A great many things have changed in the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Crescent City. The culinary scene has become one of the more noticeable of those changes to many who were born and raised in the area. In a city as steeped in tradition as New Orleans, many in the region were extremely hesitant to embrace some of the bolder flavors from around the country.
Part of the change had to do with a deep pride in the regional cuisine New Orleans (and Louisiana) is world-renowned for. Part of that was a hesitance to welcome outside influences. That all changed in 2005 when the storm hit and residents were scattered across the country.
Ian McNulty, food writer for NOLA.com, pointed out in speaking to WWL Radio that people’s food perceptions were shifted due to a confluence of factors as Louisiana residents were forced to flee the storm. “Katrina was this grand reset of things. There’s a clear line of ‘before and after’ and that’s true of the food scene too,” McNulty noted.
“Before Katrina, New Orleans was much more of ITSELF. There were a lot of places you knew were old New Orleans joints and were institutions. We lost a lot of them in the aftermath of Katrina, but what we gained was a lot more variety,” he goes on to say.
McNulty pointed out that many transplants yearned for the types of food options that were previously available where they were from. Many lamented how unavailable these options were in the region and some of them directly set out to change that by bringing those regional favorites to New Orleans.
“There were people pleading for a place to have proper New York-style pizza or a proper bagel. People wanted Thai restaurants. Well, we’ve got that now,” McNulty emphasized.
Ultimately, McNulty says a blend of new voices have been coming together in the 20 years since the storm hit to create a vibrant and varied food scene unique to this post-Katrina period. He also adds that he expects the area to continue rewarding those who bring new flavors to the Crescent City.
“New Orleans people are crazy about food. That starts with the New Orleans foods they knew and loved growing up, but they have a wide interest in what great food is from anywhere,” McNulty emphasized. “If you bring interesting food to the table here, New Orleans people are going to show up.”
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