Louisiana Insider
By Louisiana Insider
Louisiana InsiderFeb 24, 2022
Episode 180: Clerical Sex Scandals – The Latest
Ramon Vargas, a former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and now an editor/reporter for the London-based publication The Guardian, has for several years been covering sex scandals mostly between adult educator authority figures and school age youth. Most of his work has centered around the Roman Catholic church in the New Orleans area but has wider implications. Recently, information released by the Louisiana State police who gained access to what has been private documents, has opened shocking revelations of new charges many made by alleged former victims. Vargas joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about what was learned from the affidavits including what church officials might have known but not revealed.
Episode 179: Kid-Friendly – Fantasies of a Children's Book Author
Don’t you hate it when three alligator brothers will not listen to each other when trying to find a safe place to build a home? The reason: Well, two of the brothers, Bumpy and Lumpy, ignore the other brother, Stumpy, who they think has a big mouth and who always reminds his siblings that he knows better. If you think Stumpy has problems, there is a story about Wilbur, the neighborhood sheep, who is ignored because his ideas are always very unsheep-like. Such is a day in the menagerie of Leslie (Hebert) Helakowski, a Lafayette native who divides her time in Michigan writing nationally-acclaimed children’s books – 15 so far. She joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the art of appealing to children through story telling. Will anyone ever listen to Lumpy? And does Wilbur have any credibility at all? These and other questions can be answered by getting to know Leslie and her books.
Episode 178: Anniversary of the World's Fair - Promises, Problems and Potential
In 1984, New Orleans hosted the Louisiana World’s Exposition, known more simply as the world’s fair. Through the years the evaluations have been similar – the fair was financially challenging but the locals loved it. Peggy Scott Laborde, a producer for public TV station WYES, was at the time a co-host and producer for WDSU TV Ch. 6’s coverage from the fair. She has since done a documentary on the event, as well as a follow-up featuring some of the people involved with the event. She joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to recall the fair’s many great memories as well as the hardships. The interview also looks into the future and at the possible great legacies from the fair still ahead.
Episode 177: The Mysterious and The Benevolent - Those Secretive Men's Organizations
Secretive Men’s organizations –º such as the Free Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows and many more – did not originate just for the sake of privacy. In many cases they had a social purposes such as providing health and security benefits for themselves at a time when neither government nor private enterprise provided much of either. Some groups were also a source of business and social connections.
Jari Honora, an historian and genealogist who curated an exhibit for the Historic New Orleans Collection entitled Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the organizations, which had a strong presence in New Orleans as well as globally.
In New Orleans and Mobile the structure of the groups even had an influence on Carnival krewes. The groups also left a strong architectural presence either through their lodges; office buildings and memorial sites. The interview offers a rare opportunity to peer inside the world of secrecy.
Episode 176: Informed Sources - Stories From Four Decades of the News Beat
Louisiana’s longest running weekly news TV program celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. During that time topics have included the Katrina recovery; the David Duke vs. Edwin Edwards gubernatorial runoff; a World’s Fair; the ups and downs of the economy; crime and even the Saints magical season. Marcia Kavanaugh, the WYES TV show’s longtime host, joins Errol Laborde, the program’s producer as well as "Louisiana Insider" host and executive editor of Louisiana Life, to discuss 40 years of big stories as well as top newsmakers.
Episode 175: Words About Words with Editor Reine Dugas
Words are for reading, but sometimes it is good to pause and have a word or two about words themselves: how they are used; where they have taken us. Louisiana Life magazine Editor Reine Dugas joins Louisiana Life’s Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss Southern literature and who have been some of the best practitioners. They also discuss the art of writing, as well as the future of the book industry and some of their own writing tips.
(They might have added a list of cliches that should be avoided “like the plague.”)
Episode 174: A Department Store, a Sugar Refinery and the Man Who Founded Both
Just having survived in New Orleans as a poor French Jewish immigrant was a major accomplishment for young Leon Godchaux. But having lived a life in his adopted city where he eventually opened his own department store, mastered the use of the newly-invented sewing machine for better clothes quality and then to establish a major sugar refinery upriver from New Orleans – which would be a model or the rest of the sugar industry – was a life well lived.
Peter M. Wolf, the author of “Sugar King: Leon Godchaux: A New Orleans Legend; His Creole Slave and His Jewish Roots,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the history of an amazing man who also secretly purchased a Creole slave in order to liberate him, and would later become a business partner.
Wolf also reveals what happened to the engine for Godchaux's train that was used to haul items throughout the refinery. Hint: In was relocated to a major theme park.
Episode 173: Louisiana Through the Lens with John Lawrence
Louisiana is a state full of images: the swamps, New Orleans, Mardi Gras, sunsets over the Gulf, shrimp boats, musicians and you can add a touch of Voodoo. Longtime curator for The Historic New Orleans Collection John Lawrence joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the history of photography as presented in the collection’s must-have new publication, “Louisiana Lens.” The book is filled with fascinating images dating back from the early days of “metal, paper and glass” photography to the present digital explosion. Lawrence also recalls some of his all-time favorite photographs.
Episode 172: Cultural Historian Explores Storyville and Prohibition
Sally Asher is a historian, photographer and tour guide who specializes in the bawdy days of the early 20th century in New Orleans and the life and death of the Storyville bordello district.
Asher joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss how the city adapted to two major concerns of the times: prostitution and boozing. In both cases New Orleans has its own creative solutions.
As a photographer she also has fascinating stories to tell including the time when the Dali Lama met Dr. John and who was most impressed with whom.
Episode 171: Julius Rosenwald - A Saga of a Man and His Schools
Even in the worst of times great stories about compassionate people emerge. Stories such as the case of Julius Rosenwald, who in the tense days pf the early 19th Century was concerned that kids from African American families in the South were denied educational opportunities because of segregation laws. Rosenwald, who had achieved wealth at the managerial level of the Chicago based Sears and Roebuck company, became a major philanthropist and used much of his wealth to fight social problems. He cooperated with educator Booker T. Washington to help fund schools throughout the South that gave opportunities to minorities. Kenneth Hoffman, the executive director of the New Orleans-based Museum of the of Southern Jewish Experience, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to tell the story of the Rosenwald schools, a movement that was eventually responsible for approximately 5000 new two-classroom schools. Of the schools built in Louisiana one building, in Donaldsonville, still stands and is used as a museum with an incredible story to display.
Episode 170: Warren Bell's Search for Buried History
As a former TV news anchor, Warren Bell reported news of the day. Now in retirement, Bell is discovering news from the past and his sources are archives and cemeteries. Bell joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss his new documentary “Buried History: Finding Our Past.” The story centers around St. Louis Cemetery # 2 where he discovered a deteriorating family tomb. That began a search for family records and also an investigation of the old cemetery, which once was the burial place of mixed family groups including African-American Creoles. Not only did he learn much about his roots, but also links to others, including early musicians who were entombed there.
Bell also discusses the research options available to those who want to learn more about their families and the business side of cemeteries.
Episode 169: Making Headlines – The Evolution of Louisiana's Newspapers
Louisiana has always been known as a great state for news. The news itself my not have always been great but the flow of reporting on the politics, disaster, lifestyles and good times within a multi-cultural state has been continuous. Jari C. Honora, historian and genealogist for the Historic New Orleans Collection, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to talk about the evolution of newspapers in the state including the rise of publications targeting the black community and the challengers of the modern news media.
Episode 168: Rubensteins - A Place to Shop and Now a Place to Stay
Rubensteins New Orleans has always been a place to shop for quality clothes. Now, the New Orleans business provides a quality place to stay.
Located at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue, Rubensteins has long shown a commitment to the city’s downtown. That support has been further expressed by combining some of its adjacent buildings into a new quality boutique hotel.
Family member Kenny Rubenstein, an owner and general manager of the store, talks to Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and producer Kelly Massicot about retail, urban downtowns and customer loyalty. He also explains the intricacies of running two businesses that not only provide a place to spend your day, but to end your day as well.
Episode 167: A Conversation Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club President Elroy James
This week's episode is a crossover with sister podcast "Beyond the Beads" from New Orleans Magazine. Since the early 20th Century, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club has been a prominent figure in Carnival culture. From the meeting of the Courts every Lundi Gras to throwing their famous coconuts each Mardi Gras day, Errol and Elroy tackle all aspects of the krewe both in and outside of the Carnival season.
Episode 166: Slithering in the Swamps - Captain Caviar John Burke's Cajun Encounters
John Burke knows about swamps. He spends time living close to the Atchafalaya swamp near Patterson, Louisiana. Earlier in his career he was involved in a business of making caviar from the roe of the choupique, a native fish whose eggs have some of the similar properties properties usen in European caviar. Now he gives swamp tours. His company, Cajun Encounters, not only takes everyday tourist into the swamps, but media celebrities too, such as Troy Landry, the star of the "Swamp People" TV series.
Burke talks to Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde about life in the swamps; the beauty and the creepiness.
We will also hear about the estimates that there are 2 million gators living in Louisiana. Now that’s creepy.
Episode 165: Michael Hecht - Making the Region Stronger
Why are people from Louisiana leaving? Well, not all of them are, but there has been a subtle decline enough to make people wonder. “Jobs” is usually the answer, but there is some good news for the future, including in the energy- and tech-based industries. Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. (a nonprofit agency dedicate to economic development), talks to Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde about both the challenges and the successes of the Gulf South region.
We will also hear why Houston and Atlanta developed so quickly from once being relatively small southern towns to national economic giants.
Episode 164: Dennis Woltering's Search for Local Breakthrough Ideas
Dennis Woltering had a long and distinguished career as the nightly news anchor on WWL tv, Ch. 4. Since retiring, he is still frequently in front of a camera and has lots of stories to tell.
Acting as an independent producer, he has created documentaries of high-profile locals, including career healthcare pioneer Alton Ochsner and float builder Blaine Kern. (Both were shown on local public tv’s WYES tv., Ch. 12. )
His very latest effort (also on WYES) is “Louisiana Inventors and Innovators,” six profiles of imaginative locals who had big ideas and made them work. The documentary includes stories like drilling for deep water oil; a better way to peel shrimp and even selling lightweight vacuum cleaners.
Woltering talks to Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde about his latest project. Producer Kelly Massicot handles the technical effort.
Here’s a listening tip: You will also hear how a steak got its sizzle.
Episode 163: What is the Data Telling Us? With Demographer Allison Plyer
There are lots of questions raised by numbers; fortunately, many answers have been found. Allison Plyer, chief demographer for the New Orleans-based Data Center, looks at both sides including analyzing why Louisiana’s population is declining and why there is still a large presence of handgun use.
This week, Plyer shares her thoughts with Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with the technical expertise of producer Kelly Massicot.
Plyer also specializes in analyzing critical Gulf Coast environmental issues. It is important conversation that should not be missed.
Episode 162: Stanley Dry - A Legacy of Food Writing
Arguably, no one knows Louisiana food better than Stanley Dry. Having served 21 years of writing the food column for Louisiana Life – as well as having been a contributor to national publications including Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, The New York Times and the Times’ Book review – Dry, who is retiring from writing, also provided the recipes for a published Louisiana Life recipe collection, “The Essential Louisiana Cookbook. ” He joined Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk food and recipes of many types including his favorites in several categories.
It is an engaging interview that covers his experiences at table sides and in his own kitchen and gardens, plus he revels his favorite Louisiana themed dinner. Listen closely and you can hear about his top choice fish dish and a surprise ingredient for crawfish boil.
Episode 161: Building a Great Museum - Founding CEO Tracks Evolution of National WWII Museum
Gordon “Nick” Mueller once had a conversation with Stephen Ambrose, a history professor colleague at the University of New Orleans. What Ambrose had to say would make history itself. He proposed a project to build a museum focused on the Normandy D-Day invasions. Taking advantage of the university’s lakefront location – which would be used to test the Higgins landing boats used in the invasion – plus Ambrose’s volumes of interviews on the war, the idea seemed like a natural. From that day, Mueller’s career took a new track toward his own landing as the founding President and CEO of what would eventually be called The National World War II Museum.
Now regarded as one of the nation’s best museums and ranking high in attendance, the museum project that Ambrose envisioned, like the Normandy invasion, was a success tough with a heavy drama an obstacles along the way.
Mueller joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the war and the new book he co-authored, along with research historian Kali Matin Schick, entitled “Building the National WWII Museum.”
There are lots of stories in the interview including that of Ambrose’s reaction the first time he saw a personal screening of his book, “Saving Private Ryan” having been made into a movie.
Episode 160: Exploring Louisiana's Literary Scene
Louisiana has a rich literary history. All authors conduct interviews as part of their craft, but only one wondered what it would be like to interview a vampire. As another Louisiana author, Kate Chopin, might have said about Anne Rice’s vampire book, it was an awakening.
Peggy Scott Laborde, a producer and documentary maker for public television station WYES tv in New Orleans joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about her latest documentary, “Literary New Orleans.” The program opens the book on some of the best works from the Louisiana literary scene. We will also hear about why Tennessee Williams changed the name of the play he was working on from “The Poker Night” to “Streetcar named Desire.”
Episode 159: The Artistry and History of Louisiana's Capitol
When driving into Baton Rouge, one can be amazed by the object in the distance that looks like a rocket ship on a launch pad about to take off. The building, of course, is the state capitol, the tallest of all such buildings in the country and a monument to Huey Long, whose ambition always seemed to be reaching for the stars.
“A Tall Order: The Louisiana State Capitol,” a documentary produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, tells the story of the building’s history and architecture. Both are imposing. Dorothy Kendrick, the documentary’s producer, and Steve Losavio, an architect with the Louisiana Division of Administration, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to tell stories about the building and the artistic genius behind it.
But there has been tragedy, too. The building’s first floor is the site where Long was assassinated. (There is a memorial park across the street.)
On a happier note, listen closely and you will also hear a tip on why all visitors should take a trip to the 27th floor.
Episode 158: Food Writer Jessica Harris Links African and American Influences
Jessica Harris has twice won James Beard Foundation awards, including one for Lifetime achievement. Rather than just being in the kitchen, she has proved herself to be especially skilled at blending sentences and paragraphs and then seasoning the mix with a generous heaping of knowledge to create fresh culinary history.
For one of her recent books, “High on the Hog” she went to Africa to discover some of the links between African cooking and classic American dishes. Her Netflix series based on the book was so successful that a second season has been produced. Harris, who lives in Brooklyn but also has a residence in New Orleans – itself a destination for Afro/Caribbean/European/Cajun fusion, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the culinary discoveries that are part of cooking.
She also discusses the cross-cultural origins of savory words such as gumbo and jambalaya.
Episode 157: Caring for Mike the Tiger
Suppose your job is to take care of a tiger – a real tiger with jaws and claws and that is physically fit. David G. Baker is a veterinarian who for several year had the responsibility of overseeing the most recent cats who have been the Louisiana State University mascot. This week, Baker joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss his book "Mike: The Tigers of LSU." He talks not just about the life of a mascot, but also offers fascinating insights into the animals themselves, such as how they differ in lifestyles and psychology from other wild felines including lions and panthers. He also describes Mike’s luxurious habitat on the LSU campus and the inside story of what it takes to feed a tiger.
Episode 156: From Doom to Bloom – a Tale of City Park's Disaster and Stunning Revival
One of the great green spaces in America is New Orleans’ City Park. In 2005, the flood waters from Hurricane Karina turned it into a gray space that was muddied, overcome with fallen trees, deprived of joy and hope. Robert Becker, the park’s former CEO, faced the task of rebuilding the park with no funding and most of the park’s employees having to be released. He succeeded. Becker, author of the new book "New Orleans City Park: From Tragedy to Triumph," joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about a great urban revival. We will also hear about historic disasters, in different centuries, that ultimately helped re-build the park.
Did you know? City Park is 50 percent larger than New York’s Central Park.
Episode 155: Sallie Ann Glassman Conjures Día de los Muertos
Who better to talk about the Day of the Dead celebration than a Vodou priestess? Also known as Día de los Muertos, the celebration has different roots than Vodou, which worked its way through Haiti. It is also Hispanic in origin. Yet both have a mystique with rituals and traditions that commemorate life and death. Sallie Ann Glassman an ordained Vodou priestess whose duties include conducting the annual St. John’s Eve celebration on Bayou St. John and who operates the Island of Salvation Botanica.
From her store at the Healing Center in Bywater, Glassman joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to delves into the season’s mysteries. She will also explain if there is a spiritual connect between Día de los Muertos, Halloween and All Saints Day all of which are celebrated as the calendar gradually approaches the dark days of winter.
Episode 154: A Haunting She Will Go – Author Barbara Sillery
Barbara Sillery has her favorite haunts, not just to visit but to write about. She has written several books about hauntings including in Louisiana, Mississippi (as well as its Delta country), Cape Cod and Nantucket. Sillery joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, with stories to tell.
Sillery, a longtime resident of New Orleans, now lives on Cape Cod, where the ghosts might not have lived on plantation but sometimes as sea captains.
Episode 153: Shreveport's Worst Year - Tragedy, Survival and Saintliness
In 1873, though little known throughout the state, the Shreveport area suffered one of the greatest tragedies in Louisiana history. The region faced what is recorded as the third largest Yellow Fever epidemic in the nation’s history. In the course of three months there was an estimated 1,200 victims, approximately 1/4 of the city’s population.
Cheryl White, a history professor at LSU-Shreveport, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, in commemoration of the incident’s 150th anniversary. White tells about the mass grave, which contains the remains of approximately 800 victims, some never identified. There are many stories including the tragedy of five Louisiana-based priests who went to Shreveport to comfort the stricken and who became victims themselves. There is now an organized effort to have the Vatican canonize (declare to be saints) the priests.
It is a story that should have a center place in Louisiana history.
Episode 152: Jim Brown - Former State Politico Has Stories to Tell
Jim Brown has had quite a career including terms as Louisiana’s Secretary of State; Insurance Commissioner and a state senator. He is also a publisher, a columnist and a font of knowledge about the state and its politics.
Brown joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about several topics including why college sports has, in fact, become professional; his thoughts on allowing TV coverage of trials; the state's insurance crisis, and what he hoped to discover during a recent trip to the holy land. It is conversation from an active mind at its best.
Episode 151: Nick Spitzer Explores the Rhythm of America
Millions of people listen to music on the radio. Over a half million people listen to radio each week to hear Nick Spitzer talk about music. Spitzer’s pioneering broadcast American Routes is way more than a D.J. spinning songs but a weekly two-hour public radio program that presents the breadth and depth of the American music scene and cultural landscape.
Syndicated by 225 radio stations American Routes is the most widely heard regular presence for tradition-derived and community-based music on public radio today. Spitzer joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell stories about the origins and characters of the nation’s many music forms. He also has interview clips including Jerry Lee Lewis; Willie Nelson and the late zydeco artist Clifton Chenier. The podcast presents a fun side trip into American routes.
Episode 150: Executive Action - The Presidency and New Orleans
A teenager named Abraham Lincoln was once part of the crew of a packet boat bringing goods downriver to New Orleans. As they approached the city they camped on the river banks up shore from New Orleans. There were rough characters who worked along the river. That night, young Lincoln and his group were attacked and beaten up. Fortunately, for history's sake, he survived and made it to New Orleans where he had another experience that also favored history’s sake.
He saw the city’s slave markets and was appalled. What he saw in New Orleans influenced his attitude about slavery that would shape his political career.
Author and professor Ted Widmer will moderate a panel, including New Orleanians Richard Campanella (who has written about the above Lincoln story) and the author C. W. Goodyear, titled “Hail to the Chief, New Orleans and the American Presidency.” Goodyear is the author of a new book about James Garfield.
Widmer joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about presidents who spent time in the city either earlier before their time in office or as incumbents. It is a fascinating conversation a president whose reputation was made in New Orleans.
Episode 149: Commanding From the Palace's Kitchen
Whenever polls are taken of Louisiana’s most popular restaurants Commander’s Palace in New Orleans is usually near or at the top. That’s quite an accomplishment for a state already known for its great restaurants.
Ti Martin, co-proprietor of Commander’s Place, and Executive Chef Meg Bickford join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to stir into topics including Louisiana-grown products – the quality and availability, plus, revelations about the classic Brennan’s family style of service. (Did you know: At least three people work each table.) Bickford is a rising star whose resume includes apprenticing with Chef John Folse; Martin is an established leader in the restaurant community.
We also ask the two to reveal their favorite at-home comfort foods.
Episode 148: When the Cajundome Helped Save Southeast Louisiana
There are thousands of hurricane stories. Some stories are tragic, others are heroic and many are truly compelling, especially for podcast listening. A documentary recently released by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, the statewide public broadcast system, entitled “Cajundome City” tells the story of how a college sports arena suddenly became the center of survival in the 2005 aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and then Rita. Trent Angers, a Lafayette-based author and book publisher who served as a co-producer of the documentary, and father and son co-directors Chris and Christopher Allain join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell about the compassion of the Lafayette community and the challenges of the effort. We will also hear about the University of Louisiana Lafayette celebrating its 125 anniversary and the successful dealmaking behind its creation.
Episode 147: Shreveport Little Theatre Maker of Dreams
Remember the comedian George Carlin? In 1958, when he was an airman at nearby Barksdale Air Force Base, his first appearance on a stage was in Shreveport. Carlin was the star of the Shreveport Little Theatre’s production of “The Happiest Millionaire.” That is one of the many surprising facts about the theater which, in another surprise, celebrated its centennial in 2022. Robert Darrow, the theater’s managing and artistic director, as well as Sherry Kerr, a Shreveport-based drama consultant, writer and actress, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the theater – which Life Magazine once dubbed as one of the top three community playhouses in America. The history of the theater and its stars has been produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting as a documentary entitled “Maker of Dreams.” (Check LPB Passport and streaming options.) Among the stories is that of a Shreveport native who auditioned for a role in the original making of “Gone With the Wind” and what happened to her career.
Episode 146: Molly Kimball – The Feat of Being Fit
There are two things, among many, that we all need to do – eat, and be fit. The problem is that sometimes doing one contradicts the other.
Fortunately, there are some dietitian who keep and eye on that sort of thing and who have the connections to help us walk the thin line. Molly Kimball is a one person fitness information boutique. She administers the popular Eat Fit programs for Ochsner hospitals; has several books on fitness recipes (including one about booze); she makes television appearances and has her own podcast.
Speaking of which, she joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, for our own podcast to talk about eating tips and health. She also spills the beans on breakfast and is it always the most important meal of the day.
Episode 145: A Design Masterpiece – Exploring the Louisiana Children's Museum
If you confuse the Louisiana Children’s Museum for a boat permanently docked alongside a small bay that is understandable. The museum, located in New Orleans’ City Park, is a masterpiece of whimsical design and learning creativity. It is as much fun as it is educational – and there is plenty of both.
Tifferny White, the museum’s CEO joins, Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the museum not only as a great place for young and older to visit, but also as an important tool in early childhood education. We will also hear about the imaginative food choices created by a prominent restauranteur and the splendid views created by nature.
Episode 144: Tony Canzoneri - New Orleans to New York
New Orleans was once a fertile area for developing championship boxers. Mainly because of the large Italian immigration many of the boys who came from poor families and grew up in tough neighborhoods were attracted to boxing. Not only were the skills a matter of survival, but they could also be a way, for some, to fame and wealth. One example was Tony Canzoneri who grew up in the New Orleans area, eventually moved to New York City where he ultimately won several boxing championships.
Ramon Antonio Vargas, who has seen the tough side of life as a former crime reporter for the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to talk about his new book "Family, Gangsters & Champions: Boxer Tony Canzoneri's Life & World."
We will also hear about Canzoneri’s New Orleans experiences in the ring and about his brief effort operating a bar.
Episode 143: Farming in the Neighborhood
Who would have thought that there would be a working farm on Jackson Avenue right in the heart of Uptown amid the mansions and the magnolias?
Well, there is, and it is more than tomato plants stuck in the ground but all kinds of vegetables and fruits grown scientifically—all part of the urban farm movement . Michael Richard, farm director for Recirculating Farms – a non-profit group committed to being ecologically resourceful yet bountiful in its produce – joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about how serious farming can be developed in urban neighborhoods. He also explains the process and benefits of water recirculation.
Episode 142: A Louisiana Dolphin Rescue Story
When hurricanes rumble from the Gulf, the high winds and storm surges sometimes re-locate unwilling sea mammals into surrounding land masses and waterways. That happened after Hurricane Ida in 2021, which displaced a dolphin into a bay near Grand Isle.
While the bay water was ecologically sound to support the new arrival, it offered no access to the Gulf. With the cooperation of several sea life specialist, plans were made to re-locate the mammal who during the interim had delivered a calf that swam at her side.
Gabriella Vazquez, the Audubon Nature Institute’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Rehab Coordinator, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell the tale of a relocation that required scientific knowledge, skill, strong backs and good hearts.
We will also hear what the staff named the two dolphins and how researchers are able keep up with their whereabouts.
Episode 141: Billy Nungesser - Lt. Gov. Takes on Diversion Projects and Global Tourism
In 2010, during the time that Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser was Plaquemines Parish’s President, the BP Oil Spill took place. He became immersed in the issue, so much that the national media referred to him as the “Face of the Spill.” As Lt. Gov., Nungesser has additional battles including developing and promoting tourism.
Nugesser joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to express strong feelings about diversion projects as well as attracting visitors to the state. We will also hear about his recent trip to Australia and New Zealand.
Episode 140: The Upstairs Lounge, A Fire in the Vieux Carré
Fifty years ago there was a tragic fire in New Orleans’s French Quarter at a bar with a largely gay clientele called the Upstairs Lounge. There were 32 deaths. Documentary maker Royd Anderson joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the disaster, which had a galvanizing effect on the gay community. The suspected arsonist, who himself was gay, reportedly admitted to a couple of people that he had set the fire. He would later commit suicide. Investigations would show that his action was not anti-gay but touched off by another incident. The fire was one of several in the French Quarter’s history and the most deadly. Hear about what was learned from the incident.
Episode 139: Stanley Dry - Stirring It Up With The Kitchen Gourmet
If the subject is restaurants don’t call Stanley Dry; if the subject is kitchens, then he’s your man. Dry is the long time writer of the “Kitchen Gourmet” column for Louisiana Life magazine. He has also authored cookbooks; two of which; “The Essential Louisiana Cookbook” and the “Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook” were published by this magazine's parent company, Renaissance Publishing. He has written for national publications including The New York Times; Food and Wine Magazine and Travel & Leisure. And today, he is the guest for this podcast talking about vegetables that grow in his backyard, Louisiana blue crabs, shrimp and seasonal desserts. Dry joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot with emphasis on summer cooking. We will also hear about the science, evolution and preparation of soft shell crabs.
Oh, he also bakes, but that is mostly in the cold months...
Episode 138: Discoveries in Our Geography – Views from Richard Campanella
We learn history for several perspectives including political, social and military, but to really understand a place and the influences that shaped it, we need to hear from a geographer as well. Richard Campanella, a Tulane University research professor, combines the thoroughness of an academic with the communications skill of a popular journalist. Campanella joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the geography that made the New Orleans region. His books have dealt with the area’s cityscape; the Westbank and even Bourbon Street. His latest publication, “Draining New Orleans,” details the brilliant engineering that made it possible for a city to exist where much of it is below sea level.
We will also hear about the invention that made dairy farms possible.
Episode 137: Monroe Doctrine with Mayor Friday Ellis
One person who most identifies a city is its mayor. There are council members, legislators, judges, sheriffs and police chiefs, but it's the mayor who usually, for better or worse, is in the best position to direct the future.
Friday Ellis, the first term mayor of Monroe, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about not just his city but also the vision of the state from his perspective and that of other City Hall colleagues. We will also hear about serious plans for AMTRAK rail service and downtown revival. Mayor Ellis’ wife Ashley also joins the conversation. The Monroe First Lady is a member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education making them Northeast Louisiana’s ultimate power couple.
Episode 136: Robert Mann, Huey Long and LSU
LSU is known for its achievements on the playing field and in the classroom, but before any of that could happen there were political battles and maneuvers to grow the university and to make it nationally prominent. Chief among the maneuverers was Huey Long who, during the seven year span when we he governor then Senator until being assassinated in 1935, made the university a personal cause.
Robert Mann, a historian, author and a political consultant joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his book, “KINGFISH U: HUEY LONG AND LSU.” More than just telling the story about the evolution of a university, the book provides a fascinating study of the state and its politics.
We will also hear about the time that the LSU student body watched the Tigers play Vanderbilt. Only to do it, Long arranged to ship the students to Nashville by train.
Episode 135: Perique - The "Only in Louisiana" Crop
There is a crop that is grown here in Louisiana that is not found anywhere else in the world. Even in Louisiana it is a rarity sprouting from the ground in only one parish. Perique tobacco has been cultivated in Louisiana for as long as there have been settlers, who learned techniques from the native tribe. The crop grows only in St. James Parish, where Convent is the manor town. Mike Matherne, whose family own one of the 25 perique farms, tells the story about the growth and fermentation of the plant. He joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about perique’s use as a flavorful condiment to mix with other tobaccos used in cigars and pipes.
Why does it only grow in St. James Parish? You will have to listen. Hint: it has to do with what is below the soil.
Episode 134: Café Brulot - Drinking the Devil's Brew
When ordering, one might wonder why the cup in which their coffee is served has an image of the devil on the outside or, especially, why the coffee when poured into a serving bowl is on fire. The real jolt is yet to come as the server ladles Café Brulot into the bedeviled cup. There is a rich history, much tracing back to France, in which ingredients were burnt and mixed with seasonings before being enriched by another liquid. Café Brulot is the most famous example, and few cities do it better and in more different places, than New Orleans.
Author Sue Strachan, who specializes in food, drink and other cultural quirks, joins Executive Editor of Louisiana Life Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about her book, “The Café Brulot.” More than just telling stories of the drink itself, Strachan provides a history of some of the ingredients – such as cloves and oranges – and of restauranteurs and bartenders who popularized the drink.
We will also her about a famous pirate – OK, a privateer – who might have taken a few sips of the burning booze himself.
Episode 133: Exploring Louisiana’s Historically Black Universities
An extended exhibit at the Capitol Park Museum, a division of the Louisiana State Museum, has opened in Baton Rouge to tell the stories of the struggles and successes of the schools. Michael McKnight, Deputy Director of Louisiana State Museums, and Rodneyna Hart, the museum’s director, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the history of the HBCU.
Episode 132: Télé-Louisiane – Un Renouveau Français
French is perhaps one of the most beautiful languages. It is also a vital part of Louisiana’s history. Through the effort of some dedicated individuals looking to preserve our culture, we have the opportunity to hear more of the language and various local dialects. Because of the organization Télé-Louisiane, a language revival will also be part of the history of Louisiana. Will McGrew, chief executive officer and co-founder of Télé-Louisiane, and Caitlin Orgeron, the organization’s chief operating officer, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about promoting the language through the legislature, video series, the power of social media and more.
Catch their program "La Veillee," a weekly statewide series on Louisiana Public Broadcasting spoken entirely in French and hosted by Orgeron, each Thursday at 7:45 p.m.
Vive la langue!
Episode 131: Chris Thomas King – A Man and His Blues
Chris Thomas King has been close to the blues all his life. His is the son of a legendary blues musician, Tabby Thomas, who operated a blues club in Baton Rouge. King has excelled not only on guitar, but also as a performer whose movie credits include the quirky “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” and the biofilm “Ray” about Ray Charles in which King also served as a music consultant working with Charles. King joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his Grammy awards, blues style and most of all his book, “The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of My Music And Culture.”
He also explains why defining the blues might be different than from what you think.