Ask New Orleans chef Brian Landry to choose between Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, and he doesn't hesitate. Jazz Fest wins. Not because he dislikes Mardi Gras, but because the city he knows is a lot bigger than Bourbon Street.

For Part 2 of our conversation at Jack Rose inside the Pontchartrain Hotel, Brian takes me beyond the version of New Orleans most visitors think they know. We get into the family traditions behind Mardi Gras, what happens along the parade routes and why the celebration means so much more to locals than beads and late nights. Brian also shares his favorite places to hear live music, including Snug Harbor, Preservation Hall and Tipitina's, while explaining why the city's music scene remains so important to its restaurants.

We talk about changing drinking habits, the rise of zero-proof cocktails, social media and how restaurants are adapting to a new generation of customers. Brian also shares his connection to Team Gleason and the responsibility hospitality businesses have to their communities.

Of course, things get a little ridiculous. I try a champagne bong for the first time, question how Garden District mansions can coexist with New Orleans potholes and eventually meet the famous Mile High Pie. There's a pair of commemorative socks involved, too. Don't ask.

Somewhere between the cocktails, the laughter and dessert, Brian explains the philosophy behind QED Hospitality. Guests might forget the details of dinner, but they'll remember how they felt when they left.

And after spending the evening with Brian, it's easy to see what he means.

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 Bartending, Confidence and a Champagne Bong
00:13:37 Brian's Favorite New Orleans Music Spots
00:17:01 Jazz Fest and the Mardi Gras Tourists Miss
00:24:13 Drinking Less and the Zero-Proof Shift
00:28:32 Garden District Mansions and Potholes
00:43:03 Mile High Pie and the Meaning of Hospitality

EPISODE DETAILS

Guest: Chef Brian Landry, QED Hospitality
Host: Noël Burgess
Producer: Luis Montoya
Recorded at: Jack Rose, The Pontchartrain Hotel, New Orleans

WATCH THE CONVERSATION

Part 2: https://youtu.be/3vGRye9hd-c

Start with Part 1, where Brian discusses his journey from pre-med to the restaurant business, Michelin stars, restaurant failures and his ambitions beyond the kitchen.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/P7c8SYfLAY4

EXPLORE MORE

QED Hospitality: https://www.qedhg.com/
Jack Rose: https://www.jackroserestaurant.com/
Follow Noël: https://www.instagram.com/mrnoelburgess/
Follow ON OUR WAY: https://www.instagram.com/noelburgessonourway/

Follow Noël Burgess ON OUR WAY on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. If this conversation makes you want to experience a different side of New Orleans, share it with someone planning a visit.

Because every place has a story, and we're on our way to find it.

Brian Landry had degrees in biology and philosophy and was interviewing for medical school when he realized he wanted a very different life. His mother thought he was crazy. His father had better advice. "Pursue food like you would medicine."

For Part 1 of our conversation, I sit down with Brian at Jack Rose inside New Orleans' historic Pontchartrain Hotel. Brian is the chef and co-owner of QED Hospitality, and we get into the business behind some of the city's most recognizable dining rooms. He tells me why the revival of the Caribbean Room didn't work, how Jack Rose replaced it in 2018 and why preserving a restaurant like Broussard's matters to him.

Then I ask the Michelin question. Brian isn't opposed to stars, but none of his concepts were built around winning one. He wants full dining rooms, loyal neighbors and restaurants that will still be open 20 years from now. It's a revealing answer from someone who's spent his career balancing the creative side of cooking with the reality of running a business.

We also get into the difference between Cajun and Creole cooking, his dream of owning a boutique hotel, the influence of Emeril Lagasse and his upcoming cookbook, Rhythm & Roux, with bassist Peter Harris. Then Brian tells me about losing on Iron Chef to tuna ice cream. I had to make sure I heard that correctly.

In Part 2, we leave the business conversation behind for the music, Mardi Gras traditions and restaurant experiences that make New Orleans so addictive.

Chapters

00:00:00 From Medical School to the Kitchen
00:07:43 Jack Rose and the Pontchartrain
00:21:08 What's Next for QED Hospitality
00:35:05 Brian's Dream Boutique Hotel
00:43:08 Michelin Stars and 20-Year Restaurants
00:47:48 Losing to Tuna Ice Cream on Iron Chef

Guest: Chef Brian Landry, QED Hospitality
Host: Noël Burgess
Producer: Luis Montoya
Recorded at: Jack Rose, The Pontchartrain Hotel, New Orleans

Watch the conversation

Part 1: https://youtu.be/P7c8SYfLAY4
Continue with Part 2: https://youtu.be/3vGRye9hd-c

Explore more

QED Hospitality: https://www.qedhg.com/
Jack Rose: https://www.jackroserestaurant.com/
Follow Noël: https://www.instagram.com/mrnoelburgess/
Follow ON OUR WAY: https://www.instagram.com/noelburgessonourway/

Follow Noël Burgess ON OUR WAY wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed the conversation.

Grace Gonzalez graduated from college, walked into her father's office

and asked for a job at the family distillery. He told her that sounded

like a "you problem."

The Gonzalez family has been making tequila in Jalisco for more than 150

years. Grace went and built two years of experience elsewhere, at a

magazine and then in government, before he would hire her. Then the

family's retail stores. Then answering phones at the distillery. Then

every stage of the process, from the agave fields to the still. At 30

she became a master distiller, the first woman in her family to hold the

title. Her father Rodolfo still oversees El Mayor Tequila's core Blanco,

Reposado and Añejo; Grace makes the limited editions and innovations.

She tells Noël Burgess what the title cost her: the nepotism comments,

the assumption she would quit as soon as she married, the nights the men

stood up to smoke cigars outside and left her at the table, when she

smokes cigars too. These days she's at the table, and fishing and golfing

with the same people.

She also gets at what the legacy is actually for. Nearly 600 people in

the fields, 150 more at the distillery and offices, and a family business

she describes as what she'll leave behind.

Then the tequila. Why your college hangover wasn't tequila's fault. Why

she says to stop pairing tequila with Mexican food, and what to pour it

with instead. How to train your palate, and whether to start with Blanco,

Reposado or Añejo based on what you already drink. And what earns you

immediate tequila jail.

Recorded poolside in at Bourbon New Orleans Hotel during Tales of the Cocktail.

Guest: Grace Gonzalez, fourth-generation master distiller, limited

editions and innovations, El Mayor Tequila

Host: Noël Burgess

Noël Burgess On Our Way is a food, drinks, travel and culture podcast

about the people behind the places we go. Follow the show so you don't

miss an episode.

Because every place has a story, and we're on our way to find it.

Please enjoy responsibly. 21+.