Author: Jyl Benson

From 1960 to 1979, hundreds of thousands of Cuban people fled the Communist regime of Fidel Castro and began new lives in the United States. Iderlin Carillo Rivera’s parents were among those who settled in the New Orleans area, and…

I am always amazed by the reaction of visitors from frigid climates such as Chicago to the misery of our own cold, damp winter weather. They are usually shocked by the way the humidity has the power to transform the…

As is often the case in these parts, this year Valentine’s Day falls squarely in the midst of Carnival season. On its surface Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance. As such, this would logically lead celebrants to the bedroom.…

We humans are social creatures with a natural instinct to seek out the companionship of others.  As largely insecure, but curious creatures, we are compelled to measure the quality of our lives by meeting new people face to face and…

  I first met Kim Sawyers in 2017 when she was applying for a grant offered by the Feed Justice Team (of which I am a member) at First Unitarian Universalist (FUU) Church. We were looking for someone with a…

A soft breeze blew in through open doors overlooking the waterfront as the Pêche restaurant family gathered to celebrate the season with a Feast of Seven Fishes, part of the Italian-American holiday celebration. Typically consumed on Christmas Eve, which is…

With its waterfront locale and graceful plantations nearby, Natchitoches’ beauty comes as no surprise but its well-scrubbed appearance does. Old tends to look worn, yet charming. Over 300 years old generally looks ever more so despite its pedigree, but not…

  With the first breath of fall I used to flee from the salads and chilled proteins I had been sustaining myself on since just after Mardi Gras. I would run to the rich gumbos, smoked and slow cooked meats…

  Admit it. When you were a kid headed home from school and you knew it was taco night, there was a bit of extra zippity-do-dah in your step. Despite the oft-stale crunchy corn shells that were frequently disappointingly shattered…

  With the first refreshing breaths of cooling autumn air and the turning of the leaves – to the extent that leaves actually change here – we can welcome a season for outdoor dining. After a long summer spent huffing frigid…

I’ve always had a thing for places near the Mississippi River, thrilling in the twisting drive along curvaceous River Road as it winds its way up from below New Orleans into Acadiana and beyond. I delight in the verdant, reassuring…

Perhaps it is divine payback for the miseries the French Acadians endured at the hands of the British during Le Grand Dérangement when they were forced from their homes in Nova Scotia under threat to pledge allegiance to the English…

Tal’s Hummus and Grilled Veggies Over the course of its history the people of seven nations — Native Americans, French, Spanish, Germans, English, Italians and enslaved Africans — were the most significant contributors to Louisiana’s Creole cuisine. The foodways of…

In 2015, chef Jarred Zeringue and Matthew Moreland, a New Orleans attorney, purchased Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse & Restaurant (WJS), a heritage business in Laplace, Louisiana. The smokehouse had been passed down through generations of the Nolan family, producing artisan-smoked meats…

I was born in 1968 when my sister, Beth, was 13. She was pretty and graceful, able to dance en pointe under the tutelage of Tony Bevinetto, the Broadway dance legend who retired to New Orleans to coax the inner…

In January, Karla Kilgore, an internationally celebrated sommelier and New Orleans native, opened Barrel Wine Bar in Covington offering tastes, flights, by-the-glass and bottles of over 50 wines from all over the world. Small-plates include savory cheese and charcuterie boards,…

Going bonkers over a new Uptown destination

And other spring favorites

A long, happy marriage of cuisines

Heading down the bayou