Louisiana Eats

On this week's Louisiana Eats!, we join Chef John Besh in the Rouse’s Culinary Innovation Center, located at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, for a lesson in cooking up some oyster stew. We also talk about John's newly released book, Besh Big Easy, which focuses on traditional dishes that he believes are disappearing from Louisiana dinner tables.

There are few businesses harder to succeed in than the restaurant business. On this week's show, we hear some of America's greatest success stories from the hospitality world.

Since we began broadcasting Louisiana Eats! over five years ago, we've noticed a recurring theme when speaking with chefs, bartenders and restaurant owners about a certain aspect of the hospitality and service industry culture. From the front of the house to the back, across Louisiana and the entire country, there is a substance abuse problem in bars and restaurants.

Since 1986, Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley has gathered together a small group of chefs, journalists and food enthusiasts for an intensive four-day seminar at the American Harvest Workshop. Recently, the Louisiana Eats! team was invited to participate, so we've brought back some of our favorite stories from the West Coast.

Recently, Louisiana Eats! host Poppy Tooker packed up her recording equipment, bid a cheery adieu to her company of sound engineers and went rogue to make Louisiana Eats! radio in France. On this week's episode, we share Poppy's incredible experience abroad.

Knowing the human history behind any dish just makes it taste better. On this week's episode of Louisiana Eats!, we hit the books with several food historians to hear tales of our culinary past.

First, we speak with Dr. David Shields of the University of South Carolina, who shares his years of research on American culinarians. His upcoming book, "Culinarians: American Chefs, Caterers & Restaurateurs," is the first ever biographical collection of culinary movers and shakers in America.

The food scene of New Orleans has grown tremendously since Hurricane Katrina. On this week's Louisiana Eats!, we complete our two-part series on the storm by taking a look at the changing face of the city's food scene over the past 10 years.

As the 10th anniversary of the storm approaches, the echoes of Hurricane Katrina and resulting levee failures continue to affect individuals and businesses within the food industry. On this week's Louisiana Eats!, we begin our two-part series on the storm with stories about the aftermath of Katrina on local bars, restaurants and facilities; and learn how the community has come back in a big way.

On this week's Louisiana Eats!, we set out to discover hot spots both literally and figuratively in our backyard.

On this week's episode of Louisiana Eats!, we visit two Gulf Coast farms where, through collaboration and innovation, farmers are creating better products that will help preserve the environment and give back to the community.