If you live in New Orleans you’re familiar with this scenario: You’re having a perfectly normal day when suddenly you groan, “Oh noooo.” You’re not watching the Saints’ defense, it’s that other sinking feeling you get as a New Orleanian – when the power goes off. Today on Out to lunch Peter takes a look…

In New Orleans we have an uneasy relationship with progress. We want to grow, but not like Atlanta. Or Houston. Or Austin. Or pretty much any economically successful Southern city.  One of the battlegrounds where we fight to retain our local identity and accommodate a changing economy is The French Market. A glance at the…

Hansel Harlan minces up nutria and feeds’ em to the dogs as super healthy Marsh Dog biscuits, treats, and jerky.  Arthur Matherne zips around the swamp on an airboat, occasionally with superstars and sometimes shooting alligators.

If you grew up in New Orleans there’s two things you learned early on – where to make groceries, and how to make red beans. If you moved here as an adult it doesn’t take long to find a favorite grocery store – but making beans is a little more difficult. Maybe you secretly buy…

Over the last few years the word “disrupt” has found its way into the American business vocabulary. Disruption occurs when a new company with a new way of doing things changes business as usual. Amazon, for example, has disrupted retail. “Disrupt” does not necessarily mean “destroy”.  Amazon has hurt some brick and mortar stores, but…