Louisiana Kitchen and Culture offers a unique view of the culinary culture and heritage of all of Louisiana. Susan said, “Chefs do a lot of writing for the magazine. Subscribers want to read about what inspires them in the kitchen, how they came to be a professional chef, all in their own voice rather than via a generic interview.”

Growing up 100 miles east of New Orleans, Susan knows great Southern cooking and how important the food is to everyone there. “Food is ingrained into our culture down here. We sit down to eat and, while critiquing what’s on our plate, we talk about what we had for dinner the previous night and what we’re going to eat for our next meal.”

She has a love for the culinary scene of New Orleans and Louisiana and it shows in her work with the magazine and in being an outspoken ambassador encouraging people from all over the country to visit Louisiana. She knows that even when you visit, a piece of you stays and a piece of Louisiana goes with you!  With Louisiana Kitchen & Culture Magazine you can continue to have the culture and heritage of this unique place sent right to your doorstep with excellent stories, wonderful recipes and great cooking tips no matter where you’re at.  If you love Creole and Cajun cooking, you’ll love this magazine!

I asked Susan, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice in New Orleans?
Coop’s on Decatur in the French Quarter. It’s a dive bar you’d never think to go into just passing by, but they make a mean pot of red beans and rice.

2. If you make your own, what do you put in it, anything different or unique? Do you use dried beans or canned beans?
Dried beans, Camellia brand specifically (the best, read the feature story on the company in the May/June 2014 issue of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture, order them shipped to you if your local grocery doesn’t carry the brand), and I soak them overnight. LK&C culinary media director and C.I.A.-trained chef David Gallent does not; it’s part of the ritual with me, though. I think the pre-soaked bean produces a creamier pot of beans. They need to cook low and slow, 3 to 4 hours. You’ll know they’re ready to go when the liquid in the pot turns into a natural, creamy gravy. My basic recipe is here, but I add ham hocks or a ham bone if possible.

Two summers ago, when hurricane Isaac was looming in the Gulf of Mexico, I took stock of my freezer to see what I could cook vs. lose in the inevitable power failure — I had all the makings for red beans, so I made a big batch the day before the storm was due. My husband made sure both propane tanks were full for our gas grill, and moved it under shelter. As it turned out, the storm stalled after the eye came ashore, and sat over us for 36 hours. Our power was out from Tuesday early until Sunday afternoon, and I ended up being cook for a lot of our neighbors. We stacked up ice chests in my kitchen and pooled our resources; Wednesday morning everyone brought over their breakfast items and we cooked breakfast on the grill. Those beans lasted for three days, and several neighbors declared them the best they’d ever had. What got everyone talking, though, was the spectacular Bolognese sauce I produced on the grill Saturday night; you can only hold a piece of beef in melting ice so long. I cooked the roast down in a couple of quarts of my red sauce that was also in the freezer, boiled some pasta, made garlic bread, and sautéed broccoli with garlic and lemon, all on the barbecue grill. The side burner was a lifesaver; my kitchen is (unfortunately) electric. No power in south Louisiana in August means we were miserably hot, and the food was pretty heavy, but we ate every bite.

3. What do you eat with your red beans? Chicken, pork chops, turkey, salads, or do you put enough in it that you don’t need anything else?
My beans are hearty enough that, served over hot steamed rice, all I add is a salad or a platter of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on the traditional Monday or is any day of the week alright?
Growing up, red beans were served on Mondays in the school cafeteria, and my baby sitter made them on Mondays. Since I soak overnight and simmer on the stove for several hours, it’s generally a weekend recipe. I make a big batch always, because leftovers freeze beautifully in quart-sized freezer bags. Those are pulled out for a quick, delicious dinner any night I don’t feel like (or have time for) cooking.

5. What are you working on now? Do you have anything coming out soon?
We’re putting the finishing touches on the July/August edition of the magazine, and, believe it or not, are planning the holiday issue and 2015. I wanted a cold pickled shrimp and vegetable concoction for the cover of July/August, and Chef Scott Varnedoe of Restaurant I.P.O. in Baton Rouge developed a recipe for me. We shot it last week; I couldn’t stop eating it after we were done. I swear, it’s some of the best food I’ve put in my mouth in a long time. I’ve got a family reunion in a couple of weeks; my family is in for a treat.

This past weekend I judged the Louisiana Seafood Cookoff; ten chefs from around the state competed and produced some outstanding food. As usual, though, the simplest dish won; Chef Aaron Burgau made a crawfish pasta dish that took first place. As this year’s King of Louisiana Seafood, he will go on to compete in the Great American Seafood Cookoff that will take place the first weekend of August, here in New Orleans during the Louisiana Foodservice Expo.

The previous weekend, I took Chefs Cory Bahr (Cotton, Nonna, both in Monroe), Austin Kerzner (Redfish Grill, New Orleans), Jason Brady (Wine Country Bistro, Shreveport), and Dustie Latiolais (Crawfish Town USA, Henderson) to Lake Chicot in Chicot State Park. We “camped” in deluxe cabins on the lake, the chefs fished, various locals cooked local specialties featuring the region’s smoked meats, and the chefs did a crawfish boil and fish fry. We worked hard and played harder; that story will be in the Sept/Oct issue of LK&C.

You can find Louisiana Kitchen & Culture Magazine at Barnes & Noble, Hastings, and Books a Million nationally, and at select newsstands and grocery stores throughout the south. Or, order it online; while you’re there, sign up for the free email newsletter published every Thursday morning, with recipes.

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

Cooking has always been a part of Robert Medina’s life.  Like most kids in the Crescent City, he grew up around some great cooks.  He wanted to be in the kitchen helping out as the meals were being prepared, carefully watching the steps needed to cook and put a great meal on the table for the family.

After serving in the Navy and attending college, Robert worked a series of jobs that left him unfulfilled.  He wanted more.  Following his father’s footsteps, he joined the New Orleans fire department.  On his first day of work, he entered the kitchen, there was an older guy cooking a pot of gumbo.  “He asked me how the gumbo smelled. It reminded me of the smell from my grandmother’s kitchen. All of those aromas wafting around made my mouth water. It rekindled something I had forgotten about, how much I enjoyed cooking.”

Robert was no stranger to eating meals in the firehouse, even before he joined the fire department.  His father, uncle, and brother, who were all firefighters, were also cooks.  He wanted to get back into the kitchen, and not just help, but to cook the meals to feed those in his engine house.  For 24 years, Robert was a New Orleans firefighter.  In that time, he honed his skills in the kitchen.  He says that, “To this day, I stick with the credo that if you can satisfy a firefighter’s palate, you can satisfy anyone’s.”

Since retiring, Robert needed something new to do.  He kept cooking, but this time, instead of for firefighters at the engine house, he cooked for friends, family events, and at tailgate parties.  Any excuse to cook, he did.  He decided to put his recipes together in a cookbook to share his knowledge of New Orleans-style cooking.  He released “If You Can’t Stand The Heat: A New Orleans Firefighters Cookbook” in 2011 by Tate Publishing.  In the book, he shows all the step-by-step instructions you need to take all the guess work out of cooking so you have an excellent NOLA-style meal no matter where your house, or firehouse, is.

Besides writing cookbooks and recipes for his website, he also has a book of poetry, “FREEFALL,”  available and offers a line of Creole spices called New Orleans Original Firehouse Flashover Creole Seasoning.  It’s a spice blend that he has perfected over the years while cooking at the fire department.  Firehouse Flashover Creole Seasoning is sold in select stores in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast.

I asked Robert Medina, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice?
I usually don’t order red beans when I’m out. I make them at home and as terrible as it might sound, I like my own. Maybe because I can control what goes into them. I have eaten many plates of beans and rice over the years. I spent 24 years on the fire department in New Orleans so I have had the privilege of sampling numerous versions of the bean. Some great and some not so great. Amazing how such simple ingredients can turn out so differently. If I were pressed to come up with a restaurant, Copeland’s, Acme Oyster House and of course Popeye’s come to mind.

2. Do you put any unique ingredients in your pot of red beans? Do you prefer dried or canned beans?
I only use dry beans and only Camellia. I have tried many others and they just don’t stack up. I want to add flavor to the beans so I take smoked ham hocks and boil them in chicken stock until the meat begins to fall off the bone. I use that meat along with pickle meat and Andouille along with the smoke infused chicken stock instead of water. Then, the usual ingredients along with a little shot of Tabasco.

3. What do you eat with red beans and rice?
Usually warm French bread and butter. Back at the fire house we always served them with fried pork chops. And not little wimpy thin ones. Thick chops. Those guys could eat.

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on traditional Mondays or any day of the week?
When I was a kid, my mom always served them up on Mondays. Tradition. Today, I just make them when we feel like eating them. Often I will make them and let them sit in the fridge for a day or two. Maybe it’s a trick of the brain but it seems that for some reason beans get better after they have had a chance for all of those flavors to get to know each other.

5. What are you currently working on?
Still doing the occasional book signing and cooking demos. The first book was called “If You Can’t Stand the Heat… A New Orleans Firefighters Cookbook”.  About half way done on the second one. It will be called “If You Can’t Stand the Heat… Second Alarm”. We are also in the process of getting our Firehouse Flashover Creole Seasoning into stores. At the end of the month our new product comes out. Also fire related. Firehouse Backdraft Butt & BBQ Rub. Also teaching classes for corporate groups. It keeps me busy.

For more information on Robert Medina, you can follow him on Facebook, Twitter @MedinaLite or his author page.  You can find more information on his cookbook, product line of Firehouse Flashover Creole Seasoning, and recipes on his website.

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

With Panderina Soumas, it’s all about her heritage. In fact, in her company’s tag line for Soumas Heritage Creole Creations, she points out that, “It’s ALL in the history.” It’s been a quest for her to not only promote and cook the Creole ways that is her heritage, but to also educate others about the unique culture.

Panderina started Soumas Heritage Creole Creations as a way to honor her ancestors. The company produces prepackaged Creole food mixes with a nod to the past and influenced by African and Caribbean flavors. The name of the mixes reflect what is unique with the Creole culture and that of south Louisiana. For instance, there’s the “Hoodoo You Wanna Voodoo” dip, “Jumpin’ da Broom” jambalaya, “Knock Knock, WHO DAT” dip, and the “Creole Gombo” to name a few. The gumbo is spelled after the African term for okra, ki ngombo, while the jambalaya is named after slave wedding ceremonies.

It’s all in the history, and it’s all being honored by Panderina. She loves to spread the word of her heritage. So much so that she has a program called, Gumbo CULTURE. With this “creative and universal learning through unique resources and education” system, she shares what is unique and diverse about the Creole culture through stories about the cuisine, food, legends, and of course, the history.  She intends to have fun while raising interest in what is the gumbo pot of culture in Louisiana.

And if that’s not enough, Panderina also caters. She’ll bring the Creole culture right to your kitchen – as long as you’re within an appropriate distance. However, if you order one of her fine Creole mixes online, have her cater your event or meet Panderina at one of the many cooking events she attends, you’ll sense the pride she has in her work, along with a new, deep appreciation for her heritage.  She’s not just cooking from her own culinary experiences, she is also pulling from her mother’s, grandmother’s, and great-grandmother’s experiences – remember, it’s ALL in the history!

I asked Panderina Soumas, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice?
I reside in North Louisiana now, unfortunately I have not found a place yet that has that south Louisiana, cultural Creole kick with red beans and rice here. In this area, some, if not most, and certainly not all, will have red beans and rice on their menu, but it’s actually pinto beans! I STILL CAN’T GET OVER THAT! Anyway, I’ve had them, most were tasty and well prepared, but’s its a cultural thang!

There’s a corner store name “The Brown Derby”, Uptown around Claiborne Ave and also a place called “Dunbars.” There’s an older/mature lady who cooks the food there. I’d say she has the BEST red beans and rice in New Orleans. According to my cousin, Chef Edwardo Soumas, if he’s not cooking them himself, he prefers hers. “I think she put her feet on the pot or somethin’.”

It’s the Mom~n~Pop places that have the BEST cultural cuisine. The big name, tourist marketed attractions are okay, but they are focused on “gourmet”, making it fancy and charging an arm, a leg and a couple of toes for that tourism dollar.

2. Do you put any unique ingredients in your pot of red beans? Do you prefer dried or canned beans?
Dried beans mostly. On quick/lazy occasions, I’ll pray and ask forgiveness from the Red Bean Gods and use a good canned version and doctor them up so much you really can’t tell. I just put the can way at the bottom of the trash can!

I use a lot of garlic and onions, especially garlic! When putting in my bell pepper, I use it all – seeds and stem. The stem can be taken out before eating, the seeds will just cook in the stock, you won’t even see them but they’re packed with flavor! I also use a lot of celery, all the leaves and that bottom part that most people throw away.  Wash it well, chop it up and throw it in.

I use several bay leaves. Most folks just use 1 or 2, I use 4 or 5.  Also, sometime to enhance the flavor, I’ll sprinkle a small amount of File’ powder and maybe a “careful drop” of liquid crab boil.  But know with those ingredients, use just a bit, they’re both very strong condiments. If used too much, it can ruin the red beans.

3. What do you eat with red beans and rice?
Mostly just sausage. On rare occasions I may have a few fried chicken wings with it!

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on traditional Mondays or any day of the week?
I eat them any day of the week, I LOVE `EM! But mostly prepare a fresh pot on Mondays!

5. What does red beans and rice mean to you?
Oh my. A TREAUX remembrance of my New Orleans Creole Heritage! I remember hearing my great-grandmother in the kitchen early on Monday mornings sorting them out, choppin’ and dicin’ all the trinity, washin’ her pickled meat. Maybe cleaning off a ham bone from Sunday dinna’ and maybe dicin’ some sausage. My grandfather loved fried or smothered pork chops with his. All this as well as with my own mother {cooking red beans} in our family kitchen.

To order any of Soumas Heritage Creole Creations products, her cookbook, or for more information on catering, visit Panderina Soumas’ website at Soumas Heritage Creole Creations.  You can also find her on Twitter @thecreolelady and on Facebook.

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

Anthony Scanio started out wanting to be an English teacher. But his love of New Orleans culture and cuisine guided him in a different direction. He enrolled in a college culinary arts program and began a career that took him from the Crescent City, through Italy, then back to the city he says he has a “love affair” with.

Anthony studied under James Beard award-winning chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski before finding a home with Emeril Lagasse at Emeril’s Delmonico. He started as a line cook in 2005, was promoted to sous chef in 2006, and then executive sous chef in 2009. Now, as the Chef de Cuisine, Anthony runs the kitchen and plenty of the behind the scene tasks that keep the restaurant one of the top food destinations in New Orleans.

Emeril’s Delmonico is a Creole-inspired restaurant in the Lower Garden District. It bases its food on a fresh, clean, ingredient-based approach to cooking while keeping the Creole heritage the focal point. As a life-long resident of New Orleans, Anthony has tapped into that knowledge of traditional old world Creole dishes but has added new modern touches, keeping the menu fresh and highly rated. His love for New Orleans and Creole cooking shines through in his work, and the customers of Delmonico love it!

I asked Anthony Scanio, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice?
My house or Monday staff meals here at Delmonico. I can’t recall the last time I ordered red beans and rice out at a restaurant. Ironically, as a chef I don’t get to eat out very often. As a kid growing up in Arabi, Popeye’s fried chicken was always accompanied by some red beans and rice. More than likely some dirty rice, too! Nevertheless, red beans seem like one of those quintessential home-style Creole dishes best enjoyed at home amongst family and friends. You know, “Come on over, I got a pot of beans on.” Of course, there are exceptions. At Delmonico, we offer a variation where the beans and rice are cooked together congri style. Essentially it is our version of the conrgi oriental served in eastern Cuba or the rice and peas of Haiti. In fact, our New Orleans red beans and rice probably descended from these versions via the Saint Domingue diaspora of the early 19th century. We naturally serve our congri with a pork chop. New Orleans pork chop and red beans and rice with a twist!

2. Do you put any unique ingredients in your pot of red beans? Do you prefer dried or canned beans?
Well, as I see it, if you’re using canned beans you ain’t making red beans. Now, on the other hand, at home I’m not opposed to using frozen bags of pre-cut trinity or Creole seasoning as you’ll see it labeled at the grocery store. (I’ve also been known to use frozen pre-cut okra at home for a pot of gumbo.)

As far as seasoning meat is concerned, the leftover ham bone is kind of legendary, almost mythical. I usually don’t have hambones lying around even if the flavor and creaminess they produce is indeed wonderful. Instead, I do like I learned from my mother and throw some smoked ham hocks into the pot. And like my Mama, I enjoy the fatty bits off the hock the best! So we have our smoke and our fat, but we still need some acidity, some vinegar. In short, I like to add some New Orleans style pickle meat to the pot as well. Finally, in addition to the usual seasonings such as thyme, bay leaf and cayenne, I like to add a little, just a dash really, of allspice to the pot. Not enough to taste but enough so that you know there’s a little something going on there.

3. What do you eat with red beans and rice?
I made a pot of red beans at the house last night. Red beans and rice and some French bread. Simple, perfect, inexpensive, delicious. That’s one of the great things about red beans and rice is that it is available to and enjoyed by everyone, rich or poor. Of course, red beans and rice are a staple at New Orleans get-togethers; surely, fried chicken or pork chops or some chaurice sausage are more than likely to be part of the pot luck. Likewise, lunching at a neighborhood café, it would be nice to accompany your red beans and rice with a pork chop or chaurice on the side. At Delmonico, you get your red bean and rice congri with a pork chop, baked bananas and a little rum jus.

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on traditional Mondays or any day of the week?
Any day of the week is fine although with my schedule, Mondays and the occasional Sunday seem to be when I eat them. It is especially nice though to enjoy them on Mondays and participate in the time honored rhythms of the city.

You can find Chef Anthony Scanio at Emeril’s Delmonico, located at 1300 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, or by phone (504) 525 4937.  For additional restaurant information and a complete look at the menu, visit their website!

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

The restaurant’s location is a little out of the box, also. You have to move past the regulars at the small Erin Rose bar, which is located at 811 Conti Street in the French Quarter, and beneath the sign with a skull and two crossed baguettes. There you’ll find either Cam or April working in the small kitchen. The two met while working together at Arnaud’s in the 1990s and have worked in some of the finest restaurants in New Orleans before coming up with the idea of non-traditional po’boy pop-up.

With all their experience and imagination, Cam and April crafted sandwiches you won’t find anywhere else.  Instead of serving the traditional fried shrimp, hot sausage or fall apart tender roast beef po’boy, topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced tomatoes, you’ll find a Sweet Potato Po’boy with a black-eyed peas and pecan spread, pickled shallots and greens. You’ll also find the Seared Gulf Shrimp Po’boy with marinated carrot, daikon, cucumber, herbs, and a sriracha aioli; the Glazed Pork Belly Po’boy with NOLA rum and ginger can syrup, lime slaw and a garlic aioli; Grass-fed Beef Meatloaf Po’boy with bbq sauce, pickles and a housemade ranch; Jameson Grilled Cheese with aged cheddar and Jameson on a whole grain bread. Along with the changing daily specials, one of these may become your new “traditional” po’boy while in New Orleans.

The restaurant has been highly acclaimed since it opened. GoNOLA.com compares what Cam and April did with po’boys to what Antoines did with Oysters Rockefeller in 1899. It has also been compared to what Central Grocery did with the muffuletta in 1906 as well as what the Martin brother’s did with the original po’boy in 1929.

New Orleans Magazine named it one of the best places to get “cheap eats” in the city. Travel and Leisure said it has the best po’boy in New Orleans ranking the Coriander-Lime Gulf Shrimp Po’boy number one – ahead of all the traditional po’boys! BuzzFeed.com named the Roasted Sweet Potato Po’boy one of the “23 Truly Unbelievable Dishes Only Found In NOLA“.

I asked Cam Boudreaux, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice?
My favorite place to order Red Beans and Rice would probably be Popeye’s Fried Chicken, due to sheer convenience. I remember when I lived uptown, the Balcony bar used to have free red beans on Mondays. That was it for sure.

Also, local band King James and the Special Men serve an excellent pot of Red Beans and rice at their Monday weekly show at BJ’s bar in the Bywater.

2. Do you put any unique ingredients in your pot of red beans? Do you prefer dried or canned beans?
Dry Camellia brand beans of course. A very unique ingredient that my wife puts in our Red Beans is dried Fenugreek leaf. Shocker.

3. What do you eat with red beans and rice?
Hot sauce, green onions and when I was growing up, my mom used to serve minced white onions as a garnish on the side. Oh, and bread, French bread if possible, but even corn tortillas will do in a pinch. Carbs for the win! Also, the rice must be served on top. Never ever serve my red beans on top of my rice. Never.

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on traditional Mondays or any day of the week?
Any old day of the week, we cook ‘em in a crock pot overnight so we get to smell ‘em cooking all night.

5. What are you currently working on?
We are currently working on having the best year ever at our wee po’boy shop!!!

For more information on Killer Po’boys and the current menu, you can visit their website at KillerPoBoys.com.  You can also find Cam and April on their Facebook page and on Twitter @killerpoboys. Killer Po’boys is in the back of the Erin Rose Bar at 811 Conti Street.

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

New Orleans is a place for storytellers.  Ask anyone there, or even one outside of the city who simply loves it, and they’ll have some anecdote for you about the Crescent City.  The story can be about the food, the music, or the culture.  It can be a comedy, a tragedy, or an autobiography filled with fantasy, drama, and history.  But one thing you’ll undoubtedly hear in all the stories, for better or worse, is what New Orleans is really about.

One of New Orleans master storytellers is award winning writer, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and cookbook author, Lolis Eric Elie.  He has no problems talking about how much he loves his city or the problems that go along with it.  He once said in an interview with Larry Blumenfeld of Blogs.ArtInfo.com, “The city government values culture only to the extent that it can be sold. And they don’t particularly value the people who produce culture. And that’s the education that this and every administration in this city needs. People didn’t come back to this city for the opportunity to play for tourists. They came back because of what it felt like to be here, because of what it meant to be here, because of the way we live in this world. But the mayor seems to think that what’s important is that there be red beans and rice on the menu for tourists.”

He went on to say, “When politicians talk about using political power to make economic development happen they are not thinking about cultural development. What they miss is that I think you need to focus on those things you can’t get anywhere else, and enhance those things. Instead, they take them for granted.“

The New Orleans born writer wrote for the Times-Picayune newspaper for 13 years and was never afraid to speak his mind and make the readers think.  While working for the paper he wrote and co-produced the PBS documentary, “Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans“.  The award-winning film lead to Lolis landing a job as a staff writer and story editor for the HBO show, TREME, thus leaving the newspaper.  TREME was a dramatic series based on facts and actual events in New Orleans and the Treme neighborhood following Hurricane Katrina.

Lolis’ most recent cookbook, TREME: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans, is based on the show.  It’s fiction and nonfiction stories inspired by the characters of the show. His previous cookbooks include a book on the culture of barbecue, Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country and he was the editor of Cornbread Nation 2: The United States of Barbecue.

He has also been a long-time contributor to the Southern Foodways Alliance.  On their webpage, he says, “Among our most original foods are those in the southern United States. And so my hope is to encourage that even further, so that our food is taken seriously as any other food.”

As you’ll learn from his writings in the TREME cookbook and his other work in the New York Times, Washington Post, Gourmet, Oxford American, Saveur, Bloomberg or just listening to him speak, he loves the food and culture of New Orleans and is considered an expert on the subject by many.  I had the chance to ask Lolis, “How Do You Red Bean?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice in New Orleans?
I cook red beans so often, and you get them so often at receptions, parties and other events that I seldom order them in restaurants. I remember ordering them at Restaurant August on the first Monday they were open after the flood. That was symbolic, though, for the restaurant and the patrons.

2. If you make your own, what do you put in it, anything different or unique?  Do you use dried beans or canned beans?
I always use dried beans. It seems sacrilegious to me to use canned beans, though I know some true blue New Orleanians swear by their [canned beans]. I started putting smoked turkey wings in my beans at a point and I found I really liked that flavor. Pickle meat, smoked sausage, smoked turkey, all of that can work.

I don’t know of anything I put in that everyone else doesn’t put in—onions, garlic, celery, oil, bay leaf, bell pepper. Well, Habanero pepper. I like to combine black pepper and dried Habanero pepper.

Once, when I was a kid, I remember my mother made some red beans on a Saturday and I was eating them waiting for my father to come pick me up. I even remember the pot she was cooking them. What I remember most about those beans was the flavor of black pepper. I was a kid, so they couldn’t have been too hot.

I try to get the spice level so you can taste the pepper but you’re not reaching for the ice water.

3. What do you eat with your red beans?  Chicken, pork chops, turkey, salads, or do you put enough in it that you don’t need anything else?
I love red beans and fried chicken as a combination. Smothered chicken or pork chops can also be good. It’s funny though, my friend Bethany Bultman points out that folks put so much meat in the beans that it’s really like pork and red bean soup. To add another meat on top of that seems excessive now that we’ve discovered health concerns, etc.

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on the traditional Monday or is any day of the week alright?
I always think about red beans and rice on Monday, but I cook them and eat them on any day that suits my fancy. My uncle Caston, who used to own Pack-A-Jug liquor store on Orleans Avenue used to say he wouldn’t eat red beans on Sunday. That screamed poverty to him. When they were coming in up Depression times, beans and the like were often the only dishes you could afford to have day to day. So, Sunday dinner was special and he couldn’t imagine eating beans on Sunday if he could afford not to.

I didn’t grow up in the Depression so beans don’t have that meaning for me. For me, beans are all about New Orleans or, by extension, the Creole world. I think about Haiti and Santiago de Cuba. I cook them whenever I want to raise the flag.

5. What are you working on now? Do you have anything coming out soon?
I’ve been living in LA, the land of 1,000 projects. I’m not up to 1,000 yet, but I’m getting close. I’ll reserve further comment until some of these trees bear fruit.

You can stay in touch with Lolis Eric Elie through his website, www.LolisEricElie.com, or follow him on Twitter @lolisericelie

This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson

If you were into the rock and roll scene of the 1990’s you have probably heard of the band, Cowboy Mouth.  They had the catchy hit song, “Jenny Says” that played over and over on the radio all across the United States.  Paul Sanchez was one of the founding members of the band in 1990 and played with them up until 2006.

Since leaving the New Orleans based rock band, Paul has gone on to be a premiere singer, songwriter, producer, writer, musician and actor.  He played himself in the hit HBO show Treme and was the driving force in bringing the Dan Baum book Nine Lives to life with 39 original songs based on the book.  He has written songs for Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish, The Eli Young Band and even had a song covered by the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas!

From Paul’s website: “In January of 2010, OffBeat Magazine awarded Paul three Best Of The Beat Awards: Songwriter of The Year, Best Song Of The Year, Best Folk/Rock Album for Stew Called New Orleans, his duet record with friend and collaborator John Boutte. In April of that same year, Gambit Weekly awarded him Best Roots Rock Performer at The Big Easy Awards.”

Growing up in New Orleans, Paul knows a thing or two about red beans and rice.  So I asked him,
“HOW DO YOU RED BEAN?”

1. Where’s your favorite place to order red beans and rice in New Orleans?

I don’t order them at restaurants too often because I like to make my own red beans.

2. If you make your own, what do you put in it, anything different or unique? Do you use dried beans or canned beans?

I use Camellia Red Beans and can’t imagine using canned beans, though I most likely have eaten them and enjoyed them. I like red beans and rice, what can I say?

I use the Holy Trinity, but I go heavy on the onions and garlic. Chicken stock, water, and I put in some Tony Chachere’s, adding a little evaporated milk toward the end.

3. What do you eat with your red beans? Chicken, pork chops, turkey, salads, or do you put enough in it that you don’t need anything else?

I use Vaucresson Sausage in my beans, and I pan-fry the slices before I add them. I don’t usually make a side dish like chicken or pork chops. I often don’t even bother with rice, just eat the beans from a bowl.

I don’t always make salad every time, but if I do, I’ll put the beans right on top. 

4. Do you only eat red beans and rice on the traditional Monday or is any day of the week alright?

I only make them on Mondays; that’s tradition. I eat them two or three times a week because leftover beans are delicious.

5. What are you working on now? Do you have anything coming out soon?

I had throat surgery in November of 2018 and spinal surgery in January of 2019 where they had to move my vocal cords. I developed a neurological condition called vocal dystonia; I didn’t speak for nine months and didn’t sing for two years. 

I’ve gotten a lot of therapy since then and have had a lot of voice lessons, and my voice is getting stronger every day. 

During the pandemic, my wife bought me a piano to take my mind off my voice; I had never played before, but I taught myself to play and found myself drawn to learning the standards – Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman, Sinatra.

I’ve now written an album full of Sinatra style ballads that I am planning to record in the next year.

For more information on Paul Sanchez, his music, books and where he’s playing, please visit his website www.PaulSanchez.com.  If you’re in New Orleans, make sure you check his website for concert dates.  He plays a show almost every week.  Don’t miss out on one of New Orleans finest musicians!
This story originally appeared on Red Beans & Eric and was written by Eric Olsson