New Series on LPB!

Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s new series with Chef John Folse is called A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Company: Our Food Heritage and is the eleventh collaboration between LPB and the internationally renowned Cajun and Creole Chef.

All of the previous series have aired on public television stations around the country. The new series is the companion to Folse’s best-selling cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, already in its fourth printing in less than two years. The 841-page book took more than six years to research and write.

In the new series, Chef John Folse journeys into the past to see how the groups who immigrated affected our history and our cuisine. Among the groups featured on the shows are the Africans, British, Cajuns, Creoles, French, German, Italian, Native Americans, and Spanish.

“To understand our food, you must first understand the people who settled here and why they came to Louisiana in the first place,” Chef Folse said. “From the oldest Native American settlement in North America to the German immigrants who saved New Orleans from famine, viewers will delight in Louisiana’s rich culinary past.”

The first three episodes feature the contributions of the first Louisiana residents, the Native Americans.

In addition to historical video segments that include museums, restaurants and other historical sites around the state, the shows also include cooking segments featuring Folse and his special guests and performances by some of the state’s finest musicians.
“The enthusiasm of the audience members permeated the studio kitchen and was further enhanced by the musicians who represented the various cultures,” Folse said. “Audience feedback was imperative to the cadence of the show."

The series is underwritten by the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau, the People’s Drug Store of Houma, the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

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