On May 22, 1796, while George Washington was still president, the first opera performance in America was staged here in New Orleans. These days most of us think of New Orleans music as small bands playing jazz and funk. But orchestral music has been played here continuously from that night in 1796. Today, Carlos Miguel…

If you drive a car, at some point in the next few days you’re probably going to need gas. If you fill up at the pump at a convenience store, your experience will never be the same after you listen to this edition of Out to Lunch.  Peter Ricchiuti is lunching with Ethan Cheramie, founder of…

In business, and other organizations, we hear about “mission drift.” That’s a condition where the organization loses track of what it set out to accomplish. The way to re-focus is to get back to basics. That’s what we’re doing today on Out to Lunch. We’re talking about three very basic elements – sunshine, water, and…

If you’ve ever had folks come visit you in New Orleans from out of town, they’ve probably said, “If I lived here I’d put on a hundred pounds.” They’re not the folks who come here to visit ProTac Fitness. Those folks say, “If I lived here I could benchpress another hundred pounds.” Protac Fitness is a…

In the grand scheme of things, it’s difficult to know at the time which small decision you make might have enormous consequences. Like the time in 1978 when a social worker from Des Moines Iowa decied to open a small coffee shop on Maple Street, in Uptown New Orleans. That coffee shop, PJ’s, was to become…