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(L                              

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(Lig                            

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(Light                          

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(Light m                        

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(Light mus                      

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(Light music                    

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(Light musical                  

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(Light musical f                

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(Light musical flo              

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(Light musical flour            

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(Light musical flouris          

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(Light musical flourish)        

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  (Lively blues music)          

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  Mena:                         
Just beyond where               

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   the Mississippi River flows  
out to the Gulf of Mexico       

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  lies New Orleans, Louisiana,  

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  the most unique city          
  in the American South         

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   or, as many                  
 residents here see it,         

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  the Caribbean North.          

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You don't have to               
  be born on the bayou          

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to know that The Big Easy       
  is clearly different.         

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 It's jazz floating and riffing 
  in the cross-currents         

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 of Indigenous, French,         
  Spanish, African, Caribbean,  

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 and Southern cultures.         

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   Visitors can feel it in the  
   humidity, the architecture,  

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  and taste it                  
 in the remarkable food.        

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For whatever reasons, what cooks
 in NOLA tends to stay in NOLA. 

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 The long traditions and palates
 of the Creole and Cajun        

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   don't export much.           

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  The famed gumbo and beignets  
are rare outside of town,       

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  and they're certainly         
best eaten here.                

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 We hit a lot of cities         
where plant-based cooking       

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  is well-established.          

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 But checking into New Orleans, 

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it's clearly in the early       
 stages of its journey.         

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   So we're meeting up          
   with OG vegan chefs          

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planting seeds of change        
 in the backyards of the bayou. 

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Welcome to the Big Easy.        

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♪                               

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   (Upbeat rock music)          

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I'm Mena Massoud.               

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 I'm travelling                 
across the world                

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and eating my way through       

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   some of the coolest cities   
to show you how beautiful meals,

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 talented chefs                 
and restaurateurs               

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   are making                   
   plant-based living           

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delicious and attainable.       

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So, join me as I show you       
  how the world                 

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   is evolving vegan.           

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♪                               

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 (Dynamic music)                

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♪                               

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Just steps away from the natural
 levee of the Mississippi river 

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 is Breads on Oak, a creator of 
 wonderful organic vegan baking.

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   It's run by                  
Chamain O'Mahony                

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  and her husband Sean,         
a former marine.                

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They're at the forefront        

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 of bringing plant-based        
  foods to New Orleans.         

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 Hello!                         

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                      Hey!      
You must be Sean                
  and Chamain?                  

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  Yeah.                         

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 Mena: Loving this power couple 
 vibe here, I gotta say.        

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   So is this                   
  all plant-based here?         

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   Everything you see.          

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  Sean:                         
We have tartines.               

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These are cinnamon rolls.       

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And then, we make various       
 brioche-type doughnuts.        

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This is amazing!                

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 And the bread.                 

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  Mena:                         
Look at that! The breads!       

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Chamain: Sourdough breads.      
 Sean: Organic in-house.        

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   Mena: Oh, my gosh!           

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So tell me about                
 Breads on Oak.                 

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We didn't                       
  start out all vegan.          

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   As we built clients          

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  we'd slowly swap out          
a non-vegan item                

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with a vegan item               

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  and we'd try to match         
 it and make it better.         

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  And then, eventually          
   we went 100% vegan.          

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   I love it!                   

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  So you evolved vegan          
quite literally.                

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And then, a lot of people       
that aren't vegan               

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  they come here to eat         
  and they just enjoy the food. 

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   Sean, I need you to          
 just hand me something.        

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  Sean:                         
How about a Boston cream        

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   with our house-made          
  pastry cream?                 

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  Mena: I mean,                 
  I love a Boston cream donut.  

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♪                               

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  Wow.                          
Chamain: It's like a pillow.    

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  Mena:                         
   It's creamy on the inside.   

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   You can tell it's so fresh.  

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   We're off to an incredible   
   start, I must say.           

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What's next?                    

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 Well, probably our best-selling
item is our tea biscuit.        

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The biscuit?                    
We have three varieties.        

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This is blueberry               

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   and here's                   
a morning glory,                

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  which is loaded with walnuts, 
raisins, carrots.               

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  And this is orange cranberry. 

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  We actually grow the oranges  
and use the rind                

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  in this tea biscuit.          

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   It smells amazing.           

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Oh, look at that.               

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 Nice and flaky.                

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♪                               

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  Mmm.                          

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  Perfect morning snack.        

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With a coffee!                  

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  Sean:                         
 All day-- yeah.                

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  Mena:                         
  Mmm.                          

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  Sean:                         
   We make our own buttermilk   

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in house,                       
 and we use that in our biscuits

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 and that'll be part of         
  the process that we're going  

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to go back there                
  and do today.                 

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  We're going to make biscuits? 

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   We're going                  
to make biscuits.               

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   American biscuits--          
   we're going to have          

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   a Southern breakfast today.  

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  Okay, alright, well,          
  I'm going to get back there.  

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 I can't wait to make           
some of these biscuits.         

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   Sounds great.                
Let's go.                       

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♪                               

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 We'll start out mixing         
all our dry ingredients.        

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 Am I using all of this         
  or are we measuring?          

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 You're going to use            
all of this.                    

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 So, we'll pour all of          
   that flour into the bowl.    

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  Mena:                         
Southern biscuits               

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 use soft wheat,                
  which has nearly half         

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  the gluten of standard wheat, 

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   creating a lighter,          
fluffier biscuit.               

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After the flour,                
  we add baking soda and salt.  

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   Let's go ahead and           
 whisk this around well.        

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  Mena:                         
 Okay, alright.                 

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  Sean: And we're going to cut  
  in the butter into the flour. 

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   We have very cold butter,    
   right out of the freezer.    

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Mena: Their house butter is made
   of a blend of coconut oils.  

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   And you've shredded          
   the butter almost.           

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 We shredded it.                

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  It just...                    

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  Mena:                         
Helps work it in.               

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   Sean:                        
  ...helps at the table.        

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 So, I'll give you this.        

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00:04:58,665 --> 00:05:00,166
  So, I just...                 
do a little bit of this?        

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   Just start breaking it up    

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00:05:01,467 --> 00:05:02,869
 and scraping the sides,        
bringing it in...               

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and mixing it as you go.        

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00:05:05,872 --> 00:05:09,275
So, tell me, when did you       
   and Chamain go plant-based?  

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Almost 35 years ago.            

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   I was in the Marines,        
  I was going in for a physical,

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00:05:14,180 --> 00:05:16,482
   and the doctor said,         
  "You know, Lieutenant,        

151
00:05:16,582 --> 00:05:18,351
   you're in great shape        

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but your cholesterol            
  is really high."              

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And I went home,                
 I told Chamain that day        

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  and she said                  
 well, we're going to do        

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 something about it.            

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She decided we're               
 going to go vegetarian.        

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   I said, Chamain,             
  you know, I'm in--            

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   I'm in the Marines...        

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00:05:31,130 --> 00:05:33,032
(Laughing)                      
  I need food, you know?        

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00:05:33,132 --> 00:05:34,300
  (Laughing)                    
And...                          

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00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:35,868
I need calories, Chamain.       

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00:05:35,968 --> 00:05:37,537
I don't know if this            
  is going to work.             

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  Sure enough,                  
 and I stayed vegetarian through

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00:05:39,806 --> 00:05:41,474
and we both did.                

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  And then eventually over time,
we went full vegan.             

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It's kept us with energy        
  and at the same time          

167
00:05:47,613 --> 00:05:49,082
  it's nice for the environment.

168
00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:50,516
  Wow, that's amazing.          

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00:05:50,616 --> 00:05:52,285
 Alright, how am                
  I doing here on this?         

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00:05:52,385 --> 00:05:54,654
  So, feel around               
   and how does it feel?        

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 Do you feel little peas        
   of butter in there           

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00:05:56,789 --> 00:05:58,558
  and everything's still        
  kind of good and cold?        

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00:05:58,658 --> 00:05:59,759
  I guess, yes.                 

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00:05:59,859 --> 00:06:01,260
  Sean:                         
 Okay, so let's go ahead        

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  and make ourselves            
 a nice well.                   

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00:06:03,162 --> 00:06:04,597
  Mena:                         
  Okay.                         

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00:06:04,697 --> 00:06:05,932
  Sean:                         
We'll add our buttermilk.       

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   So, there's like a soy milk  
   and apple cider vinegar mix  

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   that clabbers the soy milk,  

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00:06:11,270 --> 00:06:13,706
  just like buttermilk          
  is clabbered.                 

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   And when you say clabbered,  
what do you mean?               

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00:06:16,008 --> 00:06:19,045
  I think of clabbered, I think 
 of someone beating someone up. 

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00:06:19,145 --> 00:06:20,513
What does clabbered mean?       

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00:06:20,613 --> 00:06:22,115
  It's close to clobber.        

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 So, clabber,                   
  we're actually souring it,    

186
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  and we're getting the proteins

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  to separate from the whey.    

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00:06:28,755 --> 00:06:30,623
  Mena: Look at that--          
   you see the curds in there.  

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  Wow.                          

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There we go.                    
   Amazing.                     

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00:06:33,459 --> 00:06:36,262
 Okay, now you want to start    
folding the flour in.           

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00:06:36,362 --> 00:06:40,400
  And a key thing with biscuits:
 it's not a lot of mixing       

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or it'll become rubbery.        

194
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You've done this before.        

195
00:06:43,903 --> 00:06:44,937
(Laughing)                      

196
00:06:45,037 --> 00:06:47,240
   I've watched enough          
   food shows to know.          

197
00:06:47,340 --> 00:06:48,608
   (Chuckle)                    

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Chef Sean likes to ensure       
 his biscuits are always        

199
00:06:51,310 --> 00:06:54,147
a uniform height,               
  so he uses a specially built  

200
00:06:54,247 --> 00:06:56,115
  wooden frame                  
  to roll out the dough         

201
00:06:56,215 --> 00:06:58,151
  with                          
   military precision.          

202
00:06:58,251 --> 00:06:59,819
 Let's cut this biscuit.        

203
00:06:59,919 --> 00:07:00,953
   There you go.                

204
00:07:01,053 --> 00:07:02,688
  Mena:                         
  It's very satisfying.         

205
00:07:02,789 --> 00:07:12,432
♪                               

206
00:07:12,532 --> 00:07:14,000
Last one.                       
   Now, the remnant?            

207
00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:15,535
Yes?                            

208
00:07:15,635 --> 00:07:17,837
  We call that a doodad and we  
  just kind of put it together  

209
00:07:17,937 --> 00:07:20,373
 and we stick it on the end and 
 we got something to taste real 

210
00:07:20,473 --> 00:07:22,341
  quick to make sure we didn't  
  miss any ingredients.         

211
00:07:22,442 --> 00:07:24,143
   Mena: There you go,          
  that last one there.          

212
00:07:24,243 --> 00:07:25,445
 Now we'll just toss that guy-- 

213
00:07:25,545 --> 00:07:27,013
Where do we put the doodad?     

214
00:07:27,113 --> 00:07:29,615
 We'll give him                 
   front row seat right there.  

215
00:07:29,715 --> 00:07:31,050
 (Chuckling)                    

216
00:07:31,150 --> 00:07:32,285
  Alright, there we go.         

217
00:07:32,385 --> 00:07:33,686
  So, now we're                 
   going to the oven.           

218
00:07:33,786 --> 00:07:35,321
Off to the oven.                

219
00:07:35,421 --> 00:07:36,489
  Mena:                         
   The biscuits and the doodad  

220
00:07:36,589 --> 00:07:38,825
bake in the oven                
 for 20 minutes.                

221
00:07:38,925 --> 00:07:40,760
I'll come over and I can        
  open the door for ya.         

222
00:07:40,860 --> 00:07:42,028
  Yeah.                         

223
00:07:42,128 --> 00:07:43,863
 Sean: And then you want        
 to bend at your knees.         

224
00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:45,865
If you're not bent,             
   your arm will go at an angle,

225
00:07:45,965 --> 00:07:47,066
   you can burn.                

226
00:07:47,166 --> 00:07:48,801
  So-- but if you come bend,    

227
00:07:48,901 --> 00:07:50,403
  you can go straight in        
  and pull straight out.        

228
00:07:50,503 --> 00:07:52,705
   I'm going to bend,           
  I'm going to bend in.         

229
00:07:52,805 --> 00:07:53,873
Alright.                        

230
00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:57,243
♪                               

231
00:07:57,343 --> 00:07:58,544
  Mena:                         
   Is that a good bend there?   

232
00:07:58,644 --> 00:07:59,712
Perfect.                        

233
00:07:59,812 --> 00:08:01,147
It's a good job.                

234
00:08:01,247 --> 00:08:02,949
   And then we'll slide that    
  right into the speed rack.    

235
00:08:03,049 --> 00:08:04,750
  Mena:                         
Alright.                        

236
00:08:04,851 --> 00:08:06,619
  Look at that,                 
they came out beautiful.        

237
00:08:06,719 --> 00:08:09,155
  Sean:                         
   Those came out really nice.  

238
00:08:09,255 --> 00:08:10,623
Now, we can try a doodad.       

239
00:08:10,723 --> 00:08:13,426
  Make sure that we got         
 everything in our mix.         

240
00:08:20,666 --> 00:08:21,968
   What do you think?           

241
00:08:22,068 --> 00:08:23,402
 Mm-hmm,                        
that's a doodad approval.       

242
00:08:23,503 --> 00:08:24,804
  Mena:                         
Alright.                        

243
00:08:24,904 --> 00:08:26,539
Up next,                        
assembling the sandwich.        

244
00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:28,574
   I stack up                   
the garbanzo bean patty,        

245
00:08:28,674 --> 00:08:30,009
   the tofu scramble,           

246
00:08:30,109 --> 00:08:32,011
   and provolone-style cheese,  

247
00:08:32,111 --> 00:08:33,980
   all before                   
   tossing this biscuit tower   

248
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,416
back in the oven to melt        
and get "extra-licious".        

249
00:08:37,517 --> 00:08:39,185
Oh, look at that.               

250
00:08:39,285 --> 00:08:40,987
   (Smooth instrumental music)  

251
00:08:41,087 --> 00:08:42,688
  Okay.                         

252
00:08:42,788 --> 00:08:44,657
 Ah, that looks amazing.        

253
00:08:44,757 --> 00:08:46,459
   The reveal.                  

254
00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,761
   Sean:                        
  Now, that's breakfast.        

255
00:08:48,861 --> 00:08:50,997
 Okay.                          
 Cheers.                        

256
00:08:51,097 --> 00:08:53,399
  Cheers, to a Southern         
 New Orleans breakfast.         

257
00:08:53,499 --> 00:08:54,967
 Definitely.                    

258
00:08:59,405 --> 00:09:00,973
  Mmm!                          

259
00:09:03,342 --> 00:09:04,777
   That is exquisite.           

260
00:09:04,877 --> 00:09:06,145
   Doing it?                    
 Mmm.                           

261
00:09:06,245 --> 00:09:09,348
  The butter biscuit warmed up  
with the sausage                

262
00:09:09,448 --> 00:09:11,984
  and the tofu,                 
   the melted cheese.           

263
00:09:12,084 --> 00:09:16,055
 Oh man, this is heaven         
   in a bite.                   

264
00:09:16,155 --> 00:09:17,223
 Really.                        

265
00:09:17,323 --> 00:09:18,824
   I love it.                   
Mena: This is phenomenal.       

266
00:09:18,925 --> 00:09:20,726
   This must be                 
a best seller here.             

267
00:09:20,826 --> 00:09:22,028
  Sean:                         
   It's a best seller.          

268
00:09:22,128 --> 00:09:23,229
   Mena:                        
Fantastic.                      

269
00:09:23,329 --> 00:09:24,330
I'll definitely be back.        

270
00:09:24,430 --> 00:09:26,098
 Wonderful,                     
 we'd love to have you back.    

271
00:09:26,198 --> 00:09:27,466
   Alright, take this           
 to go with me.                 

272
00:09:27,567 --> 00:09:29,602
I'm going to finish this.       

273
00:09:29,702 --> 00:09:31,437
(Chuckle)                       

274
00:09:31,537 --> 00:09:32,972
   Incredible.                  

275
00:09:33,072 --> 00:09:35,207
I already know I'm going        
 to hit this place again        

276
00:09:35,308 --> 00:09:37,209
  before I leave town.          

277
00:09:37,310 --> 00:09:39,779
NOLA, we're just                
getting started.                

278
00:09:39,879 --> 00:09:42,348
♪                               

279
00:09:42,448 --> 00:09:44,951
(Twangy bluegrass music)        

280
00:09:45,051 --> 00:09:47,186
  Mena:                         
 You hear so much about         

281
00:09:47,286 --> 00:09:49,055
  Southern hospitality          
  that I guess                  

282
00:09:49,155 --> 00:09:51,257
I shouldn't be surprised        
that my next stop               

283
00:09:51,357 --> 00:09:52,992
  is dining in someone's home.  

284
00:09:53,092 --> 00:09:56,362
 The Mississippi Vegan,         
 Timothy Pakron.                

285
00:09:56,462 --> 00:09:58,831
 He's one of the most prominent 
vegan influencers               

286
00:09:58,931 --> 00:10:01,500
on social media,                
  as well as a cookbook author  

287
00:10:01,601 --> 00:10:03,936
  and talented                  
   food photographer.           

288
00:10:04,036 --> 00:10:05,738
Hey, hey, Timothy.              

289
00:10:05,838 --> 00:10:07,073
 How's it going?                

290
00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:08,507
  Mena:                         
   Timothy's inviting us over   

291
00:10:08,608 --> 00:10:10,843
 for a home-cooked meal         
and a tour of his garden,       

292
00:10:10,943 --> 00:10:15,014
 alongside his friendly         
  rescue cat, Chi Chi.          

293
00:10:15,114 --> 00:10:16,882
  Wow,                          
how high is this bamboo?        

294
00:10:16,983 --> 00:10:18,117
 Like, 30 feet?                 

295
00:10:18,217 --> 00:10:19,885
Timothy:                        
   Yeah, 30, 40 feet for sure.  

296
00:10:19,986 --> 00:10:21,454
  Mena:                         
   Oh my gosh.                  

297
00:10:21,554 --> 00:10:25,091
  This is like the best         
  entrance to-- what the heck?  

298
00:10:25,191 --> 00:10:26,525
You're not kidding here!        

299
00:10:26,626 --> 00:10:27,827
Timothy:                        
My little garden.               

300
00:10:27,927 --> 00:10:28,861
  Mena:                         
 Little?                        

301
00:10:28,961 --> 00:10:30,696
   (Laughing)                   
This is amazing.                

302
00:10:30,796 --> 00:10:32,531
   Timothy: It's like a little  
  private sanctuary back here.  

303
00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:34,300
   Mena: Yeah,                  
   it's like a jungle garden.   

304
00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:35,701
  We're in middle of November.  

305
00:10:35,801 --> 00:10:37,670
  I have tomato plants,         
  I have okra.                  

306
00:10:37,770 --> 00:10:39,271
 My basil's still going.        

307
00:10:39,372 --> 00:10:41,540
 So, we do have                 
  a long growing season         

308
00:10:41,641 --> 00:10:43,142
   and I'm thankful for that.   

309
00:10:43,242 --> 00:10:45,411
 Mena: Yeah, everything         
  looks lush right now.         

310
00:10:45,511 --> 00:10:48,547
 This garden's taught me a lot, 
 about cooking and ingredients. 

311
00:10:48,648 --> 00:10:50,816
   (Upbeat instrumental music)  

312
00:10:50,916 --> 00:10:53,352
   And you didn't live          
 in New Orleans                 

313
00:10:53,452 --> 00:10:55,154
 your whole life, right?        

314
00:10:55,254 --> 00:10:56,522
  No--                          
so, my family's from here       

315
00:10:56,622 --> 00:10:57,823
  but I grew up in Mississippi. 

316
00:10:57,923 --> 00:11:00,226
  Hence your first book title,  
 the Mississippi Vegan.         

317
00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:01,961
  Yep.                          
I wrote my first cookbook there,

318
00:11:02,061 --> 00:11:03,396
  but then I moved here         
 six years ago.                 

319
00:11:03,496 --> 00:11:06,632
 I got these set up right when I
 moved in and I've been growing 

320
00:11:06,732 --> 00:11:08,434
  all kinds of things.          

321
00:11:08,534 --> 00:11:12,738
 I have this Brazilian starfish 
 pepper and I started from seed.

322
00:11:12,838 --> 00:11:13,739
  They're tiny!                 

323
00:11:13,839 --> 00:11:15,007
Timothy:                        
   (Chuckles) I know.           

324
00:11:15,107 --> 00:11:17,943
  But you can see they kind of  
have this peculiar shape.       

325
00:11:18,044 --> 00:11:19,679
  And this is                   
   how big they get?            

326
00:11:19,779 --> 00:11:21,714
Yeah. Sometimes they get        
a little bigger,                

327
00:11:21,814 --> 00:11:23,649
   but, yeah,                   
 this is about the size.        

328
00:11:23,749 --> 00:11:25,584
 Wow. And you got some cilantro 
  here as well?                 

329
00:11:25,685 --> 00:11:27,019
Timothy:                        
 That's, yeah, that's cilantro. 

330
00:11:27,119 --> 00:11:28,187
Good eye.                       

331
00:11:28,287 --> 00:11:31,190
And what is this                
   tower of okra here?          

332
00:11:31,290 --> 00:11:32,925
  These are honker okras here.  

333
00:11:33,025 --> 00:11:34,326
Timothy:                        
   Yeah, they're huge.          

334
00:11:34,427 --> 00:11:38,064
  So this is a Jamaican variety 
 and I'm letting it go to seed. 

335
00:11:38,164 --> 00:11:40,499
 So I'm letting the pods        
 get really big.                

336
00:11:40,599 --> 00:11:43,369
   And then when they dry out,  
they kind of crack open and then

337
00:11:43,469 --> 00:11:45,004
 you can plant the seeds again. 

338
00:11:45,104 --> 00:11:47,740
 The other cool thing about okra
  is these young tender leaves  

339
00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:48,808
   are totally edible.          

340
00:11:48,908 --> 00:11:49,942
  Mena:                         
  Yeah.                         

341
00:11:50,042 --> 00:11:51,343
Timothy:                        
And so you can put those        

342
00:11:51,444 --> 00:11:53,012
   in gumbo, stir-fry,          
   they're delicious.           

343
00:11:53,112 --> 00:11:54,480
  Mena:                         
This is amazing!                

344
00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:56,782
Timothy:                        
 I have some radish right here. 

345
00:11:56,882 --> 00:11:59,418
 And I actually love the radish 
tops, they're delicious.        

346
00:11:59,518 --> 00:12:00,586
  Mena:                         
   Yeah, yeah.                  

347
00:12:00,686 --> 00:12:02,088
And then this is                
 burgundy okra.                 

348
00:12:02,188 --> 00:12:03,489
 Burgundy okra?                 

349
00:12:03,589 --> 00:12:04,824
Timothy:                        
  That's burgundy okra.         

350
00:12:04,924 --> 00:12:06,358
  Mena:                         
  I've never seen that before.  

351
00:12:06,459 --> 00:12:07,393
Timothy:                        
  Yeah.                         

352
00:12:07,493 --> 00:12:09,628
Other than being                
an amazing cook,                

353
00:12:09,729 --> 00:12:11,597
 you obviously know how to grow 
 your own stuff.                

354
00:12:11,697 --> 00:12:12,732
Where did that come from?       

355
00:12:12,832 --> 00:12:14,100
   How did you teach yourself   
all this?                       

356
00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,135
  Well, I think it all started  
  with cooking.                 

357
00:12:16,235 --> 00:12:19,672
 I just wanted to find out where
   the ingredients came from.   

358
00:12:19,772 --> 00:12:20,806
 Right.                         

359
00:12:20,906 --> 00:12:21,974
Timothy:                        
   And then it just, it deepen  

360
00:12:22,074 --> 00:12:23,309
my relationship with it.        

361
00:12:23,409 --> 00:12:25,144
  When you start something from 
   seed and you watch it grow   

362
00:12:25,244 --> 00:12:28,147
and then you harvest it,        
   it's just very satisfying.   

363
00:12:28,247 --> 00:12:30,483
  Yeah.                         
Would you consider this organic?

364
00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:32,051
Like, do you put                
any insecticides,               

365
00:12:32,151 --> 00:12:33,352
   pesticides                   
in here?                        

366
00:12:33,452 --> 00:12:34,687
  I don't put anything.         

367
00:12:34,787 --> 00:12:36,756
  I would consider it more than 
organic because--               

368
00:12:36,856 --> 00:12:37,990
  More than organic.            

369
00:12:38,090 --> 00:12:39,692
   More than organic.           
 Like, what would you call that?

370
00:12:39,792 --> 00:12:41,727
But yeah,                       
 I really let things go.        

371
00:12:41,827 --> 00:12:42,895
   You can see, like,           

372
00:12:42,995 --> 00:12:44,830
there's some caterpillars       
 eating this beet plant.        

373
00:12:44,930 --> 00:12:47,466
 But it's a beautiful butterfly 
and that's a host plant.        

374
00:12:47,566 --> 00:12:49,568
 So I just grow enough to share.

375
00:12:49,668 --> 00:12:52,037
  Mena:                         
Timothy's a generous guy,       

376
00:12:52,138 --> 00:12:54,874
  whether he's feeding          
  caterpillars or sharing meals 

377
00:12:54,974 --> 00:12:56,542
 with guests from afar.         

378
00:12:56,642 --> 00:13:00,012
 Today, he's down to share some 
of his world-famous gumbo       

379
00:13:00,112 --> 00:13:02,148
   and I can not wait.          

380
00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:04,416
♪                               

381
00:13:04,517 --> 00:13:06,218
Oh my goodness.                 

382
00:13:06,318 --> 00:13:08,287
Timothy:                        
 Gumbo!                         

383
00:13:08,387 --> 00:13:10,990
Oh, that smells amazing.        
  I want to swim in it.         

384
00:13:11,090 --> 00:13:12,925
Timothy:                        
 Here we have my classic gumbo. 

385
00:13:13,025 --> 00:13:15,995
  We have different mushrooms,  
   so we have maitake,          

386
00:13:16,095 --> 00:13:20,065
trumpet and then                
shiitake mushrooms in the gumbo.

387
00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:23,035
  And then we also have         
 shiitake bacon on top,         

388
00:13:23,135 --> 00:13:27,339
  which is a nice little crunch 
and a little umami boost.       

389
00:13:27,439 --> 00:13:31,443
  And then we have a curry leaf 
and bay leaf baked rice.        

390
00:13:31,544 --> 00:13:33,379
  Mena:                         
Gumbo comes from                

391
00:13:33,479 --> 00:13:35,681
 the West African word for okra.

392
00:13:35,781 --> 00:13:38,684
 Gumbos use okra as a thickener 
 or central ingredient.         

393
00:13:38,784 --> 00:13:40,419
 It's like a chonky, spicy stew,

394
00:13:40,519 --> 00:13:42,521
somewhere between               
 soup and gravy,                

395
00:13:42,621 --> 00:13:46,926
and smells like an unbelievable,
multi-layered flavour sensation.

396
00:13:47,026 --> 00:13:49,795
And this fresh focaccia.        

397
00:13:49,895 --> 00:13:52,765
So in New Orleans,              
  traditionally they serve gumbo

398
00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:55,568
  with this like                
   fluffy po' boy bread.        

399
00:13:55,668 --> 00:13:58,537
But I thought I would do        
 my very own sourdough focaccia.

400
00:13:58,637 --> 00:14:04,510
♪                               

401
00:14:04,610 --> 00:14:05,711
 Ah, it smells so good.         

402
00:14:05,811 --> 00:14:08,948
♪                               

403
00:14:09,048 --> 00:14:10,049
   Mm.                          

404
00:14:10,149 --> 00:14:12,084
   (Munching)                   

405
00:14:12,184 --> 00:14:13,219
  Wow.                          

406
00:14:15,888 --> 00:14:17,289
 Out of this world, man.        

407
00:14:17,389 --> 00:14:22,027
 You can smell the spice        
  from those peppers in there.  

408
00:14:22,127 --> 00:14:23,729
  You can see the okra.         

409
00:14:23,829 --> 00:14:27,733
And then you get a lot of       
the woodiness from the mushrooms

410
00:14:27,833 --> 00:14:30,135
  in there and I think          
 shiitake bacon as well.        

411
00:14:30,236 --> 00:14:33,472
   This is my first ever gumbo  
 in New Orleans.                

412
00:14:33,572 --> 00:14:34,773
Timothy:                        
 Right.                         

413
00:14:34,874 --> 00:14:36,775
And I think it'll be my last    
because I don't want anything   

414
00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:37,910
to ruin this moment.            

415
00:14:38,010 --> 00:14:38,911
I'm so glad you like it.        

416
00:14:39,011 --> 00:14:39,912
 Mena:                          
Is this recipe                  

417
00:14:40,012 --> 00:14:40,913
in Mississippi Vegan,           
 your book?                     

418
00:14:41,013 --> 00:14:42,314
  Yup.                          

419
00:14:42,414 --> 00:14:44,917
So this is the classic gumbo and
 I actually put it on the blog, 

420
00:14:45,017 --> 00:14:47,152
so it's on MississippiVegan.com.

421
00:14:47,253 --> 00:14:48,320
   Mm.                          

422
00:14:48,420 --> 00:14:50,222
 Timothy:                       
   And, yeah, and it's--        

423
00:14:50,322 --> 00:14:53,192
  And it's frickin' fantastic!  
   That's what you should say.  

424
00:14:53,292 --> 00:14:55,828
 It's in my book                
  and it's frickin' fantastic.  

425
00:14:55,928 --> 00:14:57,429
It's so good.                   

426
00:14:57,529 --> 00:14:59,899
   Timothy:                     
  Yeah, it's a flavour bomb.    

427
00:14:59,999 --> 00:15:03,202
  My mom taught me how to make  
gumbo when I was like 15.       

428
00:15:03,302 --> 00:15:05,771
The foundation of the gumbo that
she taught me was vegan.        

429
00:15:05,871 --> 00:15:08,474
  She didn't say that,          
   but the foundation           

430
00:15:08,574 --> 00:15:11,443
 is brown flour and oil,        
  celery, bell peppers,         

431
00:15:11,543 --> 00:15:14,013
 onion, garlic,                 
  bay leaves, paprika.          

432
00:15:14,113 --> 00:15:15,848
   And then it was at the end   
she would put in                

433
00:15:15,948 --> 00:15:16,982
  the animal products.          

434
00:15:17,082 --> 00:15:19,518
 So I just put mushrooms        
   in instead.                  

435
00:15:19,618 --> 00:15:28,027
♪                               

436
00:15:28,127 --> 00:15:31,497
How'd you find being vegan      
 growing up in the South?       

437
00:15:31,597 --> 00:15:33,699
People were always like,        
Mississippi Vegan, like,        

438
00:15:33,799 --> 00:15:35,067
that doesn't make any sense.    

439
00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:36,735
 And I'm like, I grew up        
   blueberry picking,           

440
00:15:36,835 --> 00:15:39,204
 blackberry picking,            
 eating watermelons,            

441
00:15:39,305 --> 00:15:42,207
sweet potatoes, peanuts,        
  okra.                         

442
00:15:42,308 --> 00:15:44,143
  Okra has always been one      
 of my favourite vegetables.    

443
00:15:44,243 --> 00:15:46,045
   I mean,                      
I grew up eating fried okra.    

444
00:15:46,145 --> 00:15:48,814
 So when I say all those things,
those are all beautiful,        

445
00:15:48,914 --> 00:15:51,717
you know, examples of plants    
   that are vegan.              

446
00:15:51,817 --> 00:15:53,652
Well, it goes back to this      
 concept that people have       

447
00:15:53,752 --> 00:15:55,654
 vegan food every day, they just
   don't think of it as vegan.  

448
00:15:55,754 --> 00:15:56,789
Totally.                        

449
00:15:56,889 --> 00:16:00,326
Have you seen the South         
 embrace vegan culture          

450
00:16:00,426 --> 00:16:02,461
and restaurants and community?  

451
00:16:02,561 --> 00:16:05,064
 I feel like it is              
  slowly happening here.        

452
00:16:05,164 --> 00:16:06,231
 And in New Orleans,            

453
00:16:06,332 --> 00:16:08,267
   in particular,               
 it's gotten so much better.    

454
00:16:08,367 --> 00:16:10,769
   We're still not where        
the big cities are,             

455
00:16:10,869 --> 00:16:12,571
 but there is a shift happening.

456
00:16:12,671 --> 00:16:15,607
  I think people hadn't seen    
   southern dishes veganised    

457
00:16:15,708 --> 00:16:16,875
the way that I was doing it.    

458
00:16:16,976 --> 00:16:18,243
   Mm-hmm.                      

459
00:16:18,344 --> 00:16:21,380
  And people started following  
me and they were really excited.

460
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,116
 And so that made me            
   really excited.              

461
00:16:24,216 --> 00:16:28,287
  I feel like vegan food has had
a huge breakthrough because     

462
00:16:28,387 --> 00:16:29,989
   of social media and internet.

463
00:16:30,089 --> 00:16:31,390
   And now people see it        
 and they're like,              

464
00:16:31,490 --> 00:16:32,992
 oh, that actually looks        
  really good.                  

465
00:16:33,092 --> 00:16:34,693
I want to                       
thank you for, you know,        

466
00:16:34,793 --> 00:16:35,928
letting me in your home.        

467
00:16:36,028 --> 00:16:37,096
  Of course.                    

468
00:16:37,196 --> 00:16:40,666
And letting me experience       
a homemade southern meal.       

469
00:16:40,766 --> 00:16:43,369
  I always tell people          
 I'd rather them come to my home

470
00:16:43,469 --> 00:16:46,438
 to have cooking because I think
  this is the most special, so. 

471
00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:47,606
  Mena:                         
Oh yeah, I agree.               

472
00:16:47,706 --> 00:16:54,213
♪                               

473
00:16:54,313 --> 00:16:55,681
  (Trumpet instrumental music)  

474
00:16:55,781 --> 00:16:56,982
  Mena:                         
  If you spend any time         

475
00:16:57,082 --> 00:16:58,517
   rolling down Bourbon Street  

476
00:16:58,617 --> 00:17:01,220
   or garbling the speakeasies  
 of New Orleans,                

477
00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,423
   you'll realise the outsized  
impact the city's had on        

478
00:17:04,523 --> 00:17:06,425
the drinking culture of America.

479
00:17:06,525 --> 00:17:08,560
 I mean,                        
 these streets are where        

480
00:17:08,660 --> 00:17:10,662
 the ubiquitous cocktail        
  was invented.                 

481
00:17:10,763 --> 00:17:15,034
I'm about to get a liquid lesson
 from educator Elizabeth Pearce,

482
00:17:15,134 --> 00:17:17,503
 who's taking me to the Loa Bar,
   located in                   

483
00:17:17,603 --> 00:17:21,607
 the International House Hotel, 
 the world's first trade centre.

484
00:17:21,707 --> 00:17:25,744
The wood is tended by mixologist
 Abigail Gullo, who sees drinks 

485
00:17:25,844 --> 00:17:28,080
  as a form of art and history. 

486
00:17:28,180 --> 00:17:30,949
  This was the very first craft 
  cocktail bar in New Orleans.  

487
00:17:31,050 --> 00:17:32,951
   We opened up 25 years ago.   

488
00:17:33,052 --> 00:17:36,955
   This is a sacred place for   
   crafting beautiful           

489
00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:39,425
  handmade cocktails that tell  
the story of New Orleans.       

490
00:17:39,525 --> 00:17:42,261
   The story of the city        
through cocktails.              

491
00:17:42,361 --> 00:17:44,997
Elizabeth:                      
   Yes.                         
 That's my favourite way        
to tell a story.                

492
00:17:45,097 --> 00:17:46,498
Yeah, history in a glass.       

493
00:17:46,598 --> 00:17:49,802
  We're going to start with     
the St. Charles Hotel Punch.    

494
00:17:49,902 --> 00:17:51,270
Abigail:                        
We're going to do               

495
00:17:51,370 --> 00:17:54,973
  a little lemon juice in here, 
  simple syrup.                 

496
00:17:55,074 --> 00:17:59,778
We're going to do cognac.       
 And then we have a little port.

497
00:17:59,878 --> 00:18:03,682
♪                               

498
00:18:03,782 --> 00:18:07,586
 Two St. Charles Hotel punches. 
 Enjoy, cheers.                 

499
00:18:07,686 --> 00:18:08,787
  Mena:                         
  Beautiful, thank you.         

500
00:18:08,887 --> 00:18:12,224
♪                               

501
00:18:12,324 --> 00:18:13,759
Ah, that's always so good.      

502
00:18:13,859 --> 00:18:18,297
   Wow!                         
  Stiff, but refreshing.        

503
00:18:18,397 --> 00:18:20,632
  It kind of tastes             
like a boozy sangria.           

504
00:18:20,732 --> 00:18:24,803
   I truly don't think I've ever
tasted a sangria this good.     

505
00:18:24,903 --> 00:18:26,939
I know it's not sangria,        
 but the way you described it...

506
00:18:27,039 --> 00:18:28,540
  You can drink                 
 a lot of these.                

507
00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,244
The St. Charles Hotel Punch     
  is invented at                

508
00:18:32,344 --> 00:18:33,545
   Mena:                        
  Right.                        
the St. Charles Hotel,          

509
00:18:33,645 --> 00:18:35,514
which is no longer here,        

510
00:18:35,614 --> 00:18:38,016
but it was near                 
where we are right now.         

511
00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:43,388
The St. Charles Hotel was       
 the first great American hotel 

512
00:18:43,489 --> 00:18:45,057
  that was built in the 1830s.  

513
00:18:45,157 --> 00:18:47,659
 And the reason                 
   that I say it was American   

514
00:18:47,759 --> 00:18:49,228
  is because it was really big. 

515
00:18:49,328 --> 00:18:52,164
  New Orleans                   
was the city in America         

516
00:18:52,264 --> 00:18:56,735
 in which it is the easiest     
to get richest the quickest.    

517
00:18:56,835 --> 00:18:59,138
In the late 1700s,              

518
00:18:59,238 --> 00:19:01,373
  Haiti was one                 
of the largest producers        

519
00:19:01,473 --> 00:19:02,841
of sugar in the world.          

520
00:19:02,941 --> 00:19:05,210
 And they had                   
a slave revolt.                 

521
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:08,080
So, all of those French         
speaking Catholic sugar makers  

522
00:19:08,180 --> 00:19:09,915
come to New Orleans,            

523
00:19:10,015 --> 00:19:12,885
the closest French speaking     
   Catholic port                

524
00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:14,853
where you can cultivate         
  sugarcane.                    

525
00:19:14,953 --> 00:19:18,157
Sugar at the time was referred  
   to as white gold.            

526
00:19:18,257 --> 00:19:20,792
   And in a town                
of 120,000 people,              

527
00:19:20,893 --> 00:19:23,195
we have about 40,000 people     
   coming here annually         

528
00:19:23,295 --> 00:19:24,630
to do business                  

529
00:19:24,730 --> 00:19:28,400
and 40,000 people got           
 to sleep somewhere.            

530
00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:31,003
You don't build the largest     
hotel in the United States      

531
00:19:31,103 --> 00:19:33,338
unless you know you're going    
 to fill it.                    

532
00:19:33,438 --> 00:19:36,275
 And there's no better indicator
   of what New Orleans          

533
00:19:36,375 --> 00:19:40,779
  became than the construction  
of the St. Charles Hotel.       

534
00:19:40,879 --> 00:19:41,980
That's fantastic!               

535
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:42,981
 Elizabeth: Yes.                

536
00:19:43,081 --> 00:19:44,216
   You're a historical          
 encyclopaedia!                 

537
00:19:44,316 --> 00:19:45,784
  Elizabeth: Thank-- thank you. 

538
00:19:45,884 --> 00:19:47,219
  I love it.                    
I mean, the brandy helps.       

539
00:19:47,319 --> 00:19:48,787
 Yeah, of course, right?        

540
00:19:48,887 --> 00:19:50,756
 Let's keep the                 
 cocktail train moving.         

541
00:19:50,856 --> 00:19:51,990
What are we having next?        

542
00:19:52,090 --> 00:19:53,992
The next drink                  
is the Sazerac.                 

543
00:19:54,092 --> 00:19:56,495
It's the official cocktail      
  of New Orleans.               

544
00:19:56,595 --> 00:19:58,664
  What? This is the official    
 cocktail of the city?          

545
00:19:58,764 --> 00:20:00,032
 By law.                        

546
00:20:00,132 --> 00:20:05,003
Yes, in 2008, the Louisiana     
  Legislature passed this       

547
00:20:05,103 --> 00:20:09,374
resolution making the Sazerac   
the city's official cocktail.   

548
00:20:09,474 --> 00:20:12,711
  And it is appropriate because 
each ingredient in this drink is

549
00:20:12,811 --> 00:20:14,746
   connected with               
a story of the city.            

550
00:20:14,846 --> 00:20:19,551
♪                               

551
00:20:19,651 --> 00:20:21,954
  You have the Peychaud bitters 
from Mr. Antoine Peychaud       

552
00:20:22,054 --> 00:20:23,121
 who lived here.                

553
00:20:23,222 --> 00:20:25,357
   You have Herbsaint           
from Mr. Marion Legendre        

554
00:20:25,457 --> 00:20:27,359
 who lived here.                

555
00:20:27,459 --> 00:20:30,028
  We were a French city         
 drinking French brandy.        

556
00:20:30,128 --> 00:20:31,363
   Mena: Yes.                   

557
00:20:31,463 --> 00:20:35,901
Becoming an American city       
 drinking American rye whiskey. 

558
00:20:36,001 --> 00:20:38,904
The drink follows the timeline  
 of the city.                   

559
00:20:39,004 --> 00:20:45,043
♪                               

560
00:20:45,143 --> 00:20:46,078
 Cheers.                        

561
00:20:46,178 --> 00:20:48,080
   (Glasses clinking)           

562
00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:53,185
♪                               

563
00:20:53,285 --> 00:20:57,122
Wow, ma'am, wow.                
Yes.                            

564
00:20:57,222 --> 00:20:59,091
 That is a stiff-- I thought    
  the first one was stiff.      

565
00:20:59,191 --> 00:21:00,659
  This is stiff.                
I love it.                      

566
00:21:00,759 --> 00:21:02,160
   This might be my go-to now.  

567
00:21:02,261 --> 00:21:06,365
   So, visitors who say, oh, I  
 want to make a Sazerac at home,

568
00:21:06,465 --> 00:21:08,400
do I have                       
to use Peychaud bitters?        

569
00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:09,701
And I say, yes.                 

570
00:21:09,801 --> 00:21:10,969
   (Laughing)                   

571
00:21:11,069 --> 00:21:14,273
 Because if you don't, then     
you can't call it a Sazerac.    

572
00:21:14,373 --> 00:21:16,375
   There are very few other     
bitters that are gonna give it  

573
00:21:16,475 --> 00:21:18,610
this really pretty red.         

574
00:21:18,710 --> 00:21:21,580
  Alright, what cocktail        
are we doing next?              

575
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,483
  Because I can't wait to       
   hear the climax of the story.

576
00:21:24,583 --> 00:21:26,785
Sure, it's the Hurricane.       

577
00:21:26,885 --> 00:21:29,021
Here's what I can tell you if   
   you come to New Orleans      

578
00:21:29,121 --> 00:21:30,589
and you order a Hurricane.      

579
00:21:30,689 --> 00:21:32,924
It's gonna be red and it's      
   gonna have rum in it         

580
00:21:33,025 --> 00:21:34,593
 and after                      
that, no promises.              

581
00:21:34,693 --> 00:21:36,328
(Laughs)                        

582
00:21:36,428 --> 00:21:40,565
   Well, the secret to a true   
Hurricane to me is passionfruit.

583
00:21:40,666 --> 00:21:43,735
It's got                        
   to have passionfruit puree.  

584
00:21:43,835 --> 00:21:46,271
   And that looks like          
 very good passionfruit.        

585
00:21:46,371 --> 00:21:49,474
  It's real passionfruit puree. 

586
00:21:49,574 --> 00:21:53,278
 A little bit of satsuma juice, 
the local citrus                

587
00:21:53,378 --> 00:21:54,713
that grows here.                

588
00:21:54,813 --> 00:21:56,548
This is the house               
  made hibiscus syrup.          

589
00:21:56,648 --> 00:21:58,650
 It adds colour.                

590
00:21:58,750 --> 00:22:01,653
I'm adding some white rum       
   and some aged rum.           

591
00:22:01,753 --> 00:22:10,062
♪                               

592
00:22:10,162 --> 00:22:12,331
  Both: Cheers.                 

593
00:22:12,431 --> 00:22:17,903
♪                               

594
00:22:18,003 --> 00:22:20,205
 Wow. That's fantastic.         

595
00:22:20,305 --> 00:22:22,641
  This is the kind of drink     
I want to have on the beach.    

596
00:22:22,741 --> 00:22:25,143
Yes, I mean, it's essentially   
a rum punch.                    

597
00:22:25,243 --> 00:22:26,311
 And does the Hurricane,        

598
00:22:26,411 --> 00:22:28,246
   does it resonate             
   with people now even more    

599
00:22:28,347 --> 00:22:32,984
  just because of Hurricane     
Katrina and the long history    

600
00:22:33,085 --> 00:22:34,686
  of hurricanes                 
 in New Orleans?                

601
00:22:34,786 --> 00:22:38,824
What's complicated about the    
 Hurricane is that visitors     

602
00:22:38,924 --> 00:22:40,625
know the Hurricane,             

603
00:22:40,726 --> 00:22:43,962
but in general,                 
locals don't drink it.          

604
00:22:44,062 --> 00:22:45,163
 Like, you've had               
the Sazerac, right?             

605
00:22:45,263 --> 00:22:47,833
The Sazerac and the Hurricane   
are at opposite ends            

606
00:22:47,933 --> 00:22:49,668
of the taste spectrum.          

607
00:22:49,768 --> 00:22:50,869
Yes.                            

608
00:22:50,969 --> 00:22:53,605
   And Bourbon Street is        
a street you can walk down.     

609
00:22:53,705 --> 00:22:56,842
  Well, you're not gonna really 
take a modified Old Fashioned...

610
00:22:56,942 --> 00:22:58,176
Yes.                            

611
00:22:58,276 --> 00:23:01,146
 ...as you stroll down a street,
 but having a rum punch         

612
00:23:01,246 --> 00:23:04,116
  that is kind of               
a friendlier drink.             

613
00:23:04,216 --> 00:23:07,285
So, visitors love it because    
they have wonderful memories    

614
00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:10,422
of Bourbon Street.              

615
00:23:10,522 --> 00:23:12,791
   This was the funnest way     
  to learn about the history    

616
00:23:12,891 --> 00:23:14,126
 of New Orleans.                

617
00:23:14,226 --> 00:23:16,228
  I'm going to pick up my       
  favourite drink to cheers you,

618
00:23:16,328 --> 00:23:17,796
the Sazerac.                    

619
00:23:17,896 --> 00:23:20,432
 It's my new go-to              
   stiff drink, I think.        

620
00:23:20,532 --> 00:23:22,367
  Both: Cheers.                 

621
00:23:22,467 --> 00:23:26,571
♪                               

622
00:23:26,671 --> 00:23:27,839
   (Upbeat instrumental music)  

623
00:23:27,939 --> 00:23:30,208
♪                               

624
00:23:30,308 --> 00:23:31,376
 Treme.                         

625
00:23:31,476 --> 00:23:33,445
  One of America's most         
 historically important         

626
00:23:33,545 --> 00:23:34,780
 neighbourhoods.                

627
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,416
 At the heart of it, you'll find
   an agent of change,          

628
00:23:37,516 --> 00:23:40,519
 the vegan outpost I-Tal Garden.

629
00:23:40,619 --> 00:23:43,021
   It's run by                  
  Rastafarian Chef Ra,          

630
00:23:43,121 --> 00:23:45,757
   who brings his plant-based   
 lens to cooking Creole         

631
00:23:45,857 --> 00:23:48,093
   and Cajun classics.          

632
00:23:48,193 --> 00:23:50,729
  What kind of food do          
   you guys do here at I-Tal?   

633
00:23:50,829 --> 00:23:54,366
Right, so it's mostly like vegan
  New Orleans style soul food.  

634
00:23:54,466 --> 00:23:55,967
   Wow, look at that.           

635
00:23:56,067 --> 00:23:58,036
  Ra: The avocado fries         
   are one of a kind.           

636
00:23:58,136 --> 00:23:59,604
 A lot of people                
 like them here.                

637
00:23:59,704 --> 00:24:02,707
  We batter them in a chickpea  
   batter, toss them in panko   

638
00:24:02,808 --> 00:24:04,843
  and fry them                  
with our remoulade sauce.       

639
00:24:04,943 --> 00:24:08,180
♪                               

640
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,615
   (Munching)                   

641
00:24:10,715 --> 00:24:13,318
   Mm.                          

642
00:24:13,418 --> 00:24:14,820
   Nice, huh?                   

643
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,021
Mena: Very good.                

644
00:24:16,121 --> 00:24:17,956
 Right, crispy.                 
   Mena: Mm-hmm.                

645
00:24:18,056 --> 00:24:19,291
 Creamy.                        

646
00:24:19,391 --> 00:24:21,259
   Mena: It just kind of oozes  
 and melts in your mouth        

647
00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:22,594
 because of the avocado.        

648
00:24:22,694 --> 00:24:24,629
And of course the               
   sauce is terrific.           

649
00:24:24,729 --> 00:24:25,964
 The remoulade.                 

650
00:24:26,064 --> 00:24:28,033
  A lot of nice spices          
in there.                       

651
00:24:28,133 --> 00:24:32,270
 It's just like smoked paprika, 
  lemon juice, Creole mustard.  

652
00:24:32,370 --> 00:24:34,739
  Creole has a great influence  
 in New Orleans cooking.        

653
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:36,641
 You'll hear that a lot.        
Creole and Cajun.               

654
00:24:36,741 --> 00:24:38,143
Mena: Of course.                
   Yeah, yeah.                  

655
00:24:38,243 --> 00:24:40,145
So, we're here in               
 a unique part of town.         

656
00:24:40,245 --> 00:24:41,947
   It's called Treme.           

657
00:24:42,047 --> 00:24:44,483
  Yeah, Treme actually          
  has a lot of history.         

658
00:24:44,583 --> 00:24:46,685
  It's one of the oldest black  
   established neighbourhoods   

659
00:24:46,785 --> 00:24:48,720
 in the country.                
Wow.                            

660
00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:51,189
  Right, back in slavery time,  
 my ancestors were able         

661
00:24:51,289 --> 00:24:52,591
  to buy their freedom          

662
00:24:52,691 --> 00:24:56,261
  and that's where we were for  
the most part in the Treme area.

663
00:24:56,361 --> 00:24:58,430
   A lot of our ancestors came  
from West Africa                

664
00:24:58,530 --> 00:25:00,298
  and they came                 
 to New Orleans                 

665
00:25:00,398 --> 00:25:03,101
  and they brought their spices 
and customs with them, you know,

666
00:25:03,201 --> 00:25:04,202
 and it's here to stay.         

667
00:25:04,302 --> 00:25:05,804
♪                               

668
00:25:05,904 --> 00:25:07,606
   It's the quinoa jambalaya.   

669
00:25:07,706 --> 00:25:09,508
   It's a traditional           
New Orleans dish.               

670
00:25:09,608 --> 00:25:13,111
 A lot of people normally do it 
  with rice, but I try to look  

671
00:25:13,211 --> 00:25:16,181
for more healthier kicks        
   in dishes.                   

672
00:25:16,281 --> 00:25:19,417
And it originated in West       
   Africa known as the Jollof.  

673
00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:20,752
 You ever heard                 
 of Jollof rice?                

674
00:25:20,852 --> 00:25:21,753
   Yeah, I have heard           
   of Jollof.                   

675
00:25:21,853 --> 00:25:23,421
   So, that's                   
 where this comes from.         

676
00:25:23,522 --> 00:25:25,590
 New Orleans is                 
a big gumbo pot.                

677
00:25:25,690 --> 00:25:29,327
  So, we had many cultures had  
  influences on different types 

678
00:25:29,427 --> 00:25:30,629
  of styles of dishes.          

679
00:25:30,729 --> 00:25:33,899
♪                               

680
00:25:33,999 --> 00:25:38,169
Mm! I can eat quinoa all        
   day if it tasted like this.  

681
00:25:38,270 --> 00:25:39,170
 Right.                         

682
00:25:39,271 --> 00:25:40,705
And then there's                
   definitely a kick.           

683
00:25:40,805 --> 00:25:42,574
   Ra: It's the seitan          
   andouille sausage.           

684
00:25:42,674 --> 00:25:45,010
  It just gives it more         
 of a bang of a flavour.        

685
00:25:45,110 --> 00:25:47,979
Tell me where the               
  name I-Tal came from.         

686
00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:52,150
  So, I-Tal is                  
  a Rastafarian inspired name.  

687
00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:56,021
 I-Tal just means vital as in to
  eat healthy and live vibrant. 

688
00:25:56,121 --> 00:25:59,624
♪                               

689
00:25:59,724 --> 00:26:01,159
 Mena: So, this                 
  is your Cajun pasta.          

690
00:26:01,259 --> 00:26:03,328
It kind of looks                
 like an alfredo pasta.         

691
00:26:03,428 --> 00:26:04,396
Exactly.                        

692
00:26:04,496 --> 00:26:06,364
  It's like an alfredo          
   with a Cajun spin.           

693
00:26:06,464 --> 00:26:14,706
♪                               

694
00:26:14,806 --> 00:26:16,241
  Wow.                          

695
00:26:16,341 --> 00:26:17,842
 It's incredibly creamy.        

696
00:26:17,943 --> 00:26:19,377
  I definitely taste some nuts. 

697
00:26:19,477 --> 00:26:21,212
Mm-hmm, exactly. Cashew.        

698
00:26:21,313 --> 00:26:22,914
It's really, really nice.       

699
00:26:23,014 --> 00:26:25,283
  Then you've got the crabless  
  crab cakes which adds         

700
00:26:25,383 --> 00:26:27,452
   like a nice, breaded touch.  

701
00:26:27,552 --> 00:26:29,421
  This is                       
   a Cajun comfort dish.        

702
00:26:29,521 --> 00:26:32,357
  Yes, yes, a lot               
of people love this pasta.      

703
00:26:32,457 --> 00:26:33,725
 I get a lot                    
of clientele                    

704
00:26:33,825 --> 00:26:35,660
that's not even plant-based     
 and they'll eat something      

705
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:36,861
and they'll be like, wow.       

706
00:26:36,962 --> 00:26:38,830
They'll just come               
 back, you know?                

707
00:26:38,930 --> 00:26:40,565
  Yeah, once they try it        
   once, they're hooked.        

708
00:26:40,665 --> 00:26:42,100
   Yeah, yeah, they're amazed.  

709
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:43,835
  You know, they think          
   about plant-based,           

710
00:26:43,935 --> 00:26:46,004
   they think about not being   
   seasoned or you know, bland  

711
00:26:46,104 --> 00:26:48,807
  and we're far                 
   from that.                   

712
00:26:48,907 --> 00:26:52,143
 Mena: And with a final bite of 
that mouth-watering Cajun pasta,

713
00:26:52,243 --> 00:26:55,447
  it's easy to see how Chef Ra  
  is changing minds and palates 

714
00:26:55,547 --> 00:26:57,282
in his community.               

715
00:26:57,382 --> 00:27:00,085
Just steps away from the        
 winding narrows                

716
00:27:00,185 --> 00:27:02,821
  of the ever shifting          
  Mississippi.                  

717
00:27:02,921 --> 00:27:05,557
♪                               

718
00:27:05,657 --> 00:27:09,494
Speaking of, I'm going on a tour
 of the Mississippi with        

719
00:27:09,594 --> 00:27:11,596
  Captain Richie on his         
   traditional                  

720
00:27:11,696 --> 00:27:14,099
 Louisiana trawler boat.        

721
00:27:14,199 --> 00:27:16,001
And that's all I know right now.

722
00:27:16,101 --> 00:27:18,470
   I know I'm going to get on   
a boat with you,                

723
00:27:18,570 --> 00:27:19,938
   but where we going?          

724
00:27:20,038 --> 00:27:22,574
  So today we're going to head  
  off to Neptune Pass.          

725
00:27:22,674 --> 00:27:25,076
  And Neptune is a new          
distributary of the Mississippi.

726
00:27:25,176 --> 00:27:27,646
  Just so much wildlife         
 and life there.                

727
00:27:27,746 --> 00:27:29,114
   Things are looking healthy   
 there,                         

728
00:27:29,214 --> 00:27:30,315
 it's really encouraging to see.

729
00:27:30,415 --> 00:27:31,483
Alright,                        
   well let's go check it out.  

730
00:27:31,583 --> 00:27:32,884
 Richie:                        
   Yeah, let's do it.           

731
00:27:32,984 --> 00:27:35,320
   Mena: Look, I've got one of  
the singularly best gigs        

732
00:27:35,420 --> 00:27:36,488
  in the world.                 

733
00:27:36,588 --> 00:27:38,423
 I tour around,                 
   eat delicious food,          

734
00:27:38,523 --> 00:27:40,058
 and talk to fascinating people.

735
00:27:40,158 --> 00:27:43,228
 But we travel to these         
spectacular cities to talk grub,

736
00:27:43,328 --> 00:27:45,830
   surrounded by these          
  mind-boggling vistas.         

737
00:27:45,930 --> 00:27:48,833
  And sometimes we just have to 
part to the flavour talk        

738
00:27:48,933 --> 00:27:52,537
 for a minute and take advantage
   of just being here.          

739
00:27:52,637 --> 00:27:54,339
  Woo!                          
  Sorry, y'all.                 

740
00:27:54,439 --> 00:27:58,076
   Mena: The Mississippi, the   
most storied waterway in America

741
00:27:58,176 --> 00:28:01,046
  that stretches from Canada to 
   the Gulf of Mexico.          

742
00:28:01,146 --> 00:28:03,214
 I think what makes the         
 Mississippi River Delta unique 

743
00:28:03,314 --> 00:28:07,185
 in particular is it juts out so
far into the sea, right?        

744
00:28:07,285 --> 00:28:10,755
 So we're talking like,         
 120 kilometre long River Delta.

745
00:28:10,855 --> 00:28:13,191
 So you have this like,         
 freshwater intertidal wetland, 

746
00:28:13,291 --> 00:28:15,160
 and there's really nothing else
like it on earth.               

747
00:28:15,260 --> 00:28:18,463
   Mena: Thing is, a shift in   
perspective, getting outside the

748
00:28:18,563 --> 00:28:21,866
  restos actually puts the city 
   in context.                  

749
00:28:21,966 --> 00:28:25,070
  Out here in the Bayou         
  surrounding New Orleans, you  

750
00:28:25,170 --> 00:28:28,640
 start to understand the impact 
  the perpetual vigorous change 

751
00:28:28,740 --> 00:28:33,078
in the local waters and land has
  on the city and its cuisine.  

752
00:28:33,178 --> 00:28:35,380
 This is brand-new land,        
   it's just a few months old.  

753
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:37,115
Maybe from the spring of        
   this year.                   

754
00:28:37,215 --> 00:28:39,951
 So the river is well on its way
   to making a new Delta here.  

755
00:28:40,051 --> 00:28:42,587
 We're down here at the         
confluence of the               

756
00:28:42,687 --> 00:28:44,222
Mississippi River               
in Neptune Pass.                

757
00:28:44,322 --> 00:28:47,158
   And what's happening here,   
   there's probably another 50  

758
00:28:47,258 --> 00:28:50,261
or 60 kilometres to get the sea,
  right, where it's just like,  

759
00:28:50,361 --> 00:28:51,629
two or three right here.        

760
00:28:51,730 --> 00:28:54,032
   This is a shortcut, it cuts  
   straight into the sea here?  

761
00:28:54,132 --> 00:28:55,300
   That's it.                   

762
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,702
   This was a tiny little cut,  
  maybe 10 metres wide.         

763
00:28:57,802 --> 00:29:00,638
  And what happened is, we had  
 about 10 years of high rivers. 

764
00:29:00,739 --> 00:29:03,508
 And the river was quietly doing
  river things, right?          

765
00:29:03,608 --> 00:29:06,745
 It was deepening this cut under
the surface out of sight.       

766
00:29:06,845 --> 00:29:08,279
  Wow.                          

767
00:29:08,379 --> 00:29:10,148
  The nature of a Delta         
  is to change.                 

768
00:29:10,248 --> 00:29:14,319
  Mena: Change is the one thing 
  that New Orleans is used to.  

769
00:29:14,419 --> 00:29:17,689
The constant is shifting        
  shorelines, drastic flooding, 

770
00:29:17,789 --> 00:29:21,993
new cut channels,               
   and the locals just adapt.   

771
00:29:22,093 --> 00:29:25,463
  Everything's influx, the ever 
 evolving Delta creates         

772
00:29:25,563 --> 00:29:30,401
an environment and a city unlike
 anywhere else.                 

773
00:29:30,502 --> 00:29:34,472
 (Dynamic music)                

774
00:29:34,572 --> 00:29:36,341
   Mena: The historic           
 French Market.                 

775
00:29:36,441 --> 00:29:40,745
   This intoxicating jumble of  
alleys, vendors, spice and cafés

776
00:29:40,845 --> 00:29:44,616
   was first established as an  
  Indigenous trading post, and  

777
00:29:44,716 --> 00:29:48,219
 evolved into a more commercial 
  hub in the late 1700s         

778
00:29:48,319 --> 00:29:51,022
   as French and Spanish ships  
arrived.                        

779
00:29:51,122 --> 00:29:53,892
   Ever since, immigrants from  
 Africa, Europe and the         

780
00:29:53,992 --> 00:29:57,395
Caribbean have made it their own
   inimitable bizarre.          

781
00:29:57,495 --> 00:30:01,065
 Once known as the meat market, 
   nowadays it houses           

782
00:30:01,166 --> 00:30:03,701
a health-conscious café,        
  Meals From The Heart,         

783
00:30:03,802 --> 00:30:06,171
run by Chef Jay Doucette,       

784
00:30:06,271 --> 00:30:09,107
  which serves up some          
  regional favourites.          

785
00:30:09,207 --> 00:30:10,775
 You here for some vegan        
beignets?                       

786
00:30:10,875 --> 00:30:12,277
  You know it, exactly.         

787
00:30:12,377 --> 00:30:13,578
  Come on back with us, my man. 

788
00:30:13,678 --> 00:30:14,712
Alright.                        

789
00:30:14,813 --> 00:30:16,881
Chef Jay got me.                
   I'm all about the beignet.   

790
00:30:16,981 --> 00:30:19,484
 If you've never heard of them, 
   beignets are basically the   

791
00:30:19,584 --> 00:30:22,253
   donut's French cousin, made  
   with choux pastry,           

792
00:30:22,353 --> 00:30:24,756
 and piled high                 
  with powdered sugar.          

793
00:30:24,856 --> 00:30:26,357
   You have to have a beignet   
   down here.                   

794
00:30:26,457 --> 00:30:27,725
Beignets are everywhere.        

795
00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:29,961
   We don't really do regular   
   donuts here in New Orleans.  

796
00:30:30,061 --> 00:30:31,129
Alright, alright,               
  let's do it.                  

797
00:30:31,229 --> 00:30:32,530
   Let's get into it.           

798
00:30:32,630 --> 00:30:35,567
You're one of the only places in
  New Orleans, if not the only  

799
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:38,102
  place that advertises         
 vegan beignets.                

800
00:30:38,203 --> 00:30:39,737
Jay: Most beignets are not going
  to be vegan.                  

801
00:30:39,838 --> 00:30:41,739
So they're going to have butter,
 and they're going to have milk 

802
00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,241
 in them traditionally.         

803
00:30:43,341 --> 00:30:46,377
  So here we found the          
  substitution for the butter,  

804
00:30:46,477 --> 00:30:47,512
   substitution for the milk,   

805
00:30:47,612 --> 00:30:49,347
   and a substitution for the   
 powdered sugar,                

806
00:30:49,447 --> 00:30:53,284
which traditional powdered sugar
  has bone char in it.          

807
00:30:53,384 --> 00:30:54,652
   Yeah, that's true.           

808
00:30:54,752 --> 00:30:56,988
   Table salt and table sugar,  
   a lot of people don't know,  

809
00:30:57,088 --> 00:31:00,058
  they use animal bones         
 to refine them.                

810
00:31:00,158 --> 00:31:02,360
  Yes, our vegan powdered sugar 
doesn't.                        

811
00:31:02,460 --> 00:31:03,862
  It's completely vegan         
  all the way.                  

812
00:31:03,962 --> 00:31:07,365
 Right now I am just forming the
 flour, and then we're going to 

813
00:31:07,465 --> 00:31:08,600
  roll it out.                  

814
00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:10,401
Mena: Though the dough's        
   prepped in similar fashion,  

815
00:31:10,501 --> 00:31:12,904
there's no mistaking the beignet
  for a donut.                  

816
00:31:13,004 --> 00:31:16,507
They're cut totally differently,
and there's definitely no       

817
00:31:16,608 --> 00:31:17,842
 beignet holes.                 

818
00:31:17,942 --> 00:31:21,479
   What we use is this really   
   fancy roller here--          

819
00:31:21,579 --> 00:31:22,747
  Nice.                         

820
00:31:22,847 --> 00:31:24,215
  Jay:                          
 --to make our beignet.         

821
00:31:24,315 --> 00:31:25,450
  Mena: Make sure they're nice  
and even?                       

822
00:31:25,550 --> 00:31:26,918
  Jay:                          
  Yes.                          

823
00:31:27,018 --> 00:31:28,586
 But here's the thing, it really
   doesn't matter what          

824
00:31:28,686 --> 00:31:30,088
 shape your beignet is,         
   as long as it tastes good.   

825
00:31:30,188 --> 00:31:31,589
  Mena:                         
Exactly.                        

826
00:31:31,689 --> 00:31:33,424
 Are you cooking these?         
 You're frying these up?        

827
00:31:33,524 --> 00:31:35,059
 Sure, I'll fry 'em up.         

828
00:31:35,159 --> 00:31:37,528
 Yeah, why not?                 
 I'll fry that.                 

829
00:31:37,629 --> 00:31:39,464
 That's another key difference. 

830
00:31:39,564 --> 00:31:41,900
  Beignets have a darker finish 
  than donuts,                  

831
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,735
which gives them a harder crust.

832
00:31:43,835 --> 00:31:47,472
 Chef Jay uses olive oil instead
of vegetable oil                

833
00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:49,040
  to fry his beignets.          

834
00:31:49,140 --> 00:31:52,710
  Alright, here we go,          
  beignets done. Boom!          

835
00:31:52,810 --> 00:31:55,313
  Look at that,                 
  golden brown.                 

836
00:31:55,413 --> 00:31:58,950
  And where the common donut is 
  glazed, beignets get a hefty  

837
00:31:59,050 --> 00:32:01,452
 dose of powdered sugar         
 dropped on top.                

838
00:32:01,552 --> 00:32:04,355
 Like, avalanche hefty.         

839
00:32:04,455 --> 00:32:05,890
You tell me when to stop!       

840
00:32:05,990 --> 00:32:07,258
  You got a little ways to go.  

841
00:32:07,358 --> 00:32:08,660
 Really?                        

842
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,029
   Yeah, so typically it's not  
  gonna be considered a beignet 

843
00:32:11,129 --> 00:32:15,566
 unless you have powdered sugar 
  on your body after eating it. 

844
00:32:15,667 --> 00:32:18,469
  So you're going to need that  
  much powdered sugar.          

845
00:32:18,569 --> 00:32:19,737
   Alright, that good           
  right there?                  

846
00:32:19,837 --> 00:32:21,105
  Jay:                          
That looks good.                

847
00:32:21,205 --> 00:32:23,675
 Mena: Okay, thanks to Chef Jay,
I've got a plate full of        

848
00:32:23,775 --> 00:32:25,777
 snow capped pastry ready to go.

849
00:32:25,877 --> 00:32:28,980
  To try them out, I've invited 
   Zella Palmer to the market   

850
00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:30,315
 for a sampling.                

851
00:32:30,415 --> 00:32:33,384
 She's a food historian,        
 educator, and author who works 

852
00:32:33,484 --> 00:32:36,988
to preserve Nola's multicultural
culinary legacy.                

853
00:32:37,088 --> 00:32:39,424
   We got a lot to talk about,  
  but I just made these         

854
00:32:39,524 --> 00:32:40,591
 vegan beignets.                

855
00:32:40,692 --> 00:32:41,926
 Zella:                         
 Oh my goodness.                

856
00:32:42,026 --> 00:32:43,928
I want you to try them. I       
 haven't tried them yet either. 

857
00:32:44,028 --> 00:32:45,196
  So...                         

858
00:32:45,296 --> 00:32:46,931
   Okay, you're not in          
  New Orleans if you don't get  

859
00:32:47,031 --> 00:32:48,166
   a beignet.                   

860
00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:51,302
 Right? Exactly.                
 I'm so excited.                

861
00:32:51,402 --> 00:32:53,705
   Zella: Mm!                   
  You did this?                 

862
00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:55,773
 Mm, I did this.                

863
00:32:55,873 --> 00:32:59,344
Okay! I see you.                
Mm, this is good.               

864
00:32:59,444 --> 00:33:01,879
 How does it compare to         
   a regular beignet?           

865
00:33:01,980 --> 00:33:03,715
   It tastes exactly the same.  

866
00:33:03,815 --> 00:33:05,817
 You know, Meals From The Heart 
is really special               

867
00:33:05,917 --> 00:33:07,185
   and they know what they're   
 doing.                         

868
00:33:07,285 --> 00:33:10,321
So, you know, just to have these
 in the city means a lot        

869
00:33:10,421 --> 00:33:12,523
   in a really non-vegan town.  

870
00:33:12,623 --> 00:33:16,861
  So tell me about the          
 New Orleans food scene.        

871
00:33:16,961 --> 00:33:19,097
 How has the food scene changed 

872
00:33:19,197 --> 00:33:21,499
  from your historical          
  perspective?                  

873
00:33:21,599 --> 00:33:24,569
  What I love about New Orleans 
is they hold onto their cultures

874
00:33:24,669 --> 00:33:25,870
 and traditions.                

875
00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:28,473
   And so when you think about  
 Creole culture here in         

876
00:33:28,573 --> 00:33:30,174
 New Orleans, it's very strong. 

877
00:33:30,274 --> 00:33:33,177
   Each area has its own gumbo  
   and its own story.           

878
00:33:33,277 --> 00:33:35,013
Each family has their own       
 recipe.                        

879
00:33:35,113 --> 00:33:38,182
And not only that, when enslaved
 Africans came here, Indigenous 

880
00:33:38,282 --> 00:33:42,086
   folks, you know, that was a  
 beautiful hodgepodge and mix of

881
00:33:42,186 --> 00:33:44,889
 people that love their culture 
 and tradition.                 

882
00:33:44,989 --> 00:33:47,191
 Even when you just think of the
  history of fritters,          

883
00:33:47,291 --> 00:33:50,728
 fried fritters, I mean, this is
 the history of Africa.         

884
00:33:50,828 --> 00:33:53,598
  And when you think about the  
  first enslaved Africans, they 

885
00:33:53,698 --> 00:33:56,501
 came to the United States, they
 came with that cultural memory 

886
00:33:56,601 --> 00:34:00,071
  and brought that to this new  
 world.                         

887
00:34:00,171 --> 00:34:03,141
 And when you talk about        
   things like gumbo,           

888
00:34:03,241 --> 00:34:05,943
  things like po' boys,         
 things like beignets...        

889
00:34:06,044 --> 00:34:07,412
  You're making my mouth water. 

890
00:34:07,512 --> 00:34:08,513
 Right?                         

891
00:34:08,613 --> 00:34:11,449
I mean, we're here at the       
   epicentre of food.           

892
00:34:11,549 --> 00:34:13,684
   You know, are these dishes   
something that you're only going

893
00:34:13,785 --> 00:34:15,086
  to find here in New Orleans?  

894
00:34:15,186 --> 00:34:17,188
  Well, we don't like to export 
New Orleans food.               

895
00:34:17,288 --> 00:34:18,389
  So, you know,                 
  don't try it.                 

896
00:34:18,489 --> 00:34:20,191
   (Laughter)                   

897
00:34:20,291 --> 00:34:22,060
 And what about the vegan scene 
specifically here               

898
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,329
 in New Orleans?                
 How have you seen that change? 

899
00:34:25,430 --> 00:34:27,098
Well obviously Hurricane        
   Katrina, you know,           

900
00:34:27,198 --> 00:34:28,833
  changed a lot in New Orleans. 

901
00:34:28,933 --> 00:34:31,402
  We've seen more vegan         
   restaurants pop up,          

902
00:34:31,502 --> 00:34:32,737
which is amazing.               

903
00:34:32,837 --> 00:34:35,306
  But then when you look at the 
 history of New Orleans,        

904
00:34:35,406 --> 00:34:37,341
we were farmers,                
you know?                       

905
00:34:37,442 --> 00:34:40,044
There were, in Louisiana,       
 Black farmers were everywhere. 

906
00:34:40,144 --> 00:34:42,380
  I mean, that's a huge part of 
American history.               

907
00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:43,948
  We didn't eat meat every day. 

908
00:34:44,048 --> 00:34:47,051
 We only ate on the weekends for
   special occasions.           

909
00:34:47,151 --> 00:34:48,719
 We couldn't afford meat        
   like that.                   

910
00:34:48,820 --> 00:34:50,288
 My parents say the same thing. 

911
00:34:50,388 --> 00:34:53,091
You know, from Egypt in the 50s,
  my dad would tell me,         

912
00:34:53,191 --> 00:34:55,093
 "You could always tell the rich
 kids at school                 

913
00:34:55,193 --> 00:34:56,427
 because they had egg sandwiches

914
00:34:56,527 --> 00:34:57,762
  and everybody                 
else had bean sandwiches.       

915
00:34:57,862 --> 00:34:59,263
 Right.                         

916
00:34:59,363 --> 00:35:01,365
 So only really wealthy families
  had meat and animal products. 

917
00:35:01,466 --> 00:35:02,967
  Yeah.                         

918
00:35:03,067 --> 00:35:06,838
  Alright, well as we dig into  
this last piece of beignet here,

919
00:35:06,938 --> 00:35:10,241
  thank you for taking the time 
because to sit down with someone

920
00:35:10,341 --> 00:35:12,944
  like you to actually explain  
   the history and learn about  

921
00:35:13,044 --> 00:35:16,581
New Orleans, I think it's one of
   the most historically rich   

922
00:35:16,681 --> 00:35:19,350
   places in America I've ever  
visited.                        

923
00:35:19,450 --> 00:35:20,918
  We're happy to have you here. 
   (Laughing)                   

924
00:35:21,018 --> 00:35:22,320
  Mena: Oh, thank you.          

925
00:35:22,420 --> 00:35:25,790
♪                               

926
00:35:25,890 --> 00:35:26,891
  You did a great job.          

927
00:35:26,991 --> 00:35:28,159
♪                               

928
00:35:28,259 --> 00:35:29,994
I'm proud of myself.            
  You should be.                

929
00:35:30,094 --> 00:35:34,665
  I'm proud of myself, they're  
good, they've very good.        

930
00:35:34,765 --> 00:35:39,237
♪                               

931
00:35:39,337 --> 00:35:41,906
  (Music fades)                 

932
00:35:42,006 --> 00:35:43,941
  (Relaxing instrumental music) 

933
00:35:44,041 --> 00:35:45,977
 Mena: New Orleans' renowned 9th
   ward was hit by some of the  

934
00:35:46,077 --> 00:35:50,314
 worst, catastrophic flooding of
 the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

935
00:35:50,414 --> 00:35:53,551
   In some areas, the           
   recovery is still ongoing.   

936
00:35:53,651 --> 00:35:56,687
In spots, though, vibrant       
 eateries and galleries         

937
00:35:56,787 --> 00:35:59,157
have popped up and are thriving!

938
00:35:59,257 --> 00:36:01,959
  I'm here to visit food truck  
   savant Chef Whitt,           

939
00:36:02,059 --> 00:36:04,829
who runs her business in both LA
and NOLA,                       

940
00:36:04,929 --> 00:36:07,198
and knows what's                
 cooking on both coasts         

941
00:36:07,298 --> 00:36:10,234
   at the local Trap Kitchen.   

942
00:36:11,502 --> 00:36:12,670
 Hey Chef Whitt.                

943
00:36:12,770 --> 00:36:13,771
  Hey, Mena, nice to meet you.  

944
00:36:13,871 --> 00:36:15,173
Nice to meet you.               

945
00:36:15,273 --> 00:36:16,440
 We're at the wonderful         
  Trap Kitchen.                 

946
00:36:16,541 --> 00:36:18,442
  What is that,                 
that's not Voodoo Vegan,        

947
00:36:18,543 --> 00:36:19,911
because you have                
  a food truck as well.         

948
00:36:20,011 --> 00:36:21,412
  Right, right.                 

949
00:36:21,512 --> 00:36:24,849
 Trap Kitchen is a coop kitchen 
that allows a bunch of different

950
00:36:24,949 --> 00:36:27,118
chefs from the community to kind
of use the space,               

951
00:36:27,218 --> 00:36:28,886
   put whatever fits for them.  

952
00:36:28,986 --> 00:36:32,823
 We like to do supper clubs and 
  pop clubs here and then when  

953
00:36:32,924 --> 00:36:34,926
 we're doing a lot of the larger
festivals in New Orleans,       

954
00:36:35,026 --> 00:36:36,928
  like French Quarter Fest and  
things like that,               

955
00:36:37,028 --> 00:36:38,162
  we'll do all our prep         

956
00:36:38,262 --> 00:36:39,897
  in here and then take         
  it out to the field.          

957
00:36:39,997 --> 00:36:42,934
 Well I want to try some of this
   souther Voodoo Vegan food,   

958
00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:44,268
what can I have?                

959
00:36:44,368 --> 00:36:45,870
Well how about a Po Boy?        

960
00:36:45,970 --> 00:36:49,006
  Po Boys are like New          
   Orleans, like, staple dish.  

961
00:36:49,106 --> 00:36:51,576
    Now I'm in for              
a Po Boy, let's do it.          
Let's do it.                    

962
00:36:51,676 --> 00:36:54,412
  Mena: The Po Boy is a         
  New Orleans sandwich          

963
00:36:54,512 --> 00:36:57,114
on a baguette-style bun,        
or French bread,                

964
00:36:57,215 --> 00:37:00,318
served with remoulade and       
   whatever fixings you like.   

965
00:37:00,418 --> 00:37:02,987
It was invented by former       
  streetcar drivers who served  

966
00:37:03,087 --> 00:37:06,624
 them for free to striking union
 brethren with the call,        

967
00:37:06,724 --> 00:37:08,659
  'Here comes another Po Boy'.  

968
00:37:08,759 --> 00:37:10,861
  It's evolved over the years,  
 but it's still                 

969
00:37:10,962 --> 00:37:12,530
a classic crowd-pleaser.        

970
00:37:12,630 --> 00:37:15,099
We're using a plant-based       
  shrimp made from Jack Fruit.  

971
00:37:15,199 --> 00:37:18,836
   Jack Fruit is an east-Asian  
  vegetable, kind of similar to 

972
00:37:18,936 --> 00:37:23,174
 cassava or yucca, very starchy,
  but what they do with this is 

973
00:37:23,274 --> 00:37:26,244
they mix it with a little       
tapioca flour, some brown sugar,

974
00:37:26,344 --> 00:37:29,013
then it has this amazing        
   texture, I'll let you see.   

975
00:37:29,113 --> 00:37:31,749
 Mena: Oh yeah, it looks        
   exactly like cooked shrimp.  

976
00:37:31,849 --> 00:37:33,351
 Zella: It kind of mimics, yeah.

977
00:37:33,451 --> 00:37:34,785
   And it's got, like, a fish,  

978
00:37:34,885 --> 00:37:36,721
 kind of, fleshy-like texture so
   it's great.                  

979
00:37:36,821 --> 00:37:38,155
   We love it.                  

980
00:37:38,256 --> 00:37:40,825
 First up, we're going to throw 
 a few shrimp in the dry batter.

981
00:37:40,925 --> 00:37:42,260
   Mena: Okay.                  

982
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,528
Then we're going                
 to batter these up here        

983
00:37:44,629 --> 00:37:46,697
  and then I'ma                 
   let you help me out          

984
00:37:46,797 --> 00:37:48,499
   and we're going to           
throw those into the wet batter.

985
00:37:48,599 --> 00:37:50,368
Mena: Okay, okay.               
So dry...                       

986
00:37:50,468 --> 00:37:52,303
  Just the shrimp though, don't 
  take all that flour with you. 

987
00:37:52,403 --> 00:37:54,105
   I got it, I got it.          

988
00:37:54,205 --> 00:37:55,840
   Right, look at you,          
 a professional.                

989
00:37:55,940 --> 00:37:58,209
  And then you're going to take 
the spoon                       

990
00:37:58,309 --> 00:37:59,777
   and we're just going to mix  
 these.                         

991
00:37:59,877 --> 00:38:03,981
 So this is a slurry; two parts 
   batter and one part liquid.  

992
00:38:04,081 --> 00:38:06,284
 Just 'til it, kind of,         
makes it a little thick.        

993
00:38:06,384 --> 00:38:07,785
 And you put it back in.        

994
00:38:07,885 --> 00:38:09,720
 That's how I know these        
  are going to be good.         

995
00:38:09,820 --> 00:38:10,988
 Right.                         

996
00:38:11,088 --> 00:38:12,156
 So you do a double-dry?        

997
00:38:12,256 --> 00:38:13,491
Exactly.                        

998
00:38:13,591 --> 00:38:14,725
 So I'm expecting these to be...

999
00:38:14,825 --> 00:38:15,993
  Zella: Extra crispy.          

1000
00:38:16,093 --> 00:38:18,029
 Mena: ...extra                 
   crispiness, right.           

1001
00:38:18,129 --> 00:38:21,699
We drop the konjac "shrimp" into
the fryer for 30 seconds,       

1002
00:38:21,799 --> 00:38:23,534
just long enough                
   to cook the batter           

1003
00:38:23,634 --> 00:38:25,269
  and make 'em nice and crispy. 

1004
00:38:25,369 --> 00:38:27,705
   Zella: We've got our shrimp  
 nice and golden brown.         

1005
00:38:27,805 --> 00:38:30,074
We're just going to place       
  four in our sandwich.         

1006
00:38:30,174 --> 00:38:31,475
   Mena: Okay.                  

1007
00:38:31,575 --> 00:38:34,945
   And how did you transition   
   into a vegan diet?           

1008
00:38:35,046 --> 00:38:38,149
   I went plant-based sheerly   
   for vanity reasons.          

1009
00:38:38,249 --> 00:38:39,617
   (Laughing)                   

1010
00:38:39,717 --> 00:38:41,752
 You're the first person        
   to say that, that's great.   

1011
00:38:41,852 --> 00:38:45,556
   I lived in                   
 Puerto Rico for a while        

1012
00:38:45,656 --> 00:38:48,693
 and when I lived in Puerto Rico
   I was living, okay?          

1013
00:38:48,793 --> 00:38:51,962
 I came back to the States like 
40 pounds heavier               

1014
00:38:52,063 --> 00:38:54,832
   and so I did a plant-based   
cleanse and I did it for a week.

1015
00:38:54,932 --> 00:38:57,201
And I'm not going to lie,       
 I lost like ten pounds.        

1016
00:38:57,301 --> 00:39:00,371
 It was so good that I decided I
 would do it for                

1017
00:39:00,471 --> 00:39:02,440
  another week                  
 and then another week.         

1018
00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:04,075
  We're like six years          
   deep in this thing.          

1019
00:39:04,175 --> 00:39:05,609
  I love it, I'm here.          

1020
00:39:05,710 --> 00:39:09,080
  Last but certainly not least, 
   we're going                  

1021
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:10,781
to get our Voodoo sauce.        

1022
00:39:10,881 --> 00:39:12,350
 And is that a mayo-base there? 

1023
00:39:12,450 --> 00:39:13,617
So it is.                       

1024
00:39:13,718 --> 00:39:15,186
 Voodoo sauce is like a         
   remoulade.                   

1025
00:39:15,286 --> 00:39:16,554
   Remoulade is super popular   

1026
00:39:16,654 --> 00:39:19,123
  in New Orleans and we         
  put it on everything.         

1027
00:39:19,223 --> 00:39:20,891
  Like a classic French sauce.  

1028
00:39:20,991 --> 00:39:22,393
  Zella: Right.                 

1029
00:39:22,493 --> 00:39:24,261
  Mena: Most remoulades         
 are mayo-based.                

1030
00:39:24,362 --> 00:39:27,431
Chef Whitt's Voodoo sauce       
is soy-mayo infused with        

1031
00:39:27,531 --> 00:39:29,300
horseradish and chillis.        

1032
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:31,135
Alright, let me get some        
  of this Voodoo sauce.         

1033
00:39:31,235 --> 00:39:32,503
Zella: Sauce it up, sauce it up.

1034
00:39:32,603 --> 00:39:34,405
Mena: I'm saucing               
 this Po Boy to eleven!         

1035
00:39:34,505 --> 00:39:36,607
Time to crush this thing.       

1036
00:39:41,445 --> 00:39:43,147
  Mena: Mmm...                  

1037
00:39:44,749 --> 00:39:46,417
 That was a disappointing bite. 

1038
00:39:46,517 --> 00:39:47,618
I'm going to need you to just...

1039
00:39:47,718 --> 00:39:48,753
  Mena: Just go for it?         

1040
00:39:48,853 --> 00:39:49,887
   ...just attack that thing.   

1041
00:39:49,987 --> 00:39:51,555
  There you go.                 

1042
00:39:51,655 --> 00:39:52,957
 Mm-hmm.                        

1043
00:39:53,057 --> 00:39:54,258
 That's what I'm talking about. 

1044
00:39:54,358 --> 00:39:55,926
 (Unclear), now                 
   you need a napkin?           

1045
00:39:56,026 --> 00:39:57,595
   (Laughing)                   

1046
00:39:57,695 --> 00:39:59,163
♪                               

1047
00:39:59,263 --> 00:40:02,133
 The shrimp obviously is        
the star of the sandwich.       

1048
00:40:02,233 --> 00:40:03,567
 Right.                         

1049
00:40:03,667 --> 00:40:06,003
   Mena: The batter, it has a   
 perfect amount of spice to it. 

1050
00:40:06,103 --> 00:40:07,338
 It tastes exactly like shrimp. 

1051
00:40:07,438 --> 00:40:10,274
 You can't tell me that         
doesn't look like shrimp?       

1052
00:40:10,374 --> 00:40:11,575
  It looks like shrimp.         

1053
00:40:11,675 --> 00:40:12,777
Zella: It literally does.       

1054
00:40:12,877 --> 00:40:14,111
   And it tastes like shrimp.   

1055
00:40:14,211 --> 00:40:15,246
Zella: The best.                

1056
00:40:15,346 --> 00:40:16,580
♪                               

1057
00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:18,282
                Mena: Great job.
Thanks!                         

1058
00:40:18,382 --> 00:40:20,384
Mena: That Po Boy               
was pure voo-doo!               

1059
00:40:20,484 --> 00:40:23,587
   Let's see how it stacks up   
against the competition.        

1060
00:40:23,687 --> 00:40:28,793
♪                               

1061
00:40:28,893 --> 00:40:32,596
 The Oak Street Po Boy Festival 
  is now in its fifteenth year. 

1062
00:40:32,696 --> 00:40:35,933
It attracts nearly 50,000       
   visitors each year           

1063
00:40:36,033 --> 00:40:38,235
   to the Pidgin Town district  
where the Po Boy                

1064
00:40:38,335 --> 00:40:41,238
is perennially re-interpreted by
 local chefs...                 

1065
00:40:41,338 --> 00:40:43,774
  including one familiar face.  

1066
00:40:43,874 --> 00:40:44,942
♪                               

1067
00:40:45,042 --> 00:40:46,677
Mena: Hey, Sean,                
  good to see you man.          

1068
00:40:46,777 --> 00:40:48,279
Sean: Welcome to                
the Po Boy Fest.                

1069
00:40:48,379 --> 00:40:50,614
 This is amazing and it         
  all goes to charity?          

1070
00:40:50,714 --> 00:40:52,082
  All goes to charity.          

1071
00:40:52,183 --> 00:40:54,452
  Mena: Well I got to have one  
   more Po Boy                  

1072
00:40:54,552 --> 00:40:56,787
before I get out of New Orleans.

1073
00:40:56,887 --> 00:40:59,957
 We have a char-grilled mushroom
  with house-made blue cheese.  

1074
00:41:00,057 --> 00:41:01,258
  Oh...                         

1075
00:41:01,358 --> 00:41:04,728
♪                               

1076
00:41:04,829 --> 00:41:08,165
 Mena: Two vegan Po Boys        
down and both delicious.        

1077
00:41:08,265 --> 00:41:10,067
 Let's just say                 
  everyone's a winner.          

1078
00:41:10,167 --> 00:41:11,635
   Mostly my stomach.           

1079
00:41:11,735 --> 00:41:15,372
♪                               

1080
00:41:15,473 --> 00:41:18,275
In a way, it's no               
   surprise to see Sean here.   

1081
00:41:18,375 --> 00:41:20,311
New Orleans is a community town,

1082
00:41:20,411 --> 00:41:22,580
  so half the chefs are here on 
   the street,                  

1083
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:24,515
slinging Po Boys.               

1084
00:41:24,615 --> 00:41:26,484
♪                               

1085
00:41:26,584 --> 00:41:29,386
  They say you gotta be in New  
   Orleans to eat New Orleans.  

1086
00:41:29,487 --> 00:41:32,089
The same goes for               
  cooking New Orleans.          

1087
00:41:32,189 --> 00:41:35,526
 A savoury gumbo pot of flavours
  and cultures,                 

1088
00:41:35,626 --> 00:41:38,362
that brings its history along as
 it changes and evolves.        

1089
00:41:38,462 --> 00:41:39,830
  Both: Cheers.                 

1090
00:41:39,930 --> 00:41:43,267
  That, like the Mississippi at 
   its heart,                   

1091
00:41:43,367 --> 00:41:45,135
 is always carving new channels.

1092
00:41:45,236 --> 00:41:55,112
♪                               

1093
00:41:55,212 --> 00:42:05,122
♪                               

1094
00:42:05,222 --> 00:42:15,132
♪                               

1095
00:42:15,232 --> 00:42:17,234
♪                               

1096
00:42:17,334 --> 00:42:19,537
(Ticking)                       

1097
00:42:19,637 --> 00:42:21,572
♪