NOLADrinks – 1-18-18 – Jyl Benson of Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Winter Beer with Matt and Sal

On this edition of the NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias we chat with Jyl Benson, director of culinary programming at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. We discuss her new book, “Louisiana’s Tables: A Culinary Heritage Tour” and programs at the museum. Also, our resident beer experts and certified judges, Matt Horney, brewmaster at Old Rail Brewing Co., and Sal Mortillaro join us to talk winter beers and more!

Pictured above from left – Jyl Benson of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Bryan Dias of NOLADrinks.

NOLADrinks – 1-18-18 – Jyl Benson of Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Winter Beer with Matt and Sal

We start things off right away with our resident beer experts and certified judges, Sal Mortillaro (at left, on the right) and Matt Horney (at left, center), who is also the brewmaster at Old Rail Brewing Co. located in Old Mandeville. Both Sal and Matt judge through the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP.) These two are two of the most knowledgeable guys around when it comes to beer, its history, its production, and its evaluation.

We talk about several topics this time including winter beers, barley wine, porters and stouts, smoked beers, beer making in Germany, and even a tip or two for enjoying your favorite suds during Mardi Gras!

Next up, we pay a visit to the excellent Southern Food and Beverage Museum located here, of course, in New Orleans! We chat with Jyl Benson, director of culinary programming for the organization. Aside from that role, Jyl is also a culinary historian and author. We discuss programs at the museum and how part of their mission is to support culinary entrepreneurs in the region. This includes the use of their kitchen space, educational programs, mentorship, and other resources.

We also talk about her latest cookbook, Louisiana’s Tables: A Culinary Heritage Tour. We chat about how the publication is more than just a cookbook, it’s loaded with history and information from the state’s varied cuisine. She has taken an interesting approach in that she separated the state by region and then proceeded to share signature recipes from each including the stories behind the dishes, why certain ingredients were used, and more. Among many other interesting topics, we discuss how gumbo differs by region, the influences various cultures have had on the food here, and much more!

Below the map the shows the location of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Old Rail Brewing Co., you can subscribe to, stream, and download the NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias podcast.

Cheers, You All!

~ Bryan