John Besh is a chef with a mission.
He has set out to restore the culinary heritage of New Orleans, not only by his daily support of local farmers, fishers, and artisan producers, but also in reviving fading or endangered cultural traditions of the city. In his research for his latest venture, Domenica, which opens July 1st in the Roosevelt Hotel, he came across a book called Italians in New Orleans by Joseph Maselli and Dominic Candeloro (Arcadia Publishing 2004.) We went through it together recently.
Now, maybe because my father was French and I was a child of the Sacré Coeur from a tender age (nuns and all!) France was my “ethnic” focus for the city. John’s roots are German. So although we’d grown up there, the length and depth of the Italian legacy in our city took us both by surprise.
Who knew that Tonti Street was named for Enrico de Tonti, who first explored the area in the 17th century with LaSalle, and stayed on to settle the colony? Almost since then, it seems, there’s been a well established Italian presence in New Orleans. A number of Italian states opened consulates there as early as the 1830s. Early prominent Italians included artists, musicians, soldiers, church leaders, physicians, the man known as “Father of the Rice Industry,” and, notably, grocery, wine, and liquor importers.
All-Italian battalions from New Orleans served in the Civil War. After the war, according to the book, the development of direct trade between New Orleans and Sicily in goods such as citrus fruits, figs, olives, and seafood significantly boosted the economic power of the city’s Italian immigrants – and their numbers were about to swell --
Following the Civil War, mass migration of Sicilian peasants filled demand for labor on sugar plantations, on the docks, and in the food industry. Before long, as much as 80% of the French Quarter was actually populated by Italians – and became known as “Little Italy” or “Little Palermo.” Many of the immigrants prospered as fruit and vegetable vendors. According to U.S. Census estimates, between 1850-1970 there were more Italians in New Orleans than in any other American city – again, who knew?? “For a good long time,” points out John, “our world-famous ‘French’ Market consisted primarily of Italian merchants!”
Stay tuned for more on how John will be honoring the legacy of Italian groceries, delis, and hard-working home cooks at Domenica in his own creative and contemporary way --
He has set out to restore the culinary heritage of New Orleans, not only by his daily support of local farmers, fishers, and artisan producers, but also in reviving fading or endangered cultural traditions of the city. In his research for his latest venture, Domenica, which opens July 1st in the Roosevelt Hotel, he came across a book called Italians in New Orleans by Joseph Maselli and Dominic Candeloro (Arcadia Publishing 2004.) We went through it together recently.
Now, maybe because my father was French and I was a child of the Sacré Coeur from a tender age (nuns and all!) France was my “ethnic” focus for the city. John’s roots are German. So although we’d grown up there, the length and depth of the Italian legacy in our city took us both by surprise.
Who knew that Tonti Street was named for Enrico de Tonti, who first explored the area in the 17th century with LaSalle, and stayed on to settle the colony? Almost since then, it seems, there’s been a well established Italian presence in New Orleans. A number of Italian states opened consulates there as early as the 1830s. Early prominent Italians included artists, musicians, soldiers, church leaders, physicians, the man known as “Father of the Rice Industry,” and, notably, grocery, wine, and liquor importers.
All-Italian battalions from New Orleans served in the Civil War. After the war, according to the book, the development of direct trade between New Orleans and Sicily in goods such as citrus fruits, figs, olives, and seafood significantly boosted the economic power of the city’s Italian immigrants – and their numbers were about to swell --
Following the Civil War, mass migration of Sicilian peasants filled demand for labor on sugar plantations, on the docks, and in the food industry. Before long, as much as 80% of the French Quarter was actually populated by Italians – and became known as “Little Italy” or “Little Palermo.” Many of the immigrants prospered as fruit and vegetable vendors. According to U.S. Census estimates, between 1850-1970 there were more Italians in New Orleans than in any other American city – again, who knew?? “For a good long time,” points out John, “our world-famous ‘French’ Market consisted primarily of Italian merchants!”
Stay tuned for more on how John will be honoring the legacy of Italian groceries, delis, and hard-working home cooks at Domenica in his own creative and contemporary way --
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