When a Celebrity Comes to Town by Ellen Byron

Jenn McKinlay: It's a fabulous day for us when our dear friend Ellen Byron comes to to visit the Reds! Let's all bask in her latest Cajun Country Mystery and read about her recent adventures with Hurricane Ida, shall we? 

Ellen Byron: New Orleanians will tell you that their city was truly the first foodie city. They’re not wrong. While cities like New York have a storied history of fine restaurants, The Big Easy has been home to legendary locations like Antoine’s since the mid-1800s. And New Orleans has had star chefs before star chefs were a thing. Leah Chase, Paul Prudhomme, and of course, Mister “Bam!” himself, Emeril Lagasse.

 Emeril is from Massachusetts, not Louisiana. But he does have some bona fides in that his father was French-Canadian, as were the original Acadians expelled from Canada in the mid-eighteenth century. (Say the word “Acadian” fast and you get “Cajun.”) Lagasse’s culinary path took him to New Orleans, where he followed in the footsteps of legendary Cajun chef Paul, replacing him as Executive Chef at the iconic New Orleans eatery Commander’s Place. Emeril ran the Commanders Kitchen for over seven years, until he left to launch Emeril’s, his flagship restaurant.

I had my first Lagasse meal at Emeril’s in the mid-1990’s. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed visits to other outposts like Nola in the French Quarter and Delmonico’s on St. Charles Avenue. I used the Lagasse empire, which includes locations in states from Nevada to Florida, as inspiration for the empire created by Phillipe Chanson, the star chef in my latest Cajun Country Mystery, Cajun Kiss of Death. 

 

 

 

Phillipe isn’t Emeril, of course. While Phillipe has the famous chef’s business smarts, he leans more toward the late Anthony Bourdain in his charisma and personality, although he’s much sketchier than either Bourdain or Lagasse. And to justify why a celebrity chef would open a restaurant in a tiny village like the Pelican of my series, I had to look beyond the big cities to small towns turned foodie destinations because a famed chef made the specific choice to plant his or her culinary flag there. (El Bulli, famed restaurant once lodged in the picturesque Spanish town of Roses, is the classic example.)El Bulli - Wikipedia

 On a recent trip to NOLA, I walked by Emeril’s. Due to the pandemic, the restaurant was shuttered, its windows covered with sheets of metal. 

 Hurricane Ida has pushed back the September 2^nd reopening and a new date hasn’t been announced as of my writing this post. (Nola and Delmonico’s are also closed with no start date listed but Meril’s, his latest venture, is open.) I know there will be visits to Emeril’s New Orleans eateries in my future. And If I ever have the chance to meet him in person, I’ll share how he helped inspire the plot to Cajun Kiss of Death. But luckily for him, he’s had way better luck than Phillipe Chanson, the chef in my mystery.

 

Readers, what’s a famous restaurant in your town?

 

 

Cajun Kiss of Death Synopsis

 

The next shot from Cupid’s bow may be fatal in USA Today bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron’s hearty and delightful seventh Cajun Country mystery.

 

In Pelican, Louisiana, Valentine's Day has a way of warming the heart, despite the February chill. But the air at Crozat Plantation B&B turns decidedly frigid when celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson checks in. And when the arrogant Phillippe--in town to open his newest Cajun-themed restaurant--perishes in a fiery boat crash, Maggie Crozat's dear friend JJ lands in very cold water.

Did JJ, proprietor of Junie's Oyster Bar and Dance Hall, murder Phillippe because he feared the competition? Might Maggie's mother, Ninette, have bumped off the chef for stealing one of her cherished recipes? Or was the culprit a local seafood vendor, miffed because Phillippe was somehow able to sell oysters for a remarkably reasonable price, despite an oyster shortage?

Maggie had planned to devote her February to art lessons in New Orleans, a present from her sweetheart, Bo. But now she has to focus on helping her friend and her mother cross a murder charge off the menu. Meanwhile, Maggie receives a series of anonymous gifts that begin as charming but grow increasingly disturbing. Does Maggie have an admirer--or a stalker? And are these mysterious gifts somehow related to Phillippe's murder?

Blood may be thicker than water, but this case is thicker than gumbo. And solving it will determine whether Maggie gets hearts and roses--or hearse and lilies--this Valentine's Day.

 

Purchase link: Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron: 9781643857381 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

 

Bio

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series, which is inspired by her real life, under the name Maria DiRico. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She’s written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Ellen is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America. 

 CONTACT ELLEN:

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

Bookbub:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron?from_search=true&from_srp=true

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico?from_search=true&from_srp=true

 

 

Newsletter:https://www.ellenbyron.com/

 

Cheers to Bouchercon '16 in NOLA— with a Sazarac

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Thanks to all who left comments for Kiddo yesterday. Alas, due to internet issues, he couldn't respond. However, He'd like you to know his favorite subject is science, he wants to be an astrophysicist when he grows up, and he does not know how to write in cursive.

OK, now on to today's post! There’s a funny scene in the HBO series Treme, set in post-Katrina New Orleans, where a tourist asks the bartender for a Sazarac. The bartender rolls his eyes and makes it begrudgingly, as all the locals order beer. 

There's also a great scene in a later season (written by chef and TV personality Anthony Bordain), where a NOLA chef, who got a bad restaurant review, throws one in the critic's face. "This is how the Creole fairy folk back home cure their three-day stubble," she says as he splutters. (You can view the scene on YouTube here.)

            

When I go to Bouchercon this year (and hope to see you there), having a Sazarac is on my must-do list. 

OK, so I’ve spent a lot of time procrastinating on writing my novel, er, doing research on the history of the Sazarac, and this is what I’ve found:

WHO: Apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud, also known as the creator of Peychaud’s bitters, is credited with the creation of the Sazarac cocktail.

WHAT: The Sazarac is a cocktail made with Absinthe (or Herbsaint), simple syrup, Peychaud's Bitters, and rye whiskey. It is New Orleans’ own cocktail because of the unique combination of French Absinthe (licorice-flavored liquor) and  NOLA's own Peychaud’s bitters. 

Which leads to the question — WHAT ARE PEYCHAUD’S BITTERS? 

Here's the answer, from Wikipedia: “Peychaud's Bitters is a bitters distributed by the Sazerac Company. It was originally created around 1830 by Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary from the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1795 It is a gentian-based bitters, comparable to Angostura bitters, but with a lighter body, sweeter taste, and more floral aroma. Peychaud's Bitters is the definitive component of the Sazerac cocktail.”

Basically, they are a fuchsia, slightly sweet bitters that make cocktails a bit more fun and sophisticated—and pink. I like pink cocktails.

WHEN: According to legend, the Sazerac was created in the late 1830s.

WHERE: The cocktail was allegedly created in Peychaud’s pharmacy on Royal Street and then popularized at Sazerac Coffee House, on Exchange Place in the French Quarter. The drink (and the Coffee House) were named for the brand of Cognac that favored the drink, Sazerac de Forge et Fils. Apparently, the cognac was changed to rye whiskey in 1870 due to availability and that’s when the absinthe was added.

For those not going to Bouchercon — or who just want an early start — here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 sugar cube

2 1/2 oz. rye whisky

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

1 dash Angostura Bitters

splash absinthe

lemon peel

old-fashioned glass

Directions:

In an Old-Fashioned glass, muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water.

Add several small ice cubes and the rye whiskey, the Peychaud's bitters, and the Angostura bitters.

Stir well and strain into a second, chilled, Old-Fashioned glass in which you have rolled around a few drops of absinthe (or a mix of Pernod and green Chartreuse) to coat.

Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Yes, I will be drinking one of these (and just one) and toasting the New Orleans branch of the MacNeal family—yes, hubby is Scottish and Creole. His great-great grandfather James MacNeal left Scotland, came to New Orleans, and married a beautiful Creole woman named Parthinia. They raised a family of violinists, who created a Creole orchestra, able to play at both white and black events. (And can be seen on the first episode of Ken Burns’s Jazz documentary!)

Laissez les bon temps rouler! And hope to see you at Bouchercon!

Reds and readers, when you travel, do you seek out local cuisine? What's the best thing you ever ate or drank on a trip—and where were you? 

Tell us in the comments!