Centrally located in the Seventh Ward, the St. Bernard Market began as a public market, part of an expansive network of public markets across New Orleans, in 1854. It carried everything from produce to livestock, including — as lore has it — enslaved…

Café Reconcile is known for great New Orleans food and a life-changing experience for both the customer and the trainees. Now in its 16th year, the restaurant operates an eight week on the job training program for young adults and places them in…

The Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) is a non-profit that celebrates and educates visitors on the Southern culture of food and beverage. After years at the New Orleans Riverwalk development, SoFAB relocated to Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in…

Enjoyed with a hot cup of New Orleans’ chicory coffee, the beignet, pronounced “bayne-yay”, is the official doughnut of Louisiana. True to an American migration story, the beignet’s journey to Louisiana has roots across the globe. From Rome and Gaul…

 In the nineteenth century, the port of New Orleans grew from a colonial supply depot into the second largest port in the country and the fourth largest in the world during the 1840s. European explorers and traders dispersed the centuries-old…

Saint Anthony’s Garden is located just behind the landmark St. Louis Cathedral in the heart of the French Quarter. The space is easily identifiable by the large iron fence and the statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched that casts a remarkable…

During the 1950s and 60s, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant provided a safe space for national and local civil rights activist to meet and strategize over a bowl of Leah Chase’s famous Creole Gumbo. Beginning in 1939, as a sandwich shop and lottery outlet on…

Located in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, Pat O’Brien’s is a prime destination for tourists who may not know its past as a popular speakeasy. On December 3, 1933, two days after the repeal of Prohibition, Pat O’Brien converted his…

Founded in 1896 by George Leidenheimer, Leidenheimer Bakery’s original bread baking style was far different from today's classic French Bread, po-boy making loaves. Leidenheimer established his Dryades Street bakery after moving to New Orleans from…

Michael Mizell-Nelson was a historian of the streetcar, exploring the labor history and publicizing the connection of streetcar strikes to the creation of the Po Boy Sandwich, examining streetcar segregation and integration, documenting the women…

Gallatin Street was once filled with barrooms, dance houses, and brothels — most institutions serving as all three. There was rarely a fee to enter, but men were encouraged to buy a drink for their dance partner at the end of each dance, keeping the…

For over 170 years, Antoine’s Restaurant has served as one of the premier locations for fine Creole dining in the New Orleans French Quarter. Established in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore, Antoine’s is noted for being the oldest family-run restaurant in…

Cloverland Dairy opened its facility on South Carrollton in October 1924. The giant milk-bottle sign was a local landmark. It is said to have held 35,000 gallons of water which was used to wash milk trucks and rinse the dairy driveway. The…

In 1940, the patient population was between 400 and 450 and a massive renovation was underway. The improved hospital created individual rooms for 450 patients and the 13” thick concrete walls made the buildings as fireproof as possible. Fire was…

Maspero’s Exchange, also known as Maspero’s Coffee House and now called the “Original Pierre Maspero’s,” is located at 440 Chartres Street, on the corner of St. Louis and Chartres Streets, nearest the river and Canal Street. The original 1788 house…

The Old Absinthe House bar is located at 240 Bourbon Street. This stucco building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets, one of the oldest in New Orleans, dates to approximately 1806. In the nineteenth century, the Old Absinthe House…

The present-day location of Circle Food Store at the corner of St. Bernard and Claiborne Avenues, first played host to a market in 1854. Then called St. Bernard Market, this grocery was one of several dozen public markets operated by the city of New…

“Belle calas tout chaud, Madam, belle calas tout chaud,” calls out the calas lady selling fried rice fritters to the tourist and locals roaming New Orleans Streets. The calas lady is one of the most renowned street vendors in New Orleans history;…

The muffaletta is one of New Orleans’ most iconic and identifiable dishes. Made on large rounds of sesame bread and layered with olive salad, genoa salami, ham, mortadella, provolone and Swiss cheese, the muffaletta is clearly Italian in spirit and…

As with many culinary innovations, the poor boy or po-boy sandwich has attracted many legends regarding its origins. However, documentary evidence confirms that stories about one particular restaurant were right. Bennie and Clovis Martin left…