Nine years after I began this project, my book Creole Italian: Sicilian Immigrants and the Shaping of New Orleans Food Culture is now available! It is part of the Southern Foodways Alliance Studies in Culture, People, and Places series at the University of Georgia Press. I’m very excited to see how readers receive the work and am very thankful to the many people who have made this work possible.
PRESS
I was gratified to have the Southern Foodways Alliance beautifully excerpt my work in its award-winning magazine, Gravy. You can read about the Sicilian French Quarter in history and memory here.
You can listen to my interview with Susan Larson of WWNO’s “The Reading Life” here.
You can also listen to “Quick Bites: Creole Italian,” a longer version of my interview with WWNO’s Poppy Tooker for an upcoming episode of Louisiana Eats!
Here I am cooking spaghetti and meatballs and talking Creole Italian with Ann Maloney of nola.com (who did a nice write up of the book you may find here) and Liz Williams of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum:
I was also interviewed on KRVS Radio Acadie’s “Apres Midi Afternoon Classics” with Julie Bordelon, which you can listen to here.
UPCOMING TALKS
NEW ORLEANS: Friday, June 8, 2018. Summer Giving Table in support of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Napoleon House.
NEW ORLEANS: Saturday, June 9, 2018: Historic New Orleans Collection’s Culinary Symposium, “Pulp Facts: Celebrating Citrus.” Here my talk will explore how the transatlantic trade in Sicily lemons first brought significant immigrants from that island to New Orleans.
NEW ORLEANS: Thursday, August 2, 2018: Octavia Books – 6pm – New Orleans Book Launch!
NEW ORLEANS: Wednesday, September 5, 2018: I’ll be cooking spaghetti & meatballs at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and be on nola.com’s Facebook Live stream at 9:30am talking about the book!
METAIRIE: Wednesday, September 5, 2018: “Five Lessons Sicilian Immigrants Taught Us about Business.” East Jefferson Italian American Society, East Bank Regional Library of Jefferson Parish, 6:30pm
NEW ORLEANS: Thursday, October 18, 2018: Signing books at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum following the presentation “Edna Lewis, Southern Food, & Identity: A Conversation with Sara Franklin & Liz Williams.” Event at 6pm, signing with other New Orleans authors at 7pm.
NEW ORLEANS: Friday, October 19, 2018: “In Search of a More Inclusive History of New Orleans,” Whitney Presentation Room, Loyola University New Orleans, 3:30pm.
MANDEVILLE: Saturday, October 20, 2018: Barnes & Noble. Book talk and signing. 12:00pm
HOUSTON: Wednesday, November 7, 2018: Italian Cultural & Community Center, 7pm.
LAFAYETTE: Thursday, November 8, 2018: University
of Louisiana, Lafayette Department of History and Center for Louisiana Studies. 3pm.
BATON ROUGE: Saturday, November 10, 2018: Louisiana Book Festival
Justin A. Nystrom 
Looking forward to your book. I am of Tranchina descent and my great grandfather owned Tranchina’s restaurant out in Spanish Fort. Best wishes to you and your book!
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Mary, that’s super interesting. I talk a good bit about Terry and Felix Tranchina – first at the Excelsior Restaurant on Magazine street (site of Taleboo Rugs today) and then up to West End and ultimately Spanish Fort. Their first restaurant opened in 1872 where Rum House on Magazine is today!
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Can you telll me if Tremont(e) is mentioned?
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Tami, I didn’t run across that name but it is very close to Tramontana, which was a major produce importer and wholesaler dating back to the mid 19th century
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Hi! This subject is of great interest to me. I have D’Antoni and Vaccaro relatives who were associated with Pelican Ice and the Standard Fruit Companies. I’ll have to get this book!
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