Dine America 2010

On ‘Dine Out’ Night, 200 Chefs Serve Up Message About Gulf Seafood Safety

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:01 PM PST

Something fishy is about to happen at select restaurants across the country. On December 1, more than 200 chefs and restaurateurs nationwide will participate in “Dine America 2010: America’s Night Out for Gulf Seafood.” Behind the event is a dramatic statement: Chefs, whose livelihood depends upon the quality of their ingredients and cuisine, believe in the safety of Gulf seafood.

“Word of mouth is the best way to let people know that seafood is safe,” says Corporate Executive Chef Haley Bittermann of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group in New Orleans.

She believes people are more likely to trust their friends and family than what they read in the media. So enjoying a good meal together, she says, is the best way to spread the message about Gulf seafood safety.

Chef Haley — and the entire Brennan family restaurants — have led the charge in sending that message. Throughout the oil spill crisis, the team of chefs and managers have continually educated their staff on the issues and kept Gulf seafood on the menu. Even as some supplies waned, the restaurants were careful to avoid passing along higher costs for coveted items such as oyster po’ boys.

“The perception — not the quality — is the only thing that has changed since the oil spill,” says Chef Haley. “There is a perception that the seafood is not safe. But it is safe. And far better than what you are going to get from other areas of the world.

She and other chefs are willing to stake their reputation on it.

In Atlanta, Georgia, more than 600 miles away from the Gulf coast, Texas native Chef Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen is excited to participate in the December 1 event, since it gives him a chance to showcase the Gulf seafood he grew up eating. While the menu is not yet finalized, he plans to prepare blue crabs, shrimp and oysters — possibly in a gumbo, his seafood dish of choice.

“The secret to a good gumbo is the stock,” says Fry, who learned to make gumbo not in culinary school, but on a trip down to Kaplan, Louisiana, where a friend’s mother taught him.

“It’s important that we support the local guys,” says Fry. “We’re doing alright and they’re having trouble. They need our support.”

Visit www.dineamerica2010.com to find a list of restaurants participating in the December 1 event.

 

2010 Hurricane Season Ends

image courtesy of profmandia

I think the strong winds that took out power to downtown New Orleans and points east this morning included a collective sigh of relief in this area for the end of the 2010 Hurricane Season.

This was an especially tense season because of the BP Oil Spill. No one knew what would happen if a storm got into the Gulf. By the grace of God this didn't happen.
We now have six months to breath easy.

Temperatures are Dropping!

A huge cold front just moved thru this morning, wreaking havoc all over this area.

In this chart below, you can see the temperature plummet in the Bayou Liberty area of Slidell.

The chart is from Wunderground.com.

Good choice, S.I.

Drew Brees has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

 

Here’s a link

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/11/drew_brees_is_named_sports_ill.html

 

 

BP Strikes again

A woman who worked the beach cleanup related to the BP Oil Spill relates her experiences in dealing with BP's decision to hide the impact of the spill.

Quotes
"It was like a covert operation......."

"You could see the fumes coming up...."

"Some 3rd party safety guy calls me over and says I'm gonna need you to remove your mask because it's not necessary at this time"

"One of the questions I had to answer to get this job was that I am responsible for my safety"

"They want the beaches to be open, they don't care about the workers out there getting sick"

"there was a dog and pony show and they'd say that you need to go and clean this beach where there was no oil to clean up"

"If they think that they're gonna walk away from the Gulf Coast they are wrong"

"Obama gets on Nat'l TV saying the water's safe, the seafood is safe, swim in the water....it's totally toxic!"

the oil is STILL here, y'all

Check out these videos - instead of listening to the "feel good" BP ads.

These videos were made EIGHT MONTHS after the BP oil spill.

Checking in

I haven't been blogging a lot in the past several months. Life has taken some twists and turns that have gotten me away from creating posts about things I'm passionate about. It's not that I am less passionate about our recovery from both Katrina (not there yet) and the BP Oil Spill (jury's still out on this, based on my last post). It's just that life happens.

First good thing is that hubby and I have started going to the gym three times a week. Well, up until a few weeks ago when we started moving our living spaces around, working around the installation of floors instead of carpet. Then there is Facebook - which is way too easy to sit down and play with, a lot easier than thinking up blog posts. Work is consistenly creating ways to block me from updating my blog at lunch time. We're down to so few people - while still being expected to turn out the same amount of work - that we work thru lunch most days.

I'm happy to say that I'm still around and taking in things, putting blog posts together in my head. I just have to carve out some time to make that a done deal.

In the meantime, I'm Judy Chapman Thorne on Facebook.

But FB is so one liner. There's no place to expound on your feelings or experiences.

Hell, I need to blog about our Disney vacation in October.

And our crazy squirrel.

And the adventures of a menopausal woman in sultry, humid Louisiana (my body abhors humidity).

And our good food experiences.

I'll be back.

Corexit made things worse

American Zombie blog has this videoshowing how Corexit has made things WORSE in the Gulf of Mexico by dispersing the oil poisons. Please watch.

And to go along with this story, the Feds claim that the dispersant worked fantastically. here's the link .

FESTIVALS THIS WEEKEND

 

 

New Orleans Songwriters Festival/Songfest Nov. 10th - 13th, 2010 This, the 3rd year's event will kick off Wednesday November 10th, 2010 with our "Massive Open Mic" at The BLUE NILE New Orleans Songwriters Festival's mission is to promote the composition of original music in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region as well as advance the careers of the area's writers and musicians by providing performance opportunities in front of publishing and music industry center professionals that will be at the event. Event proceeds will be donated to area music- and musician-related charities. Last year's charity recipient was the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. (More)   Destrehan Plantation Fall Festival Nov.  13th - 14th, 2010   Artists and Craft Vendors from throughout the United States will offer a variety of wood crafts, pottery, jewelry, quilts, ceramics, prints, oil paintings, dolls, stained glass, clothing, baskets and much more.  The Cajun and Creole Food Park will feature over 20 chefs preparing local dishes such as fried seafood, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice and other favorites sure to please all in attendance.  The antique area will feature 12 dealers inside the unique 1840's Mule Barn as well as additional vendors adjacent to the barn.  (More)   5th Annual N. O. Po-Boy Preservation Festival Nov. 14th, 2010 About the festival: This festival was founded as a celebration of the storied sandwich and the role it has played in New Orleans' culinary culture. The festival also highlights the ongoing revitalization of the Oak Street business corridor, which was designated a National Main Street in 2006 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a Louisiana Main Street by the Department of Historic Preservation, which authorizes the program.(More)   Congo Square Rhythms Festival Nov. 14th, 2010 Drums ancient and modern beat at the third annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival, presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Old U.S. Mint. This free, day-long festival celebrates the historic role of Congo Square as the birthplace of American music. It was there that African slaves gathered on Sunday afternoons to practice their ancestral traditions - influencing all of the styles that would emerge from New Orleans' cultural melting pot.(More)   That's all folks!   Have a fabulous month, and if you know of any festivals happening in the Greater New Orleans Area that we have left out, please contact us at contentmgr@neworleans.com. Advertise with us! Please contact Robin Evans at robin@neworleans.com. Copyright 2010 NewOrleans.Com Media LLC All Rights Reserved 839 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 305, New Orleans, LA 70130   2009 Po-Boy Festival   Click here for more photos from our Festivals gallery!     Margarita has plenty of reasons to toast to her beloved New Orleans Darling friends, Another fabulous week has gone by. The city is enjoying the glorious autumn weather, a big Saints victory against the Panthers and hosting thousands of Realtors. Last week, I had plenty of reasons to toast to my beloved New Orleans. Among the many events that I attended were the opening night of "Rain" - A Tribute to The Beatles at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts.  Prior to that event I attended the fabulous opening of Gallery 329 on Royal Street, followed  by an evening of chefs, cocktails and camo to celebrate the publication of WILD ABUNDANCE ritual, revelry & recipes of the South's finest hunting clubs at the at The American Sector, National World War II. I also attended writers and TV personalities Jan and Bob Carr's release of their  book "Raising Our Children On Bourbon: a French Quarter Love Affair" at Chris Owens Bourbon Street nightclub. The Carrs will be my special guests at my Round Table Luncheon on Wednesday, November 10 at noon at Begue's. (More)     Click here for more information on Greater New Orleans' Fall Festivals!

 

NewOrleans.com | 839 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 307 | New Orleans | LA | 70130

Fishing Pier - Lemonade from Lemons

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the I10 Twin Spans that connect the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain with the southshore. The new, higher twin spans are almost complete and parts of the old bridge are going to be used as a fishing pier. Here's the story from NOLA dot com:



The first phase of the planned fishing pier project at the north end of the Interstate 10 twin spans over Lake Pontchartrain could be open by the end of next year, assuming all of the financial and environmental pieces fall into place as expected.

St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis said Tuesday that he is waiting for the federal government to release the $1 million that it has set aside for the project. He said he believes that expanded access to the lake is important for the parish's economic health -- spurring small business development with regard to fisheries -- and that the pier will provide increased recreational opportunities that will lead to a better quality of life for citizens.

The first phase of the project includes building a 700-foot pedestrian bridge from a jetty that juts into Lake Pontchartrain southeast of Slidell near Lakeshore Estates, then under the new twin spans and finally connecting to the old twin spans that will become the fishing pier, said Suzanne Parsons Stymiest, the parish's spokeswoman.
Davis is pushing to open both the bridge and the eastern span to fishing in 2011, with the western span taking a bit longer to complete, she said.




The Parish Council approved three ordinances last week to keep the project moving forward, including one that allows Davis to enter into a lease with the state for the lake bottom where the parish will need to build the pedestrian bridge. The second ordinance will allow him to enter into an agreement with the state Department of Transportation and Development to use a part of its right-of-way for the project.
The third ordinance will let Davis acquire a parcel near the lake's edge to build a parking lot and other amenities, such as restrooms, for the pier's patrons, Stymiest said. Though the parcel has not been identified, she said it likely will be located east of the new twin spans, near the jetty and the entrance to the pedestrian bridge, she said.

The parish is choosing to build the pedestrian bridge to the east of the new twin spans, and not to the west, closer to the pier, in part because the east side has a better access road to the site -- East Howze Beach Road -- and that doesn't go through a residential neighborhood.
On the west side of the twin spans, the road is narrow and runs through well-populated neighborhoods, Stymiest said. Further, the pedestrian bridge would have to be 900 feet long, or 200 feet longer than if coming from the eastern side of the twin spans.

The parish spent $19,300 to acquire 2,340 linear feet of the eastbound lanes closest to the north shore and 2,275 linear feet of the westbound lanes to use as the pier, Stymiest said. The cost is what the DOTD believes is the salvage value of the concrete, as federal regulations prohibit the state from donating anything with value.

Work already has begun to demolish the twin spans, which were damaged during Hurricane Katrina, now that the new $803 million spans are nearly complete. Boh Bros. Construction Co. remains on schedule to finish the work on the new bridges, which are a few hundred feet to the east of the old spans, by mid-to-late 2011, Lauren Lee, a DOTD spokeswoman, said.

At one point, the parish planned to create the pier using about 2,500 feet of the westbound lanes and perhaps 1,000 feet of the eastbound lanes -- the difference having to do with issues pertaining to the new twin spans. The final design has not yet been determined and may well change, Stymiest said.


Officials still hope to build a crossover to connect the two sides, and people might have to pay a $5 fee to use the pier to help fund the cost of running water to the pier, building and maintaining restrooms, and providing garbage cans. People would not be allowed to drive vehicles onto the pier.

SEVEN MONTHS of Lip Service

Screw you, Lisa Jackson from the EPA.

From the website Project Gulf Impact a report of what went down in the first meeting with useless Lisa Jackson:


Elizabeth Cook, stood up in front of the entire crowd demand answers for why the human health concerns were not being addressed. Cook also demanded answers on why there were no members of the CDC or any other health related organizations on the panel. Lisa Jackson politely told Cook she would try to address her question, yet this committee was “ecosystem” focused, not health.

From another attendee:
“I hand delivered to Lisa Jackson the report that (environmental scientist)Wilma Subra did for us on the Whole Blood Analysis. I told her I would be glad to give her the individual analysis on the workers & residents, started to explain how the report shows that people are being exposed at four times the 95th percentile<,/u> & the Ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene and Hexane are volatile organic chemicals that are present in the BP Crude Oil. (Then) the secret service asked me to move away from Mrs. Jackson, then when I was trying to leave, I had to pass Lisa, and the secret service tried to rush me…until he realized I was only trying to exit. Lisa acted as if she had heard nothing of Wilma’s report… Let’s see if that’s case now…”


Lisa, I hope you never have to suffer like the Gulf Coast Residents exposed to these VOCs are suffering. But you WILL in some way pay for turning your back on these people.

Something else I've seen that may be an avenue worth pursuing

ATTENTION GULF RESIDENTS - Here is the link to the contact info for the US Surgeon General's Office. I believe this is who should be helping all the people that are ill from the BP Offshore Oil Drilling Catastrophe and the related toxic exposure to the Hydrocarbon VOCs and Corexit. Forget Secretary Jackson/EPA and Secretary Salazar/Interior -- their "duties" and offices are not for human health/illnesses. Start focusing on the US Surgeon General's Office. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/contactus/index.html

Here's another link covering the "proceedings"

PoBoy Festival - November 14th

I noticed that I get a lot of hits from people searching for the PoBoy Festival. Here's the website for this Festival



Here's a link to the list of vendors participating.













Hungry Yet?

Farewell to Six Flags

A very interesting take on the abandoned Six Flags Theme Park in New Orleans East:



Update 11/10/10: The park may NOT be demolished in 2011 as stated in the video.
For perhaps the fourth time, the park may be redeveloped.

Scuzzbucket of the Week

None other than ego maniac who should've listened to his Mama when she was teaching him manners.



Prima Donna Randy Moss
Released by the Vikings today, Moss is said to have had a very loud verbal tirade against the man catering a lunch in the Vikings locker room on Friday

and the following Sunday, Moss ranted and raved about the Minnesota coach Childress, questioning his decisions.


He talked about how much he missed his former teammates and Bill Belichick, who he called “the best coach in football history.”


The wideout then suggested his efforts to provide his current coaches and teammates with inside information about the Pats’ offense had been largely ignored, saying, “I tried to prepare, tried to talk to the coaches and players about how this game was going to be played – a couple tendencies here and a couple tendencies there. But the bad part about it, you have six days to prepare for a team and on the seventh day … I guess they come over to me and say, ‘Dang Moss, you were right about a couple plays and a couple schemes that they were going to run.’ It hurts as a player that you put a lot of hard work in all week and … when you get on the field, that is when they acknowledge all the hard work.”



I'm so glad that New Orleans is a class act.

A Rich Tradition

I'm not a big Halloween freak, guess I don't have the imagination for it. Besides that, horror movies/costumes give me the heebee jeebees.

I do love the history that comes with All Saints Day, though. Living in the Bayou Liberty/Lacombe section of southeast Louisiana with its large population of creoles, All Saints Day is celebrated in quiet beauty.

DuBuisson Cemetery (http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/sttammany/cemeteries/dubuiss.txt)is a very old graveyard that dates back to the 1800's.



Every All Saints Day, the graves are cleaned and small candles are lit right around dusk. Seeing this creates a most ethereal feeling. I haven't been there for several years and the last time I went I had to keep an eye on two young children who wanted to climb all over the graves. My daughter is now away at college and I’m thinking that perhaps hubby and I may visit Dubuisson Cemetary tonight.
 

Bonfouca has many different pronounciations: "BON FOO KA" "BON FUCK A" "BONNA FOOKA". Take your choice. :)

 

Saints' 44th Birthday

A repeat from a year ago.  http://thanks-katrina.blogspot.com/2009/11/happy-bday-saints.html

The Saints are celebrating their 44^th Birthday AND a win last night against the Steelers.

WHO DAT