March-April 2016 Issue of Inside Northside Magazine

450

$

BROD BAGERT • THE MAKERS OF PEOPLE • JAZZ FEST • GLOBAL WILDLIFE CENTER

MARCH-APRIL 2016 VOL. 31, NO. 2

March-April 2016

Vol. 31, No. 2

Publisher Lori Murphy –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Editor-in-Chief Anne Honeywell

Senior Editor Jan Murphy

Associate Editor Maggie Murphy

Editorial Intern Rebecca Perrette Contributors are featured on page 16.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Art Director Brad Growden

Graphic Designer Jennifer Starkey

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Business Manager Jane Quillin

Senior Account Executives Poki Hampton

Candice Laizer Barbara Roscoe

Account Executives Angelle Albright

Barbara Bossier Kim Camet

Jennifer Forbes Lindsay Gardner

Francesca Lupo Amy Taylor

Advertising Coordinator Margaret Rivera –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For advertising information phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 email sales@insidepub.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Please send items for Inside Scoop to scoop@insidepub.com.

Photos for Inside Peek, with captions, should be sent to peek@insidepub.com. Submit items for Inside Input or Dining Guide to editor@insidepub.com.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Contact Inside Northside P.O. Box 9148

Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 website www.insidenorthside.com

Subscriptions 1 Year $18 2 Years $30 email subscriptions@insidepub.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On the cover

Artist Elizabeth Impastato

Iris

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– INSIDE NORTHSIDE MAGAZINE is published bi-monthly (January, March, May, July, September, November) by M and L Publishing, LLC, PO Box 9148, Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 as a means of communication and information for St. Tam­ many and Tangipahoa Parishes, Louisiana. Bulk Postage paid at Mandeville, LA. Copy­right ©2016 by M & L Publishing, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of publisher. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Inside Northside Magazine is created using the Adobe Creative Suite on Apple Macintosh computers.

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Inside Northside

page 34

page 89

Features

contents table of

18 Self-discovery Through Art Cover Artist Elizabeth Impastato 34 Relaxed Sophistication Guste Island Home 42 Brod Bagert Poet with a Purpose 50 The Makers of People Filming in Louisiana 68 Hometown Safari Celebrating 25 Years of Global Wildlife Center 96 Generous Hearts Becoming Well Tuned 98 Lucky Dog Legacy 115 The State of the Parish Pat Brister St. Tammany Parish President

Profile

125 Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, L.L.C. page 29

page 68 page 50 8

Inside Northside

contents table of

Departments

12 Publisher’s Note 15 Editor’s Note page 79

16 Contributors 22 INside Scoop 29 Jazz Fest 2016 32 IN Other Words Spring Cleaning 58 At the Table The Festival Season of New Orleans Eating 64

Traces Great Save Lakeview Regional Medical Center

79 Flourishes Extraordinary gifts and home accents 86 Wine Cellar Red Burgundy 89 INside Look Serenity 102 Traces Lisa Dunk Leadership Northshore’s Road to Home 5K 106

IN the Bookcase Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us the Way

by Hoda Kotb

108 INside Dining page 114 113 Reader Resources 114 INside Peek Featuring: The St. Tammany Parish

Inaugural Ceremony Mystic Krewe of Olympia Original Krewe of Orpheus 128 INside Luxury Living The Glow of Gaslight 130 Last Bite The Barley Oak page 130

Never Retreat, Never Surrender.

by Lori Murphy

Ben Blanchard taught us what

that means. With every day, and in every situation, we make a choice in how we act, react, move forward, fall back, perceive and respond. Following his diagnosis with an aggressive form of cancer two years ago, we saw Ben make those “never retreat” decisions and live with no thought to surrender. That will be his legacy.

But it is certainly not the only thing he will be remembered for. Ben was brave, generous and funny. He spoke directly to you, looking into your eyes as he waited to hear what you had to say.

He was the life of the party, first and last on the dance floor.

In fact, when he and the family asked for photos and favorite memories, Facebook filled with pictures of gatherings of every kind featuring Ben in one dance move after another. Even the

most recent ones are full of hugs and smiles.

Top: Chris, Susan, Ben and

other for the loss of such a brave and treasured man. Though there was a healthy dose of sadness, there was an equal measure of love and

Mark Blanchard.

laughter, of stories and memories. Weeks later, there are still daily

Above: Ben was

posts of “for my friend Ben” and “Ben would have loved this.”

honored by his fellow krewe

is something. To have made each of us consider how to live better, complain less, love more, move through this life in faith and hope is his

in this year’s

gift to family and friends. That is my new mantra. Give it all you’ve got, with no regrets. Never retreat, never surrender.

Inside Northside

Incredible. To live a life that touched so many in 33 short years

members

Olympia parade.

12

Scores of people gathered to celebrate his life and console each

Editor’s Note

by Anne Honeywell When my daughter was in second grade, I accompanied her class on a school field trip to the Global Wildlife Center. I had never been before and really was not familiar with GWC at all.

Little did I know what we were about to experience. What a day—parents, teachers and especially the children were all in amazement getting to interact with animals from all over the world right here, only a school bus trip away! That was 18 years ago, and this year GWC, touted as the largest exotic animal refuge in America, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. I think it remains one of the best-kept secrets on the northshore.

A few weeks ago, I was back at GWC taking a tour with our writer Karen Gibbs and photographer Brad Growden—and it was just as magical, if not more so. As Karen says in her tale of our tour on page 68, we got to see, learn and experience GWC at its best.

Speaking of school kids—don’t miss Karen’s story on page 42 about how Brod Bagert’s love of poetry led to his creating a new way of communicating with children.

March 20 is the first day of spring! With spring, comes spring cleaning.

For some people. On page 32, Becky Slatten describes her feeling about spring cleaning—she captures my sentiments exactly! And Becky’s Lucky Dog story on page 98 might have your mouth watering for this New Orleans treat.

Besides spring cleaning, April also brings us festivals and wonderful music and food. Enjoy Tom Fitzmorris’ favorite eats at both the French Quarter Fest and the New Orleans Jazz Fest (page 58). And check out the Jazz Fest schedule on

OMAS photo: TH

DE B. GROW

N

page 29 so you don’t miss out on your favorites.

Enjoy spring!

Contributors Our contributors give Inside Northside its voice, its personality and its feel. Here we are proud to highlight a few of them so that you can put a face with a name and get to know them.

Karen B. Gibbs Longtime contributor and former managing editor of Inside Northside, Karen B. Gibbs enjoys writing about the fascinating people and places of the northshore.

On page 42, she writes about poet Brod Bagert and on page 68 she tells the story of Global Wild Life.

A contributor to Today.com and iVillage.com, Karen recently completed the biography of her father-in-law, a WWII paratrooper.

When not writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spoiling their grandchild.

Linda Trappey Dautreuil

Rebecca Perrette

Becky Slatten

Linda Trappey Dautreuil is a painter and writer on Louisiana arts and culture.

A native of New Iberia, she moved to Covington in 1996. Linda received a BA in English and a BFA in visual arts from the University of Louisiana–Lafayette.

An active member of the local arts community, she was the first artist to receive the St. Tammany Parish Arts Award for Visual Artist of the Year.

Her paintings are in many corporate and private collections, including the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette. On page 18 in this issue, Linda writes about our cover artist, Elizabeth Impastato.

Rebecca Perrette is wrapping up her time as a senior at Mandeville High. As a freshman at Louisiana State University in the fall, she plans to major in journalism and entomology—fascinations that stem from the first time she picked up a National Geographic magazine. Rebecca’s time growing and learning as copy editor for her yearbook and as an Inside Northside editorial intern has propelled her even further toward the excitement the writing world offers. For this issue, she writes about the Road to Home 5K FunRun/Walk on page 102.

Becky Slatten is a native of Natchitoches, an LSU alumna, the mother of three children and a newlywed.

She divides her time between the northshore and New Orleans, writing for both Inside Northside (since 2007) and Inside New Orleans. Becky loves telling the stories of people and events unique to the area and puts her own twist on topics in IN Other Words (page 32). In this issue, she also tells the story of Lucky Dogs (page 98).

Other Voices: Gretchen Armbruster, Susan Bonnett, Leah Draffen, Tom Fitzmorris, Candra George, Poki Hampton, Anne Honeywell, Bill Kearney, Maggie Murphy and Terri Schlichenmeyer.

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Inside Northside

THE DAY IS OVERCAST as I pull up to an enclave of professional buildings along Highway 190. I see the bright red rectangular sign with the sleek white letter “I” a study in contrast, perfect as a brand. Through the glass door, I see large paintings and the promise of more to come in the spaces beyond. The interior is what

Self-discovery Through Art

one might expect in a professional, well-appointed gallery. What is more unusual is a sense of calm, soft music, a hint of fragrance and designed lighting suggestive of a spa-like atmosphere. A petite and fashionably dressed woman, Elizabeth Impastato, artist and gallery owner, greets me, offering a mug of orange tea as we discuss art in business, education and the community.

Elizabeth Impastato was born into a family of Italian entrepreneurs with roots in the

Cover Artist Elizabeth Impastato

by Linda T. Dautreuil

18

Inside Northside

French Quarter. For a young girl who loved to dance and paint, business was not at the top of her list. “I had a particular fascination with painting on sheetrock as a child, which got me into a lot of trouble with my parents,” Elizabeth says. “When I graduated from high school, I decided to attend Southeastern. I enrolled in dance and theatre and performed in musical productions. I was honored by the invitation to join the SLU Dance Ensemble.”

After three years, reality set in for Elizabeth: the field of dance and theater might not provide the means to live independently.

Impastato decided that she would benefit from the commercial art design curriculum at Delgado College. Upon completion of the program, she was offered a scholarship to Loyola University, but life intervened, and she turned it down to marry and start a family.

Two young sons became Elizabeth’s primary concern when the young couple divorced. She devised a plan that resulted in a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy from LSU. Taking classes by day and working at East Jefferson Hospital at night, she even home schooled her son for a time to ensure the individual attention she felt was important.

Of this hectic time, she recalls that she applied the discipline she learned in studying ballet to time management. “I learned a lot about the needs of patients and medical professionals in a therapeutic setting. I also learned about working with children to develop self esteem in spite of special circumstances.”

Eventually, she went into pharmaceutical sales. “I realized that I had a talent for business and sales in particular. Even though I was successful, I never lost my connection to art as a means of self-expression. I painted and danced in any spare time I could find because it was a way for me to stay connected to my spirit. I realized creativity allowed me to >>

express myself in a different way and enabled me to keep moving forward in my job.”

Pharmaceutical sales kept Elizabeth connected to the medical community.

Many of the doctors and nurses offered support and urged her to show her artwork. In her first exhibition, she sold all nine paintings, a tremendous incentive. She says, “The idea to develop a plan blossomed at this time. I believed I could create an opportunity to use my skills in business, education and the medical field to develop a model focusing on art. I wanted to offer the community something different from what was already out there.”

Impastato moved quickly once she decided on her five-year plan. Today, her business functions as a multi-purpose space with moveable walls to showcase her artwork as well as the work of her son, Eric Mondello, and other area artists she represents. She explains how design and functionality work: “The moveable walls allow me to open up the space for gallery talks, workshops, receptions and group team building. I developed exercises in painting as a team-building tool for Chevron as one example. For the Professional Women of St. Tammany, I conducted an exercise for 170 women working in turn on a single painting auctioned off at the end of the event.”

Impastato describes the service she offers: “I provide an opportunity for people to take part in the process of making paintings and through this creative outlet to develop personal discipline, increase self esteem, work in collaboration with others, develop channels of communication and increase the ability to delegate authority effectively.”

The quiet room where we are 20

Inside Northside

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

meeting serves as a viewing room for showing art to clients. It is also the room where she conducts the unique Painting for Two sessions for couples using art as a relationship-building tool—an experience that is different from their usual hectic routines.

Whereas the room for Painting for Two is serene, the two studios on either side are brightly lit and well-organized environments brimming with ample supplies and works in progress. Eric specializes in drawings, but he is also a painter. He offers classes for those who wish to develop their skills, particularly in drawing. Elizabeth offers basic and advanced painting to individuals and groups. Also on board for consultation is licensed art therapist, Heather Bravo.

Returning to the main gallery, Elizabeth discusses her own paintings and the inspiration that drives her process. She describes her connections to New Orleans and the French Quarter. In advance of the actual painting process, she spends time researching subjects that she may already be familiar with but feels compelled to dig deeper for original details. She gives an example: “When I painted my interpretation of the façade of the old Maison Blanche building, I referenced images of the original signage and the exact colors used at the time. These historic details are important because they represent moments in time and remind us of who we are.”

The images she is best known for, the streetcars of New Orleans, have long been her most popular and collectible works. She began to struggle to keep up with the demand because she did not want to restrict herself to a single theme. Plans serve Elizabeth well. She created a special annual date when she unveils a one-of-a-kind streetcar painting and markets it until it is sold.

The appeal of these images is the festive feeling she achieves with bright colors and shapes and lots of detail defining New Orleans at various times of the year. She notes, “I use color to express how I feel. I think color is very important for creating the mood of a painting.” She works in all mediums with the exception of oil, but she does not rule out dabbling in that medium in the future. “I find I am most comfortable working with the water-based

mediums, and I am able to create my best work in the process.” Typical of her style is the use of texture and brushwork that seems to have a subtle layer of under-painting, though most of the spontaneous look of her paintings is achieved by the brushwork on the surface. She juxtaposes and layers color to create interest and unusual combinations.

Elizabeth Impastato moved to the northshore in 1987. “It was always my intention to embrace the community. I work hard to accomplish that.

My husband, attorney Tony LeMon, shares in this mission, particularly in commitments to the St. Tammany Children’s Museum and the Kiwanis Club.

I am a member of the West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and a supporter of the Al Copeland Foundation, A.C.C.E.S.S.(Adapting and Changing Children’s Environments with Successful Solutions), STARC, Harvest Cup Polo Classic/Junior League of Greater Covington and the Friends in Need Foundation.

About art, Elizabeth says, “We all possess creative ability for never-ending discovery. Making art can be a useful tool for self-discovery.”

Visit Impastatogallery.com to read more about the role of art in improving life skills and view paintings

by Elizabeth Impastato, Eric Mondello, and the artists represented by Impastato Gallery.

March-April 2016 21

INSIDE the definitive guide to northshore events and entertainment

Festival Bonfouca March 18-20 Three-day community arts and music festival. Musical entertainment, art market, family village, local restaurants, recreational activities for the whole family. Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Lane, Slidell. Fri, 5-9pm; SatSun, 11am-9pm. info@festivalbonfouca.com, FestivalBonfouca.com.

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I n s i d e N o rt h s i d e

March 1-April 2 Tulane Contemporary Glass. Works of professors, graduate students and former students of the glass art program at Tulane, which has inspired and shaped the New Orleans glass art movement. St. Tammany Art Association, 320 N Columbia St, Covington.

Tues-Fri, 10am-4pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Covington Farmers Market. Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St. 10am-2pm. Free. covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

>>

March-April 2016 23

Inside Scoop 3 Covington Art Market. Juried market of visual arts and crafts.

weststtammanyrelay@gmail.com.

5-6 San Francisco Plantation Frisco

Covington Trailhead, 419 N New

Festival. Crafts, Cajun cuisine,

Hampshire St. 9am-1pm. 892-8650,

gardening, kids’ activities. San Francisco

sttammanyartassociation.org.

Plantation, 2646 Hwy 44, Garyville.

3 Spring Hat Fling Open House at the Cottage. Customize your own hat, or select from designs by Haute

9am-5pm. $5. sanfranciscoplantation.org/ friscofest.php.

5-Apr 15 From The Vaults of the New

Dames Couture Milliners. Percentage

Orleans Museum of Art. Slidell Cultural

of purchases benefits restoration of the

Center, 2055 Second St, Slidell. Opening

cottage. Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage,

reception Mar 5, 5-10pm. Tue-Fri,

133 Mabel Dr, Madisonville. 1-4pm,

10am-4pm; Sat, 10am-2pm. Free. 646-

serving wine and cheese. Free. 845-

4375. myslidell.com.

9200. educator@lpbmm.org.

4, 5 A.R.T.E. Trunk Show. Ballin’s, 721 Dante St, New Orleans. 504-866-4367.

4-6, 11-13, 18-20 A Lesson Before

5, 12, 19, 26 Camellia City Market. Griffith Park, 333 Erlanger St, Slidell. 8am-12pm.

Free. 640-7112. camelliacitymarket.org.

5, 12, 19, 26 Covington Farmers Market.

Dying. Slidell Little Theatre, 2024

Covington City Hall, 609 N. Columbia

Nellie Dr, Slidell. 8pm; Sun, 2pm.

St. 8am-12pm. Free. 892-1873.

Adults, $16; students, $8. 641-0324.

covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

slidelllittletheatre.org.

4-6, 11-13 And Then There Were None.

Playmakers, 19106 Playmakers Rd, Covington. 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Adults, $20; students, $10. 893-1671. playmakersinc.com.

5 A Night in Haiti. 4th annual celebration

5, 12, 19, 26 Hammond Farmers Market. #2 West Thomas St. 8am-12pm. Free. hammondfarmersmarket.com.

5, 12, 19, 26 Mandeville Trailhead Market. 675 Lafitte St. 9am-1pm. Free. mandevilletrailhead.org.

6 Celebration: Dreams Take Flight.

in support of partnership between Mary,

Children’s Museum of St. Tammany

Queen of Peace Parish and St. Benoit

annual fundraiser. Culinary showcase, live

Parish in Dessources, Haiti. Dinner,

auction, music and more. Castine Center,

music, sale of Haitian crafts. MQP School

63350 Pelican Blvd, Mandeville. $100;

Cafeteria, 1501 W. Causeway Approach,

$1,200 for table of eight. cmsstkids.org.

Mandeville. 6-9pm. $30. MQPHaiti@gmail.

9 A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. Musical

com or 985-626-0944. maryqueenofpeace.

theatre sensation. OnSTAGE in Covington

org/haiti-partnership/home.

2016. Fuhrmann Auditorium, 317 N

5 Arts Evening. Over 100 participating artists and art organizations, live entertainment, shopping, dining, more.

Olde Towne Slidell. 4-10pm. Free. 6464375, myslidell.com.

5 Relay For Life. A celebration of life

Jefferson Ave, Covington. 7:30pm. For price/season passport information, 8921873. onstage@covla.com, covla.com.

12 Blue Jeans Ball and Battle of the Bands. Mystic Krewe of Olympia/MKO Foundation benefit for Youth Service

and survivorship for cancer survivors

Bureau, Boys and Girls Club-Covington

and caregivers. Lakeview Regional

and first responders of the Covington

Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd,

Police and Fire Departments. Lost in the

Covington. 11am-9pm. Free. 640-1552.

60 and Boogie Falaya Band will battle;

bird, beast and fish cooking competition by krewe members. Covington Trailhead.

419 N New Hampshire St. 6-10pm. $75.

264-6220. kreweofolympia.net.

12 Falaya Fling. St. Scholastica Academy gala. Dinner, musical entertainment, tuition raffle, live and silent auctions. Castine Center, Pelican Park, 63350 Pelican Dr, Mandeville.

Patron party, 6pm; gala, 7-11:30pm. Patron party, $50; gala, $65. Ssacad.com.

13 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 1-3pm. Starts at 2055 Second St, Olde Towne, Slidell.

643-3151. myslidell.com.

18-20 45th Annual Audubon Pilgrimage.

St. Francisville historic homes, churches and gardens; 1820s costumes, living history demonstrations, more. See website for details and pricing. 225-6356330. westfelicianahistoricalsociety.org.

18-20 Festival Bonfouca. Three-day community arts and music festival.

Musical entertainment, art market, family village, local restaurants, recreational activities for the whole family. Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Lane, Slidell. Fri, 5-9pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-9pm. info@festivalbonfouca.com, FestivalBonfouca.com.

18, 20 The Best of Doo Wop. Northlake Performing Arts Society. Fuhrmann Auditorium, 317 N. Jefferson St, Covington. Fri, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm. $20.

792-1392. contactnpas@npas.info.

19 Julia Jump. 39th annual Julia Jump: “Our City, Our Home,” presented by First NBC Bank to support Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. The Cannery, 3803 Toulouse St, New Orleans. 8-11pm. $75-$125. (504) 582-7032. prcno.org.

19 Longue Vue Annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Rd, New Orleans. Members, 9:30-10:30am; nonmembers, 12:301:30pm. Members, $6; nonmembers, $8. longuevue.com.

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March-April 2016 25

Inside Scoop 20 Chef Soirée. Food tastings from local

dinners, tastings, jazz brunches and

restaurants, drink and live music. Raffle

the St. Tammany Art Association’s

to win a 2016 Ford Mustang. Proceeds

Spring for Art. Live music by Christian

benefit the Youth Service Bureau. Bogue

Serpas & Ghost Town, Jazz by Steppin

Falaya Park, Covington. 5-9pm. $125.

Up, and Ched Reeves, guitarist.

893-2570. ysbraffle.com.

Downtown Covington. For details, see

20 Kids Town Rubber Duck Regatta and EGGStravaganza. Benefit for Kids

atasteofcovington.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 Covington Farmers

Town on Koop Drive in Mandeville. Easter

Market. Covington Trailhead, 419 N.

egg hunts, entertainment, food, Rubber

New Hampshire St. 10am-2pm. Free.

Duck Regatta, family activities. Lakeview

covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge

7 2016 St. Tammany Champions

Tanner Blvd, Covington. Noon-3pm.

Together Breakfast. Benefitting Special

Admission $1/person; Adopt-a-Duck, $5.

Olympics. Complimentary breakfast

kidstownsttammany.org/events.

where you will be inspired as you hear

26 Pictures with the Easter Bunny

from Special Olympics Louisiana athletes

to Benefit St. Tammany Humane

and parents. Benedict’s Plantation,

Society. Pictures taken of children and

1144 N. Causeway Blvd, Mandeville.

pets with Easter Bunny. 10am-2pm.

7am-8:30am. 800-345-6644.

Rutland Street Photography, 828 E.

7-10 French Quarter Festival. Over 1,700

Rutland St, Covington. $5 per picture.

musicians performing on 23 stages; food

sthumane.org.

and beverage offerings at “The World’s

April 1 Danielle Inn 2nd Annual Fundraiser.

Featuring comedian Ken Kington.

Largest Jazz Brunch.” Art shows and more. French Quarter, New Orleans. Free.

For details, go to fqfi.org.

7, 14, 21, 28 Live at Five. Live music,

Benedicts Plantation in Mandeville. For

dancing, food. Bring lawn chairs/blankets

details, go to danielleinn.net.

for family fun. Corner of River Highlands

1-2 J’Envie and E.L.I. Trunk Show. Ballin’s, 721 Dante St, New Orleans. 504-866-4367.

1-2 Tulane Contemporary Glass. Works of professors, graduate students and former students of the glass art program at Tulane, which has inspired and shaped

Blvd and N Hwy 190 in Covington. Every Thursday in April, 5-8:30pm. Free. 5905572. liveatfivecovington.com.

8-11 Iris Trunk Show. Ballin’s, 721 Dante St, New Orleans. 504-866-4367.

8-10, 15-17, 22-24 To Kill A Mockingbird.

the New Orleans glass art movement.

30 by Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St,

St. Tammany Art Association, 320

Mandeville. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30pm.

N Columbia St, Covington. Tues-Fri,

844-843-3090.

10am-4pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

9 Relay for Life. Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Rd, Slidell. 10am-10pm. 640-1552.

2-3 FoodFest. Sample over 50 of America’s

9 Rooftop Rendezvous. Benefiting the

hometown eats from around the country.

Slidell Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Beignet eating contest Sunday. New

Food and cocktails, music by MoJEAUX.

Orleans Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza.

7-11pm. $100. 280-8820 or

11am-6pm. Free. nolafoodfest.com.

smhfdn.org/rooftop2016.

6-10 A Taste of Covington. Vinters’

9 Spring for Art. In conjunction with A

Taste of Covington. Gallery openings, music, wine with participating merchants.

Downtown Covington. 6pm. Free. 8928650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

10 Festival of Balloons. Balloon art from across the globe. Hilton Riverside, New Orleans. 11am-3:30pm. Adults, $10; under 12, free. Festivalofballoons2016. eventbrite.com.

14 Iris Trunk Show. Ballin’s, 806 E Boston St, Covington. 892-0025.

14 Second Annual Susan Thurston’s Tea. Traditional tea, vintage music, Lighthouse history presentation, tours of the Cottage. By Friends of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage. Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, 133 Mabel Dr, Madisonville. 2-4pm. Reservations, 8459200. educator@lpbmm.org.

15 Dominican Golf Tournament. Benefiting the Sr. Mary Anne McSweeney, O.P., Faculty Endowment Fund. Audubon Park Golf Course, New Orleans. For information or to reserve a space, call 504-606-1616 or svaldes10@gmail.com.

15, 16 Ronen Chen Trunk Show.

Ballin’s, 721 Dante St, New Orleans.

504-866-4367.

15-17 20th Annual Great Louisiana BirdFest. Hosted by Northlake Nature Center. Trips will visit varied habitats, including swamps, wetlands, pine savanna and hardwoods. Various times and places. Advance registration required. rue@northlakenature.org. northlakenature.org.

16 7th Annual Crawfish Cook-off. Hosted by the St. Paul’s Alumni Association, benifiting Hope House of St. Tammany.

St. Paul’s School. 1-6pm. For tickets, visit spscco.com.

16 Keep Mandeville Beautiful Citywide Cleanup. Volunteer to help cleanup.

9am-12pm. 624-3165. Preregister at KMB@cityofmandeville.com.

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March-April 2016 27

Inside Scoop 16 Road to Home 5K Fun-Run-Walk.

Benefit for Family Promise. See our story on page 102 to learn more. St. Tammany Fishing Pier, Slidell. 8am. For information and registration, roadtohome5k.com.

16, 17 Angola Spring Rodeo and Craft Fair.

Angola State Prison. 17544 Tunica Trace, Angola, La. Gates open, 9am; rodeo, 2pm.

225-655-2030, angolarodeo.com.

16, 17 Antiques and Uniques Festival.

Antiques, collectibles, crafts, live auction, appraisals, walking tours, food, music, more.

Covington Trailhead, 419 N New Hampshire St. 10am-5pm. Free. For more information, visit covingtonheritagefoundation.com.

892-1873.

17 Bayou Jam Concert. Frontiers. Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Ln, Slidell. 5:307:30pm. Free. 646-4375. myslidell.com.

17 The Third Sunday Concert Series.

Presenting Bon Operatit! performing favorite operatic and musical theatre hits. Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S New Hampshire St, Covington. 5pm. Free. 892-3177.

18 Ronen Chen Trunk Show. Ballin’s, 806 E Boston St, Covington. 892-0025.

23 Camellia City Kids Fun Fest.

Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Ln, Slidell. 11am-6pm. (504) 250-5664. camelliacitykidsfunfest@gmail.com.

24 Coffee with Mayor Cooper.

Conversation, questions and answers.

Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St., Covington. 9am-10am.

29 Comfort Event. Ballin’s, 721 Dante St, New Orleans. 504-866-4367.

30 St. Francisville Spring Garden Stroll.

Featuring five private gardens in East and West Feliciana parishes. 1-5pm. $20. For more information, go to stfrancisvillespringstroll.org.

Send your event information to scoop@insidepub.com to have it featured in an upcoming issue.

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Jazz Fest image courtesy: ART4NOW

2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell poster for 2016, House of Swing - Portrait of the First

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Family of Jazz, by Paul Rogers.

THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND Heritage Festival is a time-honored, much-loved ritual that has had New Orleanians flocking to the Fair Grounds for years. Here are just a few of our favorites that will be hitting the stage this year, day by day. For the full schedule of performances, visit nojazzfest.com—and read more about the Jazz Fest food scene in this issue on page 58. >>

“If you get lost, meet me at the flagpole” is traditionally the plan at Jazz Fest.

March-April 2016 29

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 Steely Dan, Janelle Monáe, Gov’t Mule, Michael McDonald, Grace Potter, The Subdudes, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers, Buckwheat Zydeco, Cowboy Mouth, The Black Lillies, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and Hot 8 Brass Band.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 Pearl Jam, Van Morrison, Maxwell, Boz Scaggs, Galactic, Brothers Osborne, Mystikal, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, Leo Nocentelli, John Hammond, Bobby Cure Band & the New Orleans R&B Revue and Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

THURSDAY, APRIL 28 Tedeschi Trucks Band & Friends, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Gary Clark Jr., Flo Rida, Buffy Sainte-Marie, 30

I n s i d e N o rt h s i d e

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Jonas, J. Cole, Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter Duo, Julio Iglesias, Jonny Lang, Better Than Ezra, Elle King, Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Taj Mahal & The Trio, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet and Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders.

Cyril Neville & SwampFunk, Sonny Landreth, George Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, New Birth Brass Band, The Breton Sound and Mia Borders.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 Paul Simon, My Morning Jacket, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Irma Thomas, Elvin Bishop, Los Lobos perform La Pistola Y El Corazon, Bonerama, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Revivalists, John Boutté, Wayne Toups, Creole String Beans, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs, Astral Project, The Dynamic Smooth Family Gospel Singers of Slidell, and J. Monque’D Blues Band.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30 Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, Beck, Buddy Guy, Dr. John & the Nite Trippers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Rebirth Brass Band, Big Freedia, The Soul Rebels, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Deacon John’s Jumpers, Cyril Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood, Paul Sanchez & The Rolling Road Show, Jeremy Davenport, Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. & The Wild Magnolias, Treme Brass Band and Kim Carson Band.

SUNDAY, MAY 1 Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, Isley Brothers featuring Ronald and Ernie Isley, Aaron Neville, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Zigaboo Modeliste’s Funk Revue, Marcia Ball, Rockin’ Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters, Charmaine Neville Band, Stooges Brass Band, Luther Kent & Trickbag and Lena Prima and The Lena Prima Band.

March-April 2016 31

IN Other Words

by Becky Slatten

I JUST LOVE THE NOTION of Spring Cleaning.

I picture my hair tied up in some kind of bandana thing as I fling open all the windows and doors, and bluebirds sing as I scrub stuff and beat rugs. It does sound magical, but who am I kidding? I’ve never beaten a rug in my life, and I have no plans to start now; in fact, I buy rugs to hide dirt—they really come in handy when the dustpan is out of reach. I also don’t clean behind my refrigerator except for moving day, and only

Spring Cleaning if I have to take it with me. Who’s going to look back there? No one I would be friends with, that’s for sure. But it is always exciting to see what I’ll find when I do have to go there: “So that’s what happened to that field trip permission slip and my martini glass magnet.”

I have to admit, it is gratifying to make a special effort to tackle those nagging chores I don’t ordinarily have time for, like laundry and vacuuming, and I always reward myself with cocktail.

Tackling your closets is another horrifying Spring Cleaning project that you will thank yourself for later. I have a very unfortunate closet situation which requires that I separate my winter and summer clothes. I’ve found that year after year, I drag down the same never-worn clothes from the upstairs off-season closet, and then continue to never

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wear them—this could be the year of the shoulder pad and I’ll be ready. Lately, however, I’ve been fantasizing about having a closet with color-coded clothes on pretty, evenly spaced clothes hangers. I realize that’s not exactly realistic, but to say that’s not currently the case would be an understatement, to say the least. I ask myself why I have such a hard time letting go of things. My husband thinks he knows the answer: I’m a hoarder. He could be right, but I’m not as bad as my mother.

Many years ago, while living in Dallas, I delivered Meals on Wheels to a lady who had a serious hoarding problem. Magazines and newspapers formed a waisthigh wall flanking a narrow path to her bed. Around this time, while visiting my mother, I noticed a 3-foot stack of newspapers on a chair, and I asked why she was saving them. She said there were some articles she wanted to read and some crossword puzzles she wanted to keep, so I threw them away while she was at a church meeting.

No, ma’am. She has moved on to saving jelly jars, measuring cups and cookie sheets but I’ll address that later, if you get my drift. I need someone mean like me to come over and fill some boxes with the clothes I won’t wear and the stuff I don’t use—there’s a girl out there who could be wearing that adorable Size 4 dress I’ll never zip again even though I paid $320 for it. My husband is not allowed to de-clutter my house, because he would haul it all to the curb.

When I envision someone else enjoying something I’ve kept in a drawer for 10 years, I’m actually inspired to Spring Clean—that and the reward of a cocktail. I imagine it to be very liberating to keep only what I need, to have only the clothes I actually wear in the color-coded closet of my dreams, to let go of all the stuff and clutter that just requires dusting, because Lord knows, I’m not gonna dust.

March-April 2016 33

Relaxed Sophistication Guste Island Home

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

by Poki Hampton

34

Inside Northside

The open concept great room has panoramic views of the marsh and waterways below.

March-April 2016 35

Relaxed stication Sophi

ON GUSTE ISLAND, just three miles west of Madisonville, homes are built with great elevations to avoid being flooded by Lake Pontchartrain. Caribbean and Creole styles are perfectly suited to this terrain and climate; exterior stairways and porches are the norm.

As you walk into the large foyer of this gracious southern home, you are struck by the sweeping views of the waterways and marshes surrounding Guste Island that are seen from the great room ahead. Oversized windows and French doors maximize the natural light flooding into the room and create almost uninterrupted views in three directions, showcasing an amazing array of wildlife. The serenity of the outdoors inspired the interior of this new home of two very busy New Orleans doctors. >>

Clockwise from top: The sophisticated dining room is in shades of white. A Louis Philippe mirror hangs above a hand-painted piece in the foyer. Sweeping views of the waterways. The walnut French antique wardrobe anchors the

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

master bedroom.

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Inside Northside

The keeping room is where the homeowners like to relax in the evening and enjoy the sunset.

March-April 2016 37

point of the study is a large abstract, Rain of Purity, by Rhonda Alleman.

Custom linens and the upholstered headboard give the master bedroom a spa feeling. Soaking tub in master bathroom.

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Inside Northside

iron chandelier with beaded crystals from Piranesi Antiques. A wonderful washed Regency mirror from St. Romain Interiors hangs above the antique buffet.

Two framed antique prints of bright pink birds add an interesting pop of color.

The focal point of the study is a large abstract, >>

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

From top: The focal

The homeowners worked with decorator Cindy Trist to pull the look together, using many antiques, hand-painted furniture, family pieces and personal mementos that reflect their choices. Cindy says, “The personalized, cohesive design, with its subtle color pallet, fits the homeowners’ taste to a tee.”

The foyer is open to the dining room and the parlor. A gilded Louis Philippe mirror hangs over a painted antique piece adorned with a Santos. Bevolo sconces and an antique Oushak complete the look.

Heart pine floors run throughout the house, unifying the space with great livability.

The walnut Directoire dining room table, from Wirthmore Antiques, is surrounded by dining chairs adorned with monogramed white linen slipcovers; overhead is a gorgeous candlestick and

Rain of Purity, by Rhonda Alleman. It is centered over the white linen-slipcovered sofa; pillows by Linda Mattingly add a soft touch of color. On the Lucite tables flanking the sofa are lamps from Rug Chic in a pale blue frosted glass with linen drum shades. An old piece of iron is reworked into the glass-topped cocktail table. The pale blue painted Swedish secretary is an antique from Perch. The rug, also from Rug Chic, is of wool and jute. “Some of my favorite things are in this room, such as my treasured throw pillow with all of my favorite Carnival pins on it,” says the homeowner.

The large-scale great room is a study in relaxed sophistication.

The grand grey velvet sectional is a comfortable place for family and guests to gather. The beautiful custom pillows are by Linda Mattingly. A dining table was cut down and the top painted a soft grey to make the oversized cocktail table. An antique Oushak rug from Rug Chic anchors the space. A swamp scene

by Kellie Gironde is above a unique hand-painted cabinet which flanks the custom cypress fireplace mantel made

by Brian Baughman.

The keeping room, with its cushy white linen-slipcovered sofa and two chenille recliners, is where the homeowners like to have time in the evening to relax and watch the sunset.

The end tables are iron with painted concrete tops. Whimsical touches such as the gold leaf crane lamps and a vintage fan complement the décor.

A cowhide rug is layered over a sisal one. The oval upholstered ottoman serves as a cocktail table, with a large marbleized tray holding binoculars for bird watching.

The open-concept kitchen is spacious and perfect for entertaining.

The clean white custom cabinets and vent hood are from Milltown Cabinets.

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Inside Northside

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Polished limestone countertops are complemented by the white handmade subway tiles in the backsplash.

A handsome iron Bevolo chandelier hangs about the spacious cypress island.

The spa-like master bedroom also looks out onto the vast vistas of Guste Island. The custom headboard is upholstered in a soft aqua chenille; bed linens are

custom Leontine Linens in white and aqua. On the antique Italian walnut nightstands are lamps made of capiz shell bases and linen shades from Rug Chic.

The walnut French wardrobe and the Bergere chair are from the homeowners’ previous home. Custom draperies by Acadian Shutters are in a botanical gingko weave of the palest aqua.

The many French doors open onto a wonderful and inviting covered porch, creating an easy and elegant flow. The outdoor furniture from Perino’s includes a smart woven resin sectional and serves to make entertaining effortless as guests can overflow to the porch, even on a rainy day.

“Cindy helped us create a home that is just what we wanted,” says the homeowner.

From top: The covered porch is the perfect place to entertain in any weather. The custom cypress fireplace mantel was designed by Brian Baughman.

Distressed and faux-painted metal squares add interest to the guest room.

March-April 2016 41

HE SITS AT HIS COMPUTER, surrounded by dozens of wiggling third graders. A large-screen monitor stands nearby.

“All right!” he booms. “Do you want me to write a poem for you?”

“Yes!” they scream in unison.

“Then tell me something that makes you feel like this.” He scrunches his face and narrows his eyes.

“When my little brother plays with my toys.

That makes me angry.”

“Angry! That’s good. So, let’s say, ‘Stop playing with my stuff!’”

“Yeah!” the students yell. He’s nailed it.

Talking out loud as his fingers dance across the keyboard, he crafts every word, changing and rearranging them the same way a designer moves pictures on a wall. His facial expressions mirror the emotions of his words. The children are captivated,

in 1985; it sold 20,000 copies.

Word spread about the poet-lawyer. “Next thing you know, a group of Jefferson Parish teachers ask me to speak at a luncheon of a reading association.

As a trial lawyer, I’ve spoken in front of hundreds of people; as a New Orleans city councilman, I’ve spoken in front of thousands. But when I gave this speech about poetry, it was very emotional—the passion was just rolling out.”

Soon after, Bagert received an invitation to perform his poems for a group of third graders. “I look back on this as a real serendipity. If I had started with seventh graders, they would have eaten me alive or chilled me out. Kindergarteners would have fed on me like piranha fish. But third graders, they’re lovely and fun, spontaneous and happy”—the perfect audience for his first school performance.

Returning to his law office after that presentation,

Brod Bagert fascinated and hungry for more.

And he continues to compose for them, this poet Brod Bagert, because that’s what fuels his very soul.

Bagert’s love of poetry was sparked when, as a little boy growing up in New Orleans, he wrote a poem for his sick mother. That spark ignited into a flame as he studied and fell in love with the great poets during his years at Jesuit High School and even into college at Loyola. Although that fire smoldered as he earned a living for his family, the embers were set ablaze again when he composed a poem for his daughter, Colette, to recite at a school competition.

Not surprisingly, both his daughter and his poem, The Night I Caught the Burglar, were a big hit. This fueled his passion for poetry, and he wrote even more poems. Soon, people were asking for copies of his works. This ultimately led to a book of poems for children, If Only I Could Fly, that Bagert self-published 42

Inside Northside

by Karen B. Gibbs

he sat down at his desk and stared at the stacks of legal papers before him. He realized there was a painful disconnect between the sense of fulfillment he felt while performing poetry for the children and the feelings he had being a lawyer. “With the kids, there was this sense of accomplishment, as if my day had some value to someone. People buy yachts or nice cars to get that feeling. I was getting it by working with children.”

Then and there, Bagert decided to do whatever it took to get more of this. For the next few years, he worked his law practice around every speaking engagement that came his way. Teachers were quick to spread the word of his enthusiastic performances and how his methods inspired their students to love poetry. It wasn’t long before Bagert was appearing before teachers and students not only in Louisiana but also in Mississippi and Florida. Over the next >>

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Poet with a Purpose

March-April 2016 43

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Inside Northside

lost their attention, he’d do something else.

But he never lost their attention. “After I performed the whole book, 90 kids yelled, ‘Do it again!’” And he did.

“Cheese and crackers, crackers and cheese…”

“They loved that poem, Snack Time.

It’s all about life. When we make a mess, we clean it up and go back at it again.

The heart of my work is to express the emotions that children feel, in a way that makes them stronger, healthier, happier and more powerful. Life will knock you down, but powerful kids get back up; powerful kids kick peer pressure in the butt. Powerful kids are more likely to take the long, hard road to success than the short road that leads to mediocrity.”

Helping kids become more powerful is a theme that runs through the Hormone Jungle. Written for ages 12 to 14, it chronicles the evolution of a friendship between Christine and Steven and how they weather the storms of adolescence and life. One of the poems, The Voice of an Unnamed Star, is

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

few years, as his fame spread across the nation, he averaged over 100 student performances and 20 reading conferences per year—all while working his law practice.

Bagert recalls one particularly grueling year when he performed more than 100 times across the United States and in two foreign countries. On the last day of this tour, he gave four presentations at a California school.

“So, after I finished what was the last performance of the hardest tour of my life, the principal said, ‘You can say no if you want to, but the three kindergarten teachers are very upset that we didn’t include them. Would you do something for them?’ Coincidentally, I’d just received from my publisher the unbound pages for my book, Shout. It’s my favorite—it makes me happy.”

Problem was, Bagert had already packed up the projector, speakers and microphones. Grabbing the pages of his new book, he decided to read those poems to the children instead. He thought if he

Christine’s message from Steven as he’s dying of leukemia. It reads in part: And so, In this ocean of eternal night, I make day.

I burn to give this light away And in burning earn the right to say I am a star.

So in the twilight of some cool September evening, Remember me, And perceiving how I loved you, Look for me again, Just above the southern horizon, For I will be there, And you will find me.

This delicate juxtaposition of love and death takes the reader on an emotional journey. Indeed, Bagert admits that all of his books are emotional—transporting the reader from lighthearted to heartwarming and all points in between. “From the first poem to the last, the poems are emotional stepping stones. Most of this occurs on an unconscious level. When children finish the book, they’re in a different position than when they started. I’ve intentionally made it this way.”

Like his poems, Bagert’s own journey as a poet also runs the gamut of emotions.

Performances are deliriously fulfilling but physically draining because he gives his all, every time. So, when he scheduled back-to-back performances in five states in one week, he really raised the bar. Yet, despite the pace, Bagert recalls a couple of experiences during that time that assured him it was worth it.

“I’d arrived home late Friday night, washed my clothes and packed to go out again Sunday morning. It had been a demanding 10th week of an 18-week tour, not one day off. I sat down on my >> March-April 2016 45

sign I stopped the car, got out, found the North Star and confirmed my course. The Dakotas. A million stars. It was cold. I could see my breath fogging up. I heard wolves in the distance. Beautiful. And I thought, this is the way I drive to work! Nothing beats this. No more whining about being exhausted.”

Another time, I was performing in Sandusky, Ohio. “I don’t do many high schools, but this time

photo courtesy: BROD BAGERT

bed, totally exhausted, wondering where I’d find the strength to keep going. Then I thought of the kids I’d see the next day. I got up and headed to the airport.

I landed in the Dakotas at 11:30 p.m. It was after midnight when I started driving to a Lakota Indian reservation. I knew I had to go 80 miles west, but the roads were not well marked and I didn’t know which way was west. So after 10 miles without seeing a road

it was for a group of tough kids. I performed The A B C Song, from Hormone Jungle. It’s about how kids sabotage themselves because they think they aren’t forgivable. Toward the end, the poem reads, I am old and I’m tired, please don’t listen to me.

Go climb some tall mountain, or sail the big sea.

U... Irreplaceable you.

With that, this big teen sitting in the front burst out crying. I’d noticed that he was feeling the poem, but he’d been holding back. The idea that a piece of writing could produce that strong of an emotion (and bring the healing that happens because of that emotion) is fulfilling to me. It’s the best thing that can happen.”

This message that you don’t have to be perfect resounds not only in Bagert’s writings but in the way he teaches students to compose poems. “I tell them to begin by writing your worst. Then, just try to make it better with each re-write. That way, every re-write is a success. The only failure is when you can’t make it any

better, and then it’s good writing! You’ve succeeded.”

As much as he loves performing for students, Bagert derives the same pleasure working with teachers.

Roseanne Ramos, a teacher and member of the Capital City Reading Council in Baton Rouge, recalls Bagert’s presentation at a conference in South Florida. “Brod is a phenomenal speaker. He motivates and inspires teachers to have excitement and fun when teaching. We learn as he works with students at these conferences.

He overwhelms them with enthusiasm and love for reading. I’ve watched students read one of his poems and identify with it. They get so excited. ‘That’s me! Give me more!’ They can’t wait! The kids finally have poetry that addresses their feelings and what they’re going through.

That’s what draws their interest and keeps them reading.”

Bagert impressed another person at that same South Florida conference. “After the talk, I’m autographing books, and this woman stands in front of me and says, ‘How come I don’t know you?’ I thought that was strange, so I said, ‘Well, how come I don’t know you?’” That woman, Bernice Cullinan, just so happened to be a poetry editor and a former president >> of the International Reading Association.

“Do you have a manuscript for another book?” she asked. That was the watershed moment of his career. Bagert handed her the copy of the latest book he’d been working on. “The minute she published that book, I told my wife, Debby, I’m going for it, and I closed my law practice. That was in 1992.” With two children in college at the time, Bagert describes their financial situation as a payas-you-go, but wife Debby was supportive.

“I felt he had something to share,” says Debby. “I figured we’d work it out. And we did. What a trip!” She put her part-time real estate business into high gear. “When Brod ran for public office, I’d go door-to-door asking for votes. It would be even easier to do it when I could get a nice commission.”

As for their four children, they actually knew their father more as a poet than a politician or lawyer, so they were happy and excited for their dad.

Free to devote all of his energy to his career, Brod’s creative juices flowed. Seeing firsthand how poetry impacted children, he set out to develop a curriculum using poetry to teach other subjects. He called it the Muse Project. After writing hundreds of instructional poems, he looked for an educator to review the program.

His quest ended at an International Reading Conference in Louisiana where he met Dr. Julie Bryant, associate professor of education, and Jennifer Fox, educational instructor, both from Southwest Baptist College in Missouri.

After seeing Bagert’s presentation, they stopped by his booth at the conference to learn more about his approach to teaching. Since he was surrounded by teachers, Bryant left her contact information, and she and Fox returned to their hotel room to pack for the trip home. Fortunately, their flight was cancelled, and they spent an extra night in Louisiana. “That evening, I got an

email from Brod saying he would love to talk with us about partnering with him at the conference next year. We were so excited we screamed and danced around the hotel room.” It was that chance event that gave Bagert the opportunity to tell Bryant and Fox about the Muse Project.

Bryant recalls, “Brod inspired me with his charisma and his belief in poetry as a vehicle to teach many other subjects.

He is an amazing individual who’s so passionate, it’s contagious.”

The trio applied for and were invited to speak at the conference the following year. To fine tune their presentation, Bagert spent a weekend in Missouri, where he wowed Bryant’s two children by performing all the poems from his book Giant Children—including Booger Love.

Then he penned a spontaneous poem for Bryant’s daughter commemorating the loss of her first tooth, and another for her son simply because he wanted his own Brod Bagert poem, too.

The conference presentation was a huge success. Before it was over, teachers were not just reading poetry before the group—they were performing it. “We hyped up the teachers to perform in their classroom. We told them their classroom was a stage, their students were the audience, and all they had to do was release the magic and do it!”

Release the magic and do it. Just as 34 years ago, a young attorney dared to let his passion fuel his destiny and consume his energy until passion and person birthed the poet—Brod Bagert.

Learn more about Brod Bagert and his work at BrodBagert.com. For bookings, contact Ashley Martinez, 504-906-7762.

To promote the use of poetry for teaching science, Bagert offers a cost-free, growing collection of poems to teachers and student teachers. They are available online as the Muse Project at BrodBagert.com.

March-April 2016 49

The

Makers of People

by Leah Draffen

SITTING ON THE BANK of the Tchefuncte River with coffee in hand, a young group of four—Shane McGoey, Eric Winder Sella, Harrison Huffman and Kyle Wiedemann—were happy to talk about their first independent film, People.

Two of the four are northshore natives and longtime friends, making the link to “Hollywood South” a natural. Shane, the director and writer of the movie, is from Covington; Kyle from Mandeville. “I’ve seen >> 50

Inside Northside

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Filming in Louisiana

People director and writer Shane McGoey (front); (back, left to right) Harrison Huffman, Kyle Wiedemann and Eric Winder Sella.

March-April 2016 51

some of Kyle’s high school films,” laughs Eric. “Kyle and Shane made movies in their backyard growing up.”

“Yeah, we had some good ones. The best probably being the haunted convent where I starred as an investigator,” Kyle jokes.

“My mom would have really loved that one.”

Eric is from Shreveport, and their backyard again—New Orleans.

Across the lake and on the northshore, the movie industry flourishes as “Hollywood South,” but the project that drew the four together was a failure. “Our original collaboration was for a movie called Reptiles, to be set in Madisonville,” says Kyle. “Preproduction started, we lost an investor or two and things just kept failing.”

Photos of some of the many sets during the making of the independent film, People.

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Inside Northside

“We had a meeting and decided the most important issue was that we just didn’t like the movie,” Eric laughs.

Shane and the guys decided to make a “tactical retreat” to regroup and decide how they wanted to move forward. The summer came and so did a new script. Shane wrote a comedy based around the failure of the first movie. “The first movie was >>

photo courtesy: PEOPLE

Harrison from Houston. Shane and Harrison were always filmfocused, while Eric and Kyle are actually lawyers dabbling in movie-making. The comradery and collaboration is evident when talking to the group; thoughts and ideas bounce from one to another.

Now adults, the group technically made a movie in

Harrison Huffman, Shane McGoey, Eric Winder Sella and Kyle Wiedemann hanging out at Abita

melodramatic and a bit sentimental.

The new movie fits our tone. It’s not very serious and a lot more jaded,” explains Shane.

“When Shane sent us the script for People, it was better, shorter and easier to shoot. We all thought, ‘let’s do it,’” Harrison says.

While some thought it might be easier to give the investors their money back and disappear, the group didn’t allow that to happen. Key to the new plan, though, was the idea of not using large production companies. They decided to make a really independent movie. In only nine days, the script was completed, with minimal changes.

One of the lessons they learned from Reptiles was that time is money in the film business.

“The positive from Reptiles was that we identified what was costing the most money and how to produce the movie more efficiently,” Eric says.

“Being flexible, tapping whatever

resources we could, we decided to avoid traditional funding sources. We believed we could do it.”

And they did.

“What we were able to do would never happen in Los Angeles,” Harrison says. “Here in Louisiana, everyone is willing to make things happen and help.”

Once the script was complete, everyone that read it was excited to join until they learned it was going to be shot entirely in six days. A daunting schedule, yes, but remember, time is money. Sometimes doing what you have to do because there is no back up plan brings out the best in everyone. In just six days, with relatively no money and shooting only at night, the crew managed to complete the film.

With the amount of planning and prep work we put into it, the problems that arose were relatively minor,” Eric explains. “I also think that we were so committed at that point that nothing was going to stop us.”

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Roasting Company in Madisonville.

At least 19 pages of the script were filmed per night. That is almost unheard of. “We had a specific shot list with no flexibility of shooting in 15 different angles,” says Harrison.

“Any scene is difficult, but the biggest challenge was that we had to cut all the fat. Without the luxury of time, we were only able to shoot what we outlined on the shot list. Most big films shoot a fraction of a page a day and capture it in multiple ways to be able to construct a completely different movie if they decide to. Fate was in our favor, because it could have gone wrong in so many ways.”

The finished product is a dark comedy filmed in six vignettes. Each features characters who wrestle with each other, emotionally and some physically, in order to gain control of their own perceptions of the world around them. The vignettes provoke a range of strong emotions in drastically contrasting scenes that fold together in a compelling way.

A loaded cast of seasoned and debut actors mix to make the movie what it is—a play on people and ultimately, the film industry. The cast includes Dino Dos Santos, Rane Jameson, Christine Lekas, Mustafa Harris, Allen Frederic and more.

One cast member happens to be the grammar school principal of the director.

“Most of the parts were written with specific actors in mind,” says Shane. “We even had the characters using their real names until most of them realized they could change it. In fact, the only one that kept his name was Dino. Can you blame him?

“Rane Jameson was actually going to be the star of Reptiles. Once it failed >> March-April 2016 55

and People started, I called him and said, ‘Hey, we aren’t doing that movie anymore, but I have a part for you in this one.’ He ended up, in my opinion, with one of the best performances in the movie.”

The talented crew, like the cast, was obtained easily, because the film was shot in July when most productions are in off-season. “It’s a slow time for the industry, so we were able to get some highly talented people on board,” Harrison smiles. “And also, once people read it and saw how pumped up we were about it, they were all in.”

In assembling the crew, Harrison got people who knew what they were doing, but also gave them a step up in position. “We gave people the opportunity to have total creative freedom with very little oversight.

Whether it was the sound or the art department, they knew what they were doing. They didn’t need us to tell them. Our job was to make it run as smoothly as possible—allowing them to create comfortably.”

Creativity is exactly what made this movie possible. And the love for it. “In Louisiana, it’s much more about 56

Inside Northside

photo courtesy: PEOPLE

Shane McGoey.

the artist,” says Eric. “That’s a big theme in the movie, because in L.A., you can’t write anything without it being changed by the people with the money. It’s a business. But here, there are still people who are willing to let artists make art.”

“I think Louisiana film-makers want to see the more creative side brought here, both pre- and postproduction, as well as the stories being developed here,” Kyle says.

“Everyone was so accommodating.

Whether it was the crew or transportation, or the rent houses or Kelli Bingham at Cineverse,” says Harrison. “There were a number of people who helped the process along.”

“This could have only happened in New Orleans,” laughs Eric. “The beauty of it is that everyone is only 1-degree separated. If you need help from a specific person, there’s more than likely someone you know who knows them. However, I also think we’re at the start of something much bigger for the creatives here in Louisiana.”

While People is less scaly than Reptiles, Kyle and the others appreciate how the process began. “You have to fail,” Kyle notes. “That is part of our story now. And even better, People turned out to look so much like what I pictured when I first read it.”

Through the experience, the four of them have learned a lot about people and film making. The first note being, “film is a pain the ass,” says Shane. Now that it is finished, they are submitting the film to festivals in hopes of it being bought.

“What we just did was the most fun that none of us ever want to have again,” laughs Eric.

Follow People’s story at facebook.com/peoplefilm.

March-April 2016 57

At the Table

by Tom Fitzmorris

THE FESTIVAL SEASON v

NEW ORLEANS EATING 58

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photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

THE FORCES THAT MAKE US get to work on backed-up projects, to lose a few pounds by way of our New Year and Lenten resolutions, and to address all those other important matters that stalled out during the long New Orleans holiday season--all those efforts have worked pretty well for you, right? Good job!

But I know what you’re thinking on that first weekend when the interminable wet chill of February and March give way to sunshine and other indications of springtime.

You and a half-million other people (that is not an exaggerated number, by the way) need a break. And what do you know? It’s just about French Quarter Festival time! Yay! And that mean’s it’s not long until we get our first sunburn at the Jazz Festival. And really eat and drink too much at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience. It all takes us right up to summer!

What a great place to live!

The Festival Season has enough years in the making to be called a tradition, with a culinary style all its own. Its menu is more rustic and homestyle than that of any other time of year.

When do you eat more jambalaya? Hot sausage?

Meat pies? Pralines? Crawfish bread?

The three major Festivals set the standards and the spirit. Between those big weekends, dozens of smaller festivals blossom, full of music, food and drink, celebrating every Louisiana ingredient and flavor. Some are popular enough to support several separate festivals. I don’t even want to think of how many crawfish, shrimp, gumbo,

and oyster festivals there are. But this is certain: if you need to go to a food festival anytime from late March until the Fourth of July, you will not have to search hard to find a good one.

With that in mind, I present here a list of the twenty-five best things to eat during the Festival Season. This is an instant argument--there’s so much great eating at the festivals that the larger ones have fifty or more not-to-be missed treats each. So argue with me if we cross paths in front of Muriel’s crawfish-and goat cheese crepes stand (at the French Quarter Festival).

25 Best Festival Dishes … … At The French Quarter Festival (FQF) and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest). Some of the makers of the dishes are on hand at both festivals. Ranked in descending order of goodness.

1. Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gumbo. Prejean’s, Lafayette. This exotic combination of ingredients from a big restaurant in Cajun country would be a great gumbo even if were made with more everyday meats. Dark roux, spicy, meaty and generous. Jazz Fest.

2. Blackened Shrimp Poor Boy with Pickled Pepper Relish. Red Fish Grill. This is a real zinger of a flavor, rivaled only by the barbecue oyster dish that the Red Fish Grill guys serve at the Jazz Festival. That’s fried oysters with a hot-sauce butter and blue cheese. FQF. 3. Prime Beef Debris Poor Boy. Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse & Bourbon House. Dickie >>

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Brennan serves USDA Prime beef, but even so it shreds when it’s sliced, and those shreds are what makes the most opulent roast beef poor boy imaginable. As if that weren’t enough, they come back with barbecue shrimp in the end of a poor boy loaf. This is the best one-two combo at the French Quarter Festival. FQF. 4. Fried Soft-shell Crab Poor Boy. Galley Seafood Restaurant. It takes Vicki and Dennis Patania months to accumulate the number of soft-shell crabs they need to satisfy the demand at the Jazz Festival.

It’s both the goodness of the eating and the oddity of having a whole crab on a poor boy that attracts. Jazz Fest.

5. Cochon De Lait Po-boy. Love at First Bite. Sporting one of the longest lines at the two festivals where it’s sold, this great sandwich comes from the same people who operate the excellent Walker’s Barbecue in

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New Orleans East. FQF, Jazz Fest.

6. Goat Cheese and Crawfish Crepes, Shrimp with Eggplant Stuffing. Muriel’s Jackson Square. Neither of these sound anywhere near as good as they actually are—the crepes, especially. They serve them individually, but I’d get the combo. FQF. 7. Cajun Jambalaya. Catering Unlimited.

This is the better of the two jambalayas at the Jazz Fest, made in the brown Cajun style, spicy and smoky, with chicken and sausage. Jazz Fest.

8. Grilled Chicken Livers with Pepper Jelly Sauce, Crowder Peas, Okra. Praline Connection. If there’s a better way to prepare chicken livers, I haven’t tasted it. Crowder peas are uncommon in restaurants, but may be the best-tasting bean of them all. FQF, Jazz Fest.

9. Tagine of Lamb (Spicy Stew), Merguez (Grilled Lamb Sausage). Jamila’s Café. Moncef and Jamila Sbaa are from

Tunisia, and they cook the dishes of their homeland. It’s Mediterranean blended with French touches. The merguez is house-made of veal and lamb. It’s at least as good as any other sausage at the Jazz Festival. Which is saying something. Jazz Fest.

10. New Orleans Bread Pudding in Whiskey Sauce. Desire Oyster Bar. Desire has been part of the French Quarter Festival since the first year, always serving a stupendous bread pudding, one of the lightest and best in my experience—and bread pudding is my favorite dessert. FQF. 11. Crawfish and Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Trey Yuen. Trey Yuen used to have a restaurant across the street from Jackson Square, which is how they became part of the French Quarter Festival. They have served this dish—as well as egg rolls and vegetable lo mein, separate or as a combo—since the FQF’s first year. FQF.

12. Creole Hot Sausage Poor Boy. Vaucresson Sausage Co. It wouldn’t be the French Quarter Festival for me without this orange-tinged, spicy, house-made sausage, made by Vance Vaucresson and his family for decades and a standard of soul-food restaurants at least that long.

FQF, Jazz Fest.

13. Boudin. Papa Ninety Catering.

Boudin was little known in New Orleans when the Jazz Festival turned it into a phenomenon. Several vendors have come and gone, but this one is the best of them all. Jazz Fest.

14. Baked Alaska with Chocolate Sauce. Antoine’s. The first time I heard that Antoine’s was serving baked Alaska—a ball of ice cream inside a bigger ball of meringue, accented with chocolate fudge sauce—I wondered how they’d prepare them and keep them from melting. Answer: they run>>

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them over from the restaurant, three blocks away. FQF. 15. Curry Chicken Pattie, Jerk Chicken, Rice & Veggies. Bennachin Restaurant. Bennachin is a real African restaurant, its owners coming from Gambia. “Bennachin” is what they call jambalaya over there, where the dish was invented. This dish incorporates some Caribbean flavor, too. FQF, Jazz Fest.

16. Crawfish Monica. Kajun Kettle Foods. This is the genuine and original version of the much-copied Crawfish Monica, made by Monica Hilzim and hubby Pete. Crawfish, cream, pasta, Creole seasoning.

Simple, very good. Jazz Fest.

17. Crawfish Sack, Oyster Patties, Crawfish Beignets. Patton’s Caterers. Patton’s in Slidell has been in and out of the restaurant business for years. At some point in the 1980s, they came up with these beggar’s purses (made from a crepe), filled them with crawfish étouffée and filled out the plate with the oyster stew inside a puff pastry. The crawfish beignets are not sweet. Jazz Fest.

18. Alligator Sauce Piquante, Shrimp and Okra Gumbo. Fireman Mike’s Kitchen. Fireman Mike is indeed a first responder. Before that, he worked in a number of restaurants, notably Bozo’s. His okra and seafood gumbo is a fine sampling of that dish. Jazz Fest.

19. Spinach Artichoke Casserole, Seafood Au Gratin, Sweet Potato Pone. Ten Talents Catering. The three items in this combo sound just offbeat enough to catch one’s attention, and they live up to this interest. A favorite back to earliest days of Jazz Fest. Jazz Fest.

20. Lemon Ice, Strawberry Ice, Spumoni, Cannoli, Fig and Sesame

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Cookies. Angelo Brocato’s. We hardly have to mention the source of all this gelato, which has been made with zero variability for more than 110 years at Angelo Brocato’s matchless Sicilian ice cream parlor. Jazz Fest.

21. Hot Boiled Crawfish.

Rouses. One of the most wonderful coincidences on the food calendar is that the Festival Season and the crawfish season coincide. Mudbugs peak reliably at Jazz Festival, but they’re pretty darn good at the French Quarter Festival, too. Rouses serves them hot—another great touch. FQF. 22. Cajun Meat Pies. Ted’s Frostop/Mrs. Wheat’s Meat Pies. The first big star of local food festivals is this specialty from Natchitoches. A half-moon-shaped turnover filled with spicy ground beef, it’s hard to pass up, even when you’re full. FQF, Jazz Fest.

23. Crawfish Bread, Shrimp Bread, Sausage-Jalapeno Bread.

Panorama Foods, Marksville. All these are made more or less the same way: the topping gets spread with a lot of cheese over half of a semi-baked French bread loaf. Filling and better than it sounds. Jazz Fest.

24. Turtle Soup. Court Of Two Sisters. One of the best turtle soups around, made with a dark roux, real turtle meat and a tinge of sherry. Oldstyle. FQF. 25. Crawfish Strudel. Cottage Catering. Pastry chef John Caluda has made the crawfish strudel at the Jazz Festival for many years. It’s so delicate that it almost seems out of place for the venue. Jazz Fest.

This article previously appeared in Inside New Orleans.

March-April 2016 63

Great Save Lakeview Regional Medical Center

Above: Amanda Lowery, patient Steven Lowery, Dr. El Khoury, Stroke Program Director and Amy Montet, Lakeview Stroke Program Coordinator. Opposite page: Miles Watts Jr., St. Tammany District 4 and Steven Lowery.

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LAKEVIEW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER recently hosted another “Great Save” event, which brings together patients with all the members of their care teams who played a part in their successful treatment. January’s Great Save reunited patient Steven Lowery with the paramedics, nurses and physicians who helped care for him after a stroke he suffered last August.

Steven, only 44 years old, told the story of how he woke at 4 a.m. one day with stroke symptoms. He could neither speak nor move. He thought, “I have to wake up and alert my wife. Otherwise I might die, or worse, be trapped inside myself forever.” Steven’s wife, Mandy, called 911, and medics from St. Tammany Fire District 4 arrived on the scene in less than 7 minutes. Despite the young age of the patient, the fire and EMS

Inside Northside

teams quickly recognized they were dealing with a stroke. They decided to transport Steven immediately to Lakeview Regional’s Emergency Room.

A CT confirmed a massive stroke, and then Steven and his wife had to make a difficult decision. They could choose to administer a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood (but comes with risks) or simply take an aspirin and hope for the best. But Steven’s symptoms went from bad to worse as Mandy and her son sat by and watched. His face slumped, and his side went weak. Mandy asked Dr. Greg Benton, “What would you do if it were your wife?” He responded that he would proceed with the tPA, and the drug was administered to Stephen.

Miraculously, just a few minutes later, he sat up and began talking. He walked out of the hospital just a few days later.

As Steven addressed his audience of caregivers at the Great Save event and walked them through what he remembered of that night, he talked about how frightened he was. “I was 100 percent lucid in my head, but I just couldn’t get the words out, couldn’t make my hands and legs cooperate,” he said. “All I could think about was my family, my kids and what would happen to them if I didn’t make it.”

He recounted the conversation he had with medic Miles Watts on the way to the hospital. Miles told Steven, “Man, we’re about the same age. I know you’re scared. I feel for you.”

Steven said just hearing those words

photos courtesy: LAKEVIEW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Traces

gave him great comfort.

Mandy, Steven’s wife, also spoke at the event. With tears in her eyes, she spoke about how this experience has strengthened their marriage, and how thankful she was that the first responders and medical team were prepared to handle her husband’s care.

“I had no idea what was happening to Steven, and everything happened so fast. I can’t thank everyone enough for being there in our time of need.”

Bret Kolman, Lakeview Regional Chief Executive Officer, stated why he believes the Great Save program is important to caregivers. “Working in a hospital setting, you only get a brief glimpse of a patient—they are there, then they are gone. There is a short moment of connection, a fleeting opportunity to bond, but then it is gone, and you are on to the next patient. It is so rare that you get the opportunity to know how our care impacted a life.”

After hearing Steven’s story, Bret shared it with the entire leadership team at Lakeview Regional, >> March-April 2016 65

John Tomlinson, St. Tammany Fire District 4

highlighting the significant role of Great Save events in closing the loop for patients and caregivers. “It’s a great reminder of how our jobs make a difference every day to our community.

A tremendous amount of healing took place before my eyes as Mr. Lowery put an arm around his wife, gave a firm handshake to the medic who transported him and recounted the concern shown him by Dr. Benton and our staff,” Kolman said. “I don’t think anyone could have predicted the emotion of that night, and I have never been more proud of our hospital and our medical team.”

Lakeview Regional hosts Great Save events on a quarterly basis. If you have been a patient at Lakeview Regional and would like to have the opportunity to thank your caregivers, please contact Jenny Gensler, Director of EMS Relations at 867-4441.

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photo courtesy: LAKEVIEW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

and patient Steve Lowery.

March-April 2016 67

Hometown Safari

Celebrating 25 Years of Global Wildlife Center

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by Karen B. Gibbs

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

ANIMAL LOVERS, have we got a treat for you— Global Wildlife Center! With over 4,000 exotic animals freely roaming its 900-plus acres, the Center is the largest collection of its kind in the United States. And it all started with Ken Matherne, his little girl and his desire to preserve some land.

When Ken was only 17, his dad died, leaving behind the family homestead. Ken resolved to keep the land in the family as a memorial to his father.

Later, with his own daughter on the way, he wanted to make it a place where his family and others could find entertainment and education.

He thought about collecting native animals.

“I talked to Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Agriculture, LSU, Texas A& M, USDA and every other expert that I could find. They recommended that I look at exotic and endangered species that do well in their own natural habitats here in the United States.”

Matherne liked the idea of “free ranging” exotic animals. “It was not the norm, and everyone said it could not be done, but I decided I could do it. My father had reminded us often that there was no such word as ‘can’t’.”

In 1989, Ken bought five Father David Deer and seven giraffes. The first time Ken let the giraffes out of their transport vehicles, they took off galloping— seven graceful giants frolicking in freedom against the backdrop of a scarlet sky. Eagle Scouts who happened to be driving by stopped to take in the enchanted scene. Over the next few months, Ken noticed more and more people slowing down to admire the giraffes.

Thus began the story of Global Wildlife Center— the largest exotic animal refuge in America and the bestkept secret on the northshore. A veritable Noah’s ark,

from antelopes to zebras, it offers visitors the excitement of an African safari without the travel and expense.

Now that you know a bit of the Center’s history, let’s take a tour to view its spectacular residents.

But first, an absolute must is to buy a big bucket of food for the critters. It’s a sure way to keep them close. With that done, we follow Brittany Ricks, public relations director for Global Wildlife Center, past a covered safari wagon filled with wide-eyed preschoolers. No room for us, so we head to a nine-passenger Pinzgauer, or “Pinz,” where we’re guaranteed to get up close to even the shyest animals.

With Tim behind the wheel, Brittany will serve as our guide. She, like most guides here, began working at GWC when she was in high school and continued while attending Southeastern Louisiana University.

Her three-month training program included learning about every species of animal on the grounds, both exotic and native; mastering the art of driving tractors, safari wagons and Pinz vehicles; working the gift shop; feeding the animals; studying conservation; and learning to be a good communicator. Most importantly, she and all the guides must be happy and enthusiastic—and they are!

All aboard! Let’s roll.

As soon as we pull out of the Welcome Center, the animals flock around us. Deer, zebras, llamas, alpacas … holy cow! Let’s listen while Brittany shares their stories.

By far, some of the more popular attractions at GWC are the eleven reticulated giraffes. (“Reticulated” refers to the web-like pattern of the giraffes’ spots.)

The newest giraffe, Rylen, was born on December 30, 2015, to 22-year-old Kameel, who was also born at GWC, and Brees, the only adult male in the group.

Yes, he’s named for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and Rylen’s named for Drew’s daughter. >>

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photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Brittany recalls the day Rylen came into the world. “Kameel, like all giraffes, delivered Rylen from a standing position. The sack with the baby in it dropped about six feet to the ground and broke open. That didn’t hurt the baby. Actually, the impact served to stimulate the baby’s breathing in the same way a slap on the bottom helps a human baby draw its first breath.”

After the birth, Kameel cleaned Rylen and helped her to stand. Then, she instinctively moved her baby away from its sack. “In the wild, the scent of the afterbirth attracts predators, so Kameel did this to keep Rylen safe, even though we don’t have predatory animals at GWC,” Brittany explains.

After Rylen was standing, Kameel straddled her and positioned her to nurse.

For a time, Rylen and Kameel will be supervised in a special care area by Wes Thompson, resident caretaker of GWC animals. “I enjoy all the animals, but the giraffes are my favorite,” he admits. “During my 20 years here, I’ve helped raise all but two of the giraffes at the Center,” he adds. Indeed, between Wesley, Kameel and the giraffe aunties, Rylen is going to be well-loved.

Rylen’s birth is significant because giraffes may soon be declared an endangered species. Because of over-hunting and loss of habitat, the number of giraffes is slowly dwindling, pointing the urgent need

for wildlife conservation.

While reticulated giraffes are known for their gentleness, Global’s Grant zebras definitely don’t share that reputation. In fact, according to Brittany, these striped equines bite to show affection, and they bite to show aggression. (Now you understand why tour guides tell you to toss zebras’ feed on the ground instead of feeding them from the cup.) Their notorious nipping notwithstanding, zebras are a very interesting breed. Take a close look at their teeth.

They look so much like ours, it’s unnerving. They could advertise for Crest toothpaste!

Here’s another tidbit from Brittany. Baby zebras are born with brown stripes, which will turn black as the babies age. Also, every zebra has a unique pattern of stripes. That means, no two look alike.

So how does a mother zebra know which baby is hers and vice versa? After giving birth to its baby,

a mother zebra will memorize her baby’s stripe pattern. Likewise, the mother keeps other zebras away from her baby for two to three days until the baby is imprinted and can recognize the mother’s scent, voice and pattern of stripes. Another amazing factoid: mother zebras have the ability to delay their baby’s birth during adverse weather conditions, such as a drought, or if the mother is disturbed.

Another Global Wildlife animal with a unique birthing experience is the Australian Red kangaroo. (FYI: Female kangaroos are called flyers; males are called boomers and babies are joeys.) When the joey is born, it’s about the size of a jelly bean.

After birth, the joey crawls into its mother’s protective pouch and attaches to one of the mother’s teats for nutrition. As the joey continues to grow and its nutritional

needs change, the teat produces milk specifically for those needs. Joeys develop in the pouch for 120-450 days, depending on the species. When the time is right, the joey exits the pouch.

At GWC, kangaroos are kept in a spacious, enclosed area near the Welcome Center. They’re there for their own protection because, unlike every other animal at the Center, kangaroos have feet instead of hooves, and those feet can easily walk— or hop—over the cattle guards at the gate.

Perhaps one of Global Wildlife’s crowning achievements is its large population of Father David deer, also known as Père David deer, which are extinct in the wild. Topping 600, it is the largest herd in North America—quite an accomplishment, considering they started with only five in 1989. According to Matherne, they are the only deer that drop and re-grow their antlers twice in a year.

They also love Louisiana. “They dig holes so large you can fit a car in them! That’s where they play after it rains. Filling in these holes keeps a dump truck busy.” But this behavior doesn’t bother Matherne. “They’re my favorite animal >>

Rylen, GWC’s newest giraffe, was born on December 30, 2015.

March-April 2016 71

at Global Wildlife,” he admits, then adds, “but, of course, I love them all!”

Another Global Wildlife resident that is extinct in the wild is the Scimitar Horned Oryx.

These beautiful animals were once hunted for their trademark red patch of fur on their neck and their distinctive, four- to six-foot curved horns.

Because we’ve seen both horns and antlers, Brittany pauses to explain the differences between the >>

The many species of animals at Global Wildlife Center: Alpaca Miniature Sicilian Donkey Axis Deer Ducks and Geese Indian Blackbuck Brahman/Hereford Cattle (Braford) Cape Eland Dromedary Camel Fallow Deer Reticulated Giraffe Kudu Llama Nilgai Père David’s Deer Red Deer Red Lechwe Scimitar-horned Oryx Sika Deer Watusi Cattle Grant Zebra Indian Blue Peafowl Rheas

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Hyacinth Macaw (Edgar)

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Red Kangaroos … and all the other native animals that call Global home!

two. In species with antlers, only males have antlers, which they use to fight male competitors during rutting season.

Once breeding season is over, animals shed their antlers and regrow another set for the next year. When they first emerge, antlers appear as buds and are covered with a velvety skin that supplies blood to the new tissue. This covering is shed once the antlers mature. Horns, on the other hand, are a bone structure.

Part of the body, they’re only grown once. They may break off, but they will never naturally shed.

Next, Brittany brings us to the Nilgai Indian antelopes to tell us how they use their horns during rutting season. When fighting over a female, the male Nilgai kneel, face each other, and then try to pierce each other with their sharp, six-inch horns. Ouch! Since GWC wisely has only one adult male Nilgai antelope, such body piercings are not a problem.

Everyone loves camels, and there’s none more beloved than Bonnie, GWC’s only dromedary. As we pull up to get a closer look, Bonnie saunters up to the Pinz. Brittany points out her intricately entwined eyelashes and vertical-slit nostrils. “They’re made like that as a protection from desert sandstorms,” she explains. As if on cue, Bonnie strikes a pose so we can admire her features.

“Bonnie is so spoiled we seriously wonder if she’d welcome another camel,” says Brittany. “That’s one of the reasons we hesitate to get her a mate, even though she’s only five years old.”

This segues into some facts about breeding. At Global Wildlife, there are two seasons: rutting and birthing, explains Brittany. Breeding starts in October and goes through January, and birthing starts in the spring. For those animals that have one dominant male and lots of females, it’s important >> 74

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March-April 2016 75

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

1,200 trees to replace those lost during Katrina. To help fund the continued replacement of trees over the next five years, GWC invites visitors to adopt a tree.

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photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

The GWC Foundation recently donated

to periodically change out the males as a safeguard against in-breeding. This responsibility falls to GWC’s board of directors who determine the timing and choice of new acquisitions. Good stewards, Global Wildlife enhances its variety of animals by bartering surplus animals with other refuges and zoos that have the same mission.

We continue the tour, pulling onto the highest ground in the refuge, where we overlook a lake.

Gathered around the lake are a herd of Father David deer and a flock of white geese. “The geese are visitors,” Brittany says with a chuckle. “They stopped by to visit and ate so much they couldn’t fly away. If you’re going to be grounded, this is a great place to be.” Nearby, some “shy” beefalo lure us into tossing a few cups of feed their way. These hybrid animals are born sterile, like mules. That means their babies can only be produced by breeding a buffalo with a cow.

We learn that this ridge of high ground is where most of the animals huddled together to ride out Katrina. On high ground and with no trees nearby, the animals instinctively knew it was the safest place to be during the storm. Only the kangaroos were kept in an animal care facility so they wouldn’t escape. Wesley, who remained on the property

throughout the storm, checked on the animals periodically. Remarkably, because of the drop in atmospheric pressure, some of the expectant females delivered their young early. As Brittany likes to say, “We didn’t lose any animals from Katrina, we actually gained a few!”

She takes this opportunity to tell us that the GWC Foundation recently donated 1,200 trees to replace those lost during Katrina. “The employees planted every one of them—maples, sycamores, white oaks, red oaks and poplars,” Brittany says with a note of pride. “To help fund the continued replacement of trees over the next five years, GWC invites visitors to adopt a tree of their choice for $25.”

Matherne is pleased that the Foundation has no debt and is very stable financially. “We do not believe in asking for money if you don’t need it to succeed. Ninety-five per cent of GWC income comes from educational tours, feed sales and proceeds from the gift shop. Global Wildlife Center receives no government funding whatsoever.”

Adds Brittany, “If you liked today’s safari, why not consider becoming a member? That way you can come as often as you wish, get a discount in the gift shop and attend our members-only events in August and October.”

But, most importantly, membership gives endangered animals like graceful giraffes, toothy zebras and a spoiled little camel named Bonnie their own Garden of Eden in Global Wildlife Center.

Global Wildlife Center, 26389 Hwy. 40 in Folsom, offers tours every day of the year, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter and Thanksgiving. Since the times of tours vary, it’s a good idea to check globalwildlife.com or call 985-624-WILD when planning your visit. Arrive early; tours fill up fast.

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Flourishes

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1. aden + anais includes: two pre-washed swaddles and one pre-washed 5

mushy mate lovey-all in cotton muslin. Olive Patch, Covington, 327-5772.

2. One-of-a-kind blue agate on abstract silvertone easel; agate, $315; easel, $66. EMB Interiors, Mandeville, 636-1522.

3. Beautiful crosses; small, $29; large, $39. deCoeur Gifts & Home Accessories, Covington, 809-3244.

4. The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things plaque, $24. St. Joseph Abbey, Covington, 867-2227.

5. Relieve sinus pressure with Dreamtime’s sinus pillow, $25.99. Earthsavers, Mandeville, 674-1133.

6. Pulaski Monaco chest with two drawers and carved cabriole legs, shown in a painted and worn appearance, $948.

American Factory Direct, Mandeville, 871-0300.

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1. Seasonal arrangements, starting at $85. Florist of Covington, Covington, 892-7701. 2. 36” bunny wreath can be made with burlap or mesh in colors of your choice, $65. Water Street Wreaths, Madisonville, 792-7979.3. The RabLabs Dourado candlesticks with smooth, polished ancient quartz gemstones with natural 24k rose-gold-plated edges. Set of two, $385.

Arabella Fine Gifts and Home Décor, Mandeville, 727-9787. 4. 15x23” framed

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original crab painting, oil on canvas. Additional colors available, $175. Le Lapin Velours, Mandeville, 7780663. 5. Adriana writing desk, antique bronze legs, antiqued mirror top.

30”H x 53.25”W x 31.25”D, $1,960. Georgian Furnishing/ Berger Home, Mandeville, 624-3433.

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March-April 2016 81

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Flourishes

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2

1. Running Horses by Elizabeth Impastato, 48” x 60”. Call for more

3

information. Impastato Gallery and Art Therapy, Mandeville, 778-5338.

2. Glass hurricane on hardwood pedestal with gilded gold and silver accents, $150.

5

Gild Home Décor, Mandeville, 629-4002.

4

3. Hand-carved box with hand-carved Cherrywood rosary beads with coconut crucifix and medal, $240. St. Joseph Abbey, Covington, 867-2227.

4. Volcano rock on stand, starting at $220. Rug Chic Home Décor, Mandeville, 674-1070. 5. Handpolished, multi-use petrified wood fossil stool, starting at $475. The French Mix, Covington, 809-3152.

March-April 2016 83

Flourishes

1

2

1. Pick your orchid and pick 4

your pot. Beaded planter, $28; pink orchid, $85. Niche Modern Home, Mandeville, 624-4045. 2. Enter Autumn, 30� x 21� original lithograph,

3

$600 unframed. Rolland Golden Gallery, Covington, 888-6588. 3. YETI TankR 85, 20.8-gallon beverage tub,

5

$249. Boat Stuf, Slidell, 649-9044. 4. Pinch Dat embroidered red and white striped cotton towel, $14.99.

Mandeville Party Company, Mandeville, 674-3983.

5. Square platter with image

by Connie Kittock art, $35. melange by kp. Mandeville, 6

807-7652. 6. Accent garden stools work as extra seating or side tables, $129.

Outdoor Living Center, Covington, 893-8008.

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March-April 2016 85

Wine Cellar

by Bill Kearney

IT IS OFTEN SAID in the world of red wine that “all roads lead to Burgundy.” This suggests that no matter where individuals start in their respective taste of wine, they will inevitably end up drinking Burgundy. While I cannot quite leave behind my wonderful Rhone Valley wines and the luxurious gulps of Bordeaux, good red Burgundy is certainly something I would not want to do without. Red Burgundy will pair with most any food, though there are simply better choices for hearty steaks and lamb. The marriage of pinot noir with seafood of all kinds is just outstanding.

which they derive their source of living. Unlike their counterpart in Napa Valley, where a wine theme park could open, this area is understated and dedicated to growing the greatest pinot noir in the world.

The wine in Burgundy is always about the land and the terroir where the true expression of the grape comes from. Napa Valley has 43,000 acres of land planted for wine, whereas the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy has about 420 acres. These 420 acres produce 24 grand cru wines that are simply the finest pinot noir. Each of these is distinctive in style, with vineyards located literally across

Red Burgundy The Greatest in Pinot Noir Like many regions in France, Burgundy remains a complex maze of puzzlements for many Americans; I hope to simplify this. The great red Burgundies come from a small area in northeastern France in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. But the important thing to remember about red Burgundy is that it is pinot noir. If you have only had pinot noir from California or Oregon, then please rush out and treat yourself to Burgundy. While many priests may disagree, the world’s greatest Burgundies have been described as paralleling a religious experience. They are a combination of harmony and elegance that few would object to.

There are many areas in the New World that make very good pinot noir, but let me put this into perspective for you. The French who harvest these areas in Burgundy have often been doing so generationally for hundreds of years.

They nurture the land that the vines grow on with painstaking care; it is a style of farming that truly praises the land from

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the street from one another producing prodigious wines that are unique and different from their neighbor.

The red wines of Burgundy have names that may appear familiar. The more widely known villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, ChambolleMusigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges are truly reflective of the varying styles of elegant wines that Burgundy produces. There are large producers from these villages, such as Maison Louis Latour, Maison Louis Jadot , Bouchard Père & Fils, Maison Joseph Drouhin and Domaine Faiveley, that produce wines that are worthy of regular quaffing. In many cases, these producers make amazing wines that are truly wonderful expressions of pinot noir and of Burgundy. But the most amazing expressions of Burgundy hail from people like Henri Jayer, Armand Rousseau, Roumier, Leroy, Dujac, Comte de Vogue and, of course, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

These producers create unparalleled experiences of wine that might just create that religious experience many are searching for. Finding these wines might also produce a level of frustration that will require prayer, but it is worthy of the effort.

I am still on my wine drinking road. While I am not sure that it will necessarily end in Burgundy, I can assure you that the trip would not be nearly as brilliant without it.

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INside Look

3

2

1

4

Serenity 1. Moroccan Oil gift set: Moroccan oil

5

treatment, Luminous hairspray, travelsize hydrating styling cream, $70. Oasis, Mandeville, 624-6772. 2. Virtue crystal earrings, $42. 3. Piko top in different styles and colors, $30. Columbia Street Mercantile, Covington, 809-1789, 809-1690.

The Lifestyle Store at Franco’s, Mandeville, 792-0200. 4. Lightweight cotton jersey tunic,

7

$98. CDN Clothing, Covington, 327-7300.

5. Blue topaz and diamond ring in white gold with 4.83 ct cushion-cut blue topaz and

6

.44 ct diamonds. Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, boudreauxsjewelers.com.

6. Zero-G Titanium Optical Collection; Kent, $450; Chelsea, $480. Louisiana Family Eye Care, Covington, 875-7898. 7. Baby-blue textured two-piece set; skirt, $60; top, $52. Paisley, Mandeville, 727-7880.

March-April 2016 89

INside Look

Serenity

3

1. Necklace from the Miracle collection of Virgins Saints and Angels, $265. Fleurt Boutique, Covington, 809-8844. 2. Denim v-neck shirt dress with pockets, ¾-length sleeves, $78; one-of-a4

kind necklace by Fabulina, $76. [brown eyed girl], Mandeville, 626-0100. 3. Marco Bicego 18K

2 1

yellow gold aquamarine petal earrings, $2,050. Lee Michaels, Metairie, 504-832-0000.

4. Baby-blue Boho top by SUGAR + L!PS, $58. POSH Boutique, Covington, 898-2639.

5. Johnny Was blue blouse.

The Villa, Mandeville, 686-9797.

6. Ladies 2.09ct tanzanite ring set in 18kt yellow gold and accented with .35 ctw diamonds, $2,250. Thomas Franks Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, 626-5098.

5

7. Glacier Hobo wallet, $110; key chain credit card holder, $34. Shoefflé, Covington, 8986465. 8. Schutz blue suede, 6

chunky heel sandal, $170.

Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, Mandeville, 778-2200.

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7

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INside Look 2

1

Sapphire

2 5

3 3

Serenity 1. Light-blue smocked dress with silk bow accents, bloomers included; also in light pink; $72. All Wrapped Up, Mandeville, 778-2041. 2. Aquamarine and diamond pendant with 4.9 ct aquamarine and .53 ct diamonds set in 14kt white gold, $2,395. DeLucas Fine Jewelry and Gifts, Covington, 892-2317. 3. PJ Harlow rib

4

racerback tank, $46; satin boxer shorts with drawstrings, $50; satin-trimmed wrapped robe with pockets, $95. Hestia Luxury in Linens, Covington, 893-0490.

4. Melody Set in “La Vida Loca” toile, $178. Palm Village, Mandeville, 778-2547.

5. Light denim is huge for spring, as well as anything with flare! Find these in our store for $59.00! JuJu’s, Mandeville, 624-3400.

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INside Look 2

3

1

Serenity 1. Elegant embroidered lace cocktail dress with cap sleeve, $372. Ballin’s Ltd., 4

Covington, 892-0025. 2. Men’s blue checkered dress shirt, $60; 100% wool

5

tailored fit Traveler sport coat, $550. Jos. A Bank, Mandeville, 624-4067.

3. Long blue and gold fringe necklace 6

with matching earrings, $15.99. Private Beach, Mandeville, 674-2326. 4. Scoop neck crinkle cotton top by Velvet, $99.

Vine, Mandeville, 951-0005. 5. Shu Uemura Depsea Foundation texturizing hair primer/leave-in conditioner. H2O Salon, Mandeville, 951-8166. 6. Fine blue sapphire and diamond ring set in 18kt white gold. Call for details, $7,380.

DeBoscq Jewelry, Mandeville, 674-0007.

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March-April 2016 95

Generous Hearts

Becoming Well Tuned

by Susan H. Bonnett MUCH LIKE A PUZZLE, sometimes different, seemingly

Above: Tegan Wendland, producer of Northshore Focus on WWNO 89.9 FM, which runs on Wednesday mornings at 8:45 a.m.

Opposite page: Debbie Schimmeck, Director, Community Christian Concern 96

unrelated people and ideas come together to create something bigger and more obvious than any one individual piece. In this example, several elements, when they came together, produced a really important and meaningful product for the northshore. Stay with me for a second, because it will all make sense in the end …

First, there are countless community issues, important dialogues and challenges going on in this region on a daily basis that impact all of our lives—homelessness, human trafficking, land and water management issues and arts education, just to name a few. The piece that many people don’t know, however, is that along with all of the challenges and exciting opportunities that our region faces, we also have countless nonprofit organizations, volunteers and community resources to address them.

Somewhat separately, in our region there are many individuals who are committed to public radio. They use public radio as their primary source for news and local information because they love the vehicle, outlet and format that public radio has to offer. The station that reaches the airwaves in our area is WWNO, the NPRmember station for New Orleans and the 13 parishes of southeast Louisiana. It not only broadcasts news, but classical music, jazz, variety programs and unique local

Inside Northside

content. But historically, the station has been challenged with not having abundant content about the northshore region; a gap has existed in the coverage of issues that affect the area in which these devoted listeners live.

Some of these committed individuals, many of whom already have a relationship with the Northshore Community Foundation, came to us for a solution.

Thanks to a few, who are also generous donors to causes throughout the region, together we reached out to WWNO to have a conversation about what we could do to take these individual pieces and create a solution for everyone.

The outcome of this collaboration is a weekly 3 to 5-minute segment called Northshore Focus that was begun a few years ago. The professionally produced news spot runs twice monthly on Wednesdays in one of the most prime drive-time slots—during Morning Edition at 8:45 a.m. In any 15-minute period, an average of 9,900 people listen to Morning Edition, which gives the piece a chance for excellent exposure.

The benefits of this partnership are not only that important, impactful information about our area is now being distributed, but that awareness is being heightened about our issues and the organizations that work so hard to address them.

An unintentional, but still important byproduct

of this work is that every nonprofit that is highlighted now has a professionally produced, important spot that becomes almost a “commercial� it can use to promote the organization, the issues it is addressing and its events. It is an incredibly valuable product that serves so many needs.

The many articles that WWNO has already done on local nonprofits for Northshore Focus have featured topics such as how the lives of homeless men are being transformed at the Miramon Center in Slidell; how the National Alliance on Mental Illness in St. Tammany Parish is using its counselors to shape behavioral health in our area; and how preservationists and music lovers in Mandeville are working to promote the historic jazz hall, the Dew Drop. See all of the spots that have been produced at WWNO.org/Northshore-Focus.

How lucky is the Foundation to be at the center of these otherwise disparate organizations, with the ability, vision and support to pull it all together?

March-April 2016 97

My husband, Scott, and I enjoying a Lucky Dog

IF YOU’VE SPENT ANY TIME AT ALL in the French Quarter, chances are you’ve dined on a Lucky Dog at least once. If so, you’re in good company. Along with millions of nameless customers, actor John Goodman and chef Emeril Lagasse are also rumored to be clients of the iconic hotdogshaped carts. I confess that, until recently, I only feasted on Lucky Dogs in my college days after a night on the town, Pat O’ Brien’s usually; however, circumstances being what they were, I experienced my first daytime Lucky Dog on June 28, 2014, within an hour of wedding my brand-new husband— the champagne was flowing, the reception was two hours away, and we were starving.

I must say, it was delicious and paired well with Moët et Chandon.

Lucky Dog Legacy

photo courtesy: BECKY SLATTEN

on our wedding day.

photo courtesy: LUCKY DOGS

by Becky Slatten

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Since 1948, red-and-whitestripe-shirted vendors have been pushing those carts through the streets of the French Quarter, making them as much a part of that landscape as the statue of Andrew Jackson and the awning of Café du Monde. It would be a safe bet that Lucky Dogs is the only hotdog vending company in the country to receive the endorsement of the United States Supreme Court, which, in the case of City of New Orleans v. Dukes, dba Louisiana

Concessions, declared that they “had themselves become part of the distinctive character and charm that distinguishes the Vieux Carre.”

The real story of Lucky Dogs can’t be found in the straightforward pages of its history, but rather in its long, colorful cast of characters who have worked those carts for nearly 70 years, as well as the creative management skills it has taken to keep those carts and characters rolling through the French Quarter.

It all began when businessman >>

March-April 2016 99

illustration: GRETCHEN ARMBRUSTER

Doug Talbot came across a want ad in the New Orleans States-Item offering for sale a hotdog street vending company, Lucky Dog Novelty Carts, Inc. Talbot and Peter Briant purchased the business in 1970, and Talbot later bought Briant’s interest in the company.

Lucky Dogs manager Jerry Strahan has been a part Talbot’s operations since 1968, when he, then a high school student, was hired by Talbot to work at his Orange Julius stand in the newly built Lakeside Mall. When Talbot opened a second Orange Julius franchise on Bourbon Street, Strahan, barely 18, got his first eyepopping taste of the Quarter—in the late ’60s, the Vieux Carre was home to more hippies, drag queens, drifters, prostitutes and pimps than tourists.

Talbot sold Orange Julius in 1971 and concentrated on the hotdog business while Strahan headed to the University of New Orleans, but their business relationship was far from over.

Off and on, Strahan filled in as manager of Lucky Dogs through graduate school. His life plan was to earn a doctorate in history at Tulane and teach at the college level, but he realized he missed the misfits and characters that made up the dysfunctional Lucky Dog family and even the absurd daily challenges they threw his way. Not every 100

Inside Northside

career affords one the opportunity to work with retired trapeze artists, former heavyweight boxers, Vietnam veterans, carnies and mail-order ministers while also motivating them to stay sober.

Calling jails, morgues and hospitals looking for missing vendors and arriving to work to find the night manager gone, along with the night’s receipts, were other occasional perks.

In his book, Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in the Quarter, Strahan captures the essence of the typical workday, which is anything but typical, and the quirky personalities behind the carts. The motley crew of regulars are curiously loyal, though not always reliable. Several are fair-weather employees, working Labor Day to Memorial Day and then off to cooler climates for the summer. But as transient as the Lucky Dog workforce is, they have a unique kind of brotherhood, complete with feuds and friendships— kindred free-spirits in search of an unfettered lifestyle.

During his years as manager for Talbot, Strahan has filled the role of “peacemaker, negotiator, counselor, detective, father-figure and banker, sometimes all in the same day,” according to the jacket of his book.

Twice, he has been asked to give the bride away at weddings involving

The late Doug Talbot with his sons,

photo courtesy: LUCKY DOGS

Kirk Talbot and Mark Talbot.

vendors. In 1976, the bride was his day manager, Billie; she had proposed to her girlfriend, Bonnie, and the above-mentioned mail-order minister was to perform the ceremony. Alas, the union never took place, and Billie was heartbroken. Another vendor also suffered a blow when the love of his life, a prostitute named Sheila, ended their relationship—for Billie. The second bride met her future husband when she bought a hotdog from him The wedding took place while they worked their Lucky Dog cart together. Upon learning that a news crew planned to attend the ceremony, Strahan opted out of the role of “father of the bride,” and so a beat cop gave the bride away.

Just another day at the office.

The company’s operations have expanded dramatically since it changed hands in 1970; it now caters events and has vendors in the airport as well as Harrah’s

Casino. Lucky Dogs original hotdogs are now available in select grocery stores.

Though Doug Talbot passed away in 2014, his legacy continues. Doug is sorely missed by his family and his business associates.

Years ago, he had the pleasure of hiring his two sons, Mark and Kirk, to join the management team after they finished college. Today, they own the family business, together with their mother, Judi Talbot. They work alongside Strahan in the Gravier Street office, just as their father did for so many years.

“For Dad, it wasn’t just about selling hot dogs. It was more than that. It was about being a part of New Orleans,” says Kirk, “and I think he appreciated being a small part of New Orleans history.” Lucky for us.

This article previously appeared in Inside New Orleans.

March-April 2016 101

Traces

Lisa Dunk

Leadership Northshore’s Road To Home 5K IN ST. TAMMANY PARISH, 1,124 children invisibly identified themselves and their families as homeless in school surveys. This masquerade-like system allows children in homeless situations to remain “invisible” and stay with their families. The children’s fear of being taken away from parents or guardians keeps them from receiving proper help. Because of the anonymity of the problem, combatting it has been a struggle for many years.

Leadership Northshore Class of 2016 Project Team 1

Members of Leadership Northshore Class of 2016 Project Team 1, organizers of the event.

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members Lisa Dunk, Eric Irmscher, Stacey Kennedy, Matt Meyers and Angela Taylor hope to change that.

In September 2015, they began a nine-month course with Leadership Northshore, an intensive experience for potential leaders that encompasses a broad scope of community concerns.

Participants are placed into teams to plan and implement a project that will benefit the community. Lisa says, “The journey isn’t an easy one. You have to take the first couple of weeks to get to know the people you’re working with. It’s not easy to do that, especially for an introvert, but the results have been amazing.”

Once the four individuals came together as a team, they learned about the lack of support for the homeless in St. Tammany Parish. They noted that while most people are unaware of the troubles that silently go on around them, they might be able and willing to help if they knew the extent of the problem. The team reached a momentous decision: to raise awareness of homeless families in the general public through what they hope will become an annual 5k fun run. The group is adamant about bringing this “invisible problem” into the forefront of people’s minds.

Their hope is coming true. The first Road to Home 5K Fun-Run/Walk, a benefit for Family Promise of St. Tammany, is set for April 16. Family Promise utilizes community resources to address immediate needs of families living in transition as they work towards permanent housing. Through Family Promise, Road to Home hopes to help make homeless or low-income families independent, keeping the entire family

photos: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

by Rebeca Perrette

together—including pets; the fear of being separated should not inhibit a family’s taxing search for a foothold.

Road to Home brings community and family values together to zero in on the fact that it really does take a village to raise a child—or even to help a family in need. The race event and its volunteers offer encouragement, willingness and openness to bring hope to those most in need while also combatting the fear that accompanies opening up to strangers about difficult situations. Whether donating, sponsoring, volunteering or participating, Lisa notes, “It is crucial that people help in any way they can.”

While families are the main focus of the fun run, Road to Home urges individuals to ask for help as well. It is important to the team that anyone in need of support feels welcome enough to ask for it.

Through persistence and continued support, one day homelessness may be eliminated in St. Tammany Parish, and when it is, these motivated team members will know that they have helped.

Road to Home 5K Fun-Run/Walk Saturday, April 16, 8 a.m.

St. Tammany Fishing Pier After party with food, beverages, and prizes. $25 early-bird registration; after March 15, $30.

For race information, to register, volunteer or donate, visit: roadtohome5k.com.

March-April 2016 103

Partnering for Success

Beverly Brown and Darryl Durham of Anna’s Place NOLA In Tremé, where disadvantage derives from economic inequality, a powerful pair of people have come together, working for the benefit of children who have all odds against them.

Darryl Durham is the Director of Arts and Community Engagement for Anna’s Place NOLA, which provides an after-school and Saturday support program for children ages four to fourteen. With a master’s in musical performance from Boston University, Durham came to New Orleans from New York City, where he was Director of the Harlem School of the Arts.

Seventeen-year-old Beverly Brown is co-founder and president of Kids Wanna Help, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurial education programs for youth. A National Merit Semifinalist and senior at St. Scholastica Academy in Covington, Brown arrived at Anna’s Place NOLA to collaborate with Durham in a valiant effort to increase the likelihood of long-term financial independence for at-risk youth.

In an effort to address and curb violence in the community, the successful programs at Anna’s Place NOLA focus on education, art, healthcare and socialization. Beverly’s expertise adds a new dimension: finance and entrepreneurship. Using the Kids Wanna Help model and curriculum, she is teaching the kids valuable, real-world skills.

“Everything they are doing has an academic component and a real-life application,” says Durham. The kids are learning everything from how to count change without a calculator to the importance of maintaining a “customer is always right” attitude and paying bills on time to avoid interest. They are also studying the difference between gross profits and net profits and the effects of supply and demand. Socially, Brown stresses saying “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” to adult customers, maintaining eye contact and refraining from texting and talking on the phone while working. She also instructs the children in job interviewing, an invaluable skill.

The long-term goal for the participants in this entrepreneurial education program is adult economic independence. As a part of the program’s short-term goal, the kids are forming their own businesses, learning how to be good employers and good employees. As they work toward their goal, through Brown’s training they are creating a budget and a business plan and will review their own performance after each sales event.

Their first sales opportunity was the St. Anna’s Holiday Market, which ran from lateNovember through mid-December. A very successfully venture, the children sold products they made through their program activities, including sewing, visual arts, and raised-bed 104

Inside Northside

gardening of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Brown is preparing the current students to train the second set of young entrepreneurs, who in turn will develop their leadership skills for the next group. Durham says, “Beverly is a very strong role model, and she has more of an impact because of her age. Our kids can see what she has already accomplished, and they will know you can really do this if you apply yourself, stay focused and work hard. She is inspiring them to think beyond what they know.”

Beverly’s training and inspiration, along with Durham’s hands-on approach to mentorship—which includes walking kids home from the program in the evening—is a recipe for success.

College-bound next year, Brown will remain a consultant to the program. Her continued involvement will help sustain the entrepreneurial education, and as Durham adds, “It will be helpful for the kids to know someone who has gone to college. It won’t just be Mr. Darryl telling them that it is something they could do.”

The partnership forged by Darryl Durham and Beverly Brown is ample evidence for the children that working together brings success—to them, their families and their community.

Anna’s Place NOLA is located at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave. 947-2121. For more information about the program, go to AnnasPlaceNOLA.com.

For information on Kids Wanna Help, go to KidsWannaHelp.com.

March-April 2016 105

IN the Bookcase

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us the Way

by Hoda Kotb with Jane Lorenzini

YOU HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE today. There’s no hurry or schedule to follow, but you must get there on time.

You don’t have a map or itinerary, and the destination might be a surprise, but once you arrive, as happens in the new book Where We Belong by Hoda Kotb (with Jane Lorenzini), you’ll be in exactly the right place.

It’s natural: a turn of the calendar, and you’re feeling some inner restlessness. It’s okay to admit it, says Kotb: you sense that there’s more to life, and you yearn to find it. The good news is that it’s never too late to start working toward that perfect spot in your world; in fact, here, Kotb introduces readers to people who did.

Michelle Hauser grew up in Mason City, Iowa, living sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father. By age 10, she skillfully ran a household; at 12, she landed a paying job because she sensed a need for self-sufficiency; at 14, she worked in a restaurant, where her love of cooking

was cemented. She ultimately became a chef, but throughout her life, she always harbored a dream of being a doctor. It would be even better if her two passions could unite …

Craig Juntenen never wanted children and had taken steps to ensure that it didn’t happen; his wife, Kathi, had known about his tenets when they were dating, and she accepted them.

She was, therefore, very surprised when Craig came home after a golf outing and announced that he had an idea that ultimately changed their lives and their family, when two became five …

Kay Abrahams grew up in the lap of luxury with everything she wanted—except parental attention, which she longed for. Her parents loved her, that was a fact, but they were busy with careers and had little time for her. Eventually, she fell into the same situation, but a move halfway across the country helped her find the “family” she needed.

And for successful businessman

Below: Hoda Kotb speaks at a recent signing of Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us The Way in Huntington, New York.

photo: DEBBY WONG

Lindley DeGarmo, the move away from a sales career meant moving toward a job closer to his heart—and to his soul.

So where’s your turning point? It won’t be identical to the ones you’ll find inside Where We Belong, but you’ll get a lot of inspiration just the same; you’ll also get a lot of same. Indeed, the stories here are all very similar and, with one exception, pre-existing wealth shows up quite often in the tales. That may turn a few readers off.

And yet, who doesn’t struggle with New Year’s Resolutions? At this point in the new year, if you’ve made

’em, you probably do, and author Hoda Kotb (with Jane Lorenzini) offers something here that’ll energize you: true, encouraging stories.

And so, in the end, I mostly enjoyed Where We Belong. It’s a happy book, and if those everyday people can identify, find, and accomplish lifechanging goals, surely you can, too. If you’re eager for that, then this book belongs in your hands.

March-April 2016 107

INside Dining

Covington Courthouse. Italian and Carreta’s Grill, 70380 Hwy. 21,

seafood. dicristinas.com. MCC.

La Carreta Authentic Mexican Cuisine, 812 Hwy. 190, 624-

871-6674. Great Mexican cuisine and

MCC: Major credit cards accepted

margaritas served in a family-friendly

Don’s Seafood Hut, 126 Lake

2990. Festive Mexican atmosphere,

ME: Menu Express delivery

atmosphere for lunch and dinner. Kids

Dr., 327-7111. Lunch and dinner.

fresh food from traditional recipes,

RR: Reservations recommended

eat free every Wednesday! Private

donsseafoodonline.com. MCC.

outstanding service and value. Live

events and catering also provided.

ABITA SPRINGS

carretasgrill.com. MCC.

Abita Barbecue, 69399 Hwy. 59,

music. Lunch and dinner seven days Downtown Deli, 400 N. Thread

a week. carretasrestaurant.com.

St., 234-9086. Chicken salad,

MCC.

400-5025. Ribs, brisket, chicken,

The Chimes, 19130 W. Front St., 892-

burgers and poboys. Mon-Fri,

pulled pork and boudin. MCC.

5396. Catering, Sunday brunch, daily

10:30am-2:30pm. MCC.

lunch specials, 72 beers on tap. Lunch Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly St.,

and dinner. chimesbeeru.com. MCC.

892-5837. On the Trace. Good

Lola, 517 N. New Hampshire St., 892-4992. Lunch, Mon-Fri; Dinner,

El Portal, 1200 Business 190, 867-

Fri-Sat. Closed Sundays. Daily lunch

5367.

specials, local produce, Louisiana

food, great beer. Lunch, dinner.

Coffee Rani, 234-A Lee Ln., 893-

abitabrewpub.com. MCC.

6158. Soup and salad specialists.

The English Tea Room, 734 Rutland

coffeerani.com.

St., 898-3988. Authentic English

seafood, everything housemade. lolacovington.com.

cream teas. Special event teas,

Mattina Bella, 421 E. Gibson St.,

St., 867-9950. Southern cooking for

Columbia St. Seafood, 1123

English scones, crumpets and cakes.

892-0708. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tues-

N. Columbia St., 893-4312.

Serving breakfast and lunch. Mon-Sat,

MCC, checks.

Sun. MCC.

Seafood platters and po-boys.

7:30am-6pm. englishtearoom.com.

columbiastreetseafood.com.

MCC, RR.

809-6313. Traditional seafood and

Columbia St. Tap Room &

Fat Spoon Café, 2807 N Highway

salads, overstuffed potatoes.

New Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.

Grill, 434 N. Columbia St., 898-

190., 893-5111. Breakfast, Lunch, Tues-

mcalistersdeli.com. MCC, checks.

com. MCC.

0899. Daily specials, appetizers,

Sun. 7am-2pm. Breakfast severed until

sandwiches, salads, soups and

10:30 on weekdays and all day Saturday

Megumi of Covington,

Mama D’s Pizza & More, 22054

burgers. Live music Thurs-Sat nights.

and Sunday. Reserve Fat Spoon Café

1211 Village Walk, 893-0406.

Hwy. 59, 809-0308. Great pizza,

Lunch, dinner. covingtontaproom.

for your next party. fatspooncafe.com.

megumirestaurant.net.

sandwiches, pasta, fresh homemade

com. MCC, ME.

MCC.

Copeland’s, 680 N. Hwy. 190,

Four Seasons Chinese Buffet, 600

1645 Hwy. 190, 327-5407. Salads,

809-9659. Authentic New Orleans

N. Hwy. 190, 893-3866. MCC.

pizzas, calzones. 20 craft beers on

Abita Springs Café, 22132 Level

15, 898-2800. Great sandwiches,

Camellia Café, 69455 Hwy. 59,

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers,

bread. Lunch, dinner. mamadspizza.com.

COVINGTON

McAlister’s Deli, 206 Lake Dr., Ste.

cuisine. Lunch, dinner and Sunday

tap. Open 7 days a week. Lunch and

Abita Roasting Company,

brunch. Online take-out orders at

Gallagher’s Grill, 509 S. Tyler St.,

1011 Village Walk., 246-3345.

copelandsofneworleans.com. MCC,

892-9992. Lunch and dinner, Tues-

abitaroasting.com.

ME, RR.

Sat. gallaghersgrill.com. MCC, RR.

Acme Oyster House, 1202 Hwy.

Dakota Restaurant, 629 N. Hwy.

Garcia’s Famous Mexican Food,

190, 246-6155. Established 1910 in

190, 892-3712. Contemporary

200 River Highlands Blvd., 327-7420.

New Orleans, 1995 on northshore.

Louisiana cuisine using local

Seafood, sandwiches, local favorites.

and seasonal ingredients.

Glory Bound Gyro Company, 500

seven days a week, lunch and

Lunch, dinner. mamdspizza.com.

thedakotarestaurant.com. MCC, RR.

River Highlands Blvd., Ste. A, 871-

dinner. Known for famous specialty

0711. Open 7 days a week, lunch and

burgers and “havin’ a good time!”

Del Porto Restaurant, 501 E. Boston

dinner. A new age American restaurant

mugshotsgrillandbar.com.

Albasha, 1958 Hwy. 190,

St., 875-1006. Northern Italian cuisine.

concept with Mediterranean influences.

867-8292. Mediterranean cuisine.

delportoristorante.com. MCC, RR.

gloryboundgyroco.com. MCC.

Di Martino’s, 700 S. Tyler St., 276-

Isabella’s Pizzeria, 70452 Hwy. 21,

fish, smothered rabbit and voodoo

Annadele’s Plantation, 71518

6460. Great food and reasonable

Ste. 500, 875-7620. Salads, gourmet

crawfish rolls. Family owned and

Chestnut St., 809-7669. Yellow fin

prices. Lunch, dinner. dimartinos.

pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones

operated. neworleansfoodspirits.com.

tuna, domestic lamb & much more.

com. MCC.

and pasta. isabellaspizzeria.net.

MCC.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, 69292 Hwy.

Italian Pie, 70488 Hwy. 21,

Nonna Randazzo’s Italian Bakery

Bear’s Restaurant, 128 W. 21st St.,

21, 871-2225. Locally-owned and

871-5252. Pizza, salads, pasta,

and Cafè, 2033 N. Hwy. 190, Ste.

892-2373. Best po-boys in the world.

-operated franchise. Kids eat free on

sandwiches. Dine in or carry out.

5, 893-1488. Full service, year-round

Sundays. MCC.

italianpie.com. MCC, checks.

bakery. Luncheon salads, panini,

809-3880. Seafood, po-boys, steaks.

DiCristina’s Restaurant, 810 N.

Jerk’s Island Grill & Daiquiri

and wedding cakes. Tues-Sun, open

Lunch, dinner. MCC.

Columbia St., Ste. C, 875-0160.

Bar, 70437 Hwy. 21, 893-1380.

at 7am. nonnaskingcakes.com. MCC.

Conveniently located next to the new

jerksIslandgrill.com.

dinner. MCC. mellowmushroom.com.

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, 104 Lake Dr. #1, 898-6362. menchies.com.

MCC.

Mugshots Grill & Bar, 300 River Highlands Blvd., 893-2422. Open

New Orleans Food and Spirits, 208 Lee Ln., 875-0432. Grilled

albashabr.com. MCC.

annadeles.com. MCC, checks.

catering, donuts, kingcakes, cupcakes

Buster’s Place, 519 E. Boston St.,

108

Inside Northside

Northshore Empress, 31 Louis Prima

11am-10pm.Lunch buffet weekdays,

Dr., 871-6975. northshoreempress.

11am-3pm. salathaibysu.com. MCC.

com.

Sugarbear’s Sweet Shop, 100 Osaka West Japanese Restaurant,

Tyler Square, 276-2377. Creative

804 N. Hwy. 190, 871-8199.

cakes and assorted sweets. Tues-Sat.

osakawest.com

sugarbearsweetshop.com.

Ox Lot 9, 428 E Boston St., 400-

Sweet Daddy’s, 420 S. Tyler St., 898-

5663. Hotel. Dinner, Sunday brunch.

2166. Pulled pork, brisket and ribs.

oxlot9.com. MCC.

sweetdaddysbarbq.com. MCC, ME.

Papi’s Fajita Factory of Covington,

Tony Bosco’s at TerraBella, 141

1331 N. Hwy. 190 Ste. 100, 893-

TerraBella Blvd., 612-7250. Authentic

1382. Authentic, fresh Mexican

Italian cuisine. Lunch, dinner, private

cuisine. Mondays, two for one house

meeting room, catering. tonyboscos.com.

margaritas all day. Kids eat free on Tuesday nights. Open 7 days a week

Vasquez Seafood & Po-Boys, 515

for lunch and dinner. MCC.

E. Boston St., 893-9336. Cuban sandwiches and more. vazquezpoboy.

Pardos, 69305 Hwy. 21, 893-3603.

com. MCC, checks, ME.

An American bistro with a blend of multi-cultural cuisine with local flair.

Yujin Japanese Restaurant and

Frutta del mar pasta, rosemary-grilled

Sushi Bar, 323 N. New Hampshire

shrimp, roasted chicken. Lunch, Tues-

St., 809-3840. Japanese cuisine and

Fri; Dinner, Tues-Sun; Happy hour,

sushi in a casual atmosphere. MCC.

Tues-Fri, 4-7pm. Private parties and catering. pardosbistro.com. MCC.

Zea Rotisserie & Grill, 110 Lake Dr., 327-0520. Inspired American food.

Pat’s Seafood Market and Cajun

zearestaurants.com. MCC.

Deli, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-7287.

HAMMOND

Jambalaya, gumbo, stuffed artichokes.

MCC, checks, ME.

Brady’s, 110 SW Railroad Ave., 5426333. bradysdowntown.com.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 70456 Hwy. 21, 875-7894. Catch your morning

Cocoa Bean Bakery and Cafe,

buzz at this convenient drive-thru!

910 E. Morris Ave., 345-2002.

Catering. MCC.

Specialty cakes, pastries. Serving breakfast and light lunch. Specials.

Pizza Man of Covington, 1248 N.

thecocoabeanbakery.com. MCC.

Collins Blvd., 892-9874. Checks, ME. Don’s Seafood & Steak House, Raising Canes, 1270 N. Hwy. 190,

1915 S. Morrison Blvd., 345-8550.

809-0250. Chicken fingers, crinkle-cut

donsseafoodonline.com. MCC.

fries, coleslaw, texas toast, signature secret dipping sauce. Dine-in, to-go

Jacmel Inn, 903 E. Morris St.,

and catering. MCC.

542-0043. Catering, special events, weddings. Casual fine dining, chargrilled

Renaissance Antiques & Gifts with

steaks, gulf fish, fresh seafood, house

the Original Soda Fountain & Café

specialties. jacmelinn.com. MCC,

Cabaret, 322 N. Florida St., 892-

checks.

7220. Nostalgic soda fountain for lunch and after school, six days a week.

Kirin Sushi, 223 S. Cate St., 5428888. First Japanese sushi restaurant

Sake 21 Japanese Restaurant,

in Hammond! Dragon roll, Kirin roll,

70340 Hwy. 21, 809-2640.

sake. kirinjapanesecuisine.com. MCC.

Sala Thai, 315 N. Vermont St., 249-

La Carreta Authentic Mexican

6990. Special salads, spring rolls,

Cuisine, 108 N.W Railroad Ave., 419-

soups, noodle and curry dishes.

9990. Festive Mexican atmosphere,

Sun-Thurs, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat,

fresh food from traditional recipes, >>

March-April 2016 109

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g Fazzio’s Seafood & Steakhouse,

La Madeleine French Cafe, 3434

music. Lunch and dinner seven days

Hook’d Up Riverside Bar and

1841 N. Causeway Blvd., 624-

Hwy. 190, 626-7004. lamadeleine.com.

a week. carretarestaurant.com. MCC.

Grill, 100 Marina Del Ray Dr., 845-

9704. Fresh fish daily, aged beef,

8119. Burgers, wings, hot dogs and

traditional Italian. Lunch, dinner.

LaLou, 200 Girod St., 231-7125.

specials.

fazziosrestaurant.com. MCC, ME, RR.

Excellent choice for brunch! Pasta,

BBQ brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage.

Keith Young’s Steakhouse, 165

Franco’s Grill,100 Bon Temps

oldmacdonaldsmokehouse.com. MCC,

Hwy. 21, 845-9940. Steak, crab

Roule, 792-0200. Fresh organic foods

checks.

cakes. Lunch, dinner, Tues-Fri.

for breakfast, lunch and takeout.

The Lakehouse, 2025 Lakeshore

keithyoungs.net. MCC.

myfrancos.com/dining. MCC.

Dr., 626-3006, events 778-2045.

Thomas St., 350-6100. Pizza, pastas.

Morton’s Boiled Seafood & Bar,

George’s Mexican Restaurant,

Lunch, dinner. tommysonthomas.

702 Water St., 845-4970. Relaxed

1461 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4342.

com. MCC, checks.

atmosphere, seafood, daily specials.

Family owned. Fajitas, George’s

Little Tokyo, 590 Asbury Dr.,

Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

nachos, Carne al la Parrilla. Best

727-1532. littletokyosushi.com.

outstanding service and value. Live

Old MacDonald’s Smokehouse,

specialty salads, sandwiches.

1601 N. Morrison Blvd., 542-7529.

Tommy’s on Thomas, 216 W.

doyoulalou.com. MCC.

Restaurant open. Call for reservations.

Tope là, 104 N. Cate St., 542-7600.

lakehousecuisine.com. MCC.

top-shelf margaritas in town.

Contemporary delights. topela.com.

Water St. Bistro, 804 Water St.,

georgesmexicanrestaurant.com.

Louie & The Redhead Lady,

MCC.

845-3855. Casual ambiance on the

MCC, ME.

2820 E. Causeway App., 626-6044.

Tchefuncte. Lunch and dinner, WedTrey Yuen Cuisine of China,

Sun. mortonsseafood.com. MCC.

2100 N. Morrison Blvd., 345-6789.

MANDEVILLE

Innovative quality Chinese food served

louieandtheredheadlady.com.

Gio’s Villa Vancheri, 2890 E. Causeway App., 624-2597. Sicilian

Macaroni Grill, 3410 Hwy. 190, 727-

specialties by 5-star chef Gio

1998. Penne rustica, pasta Milano,

in Imperial surroundings. treyyuen.

The Barley Oak, 2101 Lakeshore

Vancheri. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.

other Italian favorites. Lunch, dinner.

com. MCC, checks.

Dr., 727-7420. Serving 130 styles of

giosvillavancheri.com. MCC. RR.

macaronigrill.com. MCC, ME.

Isabella’s Pizzeria, 2660 Florida

Mande’s, 340 N. Causeway App.,

St. (in the Florida Street Market),

626-9047. Serving breakfast and

Benedict’s Plantation, 1144 Lovers

674-5700. Salads, gourmet pizza,

lunch, daily specials.

Ln., 626-4557. Traditional New

sandwiches, paninis, calzones and

Yellow Bird Café, 222 E. Charles

Orleans cuisine. Dinner, Sunday

pasta. isabellapizzeria.net.

St., 345-1112. A great place to start

brunch. benedictsplantation.net.

your day. Breakfast, lunch. MCC,

MCC.

beer, call and premium liquors. Lunch VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2108 W.

and dinner. thebarleyoak.com. MCC.

Thomas St., 345-1131. “Taste our Magic.” voodoobbq.com. MCC.

Mandina’s, 4240 Hwy. 22 in Azalea Square Shopping Center,

Italian Pie, 4350 Hwy. 22, 626-5252.

674-9883. Seafood, Creole and

Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches.

Italian. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.

Bosco’s Italian Café, 2040 Hwy. 59,

Dine in or carry out. italianpie.com.

mandinasrestaurant.com.

624-5066. boscositalian.com.

MCC, checks.

Hwy. 190, 882-7201. Casual dining

Café Lynn Restaurant and

Jubilee Restaurant and Courtyard,

Hwy. 22, Suites 11 and 12, 845-

with a great atmosphere. MCC,

Catering, 2600 Florida St., 624-

301 Lafitte St., 778-2552.

1644. Yakimono and sushi bar.

checks.

9007. Casual fine dining for lunch,

Contemporary Louisiana cuisine for

Lunch, dinner. megumirestaurant.

dinner and Sunday brunch by

dinner, lunch by Chef Tory Stewart.

com.

La Provence Restaurant, 25020

Chef Joey Najolia. Tues-Fri, lunch:

Casual fine dining, daily lunch/dinner

Hwy. 190, 626-7662. Owner John

11am-3pm. Dinner, 5pm. Catering

specials, private events, catering.

MiMamacita’s New Mexican

Besh combines hospitality with

provided. cafelynn.com. MCC.

jubileerestaurantcourtyard.com.

Cuisine, 2345 Florida St., 674-1400.

hearths. Dinner, Sunday brunch.

Coffee Rani, 3517 Hwy. 190, 674-

K. Gee’s, 2534 Florida St., 626-0530.

laprovencerestaurant.com. MCC,

0560. Soup and salad specialists.

Featuring Louisiana seafood with

checks.

LACOMBE Janie Brown’s Restaurant, 27207

Megumi Japanese Cuisine, 4700

French cuisine and welcoming

Great food and margaritas. Lunch, dinner, catering. MCC.

raw oysters 1/2 price on Tuesdays.

Monster Po-Boys, 1814 N.

Coscino’s Pizza, 1809 N. Causeway

Express lunch and daily lunch specials

Causeway App., 626-9183. Lunch,

Sal & Judy’s, 27491 Hwy. 190,

Blvd., 727-4984. New York hand-

under $10. Mon-Thurs, 11am-9pm;

dinner.

882-9443. Great food and line of

tossed pizza and Italian foods cooked

Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm. kgeesrestaurant.

retail products. Family-owned for 27

on stone using the finest ingredients.

com. MCC.

years. Veal is the house specialty.

MCC.

checks. RR.

MADISONVILLE

5566. Steaks, martinis. Lunch La Carreta Authentic Mexican

salandjudys.com. MCC, RR.

N’Tini’s, 2891 N. Hwy. 190, 626-

Fat Spoon Café, 68480 Hwy. 59.,

Cuisine, 1200 W. Causeway

specials. Mon.-Sat. ntinis.com. MCC.

809-2929. Breakfast, lunch, Tues-

App., 624-2990. Festive Mexican

Nuvolari’s, 246 Girod St., 626-5619.

Abita Roasting Company, 504

Sun. 7am-2pm. Breakfast served

atmosphere, fresh food from

In Old Mandeville. Italian cuisine for

Water St., 246-3340. abitaroasting.com.

until 10:30am on weekdays and all

traditional recipes, outstanding

fine dining daily for dinner or special

day Saturday and Sunday. Reserve

service and value. Live music. Lunch

events. MCC. nuvolaris.com.

Friends Costal Restaurant, 407

Fat Spoon Cafe for your next party.

and dinner seven days a week.

Saint Tammany St., (985) 246-3370.

fatspooncafe.com. MCC.

carretasrestaurant.com. MCC.

geauxfriends.com.

110

Inside Northside

The Old Rail Brewing Company, 639 Girod St., 612-1828. Homemade

>>

March-April 2016 111

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American cuisine with fresh,

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2999 Hwy.

La. Pines, 1061 Robert St.,

Harahan, 504-305-4833. Mexican,

local ingredients. Family-friendly

190 E., 629-2021. “Taste our Magic.”

641-6196. Meet under the water

lunch and dinner

atmosphere. Lunch and dinner.

voodoobbq.com. MCC.

tower for Ahhhfull-waffles, Sugar

carretasgrillrestaurant.com. MCC.

Closed Tuesdays.

Watcher specials. Breakfast, lunch.

Pinkberry, 3460 Hwy. 190, 612-

PONCHATOULA

7306. Pinkberry is the original tart

Middendorf’s Seafood Restaurant,

frozen yogurt that is the perfect

30160 Hwy. 51, 386-6666.

Michael’s, 4820 Pontchartrain Dr.,

523-3340. Creole dining for breakfast,

balance of sweet and tangy paired

middendorfsrestaurant.com.

649-8055. Steaks, seafood, veal,

lunch and dinner. hotelmonteleone.com/

duck, eggplant au gratin. Extensive

criollo/. MCC, RR.

with high quality, fresh cut fruit and premium dry toppings.

La Carreta Authentic Mexican

pinkberry.com.

Cuisine, 147 N.W. Railroad

lapinescafe.com. MCC, checks.

Criollo Resturant and Lounge at Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 504-

wine selection. Dinner.

Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant, 1713

Ave., 370-0930. Festive Mexican

Nathan’s Restaurant, 36440

Lake Ave., 504-831-4141; 841 Iberville

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 2963 Hwy.

atmosphere, fresh food from

Old Bayou Liberty Rd., 643-0443.

St., 504-581-1316. Louisiana seafood

190, 674-1565. Catch your morning

traditional recipes, outstanding

Waterfront dining featuring seafood,

prepared in Creole seasonings, available in

buzz at the convenient drive-thru!

service and value. Live music. Lunch

steaks and pasta. MCC.

Bucktown or the French Quarter for lunch

Catering. pjscoffee.com. MCC.

and dinner seven days a week. carretarestaurant.com. MCC.

Raising Canes, 3801 Hwy. 22, 674SLIDELL

2042. Chicken fingers, crinkle-cut

and dinner. deanies.com. MCC. Nola Southern Grill, 1375 Gause Blvd., 201-8200. Burgers, ribs,

Gautreau’s, 1728 Soniat St., 504-

steaks, pasta, sandwiches and

899-7397. Open Monday through

seafood. MCC.

Saturday. Dinner. gautreausrestaurant.

fries, coleslaw, texas toast, signature

A Touch of Italy Café, 134

secret dipping sauce. Dine-in, to-go

Pennsylvania Ave., 639-0600.

and catering. MCC.

Seafood, veal, steaks, daily specials.

Palmettos on the Bayou,

Lunch, dinner. kathrynandcompany.

1901 Bayou Ln., 643-0050.

Gumbo Shop, 630 Saint Peter St.,

com. MCC, checks.

palmettosrestaurantslidell.com.

504-525-1486. Award winning gumbo

Assunta’s, 2631 Hwy. 190 W., 649-

Peck’s Seafood Restaurant, 2315

Rusty Pelican, 500 Girod

9768. Italian food, extensive wine

Gause Blvd. E., 781-7272. Po-boys,

St., 778-0364. Lunch, dinner.

selection. Dinner. assuntas.com.

seafood, burgers and lunch specials.

Mellow Mushroom, 3131 Veterans

rustypelicanbythelake.com. MCC.

MCC, checks.

MCC.

Memorial Blvd., 504-644-4155. Pizza,

Sake Gardens Japanese

Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 550 Gause

Times Bar & Grill, 1827 Front St.,

Restaurant, 1705 Hwy. 190, 624-

Blvd., 201-8905. Po-boys and more.

639-3335. Famous hamburgers,

8955.

bearsgrillandspirits.com. MCC.

starters, steaks and more. Lunch,

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen French

dinner. timesgrill.com. ME, MCC.

Quarter. 95 French Market Place,

Rip’s on the Lake, 1917 Lakeshore

com. MCC, RR.

and soups, ship nationwide. Lunch

Dr., 727-2829.

and dinner. gumboshop.com.

30 craft beers on tap, lunch and dinner. mellowmushroom.com. MCC.

Sesame Inn, 408 N. Causeway Blvd.,

Sapphire, 2306 Front St., 288-4166.

951-8888. Finest Chinese cuisine.

Sunday brunch, live entertainment,

The Wine Market, 2051 E. Gause

dining atmosphere with experienced

fine wines and spirits. Open seven

Blvd., 781-1177. Deli restaurant,

waitstaff, fresh dishes and made-from-

Smoothie King, 1830 W. Causeway

days a week. bistrodelareine.com.

lunch, 11am-3pm. Sandwiches,

scratch menu items. Open for lunch

App., 626-9159. Smoothies.

MCC.

soups, salads, wraps. MCC and

and dinner. lpkfrenchquarter.com.

checks.

MCC.

smoothieking.com. MCC, checks.

504-522-9500. Casual dining in a fine

Bonnie C’s, 1768 Front St., 288Taqueria Noria, 1931 Hwy. 59, 727-

5061. Home-style Italian, seafood,

7917. Lunch, dinner.

and barbecue.

NEW ORLEANS/SOUTHSHORE

Restaurant R’evolution, 777

Bayona, 430 Rue Dauphine, 504-

Bienville St., 504-553-2277. Located

525-4455. Fresh local ingredients,

at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Offering

Times Bar & Grill, 1896 N.

Camellia Cafe, 525 Hwy. 190, 649-

balanced yet complex dishes. Lunch

modern, imaginative reinterpretations

Causeway Blvd., 626-1161. Famous

6211. Traditional seafood and New

and dinner. bayona.com. MCC.

of classic Cajun and Creole Cuisine.

hamburgers, starters, steaks and

Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.com.

more. Lunch, dinner. timesgrill.com.

MCC.

ME, MCC.

Triptych of Quail and Oysterman’s Brennan’s. 417 Royal St., 504-

spaghettini. Revolutionnola.com.

525-9711. Creole traditions

MCC. RR.

Carreta’s Grill, 137 Taos St., 847-

and contemporary influences.

Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 600 N.

0020. Great Mexican cuisine and

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Riccobono’s Peppermill, 3524

Causeway Blvd., 626-4476. Quality

margaritas served in a family-friendly

brennansneworleans.com. MCC. RR.

Severn Ave., 504-455-2266. Seafood,

China cuisine with Louisiana flair.

atmosphere for lunch and dinner.

Lunch, dinner. treyyuen.com. MCC,

carretasgrill.com. MCC.

checks.

filets and Italian. Breakfast and Café Giovanni, 117 Rue Decatur,

lunch. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday.

504-529-2154. Dinner, Sun-Thurs,

riccobonos.com. MCC.

KY’s Olde Towne Bicycle Shop,

5:30-10pm. Fri-Sat, 5:30-11pm. Live

Vianne’s Tea House, 544 Girod St.,

2267 Carey St., 641-1911. Casual

Entertainment Wed, Thurs, and Friday

Warehouse Grille, 869 Magazine

624-5683. A full café menu with over

dining in former bicycle shop. Kids’

Evenings. cafegiovanni.com. RR.

St, 504-322-2188. Lunch and dinner

120 loose leaf and speciality teas.

menu. Lunch, dinner. kysoldetowne.

Breakfast, lunch. viannes.com. MCC.

com. MCC, checks.

112

Inside Northside

specials, Monday-Friday. Brunch, Carreta’s Grill, 2320 Veterans Blvd.,

Saturday-Sunday, 9am-3pm.

504-837-6696; 1821 Hickory Ave.,

warehousegrille.com. MCC.

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INside Peek

Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President, and 14 St. Tammany Parish Council members were sworn in on the steps of the St. Tammany Justice Center among their families, friends and chosen oath administrators. Congressman Steve Scalise served as Master of Ceremonies.

Before the ceremony, the formalities kicked off with an ecumenical service at the Furhmann Auditorium.

Following her swearing in by U.S. District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey of Eastern District of Louisiana, Brister delivered her inaugural address and spoke of the things that unify St. Tammany Parish. She thanked the citizens of St. Tammany for entrusting her with four more years of service, saying, “Thank you for giving me another opportunity to open the door to our future.”

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photos: RICK KING

St. Tammany Parish Inaugural Ceremony

The State of the Parish

photo: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com

Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President

In her 2016 State of the Parish address, St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister looked back at her administration’s first-term accomplishments and looked ahead to the goals for her second term.

For 2015, Brister highlighted the purchase of the Southeast Louisiana Hospital and the preservation and provision of behavioral health services and the start of construction on the St. Tammany Advanced Campus, to include the Northshore Technical Community College, the STEM Campus and the St. Tammany Emergency Operations Center.

She then spoke of future projects, including the Cultural Arts District; Safe Haven, a continuum of care for behavioral health; the enhancement of the Parish’s Development Code; and the implementation of an integrated software system.

“Our vision is absolute,” Brister said. “Our efforts must continue to lay the groundwork for the future of our citizens and the continued success of our Parish for the next generation.”

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The Mystic Krewe of Olympia celebrated its annual bal masque at the Pelican Park Castine Center. Following the entrance of the captain, officers and krewe, the royal court was presented and the reigning monarch, Zeus LI, made his way to the throne. Olympia’s 2016 queen, Hadley Victoria Rase, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Rase, wore the traditional Olympia mantle accented by her sparkling crown and scepter.

Serving as maids to Queen Hadley were Maggie Abide, Allyson Lacoste, Lisa Goodgion, Grace Mierl, Madison Hahn, Juliette St. Romain, Lauren Hebert and Caroline Stafford.

Ladies in waiting to the Queen were Lauren Boudreau, Caitlin Bradwell, Katelyn Dowdle, Meredith Poirier, Isabella Spears and Sophia Spears.

Jackson Dowdle, John McWilliams, Ethan Plauchè, Nicolas Rase, Preston Tate and Ralph Wynne served as pages to their majesties.

During the evening, guests danced the night away and enjoyed a queen’s supper. Before the ball, a reception was held at the Tchefuncta Country Club to announce the queen and her court to a small assembly of close family, friends and members of the krewe.

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photos: HANDY MANNY

Mystic Krewe of Olympia Ball

Mystic Krewe of Olympia Parade Before the Mystic Krewe of Olympia paraded through the streets of Covington, the annual festivities kicked off with a picnic near the St Tammany Parish Justice Center on Columbia Street. Revelers and their families enjoyed a day of music and BBQ that culminated in a grand march by the royal court, including their majesties, Zeus LI and Queen Hadley Rase.

Following the picnic, the floats rolled.

An after party was hosted at Winos and Tacos in downtown Covington.

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INside Peek

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1. Kelly Kuebel, Missy Read and Carra Jane Williams on Christmas Eve in Tchefuncta. 2. Susan Illing and Ann Stewart. 3. Kenneth Delahoussaye and daughter Angele. 4. Cedarwood Children’s Foundation board members 8

Doug Tate and Summer Belloni with Robert Belloni at the Casino Royale benefit co-hosted by the Cedarwood Children’s Foundation and the Parents’ Club of Cedarwood School. 5. Tuition winners Mike and Alison Paine with Kathy LeBlanc, principal, and graduate Alex Richard.

6. Cedarwood teachers Sherie Malta, Shari Purvis and Pam Georges. 7. Cedarwood founders Kathy and Maxie LeBlanc.

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8. Ashley Gernon, Jeff Gernon, Kay and Paul Jones. 9. Monica Growden celebrating with Lori Murphy at the Caliphs of Cairo Ball. 10. Revelers Jacob McWilliams and Kate Rosamond. 11. Lex and Anita LeBlanc. 12. Mother of the queen, Mary Grace Rome, with Arthur Mann in the golden tent for the Caliphs of Cairo Ball.

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INside Peek 1. W.A.T.C.H. members Penny Dastugue and Norma Richard with Lizby Eustis, W.A.T.C.H. co-chair, at the Women’s Build fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

2. Marilyn Wenzel, board member

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emeritus; Megan Brassette, Women Build committee member; Jeff St. Romain, HFHSTW president/CEO; and W.A.T.C.H. member Carol Ballantine.

3. Cynthia Widlitze, Women Build committee member; W.A.T.C.H. member Annette Doskey; Maurer van Voorthuysen, HFHSTW board chair;

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and W.A.T.C.H. member Helen Curran.

4. Crystal Ray and Brian Whittaker celebrating their engagement.

5. Friends and family joined Lindsey 5

Schwaner and Matt Warren to celebrate their engagement.

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1. Left to right (front): Tom Hancock, Anastasia Ippolito, Neal Meyer, Zac Blechman; (back) Katherine Harang-Bourgeois, Blake Ridings at the Murphy Appraisal holiday gathering in the courtyard at Broussards. 2. Jeremy Loescher, Rick Murphy and William Summerour.

3. Members of the Gitz family at the St.

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Tammany Hospital Foundation’s Angels of Light 2 event dedicated to the memory of Ronald A. Gitz Sr. 4. Holley Malone shows off some of the books collected by SSA seniors Katherine Stolin and Maggie Palopoli during the SSA book drive. 5. Community members and SSA alums

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at SSA career day included: Rachel Murray, Kim Winston Bigler, Katie Sciortino, Lauren Petty,

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Caitlin Cucchaira Picou, Amie Boudreaux Post, Kate Baragona, Lisa Hernandez Pellegrini, Lauren Fitzpatrick Tucker, Jeannine Gasser Ford, Johanna Julian Braud, Katie Carr, Ashley Cangelosi Llewellyn, Kayla St. Blanc, Courtney Glasgow, Jenny Bravo and Charlotte Voelkel.

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Original Krewe of Orpheus

photos courtesy: NIKI BUTLER

The Original Krewe of Orpheus returned to the northshore with much fanfare and merriment at its first ball in three years, held at the Fleur de Lis Center in Mandeville.

Queen Orpheus XXVI, Adrienne Marie Rouen Rovira, reigned alongside King Orpheus XXVI, Ray Vega. Guests at the ball enjoyed dinner, drinks, a formal announcement of the court and entertainment by Refried Confuzion, Frenchmen Street Horns, 4 Unplugged and a surprise visit by the Blues Brothers.

Hail Orpheus! Hail Yes!

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Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, L.L.C. Today, 50 million people in the United States suffer from allergies. Most of the time, people head to the doctor, get a steroid shot and a Z-pack and feel better in a few days. But no sooner are they back to normal then here it comes again. Sound familiar?

That’s the way it used to be, but that’s not the way it has to be. If you suffer from recurrent sinus and upper respiratory problems, now is the time to visit the specialists at Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, LLC, in Covington.

Specializing in the treatment of allergies and immunodeficiency, Dr. B. Steele Rolston, Dr. I. Alisha Qureshi and newest team member, Nurse Practitioner Jodi Buras are dedicated to relieving and eliminating the debilitating symptoms of allergies and thereby restoring the full range of lifestyle activities for their patients.

“The first thing we do after evaluating a patient is put together a customized, comprehensive plan to help them deal with their allergies. This includes education, medication, nutrition and immunotherapeutic intervention,” explains Dr. Qureshi.

“Every allergy test and treatment that we do is FDA-approved,” adds Dr. Rolston. “We use three types of immunotherapy: sublingual (under the tongue), sub-cutaneous (under the skin) and ‘rush’ or accelerated immunotherapy. With rush immunotherapy, a patient can reach maintenance in as little

as one day. That is particularly important for those suffering from severe allergies.”

Dr. Qureshi explains how immunotherapy (allergy shots) works. “Immunotherapy injections contain just enough allergens to cause the immune system to kick in without triggering a severe allergic reaction. As a result, the allergen will no longer trigger an allergic reaction, or the reaction will be significantly decreased.” In addition, to providing long-lasting relief, allergy shots have been proven to alleviate symptoms and prevent new allergies and asthma.

Most patients are surprised to learn that there is a connection between allergies and asthma. “Two out of every three people who suffer with allergic rhinitis (runny or stuffy nose; sneezing; red, itchy, and watery eyes; and swelling around the eyes) also have asthma,” says Dr. Rolston. That’s why the treatments for allergies and asthma go hand in hand.

“Asthma affects 19 million adults in the United States,” adds Dr. Qureshi. “We specialize in the use of injectable biologic drugs to control inflammation in asthma and urticaria (hives). These drugs target particular aspects of the body’s overactive immune response.”

If you suffer from asthma, hay fever, allergic conjunctivitis, sinusitis, sinus drainage, persistent cough, bronchitis, recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, eczema, hives and other allergic skin rashes,

immune deficiency, drug and food allergies or insect allergies, visit the allergy specialists at Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. As Dr. Rolston explains, “As Board Certified in Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, we are trained in medication and treatments. Our patients are at the right place to have all their allergies addressed.”

Dr. Steele Rolston and Dr. Alisha Qureshi welcome Jodi Buras, RN, MN, FNP-BC, to the practice. A boardcertified nurse practitioner, Jodi received her degree from LSU Medical Center in New Orleans in 2001. She has practiced exclusively in the field of asthma, allergy and immunology.

Having worked with Dr. Qureshi in the past, Jodi knew firsthand of the doctor’s knowledge and expertise.

She says, “I also had heard great things about Dr. Rolston’s office and practice.”

Both doctors agree that Jodi is not only well-qualified and highly experienced in this specialty, she is also comprehensive when it comes to patients and treatment.

Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, L.L.C., is located at 187 Greenbrier Blvd., Suite A, Covington. To schedule an appointment, call 893-5780. For more information, visit http://louisiana-aai.com.

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INside Peek 1. Grace Naparella said Yes! to her proposal from Max Morse. 2. Paul Shannon, Kerastase Paris business development manager; H2O’s Heather Mahoney; Heather Lee, L’Oreal

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professional divisional brand manager; Jennifer Gillis and Kerri Caldwell Troutman, Salon Centric district sales manager, at H2O salon in Mandeville.

3. Hostess Diane Dupin with Virginia Eckholdt and Melissa Gordon, co-chairs, at the Mad Hatters committee metin 4. Tony Lala, patron party chair, stands with Maria Grisaro, invitation artist; seated are Faith Peperone and Gail McKenna,

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who are in charge of the hat auction.

5. Susie Kaznowitz, development director; Scott Bernier, CEO; and Monique Richard, board member, at the St Tammany

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Humane Society’s Fine Wine benefit.

1. Melissa Bordelon, president/CEO; Brian Shirey, chairman; and Erin Cowser, immediate past chair, with Governor-elect John Bel Edwards at a Greater Hammond Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

2. Deborah Reeve, National Art Education

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photo: PHILLIP COLWART PHOTOGRAPHY

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Association executive director, at an event for

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the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts

Jacques Rodrigue, GRFA executive director.

3. Shiela Gunderson, president, with speaker Pam Egan at the Professional Women of St. Tammany luncheon. 4. Beth Assaf,

photo: FRANK AYMAMI

with Kendra Scott, artist Mallory Page, and

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Lorraine and Louis Gendron, Walter Keller and Billie Comeaux at Lorraine’s art exhibit

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at Rug Chic. 5. Team mates Josh Growden and Foster Moreau took time off from the LSU football field to battle over pie in the kitchen. 6. Gambel Communications celebrates opening of new northshore office.

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INside Luxury Living

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glow of gaslight

by Anne Honeywell

LET'S STAY OUT HERE on the porch for a minute—and talk about outdoor lighting.

A guest's first impression of your home is created while standing at your front door.

There are many choices of outdoor lighting to illuminate the front of your home, but none more timeless than the glow of gas lanterns.

Nothing is more elegant and no fixtures exude a greater sense of timeless beauty than the glow of simple brass carriage lanterns lighting your entrance. As Southern as painting your porch ceiling Virgin Mary blue, the locally crafted Bevolo lantern has not changed in design since 1945 and remains today as the gold standard of gas lanterns in this region. Made 128

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from the finest copper, Bevolo’s gas lights are hand-riveted and oxidized to give each lantern an antique, aged finish. Over time, they will oxidize to that gorgeous coveted patina of a rich bronze tone with tiny hints of green patina around the edges.

Gas lights can transform the look of your home, creating the ideal combination of beauty, energy sustainability and energy efficiency.

If you're building, there's no discussion. Run a gas line for your lanterns. If you don't have gas lanterns on the front of your house, call your plumber and ask about getting gas to your entry; it may be easier than you think. The most common mistake when buying outdoor fixtures is going too small. Remember, most people are viewing them from the street, 50 feet away.

Let the delicate flicker of a gas flame say “welcome home” and give your house an added element of charm and distinction.

INside Luxury Living

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The Barley Oak

NOTHING IS MORE universal than the call of the local watering hole. German biergartens, English pubs and a deep respect for the craft of brewing inspired owner Nick Powers in 2009 to open The Barely Oak, an Old World draught haus on the Mandeville lakefront. With 47 taps, international, domestic, and local brews, cocktails and wine, The Barley Oak has something for everyone, including a menu of sandwiches, salads and plates for sharing…or not!

In keeping with the German influence, the pretzel basket features two freshbaked-to-order pretzels with extra-strong mustard for dipping. The international cheese board boasts Havarti, brie, Montego and smoked gouda with toasted focaccia bread and assorted fruit.

If you are interested in trying a variety of beers, why not consider joining the Barley Oak Kask Club? “We love helping people expand their beer horizons,” says Gerilyn Dallmann, marketing director and event coordinator. For five dollars, you receive a passbook to keep track of each beer you try. Once you reach 100 beers, you are awarded the coveted Kask Club stein!

“It is a great way to educate people on new beers they have never tried before,” says Matt Schaefer, general manager.

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Head down to this neighborhood favorite for a cold beer and the perfect sunset view. “You could go to Sunset Point,” says Matt, “but they don’t serve beer!”

by Maggie Murphy

The Barely Oak is located at 2102 Lakeshore Drive in Mandeville. 727-7420. Happy hour: Monday-Friday until 6:30. For more information, visit thebarleyoak.com.

photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

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