La Petite Grocery was the place to be on Sept. 10 when it hosted the WRBH Reading Radio’s A Blind Taste.
The benefit’s menu, prepared by Chef Justin Devillier, was: first course: cured cobia and Gulf Shrimp with lemongrass, cucumber and lime; second course, broccoli agnolotti with aged cheddar velouté and garlic bread crumbs; third course: confit chicken leg with grilled sweet potato, haricots verts and ras-el-hanout hot honey and fourth course: vanilla bean panna cotta with apple compote and ginger snap crumble. Each dish was paired with a fine wine, and in the case of dessert, calvados, courtesy of NOLA Wine Merchant.
There was a silent auction of 21 items and a live auction, helmed again by Charles Smith, of four lots — including a crawfish boil “with a twist” hosted by WRBH’s Executive Director Zack Frosch.
“Blind Taste is more than a fundraiser for WRBH — it’s a joyful celebration of our mission. By taking sight out of the experience, the event builds empathy, sparks connection, and mirrors how our listeners engage with the world every day,” said Frosch.
“At the same time, it generates critical support that allows WRBH to provide free, accessible spoken-word programming and ensure everyone has access to information with dignity and independence.”
Fun Fact: In the mid-1970s, Dr. Robert McClean, a blind mathematician who believed that the blind and print-impaired should have the same access to information as their sighted peers, leased airtime from WWNO and began reading local newspapers over the radio. McClean expanded the mission in 1982 when he purchased the 88.3 FM signal, establishing WRBH as the first full-time reading radio station on the FM dial in the U.S.
