Around the world, New Orleans is known for steaming plates of seafood, and influences from numerous cultures - French, yes, but also Italian, African, Spanish and many others. It’s an important distinction in this Louisiana city, where everything seems to stem from great food and drink. (With) Cajun, you say, OK, what’s running around in the swamp? Alligator, possum, squirrel, raccoon.” One point, of many: “For proteins, Creole is focused on seafood. Perkins pops in, gives advice and keeps up a patter on the long, diverse culinary history of the Crescent City, including the differences between Cajun and Creole. In addition to the chicken gumbo, my fellow aspiring cooks work away on barbecue shrimp and grits, as well as white chocolate bread pudding. “The key to a good gumbo is a great roux, so your job is to never stop stirring,” says chef Eric Perkins, showing me the proper pace at the New Orleans School of Cooking. It’s mid-morning on a weekday, but we’ve already poured wine and cracked a few beers, and the smells of southern classics are wafting through the room.
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