New Culinary Library For New Orleans

It will have almost 12,000 cookbooks and more than 5,000 menus.  It will be the biggest culinary-themed book collection in the south and someday, it is hoped, the biggest in the world.  The soFAB Culinary Library in New Orleans officially opens to the public at 2pm this afternoon.

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum has been collecting materials for the library for eight years.  It suffered heavy losses as a result of Hurricane Katrina, losing around 700 books, but generous donations from authors and publishers helped it to get back up to speed.  As well as cookbooks and menus, it collects private culinary archives, pamphlets, postcards and all sorts of bits and pieces involving writing about food.  The focus is not just on cooking itself but also on nutrition, public health, and related areas of policy.

Several other libraries around the country, including Harvard’s, have contributed large amounts of material to soFAB’s stock.  Other notable donors include Frieda Johnson, who donated materials belonging to her late husband, broadcaster and gastronome Phil Johnson, and food author Mildred Covert, who donated her own papers.  Both women will be guests at the launch, which will feature speeches from Charles Brown of New Orleans Public Library and Stephen Stryjewski from major backers Link Restaurant Group.  Refreshments will be provided and in the circumstances they should be well worth trying.

The library is intended principally as a repository and research resource; therefore, its collections will not travel.  Its Menu Project is aiming to collect recipes from every restaurant in the south, and contributions from elsewhere are also welcome.  All the recipes will be digitized to help preserve them for posterity.  The aim is to create a resource that researchers can use to explore trends in public eating.  It will also be of use to students from chef colleges who want to investigate old recipes and perhaps come up with a few culinary secrets that have been lost.  The library team is particularly keen to acquire old menus.

The library is situated in recently refurbished premises at 1609 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard.  Opening hours may be subject to change at first; however, members of the public are welcome and it is a good place to explore for those still in the early stages of planning a culinary career. 

Learn the Secrets of Cajun Cooking in New Orleans, Louisiana

When you think of Cajun or Creole cooking, there is a good chance that you think immediately of Louisiana and its most famous city, New Orleans. The Big Easy, as New Orleans is sometimes called, is definitely a major tourism attraction thanks to picturesque French architecture and one of the most incredible nightlife landscapes in the country. However, it is also a top place to discover the art of Cajun and Creole cooking. Here are some of the reasons to attend New Orleans culinary schools on your path to a successful culinary career.

Tourism-Based Economy and Countless Career Possibilities

There is no question that if you are looking for a culinary career, New Orleans is a great place to start. Since there are millions of visitors who come to the area each year in order to indulge in delicious fare, there is a big demand for talented chefs, restaurant managers and bakers. By enrolling in and attending one of the many chef schools in New Orleans, you will be able to make connections and meet the people who can secure you a position in the future.

Rich Local Culture

New Orleans has been called a melting pot of cultures in the past, and that description is an accurate one. Ethnicities and cultures from around the world combined to create the Cajun and Creole titles, and these two groups are still alive and well in the city. However, New Orleans is also heavily influenced by the millions of travelers who arrive each year and bring their own customs and traditions along for the ride. Throw in the colonial French architecture of the city and the traditional Southern spirit, and New Orleans really is unlike any other destination on the planet.

Incredible Nightlife on Bourbon Street and Beyond

Mardi Gras is the one night of the year that everyone in the world pays attention to, but New Orleans offers some incredible parties on the other 351 days of the year as well. Bourbon Street is the epicenter of nightlife in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and there are dozens of bars, clubs and lounges with strong drinks and fabulous live music. If you are more interested in a more relaxed atmosphere, head to the watering holes loved by the locals that are found outside of the French Quarter. Students in Louisiana culinary arts schools will appreciate that the bars are open until the early hours of the morning, and many of them even serve food to hungry hospitality workers well after midnight.

Delicious and Diverse Culinary Scene

If you are a culinary student, then the food in New Orleans will be a big part of your life. Fresh seafood is abundant, and you can find everything from oysters to alligator on local menus. Of course, Creole and Cajun specialties are also a popular offering, but there are exotic cuisines from across the globe available in the city.

Attending one of the excellent New Orleans cooking schools can be a fabulous way to master the art of Cajun cooking, and you will also undoubtedly have a wonderful time living in this vibrant city.

Get to Know the Celebrity Chefs of New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a city known for good times. Laissez les bons temps rouler, meaning let the good times roll, is the city’s unofficial catchphrase. Whether you are interested in the incredible shopping opportunities, the vibrant culture of the city or the thrilling nightlife on Bourbon Street, you won’t be disappointed in a trip to the Big Easy. As you might imagine, the city is also well known for its varied and delicious fare. Traditional cuisines served up in this area of Louisiana are Creole, Cajun, traditional Southern and classic American. Although the city has hundreds of amazing culinary professionals, there are a handful of celebrity chefs that have really made a name for themselves and their restaurants in the city. Here are some of the best eateries and famed cooks in the area.

Emeril Lagasse

Anyone with even a passing interest in the culinary world or television cooking shows has probably heard of Emeril Lagasse. He is easily one of the top five most famous chefs in the United States. Although he was actually born in Massachusetts, he settled in the Big Easy as an adult and began his first culinary career in the city. Diners that he cooked for loved his fun and energetic cooking style, and he was able to open his own restaurant in the city in 1990. Today, Emeril Lagasse is best known for his countless appearances as an Iron Chef contestant, as a judge on Top Chef and even as the host of his popular cooking show. He owns and works in three different eateries in the city, and each offers a modern take on classic Cajun fare. Visit NOLA, Emeril’s Delmonico or Emeril’s to taste the great recipes and witness the fun cooking style of Emeril Lagasse.

Sue Zemanick

Although this chef is originally from Pennsylvania and has only been in the city for a decade, she has quickly become famous around the country for a classically French interpretation of Cajun cooking. Zemanick was voted as the city’s Chef of the Year in 2008, was ranked as one of the top ten cooks in the country by Food and Wine Magazine and was a finalist for the James Beard award three years running. However, most diners know her as a contestant on the popular show Top Chef. Sue Zemanick currently works as the executive chef at Gautreau’s.

Susan Spicer

This incredible chef may be more familiar to people as the character Ms. Desautel in HBO’s major television show Treme. Susan Spicer is such an influential person in the city that even a fictional show drew on her for inspiration. Spicer runs the popular Bayona Restaurant, which is located in a charming cottage in the French Quarter. Although the architecture is unassuming, the cuisine that the chef prepares in anything but ordinary. Along with cooking up international fare that draws on Asian, Africa and the Middle East for flavors, Spicer is the proud recipient of a James Beard Award and the distinction of being in the Fine Dining Hall of Fame.

Paul Prudhomme

Among dining experts, Prudhomme is a common name. Although he doesn’t have a television show or several cookbooks, he has some of the most impressive credentials of any chef in the world. He was the first American chef to receive the Merité-Agricole award from France, and he was also the recipient of the Culinarian of the Year Award. Paul Prudhomme eschews food trends and cooks rustic Creole and Cajun fare at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen most days of the week.

Each of these incredible celebrities is a current culinary professional in New Orleans, and each of their restaurants mentioned are worth a visit.

If you’re interested in becoming a chef in Louisiana, check out the options for cooking schools at www.cooking-culinary-arts-schools.org.