Louisiana Insider

We’ve all heard the buzz words lately of gut health, probiotics and whatever else is trending across social media these days. But a Louisiana husband and wife team has made it their mission through their brand Cultured Guru to educate the masses on fermented foods, its benefits and how it’s extremely accessible and practical for Louisianians and our cooking. Kaitlynn Fenley is a microbiologist who, along with her husband Jon Scott Chachere, has taken her passion and they’ve transformed it into one of Louisiana’s first commercial fermented food companies and now into a multimedia brand with online courses, recipes and so much more. This week, I chat with the duo about their company, the road it took to get here, why their commercial food company wasn’t filling their cup like their passion for education and so much more.

Louisiana native Peggy Martin never imagined her love of gardening, starting as a child in the 1940's with her mother and grandmother, would lead to a flower being named after her - but it did. This year not only did the Plaquemines Parish Council official name a specific variety of rose after her, but so did the Louisiana legislature. The official rose of the state of Louisiana is the Peggy Martin Rose. This week, we chat with Peggy about her love of gardening, why this type of rose is so special and what it means to have her legacy cemented in Louisiana state history. 

Did you know that June is National Rivers Month? And Louisiana is home to the delta of one of the more important – and second longest - rivers in the country. The Mississippi River is a vital piece of transportation for the country and the river and Louisiana are home to one of the largest volume ports in the United States. For centuries, the river and the state have been vital to the economy, agriculture, transportation and even heavy influences in literature and other art forms for not only our country but the world at large. This week, I had an amazing conversation with Simone Maloz. Simone is the campaign director of Restore the Mississippi River Delta. Together we talk about the river’s importance to our state and the country at large and ways that the organization and its partners are trying to help keep the river healthy and here for generations to come.

In Louisiana, conservation and protecting our wildlife and farming communities has always been at the forefront, safeguarding our way of life and the environment around it. With this in mind, House Bill 851, Act 196 was recently passed in Baton Rouge as a way to protect our environment locally from mass balloon release - a simple act that many may not even realize the impact it could make on the community. Louisiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Rebecca Triche joins us to discuss the bill and talk about some alternatives that can pack the same emotional punch without the threat to our state.

Louisiana knows food. Whether it’s a crawfish boil in your parrain’s backyard or a night out at one of the longest running restaurants in the state – there is a character and whimsy associated with everything we do culinarily. New Orleans has truly set itself apart as a food destination and puts in some extra flare with the city’s attention to detail and hospitality. This week, I talk to Katy Casbarian, whose family has owned Arnaud’s in the historic French Quarter since the 1970’s, but like many restaurants in the city and state, the history, tradition and level of fine dining began much earlier. We talk about food, hospitality and the state of fine dining in the city and state.

In the mid-1700s the Acadian people had been settled in the Nova Scotia region of Canada for over 100 years. When the area was transferred to the British, it was encouraged that the Acadian people take an oath of allegiance to the Crown. While many battles and political moments contributed, which is encouraged for everyone to research, the unrest in the area lead to the British forcibly removing the Acadian people from their homes and lands, causing many to be deported and made to settle elsewhere. It is do to this moment - or The Great Upheaval – that Louisiana now has the Acadiana region and the vast number of Cajun descendants. One person that can trace their roots to Nova Scotia is writer Marianne Sulser. Marianne has written a book titled “Like Snow Before Sun,” which takes a fictional approach to this time period, and a look into some real-life moments of the people that lived it. This week Marianne chats with me about her book and why she wanted to tell this story .

Hurricane season for the gulf coast begins June 1. Each year, Pontchartrain conservancy – the nonprofit dedicated to creating an environmentally sustainable, prosperous and resilient region – host their storm aware and prepare event. This even is meant to provide hurricane preparedness resources and supplies for the upcoming season. In addition, the organization partners with local businesses, government agencies and others to give people a chance to create new or more accurate hurricane plans, while also learning a little something about the region and what they can do to help. This week, we talk to Haley White, Pontchartrain Conservancy’s community science and education manager, about what people can expect at the event and how the organization goes out into the community to make everyone a part of the solution.

The Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival has a special performance to mark its 40th Anniversary: We Have Not Long to Love: A Celebration of Tennessee Williams, a one-night-only immersive theatrical experience directed by acclaimed director and choreographer Rob Ashford. The performance will take place March 27 within the beautiful grounds of the historic BK House and Gardens in the heart of the French Quarter. This unique performance weaves together several works by Tennessee Williams including "Sweet Bird of Youth," "Orpheus Descending," "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Suddenly Last Summer," inviting audiences to move through the historic property as the stories unfold around them. Bringing Williams’ stories to life is an extraordinary cast including Michael Server-is Cerveris; Christine Ebersole; Marin Ireland; Jennifer Laura Thompson; Ansel Elgort; Froy Gutierrez; Jennifer Nettles; Harriet Harris; Micaela Diamond; Sam Rechner; Abbey Lee, and Leslie Castay.This week, Kelly Massicot and magazine editor Reine Dugas team up to talk with director Rob Ashford, along with stars Christine Ebersole, Abbey Lee, Jennifer Nettles and Michaela Diamond, to get an inside look at the immersive play experience.

Louisiana is rich when it comes to the depth of our culture, our food, our traditions. But one aspect of our identity that many festivals have been trying to highlight is that of our vast contributions to the literary world at large. Whether native Louisianians or those who have found creative outlets along our bayous and centuries-old streets... from Tennessee Williams to James Lee Burke, Anne Rice and Ernest Gaines, Louisiana has been the inspiration to many a great writer. April 10-12, the 10th Annual Books Along the Teche Literary Festival will be a highlight of our contribution to the greater literary good, while honoring the Cajun roots of the area and shining a light on the towns and waterways that are the foundation of Louisiana. This week, festival Co-Chair Deb Lindsey shares some insight into what festivalgoers can expect when they head down along the Teche!

This week’s podcast is a little different as we hear from Louisiana Life magazine editor Reine Dugas – not in her capacity as editor, but instead for her work with the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival. The festival is in its 40th year in New Orleans and promises to bring a lot of exciting events starting March 25. For more information, a full schedule and tickets, click here.