Beyond Bourbon Street, an Insider's Guide to New Orleans

Each year, the Historic New Orleans Collection puts on an event called the Food Forum, and an accompanying Food Fete. To tell us about the 2026 edition of the event, I am joined by Amy Williams, Manager of Programs at HNOC.

My guest today has written a book about both the history of coffee and New Orleans and the present day scene.

Today's episode was inspired by my daughter Olivia. Driving around New Orleans, she's been fascinated by utility boxes - specifically those that have been painted. She asked me to learn more about it. Turns out those painted boxes are part of a program run by a non-profit called Community Visions Unlimited. To help us learn more I'm joined by the Vice President of CVU - Jeannie Tidy.

Today's episode is a re-broadcast of one I originally released in April of 2020, in the midst of COVID 19. It's a list of books I recommend about New Orleans.

It came to mind because I've gotten several inquiries in the last couple of weeks requesting good books about the city. This one is the first of two I've done on the subject - the other was episode 126.

I was listening to this one today - the list of books are timeless, and it's interesting to me to hear my thoughts from that time period - of course, we were in the early days of quarantine, but we didn't know that.

Ever been out in New Olrleans and looking for something to eat after 9pm? The idea for this episode came from our good friends Garrett and Cheryl who frequently come to New Orleans and like to eat a bit later than normal.

They were lamenting the fact that by the time they want to eat late at night, they don't know where to go. Marie suggested this might make a good topic for a podcat (I was already in bed!), and they wholeheartedly agreed.

So, this one's for y'all Garrett and Cheryl, as well as those of you who find yourselves out and about past my bedtime!

St. Augustine Catholic church is located in the Treme and is said to be the oldest black Cathoic parish in the United States. To help us learn all about it, I'm joined by three parishoners.

My guest today is a long time sponsor of the podcast, and the founder of Two Chicks Walking Tours.

This week's episode is a Q&A show with questions from listeners like you.

02:13 - Cliff Hochberg - under appreciated neighborhood 03:55 - Dan Tamura - three traits it takes to live in New Orleans 06:20 - Heather Heise - New Orleans Opera Festival 08:20 - Nick Savides - Tales of the Cocktail 10:35 - Mark Wingfield - Rainy Day Drinks 12:14 - Mark - Where to find oysters 14:50 - Mark - How to Save NO Restaurants 17:06 - Steve Mule - Decatur Street Construction 19:35 - Jeff Singer - Under-appreciated museums 21:45 - Meera - Out of the way activities 23:56 - Mike Tuomey - How to encounter locals 25:52 - Cathy - Confederate museum? 27:55 - Jason Bradley - Busier than normal this July?

Today's episode is is a replay of one I did several years ago about the fire at the Upstairs Lounge. The anniversary of this tragic event was on June 24th, so I thought it was a good time to play it again for those who might not have been listening back then. I think it's one of the most moving and important episodes I've recorded.

Today, I'm joined by local food writer Ian McNaulty to talk about what's going on with dining and drinking in New Orleans.

Today's show is all about oysters! I'm down in Grand Isle, about two hours South of New Orleans. I'm joined by the owner of Bayside Oysters, Mr. Kirk Curole

This week's episode is all about things to do in the summer in New Orleans. We discuss ways to beat the heat, summer time festivals, and more!

Today's episode is our fisrt ever podcast recorded in front of a live audience. We're at Seven Three Distillery and interviewing their head distiller, Luka Cutura..

Today's show is focused on a local business that offers cullinary tours of New Orleans called Accidental Cajun Experiences. It's led by James Cullen, a chef and photographer. James is also a former guest on the podcast, a sponsor of the podcast, and the person who did much of the photography found in my travel guide book.

My guest has been a vendor at St. Roch Market since its 2015 reopening — and when the historic food hall was on the brink of closing in 2023, he refused to let it die. Today he runs the whole operation, a 150-year-old New Orleans landmark home to twelve independent vendors serving everything from Gulf oysters to Egyptian falafel to Burmese noodles under one roof on St. Claude Avenue. Join me and Kevin Pedeaux as we discuss the St. Roch Market.

Today's episode is all about a traditional jazz camp held each year in New Orleans. About 15 years ago my guest, Banu Gibson, looked up and realized there was no jazz camp in New Orleans, so she and a couple other people decided to create one. Join me as we learn all about the camp - what it's about, who it's for, and how even non-participants can enjoy their work!

New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is a great time for entrepreneurs to come together, get some education, network, and have a good time. To talk to us about it, I'm joined by two people heavily invleved in putting this year's event togather, Lisa La Cour and Sam McCabe.

As we've done for many years, today we're going to preview Mardi Gras 2026 with our friend Arthur Hardy. This one is especially sweet as Arthur is retiring after 50 years. We look back on his career, on the iconic Mardi Gras Guide he created, and look to the future and what this Carnival season holds for us.

Today's episode is both a celebration of our 10th anniversary, and a question and answer show. Here are the timestamps for each question:

06:00 - Timbo Kite - ICE Impact

07:18 - Chad Lancaster - Pitching Guests

12:33 - Tracy Popken - Mardi Gras House Decorations

15:56 - Charles Goldberg - Mark's Interview Style

25:27 - Cliff Hochberg - Moving Back to Raise the Girls

31:23 - Mark Wingfield - Things You've Changed Your Mind On

35:50 - Jeff Singer - How New Orleans Has Changed Since You Started the Show

39:35 - Brandon Breath - What Surprised You Most to Learn About the City

44:27 - Emily Hardessy - What Inspired You To Start the Podcast

47:10 - Carmelita Ortiz Salas - Advice for Someone Wanting to Move to New Orleans

49:36 - Michael Kaufman - Favorite Thing the Podcast Has Accomplished

53:03 - James Bricknell - 50th Birthday Dinner

Today's episode is all about things to do in December and early next year in New Orleans.