Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Feux de Joie / Fires of Joy. Xmas tradition near New Orleans, Louisiana

Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans a wonderful thing happens on Xmas Eve. People will gather for Feux de Joie, which means Fires of Joy, and set a ton of bonfires on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The blog entry on Opinionated Catholic: A Louisiana Christmas Tradition- The Feux de Joie covers this in more detail.

Katrina-displaced cooks spread love of Cajun, Creole fare

Katrina-displaced cooks spread love of Cajun, Creole fare

By Vicki Smith
Associated Press Writer
CLARKSBURG It’s midmorning at Bon Appetit, and the beignets are long gone.

Behind a plexiglass wall, a cook is chopping vegetables for lunch. Music heavy with brass is blaring, and chef LeRoy Crump Jr. is rushing about with cell phone in hand, periodically stepping outdoors to greet a passer-by and tout the special, a Cajun shrimp cream pasta.

The sign above his 2-week-old restaurant promises “Authentic New Orleans Cuisine and Spirits,” and that’s what he dishes up — in small-town West Virginia, 1,000 miles from the French Quarter.

Read the FULL STORY.