The Best Gumbo In New Orleans Might Be The One You Make Yourself At This Unique Museum
New Orleans is a city where the grown-ups go to play when the kids are away. Indeed, if you're walking down the famed Bourbon Street, a vibrant adult playground full of unique entertainment options, you're likely to see some drunken bachelorette parties, raucous street festivities, and other rowdy revelers taking advantage of the city's around-the-clock nightlife.
However, Louisiana's capital is also a charming town with a storied history. As one of the largest ports in the world in the 1800s, it attracted diverse migrants from across the globe. It was populated at various points by Indigenous groups, French and Spanish colonists, enslaved Africans, early American settlers, and even pirates.
One of the best ways to learn about the city's rich history is through its world-famous cuisine, a delicious mixture of Native American, West African, European, and Caribbean culinary practices. If you're interested in taking a deep dive into the history and culture behind New Orleans' delectable dishes, then a visit to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, known as SoFAB, is a must. This simple, unassuming building, located in Central City close to the historic French Quarter, transports visitors into a world of culinary wonder. A one-stop shop for food and beverage education, SoFAB houses a research center, the Museum of the American Cocktail, the Gumbo Garden, the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, and more. Here, you'll learn about the history of Southern cuisine through exhibits and presentations — but the best way to learn is through a cooking class. So grab an apron, mix in a dash of curiosity and a dollop of creativity, and prepare to whip up your very own New Orleans gumbo guaranteed to set your taste buds ablaze.
Exhibits at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum
SoFAB is home to a variety of exhibits that educate and delight its adult visitors. At the Museum of the American Cocktail, you'll see a collection of rare spirits and learn about the very first cocktail — the Sazerac, a drink similar to an Old Fashioned — which was created in New Orleans in 1838. Order one at the Brunswick Bar, New Orleans' second-oldest operating bar, and you can peruse the museum's spaces with your libation in hand, including an interesting timeline of the American cocktail that covers 1750 to 1990. La Galerie de l'Absinthe showcases a variety of artifacts about absinthe, the potent liquor also known as the "green fairy." And if you can't get enough of this anise-flavored spirit, head down to the Old Absinthe House, an iconic and timeless New Orleans landmark found just a 10-minute drive away from SoFAB.
The Gallery of the South is another of the main spaces, and here you'll be taken on a culinary journey through the many informative exhibits (some interactive) and collections of memorabilia. You'll discover the origin stories of popular brands (like Popeyes Chicken) that started in the Deep South, and you'll learn more about Southern cuisine — its history, influences, regional differences, and unique features — state by state.
But by far the highlight of this exceptional museum is the on-site Deelightful Roux School of Cooking. Owned by New Orleans native Dwynesha Lavigne, who goes by simply "Chef Dee", the school provides a hands-on approach to Southern cuisine that is suitable for cooks of all abilities. Choose the Cajun Cooking Class if you want to create a savory, world-class Cajun gumbo with dark roux, smoked Andouille sausage, and seasoned chicken. Or choose the Creole Cooking Class to learn the secrets behind the mouth-watering, tomato-rich jambalaya.
Visiting the Southern Food and Beverage Museum
SoFAB is operational between Thursday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and all major holidays. No reservations are required to enter, and there is no time limit for your visit. They do charge an entry fee, but children 10 and under can visit for free. However, while there is no minimum age requirement, due to the nature of the exhibits (particularly the extensive collection of spirits and alcohol-related ephemera), the museum may be more appropriate for adult guests. A digital guide is available through the free Bloomberg Connects app, which will provide you with up-to-date information and richer details about the exhibits.
Cooking classes cost extra and can be booked online through the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking's website. Classes are on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, last for 2.5 hours, and are only available to adults. The class fees include admission, a curator-led guided tour of SoFAB, recipes for all the dishes you create, and lunch.
The museum is public transit-accessible and can be reached by bus or streetcar, but it is recommended to stay in or near the French Quarter, the "Crown Jewel of New Orleans," where you will be able to walk to most places. Depending on where in the French Quarter you're staying, the museum will be about a 10-minute drive or a 30-minute walk. If your epicurean needs have still not been met after your cooking class, you can fill up on even more excellent Cajun-Creole fare at the Napoleon House, a unique historic home in the French Quarter serving up some of the best New Orleans cuisine.