My Son, the Comic

I usually blog about new things at SoFAB. But today I am using my space here to talk about something that happened at SoFAB. My son is a stand-up comic. He stands there and is funny. So obsessed as I am with using everyone's talents to make SoFAB special, I invited him to perform at SoFAB the last time he was in New Orleans. I think that he and his friends had a good time, and that people who came had the unusual experience of eating Turkey Bone Gumbo (it was right after Thanksgiving), drinking beer and laughing at a museum. His name is Mark Normand.
Mark has been nominated for Best Emerging Comic by ECNY. I urge you all to vote for him. If you think that I shamelessly talk about SoFAB, imagine how I am talking about my son. He is my son, the comic. Whenever I tell anyone about it, they say, "You're kidding, right?" I wait for the reaction. If I were to say, "My son, the teacher," I could wait all day for a reaction. But being able to say "comic" is always good for a second take or a quizzical look.
Please watch him. Please vote for him. I am a proud mother. He performed at SoFAB.

Cookbooks Thrive in Tough Times

If you’ve got a fresh idea for a cookbook, now is the time to think about approaching a publishing house.

Why? When times are tough, cookbook sales increase. It seems that people do more cooking at home and they buy cookbooks to help with meal preparation.

Some publishing experts suggest that economic downturns are good for cookbook production.

Consider the following statistics.

• Retailers sold 14.9 million cooking-related books in 2006, a 9% increase from the previous year. (Nielsen BookScan)

• Cookbooks generated $159 million in 2006, an increase of 5.1% over 2005 and 20% over 2002. (Simba Information)

• American women own an average of 15 cookbooks, and three out of 10 women collect cookbooks. (1001 Ways to Market Your Books, by John Kremer)

• Ninety-seven million people gave or received a book as a gift, and the most popular book category was cookbooks. (American Bookseller)

• The cookbook market has sustained a growth rate of 5% annually since 1984 due to strong sales in cookbooks compared to the book market in general. (Trendwire, October 18, 2004)

With or without an economic downturn, it’s not such a bad idea to create a family cookbook. If you aren’t able to create a major seller, you’ll still be able to create an important heirloom to document the way you live and that can be passed down to other generations.

Don’t forget to make a copy for us!

Bar from Bruning's Restaurant

Bruning's Restaurant was the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans. It was opened in 1859. It was a part of the Milneburg resort area on Lake Pontchartrain. The restaurant changed from an adult entertainment and resort to a casual family restaurant over the years. The bar moved from one building to another after hurricanes. Finally the bar was stored. And from that storage, SoFAB has become the recipient of the bar from Bruning's. We have a little piece of New Orleans history ready for restoration and exhibition. Very soon the progress of the restoration will be documented for you every week. When the bar is completely restored and ready for use, we will toast its reopening. Stay tuned.

Used Cookbooks

Thanks to the generosity of a donor, the Museum Store has available for sale a large collection of used cookbooks. While these books new have retailed as high as $50, everything is priced between $1 and $9.95 and many are actually new. Aside from traditional American cookbooks, there are many international books that span the globe from Russia to Cuba. This represents a perfect opportunity for someone who wants to fatten their cookbook library while at the same time not lose any weight in their wallet.

Oysters

Last time I checked, oysters were a great way to lure your lover. As an adieu to January, and just in time for Valentine's day, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum presents Chef Tenney Flynn's (of GW Fins) Gulf Oyster Class/Demo/Tasting. While raw oysters are sexy, why not put a little extra work into your V-Day Oyster Feast with oysters on the half shell with American Sturgeon caviar and uni with mignonette sauce, pickled oysters, creamy oyster stew with oyster butter, oyster and mushroom pie? After all, the only thing sexier than an oyster is a person who knows how to use one.

The event takes place Saturday, January 31 at 2 p.m. You must reserve a spot for this event by emailing stephanie@southernfood.org. More information on this event and others? Check out our events section on out website. Can't make it? You could have gotten the recipes if you were a SoFAB newsletter subscriber. Click here to sign up. The sign up is on the left side of the screen.

The Doctor Is In!

HOWDY!!!

The SoFAB Museum Store is happy to announce that it is representing the works of Louisiana Folk Artist, Dr. Bob. While Dr. Bob may not be the person you want to go to if you are ill (unless you have a hangover) - he is the man when it comes to Louisiana Folk/Swamp/Alligator/Beer Bottlecap/Music/Food/9th Ward art.

Thanks to purchases of his patented "Be Nice or Leave" works by celebraties such as Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Emmylou Harris, Ellen DeGeneres and John Travolta, Dr. Bob has become a national figure on the Folk Art scene. In New Orleans, his works can be found in some of the finest and not-so-finest restauraunts and bars in the French Quarter and Marigny/Bywater areas. And best of all, our prices are about half of what he charges for his works on ebay.

Click on the link below to read Dr. Bob's biography, which no doubt includes some extreme exaggerations.

Joe Sunseri


http://www.drbobart.net/drbobartcom/about.html

Children and food

Today I spent a very active 90 minutes talking and cooking with 24 second grade children at Lafayette School in New Orleans. We talked about the importance of smell in the tasting process. We made root beer - learning a lot about measuring along the way. We made fruit salad with satsumas, oranges, bananas and strawberries. I was reminded that children are ready and happy to eat healthy foods. We teach them not to.

We say, "Children won't eat this or that. We have to make a special meal for them." But let us not forget that children in Japan eat nori and children in Spain and Italy eat squid.

Especially if we engage them in the cooking process, children eat with adventurousness. They eat a variety of things, which is healthy. And when we cook together, we have the added benefit of growing closer by doing something meaningful together. Children will often talk while they work, so we learn things about them that might otherwise not be shared. And we can share our own thoughts with them, without lecturing.

I remember cooking with my own children. Today I cooked with surrogates, but had a wonderful time.