All the worlds a stage… and sometimes the stage for Kitten N’ Lou is a porch on Burgundy in the Bywater. As COVID shut down the world in 2020, these performers, like many, had a lot of time on their hands. By way of an ice machine, and the want to bring a little love back into their community, Chance in Hell Snoballs was born. We caught up with the work and life partners to talk about their labors of love both on the stage and on the porch.
Q: Where did the idea for Chance in Hell Snoballs come from? K: When the pandemic hit it was obviously a traumatizing experience for all of us to live through that but it also was like we get to be here for a minute and see what that looks like. After we got over our existential crisis of ‘who are we if we don’t do this?,’ we rallied and started making a lot of video content at home. We learned some new skills doing that and as a lark started making snowballs on the porch.
I always joked that when we were ready to slow it down and stop living out of our suitcases that we should open a snowball stand because I had already thought about the name for it. And then May 2020, an old second-hand Snowizard serendipitously came in our path, and we thought, ‘should we go get this and make sno-balls for our neighbors for fun?,’ and so we did. We put up fliers that were originally for an old show that was cancelled, and we thought, ok we’ll see how many people show up. And we were shocked when about 40 people showed up the first weekend. And by the end of the month, we had a line around the block.
It became such a true community hub, and it was a special thing people did each week. and we got to see our neighbors and talk to them and not feel isolated. We even had some pandemic first dates happen at the stand because it was a safe thing to do outside.
Q: What are some things that set you apart? K: We donate a portion of all the money that comes into a charity because when it started, no one was making money and we were bringing in a little bit of money, so we moved that around and it felt good to be able to give back and redistribute it.
Most flavors are vegan, but not exclusively. Typically, there is one syrup that is not vegan and then you can add condensed milk to them. We make all of our flavors and that was a really cool thing during the pandemic, because it was hard to get ingredients. You had to really find them, and we would have neighbors show up to the house with fruit from their trees or something from their herb garden and all this amazing local food. We had beekeepers coming with jars that we would cook with.
It also felt really important that all the packaging was compostable – cups, spoons, straws – and we pay to have a company come pick it up every week. We love the city and its traditions and rituals, but a lot of them can be wasteful. So, it’s important for us to take something that is a beloved tradition and make it feel sustainable.
Q: How do you decide on flavors and what goes on the menu each week? L: I have to say, we’ve actually had very few fails.
K: I am the chef. and people usually ask how I come up with this stuff, but before I was a full-time performing artist, I was a bartender in fancy bars. So, I was already used to working with different fruit and herb profiles. So I’ve incorporated some of that knowledge into what I’m doing now. A lot of our flavors are definitely seasonal, which also kind of drives what’s offered. And then we have flavors like our nectar, which we make our own, that’s very classic and very New Orleans.
Q: Do we think we’re going to stay on the porch forever? K: No! We knew that would be a short-lived situation – for a few reasons, like making snoballs outdoors can be challenging. And after the first year, we reevaluated and asked ourselves if this is something we wanted to keep doing, and we said, ‘hell yea!’ And we started scoping out potential spots for a storefront and one of the most miraculous spots came somehow available to us on Dauphine and Louisa. After going through a few hoops, the owners helped us make it possible. We’ve had a year fighting for the zoning we need but we closed on the house and it’s ours now. We have our team we’re working with and we’re hoping we’ll be in there by the end of the season, but knowing New Orleans-time it’ll be a little longer than that.
Q: What does performing mean to you? K: We are living in some very strange times right now and this is a battle queer people have fought since the beginning of time. It feels more essential than ever to be visible and feel safe enough to be. As Kitten N’ Lou it’s always been our goal to draw in people who otherwise wouldn’t be drawn into our glittery queer little world by giving that spoon full of sugar that makes the medicine go down. What we do is very sweet and wholesome and funny and approachable and accessible, so we get these like suburban grandpas who see us and understand it, “oh, you’re Charlie Chaplin,” “you’re supposed to be Fred and Ginger.” We’re sparkly and fun, they’re watching queer artists, but because it’s in a package that’s digestible for them we feel like we can kind of get them, you know.
L: We love to entertain, we love to make people laugh and so doing our hearts desire includes making things that a lot of people really enjoy. And, you know, it’s strange because when I started doing drag and performing as a drag king there were not very many drag kings. There are some incredible folks, but there were very few. Over the past 10 years, there have been many more and it’s become much more visible and the drag world is more inclusive. So, it’s wild to have it go through this journey and now be in this place of “no, you can’t do that.”
K: Because we’ve spent so many years together touring, there are some places we’ve had wonderful experiences in and been so well received – in Tennessee for example – and we’re in this moment where we’re like “ok so this thing we did six years ago that y’all loved, now we legally can’t do it.” It’s ridiculous. It’s just a dog whistle.
L: And the absolute bizarreness that we’re doing the exact same thing but she’s dressing as a fancy lady and I’m dressing up as a fancy gentleman and now technically I’m not legal. It’s just nonsense.
K: We feel very fortunate, even though we are in the South and the climate here is challenging right now, we live in this city that has valued self expression for a hundred years in such an intense way that it’s like this self-expression and dressing up, even something as simple as that, is sacred here.
L: (In New Orleans) how would you even begin to pull drag apart.
Lagniappe:
Favorite flavor you’ve ever done?
Kitten: It comes around once every month or two, but the pistachio lemon cream out of real pistachios
Lou: I adore all lemon flavors
Favorite Cocktail?
Kitten: Classic Sazerac is really one of my favorites
Lou: I love anything smokey, tequila, mezcal
True Confession?
Kitten: I used to play in a punk band and toured the world.
Lou: I’m actually an introvert that would rather be gardening.