April 22, 2007: Community Brunch in New Orleans East
The Vietnamese-style dining tables are packed with the new fans of New Orleans East cuisine
Community cooks working to prepare exciting dishes
for the awaiting diners nearby
Spring Rolls from Phuong Nguyen sit prettily before they are quickly
devoured by the hungry guests
Winners of blueberry bushes donated by the Edible Schoolyard with their
prizes-a new kind 'to-go' food that keeps on giving
Chefs and NOFFN board members Corbin Evans & Anne Churchill
get a needed break to enjoy the fruits of their labors
The beautiful and tasty Sweetened Banana Dessert and its ingredients
Father Luke shows diners what to do with the Sweetened Banana dessert
It was a sunny New Orleans day at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church when the busload of hungry passengers pulled into the parking lot. As they walked into the doors of the converted classroom building behind the church, the soon-to-be diners were greeted by sights of festive pink and white tablecloths, delicious smells of Asian dishes, and the view of freshly made spring rolls being prepared for the first course by the communitys local cooks.
The New Orleans Food & Farm Network strives to highlight the food cultures of New Orleans communities. The Food & Farm Network sees an important value in sharing the unique food traditions of its residents. Because of the diverse neighborhoods in the city, there are a lot to pick from. Sharing a meal together is a good way to build new relationships as well as support what is right in the food systems of New Orleans. The community meals are priced at an affordable level (this meal was only $10) so that everyone can attend if they wish.
The Food & Farm Network set out to find recipes and ingredients that would give the visitors a taste of the typical New Orleans East neighborhoods food. With the help of the Mary Queen of Vietnam Neighborhood Community Development Corporation, Peter Nguyen and Father Luke, the home cooks, local chefs, and neighborhood farmers were sought out to connect all of the pieces for the big meal. Members of the Vietnamese community selected the dishes, and the fresh herbs and vegetables came right from the backyard and canal gardens of the neighborhood growers. The Food & Farm Networks Board of directors was to serve the meal, and the professional chefs on the board were to help prepare the meal with the local communitys cooks.
The champagne and orange juice Mimosas flowed as the spring rolls with peanut sauce came out of the bustling kitchen area. The diners looked forward to the Vietnamese crepes that were to come next as they chatted with new acquaintances and old friends. The traditional Vietnamese meal seating arrangement of long tables was a great way to get to know an incidental neighbor. Food & Farm board members and the community volunteers served homemade sweetened soy milk that was fresh and pleasantly different than the typical supermarket variety. Next came steaming bowls of Pho Bo, a beef noodle soup that came with a plate of fresh herbs and hot peppers to float on the surface if one chose.
Cameras flashed and filmmakers buzzed the crowd from the Charitable Film Network, who helped promote the event and also recorded the festivities. Father Vin of Mary Queen of Vietnam Church explained each of the dishes to the crowd, spoke about the local farmers market, the goal of the community having a twenty-acre shared farm, and the return of Vietnamese families and businesses that were bringing a healthy recovery to the neighborhood.
As the meal came to its final course of Sweetened Banana, the dense, sweet treat with tapioca tidbits and crunchy peanut topping, the tour bus provided by the generous sponsorship of Market Umbrella.Org started up for the trip home. Having the bus available allowed people who may not have had transportation from the center of New Orleans a way to get out to the eastern part of the city (about a twenty minute drive) to enjoy the meal. As a benefit, those who took the free bus ride got a tour of east New Orleans and the local Dong Phuong Bakery on the way back to Mid-City. The well-fed patrons piled into their cars and onto the bus, bringing handfuls of the days recipes and memories of the New Orleanians that now felt like closer neighbors.
Thank you to Elios Wine Warehouse for the donation of Champagne, Market Umbrella.Org for the Tour Bus sponsorship, the Edible Schoolyard for the donation of blueberry bushes for the door prize, The Charitable Film Network for their work to help promote and document the event.
A special thank you to all of the volunteers, cooks, community members, and the co-hosting of the MQVN Community Development Corporation that helped make the day go so well.
Community Brunch in New Orleans East
A short film about the Vietnamese Community
in New Orleans East by local filmaker David Aman
Made possible by:
