Art Newman Profile

About me

Upstate N.Y./Canada/Cork on father's side. LA/Brit ancestry on mom's side. I was born in Louisiana, raised from1948, in Baton Rouge. Except1970-90 in Houston. Mom a home ec teacher for over 40 years so I mostly had cooking from pamphlets from Kraft, General Mills, Borden's & Carmation--mom averse to anything that takes time to prepare or was too "ethnic". Not that she would say that. From dad I learned corned beef, potatoes, carrots, onions in pressure cooker--done when we were left "home alone." Then, discovered sauerbratten (and bratwurst and knackwurst) at Kolb's in New Orleans. In Texas, I discovered better TX/Mex than what Louisiana had. (More real Mexico city/Acapulco style at San Miguel in San Antonio). Restaurants that stay open past10 PM in Austin, San Antonio & Houston. (Bring 'em to Baton Rouge!!) (Note: The Germans like the high ground along I-10 from Schulenburg to Baton Rouge, not the bayous.) As a sales rep covering W. Texas to MS. gulf coast, I got to discover what I'd missed only 100 miles from BR. Cajun & creole (they're different) in and around Lafayette. LA and all around New Orleans. "New Orleans" is only the tiny little part in Orleans Parish (the bend-in-the-river, crescent city part). All those odd sounding places people make fun of: Metarie, Kenner, Chalmette, Algiers, Gretna are the GMA (like Tonnawanda is still Buffalo; Tamarac is still, essentially, Miami). If you are anywhere within the New Orleans greater metropolitan area and don't know where to start--just go to any neighborhood grocery, meat dept. There you will find thin-sliced beef and au jus ready for po-boys using toasted bread. Gotta be toasted! That'll give you some energy for the rest of your adventure. Be not afraid of what's in the gumbo!
BTW, cajun does not mean just make it hot as hell and call it cajun--that's Opelousas and all parts north, except wherever real Louisiana cooks and chefs have migrated after Katrina.) Someone tell those mid-west & northern TV ladies than they don't have to throw out the roux if it turns darker than carrot red. It can be very dark brown as long as it's not burned. But, it does brown very fast in the last few minutes!