Autumn has finally arrived. Hopefully, I have received the last of the $390 Entergy bills I will see for a while, if not forever. I am sucking up this glorious weather with a very full day on Saturday. Perhaps I will see you at one of these events!

The Best Welcome for Autumn this Weekend

Each year I welcome the new season by turning my attention back to my garden. I keep things mostly alive all summer long with copious amounts of water, but I abandon pruning, weeding, and cleanup so everything is now either wrecked, dead, or overgrown. My front yard looks like that of a haunted house while the backyard looks like a jungle. My herb garden fell victim to snails, squirrels, and heat. With the later in mind, I am headed to the New Orleans Chapter of the Herb Society’s Fall Sale. They always put on a stellar sale with native plants, perennials, herbs, and unusual plants at decent prices. All proceeds benefit area school gardens. The sale will take place Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 2140 South Carrollton Avenue (corner Sycamore). Cash and checks are accepted.

Also, on Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon Keep UNO Beautiful and the Native Plant Initiative of GNO will host a giveaway of one free native plant per family and attendees can tour the university’s new Native Plant Garden. Tours will depart outside of the Administration Building (2000 Lakeshore Drive at Milneburg Rd.)

The Best Welcome for Autumn this Weekend
“Caribbean Creole Cuisine” curated by Chef Nina Compton

On Saturday at 1 p.m. you can find me at Bywater American Bistro where I will be taking a cooking class with Chef Nina Compton and New York Times Cooking writer Yewande Komolafe. Two tour-hour sessions are scheduled for the day, one at 10 a.m., the other at 1 p.m. Chef Nina will lead guests through a cooking class centered around her signature dishes. I love her cuisine, so I am looking forward to bringing some of this home to my own kitchen.

This event is a part of NYT Cooking’s larger programming this fall: the NYT Cooking team will be going on tour this Fall for the first time – inviting food enthusiasts to cook together both in-person and at home. Chef Nina’s class is the first in the series. Others include Chef Naoko Takei Moore in LA, and Chef Chintan Pandya in New York Times Cooking’s NYC Studio Kitchen). The tour will culminate at the New York Times Food Festival. NYT Cooking Kits have been curated with each of the chefs involved in the events (including a Caribbean Cuisine Kit curated by Chef Nina) and will be available on The New York Times Store for shipping. The cost of the class is $150 and includes access to the intimate cooking class with Nina Compton and Yewande Komolafe and the opportunity to learn about the art and history of Caribbean Creole cuisine. All food, drinks and cooking supplies will be provided. Tickets are available here.

The Best Welcome for Autumn this Weekend
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On Saturday evening I am headed out to Magazine Street for the return of Art for Art’s Sake, an event that always gets people out in my neighborhood. More than 100 businesses stretching the entire length of Magazine Street will be participating, offering FREE white wine, as well as art shows, special deals, promotional sales, and live music. Shops will extend their hours until 9 p.m. and the event is FREE and open to the public. It starts at 6 p.m. Visit magazinestreet.com  for a list of participating galleries, stores, shops, schools, and restaurants.  Here is the event page providing details on event specials and entertainment.

That’s’ it from me. This should be a beautiful weekend. Let’s celebrate that.