Was a three-week trip to New Orleans for work or vacation? Both.
Andrea Sachs, The Washington Post
Feb. 19, 2021
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1of8The city canceled Mardi Gras parades and floats. In response, thousands of homes around the city installed artful house floats with such themes as Zydeco.Photo by Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post.Show MoreShow Less
2of8Mac is all packed up and ready to return to Washington after a three-week workcation in New Orleans.Photo by Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post.Show MoreShow Less
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4of8Skateboarders practice at Crescent Park, a 1.4-mile urban linear park along the Mississippi River in New Orleans.Photo by Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post.Show MoreShow Less
My New Orleans
Before you know it, it will be Carnival. My wife and daughters recently visited the King Cake Hub and I am told it was delightful. They came home with a cake from Haydel’s, and I was well pleased. “It’s like what I imagine McKenzie’s used to taste like, except not dry” is what I said. I liked McKenzie’s king cakes, for the record.
It’s a great idea: a central location you can go and buy a king cake from a bunch of different bakeries. It’s the Tsukiji fish market for king cakes. And it works, too. You can either show up in person at 636 North Broad, at the Broad Theater, for socially-distanced shopping or you can order online and then show up in person at 636 North Broad to pick up your selection.
Just as with everything in this ongoing pandemic, this year’s Covid Carnival is a far cry from anything we ve seen in the past. But there is one constant that remains unchanged and that’s our beloved king cake. No balls, no parades but don’t worry – there is more king cake than ever to go around.
On this week’s show, we celebrate that sweet treat like never before. We begin with a tiny Northshore treasure, Morgan Street Bakery, where baker Christine Schmitz crafts a traditional French-style confection redolent with almond paste that s almost a lost art.
King Cake
With Mardi Gras parades canceled, New Orleans eats king cake sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The one constant among king cakes is that buried inside is a trinket, normally a plastic baby. Whoever gets the slice with the prize at a party, parade gathering or the office break room must buy the next cake. Between Jan. 6, the start of Carnival, and the Tuesday of Mardi Gras, this year Feb. 16, a high percentage of a New Orleanian s daily calorie intake comes from king cakes.
With offices mostly empty and every party a potential super spreader event, Samuels does see more people buying medium and individual-sized cakes than large ones.
Bywater Bakery, owned by baker Chaya Conrad, was prepared for a lackluster king cake season. That could mean trouble for her small cafe and bakery, which relies on the annual sales boost. So far, however, the season has been booming.