EVERGREEN PLANTATION • COVINGTON BICENTENNIAL • WOMEN IN BUSINESS • COACH ROBERTS$450 MAY-JUNE 2013VOL. 28, NO. 3

The community magazine of the northshore, serving St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes.

Publisher Lori Murphy

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Associate Publisher Poki Hampton Editor Jan Murphy Art Director Brad Growden Managing Editor Stephen Faure Editorial Assistant Lauren Smith Contributors are featured on page 12.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Business Manager Jane Quillin Advertising Account Executives Brenda Breck Poki Hampton Candice Laizer Barbara Roscoe Hali Ungar Graphic Designer Jennifer Starkey Intern Alexandra Wimley

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For advertising information

phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 email sales@insidenorthside.com

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Please send items for Inside Scoop to scoop@insidenorthside.com.

Photos for Inside Peek, with captions, should be sent to peek@insidenorthside.com. Submit items for Inside Input

or Dining Guide to editor@insidenorthside.com.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Contact Inside Northside P.O. Box 9148 Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 website www.insidenorthside.com Subscriptions 1 Year $18 2 Years $30 email subscriptions@insidenorthside.com

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On the cover Artist Jax Frey––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

INSIDE NORTHSIDE MAGAZINE is published bi-monthly (January, March, May, July, September, November) by M and L Publishing, LLC, PO Box 9148, Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 as a means of communication and information for St. Tam many and Tangipahoa Parishes, Louisiana. Bulk Postage paid at Mandeville, LA. Copy right ©2013 by M and L Publishing, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of publisher. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Inside Northside Magazine is created using the Adobe Creative Suite on Apple Macintosh computers.

May-June 2013 Vol. 28, No. 3

May-June 2013 9

14 Infinite Possibilities Cover artist Jax Frey.

32 From Ruin to Rebirth The Peralta Old Mandeville home.

40 Coaching Winners Southeastern Lions’ Ron Roberts.

46 Evergreen Plantation An antebellum treasure.

68 Northshore Roller Girls Rule! It’s all about the attitude.

78 Key West Visiting the Conch Republic.

10 Publisher’s Note

12 Contributors

18 Inside Scoop

29 Insider Mandeville High’s Miles Berry.

30 IN Better Health Dr. John Logan.

60 Inspired Sandra Slifer.

62 Book Report Three Little Shrimp by J. Steven Spires..

64 IN Good Company Amanda Hover of Champagne Jewelers.

74 Book Report Women from the Ankle Down by Rachelle Bergstein

76 IN Better Health Shelly Grigor.

features

departments

table ofcontents

88 Flourishes Treasures for your pleasure.

96 IN Love and Marriage Notable northshore weddings.

99 Inside Look Sun, Sea, Sand.

106 IN the Spotlight St. Tammany Cancer Fund Wine Dinner.

109 Inside Peek

116 IN the Spotlight Children’s Museum of St. Tammany Celebration 2013.

118 In Great Taste

119 Inside Dining

124 IN Development Brister’s Team Puts St. Tammany First.

129 Ad Directory

130 Last Bite George’s Mexican Restaurant.

page 88

87 The Windsor Senior Living Communitybusiness profile

page 32

after page 66.

after page 98.

page 68

page 46

page 99

“Women have always beenthe strong ones of the world.”

- Coco Chanel

As we approach Mother’s Day, I am remembering my Mom, Joel, and her

sister, Jane. They were raised in New Orleans and would have been Irish twins

if not for their strong German heritage. The Hagstette sisters did everything

together throughout a life filled with highs and some very tough lows. When

we lost Mom three years ago, Aunt

Jane was there to carry on many

of her mannerisms and keep us

mindful of the special bond they

shared with each other and with

all of us. A consoling thought when my aunt lost her battle with breast cancer

earlier this year was that Joel and Jane were back together again. These women,

like the many other mothers we are surrounded by, shape our lives. Strong

women make strong children, strong communities and strong futures.

This issue is filled with strong, successful women. What that success

looks like may vary, but in every case it is a demonstration of determined will

and passion. Everyone benefits from that kind of investment, especially when

they share the stories of bringing their dreams to life with us as they do in our

most extensive Women IN Business special edition yet!

Both Matilda Gray and Katie Peralta brought dreams to life in the homes

they saved from ruin. Though they lived in two different centuries, we can

learn a lot from their passionate pursuit of the possibilities of each structure.

Developing possibilities is a driving force for Sandra Slifer, both in politics

and people. Others include artist Jax Frey, whose work graces our cover; a

team of roller divas who play for keeps; Shelly Grigor, who battled severe

nearsightedness; and Amanda Hover, who continues a 65-year-old legacy.

Each woman is unique, committed and focused. Each has a special gift to

give our community, and it is our privilege to honor them here.

p.s. I hope you enjoy the travel story on the Conch Republic!

I encourage you to have your own getaway soon.

by Lori Murphy

ContributorsErin Cowser

As executive director of

public and governmental affairs for

Southeastern Louisiana University,

Erin Cowser has the privilege

of representing the third largest

university in Louisiana in both

legislative and public arenas. She serves on various boards and

community organizations and her advocacy work has been

honored at all levels. Her article on Southeastern’s football

coach Ron Roberts (pg 40) is the latest of her contributions

to Inside Northside. Most importantly, Erin has the esteemed

privilege and honor of being 3-year-old Eliza Kate’s mommy.

Contributors: Marianne Addy, Mindy Cordell, Ann Gilbert and Teri Schlichenmeyer.

Poki Hampton

Poki Hampton’s life is a

healthy mixture of family, work

and play. When not at work,

Poki fills her days with her four

grandchildren (three were foster

adopt kids) and her more recent

hobby, chalk painting. The newly learned skill continues

Poki’s love of decorating. Her husband, Pete, says that if he

sits still too long, she will chalk paint him! Poki’s design

story in this issue (“From Ruin to Rebirth,” pg 32) brought

back many memories of the couple’s renovation of the

historic Magnolia House.

Joel Treadwell

A Covington resident since

2000, Joel Treadwell is the owner

of Shot by Joel Photography,

specializing in family and

commercial photography. He

serves on the board of the

Greater New Orleans Professional Photographer’s Guild

and is active in the Professional Photographers of Louisiana

and the Slidell Photography Club. In 2011, he received

training in photographing people with disabilities through

the organization Special Kids Photography of America.

Joel is also team photographer for the Lethal Ladies of the

Northshore Roller Derby League (pg 68).

Contributors

14 InsIde northsIde

“SIN. REPENT. REPEAT,” says a little painted plaque

in Jax Frey’s kitchen. Framed by a patch of sunlight

coming through the window, it seemed an appropriate

concept for a visit to her home just before Mardi Gras

Day and the inevitable halt of Carnival festivities by

the arrival of Ash Wednesday and 40 days of Lent.

While the plaque’s directive may sound

unabashedly hedonistic, it’s obvious that Jax is

nothing of the sort. For the soft-spoken mom of

four grown children (the plaque was made by her

daughter), it’s really about letting go and starting

anew, something Jax has done many times during her

life, or as she phrases it, during “many lives lived”—

all tied together with art as a common thread.

A New Orleans native from Lakeview, Jax went to

St. Francis Cabrini Elementary, St. Joseph’s Academy

and Kennedy High School. After her marriage, she

and her husband lived “a series of adventures,” going

from upstate New York to a West Virginia farm and

then on to El Paso and Denver. For a time, she went

to medical school in the Dominican Republic.

Eventually settling in California, Jax, then

divorced, had a few adventures of her own. She

went to a culinary academy and opened a catering

business, studied business, marketing and life

coaching, and worked in sales at a software firm.

When she left that firm, she had a new name: “Jax.”

A co-worker, also from New Orleans, always greeted

her by a name associated with the city, like “Mardi

Gras,” “Sazerac” or “Pontchartrain Beach.” One day,

he called her “Jax Beer.” It stuck, and the woman-

formerly-known-as-Judith became “Jax” to one and

all. She says, “I could probably have gone back to

Judith when I returned to Louisiana, but I brought

Jax with me because it actually works as an artist’s

name. And besides, I was pretty used to it by then

and kind of liked it.”

After studying life coaching, Jax became certified,

started public speaking, wrote a book, The One Life

Plan, and became the host of The Sales Diva radio

show in San Luis Obispo, Calif. As a life coach and

public speaker, Jax worked with corporate and

private clients throughout the state. Life coaching,

she explains, involves helping people set a course for

where they want to get to in their lives. “Basically,

what I did, was take a snapshot of where they were

in their life, or where their business was, and ask,

‘Where do you want to be?’” she says. One task was

to keep clients looking forward. “I’d say, ‘Let’s not

look back in your life.’ I’m not a therapist; I’m not

qualified to do that. I’m qualified to get you from

where you are now to where you want to be. That’s

the way we worked.”

About seven years ago, Jax left California. After

a year in Sedona, Ariz., she landed “with both feet

on the ground” in Covington. She says, “I’m never

leaving home again.”

Through all of her many journeys, Jax painted.

She says, “The one thing I didn’t study in all those

Infinite PossibilitiesCover Artist Jax Frey

by Stephen Faure

>>

p

ho

to:

STEP

HEN

FA

UR

E

May-June 2013 15

Meet cover artist

Jax Freyand see some of her

favorite works on display at the

STHBA Raffle House

Maison du Lac Subdivision, 769 S.

Corniche du Lac Covington, La.

Tuesday,May 14, 2013

5:30-7:00 p.m. For more information, call

626-9684

Everyone’s Invited!

years was art! But I did paint, and I

knew that one day I would live my life

as an artist. I always felt like an artist

and knew it was just a matter of time.

As a life coach, I always told my clients,

‘Life is art. Make it a masterpiece.’”

Back in Louisiana, Jax decided she

had to choose between being an artist or a

life coach. She chose art, saying, “I haven’t

looked back since. But I tend to paint

what I used to coach. There is always

an inspirational or thought-provoking

message to all of my paintings.”

Jax has since made a successful

career as an artist, partly on the basis of

painting New Orleans-area landmarks.

She notes that, especially as a result

of Katrina, many of her childhood

landmarks have become things that

“ain’t there no more.” But that’s not

anything Jax dwells on. The landmarks

she does paint are all very much in

existence and still very much beloved.

“I do fine art, and then I do a line

of what I call ‘fun art,’” says Jax, whose

miniature paintings (the “fun art”) can

be found in area gift shops. “I call them

Little Views.” The 4-by-4-inch acrylics

feature a wide range of Louisiana- and

New Orleans-centric subjects; the city is

covered from Jackson Square to Jacques-

Imo’s restaurant. Our cuisine and taste

for adult beverages are mini-fodder for

Jax’s brush as well. Beignets; oysters and

crabs; Roman Candy; and a triptych of

jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo

are featured, as are Dixie and Jax (of

course!) beers and the Sazerac cocktail.

“I did the Sazerac for the Roosevelt

Hotel,” she says. Home of the Sazerac

Bar, the hotel carries Jax’s Little Views

in its gift shop. A miniature of the hotel

itself is in the works, too. “I’m trying to

develop a Roosevelt Hotel image, but for

some reason it’s hard to get a bead on.”

Jax’s fine art paintings, like this

issue’s cover, The Gathering, present

more of her spiritual side. “My fine art

is usually abstract figurative, usually of

women, and includes a certain kind of

message—like a secret message, if you

will—an inspirational message,” she says.

After she moved to Covington, Jax

started a group, the Women of Infinite

Possibilities, which meets monthly and

engages in a variety of activities. “It’s

going on its fourth year now, and it’s

really cool. We do a yearly retreat in

May-June 2013 17

July, and we use it for networking and

support. We go on trips together—we

have adventures!” she says. “We’ve been

canoeing together; we go to concerts;

we’re planning a women’s night out;

and we’re going to do a bus trip to a

plantation.”

The women appearing in

Jax’s paintings represent their own

possibilities. Some of her favorites she’s

kept in her own collection. “Life Strut.

It’s basically different things that can

happen to you in life,” she explains

about one of the paintings. “It’s a little

bit autobiographical. The desert, the

spirituality, walking through different

parts of the country and moving

forward—themes like that.”

Some are more poignant. Jax

says, “I painted Prayers to the Ones We

Love after losing a friend and thinking

about all the people we’ve lost in our

lives. We think about them up in

heaven—wishing them well, hoping for

abundance for them and that we’ll get to

see them again some time.”

Jax explains how our cover painting

came to be. “My paintings always have

themes. For this one, I knew I wanted a

group of women. I wasn’t sure they were

going to be on the beach, but I always

start with the women first and put the

backgrounds in later.”

And, just as with the inspired

name of her group, the canvas seems

to present Jax with infinite possibilities.

“I always get the feel of the women

first, but sometimes it just turns out to

be someone completely different than

I thought was going to show up. And

that’s kind of fun.”

Jax’s paintings can be found at

Arabella Fine Gifts and Home Decor, Rug

Chic, Simply Southern and at artbyjax.com.

Her Little Views miniatures are available

in area gift shops.

18 In s I d e no rt h s I d e

INSIDEthe definitive guide to northshore events and entertainment

May

1-31 Mandeville City Hall Artist of the

Month. Primitive artist Valree Eberle with

colorful local scenes and activities. Mandeville

City Hall, 3101 E. Causeway App. Mon-Fri,

9am-4:30pm. Free. Nancy Clark, 626-3144.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Botox Wednesdays. Dr.

Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin•Body•Health, 2040

N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Limited

appointments available. $265/area, $665/

whole face. 727-7676. skinbodyhealth.com.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wednesday at the Square.

Young Leadership Council concert series.

Lafayette Square, New Orleans. Free. 5-8pm.

wednesdayatthesquare.com.

2 Annieglass Trunk Show. Featuring latest

artistic tableware collection. Arabella Fine Gifts

and Home Décor, 3902 Hwy. 22, Mandeville.

5-8pm. Free. 727-9787.

2-5 Disney On Ice: Rockin’ Ever After.

Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., New

Orleans. Thurs, 7pm; Fri, 10:30am, 7pm; Sat,

11am, 3pm and 7pm; Sun 11am, 3pm and

7pm. (504) 280-7171. arena.uno.edu.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 New Baby Support

Group. Birth to 7 mos. Child development

and parenting tips. STPH Parenting Center,

1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

11:15am-noon. Free. 898-4435. stph.org.

3 The Travelin’ McCoury’s. Columbia

Theatre for the Performing Arts, 220 E.

Thomas St., Hammond. 7:30pm. $28-$36.

543-4366. columbiatheatre.org.

3 Whitney Zoo-To-Do. Silent auction, luxury

vehicle raffle, specialty cocktails and upscale

cuisine. Black tie or white linen suit. Audubon

Zoo, 6500 Magazine St., New Orleans.

8pm-midnight. auduboninstitute.org.

3-5 Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival.

Parc Hardy, 2090 Rees St., Breaux Bridge.

Fri and Sun, $5; Sat, $10. (337) 332-6655.

bbcrawfest.com.

3-5 Tickfaw 200 Poker Run. Benefitting

the TPSO Marine Division. Pick up cards

beginning at noon; turn in cards by 7pm.

bloodrivermarina.com.

June 15

An amazing collection of unique and

whimsical bicycles are on display. Many

bicycle owners will let you test ride their

bikes! Ask nicely! Features a bicycle

parade through historic downtown Abita

Springs. labicyclefestival.com.

Louisiana Bicycle Festival

1 Concert Series. Christy and the Rascals.

St. Tammany Parish Library, Pearl River

Branch, 64580 Hwy. 41. 6pm. Free.

863-5518.

1-14 Be The Face of Northshore

Square Mall. Register at guest services

or online by May 14. Voting online May

24-June 16. 150 Northshore Blvd., Slidell.

northshoresquareonline.com.

1-29 Covington Farmers Market.

Wed, Covington Trailhead, 419 N.

New Hampshire St., 10am-2pm; Sat,

609 N. Columbia St., 8am-noon. Free.

covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

1-31 Culinary Kids. Activities and classes

for children and adults. Call or visit the

website for more information and reservations.

727-5553. culinarykidsNS.com.

>>

4 2nd Annual Raffle House Run. 1

mile and 5K. Maison du Lac subdivision,

Covington. Warm-up, 7:45am; run, 8am. 882-

5002. raisingtheroof.net.

4 Jazz’n the Vines. Bring blankets, chairs

and picnics for an evening of music under the

stars. Pontchartrain Vineyards, Bush. 6:30-

9pm. $10; 17 and under, free. 892-9742.

pontchartrainvineyards.com.

4 Poker Run and Hot Wing Cook-Off.

Benefits Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa.

After party, live music and prizes. Hammond

Harley Davidson, 1530 SW Railroad Ave.

Registration, 8:30am. 215-1150.

4 Relay For Life West St. Tammany.

Fountainbleau High School, 100 Bulldog Dr.,

Mandeville. 6pm. Sponsorships and donation

opportunities available.

relayforlife.org/weststtammanyla.

4 Zephyrs’ Run for Home. 1 mile and 5k.

Portion of proceeds benefit Wounded Warrior

Project. Zephyr Field, 6000 Airline Dr., Metairie.

8:30am. $20. 883-8225. is.gd/eTYfVT.

4,5  Lena Prima & Band. The Carousel

Bar and Lounge, Hotel Monteleone, 214

Royal St., New Orleans. 9pm-1am. Free.

hotelmonteleone.com/carouselbar.       

4, 11, 18, 25 Camellia City Market. Robert

and Front Sts., Slidell. 8am-noon. Free.

camelliacitymarket.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 Hammond Farmers Market.

W. Thomas St. and S.W. Railroad Ave.,

Hammond. 9am-3pm. Terry Lynn Smith, 277-

5680 ext. 2. dddhammond.com.

4, 11, 18, 25 Mandeville Trailhead

Community Market. 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville.

9am-1pm. Free. mandevilletrailhead.org.

5 Cinco de Mayo All Day Fiesta. Carreta’s

Grill. Live music featuring Five Finger Discount

at 70360 Hwy. 21, Covington and Super

Charger at 137 Taos St., Slidell. 6-10pm.

Covington, 871-6674; Slidell, 847-0020.

5 Cinco De Mayo Party. La Carreta, 1200

W. Causeway App., Mandeville. 624-2990.

carretarestaurant.com.

20 In s I d e no rt h s I d e

5 Crawfishman Triathalon. Benefiting

Have a Heart Thru Art and Mary Bird

Perkins Cancer Center. Grande Hills, Bush.

7:30am. Individuals, $85; relay teams, $165.

crawfishman.net.

5 George’s Fiesta Block Party. Cinco

de Mayo celebration. George’s Mexican

Restaurant, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd.,

Mandeville. 11am-11pm. 626-4342.

georgesmexicanrestaurant.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 Microderm Mondays. Azure

Spa, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville.

Limited appointments available. $69. 727-

7799. theazurespa.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 New Baby Support Group.

Ages birth to 7 mos. STPH Parenting Center,

1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

11:15am-noon. Free. 898-4435. stph.org.

7, 14, 21 Play and Learn. Ages 16 mos to

4 yrs. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida

St., Ste. B, Covington. 9:30-10:15am. $15/

members; $24/child for nonmembers. 898-

4435. stph.org.

8 European Estate Sale. Northshore

Antiques and Auction House, 334 N. Vermont

St., Covington. 10am-4pm. 626-7704.

northshoreauctionhouse.com.

9 Blow-Dry Lounge Event. Featuring

Candy Apple Blog Shop and Haute Off The

Rack. 5:30pm. Studio 311 Salon, 311 E.

Gibson St., Covington. 327-7775.

9 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview Regional

Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd.,

Covington. 7-9pm. Free. 1-866-4LAKEVIEW.

lakeviewregional.com.

9,10,11 Mother’s Day Trunk Show. Designs

by Susannah Elle earrings, necklaces, ponytail

cuffs and more. Simply Southern, 70488 Hwy.

21, Covington. 871-1466.

9, 16, 23 Cuddle Buddies. Ages 8-15 mos.

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St.,

Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11am. $6/month

for members; $12/month nonmembers. 898-

4435. stph.org.

9, 16, 23, 30 New Baby Support Group.

Ages birth to 7 mos. STPH Parenting Center,

May-June 2013 21

>>

1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

11:15am-noon. Free. 898-4435. stph.org.

10 French Masters. Louisiana Philharmonic

Orchestra concert. First Baptist Church,

16333 Hwy. 1085, Covington. 7:30pm. $20-

$37. lpomusic.com.

10 Northlake Newcomers Installation

Luncheon. Style show by Belk’s. Beau

Chêne Country Club, 105 Beau Chêne Blvd.,

Mandeville. 10am. Reservations required by

May 3. Members, $26; Guests, $29. 792-4926.

10-11 Interactive Art Exhibition.

Alexandria Museum of Art. Riverfront area

of downtown Alexandria. Fri, 4-9pm; Sat,

9am-7pm. Kathy VonBieberstein, 898-3011.

10-25 Glamour Girls. Cutting Edge Theater,

747 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Fri and Sat, 8pm.

$20. 649-3727. cuttingedgetheater.com.

10-26 Chapter Two. Playmakers Theater,

19106 Playmakers Rd., Covington. Thurs-Sat,

8pm; Sun, 2pm. Adults, $15; students, $10.

892-9767. playmakersinc.com.

10-31 Art & Bloom on the Northshore.

Open theme art show. Slidell Memorial Hospital

Cancer Center, 1120 Robert Blvd. Opening

reception Fri, 7-9pm. Free during SMHCC

working hours. 847-9458. slidellartleague.info.

10-June 18 Hammond Art Guild 51st

Exhibit. 217 E. Thomas St., Hammond.

Tues-Fri, 1-5pm; Sat, 11am-3pm. Melissa

Griffin, 542-7113. hammondarts.org.

11 Book Signing. Actor Bryan Batt will sign

his books, She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Mother

and Big Easy Style. Wine and cheese served.

Hazelnut Mandeville, 2735 Hwy. 190, Mandeville.

1-4pm. 626-8900. hazelnutneworleans.com.

11 Color Me Rad New Orleans. Unique 5K

race benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

NOLA Motorsports Park, 11075 Nicolle Blvd.,

Avondale. 9 am. colormerad.com.

11 FORESTival 2013. A celebration of art

and nature. A Studio in the Woods, 13401

Patterson Rd., New Orleans. 11am-5pm.

(504) 392-5359. astudiointhewoods.org.

11 International Dragon Boat Festival.

Tchefuncte River, Madisonville. (416) 962-

8899. gwndragonboat.com.

11 Live Auction. Northshore Antiques

and Auction House, 334 N. Vermont

St., Covington. 11am. 626-7704.

northshoreauctionhouse.com.

11 Madisonville Art Market. Tchefuncte

River Front, Water St., Madisonville.

10am-4pm. Free. madisonvilleartmarket.com.

11 New Orleans Running Systems

Etouffee Run/Walk. Audubon Park, Shelter

No. 10, New Orleans. 8am. $25; 15 and

under, $15. nolarunning.com.

11 Second Saturday Art Walk. Downtown

Covington. 6-9pm. 892-1873. covla.com.

11 Swing in the Pines. Concert by the

Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Bogue

Falaya Park, Covington. 4-7pm. Free.

Non-perishable food donations collected

for the Covington Food Bank. 892-1873.

lpomusic.com.

11, 12, 16, 18, 19 St. Tammany

Parade of Homes. Various locations

throughout the Parish. Sat and Sun,

12pm-5pm; Thur, 5-8pm. 882-5002.

sttammanyparadeofhomes.com.

12 Mother’s Day in Mandeville. “A

Gift to the Street” Annual Home Tour. Art,

crafts and music. Old Mandeville. Tour,

2-5pm. $15; students, $12. Tickets on sale

noon-4pm at Jean Baptiste Lang House,

605 Carroll St. Nancy Clark, 626-4975.

oldmandevillehistoricassociation.org.

13, 20 Children in the Middle. For children

of divorcing parents. Ages 6-12 yrs. STPH

Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B,

Covington. 7-9pm. Register by 1 p.m. Friday,

May 10. $10/per child (max $20 per family).

898-4435. stph.org.

13, 20 Children in the Middle. For

divorcing parents. STPH Parenting Center,

1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

7-9pm. Register by 1 p.m. Friday, May 10.

$30/members; $35/non-members; $10/add’l

for couples. 898-4435. stph.org.

14 Meet the Artist. Meet Inside Northside

cover artist Jax Frey and view her available

work. STHBA Raffle House, 769 S. Corniche

du Lac, Covington. 626-9684.

14, 28 Figure Drawing Class. Includes

model, wine and cheese. Bring your own

drawing utensils and paper/newsprint.

STAA, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

6:30-9pm. $25. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

16 Chamber After Hours. With the Krewe

of Erin. Ponchatoula Country Market, 10 East

Pine St. 5:30-7pm. Ponchatoula Chamber of

Commerce, 386-2536.

16 Monthly Meeting. Women of Infinite

Possibilitiles. Discussion led by Pemmie

Sheasby of Oil & Vinegar. Grace Disciples

of Christ Church, Covington. Optional

lunch. 10am-noon. Sandra Slifer, 875-9388.

womenofwip.org.

16 “Raising the Roof for Charity” Raffle

House Early Bird Drawing. St. Tammany

Home Builders Association Raffle House in

Maison du Lac, 769 South Corniche du Lac,

Inside Scoop

May-June 2013 23

Covington. 7pm. 882-5002. raisingtheroof.net.

16 Hazelnut Ribbon Cutting and

Opening Ceremony. Refreshments, special

offers and prizes. Hazelnut Mandeville, 2735

Hwy. 190, Mandeville. 5-7pm. 626-8900.

hazelnutneworleans.com.

17 Meet Local Artist Keith Villere. Artisan

Home Décor, 3535 Hwy. 190, Mandeville.

5-7pm. 778-2113. artisanhomedecor.net.

17 Sunset at the Landing Concert.

Columbia Street Landing, 100 N. Columbia St.

6-9pm. Free. 892-1873. cityofcovington.org.

18 His Holiness Dalai Lama. Lakefront

Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., New Orleans. 1pm.

Doors open at 11am; no entry after 12:15pm.

$25. (504) 280-7171. arena.uno.edu.

18 Abita Opry. Abita Springs Town Hall,

22161 Level St. 7-9pm. $18. 892-0711.

abitaopry.org.

18 Taps on the Trace. Beer, food and

bands; children’s section. Covington

Brewhouse, 226 E. Lockwood St., Covington.

2-9pm. covingtonbrewhouse.com.

19 PurpleStride New Orleans 2013.

Timed 5K and 1 mile fun run to support the

fight against pancreatic cancer. City Park,

New Orleans. (877) 272-6226. mpettingill@

pancanvolunteer.org.

22 Empowered Parents Network Group.

STPH Family Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste.

B, Covington. 10am-noon. 898-4435. stph.org.

23 STHBA Spring Scholarship Golf

Tournament. Money Hill, Abita Springs.

9:30am. $125; team and sponsorship levels

available. sthba.org.

24-26, 31-May 2 Driving Miss Daisy.

North Star Theatre, 347 Girod St., Mandeville.

Fri and Sat 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm. $15-$30.

885-2000.

25 Jumpin’ into Summer. Children’s

event and family entertainment.

Covington Trailhead. 10am-noon. Free.

cityofcovington.org.

25 Memorial Swamp Pop Festival. Hidden

Oaks Family Campground, 21544 Hwy.

190 E, Hammond. Nita Vedros, 345-9244.

hiddenoaksfamilycampground.com.

25 Fat Boy New Orleans Run/Walk. City

Park, New Orleans. 8am. Chuck George,

NOLArunning@cox.net. nolarunning.com.

25 Reminiscing Covington’s Walker

Percy. Presented by Judge Frederick S.

Ellis. Fuhrmann Auditorium in the Greater

Covington Center, 317 N. Jefferson Ave.

7-9pm. Cultural Arts and Events, 892-1873.

covla.com.

25-26 Memorial Day Weekend Getaway.

Visit Ponchatoula for a day of shopping,

dining and more. Downtown Ponchatoula.

10am-5pm. ponchatoulachamber.com.

27 Veterans Appreciation Reception.

Bogue Falaya Hall in the Greater Covington

Center, 317 N. Jefferson Ave. 11am-1pm.

Free for veterans. Cultural Arts and Events,

892-1873. covla.com. >>

24 In s I d e no rt h s I d e

Inside Scoop

30-31 SSA Lacrosse Camp. Girls

ages 9-18. SSA Athletic Fields, 122 S.

Massachusetts St., Covington. 9am-3:30pm.

$90. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

31 Block Party. Downtown Covington.

5:30-9:30pm. Free. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

June

1 Art Market. Covington

Trailhead. 9am-noon. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

1 Big Green Egg Demonstration. Outloor

Living Center, 2101 N. Hwy. 190, Covington.

10am-2pm. Free. 893-8003.

1 Champagne Jewelers 65th Anniversary

Celebration. 65-day extended scavenger

hunt. Visit the store’s Facebook page for more

information. 643-2599.

1 City-wide Yard Sale. Maps available.

Ponchatoula. 8am-5pm. 386-2536.

ponchatoulachamber.com.

1 Raffle House Grand Prize Drawing. St.

Tammany Home Builders Association “Raising

the Roof for Charity” Raffle House Grand Prize

Drawing. Maison du Lac Subdivision, 769

S. Corniche du Lac, Covington. 2-2:30pm.

raisingtheroof.net.

1-2 Woods and Whites Tennis Event and

Gala. Benefiting Hartley’s Hearts. Dinner,

drinks, dancing and auction packages.

Stone Creek Club and Spa, Ochsner

Blvd., Covington. Gala Fri, 5:30-10pm. $75;

tennis event Fri and Sat, $90. 801-7140.

stonecreekclubandspa.com.

1-2 New Orleans Oyster Festival.

Woldenberg Park. Mon, 1-9pm; Tues, 2:30-

8:30pm. Free. neworleansoysterfestival.org.

1-29 Covington Farmers Market. Wed

and Sat; Wed, Covington Trailhead, 419

N. New Hampshire St., 10am-2pm; Sat,

609 N. Columbia St., 8am-noon. Free.

covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

1-30 Culinary Kids. Activities and classes

for children and adults. Call or visit the

website for more information and reservations.

727-5553. culinarykidsNS.com.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Camellia City Market.

Robert and Front Sts., Slidell. 8am-noon.

Free. camelliacitymarket.org.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Hammond Farmers

Market. W. Thomas St. and S.W. Railroad

Ave., Hammond. 9am-3pm. Terry Lynn Smith,

277-5680 ext. 2. dddhammond.com.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Mandeville Trailhead

Community Market. 675 Lafitte

St., Mandeville. 9am-1pm. Free.

mandevilletrailhead.org.

3 Covington Bicentennial Golf

Tournament. Money Hill Golf & Country

Club, 100 Country Club Dr., Abita Springs.

10am-5pm. Individuals, $150; Teams of 4,

$600. Glenn Hanson, 246-0230.

3-7 Guitar Camp. Boys and girls ages

10-15. SSA Campus, Room 94, 122 S.

Massachusetts St., Covington. 9am-noon

or 1-3pm. $125. 892-2540.

ssacad.com.

3-7 SSA Volleyball Skills Camp Week

1. Girls ages 8-14. SSA Gym, 122 S.

Massachusetts St., Covington. 9am-noon or

1-4pm. $115. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

3-7 Summer Fingerprints Art Camp.

STAA, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

9am-3pm. Members, $200; nonmembers,

$220. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.

org.

3-23 JPAS Youth Summer Musical

Theatre Intensive. Music Man. Kids in

grades third through seventh will perform a

musical upon completion of the program.

JPAS, 1118 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie. (504)

885-2000. jpas.org.

3, 10, 17, 24 Microderm Mondays. Azure

Spa, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville.

Limited appointments available. $69. 727-

7799. theazurespa.com.

4 , 11, 18 Play and Learn. Ages 16 mos

to 4 yrs. STPH Parenting Center, 1505

>>

N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 9:30-

10:15am. $15/members; $24/child for

nonmembers. 898-4435. stph.org.

5 Slidell Meeting. Women of Infinite

Possibilitiles. Discussion led by Kellie Holder.

Slidelll Memorial Imaging Center Women’s

Health Alliance Conference Room, 1495

Gause Blvd. 5-7pm. Sandra Slifer, 875-9388.

womenofwip.org.

5, 12, 19, 26 Botox Wednesdays. Dr.

Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin.Body.Health, 2040

N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Limited

appointments available. $265/area, $665/whole

face. 727-7676. skinbodyhealth.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 New Baby Support Group.

Birth to 7 mos. Child development and

parenting tips. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N.

Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 11:15am-noon.

Free. 898-4435. stph.org.

7-9, 14-16 Disney’s Cinderella. Attractions

Salon, 747 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Fri-Sat, 7pm;

Sun, 2pm. Adult, $16.50; students, $12.50.

649-3727. cuttingedgetheater.com.

8 Madisonville Art Market. Tchefuncte River

Front, Water St., Madisonville. 10am-4pm. Free.

madisonvilleartmarket.com.

8 Second Saturday Art Walk. Downtown

Covington. 6-9pm. 892-1873. covla.com.

8-28 JPAS Youth Summer Musical Theatre

Intensive. Bye Bye Birdie. Kids in grades third

through seventh will perform a musical upon

completion of the program. JPAS, 1118 Clearview

Pkwy., Metairie. (504) 885-2000. jpas.org.

9 Concert Series. Vintage Jazz Band. St.

Tammany Parish Libray, Slidell Branch, 555

Robert Blvd. 6pm. Free. 646-6470.

10-12 SSA Softball Camp. SSA Athletic

Fields, 122 S. Massachusetts St., Covington.

9am-noon. $75. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

10-14, 17-21 Myth Busters Science Camp.

Boys and girls ages 8-14. SSA Science

Lab, Room 281, 122 S. Massachusetts St.,

Covington. 9am-noon. $140. 892-2540.

ssacad.com.

10-14 SSA Student Council Camp. Boys

and girls ages 8-13. 122 S. Massachusetts

St., Covington. 1-4:30pm. $125. 892-2540.

ssacad.com.

10-14 SSA Volleyball Skills Camp Week 2.

Girls, grades first through fifth. SSA Gym, 122

S. Massachusetts St., Covington. 9am-noon.

$115. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

10-14 Summer Fingerprints Art Camp.

STAA, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

9am-3pm. $200, members; $220 nonmembers.

892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

10-28 JPAS Summer Conservatory

Session 1. High school students study with

industry leaders. JPAS, 1118 Clearview Pkwy.,

Metairie. (504) 885-2000. jpas.org.

11-14 SSA/SPS Cheerleading Camp. Girls

entering pre-K through eighth grade. SSA Gym,

122 S. Massachusetts St., Covington. 1-4pm.

$100. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

11, 25 Figure Drawing Class. Includes

Inside Scoop

May-June 2013 27

model, wine and cheese. Bring your own

drawing utensils and paper/newsprint. STAA,

320 N. Columbia St., Covington. 6:30-9pm.

$25. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

13, 14, 15 Father’s Day Show. Sculptor Todd

Goss’ wire-sculpture wildlife art. Simply Southern,

70488 Hwy. 21, Covington. 871-1466.

14 Kids Fest. Arts celebration for the whole

family. Slidell Municipal Auditorium, Slidell.

9:30am-noon. Free. 646-4375. slidell.la.us.

15 Louisiana Bicycle Festival. Features

bicycle parade and more. Abita Springs.

labicyclefestival.com.

15 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview

Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner

Blvd., Covington. 10am-12pm. Free.

1-866-4LAKEVIEW. lakeviewregional.com.

15 Northshore Cajun Dance. Abita Springs

Town Hall, 221 Level St. Dance lessons,

7-7:30pm; live music, 8-10:30pm. 887-1485.

15 Roller Derby Bout. North Shore Roller

Derby Lethal Ladies versus the East Texas

Bombers. Castine Center, Mandeville. 6pm

open, match starts 7pm. $12; $15 at the door.

northshorerollerderby.com.

17-21 Summer Fingerprints Art Camp.

St. Tammany Art Association, 320 N.

Columbia St., Covington. 9am-3pm. $200,

members; $220 non-members. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

18 Summer Series. Brown Bag Luncheon.

Noon-1pm. Ponchatoula Rotary Hut, Memorial

Park. 386-2536. ponchatoulachamber.com.

18 TechSmart Educational Conference for

Businesses. Northshore Harbor Center, 100

Harbor Center Blvd., Slidell. 8:30am-3pm. $59.

643-5678. estchamber.net.

19-21 Royalettes and Golden Blues Dance

Camp. Girls entering kindergarden-12th

grade. SSA Gym, 122 S. Massachusetts St.,

Covington. 9am-12:30pm. $85. 892-2540.

ssacad.com.

20 Business Expo 2013. St. Tammany

West Chamber of Commerce business-to-

business trade show. Lakeshore High School,

26301 Hwy. 1088, Mandeville. 3-7pm.

sttammanychamber.org.

20 Chamber After Hours. Networking,

conversation and business. 5:30-7pm.

Rosaryville Spirit Life Center, 39003 Rosaryville

Rd. Ponchatoula. ponchatoulachamber.com.

5 Monthly Meeting. Women of Infinite

Possibilitiles. Erical Morgan on “journaling.”

Grace Disciples of Christ Church, Covington.

Optional lunch. 10am-noon. Sandra Slifer, 875-

9388. womenofwip.org.

20-23 FestiGals. Empowerment workshops,

seminars, networking opportunities and

an insider’s glimpse into New Orleans. The

Historic French Quarter, New Orleans. $325.

1-855-GAL-WKND. FestiGals.org.

21 Sunset at the Landing Concert. Columbia

Street Landing, Covington. 6-9pm. Free. 892-

1873. cityofcovington.org.

21-22 TPSO Mounted Division Rodeo.

Florida Parishes Arena, 1301 N.W. Central Ave.,

Amite. 748-5914. fparena.com.

>>

28 In s I d e no rt h s I d e

21-23 Louisiana Catfish Festival. St.

Gertrude Catholic Church, 17292 Hwy.

631, Des Allemands. Fri, 5-11pm; Sat,

10am-11pm; Sun, 10:30am-8pm. Free. 758-

7542. louisianacatfishfestival.com.

22 Bra Genie event. Swim and bra fitting

event with Fantasy and Elomi. 2881 Hwy.

190, Mandeville. 10-5 pm. 951-8638.

22-26 IMA Conference and Exposition.

Network with other business colleagues

to acquire industry knowledge and remain

current with the latest professional standards

and trends. Hilton New Orleans Riverside, 2

Poydras St., New Orleans. (800) 638-4427.

imaconference.org.

23 The History of the African-American

Community in Covington. Presented by

Dr. Eva Baham. Fuhrmann Auditorium in the

Greater Covington Center, 317 N. Jefferson

Ave. 4pm. Cultural Arts and Events, 892-

1873. covla.com.

24-28 Summer Fingerprints Art Camp.

STAA, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

9am-3pm. Members, $200; Nonmembers,

$220. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.

org.

26 Empowered Parents Network Group.

STPH Family Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste.

B, Covington. 10am-noon. 898-4435. stph.

org.

28 Block Party. Downtown Covington.

5:30-9:30pm. Free. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

29 Bicentennial Parade. Downtown

Covington. Noon. 892-1873. covla.com.

29 Hemmings Motor News “Great Race.”

Motor sports enthusiasts racing from St.

Paul, Minn. to Mobile, Ala. stop in Covington

to show off their classic cars. Covington

Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St. 4:30-

8:30pm. Cultural Arts and Events, 892-1873.

covla.com; greatrace.com.

30 Classic Covington: Stories Behind

The Prints. Presented by historian

Howard Nichols and artist Suzanne

King. St. Tammany Art Association, 320

N. Columbia St., Covington. 892-8650.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

Inside Scoop

May-June 2013 29

Mandeville High senior Miles Berry has

played the saxophone since he was 12 years

old and has been studying jazz for about four

years. He says music is what he was born to

do. “It’s my purpose in life. I try to absorb

myself in music 24/7.” Though he has been

attracted to other instruments, like the drums,

the saxophone remains Miles’ main “axe.”

Miles, who also attends NOCCA, was

selected to be part of the 2013 Thelonious Monk

National Performing Arts High School All-Star Jazz

Sextet. The Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz is

named for the ground-breaking pianist and composer.

Monk is recognized as one of the most influential

figures in jazz history; the institute was created four

years after his death. Originally based in Washington,

D.C., the institute now has programs in New Orleans

and Los Angeles.

In early March, Miles traveled to Los Angeles for an

all-expenses-paid trip courtesy of the Monk Institute and

spent a week performing with internationally renowned

jazz recording artist Terell Stafford. Together, Stafford

and the all-star sextet performed for public schools

throughout Los Angeles. They also participated in

musical master classes in an effort to teach similarly aged

audiences about jazz and the important American values

it represents. “It was peer-to-peer learning,” says Miles.

“We were teaching them and they were teaching us.”

Miles plans to attend the New School for Jazz

and Contemporary Music in New York. His heroes on

the saxophone are John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

Coltrane’s life and music have “affected me positively and

the love and devotion he had for music is something very

inspirational,” Miles says. While he draws

from the experience and careers of musicians

before him, Miles does not plan to imitate

them. “There is no one whose career I would like to

emulate. I want to do what I can by being myself. Being

a musician is a lifelong process and it is something I will

be seeking for as long as I live.”

And Miles is well on his way!

Insider Miles Berry by Lauren Smith

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30 InsIde northsIde

AS A PRACTICING ORTHOPEDIC SPINE SURGEON,

Dr. John Logan is accustomed to treating patients and

giving medical care. However, roles were reversed

when Dr. Logan became the patient as he underwent

cardiac bypass surgery approximately one year ago for

blockages in his heart.

“Kissing my kids goodbye at 4 a.m. when I left

for heart surgery was the most frightening part. That

is something I cannot really describe,” Dr. Logan says.

“Seeing them after surgery two days later with smiles on

their faces was also indescribable.”

While riding bikes with his family on a vacation

in Gatlinburg, Dr. Logan developed pain in his chest,

left arm and neck. Being a very active person, the pain

seemed strange to him. He mentioned it to his wife

and, after returning home, made an appointment with

Dr. Jim Smith at the Louisiana Heart Hospital. Dr.

Smith ordered a cardiac catheterization to determine

the cause of his pain. The test revealed blockages in his

heart that required surgery.

“I considered the many options of great facilities

and surgeons for heart surgery, like the Cleveland

Clinic and the Mayo Clinic. I certainly wanted to

make the best choice,” says Dr. Logan. “Right here

at the Louisiana Heart Hospital, Dr. John Breaux is

profoundly respected as a heart surgeon. I reviewed

his statistics from the last 10 years, and made the

best choice.

“The surgery went just about as well as it could

go,” Dr. Logan says, “People ask me how I am doing

after my heart attack, but I did not have a heart attack.

My symptoms gave me the warning I needed to get

checked out.”

Dr. Logan has since returned to life as normal

and resumed his role as a surgeon. He is also back to

fishing, hunting and spending time with family and

friends. “I hold my family a little closer,” he says. “I

would also like to think that I am a little calmer, but

my wife and my staff would probably argue that point.”

Dr. Logan is eternally grateful for the support from

his family and friends, especially from his wife and

children.

IN Better Health

with Dr. John Logan

Health Concern:

Chest pain and heart blockages

Treatment: Cardiac bypass surgery

by Kaley Boudreaux

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“My wife Missy is my rock. She

was profoundly strong throughout

the whole thing. She and the kids

supported me every day,” he says. “I am

also grateful to my nurse practitioner

and my physician partners who kept

things running smoothly while I was

out. It meant the world to me. From

the guy who puts my scrubs out in the

hospital each morning, to the operating

room staff, to my practice manager, the

list goes on—I could not have made it

through this as easily without them.”

Members of his concerned staff often

remind him of what he should and

should not be doing.

Dr. Logan says, “I go to the hospital

cafeteria and order breakfast—eggs, bacon

or biscuits—and no matter what I order,

when I get to the end of the line, it is a

bowl of oatmeal on my tray!”

32 InsIde northsIde32 InsIde northsIde

From Ruin to

by Poki HamptonRebirth

May-June 2013 33

Opposite: The

gracefully curving

spiral staircase

was only partially

constructed when

the Peraltas bought

the house. Today, it

is finished in hand-

applied plaster, with

iron balusters and

cypress steps.

Above: Exterior of

house when first

purchased by the

Peraltas. Below:

The transformed

home, with beautiful

but simple tropical

landscaping, is

accessed by a slate

tile walk.

IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE that it took Katie and

Emilio Peralta less then one year to completely

transform the dilapidated ruin they bought in Old

Mandeville into an elegant yet casual home for

themselves and their three young daughters. “A

Realtor friend sent us pictures of the house, which

was just a shell,” says Katie. “My parents and I

drove by one day, and my dad said, ‘Keep going.’

“At a later date, my mom and I literally

climbed into the house to check it out and saw

that it had really good bones. It was a beautiful

shell with so much potential.” There were no

floor boards on the porch, so shaky stringers were

used to get inside. Doors, bathtubs, windows and

moldings were stacked everywhere. “It looked like a

treasure trove of incredible stuff, so we bought the

house and started working.”

Katie and Emilio were able, with the assistance

of EMB Interiors head designer Ellen Bajon, to

create a floor plan and map out the electrical,

plumbing and lighting systems. “There were

no plans at all, so we had to crawl over doors,

windows and boards to measure each room,” says

Ellen. “I thought Katie and Emilio were very brave

to tackle such a big project.”

They soon learned that the previous owner

had taken down the original house piece by

piece, salvaging and storing everything for re-use.

He began restoring it and poured 49 gracefully

proportioned concrete piers for support under the

house, but then put the house on the market.

In classic Creole-Caribbean style, the exterior

has transoms over French doors and large porches

wrapping around the front and sides of the house. >>

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34 InsIde northsIde

Although the yard is small, it is filled with modern

tropical landscaping. A syrup kettle fountain is the focal

point of the front walk, which is made of slate tiles.

The 49 columns create space beneath the house for

entertaining, with a built-in fireplace for chilly nights.

Katie hired carpenters and craftsmen

recommended by EMB Interiors to create new

moldings to match old ones, repair windows and

doors and salvage every bit of hardware. There was

an entire palate of old hardware among the treasures.

“I found a retired doctor here in Mandeville who

repairs and restores antique hardware. I took him

everything, and he was able to resurrect knobs,

latches and box locks,” says Katie.

The bones of the sensuous spiral staircase were

there when the Peraltas bought the house, but it

was just bare wood. Wrought iron balusters and

handrails were added, along with hand-planed

antique reclaimed cypress boards for the treads. The >>

Above: The family

enjoys many meals

at the 10-foot

trestle table in the

breakfast room. In

the background is

the spacious kitchen,

with cabinets painted

a soft grey. Right: The

paneled walls in the

powder room, which

are painted a deep

charcoal, are original

to the house. The

custom mirror is set

into the paneling. An

intricate mosaic of

Lagos Azul limestone

and white Carrera

marble adds interest

to the floor.

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36 InsIde northsIde

outside of the beautiful

graceful curve is in

hand-finished plaster.

Hallway walls are

painted in a soft

creamy grey. Over

the spinet piano are

a small watercolor by

Daughdrill, framed in

an antique wooden

frame, and a carved

wooden sconce in

Parisian grey with

silver leaf and hand-blown glass teardrops. Across from the

piano is a wall filled with both contemporary and traditional art.

The long antique cypress bench is from a local antique shop.

For the paneled walls in the powder room, which are

original, Ellen chose a deep charcoal grey paint with a hint

of blue. A vintage-style chest is topped with a Carrera marble

slab that has an extended ogee edge. Reflected in the custom

mirror inset into the existing molding are the white porcelain

sink and the chrome faucet, which has faceted Swarovski

crystal handles. Two silver leaf, wood, iron and faceted

crystal bead sconces flank the mirror. Completing the look

are four framed architectural prints. The ground of the floor

is a tiny mosaic in Lagos Aqule limestone and white Carrera

marble; the same limestone is used for the border.

The classic Queen Anne-style dining room furniture came

from Katie’s grandmother. The end chairs are upholstered in

a heavy embroidered geometric silk while other chairs are in

a solid textured grey. Draperies framing the salvaged French

doors that open onto the gallery porch are in ash-color classic

Colton cotton. The large two-tier chandelier is antiqued silver

iron with strands of beaded crystals. Anchoring a corner is an

antique-style planter with an over-spilling plant. The rug is in

muted tones of silver and grey.

Entertaining is a breeze with the butler’s pantry. The

Carrera marble top over painted cabinets from Milltown

Cabinets is an excellent place to make drinks or place

serving pieces. The backsplash is in shimmering geometric

herringbone tiles in tones of taupe, grey and cream. A wine

refrigerator and dishwasher make for an efficient space.

The spacious keeping room/informal dining room is in

the back of the house. Featured are an oversized sectional

sofa in a textured linen weave and a tufted leather ottoman

in taupe-grey, which serves as a cocktail table. The same

textured linen weave fabric is used on the chairs that flank >>

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May-June 2013 37

Opposite page: Antique

hardware throughout

the house was cleaned

and re-worked by a local

Mandeville artisan.

An Aquatic air tub is

the centerpiece of the

spacious master bath.

It sits on a platform of

tumbled Botticino tile,

backed by Moroccan-

style tiles in grey and

paneled mirrors with gold

leaf sconces. Cypress

floors extend into the

bathroom’s vestibule.

38 InsIde northsIde

Above: The formal

dining room is

decorated in soft

grey and cream

with silver accents. 

Right: The breakfast

room before

renovation.

the 10-foot-long trestle table. Two chandeliers,

which carry the theme of beaded strands with

turned wood, iron and silver leaf, hang over the

table. Leading to the porch is a refurbished antique

door with arched seeded glass. The draperies are

woven textured cotton in a cream and grey damask

print. Adding a pop of interest beside the table is a

large abstract painting in bold colors.

In the kitchen, rustic cypress beams,

reminiscent of antique kitchens, were added. Three

windows original to the house provide a view to

the lake. Over the large island hang two bronze

lanterns, and an antique French dough bowl

holding plants and fruit is a natural centerpiece.

The cabinets, painted in soft grey, are topped with

Cristallo Quartzite, which has a translucent quality.

The contemporary cabinet hardware and the

antique hardware on the windows meld perfectly,

creating a timeless sophisticated look. The French

stove is La Cornue. The backsplash is 2-inch-by-5-

inch subway tiles in white crackled glass.

The master bath is a study in serenity. Leading

into the vestibule are reclaimed arched seeded glass

doors. The focal point is the aquatic air tub, which

sits on an elevated platform of tumbled Botticino

tile. Moroccan-shaped tiles cover two-thirds of

the back wall while paneled mirrors and gold-leaf

sconces top the tile. Picking up the color of the

cabinets, the oversized double sink with an eased

edge is constructed of Calcutta Vagli honed marble

with veining in taupe and grey. The wall-mounted

gooseneck faucets are in burnished bronze. On a

mirror cut to fit exactly over the sink are two gold-

leaf sconces with drum shades. “Working with

Katie was very easy – she knew what she wanted

the house to look like as an end product, which

made things very easy on our end! She was a

pleasure to work with,” says Dwayne Carpenter of

Northlake Glass.

“EMB Interiors was so instrumental in helping

me along the way,” says Katie. “They recommended

craftsmen who were experienced in working with

reclaimed wood and loved restoration. EMB drew

the plans for the whole house, moving walls,

putting in plumbing and lighting. They also helped

me with the paint colors.”

“Katie was a dream to work with on this

project,” says Ellen. “Helping her restore the house

to its former glory and beyond was a pleasure.

Seeing it all come to fruition is really rewarding.”

Together Katie and the EMB Interiors team have

created a sophisticated, stylish home where all of the

details have been carefully thought out to create a

seamless collection of lighting, color and fabrics.

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40 InsIde northsIde

Southeastern Lions

head foodtball

coach Ron Roberts.

by Erin Cowser

Coaching Winners

Southeastern Lions’ Ron RobertsALL THE TROPHIES, plaques, awards, framed

magazine covers, published articles and countless

other photos and accolades suggest otherwise,

but according to Southeastern Lions head football

coach Ron Roberts, it’s not all about the X’s and

O’s. When asked about the secret of his coaching

success, Roberts’ immediate response is that

football is as much about coaching players to be

winners in life as it is about coaching them to win

on the gridiron. He does both.

“It’s having a group of men take the field as a

team versus having a group of boys do so,” he says.

“What is a man? It’s not your age or whether you’re

married or have children or a career. It’s being

accountable to yourself, your family, and, in our

case, your football family. Men win football games.”

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May-June 2013 41

>>

Roberts and his coaching staff

strive to instill the right attitude,

trustworthiness, accountability and

a respect for responsibility in their

players. In his 2012 inaugural season

at Southeastern, this holistic approach

translated into a 5-2 record in Southland

Conference action, which marked the

most wins in conference play since 1978.

Roberts’ overall record is 52 wins

and 22 losses (Gulf South Conference:

29-7 and Southland Conference: 5-2).

Prior to coming to Hammond, he led

his Delta State teams to two NCAA

Super Region II titles, including an

appearance in the 2010 NCAA Division

II National Championship game and

the 2011 semifinals, plus Coach of the

Year praise and many other impressive

accomplishments.

Although he has plenty of reasons

to brag, Roberts remains relatively

modest. Some in the community have

even called him reserved (although

his coaching staff and players say

otherwise—at least when he’s in the

locker room or on the sidelines). On

the corner of his desk sits a well-

worn Coach’s Bible with Psalm 101

bookmarked. It reads, “I will live with

integrity of heart in my house.”

“If you go out there and do

everything wrong but still win, you’re

not doing a service to your players,

coaches or fans,” Roberts says. “One of

the best parts of being a coach is when a

former player calls five or 10 years after

graduation and tells me about his wife

and kids, and by the way, he just got

a big promotion, too. That’s when you

know you’re doing something right.”

It makes sense that a man who

grew up at the base of a Sequoia Forest

mountain in the Central Valley region

of California would teach players that

they can stand tall no matter what the

scoreboard says as long as they’ve played

42 InsIde northsIde

to the best of their abilities. “It’s the part of

California where there are more cowboy

hats than surfboards,” Roberts says, while

donning a crisp Lions button-up and

sturdy leather boots.

Roberts came to Louisiana from

California via Tennessee—where he met

his wife, Didi, and played linebacker for

the University of Tennessee-Martin—

and Mississippi, where he was defensive

coordinator and head coach of Delta

State. He says that, while Louisiana and

California are both “football states,”

there’s a definite difference between the

two. “Football in the South is more of

a way of life than just a game. I have

absolutely no complaints about the great

people or the food here, either!”

Roberts begins his second year as

head football coach at Southeastern this

fall, looking to build on the excitement

of the Lions’ most successful season

in the Southland Conference since the

school joined the league in 2005.

In Roberts’ first victory in Hammond,

Southeastern rallied from a 14-point

deficit to gain a 25-24 win over nationally

ranked McNeese State. In addition to

that win, the Lions scored victories over

Northwestern State and Nicholls State,

marking the first-ever sweep of the

school’s in-state rivals in a season.

He also has a knack for helping

catapult several talented student-athletes

into the NFL. He coached Pittsburgh

Steeler corner Ricardo Colclough and

Cleveland Browns wide receiver L.J.

Castile. And by the time this article is

published, former Lions cornerback

Robert Alford may have been chosen in

this year’s NFL Draft.

“When Coach Roberts and his

staff came in, they emphasized the

importance of being family-oriented

and showed that they cared about the

players,” says Alford, who recently

participated in the Senior Bowl and

had an impressive showing at the NFL Combine.

“As a coach, he taught me a lot of things about pass

coverage to prepare me to play at the next level. He

and the entire coaching staff expect and take nothing

less than 150 percent from you.”

“I can’t control how talented the other team is or

how well prepared the other team is,” Roberts says.

“I can and must, however, control how well we’re

prepared. That’s my job.” It’s a responsibility Roberts

takes seriously, and his coaching staff shares his ideals

and vision for Lions football.

“We play serious football,” said linebacker coach

Karl Scott. “And we like to have fun while doing so.”

One example is a recent fast and furious marshmallow

toss, part of the team’s Gridiron Games semester-long

competition among teams of 10 players each. Scott

explains that the teams earn points throughout each

semester for things like visiting local nursing homes

and reading to elementary school children.

The marshmallow toss, in which each player has

one chance to catch a marshmallow in his mouth that

is thrown by a teammate, and an end-of-semester

dodge ball game are examples of other point-earning

possibilities. What makes the competitions even more

appealing to the players is that the winning teams in

both the toss and dodge ball contests get to then take

on the coaching staff to declare domination and earn

bragging rights. Who won the coaches vs. winning

players team marshmallow toss playoff this semester?

With the help of a stellar marshmallow mouth catch

by Roberts, the coaches can now lay claim to the

marshmallow toss champion title.

Running backs coach E.K. Franks says Roberts’

May-June 2013 43

Above: Linebacker

#46 at the

University of

Tennessee at

Martin, where

Roberts helped

guide them to

the 1988 Gulf

South Conference

Championship.

Left: Coach Roberts’

holistic approach

translated to a

5-2 record in

the Southland

Conference.>>

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use of activities like the Gridiron Games concept,

which help the players to get to know each other and

buildstremendous camaraderie for the team, is just

one example of what makes Roberts such an excellent

coach. “He is the real thing,” Franks says. “I’ve had

the privilege of coaching under Bill Snyder at Kansas

State, Barry Alvarez at the University of Wisconsin

and Brett Bielema at the University of Arkansas. They

are all highly respected as coaches. However, I truly

feel working under Coach Roberts is the highest

honor and experience I’ll have in my coaching career.”

With a lighthearted quip, defensive coordinator

Pete Golding adds that Roberts is a fairly good

prankster. “He keeps us laughing. And he’s a horrible

golfer, too.”

All joking aside, where does Roberts see

the Lions five years from now? He has no doubt

Southeastern will be a premier program. “We’ll be a

top-10 team, competing for a national championship,”

he says without hesitation.

Roberts wants to make sure the northshore

knows there is high-quality football in Hammond at

Southeastern. “When you come out to support the

Lions, I guarantee you will see an exciting brand of

football, and,” he adds, “you’ll be backing a winner.”

In order for the team’s success to continue,

Roberts says he plans to recruit as many local players

as possible who fit the needs of the team. “We’re

going to go after the ones we want. However, I’m not

one to say that if we don’t get our first choices, we’ll

take someone simply because they’re local. We’ll go

anywhere in the country to get the players we want—

the ones who have the ability and the mindset to be a

part of the Lions football family.”

One of those players Roberts wanted is

quarterback Brian Bennett, who came to Southeastern

from the Pacific Northwest. He traded in his

Oregon duck feathers and headed south to become

44 InsIde northsIde

Above: 35-16 was

the final score of

the Lions vs. Nicholls

River Bell Classic.

Right: Coach

Roberts.

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May-June 2013 45

Southeastern Lions 2013

Football Schedule

Aug. 29 Southeast Missouri

Sept. 7 at TCU

Sept. 14 at South Dakota State

Sept. 21 at Samford

Oct. 5 Incarnate Word

Oct. 12 Stephen F. Austin

Oct. 19 at Northwestern State

Oct. 26 Lamar (Homecoming)

Nov. 2 at McNeese State

Nov. 9 at Central Arkansas

Nov. 16 Sam Houston State

Nov. 21 Nicholls State

For kickoff times, go to LionSports.net.

a Southeastern Lion. “When I was

considering a transfer, I had a lot of

people say really good things about

Coach Roberts,” Bennett says. “Now that

I’m here, I can say they all were true.

Coach is a winner. He’s a leader. And,

he’s a teacher. We have some really great

things going on here. It’s exciting.”

Linebacker Cqulin Hubert, who

transferred from Texas Tech, agreed.

“He is our family. Thanks to Coach

Roberts, we have fun, but we also get

business done.”

Roberts adheres to the belief that

it’s not about whether you win or lose;

it’s how you play the game. Perhaps it’s

this balanced approach to football that

continues to increase the numbers in his

win column. Whatever it is, we like it!

GO LIONS!

Season tickets for Lions football

start as low as $90. Family Pride Packs

of four tickets to a game are only $45.

Call 549-5466 or 1-866-LION-TIX or go

to lionsports.net for tickets or tailgating

information.

EvergreenPlantationby Ann Gilbert

46 InsIde northsIde

May-June 2013 47

PHILANTHROPIST AND OIL HEIRESS

Matilda Geddings Gray of Lake Charles was a

businesswoman and also an artist, having attended

the Newcomb College School of Art. Gray’s

interests ranged far and wide, from collecting

woven Indian costumes in Guatemala to learning

book binding in France and studying with a Greek

sculptor. She admired objects of exceptionally good

design, whether small or large, and collected houses

like some women collect shoes.

When vacant and crumbling plantation homes

on the River Road north of New Orleans were being

leveled to make way for progress in the mid-1900s,

Gray plucked Evergreen Plantation in Edgard on

the west bank of the Mississippi from that fate. The

year was 1946.

Unmarried when her father, John Geddings

Gray, died in 1921, she, not her brothers, took

the reins of his oil and timber business. It was

a remarkable move for the time, but she was a

remarkable woman. Matilda Gray possessed a keen

intelligence, a strong drive and confidence in her

ability, say those who knew her.

To help her re-do her country estate, she

turned to New Orleans architect Richard Koch, who

was known for his restoration of historic Natchez

properties and Oak Alley. Gray was one of several

preservationists rescuing plantation homes from

death by decay around that time. Others were the

Crozats at Houmas House, the Stewarts at Oak Alley

and the Judices at L’Hermitage, all on River Road.

When Gray chose Evergreen Plantation, she

acquired not only a grand house in the Greek

Revival tradition, but 37 other structures, mostly

antebellum (built before the Civil War). Of key

historic importance in the description of this

historic property are the 22 slave cabins. No other

plantation in the South can boast of this many.

Author Richard Sexton calls them “a melancholy

vestige of the institution of slavery.”

The cabins remain in their original, double-row

configuration, and 82 live oak trees, estimated to

be about 200 years old, shade the cabins. This allée

of oaks is not in front of the house, as one might

expect. Evergreen was well known for its formal

garden encompassing the front lawn. The highly

photographed oak allée is on the side, stretching

back to the cane fields in a vanishing point. The >>

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Opposite: View

of Evergreen

Plantation, with

its Greek Revival

façade, from River

Road. Above:

Twenty-two slave

cabins sit beside

the rows of 82

live-oak trees.

48 InsIde northsIde

trees were reportedly planted by a slave woman

whose name has been lost to history, according to

Mary Ann Sternberg in Along the River Road.

If the slave cabins give you pause, add one

more statistic to Gray’s acquisition on River Road—

2,263 acres of land with sugar cane fields, a swamp

and even a piece of Lac des Allemands. Imagine

your lot measuring about three miles deep!

Because of the history of the house, the

agricultural heritage and the slave cabins, Evergreen

sits beside Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in having

achieved the nation’s highest National Landmark

historic designation. It is also on the National

Register of Historic Places. But Evergreen was in

need of a makeover, and Gray tackled it with the

confidence of the CEO that she was.

When Gray acquired Evergreen, it had been

sitting neglected and forlorn for about 14 years.

Bought by Alfred and Edward Songy in 1894, it

had been known previously as the Becnel Plantation

for 100 years; the Songys named it Evergreen.

Some 35 years later, hard times struck with mosaic

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Plantation from

the rear showing

the formal

boxwood garden.

May-June 2013 49

disease attacking the cane and a record-setting flood

swamping the fields. The Depression followed soon

after. Farmers could not recover from that many

lost crops, and many plantations were taken over

by banks during this period, including Evergreen.

The Early DaysThe story of Evergreen begins with the arrival

of the Germans at the port of New Orleans in the

1700s. Ambroise Heidel (which became Haydel)

and his five sons lived along the west bank of the

Mississippi. The extended family eventually owned

five miles of river frontage on the so-called German

Coast. Ambroise’s son Christophe farmed the site

of present-day Evergreen, where indigo was the

predominant crop in the 1700s; later it was rice.

Slaves did the field work and may have built the

French Creole house, circa 1790, for Christophe

and his wife, Charlotte Oubre. Christophe’s brother

built Whitney Plantation next door.

The two raised houses were similar, with wide

galleries and short wooden columnettes on the >>

50 InsIde northsIde

upper-floor balcony. The raised living

area was one-room deep and three-

rooms wide, called “en suite,” meaning

no center hall. One walked onto the

front or back porch to enter another

room. Beneath the living area was an

open space among the brick support

columns. A brick “floor” was laid

underneath the house over sand, which

provided drainage for the seasonal

flooding. Sometimes referred to as a

West Indies design, the Heidel house

was a striking salmon color, originating

from the plaster used on the bricks.

Christophe’s daughter, Magdelaine

Heidel Becnel, inherited the plantation

when he and his wife died in 1799,

about 140 years before Matilda would

own it. There, Magdelaine raised her

eight children and her young, orphaned

grandson, Pierre Clidamant Becnel,

whose parents died of yellow fever.

“In that day, it was customary

to marry your cousins, and four of

Magdelaine’s children married four

Heidel first cousins who lived next

door at Whitney,” says Jane Boddie,

director of Evergreen.

The Becnel PlantationMagdelaine died in 1830, at the

amazing age of 75, and Clidamant

Becnel bought out the other heirs

to his grandmother’s home. He had

a great interest in architecture and

traveled to Philadelphia for a year to

study Greek Revival design, introduced

in the early 1800s by Englishman

Benjamin Latrobe, who designed the

U.S. Custom House in New Orleans.

Clidamant didn’t build his dream

house. Instead, he reconstructed the

ancestral family home, giving it a

May-June 2013 51

stunning Greek Revival exterior while retaining the

French Creole interior floor plan. Boddie suggests

he may have received advice from Samuel Hermann,

who built the Hermann-Grima House in the French

Quarter and was married to Clidamant’s Aunt Marie.

The contract with the builder, John Carter from

St. Charles Parish, still exists. It called for enclosing

the open basement and adding three rooms, raising

the existing floor two feet and raising the roof 31

inches. There was to be the appearance of a terrace

or balcony on the roof, and “two winding stairs of

grace and elegance.” The contract also noted that

Carter and his two assistants would receive “bed,

board and washing during execution of the work.”

Carter’s pay was $1,800 at the start of the job and

the same amount at completion.

Clidamant was quite the recycler. He

stipulated in the contract, “Do the work in such

a way as to prevent a useless waste of materials.”

Approximately 300,000 bricks from Uncle Sam

Plantation (dismantled because the levee was being

moved) were ferried across the river for use in the

reconstruction.

In Ghosts Along the Mississippi, Clarence

Laughlin describes the striking front façade. “A

pedimented portico appears to receive the two fine

free-standing staircases that curve through the air >>

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Above: View of one of the pigeonniers, which were

used for raising pigeons and squab for the dinner table.

Below: One of two curved free-standing staircases.

52 InsIde northsIde

to the second floor.” That pedimented portico is a

defining Greek Revival detail.

Richard Lewis in his Vestiges of Grandeur, calls

the sweeping double stairway on a Greek Revival

house “an unusual aspect.” Because of it, Sam

Wilson suggests in Louisiana History (Winter 1990)

that the designer of the Beauregard Keyes house,

with its similar stairs, might have been Clidamant

Becnel’s architect. But he says, “It may have been

Becnel himself who drew the nine plans mentioned

in the contract, which have not been found.”

John Latrobe (Benjamin’s son) wrote, “The

climate in the South requires all the shade that can be

procured, and to obtain it, the body of the building is

surrounded by galleries.” The gallery is eight feet wide.

Clidamant encircled his home on three sides with

massive Doric columns of plastered brick.

Ever wondered how they made those round

brick columns? “They used pie-shaped bricks,”

explains Boddie. “We have one of the old molds.

The columns were open in the center, first covered

with lime plaster and then coated with lime wash,

as we still do now.”

Standing on the gallery, one can glance at the

18-inch stuccoed brick walls, original from the

1790 French house, and see how they are scored

to resemble stone. The porch floors are pine and

contain an interesting detail, a bowtie-shaped

piece of wood that appears to attach the planks to

each other. This architectural detail is also used

in the loggia in the rear, which Gray enclosed to

provide more living area. (Gray also re-did—her

favorite word—the kitchen in the former butler’s

pantry and put bathrooms in the upstairs cabinets

(cabinays), which were small rooms at the rear

corners used for bathing the children or the help.)

The Evergreen house seen today is the creation

of Clidamant, including the six dependencies,

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The parlor on the

main floor, with a

portrait of an early

Creole woman.

May-June 2013 53

ordered and symmetrical in their

placement. The two garçonnières were

for teenage sons who were banished

from the main house and allowed to

have guests in their private quarters.

Lewis writes, “They provided a

modicum of privacy for unmarried

male members of the family.” The two

pigionniers, with interesting round

windows, were considered status

symbols by the French and used for

raising pigeons and squab, delicacies on

the dining room table.

Immediately behind the big house,

facing the parterre garden, was a separate

building housing the kitchen and a

building for the house slaves, who

needed to be in proximity to their jobs—

cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and

caring for the children and the sick.

The architectural “piece de resistance”

was the Greek Revival privy with four

seats, two on either side of a dividing wall.

It holds center stage behind the mansion

and is just a short walk through the

garden. Two famous writers commented

on the extraordinarily beautiful outhouse.

Clarence Laughlin wrote, “It tells us so

gracefully of the height achieved in the

art of living by the plantation culture.”

Richard Sexton gets more to the point,

describing the privy as a “diminutive 19th

century temple…to human hygiene.”

Evergreen today has an unusual

combination carriage house/stable/

milking barn, because architect Richard

Koch joined several of these service

buildings into one during Gray’s

restoration. The old sugar house (mill)

is gone, along with many of the other

buildings that served the sugar cane

factory. Plantations were, indeed,

factories, and their purpose was to >>

54 InsIde northsIde54 InsIde northsIde

produce a cash crop on a massive scale

for the international market.

Before the Civil War, processing

cane was a long, arduous and dangerous

task that began by cutting it with a

machete. Cane juice squeezed from the

stalks was boiled in huge, open cast-

iron kettles, which are re-used today

as fountains in home gardens. Great

progress was made in the vacuum-pan

processing of cane by Norbert Rillieux,

a scientist and free person of color from

New Orleans, who spent years working

in Paris. (He was a cousin of the famous

Impressionist painter Edgar Degas.)

Rillieux’s invention was called one of

the greatest in chemical engineering.

Be that as it may, when he visited a

plantation to introduce his invention to

the planter, he could not stay in the big

house, nor could he stay in the slave

quarters. Special arrangements had to

be made because of his mixed race;

Rillieux was a quadroon, one-quarter

black. >>

May-June 2013 55

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Top: The slave

cabins remain

today in their

original double-

row configuration.

Left: Floral print

and antiques

decorate one of

the bedrooms.

56 InsIde northsIde

It is said there was a building for everything on

a plantation, which, in reality, was a self-contained

and self-sustaining village. The plantation store

was the mall of its day, and several old stores

exist up and down River Road. Steamboats and

packets often docked right over the levee, bringing

everything from guests that might stay for one

month to fine dresses for the mistress of the house

to machinery for the mill.

In redesigning the family home, Clidamant fell

into bankruptcy in 1835. He no doubt filled the

mansion with antiques from New York and Europe.

He would have had to buy slaves, as they did not

transfer with the land. Whatever the causes, he was

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The large

kitchen is

separate from

the house.

May-June 2013 57

forced to sell to his cousin, Lezin Becnel,

who graciously allowed Clidamant and

his wife, Desiree Brou, to continue to live

in the house. When Clidamant died in

1854 without children, the house was

bought back by Lezin and was owned

by Becnels until it was sold in 1894 to

the two Songy brothers. For 100 years,

the place had been called The Becnel

Plantation, but the Songys named it

Evergreen.

The Songy YearsFour interesting stories have

surfaced from the Songy era. Sternberg

writes in Along the Mississippi that

Evergreen may have had a ghost. A

young teacher and frequent guest at

the plantation died unexpectedly. Soon

after, the piano began to play with no

one seated at the keyboard.

Although the River Road planters

founded a college at Manresa, the

young people were often sent off to

school. One young Songy prayed

that something would happen so she

wouldn’t have to go away to school.

About that time, the Songys lost their

home. Decades later, this elderly

woman told Boddie that she still had

regrets about what she did.

Another descendant, Sylvia

Songy Davis (Alfred was her great-

grandfather) says, “We always heard

the buyers wanted all the family to

live together.” That makes sense,

because several residential buildings

on the property date to the Songy

era, including the one housing the

Evergreen museum and ticket office.

Davis also recalls that as a child, when

guests were in town, her father would

ask Matilda Gray if he could take them >>

58 InsIde northsIde

to see the house. “She always said yes.

I think she understood the connection

the family still had for Evergreen and

felt empathy for them,” Davis says.

Amazingly, though the Songys

lost the property in 1930, descendants

of that family still manage and work

the cane fields today. “It is leased to

them, but I talk to the farmers every

day,” says Boddie, whose other title is

president of Evergreen.

Two MatildasMatilda Geddings Gray died

in 1971. She had no children, no

nephews and only one niece—Matilda

Gray Stream, her brother’s daughter,

who was named after her.

And so enters the third woman

to take the reins of Evergreen. Gray

almost “adopted” her niece, doting on

her from birth, says Boddie. “When

she was born, Gray gave the parents of

her heir an antique Biedermeier cradle,

which is on display in an Evergreen

cabinet.”

Gray groomed her namesake to

one day manage and care for her many

acquisitions, including the plantation

and dozens of l’objets d’art. In her

extensive collection, she had 59 rare

and original pieces, including three

of the famous Fabergé Eggs, from the

House of Fabergé, which catered to the

family of the Russian Czar. Pieces from

Gray’s Fabergé collection are on display

on a rotating basis at the Metropolitan

Museum of Art in New York City.

Gray filled Evergreen with large

portraits of Creoles painted in the

mid-1800s. A “wide angle” portrait

of Evergreen with all of its ancillary

buildings by New Orleans artist Boyd

May-June 2013 59

Cruise hangs in a downstairs bedroom at the

plantation.

For more than 40 years, Matilda Stream’s life has

focused on the world that her aunt left her. Evergreen

remained a private home for 60 years for the two

Matildas until Stream opened it for tours in 1998.

Like her aunt, Stream is a world traveler and

counts royalty as friends. Boddie says, “She is an

ambassador for Louisiana and its culture. There is a

mystique about Louisiana culture. They both took it

with them wherever they moved.”

Evergreen TodayToday, Evergreen Plantation is an active

archaeological site. A recent dig in the area of

the slave cabins by a state archaeologist involved

volunteers from St. John High School and also

area citizens. Boddie wants “to involve the local

community in the life of the plantation and its

history.” A little museum is part of the plantation

operation, with rooms dedicated to each era—the

Heidels, Becnels, Songys and Gray/Stream.

“We are dependent on agriculture,” Boddie

admits. “With 400 acres in cane production, I am

always thinking of the weather in terms of the

cane. We start planting in July and harvest through

December. We never would have been here, nor be

here today without cane.” She adds, “But we put

the same piece of property to work in other ways,

by leasing hunting rights and leasing the batture

on the other side of the levee, which in front of

Evergreen is the widest in this area.”

The movie industry is also a source of revenue.

Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Django Unchained

are two movies that were recently filmed at

Evergreen. Tours are another slice of the economic

pie.

It could be said there is a fourth woman guiding

Evergreen through time and history, and that is

Boddie, who has been at Stream’s side since she

decorated the house in the late ’60s. “She asked if I

could continue to work for her, and I said I could,”

recalls Boddie, now more than 40 years later. “I run

Evergreen for her. This place is my life.”

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A frequent presence at meetings of the

St. Tammany Parish Council and the Zoning

Commission, Covington resident Sandra Slifer, the

newly elected president of the League of Women

Voters of Louisiana, believes wholeheartedly in

private citizens getting involved in local government.

“It is people who really can make a difference,” says

Slifer. “The government relies on our information for

help in making better decisions, whether it’s voter

services or public policies.”

Slifer has held a leadership role in the League

of Women Voters of St. Tammany for more than

20 years. As the current president, board member

and voter services chair, she is passionate about the

League’s mission of developing informed and engaged

citizens on issues affecting their community. But it

was by happenstance that she first got involved in

the League. “I was meeting with an international

company about their computer purchases, and the

gentleman I was meeting with ended up selling me a

ticket to a League event,” says Slifer. “I have a natural

curiosity and was interested in politics, but not being

from Louisiana, I was unfamiliar with how local

government worked. It was really through the League

that I found good mentors who helped educate me.”

Slifer credits League board members Nancy Roe

and Norma Gavin, now deceased, for taking her by

the hand and showing her how voter services works

and how to conduct a candidate forum. Today, she is

frequently the one doing the mentoring, whether it’s a

young person just getting involved in government or

a new League member.

Her volunteerism isn’t limited to the League. In

2007, with Rick Wilke, Slifer helped found Tammany

Together, a non-profit dedicated to reaching out to

neighborhoods and subdivisions about community

issues. She continues to push for the need for an

Office of Inspector General in St. Tammany, and is

president of a local women’s organization, Women

of Infinite Possibilities. At its March meeting during

a Women’s History Month skit, Slifer portrayed

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a major figure in the early

women’s rights movement.

“Were it not for the work of the League of

Women Voters, there would be no group like

Women of Infinite Possibilities,” says Slifer.

Membership in the League of Women Voters of St.

Tammany is open to women and men, including students.

For more information, visit lwvofst.org or contact Slifer at

875-9388.

spired

Sandra Slifer, President, League of Women Voters

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Book Reportby Lauren Smith

Three Little

Shrimp

by

J. Steven Spires

Three Little Shrimp debuts on May

10, which happens to be National

Shrimp Day. Coincidence? We think

not! Either way, you should check out

the book and enjoy some shrimp!

Three Little Shrimp is a beautifully

illustrated book about three shrimp

trying to find the rest of their troop.

Along the way, they encounter not one,

not two, not three but four predators.

The talents of 17-year-old illustrator

Jonathan Caron help to bring the

story to life, capturing all that we love

about Louisiana. Some of our favorite

Louisianan elements appear throughout

the pages, like pelicans and other

native wildlife, cast against the familiar

backdrop of swamps and marshes.

With only a few sentences on each

page, the artwork really shines, and

children will love the bright, vibrant

colors. Readers will be as mesmerized

by the colors on the pages as the three

little shrimp are by the wonders of the

open sea. It’s that curiosity that entices

them away from the safety of their

group. As the shrimp come upon their

predators, they are dangerously close

to being a snack for a family of egrets,

a large redfish, a loggerhead turtle,

and the main course on a fisherman’s

dinner menu. Yet the three little

shrimp always manage to slip away just

in the nick of time!

However, slipping away involves

overcoming their fears, like venturing

down a dark hole (one shrimp is afraid

of the dark!), quick maneuvering and

lucky misses. Theirs is quite the journey!

Finally, at long last, the three little

shrimp catch up with their troop. And

once they are safe, there’s nothing else to

do but…sleep!

Three Little Shrimp is the creation

of J. Steven Spires, aka Steve, and it’s no

wonder why. Steve is a composition teacher

and lives in Slidell with his wife, Evelyne,

and their five children, Steven Jr., Chris,

Andrew, Victoria and Ryan. Copies of

Three Little Shrimp are available for order

on Steve’s website, jstevespires.com.

May-June 2013 63

Did you know?• Americanseatonebillion

pounds of shrimp every year.

• Thetermusedforuncookedor

raw shrimp is “green.”

• Shrimpcangrowfromahalf

inch long to more than 12

inches long, depending on

where they are located. The

average length of a shrimp is

six inches. The world’s largest

shrimp, measuring in at 16

inches long, was discovered

in 2006 by a biologist in

Cartagena, Columbia.

• Theaverageshrimphas10legs.

• Ashrimp’sheartisinitshead.

• Shrimpcanonlyswimina

backward motion.

• PrawnsintheUnitedKingdom

are the same thing as American

shrimp.

• Theoldestreferencetoshrimp

cocktail in the New York Times

is this advertisement from

December 15, 1926:

Pride of the Farm Tomato

Catsup. Cocktail Sauce for

Christmas Dinner. Start you

dinner with an appetizer.

An oyster, clam or shrimp

cocktail gives tone as well as

relish ... For shrimp cocktail,

mix the shrimp and catsup

together and serve in small

glass dish at each place.

National Shrimp DayMay 10, 2013

64 InsIde northsIde64 InsIde northsIde

YES,YOUCANGOHOMEAGAIN—

despite what the cliché says. Amanda

Hover, of Champagne Jewelers in Slidell,

did just that. “At a certain point, you

return to your roots,” she says. After

working in the corporate world and

traveling for her job, Amanda decided

to return to Slidell. “When my parents

were ready, they came home, and I

did the same thing. I realized that you

can’t have Sunday dinners if you’re far

away!” Her parents moved back to their

hometown when she was in junior high,

and Amanda attended Our Lady of

Lourdes and Pope John Paul II schools.

She began working for the

Champagne family in 2004. “I went to

work for the business after knowing the

family for years,” Amanda says. The store

officially passed into her hands two years

ago. “When I went to work for them,

it was understood that no one in their

family wanted to continue the business

and that Mrs. Champagne was going to

prepare me to take over the store.”

Amanda’s first day as owner was Jan.

25, 2011, and other than a contemporary

redesign, Champagne Jewelers in Slidell

remains the same store it has always been

since it was established in 1970s. (There

original Champagne Jewelers store was in

Covington on Columbia Street. It opened

in 1948.) The business has served

generations of families and continues

to do so. “We build relationships with

our customers because we’ve been in

business so long,” Amanda says.

A large part of Amanda’s job is

buying for the store, finding traditional

and unique pieces for every customer.

She says traditional styles are still the

most popular, but she does put her

own twist on them. Each fall, she

travels to Antwerp, Belgium, where

she hand selects the best diamonds for

the store and her clients. “I handpick

the type of stone for each customer.”

Champagne Jewelers stocks many

different styles and types of jewelry,

from gemstone and silvery jewelry,

Pandora and class rings. The store also

carries a variety of gifts, including baby

and home décor gifts.

What Champagne Jewelers

really excels in is bridal jewelry. “An

engagement ring is often the first piece

of jewelry a young man buys. It’s a big

deal, and it can be overwhelming,” says

Amanda. This is an opportunity for

the staff to educate the customer about

the four C’s of diamonds (cut, color,

clarity and carat). “We break down the

selection process, simplify it and make

them feel very comfortable, because

that’s what it’s about. We want to get

to know their fiancée through them so

we know we’re choosing the right piece.

It’s about building that relationship

through trust and education so that our

customers feel safe.” That’s what leads

to repeat customers.

“I have one customer to whom I

sold a high school class ring the first

year I worked here. Her boyfriend then

bought presents for her, an engagement

Good Company

Amanda Hover of Champagne Jewelers

IN by Lauren Smith

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May-June 2013 65

ring and a wedding band. They have

two children now, and they come

in to show us the babies. It’s really a

generational relationship,” Amanda says.

“We have another set of customers who

have been married about 30 years. He

bought her first piece of jewelry when

they were dating in high school. They

still come in. Their children come in,

and their granddaughters have had

their ears pierced here. Yes, we’re

their jewelers, and yes, it’s a business

transaction, but you follow their lives

and you know what’s going on.”

It’s that family-like relationship

with customers that has encouraged

Amanda to give back to the community.

“I’ve become very involved in the Slidell

community, trying to give back. It’s just

as fulfilling because I get to see ways

that we could better our community.”

Amanda belongs to EYP, Emerging

Young Professionals, which is part of

the East St. Tammany Chamber of

Commerce, and she is also a member

of the Junior Auxiliary of Slidell. Last

year, Amanda participated in Leadership

Northshore; her small group is building

a dog park, Community City Bark

Park, for Slidell. “It’s amazing how

many people in the community want to

help, fundraise or get involved. Slidell

residents really take pride in their town

and want to make it better.”

Champagne Jewelers has been a

part of the St. Tammany community

for 65 years, and Amanda is continuing

the legacy.

To celebrate the anniversary of the

original store’s opening, Champagne

Jewelers is having an extended scavenger

hunt over a 65-day period starting June 1,

2013. Look for three clues a day in multiple

mediums, like the newspaper and at shops

around town. Visit the store’s Facebook

page for more information.

68 InsIde northsIde

“HIT HER, MOM! HIT HER!” screamed a very young

lady at a group of rapidly moving women at the

Castine Center in Mandeville.

There was no reason to panic, though. Mayhem

ruled over the scene, but it was under control, as the

Lethal Ladies of the Northshore Roller Derby League

met the Crescent City Derby Devils in a Halloween

match-up titled “Slamityville Horror.”

Rising out of Depression-era marathon skating

exhibitions in the late 1930s, roller derby gained

great popularity—it was one of the first sports ever

televised, in 1948. By the 1950s, professional leagues

were developed; they never really took off, but never

really disappeared, either.

In the early 2000s, the sport saw a resurgence;

all-female amateur leagues developed and are

now found nationwide. Combining fitness and

camaraderie with a style that could be described as

Goth-punk meets pinup girl, the sport has found

thousands of adherents who don helmets, wheels and

fishnet stockings to battle it out with each other on

the track, often as their kids cheer them on.

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

May-June 2013 69

Roller derby hit the northshore with the

formation of leagues in recent years, first in the Slidell

area (Pearl River Roller Derby) in 2009, and then in

the Mandeville-Covington area in 2011.

The Mandeville-Covington area league is the

Northshore Roller Derby League, which is comprised,

at the moment, of one team, the Lethal Ladies. The

Pearl River league’s team is the Swamp Dolls. Many

roller derby leagues have only one team, but leagues in

more populous areas may have more, with an all-star

team that represents the league in regional or national

tournaments. In New Orleans, there is the Big Easy

Roller Derby League with the Big Easy All Stars as the

“A” team and the Crescent Wenches as the “B” team.

Wait. That team’s named the “Crescent

Wenches?” It’s all about the attitude, and one thing

that’s developed over the years has been that skaters

and teams adopt witty, pun-filled names that are often

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70 InsIde northsIde

racy (or raunchy) and also have a hint of violence.

Like “Crescent Wenches,” which works in the roller

derby world on several levels—a play on the name of

a tough steel tool, the crescent wrench; a geographical

reference, the Crescent City where the team is based;

and an element of femininity, albeit one with an

un-ladylike connotation, to close out the joke.

Over-analysis aside, this means you might see

teams from around the country named the “Trauma

Queens,” the “Angels of NO Mercy,” “Babes of

Wrath,” “Trampires” and the “Scream Puffz.”

Individual skaters come up with some great ones,

too. Across the lake, we have nice young ladies like

“Lake PUNCHatramp” (not to be confused with the

retired “Pontchartrain BeAtch”), “Die-it Choke,” “Deb U

Taunt,” “Coal Miner’s Slaughter” and “Fleur d’Lethal.”

Our Lethal Ladies on the northshore are led by

president “.357 Madame,” and the team includes

such sweethearts as “Lola Steam-Rola,” “Brawlberry

Shortcake,” “Bruiza Palooza” and “Misfortune Cookie.”

Playing the gameMaria Lascola, known on the track as “Bella

Lunatic,” the Lethal Ladies spokesperson, along with

Shane Bard (“Pi Radical”), one of the team’s referees

(or zebras, as they’re affectionately called), explains

how they got started with the team and what it takes

to play and put on a roller derby bout.

Lascola says she had wanted to play roller derby

since she was a kid. A couple of years ago, she and

some friends watched a roller derby bout, and that

evolved into the idea of playing.

“One of my friends started researching and

found that Baton Rouge had a ‘fresh meat’ [rookie]

program coming up,” Lascola remembers. “The only

rule was that you had to be able to stand up on your

skates. So we went to a skating rink one day and

tested ourselves—we stood up! So we showed up at

Baton Rouge on Feb. 1, 2011, and started fresh meat

training. I was terrible. I was holding onto the sides of

the walls—I was terrible for a long time. It was hard

to find somebody older than me or worse than me!”

They soon learned the Northshore Roller Derby

League had formed and decided to get on board. “I

heard there was a team five minutes from my house.

Rather than driving an hour and back twice a week

[to Baton Rouge], I transferred over and got involved

in the organization,” Lascola says. She adds, “I think

it was awesome being part of building a team instead

of going onto something already established.”

Lascola says there are quite a few teams within

easy driving distance that the Lethal Ladies could

match up with. “You have the Big Easy Roller Girls

in New Orleans; Cajun Rollergirls down in Houma;

Red Stick Roller Derby in Baton Rouge; Acadiana

Roller Girls in Lafayette; Pearl River Roller Derby,

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which is kind of Slidell and Picayune

together; the Mississippi Roller Girls

in Gulfport; and there are teams in

Jackson, Hattiesburg and Columbus,

Miss., and in Mobile and along the

Florida Panhandle. There’s also a brand-

new team in New Orleans, Crescent

City Derby Devils, an up-and-coming

team that’s getting established.”

Referee Bard says he got involved

with the team through his spouse, Lora

(“Misfortune Cookie”). He explains

how the game is played. “There are 14

skaters on each team; five play at a time,

four blockers and one jammer.

Teams get one point for

each opposing player

their jammer laps,

so the blockers

are trying to help

their jammer move

forward while blocking the

other team’s jammer,” he says.

Bouts are 60-minutes long and are

divided into two 30-minute halves. Each

half is divided into two-minute “jams.”

Jams are the time the game is being

played and points scored; in between

jams are 30-second “line-ups,” which is

the time when players are substituted

and lined up for the next jam.

The rules are designed to keep the

game as safe as possible while keeping

the action going, so the chaos spectators

might think they are seeing on the

track is actually highly controlled. To

ensure fairness and safety, penalties are

assessed against players who violate

rules such as cutting across the inside

of the track boundary to get ahead of

a player or blocking a player in the

back. “If you touch someone above the

neck—high blocking—it’s always a

safety issue,” notes Bard.

“It’s not always easy to avoid,

because you’ve got 6-foot-tall girls and

you have 5-foot-2 girls,” adds Lascola.

She notes that there are not many rules

regarding who can play. “Women have

to be 18 or over and pass a minimum

skills test. There are no height or weight

requirements; there is no upper age

limit. Our oldest is 54, and I’m 49.”

Team members come from a variety

of professions. “We have a bunch of

nurses, about five right now. We have an

environmental scientist, a girl who works

for the Corps of Engineers, housewives,

marketing people, everything.”

There are a few male leagues out

there, Lascola says, but most are on the

East and West coasts. Junior

leagues are also sprouting

up, and the Northshore

Roller Derby League holds

camps for junior skaters

a few times a year that

are becoming very

popular. They also get

the kids involved in the bouts, skating at

half time and, she says, “For the national

anthem, the kids hold the flag and skate

around” before the game.

Kids’ skate camps are just one

way the league is involved with

the community. It’s a non-profit

organization, and Lascola says, “What

we make from the door and concession

sales is either put into putting on

another bout or it’s donated to charity.

We probably gave away $3,500 in

2012.” The league has supported

groups such as the St. Tammany

Humane Society, Smiles International,

the USO and Autism Speaks.

The team tries to participate in as

many community activities as possible,

with one of the most fun being the

annual Running of the Bulls, the San

Fermin en Nueva Orleans event. Each

July, New Orleans stages its homage to

the running of the bulls in Pamplona,

Spain. Roller derby players from all over

the world come to play the part of the

May-June 2013 73

bulls, sporting horned headgear and

wielding whiffle bats to whack unlucky,

or some might say lucky, runners as

they crowd the streets downtown.

“It’s exhausting being a bull!” Lascola

says. “Last year there were four or five

hundred roller derby girls from around

the United States and several other

countries and somewhere between 12 and

15 thousand runners.” The run used to

take place in the French Quarter, but it

outgrew the narrow streets and now runs

in the Warehouse and Convention Center

area. “It was packed. It’s free; everyone

was drinking beer and sangria.”

On a tamer note, the ladies have

skated in the Running of the Reindeer,

part of Old Mandeville’s Christmas

celebration, and in the Olympia and

Lyra Mardi Gras parades.

“People have the wrong image for

roller derby, that there’s too much body

showing—we wear fishnets—but all have

tights on. That’s just the style that’s evolved.

We pride ourselves on being proper in the

community. We get involved to show that

we’re a legit non-profit that’s here to do

things for the community and have fun at

the same time.”

The NSRDL is on the lookout for

new recruits, non-skating volunteers and

sponsors. Visit northshorerollerderby.com

for more information and bouts schedule.

Bouts run through November.

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YOU ALWAYS TRY to put your best

foot forward.

Whether that foot is clad in a flat,

heel, sandal or boot depends on the day,

the weather, the look you’re attempting

and your mood. Doesn’t matter; you

have shoes to fit every possibility.

No, you don’t need more shoes,

but you need more shoes because shoes

are fun. They’re like chocolate for our

feet. But why? Why do we fuss over a

common, often-utilitarian item? In the

book Women from the Ankle Down, by

Rachelle Bergstein, you’ll learn more.

For thousands of years, we’ve

been obsessed with footwear. Ancient

Chinese women bound their daughters’

tootsies tight so they could wear teensy

embroidered slippers—a fad that was

outlawed a mere 100 years ago. High-

ranking Renaissance women wore what

amounted to stilts to signify that they

were wealthy enough not to have to

walk. Even Cinderella (a fairy tale from

the 1600s) had her glass slippers.

Bergstein dips her toes into shoe

history at the beginning of the last

century when eleven-year-old Italian

Salvatore Ferragamo informed his

mother that he was going to Naples to

learn to make shoes. Later, as a young

man, he immigrated to America and

went to Hollywood. While there, he

noticed that wearing shoes changes

the way we walk. For his astuteness,

Hollywood made him rich.

And speaking of Hollywood,

imagine Shirley Temple high stepping

down the Yellow Brick Road. Yes, that

almost happened: Judy Garland was

MGM’s third choice to wear the ruby

slippers, which in the original story

were silver. Hollywood also influenced

shoes during World War II. On

February 7, 1943, shoes were officially

rationed because of the war. Research

indicated that Americans purchased 3.7

pairs of shoes per year then, but officials

recognized that fashion was increasingly

persuasive—women wanted to look like

Book Reportby Terri Schlichenmeyer

Women from

the Ankle Down

by Rachelle Bergstein

May-June 2013 75

Lana Turner, Betty Grable or a Varga

Girl—and a shortage seemed imminent.

As soon as the soldiers came

home, women started quickly stepping

through a succession of fads: stiletto

heels, Hepburn-like flats, Birkenstocks

and sneakers. Jane Fonda made us want

“athletic shoes.” Nancy Sinatra said we

oughtn’t be “messin’.” Carrie Bradshaw

made us lust after Manolos. Today, we

can wear Doc Martens by day, kitten

heels by night. “And,” says Bergstein,

“isn’t that the greatest pleasure of the

twenty-first-century woman?”

I have to admit, I got quite a kick

out of Women from the Ankle Down.

From the start of the 1900s through

recent times, author Rachelle Bergstein

walks her readers through the history

of women’s shoes, but that’s not all.

Along the footpath, she steps near

pop culture, history, men’s fashion

and science; we learn why men love

heels in the bedroom; why we tolerate

uncomfortable footwear; and how a

polygamist put boots on a superhero.

This is a serious book that’s

seriously fun. I loved it, and I think any

woman who owns more than 3.7 pairs

of shoes will love it, too. For footwear

fashionistas, Women from the Ankle

Down is a book with sole.

76 InsIde northsIde

Shelly Grigor has worn eyeglasses or contact

lenses every day since elementary school. Her poor

vision as a child became progressively worse over

time, and as a young adult, Shelly was legally blind

in both eyes. “I couldn’t even find my glasses to

put them on; I had to feel around for them. I have

never been able to wake up and see the time on a

clock radio,” she says. Working at a bank behind

a computer screen all day aggravated her eyes

even more, so, frustrated with strained eyes, Shelly

searched for a solution.

In 2012, Shelly opted for refractive lens exchange

surgery with Dr. Henry Haley at the Eye Care Surgery

Center in Covington. Dr. Haley performed the

procedure, commonly referred to as lens replacement

surgery, on Shelly’s right eye in mid-November and

her left eye two weeks later. The results were almost

instantaneous. “I noticed a significant difference

as soon as I was out of my first surgery. The very

next day, I had 20/20 vision in that eye. After both

surgeries, I had perfect vision up close and far away.

It was incredible,” she says.

Identical to cataract surgery, the procedure

removes the natural lens of the eye and replaces it

with an implant. In Shelly’s case, Dr. Haley used a

multifocal lens, allowing her to see at a full range

of distance. “The only difference between refractive

lens exchange and cataract surgery is that in

refractive lens exchange, we remove the lens before

it becomes cloudy. Shelly has no natural lens left

in her eyes. As an added benefit, she can never get

cataracts,” says Dr. Haley.

The procedure takes approximately six minutes

per eye and requires little recovery time. Shelly’s

surgeries were done on a Thursday morning, and she

was able to return to work the following Monday.

Shelly says the procedure is completely painless.

“The most worrisome part was the preparation—the

measurements and examinations—which took more

time than the actual surgery. Dr. Haley’s education

IN Better Health

with Shelly Grigor

Health Concern:

Extreme nearsightedness Treatment: Refractive lens exchange

by Kaley Boudreaux

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May-June 2013 77

beforehand and patient care afterward

were excellent.

“After I had both eyes done, I

woke up in the middle of the night and

thought, ‘Oh no! I forgot to take my

contact lenses out!’ I was mistaken. I

didn’t have them in. After all these years,

I could finally see without them! It is so

nice being able to wake up and see. I

just love it. I can go for a jog and don’t

have to worry about glasses on my face.”

Shelly wants to celebrate her new

eyesight in an extreme way. “I have

always wanted to go skydiving,” she

says. “My three oldest children had

planned to give a jump to me as a gift

for my birthday, and I put it off because

I wanted to be able to see really well,

without the hassle of fitting the goggles

over my glasses. I am looking forward to

finally going in the next few months.”

Unlike Lasik surgery, the results

of refractive lens exchange surgery are

permanent. Shelly is expected to maintain

perfect vision for the rest of her life.

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ERNEST HEMINGWAY DESCRIBED Key West

life in the late 1920s by saying, “It’s the best

place I’ve ever been anytime, anywhere, flowers,

tamarind trees, guava trees, coconut palms...Got

tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks.”

It is a description that could stand today with

only moderate adjustments. Our drink of choice

wasn’t absinthe and the

games involved dice, not

knives—but just weeks

ago we visited the very

same place he loved so

much. Its soul remains

the same.

In early March, we

were excited to hear

that Southwest Airlines

had added a non-stop

flight directly into Key

West from New Orleans. Though making the

drive from Miami has its sights to behold, the

Overseas Highway adds quite a bit of complication

to a great weekend trip like one to the Conch

Republic. In less than two hours, we were sitting

on the deck of a friend’s beautiful sport fishing

yacht having a cocktail. The harbor where we

were docked was filled

with names of familiar

home ports—Destin,

Venice, even Covington!

We were perched on

the southernmost tip of

Florida in a place that

felt like a true mix of the

French Quarter and the

Caribbean.

The word, “key”

comes from the Spanish

Visiting the Conch Republic

by Lori Murphy

May-June 2013 79

term “cayo” or “little island.” There

are more than 800 coral islands in the

string heading south from below the

Everglades towards Cuba, with Key

West being the last. In fact, Key West

is actually closer to Cuba than it is to

Miami, which may have something to do

with the laid-back attitude of locals and

visitors alike when they sit soaking up

the breezes.

On the northshore, we use the

term come-heres to denote those of us

born elsewhere who call this home.

In Key West, we would be called

freshwater Conch, even after being in

residence for seven years. I like the

sound of that. It honors the original

Bahamian settlers and those born in

the Keys, but celebrates newly minted

converts to island life.

A great way to enjoy the

compact hamlet is to walk, and that

is exactly what we did. The island is

approximately four miles long and just

over one mile wide. From the harbor,

we strolled Caroline Street up to

Simonton and across the island to have

a cocktail at Louie’s Backyard, a bar

situated on a prime piece of Atlantic

oceanfront. From there, we passed the

infamous southernmost buoy where

too many tourists waited in line for

a photo op. The signs point to Cuba,

a mere 90 miles away, and vendors

sell coconuts you drink from with

a straw. We took Whitehead Street

west past the Hemingway Home and

the Lighthouse, stopping for brunch

at the Six-toed Cat Café. We finished

our walking tour with a shopping

stroll down Duval Street. On foot, you

can’t help but take in all of the unique

wonders and great people-watching

the island offers. We were passed every

now and then by Conch Trains ferrying

Midwesterners to points of interest,

but we never hopped on. I imagine it

Visiting the Conch Republic

>>

80 InsIde northsIde

would be like riding in one of New Orleans’ horse-

drawn carriages or on our new double-decker tour

bus. It could be an interesting way to gather tales to

tell, but you wouldn’t want to miss the experience

of being on foot in either city.

Duval becomes the heart of Key West nightlife

after dark. Again, I am reminded of home with a

feeling of Bourbon Street, perhaps a bit cleaner and

with better lighting. Renowned for having more bars

per capita than anywhere else in the United States,

Key West has a little something for everyone. There’s

a Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and a Fat Tuesday’s,

both of which make you feel right at home. There is

“We immediately shift into

‘island time,’” said Charles

Macgowan, with our hostess

Adrienne Laborde.

Dan and Deenie Reese

of Madisonville.

May-June 2013 81

an Irish bar, a sports bar, a biker bar—you name it.

There’s even a clothing-optional bar that we decided

to skip. Some of the best-known watering holes

include Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a Hemingway favorite,

and the Green Parrot housed in a building from

the 1890s. The Hogsbreath Saloon served up some >>

Far left: Roosters in

Key West have the

run of the streets, and

they seem to know

it! Center: Island

polydactyl cats are

descendents of one

given to Hemingway in

the 1930s. Right: The

Hemingway home.

82 InsIde northsIde

great oysters on the half shell and the

Schooner Wharf Bar on the docks had

an eclectic line-up of musicians, some of

whom were great and some that made

us very thirsty! We never lasted until 4

a.m., but there are many who do!

The rich waters that surround Key

West draw fishing enthusiasts today

much as they have for nearly 200 years.

Today, the waters are rich in barracuda,

sailfish, yellow and blackfin tuna,

dolphin, bonefish, mackerel, snapper and

grouper. Charter boats of all kinds fill the

marina, ready to take visitors deep-sea

fishing in the blue waters, snorkeling on

the reefs, even diving for lobster! Perhaps

you will spend the evening feasting on

your very own catch of the day!

Until it was named an endangered

species in the mid-’60s, the sea turtle

provided the island with a thriving

industry. It is interesting to note that

the first can of prepared turtle soup was

produced in 1895, and that the meat was

used for burgers, steaks and chowders.

Another catch whose popularity caused

its demise as an industry was the

sponging trade. Small boats plied the

waters and bights (natural pools created

by a bend or curve in the shoreline) of

Key West and took much of the sponge

of the time to market.

The first industry to challenge

the mariner tradition that guided Key

West fortunes was the cigar industry.

Transplanted from neighboring Cuba, it

began with an initial factory established

in 1831, but by the late 19th century,

there were 166 factories and thousands

of employees hard at work hand-rolling

cigars, many of them escaping unrest in

Cuba and making this their new home.

The enormous growth of the industry

required affordable housing for these

employees and a building boom ensued.

The ready availability of wood

made it the natural choice for home

construction in Key West during the

second half of the 1800s. As an added

benefit, the wood could withstand high

winds and humidity much better than

plaster, which would crack and decay

in the tropical environment. Simple

native cottages are often called Conch

houses, but architectural styles in Key

West run the gamut from Victorian

to Revival and from West Indian to

Queen Anne. They are, however,

generally presented in smaller, simpler

versions than seen elsewhere in Florida

and beyond. Many of the homes were

built by ship carpenters and captains

who used the forms familiar to them

in the construction of their homes.

There are shotguns and center-hall

cottages so familiar to New Orleans

and generous porches and hinged

shutters from the Bahamas. Decorative

cupolas, turrets, dormers and widow’s

walks adorn homes of all styles, and

fretwork is found on rooflines, fences,

porches and pergolas, illustrating the

personality and whimsy that speaks

loudly everywhere you turn.

The treacherous underwater

landscape of the Keys created a

wrecker’s paradise between Havana

and Key West. Former New England

seafarers jumped at the opportunity of

salvaging ships that sank on the coral

reefs. When a law was passed requiring

all ships wrecked in American waters to

be brought to the nearest U.S. port, the

industry grew, reaching a peak in 1855.

A court was established on the island

to determine a value for the rescued

cargo. Many stately homes of the period

were built with salvaged lumber and

furnished with top-quality cargo raised >>

Above: The Key West

community is compact.

It is an easy stroll at sunset

from Mallory Square to

dinner on Duval.

Left: This West Indies

Conch house features

porches to catch the breeze.

84 InsIde northsIde

from the surrounding waters.

The courts were not the first

government presence on the island.

When Florida was ceded to the United

States in 1822, the Navy established a

base on the island to curb an outbreak

of piracy that threatened the growing

economy. During the Civil War, the

Union troops that held Fort Zachary

Taylor at Key West and Fort Jefferson

in the Dry Tortugas were able to deter

the movement of Confederate blockade

runners through the channel to the

Gulf of Mexico. Their presence had a

powerful impact on the outcome of the

war, despite the Southern sympathies

held by most residents of the Keys.

Today, the complex at Fort

Zachary Taylor has a host of amenities

in addition to its historic roots. The

beautiful surrounding park offers one of

the best sunset views on the island. The

other very popular, and crowded, locale

for catching the sunset is Mallory Square

Above: The back patio at Louie’s offers a spectacular view of the

Atlantic coast. Below: The pool at the Conch Harbor Marina.

May-June 2013 85

at the foot of Duval Street—complete

with roaming roosters and sword-

swallowing entertainers.

Another “must see” spot in Key

West is the Hemingway Home, occupied

by the novelist and his wife Pauline

from 1931-39. It is ground-zero for the

island’s population of polydactyl (six-

toed) cats. Originally built by “wrecker”

Asa Tift in 1851, it had fallen into

disrepair and was extensively remodeled

by Pauline while Hemingway spent his

days fishing with friends and writing in

the pool house out back.

There is something almost revered

about independence in Key West. It

is an accepting culture that indulges

creativity in many forms. In fact, Key

West seceded from the United States as

recently as 1982. The Conch Republic,

as the secessionists called the newly

formed country, was created as a

tongue-in-cheek reaction to a very real

threat to tourism. The Border Patrol set

up a road block on U.S. 1 just south of

Florida City to search vehicles traveling

to and from Key West for drugs and

illegal immigrants. After repeated

protests and pleas to officials went

unheeded, organizers decided that if

theirs would be treated as foreign soil,

they might as well become a foreign

nation. The rebellion declared war,

which lasted for one minute before

they surrendered and applied for

foreign aid! The Conch Republic has

become a well- accepted moniker, and

the rebellion is celebrated annually

with a lot of fanfare.

The mingling of history,

personality, architecture and a real

laissez les bon temps rouler philosophy

defines the community of Key West.

No wonder we felt so at home. We

enjoyed good food, new friends,

great storytelling and a total escape in

America’s southernmost city.

86 InsIde northsIde

May-June 2013 87

If the mention of eldercare leaves you eyeing your

offspring suspiciously, certain they are plotting to take

revenge for ever dressing them in Peter Pan collars or

Mary Jane shoes, fear not. It is safe to read on.

The Windsor Senior Living Community is NOT

a nursing home. It is not even a facility. It is an

apartment community that caters to seniors—a

community of vibrant, active individuals who are

involved with each other and with the greater St.

Tammany community. It is a place where people go

to live independently in their later years when they

wish to shed some of the burden of everyday chores

and take advantage of opportunities to be engaged

physically, mentally and socially.

Residents can choose from studio, one- and

two-bedroom floor plans and are provided with

daily meals, weekly house cleaning services

and transportation, all included in the Windsor’s

surprisingly low rates. Each apartment has a full

kitchen should a resident wish to cook. Residents

may still drive their own cars or use the Windsor’s

transportation for doctor appointments and social

activities. The Windsor’s unobtrusive check- in and

emergency pull cord features provide the comfort

of knowing that, should they need help, it would be

timely in coming.

At first glance, the Windsor’s jam-packed

monthly calendar might look like something you

would encounter on a cruise ship. “It’s definitely a

carefree lifestyle,” says Patty Suffern, the Windsor’s

Director of Marketing. The weekly happy hours

feature live entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and

cocktails (non-alcoholic drinks are also available).

Regular outings to museums, theaters, casinos and

sporting events, games, activities and exercise

classes help residents to live very full lives.

For those residents who find themselves in need

of assisted living services, The Windsor offers a full

assistance package or residents can choose our

a la carte assistance customized to the resident’s

needs and the length of time needed. In either case,

The Windsor’s caring staff maintains the utmost

confidentiality while providing these services.

Since opening in 1998, the locally owned

Windsor Senior Living Community has been

steadfast in the fulfillment of its mission to provide

housing to seniors who are not in need of ongoing

skilled nursing care. Suffern says that many

who come through their doors for the first time

are surprised by all that they have to offer. She

frequently encounters the misperception that there

is nothing available for the phase between mature

adulthood and infirmed old age. Suffern confronts

this misperception head-on. “People don’t come

here to die,” she says. “They come here to live!”

The Windsor Senior Living Community,

1770 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville, 985-624-8040,

windsorseniorliving.com.

The Windsor Senior Living Community

B U S I N E S S

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1. Stylish service. 100% recycled glass rustic wave plate and polished alabaster

tasting dish, $25.90. Infusé, Mandeville, 778-0903. 2. Color of the sea. Hand-

blown aqua vases with tiny bubbles starting at $68. EMB Interiors, Mandeville,

626-1522. 3. Fresh from the oven! Handmade stoneware basket that goes

from the oven to the dishwasher, $37.The Grapevine, Covington, 893-2766.

4. Porcelain jewelry box with gold accents, $300. Lynn Stirling Antiques,

Mandeville, 626-7704. 5. Keep green. Permanent botanical arrangement, $85.

Florist of Covington, Covington, 892-7701. 6. Sun kissed. Label Me Beautiful

dark bronzer, $35. Private Beach, Mandeville, 674-2326.

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May-June 2013 89

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1. Don’t stop the music. Kohler Moxie

showerhead wireless speaker, $150.

Delivers up to seven hours of music,

news and more. Southland Plumbing,

Mandeville, 893-8883. 2. Colorful comfort.

Hand-painted pillows, $25 each. Available in

multiple designs and colors. Artisan Home

Décor, Mandeville, 778-2113. 3. Tranquility.

Decorative glazed ceramic garden seat or

accent table in aqua and black, $129.99.

American Factory Direct, Mandeville,

871-0300. 4. Shabby chic. Distressed

frame for 8x10 photo, $114.95. DeLuca’s

Expressions in Gold, Covington, 892-

2317. 5. Handmade oyster plate by New

Orleans artist. Accents & Things, Slidell,

649-4273. 6. Safe keeping. Super-strong, recyclable, expandable paper-thin

wallet, $12. Tear and water resistant. Arabella Fine Gifts and Home Décor,

Mandeville, 727-9787. 7. Perfect gift. Soy lovebird candles by Mixture, $19

each. deCoeur Gifts & Home Accessories, Covington, 809-3244.

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May-June 2013 91

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1. Beach memories. Mother-of-pearl frame, $24. The Spa

at Stone Creek Club and Spa, Covington, 801-7100. 2.

Deep sea fishing. Oversized glass paper weight with

jellyfish, $108. Berger Home, Mandeville, 624-3433. 3.

She sells sea shells. Seaside shell keepsake box with

mother-of-pearl sides and bottom, $32. Niche Modern

Home, Mandeville, 624-4045. 4. Swim little fish! Driftwood

angelfish, $75. Mélange by kp, Mandeville, 807-7652. 5.

Colorful centerpiece. Natural prickly bush coral on glass

base, $120. Welcome Home and garden, Covington, 893-

3933. 6. Luxurious tresses. Unite Beach Day Texturizing

Spray, $24.95. Downtown Chic, Covington, 809-3860.

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The Village Executive Office Suites2895 Highway 190, Mandeville

(next to N’Tini’s Restaurant) • Contact: Christina Bodenheimer(985) 727-6700 • thevillageexecutiveofficesuites.com

• Private offices• Full-time receptionist

• Conference room• All-inclusive packages

Professionalism is more than just

a coat and tie.

Executive suites—the perfect setting for a northshore practice.

May-June 2013 93

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1. Cherub love. Puti, c1700, $2,500.

St. Romain Interiors, Madisonville, 845-

7411. 2. Elegant reflection. Baroque-style

hand-painted gold leaf mirrored tray with

center crest, $60. Rug Chic, Mandeville,

674-1070. 3. Sweet scents. Liquid soap

and room diffuser by Nest Fragrances.

Soap, $22; diffuser, $34. Several scents to

choose from. Oasis Day Spa, Mandeville,

624-6772. 4. Gone fishin’. Large ceramic

fish-shaped serving bowl, $126. Hazelnut,

Mandeville, 626-8900. 5. Froggy fishing!

Yard bird made of metal and glass by

Fishing Frog, $48. Simply Southern,

Covington, 871-1466. 6. Backyard

breeze! Adjustable outdoor standing fan

with weighted base, $249. Outdoor Living

Center, Covington, 893-8008.

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After seven years of dating, Jules

Galiouras and Jennifer Perrett celebrated their

“big, fat Greek wedding” in New Orleans.

The bride wore a custom-made gown.

In keeping with the black-and-white color

scheme, her attendants wore black Jim Helm

cocktail dresses and carried red roses. The

couple included many of Jules’s family’s

Greek traditions during the reception, like

breaking plates and tossing money at the

bride and groom. Guests dined on oysters

and traditional Greek fare.

Jules is the vice president of market

development for Townsend, and Jennifer is a

Ph.D. candidate in the history department at

Louisiana State University. The couple lives

in Covington with their 5-year-old Golden

Retriever, Miss Lillie.

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May-June 2013 97

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1. Belair sweater, $200; white tank, $33.

Izabella’s Villa, Slidell, 649-5060.

2. Strapless dress with sheer maxi skirt in citrus

yellow by Ark & Co., $79. Laurier, Covington,

875-0823. 3. 100% linen yellow three-

quarter sleeve shirt by CP Shade, $163. Eros,

Mandeville, 727-0034. 4. Open-toe tritone

suede heel in aqua, blue and yellow with strap

and side-buckle closure by Sigerson Morrison,

$425. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories,

Mandeville, 778-2200. 5. Yellow and aqua

summer beach bag made of jute by Two’s

Company, $18.75. the french mix, Covington,

809-3152. 6. 100% cotton men’s Traveler

short-sleeve collared pique polo shirt, $79.50

each. Jos. A. Bank, Mandeville, 624-4067.

May-June 2013 99

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SUN • SEA • SAND1. Lady’s sterling silver cross pendant

and chain with .58cttw round brilliant

and baguette shaped diamonds, $300

each. Available in blue and yellow

diamonds. Champagne Jewelers, Slidell,

643-2599. 2. 100% cotton blue and

aqua paisley print button-down shirt by

Cino, $130. Bastille’s Clothing Company, Mandeville, 626-

4220. 3. Knit dress with diagonal tucking in cove turquoise

from London Times, $82. Columbia Street Mercantile,

Covington, 809-1789. 4. Silk knotted scarf print top by

Fifteen-Twenty, $198. Fleurt, Covington, 809-8844.

5. Bra-sized bandini swim top

and ruched bottom in seafoam

green by Skye. Top, $92; bottom,

$62. Bra Genie, Mandeville, 951-

8638. 6. Lightweight, flexible

and slip resistant gray and aqua

Elise sneakers from Dansko,

$100. EarthSavers, Mandeville,

674-1133. 7. 3.55ct. cushion-

cut blue sapphire and 0.5cttw

diamond ring in platinum, $9,995.

Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers,

Mandeville, 626-1666.

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May-June 2013 101

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1. Light turquoise ponytail cuff

with 14k gold plate non-tarnish

metal wire wrap by Susanne

Elle, $36. Available at The Villa,

Mandeville, 626-9797, and Simply

Southern, Covington, 871-1466.

2. Sleeveless faux wrap v-neck

dress in jade with high/low hem

and gold accents by Double Zero,

$48. JuJu’s, Mandeville, 624-

3600. 3. Aqua and white chevron

printed shift dress by Everly, $46.

Paisley, Mandeville, 727-7880.

4. Seafoam green silky plaid

sundress by Dolce Vita, $126.

POSH Boutique, Covington, 898-

2639. 5. Blue patent two-inch Volatiles,

$55. Shoefflé, Covington, 898-6465.

6. Very J Lace button blouse in seafoam,

$39.99. The OSpa Lifestyle Store at Franco’s,

Mandeville, 792-0200. 7. Garden of Hope

100% silk men’s short-sleeve button-down

shirt by Tommy Bahama, $110. H.W.

Rosenblum, Mandeville, 727-9955.

SUN • SEA • SAND

May-June 2013 103

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SUN • SEA • SAND1. 4.55cttw pear-shaped center blue topaz stone

accented with 2.6cttw purple iolite blue topaz trillion ring

set in 18k white gold by Bellari, $1,245. Lowe’s Jewelers,

Mandeville, 845-4653. 2. Strapless Alice Trixie dress,

$395. The Mix, Mandeville, 727-7649. 3. Tie-dyed, high-

low, polyester-lined dress by Renee C, $58. Three Sisters

Boutique, Ponchatoula, 368-8680. 4. Trollbeads bracelet.

Beads starting at $28. Purple Armadillo Again, Slidell,

643-2004. 5. Beaded sequin cocktail dress with nude

illusion sides, $398. Southern

Bridal, Mandeville, 727-2993.

6. Fun N Games strappy sandal

with ankle strap and buckle

closure by BC Footwear, $49.

Available in tan and teal and

vachetta and yellow. brown

eyed girl, Mandeville, 626-

0100. 7. Jungle Beat rainbow

zebra print flip-up sunglasses

and sunglass wallet. Glasses,

$12; wallet, $10. Blossom Girl,

Mandeville, 626-6280.

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May-June 2013 105

INSt. Tammany Cancer Fund Wine Dinner

the Spotlight

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The most successful

St. Tammany Cancer Fund

Wine Dinner to date raised

more than $40,000 for

northshore cancer patients.

Dinner guests at La

Provence in Lacombe enjoyed

an evening of cocktails and

fine wines and cuisine, plus an exciting live auction featuring

rare wines and items of art, travel and entertainment.

The Wine Dinner started in 2009 in conjunction with

the Annual Patron Party and The Goodyear Memorial Golf

Tournament. St. Tammany Cancer Fund supports a college

scholarship program for local youth diagnosed with cancer

as its primary objective. The organization also provides funds

to local hospitals and cancer-based organizations for the

purchase of equipment, programs and services that benefit a

broad range of cancer patients in our community.

For more information on St. Tammany Cancer Fund, please

visit sttammanycancerfund.org.

March-aprIl 2013 109

Go Red chair Kathleen Robert at the American Heart Association’s Go Red luncheon.

Stroke survivor Sarah Arbusley.

Heart transplant recipient Toni Wild.

Resource Bank’s Hydration Station at the Northshore Heart Walk.

“Mac” Rebennack, aka Dr. John, at the Grayhawk

Perkin’s 2nd Annual Concert Benefiting Safe

Harbor at Columbia Street Rock-N-Blues Café.

Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital employees Andrea Christiansen,

Yvette Fernandez, Monica Sibile, Kelli Stegall, Jeannie Smith,

Paulette Watts, Vanessa Morrison and Michelle Moreau at the 2013

Northshore Heart Walk.

Scott Gardner, Sharon Lo Drucker, Reina Gardner and

Kimberly Kirby at Ronnie Kole’s Jazz on the Bayou.

SSA recently observed the Feast Day of its patron, St. Scholastica,

with a Mass celebration and history presentation. Pictured are the

committee members.

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Mardi Gras Queen Mary Catherine Battaglia and King

Bruce Bradley at St. Michael’s in New Orleans.

Eddie Beau and SSA principal

Mary Kathryn Villere.Craig and Connie Boudreaux and Lisa and Christopher Carey at the SSA Patron Party.

Falaya Fling co-chairs Tommy and Diane Vervaeke with Rose and Eddie Beau.

The ladies of Hosanna Lutheran Church wore their best bonnets for Easter.

Kiwanis members Mayor Donald Villere, Rick Johnson,

Mary Kay Chastain, club president Steve Jacobs and

Mark Seamster enjoy the annual Mandeville Northshore

Kiwanis member social.

Susan Blanchard, Crystal Cook Ferris, Deven Nolan and Kelly Villars celebrate the opening of Rehab Dynamics’ new location in Covington. Beatrice Long celebrates her 94th birthday with her daughter Marilyn Horn, Greg Horn and Michelle D’Amico at Rip’s on the Lake.Judy Helmstetter’s kindergarten class at Madisonville Elementary celebrates Louisiana

with a Taste of Louisiana Party.

Noelle Mitcham, Michelle Thibodeaux, Vernon

and Sheri Duplantis, Lacee Hamilton, Becky

McNeely and Shellie Malbrough at Ju Ju’s

Mandeville grand opening.

side PeekIN

At Inside Northside’s Meet the Artist Party

at Arabella and Emma’s: Jessica Gilmore,

Stephanie Pagliarulo, cover artist John

Goodwyne and Patrice Senac.

George Neyrey and Christian Serpas kept the party moving.

Gayle and Mike Reuling.Melissa Bourgeois and Charley Strickland.

Stacy and Kent Robertson with

Sherri Hansen and her son, Dash.

May-June 2013 113

Erin Naquin, Katherine Hamby and Jerilyn Schmidt.

Leanne Ratcliff, Cheryl Roper, Edgar Roper, Raven Plescia, Danielle Danos and Heather Oalmann at the opening of Studio 311 Salon in Covington.

Jed McSpadden, Richard Taobin, Ryan Richard and Joel Champagne.

Ryan Ball, Vanessa Gomes,

Geoff Becker, Zach Ritter and

Joel Champagne, Jr. celebrate

the launch of Fat Tire Ale at

Champagne Beverage Co.

Mallory and Priscilla Morse

with baby Campbell.

side PeekIN

Top Gun’s Mike “Maverick” and Stacey “Charlie” Rase at St. Paul’s Celebrity Waiters dinner.

Don and Sharon

Lo Drucker with

Alexandra and

Blaine Kern Jr. at

the Endymion 2013

Queen’s Party.

Laurie Spurlin, Tony Lemoine and Susan Mchugh at Kids’

Town EGGStravaganza with Rubber Duck Regatta Race,

hosted by Lakeview Regional Medical Center.

Blake Hammer and Polly Herrin enjoy

Lakeview’s EGGStravaganza.

May-June 2013 115

Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

SSA alumnae at Career Day.

SSA alumnae Katie Maher, DVM (’02); Heather Vinet Oliphant (’02); Ashley LeBlanc (’03); and Brittany Carter (’03) reminisce at Career Day.

Jesse Hearin and daughter, Alma, take a La. Derby Day break at the memorial to Black Gold, Fair Grounds and Kentucky Derby Day champion.

North Oaks volunteer Larry Dominguez

celebrates his 95th birthday with Malissa

Gonzalez, volunteer coordinator; Katrinka

Lopinto, gift shop coordinator; and Melissa

Dufour, volunteer director.

Lynn Abide, Debbie Evans and Sue Capitelli at the Mad Hatters Luncheon and Saks

Fifth Avenue style show at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside.

116 InsIde northsIde

the SpotlightINChildren’s Museum of St. Tammany Celebration 2013

“An Evening of Marvels” was

a fitting theme for the Children’s

Museum of St. Tammany’s 6th

annual Celebration.

The St. Paul Jazz Wolves warmed up the sold-

out crowd for Soul Revival who took to the stage

sponsored by Ochsner Health System. The talented

youth of St. Tammany were well represented by

patron party musician Michelle Hasenkampf of Our

Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Slidell; vocalist

siblings Claire and Paige Putnam of Lakeshore High,

along with sister Bethany; live artists Elise Viola of

Northlake Christian School; Camille Ehrhardt of

St. Scholastica Academy; and photographer Kaitlin

Dougherty of Mandeville High School.

More than 35 area restaurants vied for the title

of “Celebration’s Choice”—an honor that went to

Liz’s Where Y’at Diner for the second consecutive

year. Mistress and Master of Ceremony were

Margaret Orr and Jim Henderson, who were joined

by Hokie Gajan as auctioneer.

The event culminated in the announcement

by Parish President Pat Brister, along with

Bruce Wainer, president of the Tammany Trace

Foundation, and Lisa Barnett, president of the

Children’s Museum Board of Trustees, of a “first

stop” for the Children’s Museum—Kids Town, a

new mini-town project at the Koop Drive

trailhead. Plans were also revealed for a

proposed new Cultural Arts District for

St. Tammany Parish to be located adjacent

to the Colonial/Pinnacle retail property on

Hwy. 21. The district is slated to be the

future home of the Children’s Museum.

ACTIVITIES

Horseback Riding

Swimming

Ropes Course

Tennis

Canoeing

Golf

Basketball

Gymnastics

Dance

Archery

Arts & Crafts

Outdoor Living

Campfire Fun

Rope Swing

Volleyball

Soccer

Riflery

Aerobics

Chorus & Drama

Trip Day

Counselors-In-Training

Climbing Tower

River Water Blob

Cheerleading

Flag Twirling

Sports

Riverview Camp for Girls is a community where your daughters grow in

confidence and maturity - all while having a great time in a safe, carefree and

wholesome environment.

Susan and Larry Hooks, Owners and Directors • For more information, call

(800) 882-0722. Riverview Camp for Girls, P.O. Box 299, Mentone, AL 35984

www.riverviewcamp.com

LONG-TERM SESSSIONS 1st Session: June 9-June 21   2nd Session: June 23-July 53rd Session: July 7-July 194th Session: July 21-August 2

SHORT-TERM SESSIONS A Session: June 9-June 14B Session: June 16-June 21C Session: June 23-June 28D Session: June 30-July 5E Session: July 21- July 26F Session: July 28-August 2

118 InsIde northsIde118 InsIde northsIde

IN Great Taste Louisiana culture and cuisine

is the crème de la crème! There’s no

better time to celebrate all that our

state has to offer than the summer.

Seafood abounds, as do warm

temperatures and sunny days. Below

you will find a few of our favorite

events, festivals and dances in the area.

Consider this your starting point!

Celebrate

ph

oto

: TH

OM

AS

B.

GR

OW

DEN

Louisiana Culture and Cuisine This Summer

May

3-5 Breaux Bridge Crawfish

Festival. Parc Hardy, 2090 Rees St.,

Breaux Bridge. Fri and Sun, $5; Sat,

$10. (337) 332-6655. bbcrawfest.com.

5 Crawfishman Triathalon.

Benefiting Have a Heart Thru Art

and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer

Center. Grande Hills, Bush. 7:30am.

Individuals, $85; relay teams, $165.

crawfishman.net.

11 2nd Annual Crawfish Mambo.

University of New Orleans – Lakefront

Campus, 200 Lakeshore Dr., New

Orleans. 11am-7pm. Tickets, $15 in

advance; $20, day of. (504) 280-2586.

crawfishmambo.com.

June

1-23 New Orleans Oyster Festival.

Hard Rock Café, 418 N. Peters, New

Orleans. neworleansoysterfestival.org.

15 Northshore Cajun Dance. Abita

Springs Town Hall, 221 Level St.

Dance lessons, 7-7:30pm; live music,

8-10:30pm. 887-1485.

21-23 Louisiana Catfish Festival.

St. Gertrude Catholic Church,

17292 Hwy. 631, Des Allemands.

Fri, 5-11pm; Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun,

10:30am-8pm. Free. 758-7542.

louisianacatfishfestival.com.

May-June 2013 119

MCC: Major credit cards acceptedME: Menu Express deliveryRR: Reservations recommended

ABITA SPRINGSAbita Barbecue, 69399 Hwy. 59, 892-0205. Ribs, brisket, chicken, pulled pork and boudin. MCC.

Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly St., 892-5837. On the Trace. Good food, great beer. Lunch, dinner. abitabrewpub.com. MCC.

Abita Springs Café, 22132 Level St., 867-9950. Southern cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tues-Sun. MCC.

Breakaway Cafe, 71667 Leveson St., 809-8998. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm.

Camellia Café, 69455 Hwy. 59, 809-6313. Traditional seafood and New Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.com. MCC.

Mama D’s Pizza & More, 22054 Hwy. 59, 809-0308. Great pizza, sandwiches, pasta, fresh homemade bread. Lunch, dinner. mamadspizza.com.

COVINGTONAcme Oyster House, 1202 Hwy. 190, 246-6155. Established 1910 in New Orleans, 1995 on northshore. Seafood, sandwiches, local favorites. Lunch, dinner. mamdspizza.com. MCC.

Albasha, 1958 Hwy. 190, 867-8292. Mediterranean cuisine. albashabr.com. MCC.

Annadele’s Plantation, 71518 Chestnut St., 809-7669. Yellow fin tuna, domestic lamb & much more. annadeles.com. MCC, checks.

Bear’s Restaurant, 128 W. 21st St., 892-2373. Best po-boys in the world.

Buster’s Place, 519 E. Boston St., 809-3880. Seafood, po-boys, steaks. Lunch, dinner. MCC.

Carreta’s Grill, 70380 Hwy. 21, 871-6674. Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family-friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner. Kids eat free every Wednesday! Private events and catering also provided. carretasgrill.com. MCC.

The Cheesesteak Bistro, 528 N. Columbia St., Covington, 875-9793. Original cheesesteak sandwiches, soups, salads, gumbo and super spuds. Breakfast, lunch. All under $10. MCC, checks.

The Chimes, 19130 W. Front St., 892-5396. Lunch and dinner. thechimes.com. MCC.

Coffee Rani, 234-A Lee Ln., 893-6158. Soup and salad specialists. coffeerani.com.

Columbia St. Seafood, 1123 N. Columbia St., 893-4312. Seafood platters and po-boys. columbiastreetseafood.com.

Columbia St. Tap Room & Grill, 434 N. Columbia St., 898-0899. Daily specials, appetizers, sandwiches, salads, soups and burgers. Live music Thurs-Sat nights. Lunch, dinner. covingtontaproom.com. MCC, ME.

Copeland’s, 680 N. Hwy. 190, 809-9659. Authentic New Orleans cuisine. Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Online take-out orders at copelandsofneworleans.com. MCC, ME, RR. Dakota Restaurant, 629 N. Hwy. 190, 892-3712. Contemporary Louisiana cuisine using local and seasonal ingredients. thedakotarestaurant.com. MCC, RR.

Del Porto Restaurant, 501 E. Boston St., 875-1006. Northern Italian cuisine. delportoristorante.com. MCC, RR.

Di Martino’s, 700 S. Tyler St., 276-6460. Great food and reasonable prices. Lunch, dinner. dimartinos.com. MCC.

DiCristina’s Restaurant, 810 N. Columbia St., Ste. C, 875-0160. Conveniently located next to the new Covington Courthouse. Italian and seafood. dicristinas.com. MCC. Don’s Seafood Hut, 126 Lake Dr., 327-7111. Lunch and dinner. donsseafoodonline.com. MCC.

El Portal, 1200 Business 190, 867-5367.

The English Tea Room, 734 Rutland St., 898-3988. Authentic English cream teas. Special event teas, English scones, crumpets and cakes. Serving breakfast and lunch. Mon-Sat, 7:30am-6pm. englishtearoom.com. MCC, RR.

Four Seasons Chinese Buffet, 600 N. Hwy. 190, 893-3866. MCC. Gallagher’s Grill, 509 S. Tyler St., 892-9992. Lunch and dinner, Tues-Sat. gallaghersgrill.com. MCC, RR.

Isabella’s Pizzeria, 70452 Hwy. 21, Ste. 500, 875-7620; 1331 Hwy. 190, 809-1900. Salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones and pasta. isabellaspizzeria.net.

Italian Pie, 70488 Hwy. 21, 871-5252. Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out. italianpie.com. MCC, checks.

Jerk’s Island Grill & Daiquiri Bar, 70437 Hwy. 21, 893-1380. jerksIslandgrill.com.

Lola, 517 N. New Hampshire St., 892-4992. Lunch, Mon-Fri; Dinner, Fri-Sat. Closed Sundays. Daily lunch specials, local produce, Louisiana seafood, everything housemade. lolacovington.com.

Mattina Bella, 421 E. Gibson St., 892-0708. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

McAlister’s Deli, 206 Lake Dr., Ste. 15, 898-2800. Great sandwiches, salads, overstuffed potatoes. mcalistersdeli.com. MCC, checks.

i n s i d e d i n i n g

>>

side DiningIN

120 InsIde northsIde

Megumi of Covington, 1211 Village Walk, 893-0406. megumirestaurant.net.

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, 1645 Hwy. 190, 327-5407. Salads, pizzas, calzones. MCC. mellowmushroom.com.

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, 104 Lake Dr. #1, 898-6362. menchies.com.

New Orleans Food and Spirits, 208 Lee Ln., 875-0432. Grilled fish, smothered rabbit and voodoo crawfish rolls. Family owned and operated. neworleansfoodspirits.com. MCC.

Nonna Randazzo’s Italian Bakery and Caffè, 2033 N. Hwy. 190, Ste. 5, 893-1488. Full service, year-round bakery. Luncheon salads, panini, catering, donuts, kingcakes, cupcakes and wedding cakes. Tues-Sun, open at 7am. nonnaskingcakes.com. MCC.

North Island Chinese, 842 N. Collins Blvd., 867-8289.

Northshore Empress, 31 Louis Prima Dr., 871-6975. northshoreempress.com.

Osaka 21 Japanese Restaurant, 70340 Hwy. 21, 809-2640.

Osaka West Japanese Restaurant, 804 N. Hwy. 190, 871-8199. osakawest.com

Pardos, 69305 Hwy. 21, 893-3603.

An American bistro with a blend of multi-cultural cuisine with local flair. Frutta del mar pasta, rosemary-grilled shrimp, roasted chicken. Lunch, Tues-Fri; Dinner, Tues-Sun; Happy hour, Tues-Fri, 4-7pm. Private parties and catering. pardosbistro.com. MCC.

Pat’s Seafood Market and Cajun Deli, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-7287. Jambalaya, gumbo, stuffed artichokes. MCC, checks, ME.

Peck’s Seafood & Grill, 70457 Hwy. 21, Ste. 108, 892-2121. Po-boys, seafood, burgers and lunch specials. MCC.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 70456 Hwy. 21, 875-7894. Catch your morning buzz at this convenient drive-thru! Catering. MCC.

Pizza Man of Covington, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-9874. Checks, ME.

Renaissance Antiques & Gifts with the Original Soda Fountain & Café Cabaret, 322 N. Florida St., 892-7220. Nostalgic soda fountain for lunch and after school, six days a week.

Sala Thai, 315 N. Vermont St., 249-6990. Special salads, spring rolls, soups, noodle and curry dishes. Sun-Thurs, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm.Lunch buffet weekdays, 11am-3pm. salathaibysu.com. MCC.

Schwing’s Restaurant, 1204 W. 21st Ave., 893-1899. Fresh seafood and home cooking. schwingsrestaurant.com. MCC.

Sicily’s Pizza, 301 N. Hwy. 190, 893-0005. Pizza, lasagna, salad bar, dessert pizzas. MCC, ME.

Sweet Daddy’s, 420 S. Tyler St., 898-2166. Pulled pork, brisket and ribs. sweetdaddysbarbq.com. MCC, ME.

Thai Chili, 1102 N. Hwy. 190, 809-0180.

Thai Spice, 1581 N. Hwy. 190, 809-6483.

Thai Taste, 1005 N. Collins Blvd., 809-7886.

Thai Thai, 1536 N. Hwy. 190, 809-8905.

Tony Bosco’s at TerraBella, 141 TerraBella Blvd., 612-7250. Authentic Italian cuisine. Lunch, dinner, private meeting room, catering. tonyboscos.com.

Vasquez Seafood & Po-Boys, 515 E. Boston St., 893-9336. Cuban sandwiches and more. vazquezpoboy.com. MCC, checks, ME.

WOW Café & Wingery, 501 N. Hwy. 190, 892-9691. Wings, burgers, wraps and more. MCC.

Yujin Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, 323 N. New Hampshire St., 809-3840. Japanese cuisine and sushi in a casual atmosphere. MCC.

Zea Rotisserie & Grill, 110 Lake Dr., 327-0520. Inspired American food. zearestaurants.com. MCC.

HAMMONDAdobe Cantina & Salsa, 1905 W. Thomas St., 419-0027. Fine Mexican cuisine, good spirits, great friends and fun. Ceviche (marinated fish) and Mexican pasta. Live band. adoberestaurant.com. MCC.

Brady’s, 110 SW Railroad Ave., 542-6333. bradysdowntown.com.

Cocoa Bean Bakery and Cafe, 910 E. Main St., 345-2002. Specialty cakes, pastries. Serving breakfast and light lunch. Specials. thecocoabeanbakery.com. MCC.

Don’s Seafood & Steak House, 1915 S. Morrison Blvd., 345-8550. donsseafoodonline.com. MCC.

Jacmel Inn, 903 E. Morris St., 542-0043. Casual fine dining including Creole, Italian, Caribbean and Southern cuisines. Hand-trimmed steaks, seafood and specialties. Dinner, Tues-Sun; Lunch, Wed-Fri; Sunday Brunch; Closed Mondays. jacmelinn.com. MCC, checks.

Kirin Sushi, 221 E. Cate St., 542-8888. First Japanese sushi restaurant in Hammond! Dragon roll, Kirin roll, sake. kirinjapanesecuisine.com. MCC.

La Carreta Authentic Mexican Cuisine, 108 N.W Railroad Ave., 419-9990. Festive Mexican atmosphere, fresh food from traditional recipes, outstanding service and value. Live music. Lunch and dinner seven days

May-June 2013 121

a week. carretarestaurant.com. MCC.

Old MacDonald’s Smokehouse, 1601 N. Morrison Blvd., 542-7529. BBQ brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. oldmacdonaldsmokehouse.com. MCC, checks.

Tommy’s on Thomas, 216 W. Thomas St., 350-6100. Pizza, pastas. Lunch, dinner. tommysonthomas.com. MCC, checks.

Tope là, 104 N. Cate St., 542-7600. Contemporary delights. topela.com. MCC.

Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 2100 N. Morrison Blvd., 345-6789. Innovative quality Chinese food served in Imperial surroundings. treyyuen.com. MCC, checks.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2108 W. Thomas St., 345-1131. “Taste our Magic.” voodoobbq.com. MCC.

Yellow Bird Café, 222 E. Charles St., 345-1112. A great place to start your day. Breakfast, lunch. MCC, checks.

LACOMBEJanie Brown’s Restaurant, 27207 Hwy. 190, 882-7201. Casual dining with a great atmosphere. MCC, checks.

La Provence Restaurant, 25020 Hwy. 190, 626-7662. Owner John Besh combines hospitality with French cuisine and welcoming hearths. Dinner, Sunday brunch. laprovencerestaurant.com. MCC, checks. RR.

Sal & Judy’s, 27491 Hwy. 190, 882-9443. Great food and line of retail products. Family-owned for 27 years. Veal is the house specialty. salandjudys.com. MCC, RR.

MADISONVILLECafe Madisonville, 410 Covington Hwy., 792-4506. Soups, salads, sandwiches and lunch specials.

Frog’s Pizzeria, 302 Hwy. 22, 845-9500. frogspizza.com.

Hook’d Up Riverside Bar and Grill, 100 Marina Del Ray Dr., 845-8119. Burgers, wings, hot dogs and specials.

Keith Young’s Steakhouse, 165 Hwy. 21, 845-9940. Steak, crab cakes. Lunch, dinner, Tues-Fri. keithyoungs.net. MCC.

Morton’s Boiled Seafood & Bar, 702 Water St., 845-4970. Relaxed atmosphere, seafood, daily specials. Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

Water St. Bistro, 804 Water St., 845-3855. Casual ambiance on the Tchefuncte. Lunch and dinner, Wed-Sun. mortonsseafood.com. MCC.

MANDEVILLE The Barley Oak, 2101 Lakeshore Dr., 727-7420. Serving 130 styles of beer, call and premium liquors. Lunch and dinner. thebarleyoak.com. MCC.

Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 1809 N. Causeway Blvd., 674-9090. Bear’s po-boys and more.

bearsgrillandspirits.com. MCC.

Benedict’s Plantation, 1144 Lovers Ln., 626-4557. Traditional New Orleans cuisine. Dinner, Sunday brunch. benedictsplantation.net. MCC.

Bosco’s Italian Café, 2040 Hwy. 59, 624-5066. boscositalian.com.

Broken Egg Café, 200 Gerard St., 624-3388. Excellent choice for brunch! Pasta, specialty salads, sandwiches. anotherbrokenegg.com. MCC.

Café Lynn Restaurant and Catering, 3051 E. Causeway App., 624-9007. Casual fine dining for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch by Chef Joey Najolia. Catfish remoulade, pasta du jour. Tues-Fri, lunch: 11am-3pm. Dinner, 5pm. Catering provided. cafelynn.com. MCC.

Casa Garcia, 800 N. Causeway Blvd., 951-8226. Redefining Mexican food one meal at a time. MCC.

Causeway Café, 527 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-9997. MCC.

Chili’s Bar & Grill, 3420 Hwy. 190, 727-2771. Fajitas and the Awesome Blossom. Lunch, dinner. chilis.com. MCC, ME.

Coffee Rani, 3517 Hwy. 190, 674-0560. Soup and salad specialists.

Coscino’s Pizza, 1817 N. Causeway Blvd., 727-4984. New York hand-tossed pizza and Italian foods cooked on stone

using the finest ingredients. MCC.

Country Kitchen, 2109 Florida St., 626-5375. countrykitchenrestaurants.com.

Fat Spoon Café, 68480 Hwy. 59., 809-2929. Breakfast, lunch, Tues-Sun. 7am-2pm. Breakfast served until 10:30am on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. Reserve Fat Spoon Cafe for your next party. fatspooncafe.com. MCC.

Fazzio’s Seafood & Steakhouse, 1841 N. Causeway Blvd., 624-9704. Fresh fish daily, aged beef, traditional Italian. Lunch, dinner. fazziosrestaurant.com. MCC, ME, RR. Franco’s Grill,100 Bon Temps Roule, 792-0200. Fresh organic foods for breakfast, lunch and takeout. myfrancos.com/dining. MCC.

George’s Mexican Restaurant, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4342. Family owned. Fajitas, George’s nachos, Carne al la Parrilla. Best top-shelf margaritas in town. georgesmexicanrestaurant.com. MCC, ME.

Gio’s Villa Vancheri, 2890 E. Causeway App., 624-2597. Sicilian specialties by 5-star chef Gio Vancheri. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. giosvillavancheri.com. MCC. RR.

Hong Kong Restaurant, 2890 E. Causeway App., 626-8222. MCC.

Isabella’s Pizzeria, 2660 Florida >>

i n s i d e d i n i n g

122 InsIde northsIde

St. (in the Florida Street Market), 674-5700. Salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones and pasta. isabellapizzeria.net.

Italian Pie, 4350 Hwy. 22, 626-5252. Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out. italianpie.com. MCC, checks.

Izumi, 2660 Florida St., 624-8664. Sushi, Japanese specialties. izumi.com. MCC.

K. Gee’s, 2534 Florida St., 626-0530. Featuring Louisiana seafood with raw oysters 1/2 price on Tuesdays. Express lunch and daily lunch specials under $10. Mon-Thurs, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm. kgeesrestaurant.com. MCC.

La Carreta Authentic Mexican Cuisine, 1200 W. Causeway App., 624-2990. Festive Mexican atmosphere, fresh food from traditional recipes, outstanding service and value. Live music. Lunch and dinner seven days a week. carretasrestaurant.com. MCC.

La Madeleine French Cafe, 3434 Hwy. 190, 626-7004. lamadeleine.com.

The Lakehouse, 2025 Lakeshore Dr., 626-3006, events 807-5014. Special events venue open 7 days for private events. Call for reservations. lakehousecuisine.com. MCC.

Little Tokyo, 590 Asbury Dr., 727-1532. littletokyosushi.com.

Louie & The Redhead Lady, 1851 Florida St., 626-8101. louieandtheredheadlady.com.

Macaroni Grill, 3410 Hwy. 190, 727-1998. Penne rustica, pasta Milano, other Italian favorites. Lunch, dinner. macaronigrill.com. MCC, ME.

Mande’s, 340 N. Causeway App., 626-9047. Serving breakfast and lunch, daily specials.

Mandina’s, 4240 Hwy. 22 in Azalea Square Shopping Center, 674-9883. Seafood, Creole and Italian. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. mandinasrestaurant.com.

Maw Maw’s, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd., Ste. 11, 727-7727. Soups, salads, stuffed potatoes, sandwiches, po-boys.

Megumi Japanese Cuisine, 4700 Hwy. 22, Suites 11 and 12, 845-1644. Yakimono and sushi bar. Lunch, dinner. megumirestaurant.com.

MiMamacita’s New Mexican Cuisine, 2345 Florida St., 674-1400. Great food and margaritas. Lunch, dinner, catering. MCC.

Monster Po-Boys, 1814 N. Causeway App., 626-9183. Lunch, dinner.

N’Tini’s, 2891 N. Hwy. 190, 626-5566. Steaks, martinis. Lunch specials. Mon.-Sat. ntinis.com. MCC.

Nuvolari’s, 246 Girod St., 626-5619. In

Old Mandeville. Gnocchi, escargot, filet mignon, linguini fruta di mare. Dinner. Open seven nights a week. MCC. nuvolaris.com.

Old Mandeville Café (formerly Kickstand Café and Bike Rental), 690 Lafitte St., 626-9300. kickstand.bz.

Pal’s Ice Cream and Yogurt Shop, 2201 Eleventh St., 626-0293. “Only 8” all-natural no-fat yogurt, banana splits, smoothies. Soups, sandwiches. MCC.

Petunia’s Place, 2020 Hwy. 59, 674-3436. petuniasplace.com.

Pinkberry, 3460 Hwy. 190, 612-7306. Sun-Thurs, 11am-10pm. Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm. Pinkberry is the original tart frozen yogurt that is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy paired with high quality, fresh cut fruit and premium dry toppings. pinkberry.com.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 2963 Hwy. 190, 674-1565. Catch your morning buzz at the convenient drive-thru! Catering. pjscoffee.com. MCC.

Rip’s on the Lake, 1917 Lakeshore Dr., 727-2829.

Ristorante Carmelo & Pizzaria, 1901 Hwy. 190, 624-4844. Family-oriented Italian cuisine. Lunch and dinner. MCC.

Rusty Pelican, 500 Girod St., 778-0364. Lunch, dinner. rustypelicanbythelake.com. MCC.

Sake Gardens Japanese Restaurant, 1705 Hwy. 190, 624-8955.

Sesame Inn, 408 N. Causeway Blvd., 951-8888. Finest Chinese cuisine.

The Scotts’ Coffee Bar, 201 Carroll St., 231-7632. Open seven days. Gourmet coffee & tea. Breakfast and lunch items available. Evening tapas menu - Fri and Sat, 6-10. thescottscoffeebar.com.

Shuck & Jive, 643 Lotus Dr., 626-1534. shucknjivemandeville.com. MCC

Smoothie King, 1830 W. Causeway App., 626-9159. Smoothies. smoothieking.com. MCC, checks.

Subway, 1665 Hwy. 190, 674-0733. Sandwiches, salads. Low-fat available. subway.com. MCC.

Taqueria Noria, 1931 Hwy. 59, 727-7917. Lunch, dinner.

Times Bar & Grill, 1896 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-1161. Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner. timesgrill.com. ME, MCC.

Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 600 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4476. Quality China cuisine with Louisiana flair. Lunch, dinner. treyyuen.com. MCC, checks.

Vianne’s Tea House, 544 Girod St., 624-5683. A full café menu with over 120 loose leaf and speciality teas.

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Breakfast, lunch. viannes.com. MCC.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2999 Hwy. 190 E., 629-2021. “Taste our Magic.” voodoobbq.com. MCC.

PONCHATOULAMiddendorf’s Seafood Restaurant, 30160 Hwy. 51, 386-6666. middendorfsrestaurant.com.

Rox, 147 N.W. Railroad Ave., 370-0930. Crafted cuisine and martini bar Open 7 days a week. roxrestaurant.com. MCC.

Sister’s Coffeehouse & Cafe, 18440 Hwy. 22 E., 370-9424. Warm, friendly atmosphere, unique food, gourmet coffees, teas. MCC, checks.

Taste of Bavaria Restaurant & Bakery, 14476 Hwy. 22, 386-3634. Charming Bavarian bungalow, European-style breakfast, German-style lunch. tasteofbavariastaurant.com. MCC, checks.

SLIDELLA Touch of Italy Café, 134 Pennsylvania Ave., 639-0600. Seafood, veal, steaks, daily specials. Lunch, dinner. kathrynandcompany.com. MCC, checks.

Assunta’s, 2631 Hwy. 190 W., 649-9768. Italian food, extensive wine selection. Dinner. assuntas.com. MCC, checks.

Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 550 Gause Blvd., 201-8905. Po-boys and more. bearsgrillandspirits.com. MCC.

Bistro de la Reine, 2306 Front St., 288-4166. Sunday brunch, live entertainment, fine wines and spirits. Open seven days a week. bistrodelareine.com. MCC.

Bonnie C’s, 1768 Front St., 288-5061. Home-style Italian, seafood, and barbecue.

Camellia Cafe, 525 Hwy. 190, 649-6211. Traditional seafood and New Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.com. MCC.

Carreta’s Grill, 137 Taos St., 847-0020. Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family-friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner. carretasgrill.com. MCC.

Eddie D’s, 39510 Hwy. 190 E., 847-1000.

KY’s Olde Towne Bicycle Shop, 2267 Carey St., 641-1911. Casual dining in former bicycle shop. Kids’ menu. Lunch, dinner. kysoldetowne.com. MCC, checks.

La. Pines, 1061 Robert St., 641-6196. Meet under the water tower for Ahhhfull-waffles, Sugar Watcher specials. Breakfast, lunch. lapinescafe.com. MCC, checks.

Michael’s, 4820 Pontchartrain Dr., 649-8055. Steaks, seafood, veal, duck, eggplant au gratin. Extensive wine selection. Dinner.

Nathan’s Restaurant, 36440 Old Bayou Liberty Rd., 643-0443. Waterfront dining featuring seafood, steaks and pasta. MCC.

Nola Southern Grill, 1375 Gause Blvd., 201-8200. Burgers, ribs, steaks, pasta, sandwiches and seafood. MCC.

Palmettos on the Bayou, 1901 Bayou Ln., 643-0050. palmettosrestaurantslidell.com.

Peck’s Seafood Restaurant, 2315 Gause Blvd. E., 781-7272. Po-boys, seafood, burgers and lunch specials. MCC.

Phil’s Marina Café, 1194 Harbor Dr., 641-0464. philsmarinacafe.net.

Shenanigans Irish Pub & Restaurant, 2165 W. Gause Blvd., 288-5286. Authentic Irish food, drink and entertainment in a traditional pub atmosphere.

Smoothie King, 150 Northshore Blvd., 781-3456. Low-fat health drinks. smoothieking.com. MCC, checks.

Steak Out, 1325 Gause Blvd., 645-8646. Eat in or delivered to you. steakout.com. MCC.

Tacos and Beer, 2142 Front St., 641-4969. Lunch, dinner and late-night.

Times Bar & Grill, Front St., 641-4969. Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner. timesgrill.com. ME, MCC.

The Wine Market, 2051 E. Gause Blvd., 781-1177. Deli restaurant, lunch, 11am-3pm. Sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps. MCC and checks.

WOW Café & Wingery, 2170 Gause Blvd. W., 661-9692. Wings, burgers, wraps and more. MCC.

Young’s Restaurant, 850 Robert Blvd., 643-9331. Steaks, seafood, nice wine selection. Dinner. youngssteakhouse.com. MCC, checks.

NEW ORLEANS/SOUTHSHORECafé Giovanni, 117 Rue Decatur, (504)-529-2154. Chef Duke’s New World Italian Cuisine. Dinner, Sun-Thurs, 5:30-10pm. Fri-Sat, 5:30-11pm. Live Entertainment Wed, Thurs, and Friday Evenings. Perfect Catering for next social or business event. Cafegiovanni.com. RR.

Criollo Resturant and Lounge at Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., (504)-523-3340. hotelmonteleone.com/criollo/. MCC, RR

R’evolution, 777 Bienville St., (504)-553-2277. Located at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Offering modern, imaginative reinterpretations of classic Cajun and Creole Cuisine. Triptych of Quail, Gulf Shrimp, Grits “Villages de L’est and Oysterman’s spaghettini. Revolutionnola.com. RR.

i n s i d e d i n i n g

FOR PARISH PRESIDENT PAT BRISTER, building a

successful administration that serves the people of St.

Tammany Parish exceedingly well involves not only

steadfast principles but also the right people. “As we

move forward in our second year, we continue to

place the needs of our citizenry first and concentrate

on specific areas we feel are vital to the continual

smart growth of the parish,” she says. “However, we

remain focused on customer service, transparency,

accountability and cooperation.” With these

principles in place, Brister has strategically selected

people she feels will nourish her vision and enhance

the productivity of the parish government.

Sidney FontenotSidney Fontenot, director of the Department

of Development, has seen the evolution of his

department in real time since Brister took the

oath of office. “The planning, permits, parts of

the environmental, and even some engineering

departments are now embedded into the Department

of Development,” Fontenot says. “The construction

Brister’sPuts St. Tammany First

Team

124 InsIde northsIde

IN Development

May-June 2013 125

process is a trying experience under the best

circumstances. Now that we are in one building,

we can generally answer any question concerning

construction in St. Tammany Parish—whether you

are building a backyard shed or you are building a

subdivision—in

one single stop.

If we do not

have the answer,

we will find the

person who does.”

Fontenot says

his department

earned stellar

reviews during

recent customer

service training;

he adds that citizens’ ideas are always welcome.

Combination inspectors (inspectors qualified

in several different areas) now reduce the number

of trips to each inspection site, reduce the cost to

government and reduce the cost to the developer.

In addition, the mypermitnow.org feature allows

access via the web to project and inspection updates.

Permits for commercial construction, as well as single

family residences, increased in both 2012 and the

first quarter of 2013.

“Over the past 15 years that I have worked in

St. Tammany, I have seen the parish evolve from

somewhat of a teenager in an identity crisis, trying

to figure out who we are, to a largely independent

community with a streamlined government,” Fontenot

says. “If someone is willing to meet our quality

standards, it is my job to uphold these standards and

make it as easy as possible for them to build here.”

Don SheaDon Shea will tell you that he wakes up every day

thinking about ways to enhance the current economic

climate in his role as St. Tammany’s first director of

the Department of Economic Development. “The

citizens of this parish already have high expectations,

in part because they are forward-looking,” Shea says.

“This is exciting for me in the sense that I have no act

to follow; I can move forward without trepidation and

find my place as part of the sum. President Brister is

unequivocally committed to economic development

and smart growth, and I am excited about my role in

harnessing the energy of the citizens. I am charged

with the task of bringing together the residential,

commercial and retail industries, and achieving a

harmonious balance among them.”

With his background in several diverse markets,

Shea brings fresh ideas to St. Tammany on par with

the high standards already in place. “St. Tammany

is all about live, work and play. We have it all

here,” he notes. “We have a broad-based economy,

which is actually a buffer against things outside of

our control that can affect the economic climate. I

envision directed development that can do the most

good to maintain our living, breathing, full economy.

St. Tammany

is no longer

the bedroom

community

‘across the lake.’

The people here

are talented and

committed to

the advancement

of a versatile

economy and job

creation.”

With a vision that includes innovative strategies

to retain and attract businesses, Shea places heavy

emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation. “People

will locate their businesses where they feel fulfilled.

We have the right formula for fulfillment—quality of

life, diverse activity, mild climate, our tax structure,

the arts and many forms of recreation. The concept of

co-working is a way to attract an independent, tech-

savvy workforce and give them the confidence that

this is the place where they can make their mark.”

Shea stresses that everyone has a role in the economic

success of St. Tammany. “Every citizen is a stakeholder

in the future. My role is to articulate our collective

vision and to do my part to see it through to fruition.”

Beverly GariepyWhen Brister trimmed more than $3 million

from the parish operating budget in 2012, she

solidified her commitment to fiscal responsibility in >>

government. When she hired Beverly Gariepy as St.

Tammany’s chief financial officer, she reaffirmed that

commitment. (Gariepy will fill the role of outgoing

First Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kim Salter,

who will retire later this year.)

“My role is

multifaceted and

ever-evolving in

that we continue

to explore how

we can most

effectively be good

stewards of public

funds—essentially

other people’s

money,” Gariepy

notes. “It is all

about good governance, not putting up road blocks,

but being facilitators. Fortunately, I can build on the

sound financial practices already in place.

“The operation of this government starts with

the one at the top, and our citizens have high

expectations,” she notes. “It is our job to do the

most that we can with the resources that we have.

This parish is full of people who have unlimited

potential that we continue to develop. Government

is by its nature a collaborative endeavor; the staff

here continues to exceed expectations because we

find people’s strengths and leverage their potential

every day. I appreciate that no one can do this by

themselves.”

Ronnie Simpson Communication between parish government and

the public is essential to maintaining transparency.

“People want to feel they know what is going on

when it comes to their community,” says Ronnie

Simpson, director of the newly formed Department of

Public Information. “Our part in this administration

is to utilize every form of communication at our

disposal to bring to the public information that is at

times of vital importance and at other times simply

a matter of community outreach. We are the liaison

between the entire operation of parish government

and the citizenry.”

The Department of Public Information also

houses Access St. Tammany, the local government-

access television station. “Access St. Tammany is

one of only three government access channels in the

United States to carry high definition programming,”

Simpson says. “We bring to the public not only

government programming like parish and city

council meetings, but also local cultural events

like the Abita Opry; Health Quest, which discusses

pertinent health topics with local health care

professionals; ArtSpark, which spotlights the arts

in our community; and our newest show, Home,

which introduces local and widely known celebrities

who call St. Tammany home.”

Simpson continues to build on the digital aspect

of communication

through utilizing

social media, web

access and Vimeo

(a video sharing

service). “We

want citizens to be

plugged in, so we

are designing our

communications

to meet the

changing way

people get information. For instance, you can sign up

for various departmental email lists and fine tune your

communication with us to suit your needs. You can

watch Access St. Tammany through either On Demand

or live streaming via the website, stpgov.org. We

want everyone in St. Tammany to take an active role

in shaping their government; our job is to keep you

informed so that you can be an educated participant.”

Brister continues to build on her second-year

agenda. “We work every day to make the most

efficient, yet productive, use of your tax dollars and

my job is to put a team in place that will take this task

seriously,” she says. “I am committed to a transparent,

efficient government that works, and to the long-

term success of St. Tammany Parish. With these four

individuals and the rest of our hardworking staff, we

will accomplish just that.”

Visit stpgov.org to sign up for email alerts

and to learn more about St. Tammany Parish

government.

126 InsIde northsIde

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May-June 2013 127

n o r t h s h o r e l i v i n g

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May-June 2013 129

10/12 Properties ................... 985-626-8200 127

Accents & Things ................... 985-649-4273 89

Advanced Hand Specialists .... 985-674-4170 57

Agena, Dr. Gary M. - OBGYN ... 985-845-7121 28

Al’s Plumbing Co. .................. 985-845-9390 54

Arabella Fine Gifts ................. 985-727-9787 17

Artisan Home Décor .............. 985-778-2113 90

Asset One ............................. 985-727-2834 75

Azure Spa ............................. 985-237-1980 74

Bamboo Gardens ...... bamboogardensla.com 36

Bastille’s Clothing Company .. 985-626-4220 98

Bedico Creek Preserve ........... 985-845-4200 27

Bella Cucina .......................... 985-626-7886 90

Bennett’s Waterskiing and Wakeboarding School

............................................. 800-869-7297 94

Berger Home ......................... 985-624-3433 21

Berry, Dr. C.M. ....................... 985-345-2555 35

Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights .. 985-249-6040 19

Blossom Girl .......................... 985-626-6280 105

Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers ..... 985-626-1666 7

Bra Genie .............................. 985-951-8638 97

Broussard’s Pianos ................ 985-503-5038 62

brown eyed girl ..................... 985-626-0100 98

Brown Family Orthodontics .... 985-626-8297 24

Café Lynn .............................. 985-624-9007 123

Carreta’s Grill ....... 985-871-6674, 847-0020 4

Cedarwood School ................ 985-845-7111 45

Champagne Jewelers............. 985-643-2599 24

Christwood Retirement Community ..............

......................................... christwoodrc.com 15

Church of the King ................ 985-727-7017 21

Columbia Street Mercantile ... 985-809-1789 101

Computer Troubleshooters ..... 985-624-2302 128

Covington Cardiovascular Care ... 985-871-4140 25

Culinary Kids ......................... 985-727-5553 128

deCoeur ..................................... decoeur.net 93

Designs in Windows .............. 985-209-1689 93

Downtown Chic .................... 985-809-3860 101

Earthsavers ........................... 985-674-1133 97

Etan Enterprises .................... 985-966-7042 110

Eye Care Surgery Center ........ 985-892-4858 6

Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital .................

......................................fairwaymedical.com 77

Fazzio’s Restaurant ................ 985-624-9704 121

Fertility Institute ............. fertilityinstitute.com 111

Fielding Photography ............. 985-626-7549 86

Fitness Expo .......................... 504-887-0880 57

Florist of Covington ............... 985-892-7701 77

Franco’s Athletic Club ............ 985-792-0200 BC

french mix, the ...................... 985-809-3152 73

Gallery D’Art Francais ............ 504-581-6925 26

George’s Mexican Restaurant .... 985-626-4342 119

GNL Contractors.................... 985-288-5112 58

GNO Property Management .. 504-528-7028 67

Gomez Pine Straw ................. 985-264-3567 128

Grapevine, The ..grapevinegiftsandgallery.com 89

H.W. Rosenblum .................... 985-727-9955 105

Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West ........

..............................................habitatstw.org 79

Hazelnut ............................... 985-626-8900 114

Home Bank ...................... home24bank.com 120

Honda of Covington .............. 985-892-0001 IFC, 85

Infusé Oils & Vinegars............ 985-778-0903 53

Integrated Spine & Disc ......... 985-626-0999 63

Integrity Builders, Inc. ............ 985-626-3479 28

Istre Hearing Care ................. 985-845-3509 45

Izabella’s Villa ....................... 985-649-5060 3

Jim Stone Co. ........................ 985-882-5907 89

JLGC - Polo .......................................jlgc.net 75

Jos. A. Bank ........................... 985-624-4067 82

Ju Ju’s Boutique .................... 985-624-3600 102

KentJacob Color Salon ........... 985-845-8011 82

Lake After Hours .................... 985-375-9979 73

Lakeview Regional Medical Center ...985-867-3800 IBC

Latter & Blum - Jennifer Rice.. 985-892-1478 127

Latter & Blum - Stevie Mack .. 985-630-1934 128

Laurier .................................. 985-875-0823 98

LCI Workers Comp ................. 985-612-1230 86

Leadership Northshore .......... 985-643-5678 65

Louisiana Custom Closets ...... 985-871-0810 58

Louisiana Heart Hospital ...............................

........................... louisianahearthospital.com 8, 31

Lowe’s Jewelers..................... 985-845-4653 53

Lynn Stirling Antiques ............ 985-626-7704 83

Mariette Fortenbery Interior Design ...............

............................................. 985-206-5173 94

Martin Wine Cellar ...............martinwine.com 113

Mary Bird Perkins ..............marybird.org/stph 81

Mix, The ................................ 985-727-7649 102

Moody Law Firm ................... 985-542-1351 50

MoreSmiles-Dr. Jim Moreau .. 985-809-7645 115

Niche Modern Home ............. 985-624-4045 84

North American Insurance Agency ... 985-871-5480 72

NORTH Institute, The ............. 985-871-4114 20

North Oaks Health System .......northoaks.org 42

North Shore Square Mall ....... 985-646-0661 11

Northlake Glass ..................... 985-626-9788 36

Northshore Harbor Center ..... 985-781-3650 22, 23

N’Tini’s .................................. 985-626-5566 122

Oasis Day Spa, The ................ 985-624-6772 102

Ochsner Medical Center - North Shore .. ochsner.org 50

Outdoor Living Center ........... 985-893-8008 41

Paisley .................................. 985-727-7880 101

Pan American Power .............. 985-893-1271 13

Pardo’s .................................. 985-893-3603 122

Paretti Jaguar ... 866-751-0237, 504-455-2101 65

Pinkberry.................................pinkberry.com 121

Plaisance, Dr. Kevin M. ........... 985-893-3777 63

POSH Boutique ..................... 985-898-2639 105

Private Beach ........................ 985-674-2326 94

Purple Armadillo Again ... purplearmadillo.net 101

Rehab Dynamics ................... 985-871-7878 41

Resource Bank ..............bankonresource.com 79

Rick’s Professional Painting Service ...............

............................................. 985-845-0533 128

Riverview Camp for Girls ....... 800-882-0722 117

Rug Chic ............................... 985-674-1070 112

St. Joseph Abbey ........ saintjosephabbey.com 85

St. Romain Interiors ............... 985-845-7411 90

St. Tammany Home Builders Association ........

............................................. 800-715-1387 128

St. Tammany Parish Hospital..... 985-898-4000 71

St. Tammany West Chamber .. 985-273-3006 66

Scott Sandage Homes ............ 985-542-2724 12

Scotts’ Coffee Bar, The ........... 985-231-7632 119

Shoefflé ....................................shoeffle.com 98

Simply Southern .................... 985-871-1466 93

Slidell Memorial Foundation .. 985-280-8820 61

Southern Bridal ..................... 985-727-2993 97

Southern Pain Center............. 985-727-7275 123

Southland Plumbing Supply, Inc. ... 985-893-8883 80

State Farm Insurance, C J Ladner .. 985-892-5030 105

Stone Creek Club and Spa ..... 985-801-7100 5

Stone Source ......................... 985-892-0695 127

Studio 311 ............................ 985-327-7775 97

Studio MV ............................. 985-867-5601 41

Surgical Specialists ...............whyweight.com 17

Tchefuncta Club Estates ........tchefuncta.com 39

TerraBella .............................. 985-871-7171 54

Three Rivers Gallery ............... 985-892-2811 90

Three Sisters Boutique ........... 985-386-8680 102

Town & Country Travel, Inc. .... 504-838-8702 62

Tran, Dr. David ....................... 985-893-1070 10

Vantage Point ....................... 985-259-7774 16

Village Executive Office Suites, The .. 985-727-6700 93

Welcome Home and garden .. 985-893-3933 94

Windsor Senior Living Community, The ..........

............................................. 985-624-8040 87

Wood & White Tennis Tournament ................

.....................................985-674-4307 x202 89

Youth Service Bureau ............. 985-893-2570 107

ADVERTISER ..........................CONTACT INFO PAGE ADVERTISER ..........................CONTACT INFO PAGE ADVERTISER ..........................CONTACT INFO PAGE

Directory of Advertisers

130 InsIde northsIde

Last BiteWhen you’re driving on North Causeway Boulevard in

Mandeville, it’s easy to tell when it’s Cinco de Mayo. The service

road at the intersection with St. Ann is lined with the parked

cars of all the folks enjoying the annual block party at George’s

Mexican Restaurant.

George Espinal and his sister, Egla Trujillo, have been serving up

Latin-American fare for loyal northshore diners for nearly

30 years. They’ve been throwing their Cinco de Mayo

celebration for 12 years, and it keeps on growing.

“What can I tell you?” Egla says. “It takes two

months to prepare for it. I have to triple-order

everything and start cooking a week in advance.”

It’s a family-oriented fiesta, with the entire

shopping center parking lot blocked off to

accommodate the 700-800 people who attend.

It’s also for the adults, of course, as

Coronas and margaritas flow. “We go

through 40 cases of Corona, and where

I usually order four cases of tequila a

week, we get 30 just for Cinco de Mayo,”

says Egla. Live music outdoors and a DJ

inside keep the crowds moving.

Their most popular drink is the George’s Special,

a top-shelf margarita made with Sauza Gold tequila,

Cointreau, a splash of grenadine and fresh lime juice,

the key ingredient in all their margaritas. More than

20 premium tequilas round out the fully stocked bar.

The menu at George’s features all the Mexican staples

(including a new tableside guacamole) and daily specials,

as well as dishes that reflect the family’s Honduran roots,

like Sizzlin’ Pork Plate. Their signature item is fajitas.

The meat is marinated for 24 hours, which Egla says is

important for the dish’s fantastic flavor.

“We’ve been serving the same food for more

than 29 years,” Egla says, “Consistency is the key

to our success. We get to know our customers.

I know what they like to eat, what they like

to drink and I try to sit with them as much as

I can. To us, everyone is family, and we treat

everyone like family. You know when you come

here that this is your second home.”

George’s Mexican Restaurant is located at

1461 N. Causeway Blvd. in Mandeville, 626-4342.

georgesmexicanrestaurant.com.

George Espinal and Egla Trujillo ofGeorge’s Mexican Restaurant

by Lauren Smith

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