This week, we get a little dose of the Cajun culture with content creators and podcasters Koa Melancon and Sarah O’Pry - better known as the Cajun Mamas. Melancon and O'Pry rose to fame on TikTok documenting their lives in South Louisiana. From raising kids to preparing for hurricanes and all that's in between, the duo's videos have captured the attention of those all over the country. This episode talks about what it means to be Cajun and a little insight into how the women got started on socia...
Jun 26, 2025•24 min
This week, we're headed to the Louisiana state capital. Laura Cating, senior vice president of marketing & communications for Visit Baton Rouge, gives listeners an insight to the history of the city, a little of the lore, plus what to do, where to stay and - most importantly - where to eat when you're here.
Jun 19, 2025•34 min•Ep. 213
On May 8, 2025, Robert Francis Prevost was introduced as Pope Leo XIV, the new head of the Catholic Church. Prevost is the first American to be elected as Pope and while that would be enough for American Catholics to celebrate, New Orleanians took the celebration a step farther when local Certified Genealogist and historian with the Historic New Orleans Collection Jari Honora discovered a familial connection between Pope Leo and New Orleans. In this week’s podcast we talk to Honora about the pop...
Jun 12, 2025•34 min•Ep. 212
In new host Kelly Massicot's first episode, NOWFE Executive Director Aimee Brown shares the ins and outs of a festival that brings together wine connoisseurs and aficionados a like for one week each summer. Now in its 33rd year, NOWFE hosts a week of events – from grand tastings to labs – each summer, while highlighting what New Orleans does best – hospitality.
Jun 05, 2025•20 min•Ep. 211
In tandem with the new season of sister publication New Orleans Magazine's "Beyond the Beads" podcast, we're launching a crossover episode. Producer, and occasional host, Kelly Massicot talks to Vice producer and storyteller Jackson Garrett. Garrett and Vice will release a new documentary this year highlighting the culture and traditions behind Cajun Mardi Gras. Garrett shares his insight into the celebration and what he hopes viewers learn from his experience.
Feb 13, 2025•22 min•Ep. 210
Louisiana is blessed with several areas of natural wonders including the Gulf of Mexico’s shore and barrier islands, the Kisatchie Forest and the Atchafalaya Basin. The basin cuts north-south from near Simmesport to Morgan City. Historian Jason Theriot joins host Errol Laborde and podcast Kelly Massicot to talk about this ancient wonderland of swamps, cypress trees, wildlife and native cultures. He also discusses the impact of floods and modern efforts to keep the area rivers on course. Then the...
Dec 19, 2024•38 min•Ep. 209
George Rodrigue is one of Louisiana’s all-time important artists, and may be the most important at depicting images of early like in Cajun Culture. He created scenes of celebrations beneath moss laden oak trees; life of the bayou and even Evangeline. Then there is the Blue Dog – a descendent of a family pet and the fictional loup-garou that prowls the swamps. TV producer Sean O’Malley joins host Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his documentary, “Blue; The Life and ...
Dec 12, 2024•30 min•Ep. 208
Ok, here’s a Louisiana Trivia Question: Who originated the state’s motto, “Union, Justice and Confidence?” And why? Historian Jason Theriot joins host Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his research on the motto’s origin, as well as the historic ideals that the motto was supposed to represent. He also tells stories from his book "Frenchie," about soldiers from Louisiana who spoke the native language in France during World War II. Here is history from two eras in one ...
Dec 05, 2024•34 min•Ep. 207
Folks in Central Louisiana sometimes refer to their beloved section of the state as “CENLA.” There was a time when some wags might have referred to the city of Alexandria and the area around it as “Sinla.” Historian Michael Wynne joins host Errol Laborde, and podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about discoveries from researching his new book, "Flaunting their finery and audaciousness: The Notorious Brothels, Gambling Houses, Opium Dens and Saloons of Alexandria (Central Louisiana)." Wynne h...
Nov 21, 2024•43 min•Ep. 206
Political analyst Robert Collins joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to talk about the past historic Nov. 5 election. Collins, a political science professor at Dillard University and a political analyst for WVUE TV Fox 8, discusses what was learned from Donald Trump’s election including the domination of the Republican party not only for the presidency but in Congressional elections. He also discusses possible shifts in voting trends especially among Black and Hispanic voters. Th...
Nov 14, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 205
Journalist Peter Finney Jr. joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his new book, “Drago’s: An American Journey.” It is a compelling story about the Civitanovich family that migrated from Croatia after World War II and the eventual evolution of a great seafood restaurant, Drago’s, best known for its signature dish Charbroiled Oysters. One of the founder’s sons would be known for the dish; the other son would become an emergency medici...
Nov 07, 2024•44 min
If you have lived in New Orleans for any time at all you have heard about this fellow referred to simply as “Bienville” –although his baptismal name was Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The native of Montreal gets the credit for founding New Orleans and being the Louisiana territory’s colonial governor as part of the exploits, for the French crown, with his explorer big brother Iberville. Historian Sally Asher joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, and podcast producer Kelly Ma...
Oct 31, 2024•34 min
It was along Bayou Teche, at St. Martinville, where Evangeline, according of Henry Longfellow’s classic poem, searched for her love Gabriel. The two had been separated by the Acadian expulsion from Nova Scotia. Not far away in Breaux Bridge there is a happier scene at the annual Crawfish Festival when the bounty is served. At New Iberia, Weeks Hall, a renowned artist and photographer, restored Shadows on the Teche a once rundown ante-bellum home that would become a piece of art in itself. The to...
Oct 24, 2024•34 min
It is not the most poetic of nicknames but it is backed by science. Author Ned Randolph joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his new book, "Muddy Thinking in the Mississippi River Delta," and his experiences covering the state’s landscape including the river known informally as “The Big Muddy.” Because the Mississippi River drains much of the central part of the continent, the water carries sediments from upriver along the way that...
Oct 17, 2024•53 min
For this the 200th edition of Louisiana Life magazine’s “Louisiana Insider” podcast, we feature the magazine’s most awarded feature writer. Kevin Rabalais has been the first place winner several times as designated by the International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) for his articles mostly on the outdoors. A 2022 feature on alligator hunting helped the magazine win its second Magazine of the Year award from the association. The native of Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish, who teaches journalistic...
Oct 10, 2024•44 min
You have heard of Basin Street and its blues? Well intersecting that street on the edge of New Orleans’ French Quarter is “Conti,” a street that was part of the neighborhood that gave Basin its reputation because of the surrounding Storyville red-light district. Storyville has been closed since 1917 but now there is a great new museum that creates an immersive journey into the city’s, and the district’s, past. Claus Sadlier, the owner/curator of the New Orleans Storyville Museum, joins Louisiana...
Oct 03, 2024•53 min
Presidential politics and energy expert Jay Hakes, a former University of New Orleans Political Science professor, has written a compelling new book about contemporary presidents and their response to environmental issues. He helped organize Jimmy Carter’s Louisiana campaign in 1976 and he would go on to manage the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta for 13 years. As an energy expert, he spent time shaping energy policy for the state of Florida and, under Carter, headed the U.S. Energy Inform...
Sep 26, 2024•52 min
Sometimes life seems to move in a circle taking its passengers from where they started, to other destinations and then back again. Some of the literary figures who were regulars at the historic Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans’ French Quarter – like Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams – might have experienced that in their journeys for discovery, or maybe they were just enjoying a great cocktail at an unforgettable bar. Customers at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar have now been able to explo...
Sep 19, 2024•16 min
One evening in 1949, a group of women stormed into the lobby of the majestic Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. They headed straight to the bar and demanded to be served Sazeracs, the house specialty and a New Orleans legendary cocktail. What else could the bartender do? A round of Sazeracs for everyone? The geo-social implication of the event was that prior to that night, women were not allowed in that bar, except – of course – for Mardi Gras Day. But now another barrier was broken. The hotel’s Di...
Sep 12, 2024•22 min
As a former Louisiana Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner and State Senator, Jim Brown has had to cross many rivers including the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, the Red and the Pearl. In his retirement, Brown has had the chance to wade in the Jordan River. Brown joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to talk about his new book, “Jesus, Jews, Jihad and Me: My Jerusalem Journey.” He visited the holy land last year, a region known for the wisdom of the prophets but where he also lear...
Sep 05, 2024•44 min
“Down the River” is more than a variant of a poker game. For the writer it can be a stream for words; for the adventurer it can be a highway past great cities and alongside bountiful wetlands. Boyce Upholt, a prolific author who describes himself as a “nature critic” talks to Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Massicot, about his new book, “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi.” The greatest of all the continent’s rivers, the Mississip...
Aug 29, 2024•31 min
As a chef, Eric Cook is known for having lots of spice and flavor in his creations. The same can be said about his conversations. Cook – who owns Gris-Gris restaurant on Magazine Street in New Orleans’ Garden District, as well as restaurant Saint John located along the streetcar line on St. Charles Avenue near Lafayette Square – has had plenty in the oven lately. That includes relocating Saint John from its original French Quarter location and putting together a book, “Modern Creole: A Taste of ...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min
After traumatic events, such as hurricanes, there are two areas in particular that need damage repair. One is the actual physical destruction and the other can be the psychological damage. A two-part documentary produced and streamed by Louisiana Public Broadcasting deals with both areas. One “Trauma in the Wake of Climate Change” looks at the life strategies for re-building; and the other “After the Storms” examines Lake Charles’ 2020 recovery from Hurricane Laura. Avery White and Ben Johnson, ...
Aug 15, 2024•29 min
There was a time and region where a homerun might have been exclaimed as being a coup de circuit ! The added excitement that the ball may have landed in a field such as near the southwest Louisiana towns of Rayne or Crowley (whose teams were the Rice Birds and the Millers) added to the local color. Those were the days of the Evangeline League, a minor but colorful baseball group that played ball mostly west of the Atchafalaya between 1934 and 1957. Historian Brian Altobello joins Louisiana Life ...
Aug 08, 2024•50 min
Randy Fertel knows how to serve with a sizzle, including on steaks or in life. Fertel, the son of Ruth’s Chris's Steakhouse founder Ruth Fertel (known for her butter-topped sizzling steaks), is an author who is fascinated with ideas. He joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde along with Producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his latest book, "WINGING IT: Improv's Power and Peril in the Age of Trump," which takes a philosophical but fascinating dive into the topic of improvisation as a...
Aug 01, 2024•40 min
Liz Williams dishes out information about food in several different servings. She is the founder of New Orleans’ Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab). She has written books about food, the latest being “So Fab Cookbook: Recipes from the Modern South,” and she writes a column about food for Louisiana Life magazine. She also has a podcast called “Tip of the Tongue," and she’s a magician in the kitchen. Williams joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Mas...
Jul 25, 2024•50 min
Few people understand Louisiana, especially its politics, history and issues, better than Robert Mann. He is an author of several books about Louisiana politics, none so close to the topic as his most recent publication, "Kingfish U," a rollicking history of Huey Long and his championing of LSU. Mann has been an insider working for prominent elected officials including Russell Long, John Breaux and Kathleen Blanco, and he has had bylines in newspapers for covering the political beat. Mann joins ...
Jul 18, 2024•58 min
We know, sometimes back pains can be a real pain in the neck, or something like that. Between our extremities and our shoulders muscles get tight, tensions increase. Beth Winkler is a physical therapist who worked at a hospital where she specialized in outpatient care and developed her own ideas about how to make therapy more compassionate. She now operates her own business, Magnolia Physical Therapy, and has stories to tell. Winkler joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along wit...
Jul 11, 2024•40 min
This week, producer Kelly Massicot is taking on the role as host to talk to New Orleans culinary icon Poppy Tooker about a special cocktail that got its start in the Crescent City. Thanks to her obsession with the Apple TV+ show "Palm Royale," where The Grasshopper acts as one of the stars, Massicot enlists Tooker to share her knowledge into the history of both one of the city's oldest restaurants and a cocktail that has been a crowd pleaser since 1918. What other drink was Tooker surprised to f...
Jul 05, 2024•20 min
Insurance is supposed to provide security; in Louisiana it has become a crisis. We hear stories of homeowners being challenged to pay house notes because of the growing costs of home insurance. Automobile rates have increased, too, and what about health costs? Jim Brown who served as a Louisiana state senator, Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner (1991- 2000) joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about a volatile industry. He al...
Jun 27, 2024•35 min
