New Orleans – Traveling While Hungry recap

It wasn’t my first time at the Rodeo, considering I had been to New Orleans before. On my last trip, I stayed for 5 days and literally only ate and slept. It was a dream come true.

Being that I love living out of my suitcase, I was really inspired to start the #travelingwhilehungry series. It felt important to provide a space for other travels who love food as much as I do, and were looking for partners in crime. It was also created for those who do enjoy traveling but just aren’t sure where or how to seek the best food experience that city or country of interest, might have to offer. That 5 day hoorah to New Orleans made it impossible for me to choose anywhere else to be our first stop.

This time around, instead of staying at a hotel, we all stayed in a shot gun style house via AirBnb. This is a traditional New Orlean’s style home which had two sides to it, and we rented the entire place for our guest. We had key code access all weekend so everyone visiting could come and go as they please, very important. After everyone was settled, I handed over the goodie bags that I had prepared. Each bag was packed with mardi-gra beads, a shot of bourbon, tylenol, hand sanitizer, some tums for the stomach and a thank you note. These incredible mason jar tags were the perfect touch to each bag and I was able to locate some New Orlean’s themed stickers to suit the occasion.

 

As a host, it’s always nice to add a special touch to your event or destination and goodie bag survival kits are a great, easy + fun idea. This is also common for destination weddings or as your typical party favors. Our first day was all about team building so we attended a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking to follow. About 10 of us got together to make Gumbo, Fish with Salsa Meuniere and Pralines.

 

We already had a chef in the group (aside from the instructor) who was basically cooking with his eye closed but his pralines couldn’t stand a chance against mine. Throughout each course, we would sit to chat and get to know one another. We also had a ton of time to talk about food and where we would be eating next. The Chef/Instructor himself, recommended Atchafalaya which was perfect because brunch was already booked there for the following day. The Chef was also extremely nice, knowledgeable and easy to get along with.

After the class was over, you’re welcome to shop for the seasonings you cooked with and more. You also get to take home your apron, recipes and my personal favorite, the pralines! It didn’t hurt that it was all you can drink beer and wine which was the perfect segue for our night out on Bourbon.

Stay tuned for more details on our Traveling While Hungry stop in New Orleans and don’t forget to sign up for the next trip.