Author: Emily Gautreaux

Louisiana Restaurants Featured by Acadiana Local

A New Orleans native and promoter of South Louisiana cuisine and Louisiana restaurants has become a viral sensation for his TikTok videos celebrating small businesses, their owners, and their cuisine, according to his NOLA.com profile piece.

Gerald Gruenig, now age 32, revealed to NOLA.com that he was born and raised atop the Po-Boy Bakery, a Gentilly hot-plate and sandwich shop that was owned and operated by his father Gary “Koz” Gruenig. Gerald’s family home was located on the second story of the restaurant, which provided him not only a unique perspective of the patrons, business practices, and meals of a mom-and-pop style restaurant but an appreciation for the one-of-a-kind cuisine as well.

Gruenig reflected on his childhood experience by saying that by growing up in Gentilly in such close proximity to the University of New Orleans, he was always exposed to “the full monte of people,” referring to professors, students, athletes, and regular neighborhood folk. He also said, “it gave me an appreciation for the working class of everywhere. It was one of those things where you don’t realize how unique or lucky you are to be brought up the way you were.”

Gerald Gruenig, who had established a routine in serving and supporting the patronage of his father’s restaurant, had his journey altered by Hurricane Katrina destroying the Po-Boy Bakery with floodwaters in 2005. Soon after, Greunig’s parents gutted and sold the building in 2006, moved uptown, and opened Koz’s, a new restaurant in Harahan, which remains in business to this day.

Gerald then stayed on the Northshore for four years, graduated from Fontainebleau High School, and earned a full athletic scholarship to Nicholls State University where he started on the offensive line and eventually worked his way up to team captain. When asked about his time in Thibodaux, he said that the city had “introduced me to rice and gravy culture.”

Upon graduating from Nicholls, Gruenig took up a career in sports broadcasting with his internship at WDSU-TV in New Orleans, became a weekend sports anchor at KALB-TV5 in Alexandria, and then eventually joined the Sports team at KLFY in Lafayette in 2014.

After a year of working for KLFY-TV, Gruenig began his highly-popular Acadiana Eats segments, which afforded him the opportunity to highlight the Southern cuisine  at Louisiana restaurants that he had been enraptured by since birth. Later in 2016, he transitioned to hosting KLFY’s long-running morning show, Passé Partout, and according to Gruenig, “my focus drastically changed from sports to jumping into the food scene.”

Since beginning Acadiana Eats, Gruenig has visited over 300 locally-owned restaurants in the Acadiana Area. In speaking about this feat, he said, “I really fell in love with the Lafayette area. I’m making friends with people in New Iberia, Breaux Bridge, and all over. I’ve never had a problem jumping in anywhere, so when we go shoot a segment, I’ve been in that type of place before, because I’ve lived all over the state. The reward is not the food. The reward is the phone call I get from a restaurant after a segment airs. We’ll put a restaurant on Acadiana Eats, and they’ll sell out completely. We’ll put someone on TV, maybe, that’s struggling, and they’ll call me in tears because that segment saved their business. And this has been going on for years. Like I say, we ain’t new to this, we true to this.”

Gerald Gruenig’s Acadiana Eats segments have attracted a dedicated and devoted following of fans who follow his journey from one mom-and-pop restaurant in South Louisiana to another via his social media presence on TikTok and Instagram. He is heralded for his featuring of South Louisiana restaurants and cuisine, the small family-run establishments.  It’s also his “down-home approach and crackling bonhomie” that sets him apart. His tone isn’t “encyclopedic, analytical, or critical,” it’s an honest showcasing and championing of South Louisiana cuisine and those who make it. Gruenig said of his aim, “I’m just trying to put a restaurant in the best light because I know how hard it is on families, the people who work at these restaurants, man. It’s not an easy life.”

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A Summer Grilling Recipe Worth Trying

One of the most essential recipes to have in your back pocket for no-hassle summer grilling is this juicy grilled chicken breast recipe with citrus marinade.  This one is perfect for a weeknight dinner, workday lunch, or Sunday barbecue. Luckily, this recipe from Epicurious utilizes a savory, citrus-based marinade to ensure that the chicken breasts are imbued with a strong, smoky flavor and are juicy all the way through.

Ingredients for Summer Grilling Recipe

Directions for Summer Grilling Recipe

  1. You’ll be beginning this recipe by preparing the marinade for your grilled chicken. To start, you’ll want to begin by finely chopping your two large shallots and finely grating your 4 cloves of garlic. Then, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your two large shallots, 4 garlic cloves, ⅔ cup of extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup of vinegar (either sherry or red wine), 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, your preferred salt according to the measurements above, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly to ensure that they’re well-combined. Then, set ⅓ cup of this marinade aside for later.
  2. Next, take out a baking dish and arrange 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts onto a singular layer in the dish. Not including the ⅓ cup of marinade you’ve set aside, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken breastsand turn them to coat the chicken fully in the marinade. Cover the dish with either a plastic lid or aluminum foil and set it in the refrigerator to chill. You’ll chill the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 4 hours. Either way, turn the chicken halfway through.
  3. When you’re ready to begin grilling the 1 ½ pounds of marinated chicken breasts, you’ll prepare a grill for medium-high heat and use your extra-virgin olive oil to properly oil the grill’s grates. 
  4. After the chicken breasts have chilled and the grill is properly set at medium-high heat with the grates oiled, you will remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess marinade drip back in the dish. Place the chicken pieces onto the grill and dispose of the marinade in the dish, as it’s contaminated by the uncooked chicken.You’ll now grill the chicken for about 10-14 minutes until they’re cooked through and blackened grill marks appear. You should turn the chicken halfway through the grilling, and once they’re finished and registering at a safe internal temperature, transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board.
  5. Let the chicken breasts rest for 5-10 minutes prior to serving them with the reserved marinade spooned over them. Serve as the main protein component of a meal or as a delicious side dish.
  6. Enjoy!

Notes:

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US Towns to Visit To Feel Like You’re in Europe

What if you could take a leisure trip to Europe without having to leave the country? Thankfully, this article from CountryLiving provides an overview of 35 American towns that offer European-style attractions and activities for people who want to travel to Europe without traveling internationally. America is home to numerous towns that mimic the European style through their historical architecture, restaurants serving traditional dishes, and unique recreational activities that are sure to satisfy any traveler.

St. Augustine, Florida (Spain)

The historic city of St. Augustine is located in the northern part of Florida, and it’s one of the top tourist destinations in the Sunshine State. St. Augustine is home to historic sites and attractions that reflect its Spanish colonial history,including the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a spectacular fortress that was built in the 1700s and is still standing today. This attraction has been carefully restored, preserving many of its features while adding modern amenities like restrooms and barrier-free access areas, allowing visitors to explore this historic gem with self-guided or history-laden tours with experts.

Vail, Colorado (Switzerland)

At 10,000 feet above sea level, Vail, Colorado is a quaint mountain town that many travelers flock to during the winter season, as it’s home to a wide variety of unique Swiss-inspired architecture. This town, which is home to spectacularresort experiences, five-star dining, and diverse shopping options, is also an architectural mecca for those who appreciate the work of Swiss architects and their work in Zermatt, Switzerland, a town located at the base of the Swiss Alps.

Hermann, Missouri (Germany)

Located in the heart of Missouri wine country and tucked away in the Missouri River Valley is the town of Hermann, Missouri, a German-influenced town that’s rich in culture and history. In the present day, you’ll feel instantly transported to a German town beside the Rhine River when visiting Hermann, and this is because this town was flocked to by German immigrants in 1837 and founded by Hermann Mannheim. The town not only offers architecture that is reminiscent of Germanic buildings, but it also hosts festivals throughout the year that celebrate German heritage like Das Fest and Maifest, offering an authentic taste of Germany without the international travel.

Charleston, South Carolina

Named after King Charles II of England, the city of Charleston, South Carolina is a historic destination with a rich, distinct Southern charm and ever-present English influence. Charleston is a city that is known for its classic architecture that reminds tourists and residents of England due to its colorful, short buildings and Europe inspired streetscapes. From stately churches, such as Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church, to colorful, short buildings such as Leon’s Oyster Shop, both of which are set alongside charming cobblestone avenues, you’ll be instantly reminded of England once walking about Charleston.

Holland, Michigan (Netherlands)

Located in Michigan’s Ottawa County, is Holland, a city famous for being reminiscent of the Netherlands, as it was founded by Dutch settlers in 1847. Known as the “Dutch Capital of North America,” the city of Holland serves as an authentic reminder of the Netherlands with its historic sights such as the Settler’s House Museum, a small family home that has been lived in by a series of working-class families over the course of its long history. After surviving the Great Holland Fire of 1871, the house has been restored to its original Dutch architecture. Other attractions in the city that are potently reminiscent of the Netherlands are the annual Tulip Time Festival, the Nelis’ Dutch Village Theme Park, and the 250,000 tulips and Dutch-style DeZwaan Windmill at the Windmill Island Gardens.

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Small Business Development Center at Nicholls Awarded Top Honor

Recently, the Nicholls State University Small Business Development Center was awarded the “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Center Award” by the United States Small Business Association Louisiana District Office, according to a news release from the school.

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Nicholls State University (LSBDC at Nicholls) is an organization that strives to offer business consulting and entrepreneurial workshops to small businesses in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. In winning the “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Award,” the LSBDC at Nicholls has received one of the top awards in the state of Louisiana.

The award was accepted by Jimmy Nguyen, the Associate Director for LSBDC at Nicholls, and Suzanne Carlos, a Business Consultant for LSBD at Nicholls. These two accepted the award during the 2022 Louisiana Small Business Awards Ceremony, which was held at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge during National Small Business Week.

The ceremony, which is held annually, serves as an opportunity for the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA)  to publicly recognize both business owners and supporters who exemplify the entrepreneurial resilience and diversity of the state of Louisiana.

The “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Center Award” was awarded to Nicholls’ Jimmy Nguyen and Suzanne Carlos. Nguyen commented on his receiving the honor by saying, “receiving this award is one of my greatest accomplishments. It’s been a goal of mine since taking on a leadership role in 2018.  couldn’t have been able to achieve this without the support of Nicholls State University, our Bayou Region partners, and my clients. My clients have persevered through the pandemic and Ida which gives me the strength to continue to do my best each day.”

In announcing their awarding this prestigious honor, the Small Business Association (SBA) Louisiana District had highlighted the Nicholls Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for their clearly present and exemplary hard work, innovative ideas, and dedication to the Bayou Region Community. 

Over the past three years alone, the Nicholls SBDC has made a significant impact on the economy in the Bayou Region, especially since 2019 when they began a partnership with Chevron. Since 2019, both Chevron and the Nicholls SBDC have hosted pitch competitions that award funding capital to innovative entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the Bayou Region for their ideas that best strengthen the local economy.

In 2020, the Nicholls SBDC hosted a Virtual Pitch Competition in a partnership with Chevron and the Nicholls College of Business Administration to assist Bayou Region businesses in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally and more recently, both Chevron and the Nicholls SBDC had partnered together following Hurricane Ida in 2021 to award disaster relief grants to Bayou Region businesses affected by the detrimental storm. Furthermore, the Nicholls SBDC also worked closely with the new Bayou Region Incubator so that they may provide assistance for business owners working with organizations to target coastal erosion.

At the ceremony, LED Secretary Don Pierson announced that in 2021, LED and the LSBDC Network had served 18,408 small businesses and individuals, which resulted in the creation of 1,126 new jobs, the retention of 2,874 jobs, and the launch of 164 new businesses. This represented more than $83 million in capital formation.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards addresses attendees of the ceremony in a virtual address saying, ”sustaining business stability and growth has never been more challenging than in these last few years. On behalf of the state which you so lovingly support, it gives me great pleasure to honor the Small Business Award recipients whose skill, determination, resourcefulness and optimism embody the heart, and soul of our state.”

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Crock Pot Brisket for the Days You Can’t Be Outside

Barbecuing might be one of the most popular cooking methods for brisket, and it’s for good reason; the meat cooks slowly over a long period of time and absorbs the flavors from the barbecue sauce or rub. A delicious brisket can also be cooked under similar conditions with an old fashioned slow cooker.  As seen in this delicious recipe from Recipe Tin Eats, even a crock pot brisket with savory barbecue sauce compares to a professional brisket dinner.

Ingredients for the Crock Pot Brisket

Brisket & Rub:

Barbeque Sauce

Directions for the Crock Pot Brisket

  1. In order to begin this delicious recipe, you’ll want to mix your rub ingredients together. Wearing gloves, spreadyour brisket rub all over the beef brisket on all sides. If you have the time, it’s best to let the rub rest on the beef brisket for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 24 hours in the refrigerator on a platter.
  2. Then using a slow cooker, combine the ingredients for your barbecue sauce inside the inner container of the slow cooker. Mix them thoroughly before adding your beef brisket into the slow cooker. Be forceful so that the entire brisket fits in the cooker; squish it if you need to.
  3. Next is the easy part, unless you’re the impatient type. Turn on your slow cooker so that the brisket cooks for 8 hours for a 3-pound brisket and 10 hours for a 4-pound brisket.
  4. After it’s finished cooking, remove the brisket from the cooker and place it onto a tray. Pour the liquid that’s remaining in the slow cooker into a saucepan. Then, bring the saucepan to a simmer over medium-high heat and reduce the liquid so that it thickens into a syrup-like consistency.
  5. At the same time as the previous step, drizzle oil over the brisket and then roast it for 15 minutes in a 390°F oven until brown spots appear. At this point, remove the brisket, baste generously with BBQ Sauce, and then return it to the oven for 5 minutes. Repeat this step of removing, basting, returning, and continuing to cook the brisket for 5-10 minutes at a time until the surface is caramelized.
  6. Slice the brisket thinly across the grain and serve it alongside your remaining BBQ sauce. This recipe pairs well with a side of coleslaw, potato salad, or even buttered rolls. Enjoy!

Notes:

If you’d rather cook your beef brisket in the oven instead of a slow cooker, then you would need to put the Barbeque sauce ingredients in a roasting pan, add 2 cups of water, and mix it together. Then, add the beef brisket, cover it with a lid or a double layer of foil. Then, set the oven to 320°F, and cook the brisket for 4 hours covered and then uncovered for 30 minutes, until the meat is “fork tender.”

During the cooking process, be sure to baste the meat with the pan juices every hour and check every now and then to ensure that the liquid doesn’t reduce down beyond the consistency of BBQ sauce. If it does reduce, just add water. After it’s cooked, you’ll remove the brisket, scrape or pour the sauce off into a sauce pan, and simmer over medium heat until it thickens into a BBQ Sauce syrup consistency.

You’ll then roast for 10-15 minutes until the surface is caramelized, at which point you’ll return the brisket to the roasting pan and increase the heat to 390°F. Lastly, you’ll drizzle the brisket with oil, brush with sauce, and save the remaining sauce for serving.

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Habitat for Humanity to Provide New Home for New Orleans Family

The New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity recently broke ground on a much-needed new three-bedroom, two-bathroom house for a family of three in the Lower 9th Ward, according to Nola.com.

The New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is constructing the home for Tririce Collins and her 10-year-old twin boys, who currently live in a cramped apartment where the three family members sleep in beds that are positioned on opposite walls of the same bedroom. After the home is complete, they will move into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Tennessee Street that has more than enough ample space to accommodate the family in their present and future years.

The home will have high, vaulted ceilings, separate bedrooms for each of the twins with a shared bathroom, and a master bedroom and bathroom for Collins in the back of the home. Additionally, the house will come with a large outdoor porch, both in the back and the front yard. The front porch will be ideal for Tririce to watch her boys bike down the quiet Tennessee Street without worry, and the back porch and yard space will be perfect for the family to host familial get-togethers in a similar vein that Tririce’s great-grandmother used to do. When Tririce Collins was growing up, her great-grandmother would host the entire family for a meal in a backyard that became famous for the delicious sweet-potato pies and stuffed bell peppers that would be enjoyed at the festivities.

Tririce Collins commented on the new home with appreciation by saying, “I’m so thankful to have my home,” she said. “I am so thankful and so happy that my sons will have space of their own in the house and a yard to play in.”

The local chapter of Habitat for Humanity implemented their designs on Tennessee Street after consulting with and creating the plans in conjunction with local architects Michael Bell and J.C. Carroll. These new Habitat designs are reportedly quite different from what they would have been a few years prior due to a change in philosophy that has taken place within Habitat for Humanity. This is due to both a pandemic-era necessitating more open indoor spaces, but it’s also due to the chapter adopting the idea that “workforce housing can look different.” As a result, they have left behind outdated designs like clunky outdoor window and door frames and a reliance on overly basic floor plans. As per the local executive director for the Habitat chapter,  Marguerite Oestreicher, the Collins household will instead feature spacious indoor areas that are made possible by the vaulted ceilings, accessible attic storage overhead,  and front and back porches with ceiling fans and lighting to invite community and conversation.

The construction of the home for Tririce Collins and her 10-year-old twin boys took place in June 2022, and it involved the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity hosting its first-ever Pride Build. This type of building event brought togetherlocal members of the LGBTQ community and allies to collaborate on building the Collins’ family’s new home. A spokesperson for the organization commented on the importance of such an event by saying, “decades of systemic discrimination have barred LGBTQ families and individuals from homeownership. Through Pride Build, we hope to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing for all and its power to transform lives for the better.”

Habitat for Humanity homeowners qualify if they earn between 30% and 80% of the average local income and if they agree to partner with their local chapter to take classes in basic home repair or volunteer at the Habitat’s ReStore retail store as well as take classes in financial literacy.

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