Believe it or not, the human inclination for frozen desserts dates all the way back to Ancient Roman and Egyptian times. Before electricity had even been a thought, frozen desserts were made out of snow gathered from the mountain tops and kept underground to keep it cold. It wasn’t until 1565 that a Florentinian cook named Bernardo Buontalenti invented the “modern icecream”. Using Bernardo’s new recipe and innovative refrigeration techniques, a Sicilian fisherman named Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli created the first ice cream machine. With Italy being the birthplace of both modern ice cream and Angelo Brocato Sr., it is no wonder that Angelo went on to open the most infamous ice cream shop in all of New Orleans.

Angelo Brocato was born in Cefalu, Sicily which is about 90 miles from Palermo. Due to the need to support his family during financially difficult times, he didn’t attend school and instead went right to work. At the age of twelve, he began an apprenticeship at an ice cream shop in Palermo. He and his brother worked in several pastry shops and gelaterias around the city and with time, young Angelo mastered the pastry and gelato trade.

                   

It is important to note that Angelo began making ice cream before you could just pick up a gallon at the local grocery store, before ice cream was shipped across the country for mass consumption. Angelo was learning in a time that meant you had a connection to the dessert, and it was something that could be mastered. At the time, gelato was being made in large barrels and long knives were used to scrape and mix the cream as it froze, much like the “old fashioned” ice cream makers you can buy today. Gelato was poured into loaf-shaped molds and sliced for serving, rather than large pre-made cartons to be scooped. Italian ices were served as soon as they were made which meant they were fresh and soft. Sicilian desserts were made according to the calendar. Baked goods would be served until Easter and cold desserts would be served during summer months.

At the age of 18, Angelo joined the Italian Navy. As soon as he came out of the Navy he began cutting sugar cane on a plantation in Louisiana. As soon as he had made enough money to bring his family over, he moved to New Orleans and opened his first shop in the predominantly Italian area of the French quarter which at the time was on Decatur Street right off of Ursulines. The shop in the quarter stayed open until 1981 which is when they moved to their location on Carrollton in Mid-city.

Even amidst modern technology and commercialized ice cream, Brocato kept the traditional gelato and pastry making alive. Brocato made a rich custard based gelato, a multitude of biscotti, cassata cake filled with ricotta cheese and iced with marzipan, candied fruit and almonds, lemon-filled “grandmother” cake, torta della nonna and marzipan using “pasta reale” (royal paste). Although arduous and extremely time consuming, Brocato would candy his own fruit which consisted of apples, pears, oranges and cherries.

The first ice cream he made was a torroncino, which is a cinnamon and almond ice cream Which is still made and served the same today: in blocks and sliced. Although some of the traditional uses of ice cream and dessert making have died off, Brocato’s has impacted the meaning of ice cream in New Orleans and is and whether you’re heading to Brocato’s for coffee, cookies, spumoni or gelato, it is a timeless social staple for all the true dessert lovers out there.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Midcity Market occurred on March 20, 2012.  Mayor Mitch Landrieu was present to commemorate the new development.

“Mid-City Market is critical for the continued revitalization of this important corridor. Though they were once blighted and vacant properties, this project will bring properties back into commerce and will interact nicely with Lafitte Greenway, which itself will spur activity and redevelopment across the city. Mid-City Market will bring hundreds of new jobs, new sales and property tax dollars and improved quality of life for Orleans Parish residents.”

As it is with most local development, we are reminded of the travesty of Hurricane Katrina, and how we, collectively as a city, are still in the process of recovery.  However, I believe that revitalization is not the appropriate word to use.  The area of our study has been prolific, profitable, and in my opinion, vital from the very beginning.  The new development will undoubtedly bring jobs and tax dollars to the city as a whole, however, there seems to be little consideration invested in the Midcity Market’s impact on the neighborhood itself.

Of the new shops and restaurants, one that is opening is a Pinkberry.  Based out of Los Angeles, Pinkberry offers a hip, healthy ice cream alternative in a very modern way.  Based on the original success of Red Mango, Pinkberry brought the frozen yogurt fad from Korea to America. The stores are often named a combination of an exciting adjective plus plant substance (Pinkberry, Orange Leaf, Tutti Frutti, etc.)

Despite this time of economic hardship, these cookie cutter froyo shops have been materializing within developing cities at an exponential rate.  Much like Pinkberry’s neighbor, Whole Foods, businesses are capitalizing on people’s desire and ability to spend more money when they believe that their purchase is healthy.  Though frozen yogurt is not quite a health food, it has many less calories than its creamy competitors, and offering fruit toppings alongside the usual syrup and sprinkles reinforces their image. These self-service businesses are ultimately profitable, requiring only enough staff to operate a cash register and tend to the yogurt, while allowing customers to feel empowered in their yogurt selections.  Unlike most frozen yogurt establishments of a similar variety, Pinkberry does not allow guests to serve their own yogurt, although you are given free reign on combinations of flavors and toppings.  With prices as low as $.20 for an ounce of ice cream combined with deceptively large cups and theoretically ‘endless’ toppings, one snack can come out at around $10.  The neon colors, upbeat music, and ultra modern décor cater to a very stylized audience of hipsters and new agers, people who crave the ultra sleek empowerment that Pinkberry provides.

I presumed that the best way to understand the impact of the Midcity Market is to understand how the new and old will relate with each other.  To do this, I visited the preexisting Pinkberry, located at the corner of Magazine and Joseph St.  In accordance with my expectations, the space was very open and bright, with light blue walls and bright green accents.  The decorative colors seemed to reflect the beautiful summer’s day that was happening outside of the glass façade.  I asked for a modest blend of chocolate and salted caramel yogurt, which seemed like a boring dollop of island in the ocean of my paper bowl.  The couple ahead of me was ordering surplus kiwi for their shared bowl, while the school girls behind me seemed to be calculating a way to combine every form of chocolate available.  When checking out, the girl who greeted me asked if I had found everything I wanted, which I had, as it was excessively labeled.  She was quite friendly, but not exactly personable.  I got away only spending four dollars for a sizeable portion of ice cream, though I still felt somewhat guilty for wasting so much packaging on such a small meal.  There were not very many people there on a Monday afternoon, however, the area was bustling with the usual sort of people who populate the Magazine street shopping district. There were many men in business attire stopping for lunch and many SUV driving women fighting for a space in the Whole Foods parking garage, amid the sea of young girls boutique shopping.

My experience with Angelo Brocato’s was much different.  Unlike Pinkberry, there is no parking lot, and so I had to walk a few blocks from my car.  It was a Tuesday night and most tables were preoccupied with families.  There was a long line blocking the glass case full of treats, and the small space was very loud with many overlapping conversations.  The workers bustled around one another, each of them working together to quickly serve each guest. Unlike at Pinkberry, the people here seemed connected to each other.  The employees and the customers joked with each other, while families talked at their old wire tables.  I ordered the St. Joseph chocolate almond, and the woman ahead of me in line turned around and reaffirmed my choice by giving me a thumbs up and informing me that she too had ordered the chocolate almond.  The decorations were antique and quaint, much like a relative’s home.  The portrait of Angelo Brocato looked down at everyone from above the counter, yet everyone in the restaurant seemed very focused on the people they were out with rather than the surroundings, much unlike the ultra efficient and impersonal attitude of those at Pinkberry.  There were guests of every race and age, from the group of old women in the corner drinking coffee to the young teenagers on what looked like a first date.

The difference in seniority, style, and audience are very apparent within these two competing stores.  Pinkberry is run with a modern sense of business, primarily focused on profitability and speed, while Angelo Brocato’s retains the slow paced personal experience associated with an aging way of business.  The two stores offer similar wares, at relatively similar prices; however, Pinkberry has an entire franchise backing their success, while Brocato’s remains family owned.  Brocato’s has always thrived on being the only consistent place to get desert amid so many restaurants, but the introduction of Pinkberry will undoubtedly remove a large fraction of Brocato’s potential business.  In this way, Brocato’s is the most susceptible to adverse effects of the Midcity Market. Although there are obvious differences in the experience associated with Angelo Brocato’s and Pinkberry Inc., will the draw of nostalgia be able to keep Brocato’s business afloat?

Hello, my name is Jennifer. Together my partner Deyna and I were placed on an assignment to understand the neighborhood of Canal Street and Carrollton Avenue. The center of our focus was Venezia and Lemonade Parade. My previous blog covered the history of these restaurants and some online reviews posted by customers. The aspiration of this blog is to go more into depth with my groups interviews and observations.

Venezia Restaurant

The results uncovered in the last blog focused on the interview with the bartender working at Venezias. Shortly after this interview, Deyna arrived. We sat down and ordered our drinks and some food. The owner noticed us both sitting at the bar and walked over to begin his interview.He introduced himself as Anthony Bolonga. As he began to describe the pride he has for his restaurant, we realized our list of questions was not needed. We then slipped our notes away and listened intently.  Bolonga started by saying “family is important” and since this place had so much family importance, when Katrina hit he decided that the restaurant was too significant to end with a tragedy.

 Katrina

Bologna stated that his passion for the restaurant business was influenced by his father, a restaurant owner himself. Ever since his father showed him the restaurant life, he knew that one day he wanted to do the same thing. So when the opportunity of being the future owner of Venezia presented itself, he rushed in to pull it off the market.  According to the owner, running a business such as this one is “about working with the market.” He continued by asking, “What good quality product can I buy at a price customers are willing to pay?” He also said that he does not feel threatened about outside restaurants or businesses, because they help one another out. For instance if someone decides to go to Medinas for dinner one night, they might look down the road and see Venezias and think about stopping there next time.At this point, the manager asked us if we needed any additional information and after we assured him that we had enough and that we were grateful for his time, he left us to enjoy our meal.

 Lemonade Parade

After a few failed attempts to set up an interview with the owners of Lemonade Parade, we decided to understand Lemonade Parade through what we could observe and read about online.  The building is small and fairly easy to miss if it was not for their bright yellow sign featuring “happy fruit.” From the outside there are a few tables and chairs for outside dining.  The inside was a bit small but this did not seem to concern the large group of high school boys that followed shortly behind me. After ordering a drink, I quickly moved aside to allow the group to place an order. After the last boy ordered, I ran up to talk with the employees, but was unsuccessful. For some reason they closed the windows and went to the back where they were out of sight. Not sure what to do from there, I thought perhaps it was best to not bother them with an interview, especially considering that they were unresponsive to emails and facebook requests. 

As I walked outside I noticed that the group of boys was still lingering outside on the patio chairs. This seemed like a good time to catch some interviews. Following a brief introduction and description of the assignment, the boys happily agreed to answer some questions. The first question was, “are you from here and familiar with the Carrollton neighborhood?” A few boys shook their head yes, while the others remained nervous in the back. The next question asked was, what brought them to Carrollton and more specifically to Lemonade Parade. One boy, responded that they were students from a nearby school. They agreed that Lemonade Parade is a good place for students to meet up because of its close proximity to the school grounds and affordable drinks. Another boy commented that since the restaurants are so close to one another, they do not have to have a car to dine out and find variation in food options. They felt that Lemonade Parade was not exactly representative of New Orleans, but their cold drinks helped with the summer heat. They also stated that they felt the restaurants along Carrollton helped each other by drawing in more people and helped the neighborhood by giving more options for people to choose. After listening to their responses, it was apparent that they were ready to be on their way, so I decided to end the interview with those brief responses.

Canal Street Bistro is a small and quaint white table cloth restaurant located at 3903 Canal Street. It is surrounded by a multitude of other businesses such as Home Finance Bank, Jacob Schoen and Son’s Funeral Home,Redemption , and Mandina’s. The building has been around for a few decades, originally it was built as a residential home but it was split up and the bottom floor opened for commercial use. It has been home to many businesses mostly law offices and finance companies, but it was also home the infamous Eco Café, which is where our story begins.

According to front of house manager Seth Gray in an interview we conducted, “Eco Café had a bad reputation that we are still trying to recover from. They had terrible food and slow service.” Eco Café once served coffee, vegan, and vegetarian dishes. About three years ago Monica Ramsey took over the Eco Café. Monica has recently won the up and coming business woman of the year from NALB, and own the Canal St. Inn a block away from the restaurant, as well as a finance company in the area. She is a local and lives in the area so when she saw an opportunity to start a new business venture she pounced.  When she acquired the property the building was completely destroyed and in keeping with the one good tradition of Eco Café which is being environmentally friendly, she remodeled the building with almost 65% recycled material. In addition to that she installed heat controlled windows made out of recycled glass.

After remodeling the building Monica wanted to distance Canal Street Bistro away from the bad reputation of Eco Café. To do this they incorporated the Eco Café menu as a “cornerstone” but expanded to other diets as well. Another thing they kept true to was using local farm fresh ingredients in their menu. They are so committed to this farm fresh local concept that they change their menu to suit food availability of the seasons. They also have a tent at the local Crescent City’s Farmers Market to establish better farmer connections and to help the local farmers and fisheries.  Monica’s overall goal for establishing this restaurant was to create something new and improved for the New Orleans food tradition. She saw it as an opportunity to take it where she thinks the future of New Orleans food will be, not to recapture what it was (reference to Pre-Katrina).

Monica then added Chef Guillermo Peters to the family. Chef Guillermo is a German Mexican who is more than passionate about food. He grew up in Mexico and started cooking as child with his mother. He specializes in Mesoamerican cuisine and strives for food that is simple and tastes good.  Chef Guillermo Peters once owed an authentic Mexican restaurant in Kenner which was very successful and before that he owned a successful Salsa company for 20 years. He decided to start a career in food when he was working at an auto shop and cooked for his costumers. From there he discovered he had a unique style and wanted to expand. His food philosophy is “Respect the ingredient if it is fresh you don’t have to cover it up. No fusion it creates confusion” The chef is so particular about the quality of his food that he has no qualms about send food back to vendors if it does not pass is personal inspection and if the quality is good no price is a problem.

The final ingredient to make Canal Street Bistro Complete was Seth Gray the front of house manager. Seth had bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of New Orleans, with a focus on the relationship between food and culture, and the cultural distinctiveness of Latin America. Seth brought the final organization to Canal Street Bistro. Together all three made an excellent restaurant with food that is literally to die for and for once it’s worth its price. The restaurant strives for a more up class clientele and specializes in breakfast and lunch however they have dinners on Friday and Saturday, and this month they will be expanding their dinner hours to include Wednesday and Thursday. In the beginning business was slow going and they relied mostly on the other restaurants for business. But now as the word of mouth spreads it is picking up and they have now have their very own regulars.

On April 4, 2012 we were invited to their reception. We had a blast. They gave us free wine and tequila (a love of Chef Guillermo) as well as samples of their menu. The reception was intended to help network the restaurant to other restaurant owners in the New Orleans area. Many people showed up and all had a good time, even Poppy Tooker showed up. All in all it was a great evening made better by the fact that it was free and I got to meet some pretty interesting people. It also goes to show that Monica is not all about making money she wants to be a part of the community as well as contribute to it in any way she can.

By Kathleen DeMajo

Canal St Bistro is located at 3903 Canal St in Mid-City. Records exist of this building dating back to the 1960s. The building’s history reflects the neighborhood’s changing trends. Originally a residence, the building was split in the 1970s, and the other half became commercial. Some of the business that occupied that building in the past are: ABC Credit Plan, Courtesy Finance, Arrow Loan Co, Algiers Finance, The Mid-City secretarial service, The Mid-City Legal Group, and several doctors, although I am unsure if they we’re residents of the building.

Addresses of the buildings surrounding 3903 Canal appear and disappear frequently suggesting abandoned buildings, possible economic difficulties, or symptoms of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. However, through the years, we can see a steady source of revenue flow through 3903 Canal, which makes it an object of interest to those interested in the changing neighborhood.

Then and Now: Canal St

1950s and 2012

Carrollton and Canal Intersection 1950s and 2012

The setting: The neighborhood has a colorful mixture of buildings and architecture as well as things which have come to be known as typical New Orleans. Conveniently, Monica’s hotel, The Canal St Inn, is located a block away, making it the perfect distance for a leisurely stroll  to the restaurant for any meal of the day.  The streets are lined with palm trees and oak trees. The funeral home next door, something that would normally be considered unappetizing, is bright orange and so lovely that it becomes a landmark for people unfamiliar to the neighborhood as well as  neutralizes  death among life and food as part of our everyday lives.

Then and Now: 1950s and 2012 The Neighbors 

 The Building

3909 Canal is large and pink with an element of playfulness, sophistication, and social awareness. There is pleasant outdoor seating which gives the option of being a participant of the neighborhood as you watch people walk by. The decor of the building is clean and fresh feeling. There is a sense of class and relevance among the white walls lined with local art, and the comfortably cushioned wood and wicker chairs. There is music so soft that it is a whisper. The margarita, the Bistro’s signature drink, is made from the fresh locally grown ingredients. These drinks are so fresh and perfectly balanced with top shelf alcohol.

When entering the restaurant I was welcomed warmly by the owner, Monica Ramsey.

She is very involved with her restaurant and personally greets and seats her customers. She creates relationships with the neighborhood and going to her restaurant is like going to a friend’s house. To read more about Monica’s accomplishments in environmentally progressive business practices, check out this blog, from where I borrowed the picture above.

Food: Although well above my price range (the poor college student), I actually considered going into debt to be able eat at Canal St Bistro on a regular basis. When trying to think of a word to describe this restaurant, several come to mind: clean, pure, fresh, whole, balanced, savory, creative, and lets not forget delicious. Executive Chef Guirllermo Peters, specializes in mesoamerican cuisine. he is a charismatic and wise man who has an intense passion for food. He enjoys being in an environment where he gets to design each dish from start to finish. Chef creates each dish purely for the art of the food itself. He has specific recipes of his own that he uses and customers do not ask for substitutions in their foods because they are there for what chef wants to make for them, not what they want chef to make. Such great respect comes from knowing that out of everyone, chef has the highest expectations for the foods. He proudly explains to us that when trucks of fish or produce come to deliver at the restaurant, if the items do not meet Chef’s standards, he will send them away. The quality of the food is always his number one priority.

I would like to give a special thanks to Seth Gray (Front of House Manager) who was an exceptional help in providing information about the resteraunt and the neighborhood.

When I first walked into the ruby slipper, I was almost instantly floored by the amazing smells that filled the entire dining area. There were only 3 full tables in the entire restaurant, but somehow it smelled like they were cooking a feast in the kitchen. I arrived there at around 11:40am. I decided to get there before noon so I could witness the lunch rush madness. I ordered some tea and a delicious omelette  and sat by myself observing everything.   And sure enough, right at around 12:15 the place started to quickly fill up. It seemed like every minute, the waitress had to seat a new table. The front dining area filled up and people were being directed to sit in the back of the house. I asked my waitress if this was a normal weekday lunch crowd. She said it was a little busier than usual, but not completely uncommon. The crowd was mostly filled with young professions and students. I saw two girls doing homework while they ate. It was nice to see I wasn’t the only one!                                                                                                                           

The atmosphere was very nice and comfortable, but I have to admit—the omelette was delicious! It is no wonder why the people come in droves. It was a simple omelet with mushrooms and cheese, yet it tasted divine. Then I remembered that The Ruby Slipper proudly uses locally made products, and locally-based food sellers. According to their website, their, “sausage (pork breakfast links, chorizo, chicken sausage patties, andouille, and more) is made right in Mid-City, New Orleans by Creole Country Sausage. Their Dairy products come to us from Kleinpeter Farms Dairy; a Louisiana-based, family owned and operated dairy. Their breads are all locally baked and delivered fresh to our door by Leidenheimer, Wild Flour Breads, and La Louisiane Bakery”.  The Ruby Slipper also has a garden across the street from their Mid-City location, where they grow many of the herbs and vegetables used in their kitchen, as well as using a local recycling service and composting coffee grinds. So that’s what made this omelet better than the one at IHOP! Well, that and the service is much better. The Ruby Slipper is definitely not your typical breakfas joint.

                                                                                                                                                                            Since my last blog entry, I have done some research on the location of the Ruby Slipper. The only thing I have been able to find out is that before it was converted into the Slipper after Katrina, it was a rundown cornerstone that was famous for its many loiterers. This makes me wonder what the neighborhood was like before the Slipper. From I could see it was a pretty normal New Orleans neighborhood—there was street parking only, it was relatively quiet, and the sidewalks were pretty torn up. Did the neighborhood like that the corner store was closed down, or do people feel resentful that a neighborhood gathering place (of sorts) was tuned into a hipster eatery?