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On the Bayou
Bayou Fest showcases Sankofa Wetland Park
SANKOFA WETLAND PARK IS AN OASIS OF NATURE AND NATURE-FOCUSED ACTIVITIES in the Lower Ninth Ward. Every week, people go there to fish, birdwatch, jog or just enjoy the benches and grassy areas along the water.
The annual Bayou Fest is a free celebration of the park, with live music, games, free crawfish and more. The festival’s 6th edition is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9, and besides the festivities, there will be a preview of the next phase of development, including construction of an outdoor amphitheater.
“We’re trying to support this area, making it a real destination space for nature-based recreation,” says Rashida Ferdinand, founder and director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation. “This is home. This is what’s in our backyard. There’s space for multiple uses. Having outdoor events and outdoor experiences is part of our culture in New Orleans.”
The festival highlights many of the regular activities offered by the space, including kayaking, birdwatching, horseback riding and fishing, and there will be free fishing lessons. There also are lawn games including Jumbo Jenga, STEM and kids’ activities and a crawfish race.
Entertainment includes the Michael Foster Project brass band and storytellers.
The festival will have free boiled crawfish while supplies last and food vendors include Mo Fries, The Food Lab, Danielle’s New Orleans Style Snoballs and food from Sankofa Market.
The Wetland Park is part of a cooperative endeavor between Sankofa and the city. It’s a 40-acre space with a large retention pond in the center. The developing park borders the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle. A linear strip of the park runs along Florida Avenue, bordering the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood around Fats Domino Avenue.
Ferdinand lived nearby while growing up.
“I grew up closer to (what is now) the park on Flood Street,” she says. “When I was growing up, it was a flat green space. Kids played softball and baseball, and there was a playground.”
The area had been used by the community for generations.
“My father grew up about three blocks away from the park,” she says. “He actually did go out there as a child.”
by Will Coviello |
But by the time of Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures, it had become blighted. The neighborhood was then devastated by storm flooding from breaches at the nearby Industrial Canal. That did further damage to the park area as well. Work on reclaiming the park space did not immediately follow the storm.
Sankofa was formed in 2008 to create a farmers market in a neighborhood lacking grocery stories and rebuilding slowly. It worked to revitalize the area and has expanded its mission to attract development.
Sankofa entered its agreement with the city in 2014 and broke ground on the Wetland Park in 2017. The initial goal was to restore it to what had previously existed on the space. Work included removing garbage that had been dumped there, like tires, but also getting rid of invasive species of plants and trees.
Sankofa has rebuilt the area for recreational use. There are 1.5 miles of nature trails, and the group hopes to unveil wooden boardwalk extensions of the trails in marshy areas during the festival. The park has become a popular birding spot inside the city. More than 80 species have been spotted in the park, from egrets, spoonbills and ibis to pelicans and bald eagles. There are organized activities in the park on the second Saturday of every month. That includes fishing lessons, kayaking, lawn games and more. Running clubs use the space as well. The park is regularly open from dawn to dusk.
At Bayou Fest, Sankofa will share details on plans for an amphitheater. Following Katrina, Ferdinand saw the outdoor performance of “Waiting for Godot” performed at a devastated area near a levee breach. She kept that in mind as a possibility for redeveloping the neighborhood.
“This is the best way to have a space that is integrated with nature,” she says. “It’s part of being in your neighborhood, and you can have places to sit and hang out, but also a place for music. Like, what if we had the philharmonic here, or the Roots of Music, or a drum circle like in Congo Square?”
The amphitheater is expected to be one to two acres, about the size of a city block. It’ll be natural, landscaped space for entertainment and events. Its exact location has not been determined and Sankofa is looking for community input.
Over the last two decades, Sankofa has added more community development projects. It has a garden on Tennessee Street that grows vegetables like okra and field peas and hibiscus and there’s a chicken coop and an apiary. Another garden at St. Claude Court grows herbs sold at the Sankofa Farmers Market and used for juices it sells. In 2024, the organization opened the Sankofa Fresh Start Market, a grocery store culminating the work of the farmers market and a previous open-air market. Next, Sankofa is looking at building a headquarters for all of its initiatives.
For more information, visit sankofanola.org.
Chaka Khan,
Patti
Labelle, Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills
The Queens tour features a lineup of four powerhouse singers celebrating their hits and long, distinguished careers. There’s soul singer Gladys Knight, R&B singer Stephanie Mills, R&B singer and actress Patti LaBelle and funk, soul and R&B star Chaka Khan. At 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at Smoothie King Center. Tickets $96.30 and up at ticketmaster.com.
Molly Tuttle
After several albums solidly grounded in bluegrass, guitarist Molly Tuttle pivoted towards pop and rock on last year’s “So Long Little Miss Sunshine,” and it drew a Grammy nomination for Best Americana album. Nashville singer Maggie Rose opens at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Tipitina’s. Tickets $48.53 at tipitinas.com.
Floetry
As Floetry, singer Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart expanded on R&B and hip-hop by centering spoken-word vocals. Their debut album “Floetic” nearly reached the top of the R&B/Hip-hop charts. The duo is currently on its first tour in a decade. Raheem DeVaughn and Teedra Moses also perform. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Saenger Theatre. Tickets $80.69 and up via saengernola.com.
The Nth Power
The Nth Power was born during a late-night post-Jazz Fest jam set in 2012. And although drummer Nikki Glaspie, bassist Nate Edgar and guitarist Nick Cassarino live other places, they still consider New Orleans the Nth Power homebase and, Glaspie especially, can often be seen around the city. With a new album, “Never Alone,” in tow, The Nth Power is back in town this week, and they perform
Patti LaBelle
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
PROVIDED PHOTO BY J.R. THOMASON
PRESENTS
MAY 8 – 10 | M Y 15 – 17
Starring Cristina Perez Edmunds ith Script b Denise ltobello
The story behind the woman who became he Lady in the utti Frutti Hat.
SCAN FOR TICKETS
OPENING GAMBIT
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UP/ THUMBS DOWN
The Louisiana Public Health Institute and the Gulf Offshore Research Institute each won $20 million from the National Academies’ Gulf Research Project for their science-driven initiatives in the area. LPHI will use its grant to develop several solar and battery-powered hubs at healthcare centers along the Gulf South to help keep health clinics running after a storm. GORI plans to use its award to transform old oil and gas platforms into places for ocean observation and habitat monitoring.
Louisiana’s natural gas boom did not produce a wave of jobs, Verite news reported, citing a new Data Center analysis. About a decade ago, massive investments in the state’s petrochemical industry promised an equal growth in jobs. Instead, the number of jobs grew by 0.18% from 2015 to 2025, despite $90 billion in capital investment across the energy and manufacturing sectors. Plus, the state has seen 30% more toxic spills in that time.
Louisiana’s closed primary system, which was adopted this year for some elected positions, means only Republicans will be able to vote for the newest Louisiana Supreme Court justice. Only two candidates, both Republicans, filed to run for the open state Supreme Court District 1 seat, meaning the race will be decided by the GOP’s closed primary on May 16. Although District 1 is mostly conservative, nearly a quarter of the district’s voters are Democrats, the Louisiana Illuminator reported.
These are dark times indeed.
Louisiana Senate panel advances bill criminalizing unhoused people sleeping on streets
A LOUISIANA SENATE COMMITTEE APRIL 28 ADVANCED A BILL to make sleeping on the streets or other public areas overnight a crime, punishable on first offense by fines, jail time or both.
House Bill 211 author Rep. Debbie Villio, a Kenner Republican, repeatedly denied that the bill criminalizes homelessness, despite the fact that it would create a new crime of “public camping,” defined as “lodging or residing overnight in an outdoor space” not designated for that use.
On a first conviction, an unhoused person could be fined up to $500, imprisoned for up to six months or both.
The bill also would let local governments create “homelessness courts.”
If determined eligible by a judge, a person could plead guilty and waive their right to trial in order to be placed on probation instead. Terms of that probation could include mental health or substance abuse treatment.
People with certain felony convictions wouldn’t be eligible.
Villio told the Senate Judiciary C Committee she brought the bill in response to the increase
in the number of unhoused people in the last decade.
“Quite frankly, I believe and others believe that it’s cruel to allow these people to not provide them the tools to help themselves, and we’re dealing with the population sometimes that doesn’t want the tools,” she said. “And the reality is this external pressure affords them the opportunity, whether they were looking for it or not, to end this cycle.”
The bill originally set penalties for any additional offenses at up to $1,000 and 1-2 years in prison. But Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Port Allen Republican and veteran, amended the bill to remove that part, saying he was worried about making people who were down on their luck, including unhoused veterans, felons.
“They might have fallen on hard times, and they’re in a tough spot, and they’re out on the street, and on the second offense, we’re going to turn them into a felon,” he said. “I think that hinders them if they get their life back on track, that they’re
THE NUMBER OF U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICES WHO VOTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY LIMIT VOTING PROTECTIONS FOR BLACK AMERICANS.
The Supreme Court April 29 voted 6 to 3 to largely gut Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has helped level the electoral playing field for Black voters and increase their representation in Congress. Republicans are now expected to eliminate congressional seats held by Black people.
Remember, Mother’s Day is coming up. What are your plans?
57.1%
Louisiana Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner PHOTO BY DAVID NORMAND
not going to be able to get a job, they can’t vote, they can’t own a gun.”
“There’s a lot of Rambos out there that went to Vietnam and they were spit on when they came back, and the government failed them in many different ways,” he added. “They don’t want to be messed with. They just want to live on the street. They’re not bothering anybody.”
Villio agreed to the amendment, but the misdemeanor penalties stayed on.
Villio worked with Gov. Jeff Landry’s office on the bill. Michael Hecht of economic development group Greater New Orleans Inc., Executive Director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association Zach Daniels and Chief of Parish Courts at the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office Norma DuBois filed green cards in support of the bill.
But there was far more opposition to the bill, including from housing advocates, some formerly unhoused people and religious figures. Testimony against it lasted more than an hour.
Representatives from Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center and homeless shelters Covenant House New Orleans and UNITY of Greater New Orleans spoke against the bill, saying involving unhoused people in the criminal legal system would only create additional barriers to getting them housed.
to shelter space and mental health and substance abuse treatments.
Villio said she believed the bill could help draw down more money from the federal government. She also pointed out that the bill would let local governments who are short on shelter space create temporary government-run homeless encampments. Villio’s own parish, Jefferson Parish, does not have any homeless shelters.
Such encampments couldn’t be next to residential property or in an area where they would “adversely and materially affect the property value or safety and security of other existing residential or commercial property in the political subdivision” or “negatively affect the safety of children.”
Functionally, that would mean the camps would likely have to be built in remote areas which are typically not accessible by public transit, making it harder for people to get to other places they need to go, like work or the grocery.
Local governments would also be responsible for providing security of the site, maintaining bathrooms and sanitation, having accessible treatment for substance abuse and mental health, and enforcing a ban on illegal substance use.
“Pressuring people does not help stop the symptoms of PTSD,” said Lashauna Williams, a member of UNITY’s People’s Council who has experienced homelessness.
The committee approved the measure 4 to 1, with Republican Sens. Hodges, Kleinpeter, Mark Abraham of Lake Charles and Heather Cloud of Turkey Creek voting for it and Democratic Sen. Barrow voting against it. — Kaylee Poche
“It does not alleviate the mental health challenges that they’re facing. It only strains it further.”
Sen. Valarie Hodges, a Denham Springs Republican on the committee, said she’d gotten “probably thousands of emails saying how terrible this bill is.” Regardless, she said she thought it was “a compassionate bill.”
Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, read a statement from Congressman Troy Carter into the record opposing the measure.
“House Bill 211 does not solve homelessness. It relocates it. It hides it. It pushes people from one block to the next, from one parish to another, from one jail cell to the next. This is not policy. This is avoidance,” Carter said in his statement, adding “What this bill risks doing is deepening the very crisis it claims to address.”
Barrow said she wasn’t sure if there were enough resources across the state available to do what the bill requires, including when it comes
New Orleans Mayor Moreno unveils $100 million plan to shore up emergency funds
NEW ORLEANS MAYOR HELENA MORENO APRIL 28 ANNOUNCED A PROPOSED $103 MILLION PLAN Moreno says will be a major step toward getting the city’s finances back on track before hurricane season.
The arrangement would sell the city’s lease rights for the Caesars Casino to a financial institution for nine years at a discounted rate in order to get an influx of immediate cash in return.
Moreno acknowledged that the city would ultimately be getting less money from Caesars, about $4.7 million less of the $16 million in rent a year they normally get. But she said getting the money upfront and into the city’s emergency reserves as soon as possible is crucial going into hurricane season.
Currently, the city has $35 million in reserves, far below the roughly $160 million recommended.
“I hate it too, but ultimately we do need this huge amount of money coming in upfront to help us build our reserves,” Moreno said at a press conference, adding “I do not want to go into hurricane season ... without having these reserve emergency dollars in place.”
The deal would run from June 1, 2026 to July 31, 2035. Caesars’ lease runs through 2058. After that, the city would get back the full lease rights to collect rent for the remaining 23 years.
It also won’t affect a separate $11 million Caesars is paying the city yearly for support for education, marketing and community grants.
Moreno said more than a dozen firms were interested and that the city is in talks with private equity firm TPG, which manages more than $300 billion in assets.
Both Moreno and her Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso said the deal would help improve the city’s credit rating, which was slashed earlier this year.
“This is now proof positive, on one of the largest data points that the rating agencies are looking at, that New Orleans is turning the corner,” Giarrusso said.
Giarrusso said the one-time money will go straight to the emergency fund and won’t be used for recurring expenses. It also won’t help with the furloughs of city employees, Moreno said.
Moreno said she believes the move is necessary to meet her goal of getting the city out of its financial hole by 2027. Louisiana Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack, who has been helping the city amid its budget crisis, said he supports it at a press conference.
“It’s really just a genius move that I think everybody that’s up here should be applauded for,” Waguespack said.
The city council does have to approve the deal, but all seven signed onto the measure already and plan to vote on it at the council meeting May 7. New Orleans Building Corp. is expected to close on the transaction soon. — Kaylee Poche
Mayor Helena Moreno at a press conference April 28, 2026.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
Rela xonour
JOHN STANTON
High court’s Voting Rights Act ruling could extend beyond congressional seats
IN 1877, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT PULLED ITS TROOPS FROM LOUISIANA, formally bringing an end to Reconstruction and the hard fought political, economic and civil rights wins for Black Americans that came with it.
So it’s sadly fitting that the Civil Rights Era may come to end here, too, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 decision in Louisiana vs Callais. That ruling essentially guts the 1965 Voting Rights Act, ending a 60-year period in which the electoral playing field was partially leveled to allow Black political representation at all levels of government.
The court’s ruling in Callais will undo literal decades of political (and likely economic) gains for not only Black or other non-white Americans, but all people in this country. In the immediate, it will likely result in the elimination of at least one, but very possibly both, of the two Louisiana congressional seats currently held by Rep. Cleo Fields and New Orleans’ Rep. Troy Carter, both of whom are Black Democrats. Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill have already taken steps to suspend the ongoing primary elections for House seats in the state. In the coming days they’re expected to work with Republicans in the legislature to redraw the state’s electoral maps. Depending on how that plays out, it could mean New Orleans, a majority Black and overwhelmingly Democratic city, will no longer be represented by one of its residents.
But Callais could have much larger implications for Louisianans. For more than 60 years, section 2 of the VRA has protected the rights of non-white voters, not only at the federal level but also in state and local elections. Here in Louisiana, it’s been successfully used to challenge gerrymandered city council districts and expand representation in parish governments. Across the South, Section 2 helped ensure state legislatures were more representative of voting populations, allowing scores of Black leaders to be elected.
There are 27 Black members of the Louisiana House and nine Black members of the Louisiana Senate, representing roughly one quarter of each chamber. Under Callais, many if not all of those seats could theoretically be replaced under a redrawn district map that dilutes Black voting power. In fact, Republicans in Texas have already signaled they’ll use the ruling to rewrite their state legislative districts as well as those for congressional elections.
The presence of Black voices in the legislature matters, even when it is dominated by conservative white politicians. In the past few years alone, Black lawmakers used their presence in the legislature to block a measure requiring schools teach the “positive” aspects of slavery and successfully stopped Landry’s push to make some juvenile criminal records public – but only in majority Black communities. Black members also have been some of the most vocal leaders on issues like insurance reform and consumer protections and were the engine behind criminal justice reforms which benefited all Louisianans –reforms which Landry rolled back with the support of the majority of white members of the legislature. The constitution’s promise of a “more perfect union” has always been an aspirational one, a goal not yet achieved but worked towards by people of good faith. With federal protections struck down, it will fall to all Louisianans, but in particular white Louisianans, to defend what progress we’ve made and keep our state, and country, on the path towards that dreamed of union.
Associate United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito POOL PHOTO BY ERIN SCHAFF / THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA AP, POOL
Editor’s note: This is an opinion piece from Gambit Editor John Stanton.
@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com
Hey Blake, I came across a recipe for spumoni from James Brocato and Sons in a 1984 Jazz Fest cookbook. What’s the connection to Angelo Brocato’s in Mid-City?
Dear reader,
JAMES BROCATO WAS THE FIRST-BORN SON AND ONE OF SEVEN CHILDREN OF ANGELO BROCATO SR., the founder of the legendary Mid-City confectionary which bears his name. Angelo, a native of Cefalu, Sicily, immigrated to New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century to work on a sugar cane plantation. Within a few years, he had earned enough money to open an ice cream parlor in the French Quarter in 1905. There he made and sold many of the same Italian sweets he learned to make in Sicily, including cannoli, spumoni, lemon ice and other ice creams and gelatos. Angelo’s children, including his four sons — James, Salvador, Joseph and Angelo Jr. — worked in the family business. In 1916, James opened his own business on Decatur Street. In 1920 it moved to the 500 block of Ursulines, down the street from his father.
BLAKE VIEW
Customers line up outside Angelo Brocato when it reopened September 23, 2006, after sustaining extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina.
In 1943, James Brocato and Sons moved to what is now 1733 Joseph Guillaume Place (formerly McShane Place), off of St. Bernard Avenue. In the 1980s, there also was a location inside Jax Brewery. Over the years, both James Brocato and Sons and Angelo Brocato’s were food vendors at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. James Brocato and Sons filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1988. Angelo Brocato Sr. died in 1946 but members of his family (which included four sons and three daughters) kept their business going in the French Quarter before moving to N. Carrollton Avenue in 1979. The business is now run by Angelo Sr.’s grandson, Arthur, and other family members.
MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH, A FITTING TIME TO RECALL THE HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS’ CHINATOWN, the enclave of Chinese immigrants located near Tulane Avenue beginning in the 1870s, before moving to the French Quarter six decades later.
According to geographer and historian Richard Campanella, the first wave of Chinese immigrants came here in the 1870s as a cheap labor force brought in by the wealthy after the Civil War and emancipation. By the 1880s, a number of the Chinese immigrants had settled near the 1100 block of Tulane Avenue. Before long there were seven Chinese markets, groceries and shops in that block, according to Campanella.
Louis Armstrong, who grew up not far away, wrote about Chinatown in a 1969 letter now housed at the Louis Armstrong House Museum. “The Chinese finally moved into a little section of their own and called it China Town, with a few little beat up restaurants serving soul food on the same menu of their Chinese dishes,” Armstrong wrote. “My mother and my stepfather used to take me and Mama Lucy (my sister) down in China Town and have a Chinese meal for a change. A kind of special occasion.”
One of the Chinese merchants in that area, who operated a Chinese laundry, was the grandfather of Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. Her father, the late Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, was born there and lived there as a child. By the 1930s, most of the Chinese merchants lost their leases as the area was redeveloped. As a result, Chinatown moved to the French Quarter. By the 1940s, about 10 Chinese-owned businesses filled the 500 and 600 blocks of Bourbon Street. Smaller in number than the original enclave, most of those Chinese businesses and residents were gone by the 1970s.
PHOTO BY MATT ROSE / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
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A RIDE THROUGH HISTORY
Learning about racial and environmental history on the
Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s bike trip
BY SARAH RAVITS
CATHY LAURINO LEADS A GROUP OF CYCLISTS to an ancient oak tree, just a few blocks from a massive Shell chemical plant along the Mississippi River in Norco, Louisiana.
It’s the first stop along the seven-mile Down by the River Bike Ride in St. Charles Parish, a roving, interactive history lesson hosted by the environmental nonprofit and watchdog organization, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. Along the way, the group learns about the area’s history of slavery, Jim Crow, and the acceleration of climate change caused by the fossil fuel industry in the region known as “Cancer Alley.” It culminates at the site of the largest uprising by enslaved people in U.S. history, which took place along the Mississippi River in 1811.
The bike ride is pretty much for anyone, says Laurino, the program’s director, especially people interested in the petrochemical industry’s history in Louisiana and the people fighting against it.
“It’s a great way for people who are uncertain of what’s going on to just take a ride and be with other people in the same boat,” she says.
In the shaded green space sandwiched between a chemical plant and its affiliated refinery, Laurino kicks off the ride on a somber note, telling the tragic story of Leroy Jones, a 16-yearold Black teenager who was killed following an industrial explosion in 1973.
Unbeknownst at the time to the residents in the tight-knit Black neighborhood known as Diamond, there was a gas leak at the nearby plant, which
had been in operation for about two decades. So when Jones went to rev up his mower and help his elderly neighbor Helen Washington with her lawn, the engine instantly ignited and engulfed him in flames. Washington’s house exploded, killing her instantly.
Jones, meanwhile, ran toward the oak tree and collapsed as neighbors rushed to douse him, but he ultimately died as a result of his injuries. Fifteen years later, there was another deadly explosion that killed seven workers, injured dozens, and destroyed people’s homes. Laurino tells the group that following Jones’ death, his mother Ruth was given a $500 check “for her troubles.”
That insulting act eventually became a galvanizing point in the Diamond community’s long— and ultimately successful fight — for relocation away from the plant, though it would take decades.
“It ignited a fire in the community,” Laurino tells the group. “They were like, ‘Absolutely not. We will not let this go. That’s completely unacceptable.’ ”
THE LOUISIANA BUCKET BRIGADE has long conducted “toxic tours” of the region for journalists, environmental lawyers and other activists, but in 2010 Executive Director Anne Rolfes decided to turn it into a bike-forward event and open it up to the public.
The program has since grown its curriculum and collaborated with local scholars, including Lisa Flanagan from Xavier and Tulane’s Laura Murphy and Kristen Wintersteen, along with historian Leon Waters.
“Our bike ride is grounded in scholarship and in the lived experiences of those of us who live and work along the river,” Rolfes says.
The ride has two tracks: an exploration of history and the telling of present-day environmental justice work.
That latter track is updated by Harry “Pastor Joe” Joseph, an activist with the group Rural Roots and a nearby resident who is involved in rallying against an
industrial complex taking shape in nearby Ascension Parish.
The Down by the River Ride has turned into a powerful, roving history lessons that links the current efforts against petrochemical companies — and the industry as a whole — to the ongoing struggles of Black communities dating back to the pre-Civil War era and Jim Crow era alike.
Even the name of the city is a nod to the industry: Norco stands for “New Orleans Refining Company” — which was an early affiliate of Shell — and the first plant was developed around the early 1900s.
The Down by the River Ride also leans into the activism and leadership of Margie Richard, a former resident of Norco and a retired teacher who led the charge against Shell for years. Richard is currently a founding board member of the Bucket Brigade.
Throughout the next five stops along the way, much more of Richard’s story comes to light. That includes the
PHOTOS BY RHONDA DUMAS / PIEFACE PHOTOGRAPHY
Cyclists along the Mississippi River
A RIDE THROUGH HISTORY
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tales of her enslaved ancestors, who participated in the 1811 slave revolt and whose energy Richard has long channeled in the fight for environmental and racial justice.
In 1989, Richard founded the group Concerned Citizens of Norco, which eventually teamed up with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. She was also behind the successful push to get the residents of the Diamond community finally resettled in 2002.
She remains legendary when it comes to organizing against the petrochemical industry. She famously once showed up to an international meeting in the Netherlands to confront a Shell executive while carrying a sealed container of air that she’d collected in her hometown.
“She said, “You’re polluting us, and you’re pretending like it’s not happening’... And she singled out this executive specifically and said, ‘You’re going to do something about this, right?’ And he said (in front of everyone at the meeting) ‘Yes.’ And that’s when she knew the relocation was going to happen,” Laurino says.
The Louisiana Bucket Brigade formed around the year 2000, and Concerned Citizens of Norco became the group’s first official community partner.
A core goal of the Bucket Brigade’s work was to “get media attention for Shell’s longtime pollution of the Diamond neighborhood,” says Rolfes. “People felt as if their health was impacted by the pollution, and we collaborated with residents to take journalists around the neighborhood.”
Rolfes says the work of the Diamond community is a powerful example of how banding together can accelerate justice and help hold people accountable.
It is “very important to us to show the neighborhood’s power,” Rolfes says. “Shell was fine with describing the neighborhood as ‘poor and Black’ because it made it easier to erase the people. We prioritized their power as a key component of the campaign for justice.”
Laurino says Richard’s story is inspiring because she didn’t roll over and give up, even though the odds were against her.
“She said, ‘Let’s turn our anger into action, and we will not let those folks die in vain,’ ” Laurino says.
FOR YEARS, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade has filed lawsuits on behalf of smaller, rural communities, monitored air quality, and generally helped expose
The group gathers under an oak tree to learn about the tragic deaths of Leroy Jones and Helen Washington
how the petrochemical industries have consistently harmed predominantly Black communities.
Both Laurino and Rolfes point out that the sites of petrochemical plants are often sites that were once plantations with owners that enslaved Black people. Later, following emancipation, many were able to purchase their own land in the region — a major point of pride for families in the region. It’s a driving force in why many are so passionate about not getting pushed out of their homes or poisoned.
The Bucket Brigade meanwhile also works with genealogists, historians and other scholars to trace living descendants of ancestors of the region and to honor those who lived and died there, including those in unmarked mass graves.
“A lot of people have been living on land (in this region) since the 1870s — and these are Black people that are descended of people that were enslaved, and they were able to purchase it and live quietly and peacefully.” Laurino says. “I feel like they deserve a lot better.”
Right now, the organization is helping residents of Ascension Parish opposed to the construction of a Hyundai steel plant, two ammonia plants, an Exxon carbon capture pipeline and a pig iron plant, collectively called the RiverPlex MegaPark.
“These communities continue to be targeted for industrial expansion,” Rolfes says. “Louisiana’s Black communities have long borne the brunt of relentless industrialization.”
A community buyout like the one that occurred in 2002 in Diamond was a victory, but Laurino says that type of action should be a last resort. An overarching but lofty ambition by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s mission is to shift away from the economic reliance on the petrochemical industry as a whole.
LAURINO ACKNOWLEDGES hearing about the tragedy of Washington and Jones on the first stop of the ride can be particularly unsettling and spark an emotional response.
But it also helps set the tone. It’s meant to get people instantly fired up over a clear instance where fumes from a petrochemical plant resulted in the death of residents.
By telling the group about the victory of the Diamond community’s relocation out of the area and into somewhere with cleaner air, Laurino wants to show what can happen by “straight up being a thorn” in the industry’s side.
“It’s important that people know about the treatment of communities
and how dismissive these companies can be,” Laurino says. “The ride is jarring from the beginning. You don’t get to really be eased into things. We’re like, ‘Let’s get right into it.’ Leroy and Helen’s death really affected the community, and having an event like that occur in such a close community is a scar that never heals.”
Laurino’s favorite part of the journey, however, is also its longest, about a mile-long ride over the levee just beyond the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Before the group embarks on the final stretch, she takes them to the riverbank and tells them about the bloody 1811 Slave Uprising, when 200 enslaved Black Americans led by Charles Deslondes marched on foot for more than 20 miles down the river before reaching a planation in present-day Kenner.
Their mission was “freedom or death,” Laurino tells the group.
All but 20 of the rebels were killed by a white militia.
Before Laurino concludes the bike ride, she asks the group to think about what it’s like to be so dedicated to freedom that you’re willing to die for it.
Then she asks them to put that into the context of the fight against
the industries that are polluting in Black communities.
“We’re letting people ride and think about a world beyond this industry, with the empathy of someone that has been enslaved and is participating in an uprising,” Laurino says. “It gives people a moment to step into someone else’s shoes and think radically.”
It’s a heavy topic, for sure. But Laurino and the organizers also want to give people a sense of hope in discussing the everyday people standing up to major corporations.
“There are people who persevered, and I think that’s incredible,” says Laurino, “and more people should know that ordinary people are stepping up all the time ... we want people to carry these stories in their hearts, and to stop feeling shame or guilt when talking about slavery or how these systems have been perpetuated, and just start standing in solidarity to hasten the transition from fossil fuels.”
Really, she says the point of the ride is “to call you to action and inspire you to do more.”
The next bike ride is on Saturday, May 9. For more information and to find out other ways to get involved, visit labucketbrigade.org
Harry “Pastor Joe” Joseph and Cathy Laurino tell stories of history, activism and hope
The Bonnet Carre Spillway is one of the stops along the ride, where the group learns about how Louisiana waterways are impacted by climate change.
Cyclists along the Mississippi River
Sister restaurant
The Castros open Casimiro in Bywater
SHOW UP AT CASIMIRO WHEN ANA AND LYDIA CASTRO’S NEW BYWATER RESTAURANT opens at 9 a.m. and there might be a neighbor in a robe and slippers waiting in front of you.
The dress code at the new Mexican breakfast and lunch spot is relaxed, but it’s more than that. The Castro sisters are so chill and connected to the neighborhood that locals feel right at home in sleepwear, adding their name to the waiting list and returning in 20 or 30 minutes dressed for the day.
“There’s never a long wait,” says Lydia, who is director of operations for both their first restaurant, Acamaya, and the new place. “People don’t take a long time to eat, like at Acamaya. Here it’s in-and-out as they keep going with their day.”
The 52-seat restaurant opened in mid-April at 800 Louisa St., replacing Alma, the modern Honduran spot that chef Melissa Araujo closed when she lost the lease. The Castros added a new curved wooden bar in the sun-lit, window-lined space, along with cream-colored walls with accents of cobalt and teal.
Opening a breakfast and lunch place was always on their radar, the sisters say.
“This was always the move,” chef Ana Castro says. “We’ve had a wonderful team since Lengua Madre. We wanted to create more projects so we can all grow together. The saying ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ is really true.’ ”
The chef sees Casimiro as the other side of the coin from their first restaurant, which is a couple blocks away. “It’s more casual,” she explains. “Acamaya is very modern and contemporary, from the interior and plating to the music we play. Everything about Casimiro is traditional — the foods of our childhood.”
The sisters grew up in Mexico City and came to New Orleans separately when they were each in their 20s. Now they can walk to both restaurants from their respective homes.
“We needed a place where we could eat chilaquiles on a weekend,” Lydia says.
EAT + DRINK
by Beth D’Addono |
The restaurant pays homage to family. The name is their childhood nickname for their dad, inspired by the Loony Tunes buzzard, Beaky, or in Spanish, Casimiro Buitre.
Their grandfather’s favorite breakfast became the Don Manuelito, a plate of Mexican red rice made with tomatoes and garlic, a fried egg and a sliced banana.
The menu also assembles their favorites from when they grew up, like the torta de Milanesa, a fried pork cutlet sandwich they’d eat at a diner near their home. Huevas con machaca is made with dried beef machaca from the north of Mexico, plumped up with beef broth and added to scrambled eggs, with beans and tortillas on the side. “This is what you’d actually have for breakfast in Mexico City,” Ana says.
The menu is concise. “Everything is made by us,” says the chef. Breakfast plates include a burrito made with chorizo and cheese eggs. Huevos Divorciados, or divorced eggs, features fried eggs with salsa roja and salsa verde. There also are flautas, a tamale of the day and, on
the lighter side, fresh fruit served with chamoy, a vibrant condiment made with fruit and dried chiles.
A plate of Greek yogurt comes with vanilla bean, puffed amaranth and candied pumpkin seeds for crunch.
On the beverage menu, the Acamaya team curated an array of micheladas, wine and cocktails.
The Pepigin is a bracing drink made with lemon-cucumber Gatorade, mint and Mexican gin.
Adding a second restaurant to their portfolio is an adjustment.
“It’s like deciding to get a second dog,” Lydia says. “It’s always a little harder than you expect in the beginning.”
They moved chef Calder Styer over to chef de cuisine at Casimiro. A Baltimore native, Styer has worked at Bacchanal and Molly’s Rise and Shine before he became sous chef at Acamaya. Ronnie Rodriguez handles the scratch production of masa and tortillas at both restaurants.
Ana first made a splash locally when she created the Mexican-inspired tasting menus at Lengua Madre. She and Lydia opened Acamaya in Bywater in 2024. The casually elegant restaurant took off with its vibrant flavors and modern take on Mexican fare. Accolades followed, including a review by the New York Times and a Bib Gourmand recognition from Michelin. Ana currently is a finalist for the James Beard award for Best Chef: South.
“It’s obviously so nice to have your work and the work of the team recognized, especially when the work is so hard and so collaborative,” she says. “It takes a village to do anything and everything that we do.”
FORK + CENTER
Email
Dakar
NOLA to move
DAKAR NOLA HAS DRAWN INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES AND DINERS FROM ALL AROUND to its door at 3814 Magazine St. Soon it will be headed to a new address.
Dakar NOLA is relocating to 937 Leonidas St., the barge-board cottage and patio facing the Mississippi river levee that was previously home to Mat & Naddie’s, which closed in 2017.
The last day for Dakar NOLA at its Magazine Street location is scheduled for May 16. The new restaurant is slated to open June 2.
The centerpiece of the modern Senegalese restaurant will remain its tasting menu, which is served to everyone at a seating simultaneously in a communal fashion.
But the new restaurant also will expand the dining options. It will add a more casual a la carte menu, available on the covered patio. Menu details are still taking shape, but diners can expect small plates, snacks and dishes inspired by Senegalese street food.
The dining room will open first and the patio is slated for July.
Both the tasting menu and a la cart menu will share the same source material: the chef’s Senegalese roots and his journey through modern American cuisine.
The move represents a new phase for the restaurant chef Serigne Mbaye and business partner Effie Richardson opened together in late 2022. This time they bought the property.
“It allows us to build a legacy on our own terms,” Mbaye says. “I think we’ve built a trust with people, and now we can take it to the next level.”
In the dining room, where the tasting menu will be served, the restaurant will have 18 seats, down from the current
The team at Casimiro includes Calder Styer (l. to r.), Ronnie Rodriguez, chef Ana Castro and Lydia Castro.
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Effie Richardson and chef Serigne Mbaye opened Dakar NOLA in 2022.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
30, in order to focus the attention of the staff more fully on a smaller number of diners. Mbaye says it’s part of elevating the experience people already know from Dakar NOLA.
At the new space, colors of soft pink and deep green correspond with the look of the original restaurant. Inside, the main dining room has wall finishes based on the look of traditional buildings found around Senegal, with a mottling of colors as if weathered paint on concrete.
A broad marble counter fronts the kitchen, giving views to the chefs at work and flames leaping from a new wood grill.
The patio, which will have a bamboo-lined fence, fans and upbeat music, is aiming to create a lush African terrace scene.
In both the dining room or patio, the partners say they want the new Dakar NOLA to be an embodiment of “teranga,” the Wolof term for hospitality and a generosity of spirit that goes above and beyond.
“This is where we transport people to Senegal,” Richardson says. Dakar has accrued a remarkable list of accolades in its short tenure. Last year, it was ranked No. 6 on
the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in North America, from the group that also produces the world’s 50 Best restaurant and bar lists.
It was named best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2024, and this year Mbaye is a finalist for the regional James Beard award for Best Chef: South.
Its story goes back to the chef’s mother, Khady Kante. She ran an underground Senegalese restaurant in New York for a few years, and she hosted homesick expats for meals at her home.
This inspired Mbaye’s early pop-ups, which he hosted on the side while working in restaurants including Commander’s Palace and Mosquito Supper Club.
His communal dinners of Senegalese food and storytelling around hospitality earned the chef a following, and that included Richardson. She partnered with him to open Dakar NOLA as a full-fledged restaurant in 2022.
The partners hope the new location will host a fuller vision of what Dakar NOLA can be.
They’re excited for the new format, in part because it will give their staff more opportunities to grow.
“I just want to help the next culinary generation of New Orleans,” Mbaye says. “All the awards we get are cool, but what are we doing with it? That’s what’s on my mind.” Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
Top shelf bars
TWO NEW ORLEANS BARS THAT ARE NO STRANGERS TO ACCOLADES have picked up more international honors from a group that rates bars around the world.
The latest edition of the North America’s 50 Best Bars list for 2026 was announced April 23.
Jewel of the South was ranked No. 6. That’s down slightly from its No. 4 ranking last year, though the French Quarter tavern still retained the list’s honor of “Best Bar in the South USA” for the fourth consecutive year.
Jewel of the South opened in 2019 in a Creole townhouse dating to the 1830s, giving a glimpse into history and a taste of the contemporary.
The bar is led by Chris Hannah, who made his name giving great cocktails
their due, often delving into the archives to resurrect lost classics. Jewel of the South also is as much a restaurant as a bar, with a kitchen now led by chef Chris dos Reis.
The Uptown lounge Cure came in at No. 21 on the list this year, vaulting up from its No. 50 ranking in 2025. That earned it the list’s “highest climber award.”
Cure opened in 2009 on Freret Street. Co-founder Neal Bodenheimer’s 2022 book, “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em,” was a James Beard media award finalist.
The North America’s 50 Best Bars rankings came through an assessment by a panel of anonymous North American bar industry experts, including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and cocktail connoisseurs.
The North America’s 50 Best Bars awards were launched in 2022 by 50 Best, a U.K.-based brand that ranks restaurants and bars around the world.
New Orleans will host a live event announcing a separate list from the brand on May 28. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
PARLAYS FEST
Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.
3rd Block Depot — 316 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings shrimp and grits and more. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Acropolis Cuisine — 3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-9046; acropoliscuisine.com — The menu of classic Greek dishes includes souvlaki, gyros, moussaka, spanakopita, hummus and Greek salads, along with seafood options. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf 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. $$$
com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Boil & Barrel — 900 Harrison Ave., (504) 332-2645; boilandbarrel.com — The menu includes dishes like barbecue shrimp, charbroiled oysters, boiled crawfish, seafood platters and roast beef po-boys. The bar offers a long list of bourbons and whiskies. Outdoor seating available. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$$
Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$
Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 835-2022; gumbostop. com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in
$ — average dinner entrée under $10
$$ $11-$20
$$$ — $20-up
menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans.com — The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$
Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant.com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like duck and andouille gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp buns, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 5860300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse. com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish “on the half-shell” is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of wood-fired Napolitano-style pizzas and house-made pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola. com — Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$
Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com — The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 378-2840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 5270006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bang-bang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more.
PHOTO BY JABEZ BERNIARD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary, Italian herbs and white wine. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant. net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale.com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleansstyle barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italian-style pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com — Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust.com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$ Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and wood-oven pita bread.
Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant.com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza. com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$
Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 5097334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$
Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $
Spend quality time together and paint ready to glazepieces: Mugs, Vases,
or Figurines
Hand-buildyour own creation from clay or
APRIL 27 -M AY 1 &M AY 4-9@11AM
PET PHOTO CONTEST
Submit your favoritepet phototo VIP@gambitweekly.com or upload itat bestofneworleans.com/petphoto fora chancetohaveyour petfeaturedinGambit!
OneGrand Prizewinnerwillbefeaturedonthe coverofGambit ’s May 11 PetIssue andreceive aprizepack from TheDog House.
GUIDELINESAND PHOTO PROTOCAL: PHOTO FILESMUSTBEHI-REDSAND NOTEXCEED 5M. PLEASESUBMITONLY(1) PHOTO PER FAMILT.FOR COMPLETE RULES, PLEASEVISIT BESTOFNEWORLEANS.COM/PETPHOTO.NOAIPHOTOSWILL BE ACCEPTED. DEADLINE TO ENTER: MAY6
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
an album release show at 11 p.m. Monday, May 4, at Blue Nile. Tickets are $22.87 via showpass.com.
Alison Krauss and Union Station
It’s not uncommon to see country and bluegrass musician Alison Krauss in New Orleans around festival time, and that has included shows with Robert Plant. She’s with her longtime band Union Station on this trip. Last year, the group released “Arcadia,” their first album in 14 years. Theo Lawrence also performs. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at Saenger Theatre. Tickets $30-$261 via saengernola.com.
Brass-A-Holics
The New Orleans band already expands on brass band music by adding a full drum set, keys, bass and electric guitar but the addition of go-go, the Washington, D.C., funk genre, helps set its sound apart. Brass-A-Holics closes this year’s Wednesday at the Square series. R&B singer-songwriter Justin Garner will open at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Lafayette Square. Admission is free. Find more info at ylcwats.com.
Sepultura
Brazilian-born metal band Sepultura has been a heavy music mainstay for more than 40 years, and the group is now out on its last North American tour, which the band is calling “Celebrating Life Through Death.” Sepultura rose to prominence in the ’80s and ’90s in the thrash metal scene, but over the years, its sound evolved more toward nu-metal and a slower groove metal style. The band plays the Civic Theatre at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 8. Tickets are $48.70 via civicnola.com.
ThriftCon
anniversary on Friday, May 8, with a gala at the historic Pitot House. The organization focuses on bringing modern visibility to Louisiana’s French and Creole cultures, and Nous has had a lot to celebrate in the last few years, including opening a cultural center in the French Quarter, releasing an album and music documentary and presenting works at the Library of Congress. Nous is now gearing up to open new exhibits about Louisiana during the birth of the United States. The gala will have food by Brennan’s, and Melange Dance Company will perform. Starting at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $100 via nous-foundation.org.
Pg. 99
Virginia band Pg. 99 had a relatively short but influential run in the late’90s and early-2000s, injecting throat shredding screams into chaotic hardcore punk during its intense live shows. The band has occasionally reunited over the last decade, and they are now stopping in New Orleans for a show at Gasa Gasa on Friday, May 8. It’s an all-ages show, and the music starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 via gasagasanola.com.
‘Cinderella’
New Orleans Ballet Theatre presents the classic story with choreography by company co-founder Gregory Schramel. At 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10, at Orpheum Theater. Find information at neworleansballettheatre.com. Tickets $51.55 and up at ticketmaster.com.
Future Legends Fest
Thriftcon is a touring market of vintage clothes and collectibles and it comes to New Orleans for the first time on Saturday, May 9. There are more than 100 vendors of vintage men’s and women’s clothes, brands like Juicy and Ed Hardy, and collectible toys, art, posters, home goods and more. Attendees can also buy vintage clothes by the pound in a section of unpicked used clothes. There’s also a performance by Mannie Fresh and a meet and greet with him at noon. At the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Early admission at 9 a.m. is $45, and general admission at 10 a.m. is $19. Find information at thriftcon.co.
La Nuit Americaine
The New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures, or Nous Foundation, is celebrating its fifth
The first Future Legends Fest will feature eight up-and-coming New Orleans musicians and bands on two stages at The Howlin’ Wolf. There will be performances by Pocket Chocolate, Kota Dosa, Atom Cat, Nina Hungerland & Family, Joey Houck, Wolfe Johns, Shawan Rice and Dan Souvigny’s New Organ Trio. The music starts at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, and tickets are $30.79 advance and $41.41 day of via thehowlinwolf.com.
‘The Conjuring 2’
In ‘The Conjuring 2,’ paranormal investigators go to a home in London to see if a girl is possessed by a demon or whether it is a hoax. They discover it’s all too real as the demon then targets them. The supernatural horror screens on its 10th anniversary at The Broad Theater, and Madison Wolfe, who plays the possessed girl, will do a Q&A after the screening. Screamfest NOLA and Timecode present the screening at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 4. Tickets $8-$12 via thebroadtheater.com.
MUSIC
FOR COMPLETE MUSIC LISTINGS AND MORE EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, VISIT CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM
To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com
MONDAY 4
30/90 — Margie Perez, 6 pm; Piano Man ‘G’, 9 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm
APPLE BARREL — Bread for Sale, 6 pm; Decaturadio, 10:30 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE — Alex McMurray & Luke Allen, 9 pm
BLUE NILE The Nth Power Album Release Party, 11 pm
BUFFA’S David Doucet, 8 pm
CAFÉ NEGRIL — Keep It Rolling Brass Band, 9:30 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH Bonerama Vinyl Release Show ft. Omari Neville, 8 pm
COLUMNS HOTEL — Stanton Moore Trio, 6:30 pm
DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm
HOWLIN’ WOLF The Pause & Dafodyl, 8 pm
LOUISIANA MUSIC FACTORY -
FRENCHMEN STREET Louisiana Music Factory's "Factory Fest 2026" Day 4, 5 pm
NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO
Bluegrass Pickin' Party, 7 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — River Eckert Band, 8 pm; George Porter Jr., 10 pm
OKAY BAR — Django Jazz Jam + Read Beans, with Bayou Manouche, 7:30 pm
POORBOYS Gumbolaya, 9 pm
SATURN BAR — BC Coogan, 8:30 pm
SIBERIA 504 Horn Troopers + Sage Against The Machine, 9 pm
APPLE BARREL The Smoky Greenwell Blues Band, 10:30 pm
BACCHANAL Steve Lands, 1 pm; Bayou Manouche, 7 pm
30/90 — St. Julien X, 6 pm; The Andre Lovett Band, 9 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Sunday Swing with Sunny Side, 8 pm
BACCHANAL — Miles Berry, 1 pm; Noah Young, 7 pm
BLUE NILE — Street Legends Brass Bands, 9:30 pm
BUFFA’S Johnny Sansone, 7 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH — Delicate Steve, 8 pm
DOS JEFES — Joplin Parnell, 8 pm
GASA GASA — Black Marble, 9 pm
HOUSE OF BLUES Nonpoint, 6:30 pm
HOWLIN’ WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm
OLD ARABI LIGHTHOUSE RECORDS AND BOOKS — Open Mic with guest host Allie Rosenberg, 6 pm
SATURN BAR Dumbster + Half Raccoon + Wildcats!, 9 pm
THE TIGERMEN DEN Cajun Brunch and Dance, 11 am
Helen Gillet plays Tigermen Den May 7 at 8 pm
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
MUSIC
Easing forward
by Jake Clapp
A
FEW YEARS AGO, NEW ORLEANS
INDIE
ROCK BAND Pope naturally started to slow things down a little bit.
The trio has been a consistent, rumbling presence in the DIY music community since its 2013 EP “Known Weed Smoker.” But as what usually happens when people reach their late20s and early-30s, priorities change and new projects come up. There were moves away and back to the city. Not to mention, we lived through a pandemic.
Although Pope wasn’t playing live as often or touring as it once did, things never stopped.
In fact, those changes brought a new depth to the band’s sound, says singer Alejandro Skalany. That can be heard on their new album, “BFM,” the group’s first full-length since 2017.
Pope is Skalany and Matthew Seferian sharing vocals, guitars and bass and drummer Atticus Lopez.
“Previously, a lot of the songs were finished up in the rehearsal room or at shows, these high-volume, rocking environments,” Skalany says. “At least some of the songs I was writing for [‘BFM’] happened more at home or independently. They came down in volume a little bit, became a little more introspective.”
Still, “BFM” — or “Big Fucking Music” — is full of the fuzzy, lo-fi guitar rock Pope has played since “Known Weed Smoker” and the grungy, emotionally-driven 2015 full-length “Fiction.” That sound began to grow with their 2017 record “True Talent Champion” and the 2022 EP “Super Sonic.”
On “BFM,” Pope sounds more patient and realized. There’s a range of sounds on the record, from loud indie punk to relatively quieter tracks, and there are guest contributions by vocalist Julia Steiner of the band Ratboys and keys player Tyler Scurlock.
“We have a lot of high standards for ourselves. We’re attempting to sound better every time and be more what we imagined we wanted to be,” Seferian says.
At Pope’s core is the history among Seferian, Skalany and Lopez. The three grew up in Houston and formed a band together in high school, playing DIY shows in the backyard.
After Seferian moved to New Orleans and began attending Loyola University, he convinced Skalany, who was then in Boston, to join him in the city. The two then coaxed Lopez to New Orleans, and the trio moved in together.
“From there, we started playing in the house, and Pope was born,” Skalany
says. “We wrote ‘Known Weed Smoker’ in my bedroom for the most part. And we’re still going. As slow as Pope has been the last few years, I feel lucky we’re still all friends.”
Seferian and Skalany also were in the punk band Donovan Wolfington and have pursued solo projects. Skalany has the folk solo project New Holland, and Seferian corralled a host of other musicians for Matt Surfin’ & Friends. Lopez also drums in the band Timeout Room and with the singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum.
Seferian and Skalany share Pope songwriter duties, and “BFM” contains tracks written before the pandemic to more recent songs.
Songs on the album touch on feeling stuck in place and self-doubt as well as finding community and personal growth. On the appropriately minute-long song “Sick Minute,” guest vocalist Steiner focuses on just trying to give things your best shot.
With subdued vocals, Seferian reflects on loss and the process of learning to live without a loved one on “Make You Feel” (the song ends with a clip from a show hosted by a lost friend). And the contemplative “Good Enough” turns a serial killer scene into a metaphor for turning away from a dream.
In some ways, the songs are in conversation with each other, Seferian and Skalany say. It wasn’t intentional, but the two found themselves writing about similar topics — a product of a long friendship and going through parallel moments in life.
“There are weird shared lyrics, weird shared concepts. Certain words have repeats. You may not notice unless you’re us,” Seferian says. “But there are lines that are drawn between all the songs. It didn’t happen intentionally but subconsciously.”
“Or we’re reading into it too much,” Skalany says with a laugh.
Find “BMF” at popeband.bandcamp. com and ritefield.com.
Astudent who’sachievednew heights in theclassroom ...
An innovator changing theworld?
And they ’reunder 40 as of June 15? We want to hear aboutthem!
To findout more abouthow we judge nominations,qualifications to nominate yourself or someoneyou know,headto bestofneworleans.com/40under40
Pope PROVIDED PHOTO BY IZZE THOMPSON
TW OT HOUSAND TW EN TY SI X
Museum & Gallery Preview
Trust issues
by Will Coviello
NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF BAR ONE GOES TO, SOONER OR LATER ONE NOTICES and can’t help but wonder about some intriguing person who keeps to themselves.
In Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Primary Trust,” that person is Kenneth. He likes to drink mai tais at his favorite bar, Wally’s. Some of the servers recognize him as a regular, but most don’t get beyond a friendly greeting when bringing him a fresh drink. But eventually, Kenneth breaks out of his shell.
“The story is what happens when you’re touched with pure open-hearted humanity, and how the simplest act of kindness, or ‘Are you OK?,’ can affect how you move about your next day,” says Michael Newcomer, who’s directing the show for Crescent City Stage.
“Primary Trust” runs May 7-24 at the Contemporary Arts Center. Kenneth works at a bookstore in a small town in Upstate New York, and he’s a regular at Wally’s, a tiki bar, in a time not long ago but before the craft cocktail craze. He’s complicated but quiet and only wants the company of his friend Bert.
The bar’s big enough to have plenty of staff, and they all appear with cheery greetings to recite flashy sounding food specials — in the way chain restaurants try to create the feeling of neighborhood bars, or just the notion of welcoming.
As Kenneth shares with Bert, some changes are finally happening in his life. The bookstore is going to close, and he’s starting to look for a job.
On that note, a server gamely shares that she overheard other customers saying a bank is understaffed.
Kenneth’s mother died when he was very young, but she worked at a bank. He thinks about giving it a try, and even that small step out of his routine gets him thinking about his life.
The drama follows Kenneth, and at times he narrates, sharing the personal and unpredictable details one could never guess about a stranger in a bar.
It’s about “what happens when your world is turned upside down and you seek connection,” Newcomer says.
“Where do you find that connection, and what do you do once you find it?”
Booth is an actor and writer based in New York. She has published a couple of plays, including “Paris,” and has written for the TV series “Julia” on HBO Max and “We Were the Lucky Ones” on Hulu. The setting for “Primary Trust” came from her own days working in the service industry and musing about some of her more mysterious customers.
“Primary Trust” debuted off-Broadway in 2023, and Booth won the Pulitzer Prize in 2024 for her wonderfully compassionate portrait. The show jumped to Broadway and has quickly become widely produced across the nation. Crescent City Stage is presenting its regional premiere here.
The show stars Jarrod Smith as Kenneth, Doug Spearman as Bert, and Nicole Collins and Mark Cosby as Wally’s waiters, bank customers and more. Steve Gilliland plays the musician who performs at happy hour at Wally’s, and he also wrote original music for the show.
“Primary Trust” is the first production Crescent City Stage is doing at the CAC. The company produced most shows in its first three years at Loyola University’s Marquette Theater, and now it’s looking at different options. That included a sold-out, one-night-only outdoor production at the Batture featuring memorable Shakespeare speeches earlier in spring. The company will return to the Batture for two nights in September. At the CAC, there will be a talkback after the show on May 17.
Jarrod Smith stars in ‘Primary Trust.’ PHOTO PROVIDED BY CRESCENT CITY STAGE
FORSALE
PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE
PUTTING UP BARRIERS
By Frank A. Longo
“... -- thousand times ...”
Attorney who is an expert in
Ingredients in many banana cream pies
College football honor won by Tim Tebow in 2007 and ‘08
“Au” element
progress
“Looky here!” 101 Fix, as a pet
Boise loc.
AT&T is one, for short
Spills noisily
17-season
Skater Midori
Pass along
Boastful 118 Part of a ship’s hull
Actress Ward
-- accompli
“Lah-di- --!”
-- -Locka, Florida
It merged with the WB
Bear’s home
“Go, team!” 132 Sheep’s cry
Erin D. Maternity Patient
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