DARRELL MILLER
Besides claiming the festival crown, the winner gets headlining spots in next year’s Teaser Fest, the Viva Las Vegas festival and the Hollywood Burlesque Festival, as well as prizes from Dark Garden corsetry, Trashy Diva and Elektra Cosmetics. “It can take a performer from being fabulous and great to the next level where they can headline huge stages and travel internationally,” Elle Dorado says. The competition is at 6 p.m. Friday at Civic Theatre. The show also features performances by Gaea Lady, who won last year, Aria Delanoche and Minxie Mimieux. Other showcases include Varietease, which works in some vaudevillian and circus acts. Featured performers include Foxy Lexxi, Redbone, Banbury Cross, Gold N Fag and more. It’s at 9 p.m. Friday at Civic Theatre. The Sensualité showcase features retro styles and live music, as well as a performance by Joshua Starkman. Headliners include Raquel Reed, Miss Nyxon and more. It’s at 6 p.m. Saturday at House of Blues. The festival is bracketed by events for festival and VIP pass holders only. The Champagne Gala opens the festival on Thursday, and the Fetish showcase, full of edgy, kinky and macabre acts, closes it on Sunday, Jan. 18. The Merkintile market is free and open to the public. It features products from local stores Vice and Graft, Dark Garden and Elektra Cosmetics as well as all sorts of glitters, moisturizers, body products, feathers, boas, silk fans, veils and more. It’s from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at Hotel Peter & Paul, preceding the Queen’s Tea brunch, hosted by local performers Kitten N’ Lou. For a full schedule of events and tickets, visit teaserfest.com.
01/28
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PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANIMATED OPENERS By Frank A. Longo
29 Staples of the automotive industry [2006] 32 Either vowel in “no-go” 34 Yield formally 35 Lax quality 36 Leading Neapolitan painter of the late 17th century [2021] 40 Something to sleep on 41 Eye sore 42 “-- you in?” 43 Nebraska city 46 1,000-kilo unit 51 Letters after kappas 55 Foofaraw 56 Apply very heavily, as makeup 57 Sap-sucking pest
60 Significant advancement [2020] 63 Cubs’ city 66 Phone bug 67 Letter after sigma 68 Tennis situation after deuce 69 Something to sleep on 70 Aldous Huxley novel [2012] 75 Savings plan, for short 76 Director Preminger 78 Squeak (out) 79 -- Grande 80 “Lou Grant” Emmy winner 82 Unbearably monotonous [2020] 87 “Me and Bobby --” (1971 song)
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88 More chichi 89 Carrere of Hollywood 90 Tough nut to crack 93 Use up 94 PC whizzes 96 Great anger 97 Korbut of gymnastics 101 Off-road vehicle, in brief 103 Of acceptable quality [2009] 107 Instrument players, e.g. 113 German “a” 114 Syrian president until 2024 115 1954 poetry collection by Pablo Neruda [2023] 117 G-man’s gp. 119 French pal 120 Lying upon 121 Shy 122 What the first words of eight key answers in this puzzle are 125 Loyal 126 Revise, as text 127 Singer Menzel 128 Queenly role for Liz Taylor 129 “You folks,” in Dixieland 130 Classroom furniture 131 Horse sound 132 Composer Jerome
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30 Nevada city 31 Sale label 33 Celtic language 34 Set of beliefs 37 “-- so sorry!” 38 Sphere 39 Actor Sharif or Epps 44 Append 45 “-- it!” (“Get a move on!”) 47 Pod veggie 48 Having to have 49 “Absolutely not!” 50 Trap in a net 52 Very little, as of ointment 53 Poker stake 54 Duck relative 56 Was able to 57 Approaches aggressively 58 Occasion to snap a celeb 59 #1 song, say 61 Copycatting 62 Unusual 64 Garson of “Mrs. Miniver” 65 Sturdy trees 71 Sporty Chevy 72 Old Nintendo consoles 73 Refuse to 74 Title for Joan Collins
77 Actress Lena 81 Young codfishes 83 Infer 84 Singer Ocasek 85 Honolulu’s island 86 False front 91 “Rocky III” co-star 92 Pod veggie 94 Break for Earl Grey, say 95 Floored it 98 Frenchman who explored the Mississippi 99 “Frasier” star Kelsey 100 “He’s All That” actress -- Rae 102 Slightly colored 104 Clasp for neckwear 105 Like some football kicks 106 Innocent sort 107 Unlike vegan food 108 Extremist 109 Capital of South Korea 110 Urge to act 111 Identifies 112 Move quietly and furtively 116 Chances 117 Viper’s tooth 118 Male homie 123 Sundial’s “12” 124 “How gross!”
DOWN 1 Remembers 2 Remove wrinkles from 3 Respectable behavior 4 Paul Anka’s “-- Beso” 5 Arty NYC area 6 Muscat’s land 7 Actress Jillian 8 -- together (assembled bit by bit) 9 Rival of Lipton and Tetley 10 LAX guesses 11 Actor Malcolm- -Warner 12 Cut-rate, in adspeak 13 Spanish city, or an old Chrysler model 14 Fly of Africa 15 Louisiana cooking style 16 Quickly 17 Sorts by grade 18 Remove wrinkles from 24 Jam up
ANSWERS LAST ISSUE’S PUZZLE: P2 ANSWERS FOR TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE ON P2
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ACROSS 1 Amusement park feature 5 Suds makers 10 Give the boot 15 Koi, for one 19 “-- Tú” (Mocedades song) 20 “-- vincit amor” (“Love conquers all”) 21 Fiesta snacks 22 On -- with 23 “No. 5” fragrance designer [2017] 25 Love, in Lido 26 Writer Austen 27 Suffix with propor hex28 Chaney of old chillers
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