“Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…” Los Angeles Area Book Signings and Show

I met Peggy Sweeney-McDonald, author and producer of  “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…Life Stories about Food”, through my friend Jay Ducote, a rising Lousiana food personality, inside a Baton Rouge radio studio.  Jay was interviewing Peggy on her then upcoming Baton Rouge live show of “Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…”.  Peggy who lives in Los Angeles and hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will again be presenting a live production of Meanwhile Back at Cafe du Monde in Los Angeles on January 27, 2013 and February 11, 2013 at Tom Bergin's Tavern Restaurant at  840 S. Fairfax.  You can also catch Peggy signing her now hot selling book of the same title at several upcoming Barnes and Nobel signings, along with a Los Angeles launch party in Santa Monica at the South Restaurant and Bar on January 15, 2013 from 6 pm to 8 pm, and signings at Surfas in Culver City and and their brand new Costa Mesa location   At the end of this blog posting, is a listing of all of your opportunities to either meet Peggy Sweeney McDonald or to see the live show.

Six Degrees of Treme

Ironically, the last wedding anniversary I celebrated with my late wife Karen was at a Los Angeles Central Library ALOUD program on June 6, 2011 that featured Eric Overmyer, co-producer of HBO's Treme, that celebrates New Orleans culture post-Katrina, with the Treme neighborhood being a symbol of the rebirth of New Orleans, available as a podcast here.  Karen and I had visited Louisiana and New Orleans, eleven times all post Katrina, and we ourselves had been witnessing the rebirth of New Orleans. We first heard about Treme at the very beginning of filming in New Orleans, when David Mills, the other creative partner from HBOs The Wire unexpectly passed away. We were having a fabulous Friday lunch at Uptown's  Patois in early 2010 discussing HBO's filming of Treme with our server and at  an adjacent table, Robert D. Peyton, the restaurant critic of New Orleans Magazine.  The server told us that the production team from Treme had very recently eaten at this nationally recognized New Orleans restaurant and she was stunned to learn of his sudden passing.

Amanda Shaw to Play Ventura Oysterfest on October 13

In late August 2012 right before Hurricane Isaac hit Louisiana, I discovered Amanda Shaw and The Cute Guys at the New Orleans Slobsterfest.  Amanda Shaw who can be described as a Cajun rocker was in the middle of a national tour, and made a detour to play before a home crowd at the Slobsterfest in Metairie, just north of New Orleans near Louis Armstrong airport.  Amanda who recently turned 21 has been performing for over ten years, and is well known locally in New Orleans.  In fact, if one is in New Orleans and Louisiana in October, you can catch her at several Lousiana festivals, and then in San Francisco on October 7 at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.  But for Southern California, her only appearance this Fall is up in Ventura on Saturday October 13, 2012 at the first annual Ventura Oysterfest, although she has played in the Los Angeles area earlier this year.

New Orleans Based The Revivalists at Club Nokia Tonight

Tonight at L.A. Live's Club Nokia at 7 pm  are The Revivalists, a New Orleans based band, that is on a national tour, opening for Gov't Mule (who are doing two sets at 8:30 pm and 10:00 pm). I happened to catch a performance of The Revivalists at a recent New Orleans music and food festival - Slobsterfest.  Originally I was not planning on staying for the Saturday night closing act, but in talking to the fans of The Revivalists, I was intrigued.  Many of them were seeing David Shaw and his band for the tenth time, several having even traveled to Florida to see them again.  The band has been around for five years.

Meanwhile Back at Cafe du Monde...

Sometimes the ExperienceLA blog becomes ExperienceLouisiana when there is a Los Angeles connection, and "Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde..." straddles both LAs. Producer and creative director Peggy Sweeney-McDonald is from Louisiana and lives in Los Angeles. On Wednesday she taped a talk radio show with Jay Ducote for radio and Internet broadcast on the Bites and Booze show for Saturday 3 pm west coast time to discuss the upcoming performance of Meanwhile Back at Cafe du Monde... at Boutin's in Baton Rouge that features a local cast of chefs and personalties connecting with food.

Also in the broadcast booth and on part of the Baton Rouge cast was General Russel Honore who played such a pivotal role during Katrina coordinating military relief efforts. Calling into the show was Paul Arigo, CEO for Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau., who is also part of the Baton Rouge cast. I was in the broadcast booth taking pictures.

Upcoming Zydeco and Cajun Dancing in LA

Well for those who missed the Long Beach Crawfish Festival and the other Zydeco/Cajun and Mardi Gras festivals in Long Beach and elsewhere, there is a chance to join hundreds of others to dance to Zydeco and Cajun music at the Music Center Plaza on Friday night August 26 from 6:30 pm to 10 pm. This free event is back by popular acclaim and for those who haven't participated before, put this on your calendar. This is one of many free Music Center events during the summer on the plaza. Even if you have never done this form of dancing, don't worry, there will be free lessons to help you learn and overcome any anxiety. Purpose is to have fun and be part of this gathering.

And if you are looking for a low cost family event revolving around cajun/zydeco music, then you are in luck, as the LA County Arts Commission has such an event at the Ford Amphitheatre the next day after the Music Center on the morning of August 27. Children under 12 are free and adults are $5. The kids will get to dance and have fun listening an interacting with Lisa Hadley and the Zydekats

If you are already a fan of this music genre and are looking for a regular fix, then LouisianaDanceLA.com offers up live Zydeco/Cajun music every month in Long Beach on the second Sunday. The $10 cost of admission covers the cost of the band which sometimes are musicians on the road from Louisiana, and on those times, the cost is $15. Before the night begins at 4:30 pm, there are free dance lessons. This past Sunday, there were 30 people that showed up early to get the free dance lessons from Karen Redding who is also part of the Music Center Plaza event. Here are performance pictures that I took from this past Sunday's event featuring David Sousa & The Zydeco Mudbugs. Watch the ExperienceLA events calendar for these upcoming sessions for September, October, November , December and beyond.

If you have been to the various Lousiana-related events in the Los Angeles over the years, and are a big fan of zydeco and cajun music, then maybe it is time to visit Louisiana and get beyond New Orleans and their Jazz Festival. One of the great festivals for Zydeco/Cajun music and regional food is the annual free Festival des Acadiens et Creoles in Lafayette, Louisiana from October 14 -16, 2011. Here is a link to pictures I took from several years ago at this major regional music and food festival in Louisiana.

Now if you want to know where to go in the Los Angeles area for authentic Lousiana cooking without waiting for the festival circuit, well that will be a future ExperienceLA blog post. I do have my favorites for Oyster Po'Boy sandwiches, but for now here is one from Traxx Restaurant at Union Station.