We’ve got your weekend: No parades but still something worth walking around for

Event pick of the week: A culinary tribute to Chef Paul Prudhomme

When: Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 PM

Where: New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute, McIlhenny Hall, 725 Howard Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

What: The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts in partnership with the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) will be celebrating the culinary legacy of Chef Paul Prudhomme with an Aioli Dinner Supper Club. The evening will feature dishes inspired by Chef Paul Prudhomme prepared by special guest Chefs Frank Brigtsen, Dickie Brennan and Morgan Landry (Research & Development Chef of Magic Seasoning Blends). All proceeds will benefit the arts in education programs of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

Why: Art, food, and philanthropy? Talk about the holy trinity! 

Cost: Tickets are between $300-$5000, and you can purchase them here 

Now for the rest of the WEEK(end)

River Ridge Room. (Collage and photo by: Norah Lovell)

Wednesday, March 11/FitLot at N. Miro (2200 Lafitte Street): Something about the word “fit” sounds good, you know? Let’s get fit. That outfit is fit. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but if you like the action of getting fit then you can head to the FitLot on Wednesday at 11:30 AM, and it doesn’t just have to be this Wednesday. It’s every Wednesday. This class is free, open to the public, and for all-levels. It’s a full-body workout with a FitLot neighborhood coach, and it’s part of the Friends of Lafitte Greenway program. For more details and a full schedule for the month, check out their event page here. 

Thursday, March 12/Southern Rep Theater (2541 Bayou Road): Up next in Shotgun Cinema’s Full Aperture series is Miko Revereza’s  harrowing documentary, No Data Plan. This personal journey across the U.S. reveals the landscapes and practical challenges that Revereza endures as an undocumented immigrant. The film will cost you $8, the doors open at 7:00PM, with films rolling at 8:00PM. And don’t you worry if you arrive hungry, The Sanctuary Bar inside Southern Rep will be open for all your beverage and popcorn needs. For more information on the screening, you can check out their event page here. 

Saturday, March 14/Staple Goods (1340 St. Roch Avenue): I don’t know if you know Norah Lovell, but you should go get to know her and her amazing art work on Saturday for her opening! Seriously, we’re not steering you wrong here; she’s amazing, and in her exhibit A Last Restort, she’ll have a series of photocollages, paintings and constructions that contemplate a present gap along the US Mexico Border Wall at the River Bend Golf Resort in Brownsville, Texas. Her investigation is psychological and aesthetic rather than literal and delves into the nature of paused space and time pending more border wall construction, and the imagined life of human and non-human animals in transit. This surreal super-highway is conceived of by Lovell as a nocturne played out in a sequence of motel rooms circa 1970–lost in time but everlastingly, inexhaustibly inhabited. Do you see what we’re saying? You gotta go. The opening begins at 6:00 PM and goes until 9:00 PM. 

Saturday, March 14/New Orleans Museum of Art (1 Collins Diboll Circle): Is it officially festival season? We feel like it’s officially festival season, and you can dive into the splendor of the season with India Fest. The fest in 2013, 2015, and 2017 were the largest celebrations of India in Louisiana. This year’s theme is held in conjunction with Buddha and Shiva: Lotus and Dragon exhibit at NOMA. The festival will have exhibits, talks, decorations, and Indian  cuisine. It all begins at 10:00 AM and goes until 4:00 PM. It’s $10 for non-members of NOMA and $5 for members. 

Saturday, March 14/Second Story Gallery (2372 St. Claude Avenue): The Second Story Gallery will be hosting the retrospective exhibition Saharah, Herstory, New Orleans 1973-2020. There will be an opening reception with the artists on Saturday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and it is free an dopen to the public. This is held in conjunction with the St. Claude Arts District’s Second Saturday Openings, so you can head from The Second Story Gallery to all the galleries and exhibits that will be open on Saturday.  

Sunday, March 15/Southern Food and Beverage Museum (1504 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard): Maybe you like to eat boudin. Maybe you like to eat it so much that you want to learn how to cook it yourself. You can learn the craft of boudin at home. This course is taught by Daniel Robert, the Curator of Meat Science Programs at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, and Paul’s Meat Market out of Ville Platte, LA. This class will show every step involved in producing traditional pork boudin and crawfish boudin from start to finish. Classes will begin at 1:00 PM pm in the Rouses Culinary Innovation Center. The price you’ll pay for these skills are $65 per person ($60 for SOFAB members and $25 for culinary students with school ID). For more information, you can check out their event page here.