Paul Kieu
A combination of beautiful weather, efforts to support local businesses, and low prices per pound caused an uptick in casual, small-scale crawfish family dinners across Louisiana—a tiny source of celebration in a festival-less spring.
We hardly need to open this list by lamenting on the trials of 2020. Instead we'd like to thank you, dear reader, for sticking with us.
While we're sure you did your fair share of "doom scrolling" this year reading about the state of the pandemic, politics, and the many natural disasters that struck our region and beyond (we certainly did), you still made time to appreciate art, take in nature, and learn about the extraordinary culture of our state with us.
We took solace in looking beyond the local and global strife (though we're so grateful to the news publications who do the important work of covering it), and found relief in sitting down with the people who make our region special, even if the interviews were conducted wearing masks or over the phone.
[Read more stories inspired (provoked?) by the experience of 2020, here.]
And even with everything going on, you still joined us in escaping into these stories. We consulted Dr. Google, who tells us that in 2020 you most loved tales of crawfish farmers, medicinal plants, walking Carnival krewes, prairie dive bars, rogue zinnia planters, Vodou priests, and local history and adventures galore. Your favorites were eclectic, complex, and often a bit weird—just like you, and us, and this wondrous region. That's how we prefer it. Don't ever change.
—Alexandra Kennon, Arts & Entertainment Editor
If your favorite story didn't make this list, or you otherwise want to revisit our other stories from 2020, you can find our content all the way back to 2016 in our Issue Archive. If you'd like to continue to read these kinds of stories in 2021 (and beyond!), be sure to subscribe here. As always, thanks for reading!
20. Mardi Gras, on Foot
Stepping in time with the most whimsical walks of the season
By Christie Matherne Hall, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, John "Pudd" Sharp, James Fox-Smith, Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Bryce Ell Photography
Krewe of Chewbacchus 2019 parade.
19. Crawfish Season 2020
A unique set of challenges meets the producers and distributors of Louisiana's most culturally significant crop
By Lauren Heffker
Paul Kieu
This crawfish season has been a difficult one for Louisiana farmers, who are struggling to sell their product to a market in which gathering is forbidden—leaving most of March and April's sales totally dependent on individual drive-thru purchases.
18. Rollin' on the River
Chef Michael Gottlieb masters dockside takeout and fine dining on the Tchefuncte
By Alexandra Kennon
Alexandra Kennon
At The Anchor, Chef Michael Gottlieb gives fried seafood unusual but tasty treatment by placing po-boys on steamed buns like lobster rolls, and other creative moves like serving a soft-shell crab sandwich with bacon jam on a brioche bun.
17. Into the Water
In New Orleans, a convent is transformed into a flood-reducing wetland.
By Christina Leo
An artist’s rendering foresees the future of the Mirabeau Water Garden as a property that combines natural beauty with practicality and education. All photos courtesy of Gina Sullivan with the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
16. Small Town Chefs 2020: Michael Dardenne
Steeped in the spirit of Louisiana spice, this chef-since-childhood makes a case for the slow life.
By Christina Leo
Brian Pavlich
Our Small Town Chef Award Winner Chef Michael Dardenne of the The Saint Restaurant & Bar at the St. Francisville Inn.
15. A Slave Called "Prince"
The legacy of Prince Abd al Rahman Ibrahima lives on in Natchez and far, far beyond
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Library of Congress
Abduhl Rahhahman by H. Inman, engraved by T. Illman. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Illustration from The Colonizationist and Journal of Freedom, Boston: G.W. Light, 1834.
14. Made in Vidalia
Vidalia Mills leads the way in sustainable American textile production
By Christina Leo
Trisha Downing
13. Nippon Orleans
The sound of New Orleans jazz called, and from an ocean away, two musicians answered.
By Jason Christian
Emily Kask
Trombonist Haruka Kikuchi has been studying New Orleans jazz since she was a high school student in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Today, she is a professional musician in the birthplace of jazz, and considered a master of the New Orleans-originated “tailgate” trombone style.
12. Abita Springs, Land of Healing Waters
In the late 19th, early 20th centuries—travelers raced to the hottest spot in health tourism
By Jason Christian
Photo courtesy of Mary Davis at the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum
In 1887, the introduction of the East Louisiana Railroad’s railway from New Orleans to town spurred a tourism boom in Abita Springs.
11. Spuddy's Cajun Cooking Experience
Hands-on history, andouille and all
By Christina Leo
Christina Leo
Maitland “Spuddy” Faucheux crafted the tables at Spuddy’s himself of salvaged cypress wood. The iconic mural is the centerpiece for the restaurant, smoked meats market, catering business, and cooking class kitchen.
10. A Conversation with a High Priest of Vodou
Demystifying one of Louisiana's most mysterious and misunderstood faiths
By Alexandra Kennon
Alexandra Kennon
Houngan Robi Gilmore next to his family's vévé (a religious symbol) in the doorway of Carmel and Sons Botanica in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, which is owned by his Godmother Mambo Marie.
9. The Holiday Lounge
On the Mamou prairie, a portal to days of Louisiana politics and parties past
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Olivia Perillo
"A spooky spot of bright effervescence in the middle of Evangeline Parish stillness. It’s wrong in all the right ways, the Holiday."
8. Intention
In a project by two Lafayette filmmakers, Acadiana's untold feminine narratives come to light
By Lauren Heffker
Still courtesy of Olivia Perillo and Syd Horn
Olivia Perillo and Syd Horn’s forthcoming film, Intention, documents the preservation of Louisiana culture and tradition through the stories of twelve women.
7. Offbeat Outdoor Adventures
Louisiana like you've never seen it before
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Ryan Jacobson
6. Food for the Soul
Eating my way through Minden, a place of new beginnings
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
At Jodie Martin’s Geaux Fresh in Downtown Minden, she offers fresh, creative takes on classic casual dining. Pictured: the Black Bayou with avocado corn side salad.
5. The "Natchez Poppy Guy" Strikes Again
Armed with twenty pounds of zinnia seeds, floral fanatic runs colorfully amok
By James Fox-Smith
Gail Guido
"Natchez has a Poppy Guy and his name is Gregory Brooking. If you’ve ever taken a walk down through Natchez-Under-the-Hill during spring, you can hardly have failed to notice his work: tens of thousands of Flanders poppies carpeting the steep slope beneath Silver Street, making this particular stretch of Mississippi riverbank one of the most beautiful places in America each April and May."
4. Hunting James Copeland's Lost Treasure
Legend has it there's pirate gold in Catahoula Creek
By William Browning
Image from Life and Confession of the Noted Outlaw James Copeland, University of Mississippi Press.
The legend of James Copeland, along with his treasure, is largely drawn from the somewhat questionable account of Sheriff J.R.S. Pitts, who arrested the pirate before his hanging in 1857.
3. The Acadian Club
Remembering Baton Rouge’s Iconic Country Club for Teenagers
By Ruth Laney
Photo courtesy of Ruth Laney
2. What's Next?
Through the language of country music, Maggie Brown conveys the weight of past—and the promise of the future.
By Tom Scarborough
John Philip Larson
"Blues and country are the musical vernacular of heartache, sadness, and suffering, and Brown speaks it fluently in her songs."
1. Medicine in the Wild
Once a staple of South Louisiana culture, medicinal plants are making a comeback
By Jonathan Olivier
Paul Kieu
A modern look at traditional healing methods, using native Louisiana plants, reveals that our ancestors might have been onto something.
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