 What an honor and thrill! Wonderful home feature by Senior Editor CJ Lotz Diego, phenomenal images by Alison Gootee, and beautifully styled by Paige Mullens ALL PHOTOS LINKED TO GARDEN & GUN STORY  2025 Feb-March Cover Photo by Cedric Angeles HOMEPLACE SWEET REVIVAL  Deep in Louisiana Sugar Country, an Antiques Lover Restores His Storied Family Home A sweet renaissance in a century-old bayou retreat By CJ LOTZ DIEGO February/March 2025 When Peter Patout craves a break from the bustle that rarely slows near his Bourbon Street home, he heads west from New Orleans. He drives for two hours, crossing the Atchafalaya River and cypress bayous until he reaches his family’s property thirty miles south of Lafayette, in the hamlet that is called—no joke—Patoutville, Louisiana. Patout, who sells historic properties in Louisiana and Mississippi, steps up to the house that his grandparents built sometime around 1925, a Mediterranean Revival with a columned porch anchored in a sugarcane sea. “There’s almost always a breeze,” he says, “and the birds and crickets provide the background noise. You can smell night-blooming jasmine and butterfly ginger, along with citrus blossoms in the spring.” To the hum and beat of planting and harvesting, the little Patoutville community thrums along in Iberia Parish, the same one where peppers grow and become Tabasco sauce, where James Lee Burke sets many of his novels, where the Blue Dog artist George Rodrigue painted, and where Bayou Teche flows. It’s also where Patout invites his many creative friends to steep in the mysteries of Cajun country.  A century ago, Ory and Agnes Patout raised six children and ran a store here. The entire sugar enterprise at one point included a doctor’s office, lumber company, cemetery, and more than one bar. To this day, sugarcane dominates the region’s harvests, and Patout’s relatives remain forces in the industry. To a young Patout growing up in a sleek midcentury-modern house in nearby Jeanerette, the rural retreat invited romps through both nature and family lore. “I still remember delicious meals, the garden, geese in the yard, and a pigpen in the rear,” he says. “But my first recollection of my grandmother’s house was sipping café au lait and eating biscuits after attending Mass at Old St. Nicholas Catholic Church just across the street. This church was founded by my family’s French immigrant ancestor, who was buried underneath the center aisle.” The home has never left the family, and the ghosts still pull up a seat. “When my oldest cousin, Jimmy Keller, told me he wanted me to have the house,” Patout says, “he was sitting at the kitchen table in the exact spot where my grandmother had sat, where his mother had sat, and where I now sit.” Patout took over the place, along with an acre of land, after Keller died in 2010. “Since inheriting the house, I have poured my heart into its restoration and care.” And like many country homes, this one is named for its matriarch: the Mrs. Ory Patout House.  After a family auction divvied up many of the odds and ends that had accumulated over the generations, Patout set to addressing the most pressing upkeep needs and restoring the house back to its glory days. “Everywhere there was this layer of smoke,” he says. “I think someone had smoked in there every day since the 1920s.” He chuckles, but then shudders as he recalls “the Sheetrock campaign” and the “synthetic floor with all the glue.” Patout pared those surfaces back to the original pine board walls and heart pine floors. “Fortunately,” he says, “I inherited a house with incredible integrity.” And he put oyster shells as ashtrays outside, on the porch. The sunny sitting room exemplifies Patout’s relaxed approach to hosting, with upholstered chairs galore, all meant for getting cozy with the Louisiana history books scattered about, and a big map of the Bayou Teche region hung in a corner. Everywhere, he layered in family mementos and treasures from his lifetime of collecting—nineteenth-century oil portraits of his French Creole ancestors, a marble-topped buffet, and in the central room that he reconfigured into an entertaining hub, an epic dining table ringed with ladder-back and rush-seat chairs. At the table’s center, he arranges garden roses, citrus branches heavy with kumquats, or armfuls of the Louisiana irises he planted all around the property. (Not unrelated: He installed an outdoor shower hidden in a bamboo patch, a storybook spot for a post-weeding rinse.) Four-poster Louisiana canopy beds fill the large bedrooms. Years ago, Patout uncovered a swatch of faded wallpaper in an abandoned manor house in neighboring St. Mary Parish. He sent it off to the experts at Adelphi Paper Hangings in New York, who concluded that it was an 1830s French design. The company re-created the print by hand and now sells it in four colors under the name Florence Place Foliate. Lauren Buckholtz of Baton Rouge’s Perla Paperhanging covered one of the bedrooms with the pattern in blue, and when she finished, Patout sat in a rocking chair and cried. “It had been Jimmy’s mom’s, my Aunt Evelyn’s room,” he says. “This side of the family was so modest. They were never extravagant, but she had an eye for beauty.”  Stories swirl all around Patout. The author Natalie Baszile shadowed the area’s sugarcane farmers while writing her stellar 2014 novel Queen Sugar, which became a television series produced by Oprah Winfrey. For years, Baszile shuttled between her own home in California and both of Patout’s houses. “I had never really come across someone who had that deep of a connection to the objects in their home,” Baszile says. “He’s committed to the past, but it’s not like things are frozen in amber—he lives a rich and textured life. He serves breakfast on the dishes; his guests sit in the chairs and sleep in the beds. He has been a real teacher to me in the importance of visual storytelling.” Baszile says she’ll always remember watching golden hour on the sleeping porch that Patout transformed into a screened-in sanctuary. “I would sit in a wicker chair with the breeze rolling in over the sugarcane fields with the mill in the distance,” Baszile says. “When you think about the fact that sugarcane was one of the three crops that built this nation—sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton—you realize you’re at ground zero for the American story in all its beauty, ugliness, and complexity. Peter’s generosity of spirit allowed me to access this whole world.”  In the charmingly rustic kitchen, nothing is too delicate to use. Tomatoes ripen on the windowsill above the deep enameled sink. Counters, walls, and glass-fronted cabinets hold blue-and-white dishes, assorted ceramics, and knife-worn cutting boards. Platters might be chipped on the edges, and the skillets are cured smooth, but everything has fulfilled its purpose time and again, bearing witness to lifetimes of gatherings. Patout still makes his aunt’s recipe for kumquat preserves here. He also ages bottles of satsuma-cello liqueur from citrus picked around the property, a treat introduced to him by the food historian Poppy Tooker and beloved by his dear late friend and longtime G&Gcontributing editor Julia Reed. In 2019, the year before her death, Reed published her final book, Julia Reed’s New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll. In it, she nodded twice to Patout. First, she threw a midday get-together in his leafy Bourbon Street courtyard, with Ramos gin fizzes arriving on silver platters before a gumbo lunch that ended with rum-pecan pie. Then she devoted an entire chapter to adventures around Patoutville. With Patout’s two properties as her examples, Reed artfully connected the New Orleans party scene to the wider history of Cajun country.  In a big photograph, Reed re-created the scene of Aioli Dinner, a painting by George Rodrigue. Patout had hauled his grandmother’s old harvest table to the backyard, draped it in white linen, and assembled Reed’s guest list of friends with wineglasses in hand and a black Labrador retriever smiling from the grass. The next pages laid out the recipe for a heaping shrimp-and-potato spread with lots of garlicky dipping sauce, which Reed dubbed the Grand Aioli. “Since pretty much everything is meant to be eaten with your hands, the platter encourages intimacy and camaraderie around the table,” she explained. “But at this particular meal, we were all good friends in the first place.”
“Peter,” Reed wrote, ending the chapter (and it’s only fitting that her spirit have the last word here, too), “with his antiques-filled houses and love of the land, honors the past and his own Louisiana history with more joie de vivre and élan than anyone I know.”
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Dear Friends, How exciting to have my country home featured in this New Orleans-focused issue of Garden & Gun Magazine! The Mrs. Ory Patout House in Patoutville, is located just next door to New Iberia. I had thought this charming bucolic home, which sits on the edge of sugar cane fields in the heart of Acadiana, may be of interest to World of Interiors. Years ago, my Bourbon Street home was featured in that publication. 
Garden & Gun's senior editor CJ Lotz Diego knew of me as a dear friend to Julia Reed (my deceased incredible writer and tastemaker friend). Over time, CJ and I developed a rapport where I would send her cultural highlights to explore and consider for their publication. She also visited my French Quarter home.
Last Spring, I introduced her to the New Iberia area. She attended the Books Along the Teche Festival to interview James Lee Burke, viewed native Louisiana Irises blooming at City Park (a project I've happily helped spearhead), and of course, I took her to my remarkable family home (pictured below) which she found intriguing and then wanted to feature. What an honor! 
Contact me for Whole House Extended Rentals of the Mrs. Ory Patout Home
Once the photo shoot timing was discussed, I moved into high gear to add more lustre, which included wallpapering my deceased Aunt Evelyn's former bedroom. There's quite a story about this historic wall paper and the installation process! Introducing Florence Place Foliate Gone But Not Lost Recreating Classic Wallpaper with Adelphi... Magical process brought historic paper to life Twenty years ago, I wandered into an abandoned deteriorated home in St. Mary Parish, Florence Place, which has since succumbed to the elements. In a stairwell closet, I found a piece of remarkably intact, though damaged, beautiful wallpaper. 
I later showed the sample to dear friends and top interior designers William Brockschmidt and Courtney Coleman of Brockschmidt & Coleman. They connected me with Steve Larson an owner of Adelphi Paperhangings. Bill and Courtney also expressed an interest in using the paper if reproduced.
To my amazement, Adelphi recreated this original French wall paper from the 1830's. When I gave my permission to proceed in making the hand-carved blocks, it was with the understanding that Adelphi could sell the design to others - thus keeping the design alive for future generations. Courtney and Bill also developed some additional colorways of Florence Place Foliate that have been used in prestigious interiors globally! SEE ADELPHI'S PROCESS - VIDEO BELOW
Founded in 1999, Adelphi Paper Hangings is a small, artisanal producer of historically accurate block printed wallpapers for museums and historic institutions, as well as for period designers and those involved in contemporary design projects.
Adelphi papers represent the highest level of craftsmanship - and it isn’t cheap. Further, few tradespersons have the expertise to hang their works. It was quite an ordeal to find the right installer and one committed to making the trek to Patoutville for a multi-day installation. 
After making numerous calls and countless inquiries to find a qualified installer, I was at a complete loss! Seemingly on-cue, I got a call from a good friend and client, who recently left her high power commercial real estate career.
THE COURTING BEGAN Luring Lauren to Patoutville I already knew Lauren Burns Buckholtz to have a great eye and to be meticulous. I was thrilled to learn she'd recently completed a special program in Vermont to learn how to hang wall paper professionally. She also apprenticed thereafter with a master of the trade....She reached out to make me aware of her career change and her new company Perla Paperhanging . 
Lauren is a perfectionist. In fact at first she said, Hey I can't hang this....this paper is for a senior paper hanger. She said she tried to break up with me over this very expensive delicate paper. She was very concerned about doing the perfect job and she went on and on to the extent I had to tell her I didn’t want perfection, and after that she seemed to calm down.
Explaining her concerns Lauren said, "Peter wanted it done in historic overlap. He asked me to do because that’s they way it was done - which takes extra skill. I lined the wall with acid-free lining paper a day before even putting his paper on top of it to preserve the wallpaper and to prevent it from fading. The lining gave a better surface and locked in the seams which was especially needed with historic overlap technique, Lauren said.
Beautiful sunsets in Patoutville as the paper was being installed
Further she added, I spent a month researching for this project. I talked to Adelphi and they recommended I speak to the White House paper installer, and then I talked with 20 people in a guild. 
Lauren arrived on the first day and her car was filled with paper hanging equipment and materials. As she was unloading.... "Now Peter, I’m not able to talk to you during this time." I was there one night and felt confident she was a great choice for the job. She stayed five days and made this room incredible.
And after the job was complete, I brought an old family rocker into the room and just sat in the space for awhile and teared up.
My Aunt Evelyn was uncharacteristically elegant for the area. She had great style and would have loved the beauty this special wall paper added, and the fuss in making her bedroom exceptional.
* * * * *
ANOTHER TEARY MOMENT: Seeing this Sign
In December, I had gone to pay my respects in Greenville, MS on the passing of Julia Reed's father, Clarke Reed. He was a huge influence in her life and I loved him, her mom and her extended family too. Later, I saw this sign and thought again about how my dear friend Julia had elevated my life in so many ways. The sign mentions her writing for the New York Times, Vogue and Garden & Gun. She included me in these publications because she believed in me. Poignant!
Photo here & below by Paul Costello for Julia Reed's New Orleans:
Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll -HIGH JINKS & HURRAHS - The Search for a Desk... BEHIND THE SCENES UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS AND HER PROPOSED COOKBOOK TITLE.... NOT JULIA REED'S MORMON COOKBOOK (WITH APOLOGIES TO THE MORMONS) Written September 2020 My Stories as Presented by Lee Anne Garner  She celebrated life like no one else I’ve ever known. ❤️ The loss I feel for Julia Reed’s passing is enormous, and my heart will be heavy for some time. Photo by Paul Costello That’s my New Orleans courtyard on the front cover, part of a Gumbo Lunch Chapter shoot...except the 2nd cover was a re-shoot! See it farther below. I’m also filled with an enormous sense of gratitude....Our time together was filled with lively conversations and exciting experiences - all boozy and delicious. Julia Reed validated me and put me on the map. She wrote about me and recommended me to others. She liked my stories, and style. She liked my antiques and how I lived with them, my interest in early Louisiana furnishings, and my passion for art, cooking and entertaining, gardening and history.  It was heady stuff being her friend starting way back in the early 90's-ish. It must have been by 1994. She introduced me to her incredible network of talented friends and I was featured in Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, etc...and she helped me to reach a pinnacle. There is no higher honor than being featured in the World of Interiors.  At Julia's behest, her then boyfriend Peter Woloszykski, took and sent photos of my Bourbon Street home to the legendary editor, Minn Hogg. Minn Hogg then asked Julia to write the article. The eight page spread also captured the magic of our relationship - photos at left from story. (April 1996 - see at end of this note.) What great times we shared. And it all happened in what seemed like an instant. We became dear friends. She walked into my antique store on Royal Street in the French Quarter. She fell in love with and bought some esoteric prints of bugs. After all, who buys pictures of bugs? I did and she did!  Party Julia gave at her parents Greenville, MS home for British Vogue Editor Vicki & Frank Woods-Walker. At left: Kelly Tandy, Angèle Parlange, Mish Tworkowski, Julia, Vicki Woods, Julia's distant cousin Clarke, her father Clarke Reed, Frank Woods-Walker, and me. I then realized that Julia lived nearby in one of my favorite Creole townhouses. She invited me there for a drink. I closed the shop right then and went right over, and the laughs and good times had been ceaseless. Beyond her literary skills, Julia was a world-class tastemaker and had an extraordinary talent for bringing interesting people together. New Orleans Pop-Up Shop Party (with Royalty!): India Hicks, Julia and me.  She invited me to a book-signing party at her home for Sister Helen Prejean’s, Dead Man Walking. You know you’re in good company when the lump crabmeat flows served in the biggest silver punch bowl you could imagine. I’d never seen before or after such an extravagant presentation of Crabmeat Maison! Side note: A delightful essay THE CRABMEAT CAUCUS a celebratory cause indeed Julia's Crabmeat obsession (Jon's word) was an outward "manifestation of the best, most important things of life—the things that elevate us and fill us not only with food but with affection and even purpose.... Jon Meacham  My New Orleans dining room and courtyard featured in Julia Reed's South, Photos by Paul CostelloAmong the most memorable of our high jinks and crazy forays is the story of Julia’s desire for a desk…this is also known as the time when Julia made a wrong turn and we ended up in a flooded ditch! FINDING A DESK FOR JULIA There was that time when.... Julia had just moved to another great apartment in a historic building just a few blocks from me on Bourbon Street. She mentioned the need for a table that could serve as her desk. I had such a thing in my family’s barn in Patoutville. So, we measured the space.  We were already close friends, as I don’t ordinarily lend a good piece of furniture. It was a long Louisiana cypress refractory table of sentimental value from the Old St. Joseph Convent in Charenton where my grandmother went to school. Julia's then apartment bldg. at left. She lived in the rear. So on THAT day, we headed upriver to Metairie to pick up a rental van to make the Patoutville trek for the table. By the time we left the French Quarter and arrived at the rental place in a strip mall, the skies had opened up and a deluge of biblical proportions was underway (Julia often related incidents in a biblical manner - the hurricanes, mosquitoes, floods etc…….). We were in Julia’s car at a stoplight and like a normal person, she took a right turn into what we thought was the entrance. It wasn’t. The floodwater had filled the ditch and it was level with the road. Julia’s car plummeted at a 45 degree angle into the ditch.  For a split second, I thought we could drown. The water outside was at eye level and it was already seeping into the car. It was all surreal as I reached for the door handle. While it seemed like forever, it was probably just a few seconds that had passed. We sprung ourselves from the car and soaking wet, we climbed the ditch embankment. We were unscathed and looked around and immediately started laughing, and laughing! Then to my dismay, I saw one of my favorite flip flops floating away down the ditch. A good pair of flip flops is a hard find. “Let it go!” Julia yelled. “Let it go!”  So dripping wet, we walked in to the car rental office and could see the young female attendant’s eyes peering over the tall counter which nearly obfuscated our view. It was like a defense wall separating us. She was in no hurry to help - on the phone and probably talking to her boyfriend. And what Julia said next, I’ll never forget. In fact, it was well worth the loss of the flip flops….the price for admission. “Get off that fucking phone,” Julia roared. Julia didn’t suffer fools. This was a typical response you’d expect from her. In Julia’s hands profanity could be poetry. She had a talent for cussing.  We asked for a towing company, were handed the yellow pages and offered no further help. We called Rudy’s Wrecking Service, located near the French Quarter, which was convenient for us to get back home. After we cleaned ourselves off from the ditchwater, we had a nice dinner: an upbeat moment, a victory over the flood of biblical proportions, surviving the day’s dilemma. This just happened to also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Mary Jo Kopechne’s death with the Chappaquiddick incident… adding another profound layer to our misadventure to which we have toasted many times.... The photos - What we didn’t know was that some Icelandic tourists were handling their car rental. Fascinated by our dilemma, they took the accompanied photos and sent this nice note. “At last here are the photos I promised you" … It’s unbelievable that these people would follow through and send these photos. Julia and I were touched by their generosity!  THE FINAL IRONY ABOUT JULIA'S DESK.... was fitting...Laura Plantation gains a table for awhile And the final irony of this story was that once we eventually got the refractory table from Patoutville into Julia’s apartment, the damn thing didn’t fit. It just didn’t fit! We are experts, and we measured, and we were wrong (notice I’m not saying I was wrong). Over a strong cocktail, we processed the situation. First, I had a little nervous breakdown. I didn’t want it to go back to the barn in Patoutville; I had hoped to give it a new life. Shortly after, I called my friends at Laura Plantation and offered it for them to use.  ----- Laura Plantation was the first along River Road to incorporate enslaved people of color into their tour and went to great lengths to research and document the complete history. I highly recommend their tour experience. ---- They were ecstatic! It became part of a pantry display. Sadly a few years later, part of Laura Plantation burned along with the table. Thankfully the Marmillions were able to restore this fascinating Creole housed move forward with the tours of Laura Plantation. SO MANY ADVENTURES ALONG THE WAY...  SILENCING JEFFREY STEINGARTEN There was that time when.... Beyond cussing, Julia also had this incredible ability to stay any aggressor with her calm, gentille southern tone. She didn’t have to raise her voice.  He's a disciple of unaltered French cuisine...This is my attempt to say something nice about him...because I didn't like him and not even Julia's mom (the nicest person ever) liked him. So When Vogue Food Critic Jeffrey Steingarten flunked an FY Julia's way, she looked up and said, “EXCUSE ME!” and she shut that asinine man down. This happened over the course of a two-day Acadiana Boudin tour that was two days too long that I'd helped her to arrange. He enjoyed the boudin and cracklins and took a liking to the seafood & chicken pies from Victor's Cafeteria in New Iberia. It's my understanding that he still occasionally has them shipped up to NYC. Overall, the trip mostly failed to impress him. Steingarten's disdain included my favorite French Bread from LeJeune’s Bakery in my hometown, Jeanerette, since  1884! It’s made in the Creole/Cajun style with a crisp exterior, light and airy center, and is sold warm from the 100 year-old oven. Pro-tip: always buy 2 loaves as one might be eaten in the car.  William Guion's Evangeline Oak photo. I call your attention to his blog The 100 Oaks Project. Steingarten also failed to appreciate the region’s ancient moss-covered live oaks questioning their real name until I trotted out the genus and species, Quercus virginiana, of these phenomenal trees which impress everyone. Indeed it was a beautiful moment when Julia silenced Jeffrey Steingarten.  ENTERPRISE SUGAR MILL Julia loved visiting my family home in Patoutville and touring the Sugar Mill next door. She also roped in a few writers along the way to experience the Bayou Teche country. At Left: Julia, Chief Sugar Mill Engineer Wilson LeBlanc, and me. LITERARY SALONS AND OTHER SHENANIGANS 
From her New Orleans Pop-Up & Literary Salon Party: Legendary ad man Peter Rogers (think what becomes a legend most - the iconic ad series and much more), Julia and me. On right: Paul Costello photographer extraordinaire, Julia and me. My dining room below.  from the Reed Smythe online store: “DREGS” BY PAUL COSTELLO Photographer Paul Costello’s brilliant editorial and commercial work has taken him and his camera all over the world, but we are grateful that he and his family decided to settle in a fabulous house in New Orleans, where they have lived for almost a decade. Since then, Paul has shot three of Julia’s books... He also has found time to turn his lens toward some gorgeous landscapes and still lives, which we are thrilled to offer here. (See more of Paul's works) Julia was always up for an adventure near or far (I once met up with her in Bath, England)! I loved having her near me in the French Quarter and was a trusted lieutenant for her many causes. My answer to her anytime she called was “anything you want.” I knew it would be a damn good time.  Each year, I enjoyed bringing new blood to the Delta Hot Tamale Festival in Greenville once she became involved. She attracted a slew of literary and culinary talent annually. The concluding event - sandbar parties on the Mississippi River were indeed phenomenal experiences. Believe photo above was 2018 Delta Hot Tamale Festival - from the Reed Smythe Pop-Up Shop. ANOTHER COOKBOOK COMES TO LIFE There was that time when... THE FINAL HURRAH An email from Julia On Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 9:06:06 AM CDT, Julia Reed wrote: Dearest Peter, I see that you have your hands full in Natchez right about now. But can I ask an enormous favor?? The designers of the New Orleans cookbook I'm doing mocked up a great cover from our gumbo dinner shoot in your courtyard of me coming out of the back house holding two bottles of wine. The idiot who runs Rizzoli loves the image but says I can't be holding wine. I reminded him that the freaking book is called "Julia Reed's New Orleans" not "Julia Reed's Mormon Cookbook"... he is ... holding firm. So we have to stage the same table but now I have to be carrying a pot or something. Love you love you. xxx  The final cover Julia Reed's New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll All photos courtesy: Paul Costello Photography Photos from a Gumbo lunch chapter. Julia's classic Seafood Gumbo is below along with a Rum Pecan Pie. That's my kitchen stove and though it's something of a relic, countless memorable meals have been created in that galley-sized kitchen.  Most days begin with a strong cup of chicory coffee made in the French drip pot sitting there on the stove. Of course, they're sweetened with natural cane sugar from my family's mill in Patoutville and it makes me think of my heritage. PATOUTVILLE SHINES I particularly appreciate Julia's love for my family's South Louisiana home. And as she started thinking about her forays over the years with me in Cajun country (we've shared many great adventures!), she decided to include a chapter at my country house in Patoutville set amongst the sugar cane background.  She penned this sweet note to Patoutville: There's no bad time to visit Patoutville, but it is especially beautiful in summer and early fall, when the sugarcane is wait-high in the fields. In late fall and winter, the trucks full of cut cane form miles-long lines at the mill and there's twenty-four hours-a-day drama as great clouds of smoke fill the sky.  ANCIENT OAKS AT BAYSIDE PLANTATION My cousin's nearby Bayside Plantation was another destination in this chapter. As a realtor specializing in historic properties, I represented the sale of Bayside. Click the link above for more images and details.  SHE WAS A CHARMER! There was that time when... after giving her a tour of Bayside Plantation by it's owner Bobby Roane, the last in situ sugar planter in south Louisiana, he told Julia "If you play your cards right, all of this could be yours"... Without missing a beat, Julia replied, "The price is too high." We all laughed. There's been more than a few giggles over Julia's deft response to the 70+ year-old making a pass. Bayside Photos by Paul Costello AIOLI DINNER: The culmination of the South Louisiana photo shoot was this fabulous meal celebrated with dear friends.  I love that Julia was inspired by Bayou Tech country artist George Rodrigue's Aioli Supper Club (at left) and chose to recreate that celebration in her book. It's based on old Creole Gourmet Society traditions ... another homage to the rich culture of South Louisiana. Among the most cherished compliments I've known, shared here from Julia:  She's first referring to George Rodrigue and her vision to recreate the Aioli Dinner from his famed painting: "I think the artist would have approved of our gathering under the live oaks. He so respected the traditions of his ancestors, and Peter, with his antiques-filled houses and love of the land, honors the past and his own Louisiana history with more joie de vivre and élan than anyone I know."  Standing at left: Sara Ruffins Costello, Miles Guidry, Gregory DeKeyzer, Julia, Claiborne Davis, Angèle Parlange, Phillip Sterling, Janice DeKeyzer. Seated: Alex Darsey, me, and Stephen Stirling. The aftermath! Following the photoshoot, the real Aioli Dinner at my Patoutville home. It was a splendid celebration!  Photo provided by Angèle Parlange Most recently, Julia had taken to living near her parents in her beloved Greenville, where she built her dream delta home. It was far closer than New Orleans to Vanderbilt where she was getting her cancer treatments. And while I knew (she had informed me that she was ill), she didn’t talk about it or look it for quite sometime. She was brave. A 2019 Christmas note included many of the photos shared in this note. I'm so thankful for our memories especially for the baptism by ditchwater images!  While I was able to sip with Julia at the 2019 Hot Tamale Festival, it was in a larger setting which didn't allow for just us to visit. THE FINAL NEWS I was in Patoutville, when I noticed my phone lighting up with texts and calls from her inner circle of friends. I knew instantly what that meant and suppered sadly. Without asking, a dear friend made me a cocktail, one Julia would certainly have approved, with the Satsumacello from Patoutville satsumas that she loved. The act of being graciously served softened the tremendous blow. Talking to friends helps too. Through the sadness of her loss, I especially appreciate Julia's profound final two Garden & Gun columns. Photo by Paul Costello  With precision, she examines the larger issues gripping our country, and I appreciate where Julia lands...distilling life to its essence. From August, "We are in the midst of a national wake grieving for lives lost and dreams deferred." Julia reminds us of how cooking can help us heal in these difficult times. And In her final effort, "You share a few tales of woe with your fellow men, and your own seem to fade. Cold gin, camaraderie—hope!—win the day." Cheers to you Julia, My dear friend, you are missed! With much love, Peter P.S. I would be remiss not to include Jon Meacham's eloquent Garden & Gun and other special tributes, a bit more on Julia's final dream realized...and that World of Interiors feature she wrote summing up our beautiful friendship.   In Memoriam: Julia Evans Reed, 1960–2020A tribute to the long-time Garden & Gun columnist and contributing editor By: Jon Meacham Julia also realized her dream recently for an independent bookstore in her hometown Greenville, MS, fittingly called Brown Water Books. It's in the second oldest downtown building which she renovated.  Brown Water Books is a labor of love and builds upon the inspired home goods business Julia developed with her equally precious friend Keith Smythe Meacham. REED SMYTHE & COMPANY Collaborates with artists and artisans across the south and beyond to create beautiful, unexpected pieces for house and garden... Read about Brown Water Books You might also appreciate these beautiful tributes |
MORE MEMORIES OF DEAR JULIA - Kumquat Season is Here
As I move past her untimely late August passing and with the holidays upon us, memories of Julia Reed have and will continue to flood my mind. These are joyful memories tinged with the bitterness of her loss.. Sharing always helps. So, here goes.
I've already told a few of our stories...
In a previous blog post timed after the release of her last cookbook writing effort: Julia Reed's New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll....with the front cover shot in my courtyard and a marvelous Creole Gumbo Lunch chapter. There's also a foray to my Patoutville family home and Bayside Plantation for an entertaining chapter which included the company of dear friends over an Aioli Dinner.
Then, after her passing, I shared an extensive recollection featured in this blog with photos she had saved over the years. She sent them to me after becoming ill.
IT'S A HOLIDAY TRADITION!
But back to why I'm posting now, the holidays are here and Julia treasured handmade delectable gifts so much that she wrote about it years ago in a New York Times essay.
Julia recounts her early recipe gift failures and offers two favorites. There's a praline recipe and my Aunt Evelyn Patout's Kumquat Preserves. About this time, every year I make Aunt Evelyn's Kumquat preserves. I get so many recipe requests. It is indeed a holiday tradition!
But back to why I'm posting now, the holidays are here and Julia treasured handmade delectable gifts so much that she wrote about it years ago in a New York Times essay.
Julia recounts her early recipe gift failures and offers two favorites. There's a praline recipe and my Aunt Evelyn Patout's Kumquat Preserves. About this time, every year I make Aunt Evelyn's Kumquat preserves. I get so many recipe requests. It is indeed a holiday tradition!
"Among the Holiday Baubles, nothing shines like real home cooking."
| | "Another gift I always adore comes from my antique-dealer friend Peter Patout..." ~Julia Reed My video at left offers a few tips |
When I posted the video above 55 weeks ago on Instagram, there she was in the comments.
Thank you dear Julia.
You are missed!
Thank you dear Julia.
You are missed!
Click the recipe title link below to enjoy the full story.
FOOD; EXTREMELY GIFTED
By Julia Reed
an excerpt from...
Evelyn Patout's Preserved Kumquats
"His Aunt Evelyn's candied kumquats are fabulous on cake or ice cream, with pork or duck or sweet potatoes, and I once slivered them and used them to decorate the top of a glamorous holiday charlotte russe. Peter managed to finagle Evelyn's recipe, which calls for three days of stirring and boiling -- but only for a few minutes each morning. And Peter says he actually enjoys the ritual of fooling with them while he makes his café au lait."
1 quart kumquats
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup.
1. Scrub kumquats thoroughly. Prick each several times with a large needle or poultry pin. Put them in a large saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine the sugar and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Add kumquats and boil again. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, overnight. The next morning, add 1/2 cup corn syrup. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight again. Repeat the process twice more.
3. On the fourth morning, after the kumquats have been brought to boil, spoon them into hot, sterilized, Mason-type jars. Pour in hot syrup to within 1/4 inch of the top of each jar and seal. Refrigerate until ready to give or seal in a hot-water bath according to jar manufacturer's directions and store.
Yield: 2 1/2 quarts.
NOTE: For directions on how to sterilize jars, see page 60 of the new edition of ''Joy of Cooking.''
By Julia Reed
an excerpt from...
Evelyn Patout's Preserved Kumquats
"His Aunt Evelyn's candied kumquats are fabulous on cake or ice cream, with pork or duck or sweet potatoes, and I once slivered them and used them to decorate the top of a glamorous holiday charlotte russe. Peter managed to finagle Evelyn's recipe, which calls for three days of stirring and boiling -- but only for a few minutes each morning. And Peter says he actually enjoys the ritual of fooling with them while he makes his café au lait."
1 quart kumquats
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup.
1. Scrub kumquats thoroughly. Prick each several times with a large needle or poultry pin. Put them in a large saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine the sugar and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Add kumquats and boil again. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, overnight. The next morning, add 1/2 cup corn syrup. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight again. Repeat the process twice more.
3. On the fourth morning, after the kumquats have been brought to boil, spoon them into hot, sterilized, Mason-type jars. Pour in hot syrup to within 1/4 inch of the top of each jar and seal. Refrigerate until ready to give or seal in a hot-water bath according to jar manufacturer's directions and store.
Yield: 2 1/2 quarts.
NOTE: For directions on how to sterilize jars, see page 60 of the new edition of ''Joy of Cooking.''
Click to Read My
Fall Newsletter
Enjoy this Excerpt Below
Oh how I would have loved to have served the cocktail below to my dear friend Julia Reed. I enjoyed it when visiting Barbee and his wife Ashley Ponder recently.
Now this is a welcome drink!
Fall Newsletter
Enjoy this Excerpt Below
Oh how I would have loved to have served the cocktail below to my dear friend Julia Reed. I enjoyed it when visiting Barbee and his wife Ashley Ponder recently.
Now this is a welcome drink!
THE DIRTY SUGAR
by Barbee Ponder
This libational masterpiece I made to welcome Peter and Lee Anne
to Covington for a weekend classical tour
by Barbee Ponder
This libational masterpiece I made to welcome Peter and Lee Anne
to Covington for a weekend classical tour
Photo by Barbee Ponder
Dirty Sugar Recipe
She’s best prepared midday to be enjoyed that evening. Here’s how it’s done--
Take a vintage Bayel Venus de Milo cordial glass and wet the rim with fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Then dip her rim in a plate of M. A. Patout raw sugar.
(When you’ve spent the entire day grinding, there should be plenty around)
Move the rim around the raw sugar making sure it’s properly “dirtied” inside and out.
Next, in a small disposable plastic cup, add the following ingredients:
1.50 oz Cognac
0.75 oz Cointreau
0.75 oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Place both glass and cup in the freezer for a hard chill till evening.
Using this method to chill the drink, rather than ice in a shaker, ensures the drink is not diluted in the least. (After all, “water’s for gardens” ... not cocktails.)
That evening, when you’re ready .... for your toddy, take Venus out of the freezer, pour in the contents, and add a mist of Absinthe over the top with your atomizer.
She’s ready. Bottoms up!
Dirty Sugar Recipe
She’s best prepared midday to be enjoyed that evening. Here’s how it’s done--
Take a vintage Bayel Venus de Milo cordial glass and wet the rim with fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Then dip her rim in a plate of M. A. Patout raw sugar.
(When you’ve spent the entire day grinding, there should be plenty around)
Move the rim around the raw sugar making sure it’s properly “dirtied” inside and out.
Next, in a small disposable plastic cup, add the following ingredients:
1.50 oz Cognac
0.75 oz Cointreau
0.75 oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Place both glass and cup in the freezer for a hard chill till evening.
Using this method to chill the drink, rather than ice in a shaker, ensures the drink is not diluted in the least. (After all, “water’s for gardens” ... not cocktails.)
That evening, when you’re ready .... for your toddy, take Venus out of the freezer, pour in the contents, and add a mist of Absinthe over the top with your atomizer.
She’s ready. Bottoms up!
A few favorites ... presuming you already own Intimate Enemies.
Fabulous entertaining!
I'm so glad to be her friend, and yes,
that's my courtyard! Get the backstory here!
Holiday Shopping Ideas:
https://www.reedsmythe.com
I'm so glad to be her friend, and yes,
that's my courtyard! Get the backstory here!
Holiday Shopping Ideas:
https://www.reedsmythe.com
Most precious new children's book - a classic already!
Available nationally.
See more here: jeanetteweiland.com
Available nationally.
See more here: jeanetteweiland.com
THE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE!
CHASING THE BUTTERFLY MAN:
The Search for a Lost New Orleans Cabinetmaker,
1810-1825 by Cybèle GontarBE SURE TO SEE THIS AMAZING EXHIBIT
NOW AT THE CABILDO!
CHASING THE BUTTERFLY MAN:
The Search for a Lost New Orleans Cabinetmaker,
1810-1825 by Cybèle GontarBE SURE TO SEE THIS AMAZING EXHIBIT
NOW AT THE CABILDO!
DRAG QUEEN BRUNCH
I LOVE POPPY!
Tag along with Poppy’s bevy of rollicking drag queens for an
unforgettable time. Stunning photos of glamorous divas vie with world-famous brunch dishes bringing a surprise with every turn of the page.
I LOVE POPPY!
Tag along with Poppy’s bevy of rollicking drag queens for an
unforgettable time. Stunning photos of glamorous divas vie with world-famous brunch dishes bringing a surprise with every turn of the page.
Author Alexandra Kennon weaves classic offerings of
Creole grande dames with contemporary neighborhood staples
for a guide through the Crescent City's culinary soul.
Creole grande dames with contemporary neighborhood staples
for a guide through the Crescent City's culinary soul.
THE BOOK! I CALL THIS THIS THE BIBLE!
FURNISHING LOUISIANA
Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835
by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar
FURNISHING LOUISIANA
Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835
by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar
...and so does Julia Reed! Recipe featured:
Julia Reed's NEW ORLEANS
Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll
Julia Reed's NEW ORLEANS
Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll
Photo by Paul Costello
PETER PATOUT'S FAMOUS SATSUMACELLO
PETER PATOUT'S FAMOUS SATSUMACELLO
A few years ago, I gave my dear friend Julia Reed a bottle of my homemade satsumacello and she loved it enough to include it in her wonderful book - as part of her fun field-trips from New Orleans…to my country home in Patoutville.
P.V. is deep in the heart of sugar cane country, and I’m across the street from our family’s sugar mill. In grinding season, it’s quite the spectacle with smoke swirling, trucks unloading and all the energy the seasonal activity generates around the clock until suddenly it ends, usually by January.
Citrus season coincides with grinding season and many mature satsuma trees are near my home. While Julia Reed generously credits me for this recipe. Poppy Tooker is the one who steered me to creating this wonderful treat. Sip slowly!
P.V. is deep in the heart of sugar cane country, and I’m across the street from our family’s sugar mill. In grinding season, it’s quite the spectacle with smoke swirling, trucks unloading and all the energy the seasonal activity generates around the clock until suddenly it ends, usually by January.
Citrus season coincides with grinding season and many mature satsuma trees are near my home. While Julia Reed generously credits me for this recipe. Poppy Tooker is the one who steered me to creating this wonderful treat. Sip slowly!
Vertical Divider
Makes 6 cups
Ingredients:
10 - 12 Satsumas
1 750 ml bottle of Everclear
3 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
That's my courtyard!
Get the backstory here!
Holiday Shopping Ideas:
https://www.reedsmythe.com
METHOD:
Wash the satsumas in hot water with a vegetable brush to remove any residue of pesticide or wax. Pat them dry.
Continually zest the satsumas with a zester or vegetable peeler, being careful not to include any white pith from the peel. (The pith, the white part under the rind, is too bitter and will spoil your satsumacello.
Place the zest in a large jar and fill with the Everclear. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days and up to forty days in a cool, dark place. Turn the jar upside down 2 or 3 times to help bring out the flavor of the zest. The zest will eventually turn white.
When ready to proceed, combine the sugar and the water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until sugar is well dissolved.
Strain the Everclear/zest mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into the simple syrup mixture. Stir and allow to cool. When the satsumacello has cooled completely, you may pour it into individual bottles.
Continually zest the satsumas with a zester or vegetable peeler, being careful not to include any white pith from the peel. (The pith, the white part under the rind, is too bitter and will spoil your satsumacello.
Place the zest in a large jar and fill with the Everclear. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days and up to forty days in a cool, dark place. Turn the jar upside down 2 or 3 times to help bring out the flavor of the zest. The zest will eventually turn white.
When ready to proceed, combine the sugar and the water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until sugar is well dissolved.
Strain the Everclear/zest mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into the simple syrup mixture. Stir and allow to cool. When the satsumacello has cooled completely, you may pour it into individual bottles.
Two national publications feature my homes
Julia Reed, and Garden & Gun....details below
Julia Reed celebrates New Orleans & south Louisiana culture in her new book. Front cover shot in my courtyard.
Julia Reed's New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips
for Letting the Good Times Roll
All photos are courtesy of Paul Costello Photography
for Letting the Good Times Roll
All photos are courtesy of Paul Costello Photography
It's an instant classic and should be part of any southern cookbook collection. I'm so excited for my dear friend Julia Reed's accomplishment. What fun it was to be part of her effort. So when Julia called asking to shoot a chapter in her upcoming book at my house in the French Quarter, my quick answer: Well of course!
gumbo lunch
I have to believe that we inspire each other. Years ago, Julia Reed walked into my antique store in the French Quarter. She fell in love with some esoteric prints of bugs. They were ridiculous. After all, who buys pictures of bugs? I did and she did! Then, I realized that she lived nearby and I closed the shop and went over there for a drink, and the laughs and good times have been ceaseless since.
Julia's classic Seafood Gumbo is below along with a Rum Pecan Pie. That's my kitchen stove and though it's something of a relic, countless memorable meals have been created in that galley-sized kitchen. Most days begin with a strong cup of chicory coffee made in the French drip pot sitting there on the stove. Of course, they're sweetened with natural cane sugar from my family's mill in Patoutville and it makes me think of my French heritage.
Julia's classic Seafood Gumbo is below along with a Rum Pecan Pie. That's my kitchen stove and though it's something of a relic, countless memorable meals have been created in that galley-sized kitchen. Most days begin with a strong cup of chicory coffee made in the French drip pot sitting there on the stove. Of course, they're sweetened with natural cane sugar from my family's mill in Patoutville and it makes me think of my French heritage.
 |  |
Julia Reed is a world-class tastemaker and has an extraordinary talent for bringing people together. The other New Orleans celebrations she includes are magical: phenomenal settings with wonderful dishes featuring her recipes along with favorites from prominent chefs and home-cooks...and, it's a great cultural read. Paul Costello's photos are the perfect accompaniment to her narrative.
Patoutville shines
I particularly appreciate Julia's love for my home in South Louisiana. And as she started thinking about her forays over the years with me in Cajun country (we've shared many great adventures!), she decided to include a chapter at my country house in Patoutville set amongst the sugar cane background.
She penned this sweet note to Patoutville:
There's no bad time to visit Patoutville, but it is especially beautiful in summer and early fall, when the sugarcane is wait-high in the fields. In late fall and winter, the trucks full of cut cane form miles-long lines at the mill and there's twenty-four hours-a-day drama as great clouds of smoke fill the sky.
There's no bad time to visit Patoutville, but it is especially beautiful in summer and early fall, when the sugarcane is wait-high in the fields. In late fall and winter, the trucks full of cut cane form miles-long lines at the mill and there's twenty-four hours-a-day drama as great clouds of smoke fill the sky.
 |  |
Ancient Oaks at BAyside Plantation
My cousin's nearby Bayside Plantation, was another destination in this chapter. As a realtor specializing in historic properties, I'm representing the sale of Bayside (click the above Bayside link for more images and listing details.
Aioli Dinner:
The culmination of the South Louisiana photo shoot was this fabulous meal celebrated with dear friends. I love that Julia was inspired by Teche country artist George Rodrigue's Aioli Supper Club and chose to recreate that celebration in her book. It's based on old Creole Gourmet Society traditions....another homage to the rich culture of South Louisiana.
Among the most cherished compliments
I've known,
shared here from Julia:
... she's first referring to George Rodrigue and her vision to recreate the Aioli Dinner from his painting:
I think the artist would have approved of our
gathering under the live oaks. He so respected the traditions of his ancestors, and Peter, with his
antiques-filled houses and love of the land,
honors the past and his own Louisiana history
with more joie de vivre and élan than anyone I know."
_______________________________
Thank you Julia Reed!
As always with you, life is a magnificent celebration.
I've known,
shared here from Julia:
... she's first referring to George Rodrigue and her vision to recreate the Aioli Dinner from his painting:
I think the artist would have approved of our
gathering under the live oaks. He so respected the traditions of his ancestors, and Peter, with his
antiques-filled houses and love of the land,
honors the past and his own Louisiana history
with more joie de vivre and élan than anyone I know."
_______________________________
Thank you Julia Reed!
As always with you, life is a magnificent celebration.
I recommend: reed Smythe & co.
Beyond her book, you'll also want Julia's favorite items to enhance your life celebrations.
She and friend Keith Smythe founded Smythe & Company: artisanal goods for uncommon spaces.
See: Reed Smythe & Company
She and friend Keith Smythe founded Smythe & Company: artisanal goods for uncommon spaces.
See: Reed Smythe & Company
Wait: That's my house!
Photo: William Hereford | Michalopoulos at work on Stollalodian, a painting inspired by Creole cottages in New Orleans Upper Ninth Ward.
Imagine my surprise when I was leafing through the April/May issue of Garden and Gun and saw the image above - the painting of my Bourbon Street house!
The photo is part of a story about New Orleans artist and rum distiller James Michalopoulos by New Orleans (and Maine summer) resident writer Wayne Curtis.: The Colorful, Far-Out Vision of James Michalopoulos: The most recognizable painter in New Orleans is on a mission: to make sure the City doesn’t forget the artists who keep it funky.
Though it's a great read, I disagree with the caption's 9th ward mention. While there are other examples of Creole cottages with the same color scheme, I don't believe you'll find another bearing the same architectural fenestrations, the same morning glory vine along with the left placement of the lamp post, and the low red wall...elements which are all peculiar to my streetscape. I've not seen this painting before and am delighted to know it exists!
The photo is part of a story about New Orleans artist and rum distiller James Michalopoulos by New Orleans (and Maine summer) resident writer Wayne Curtis.: The Colorful, Far-Out Vision of James Michalopoulos: The most recognizable painter in New Orleans is on a mission: to make sure the City doesn’t forget the artists who keep it funky.
Though it's a great read, I disagree with the caption's 9th ward mention. While there are other examples of Creole cottages with the same color scheme, I don't believe you'll find another bearing the same architectural fenestrations, the same morning glory vine along with the left placement of the lamp post, and the low red wall...elements which are all peculiar to my streetscape. I've not seen this painting before and am delighted to know it exists!
See Press for more News!
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A Few Issues
8.2.24
Open House | A Plantation + A Hotel = Client Success
2.20.21
IT'S CARNIVAL TIME!
In this Issue:
O N E S O L D! | TWO! UNDER CONTRACT!
SO MUCH GOOD NEWS!
PORCH DREAMS REALIZED
MUSEUM QUALITY ROOMS
FABULOUS PARADE PARTY SIPS & NIBBLES
KING CAKE CHRONICLE RETURNS
FEATURING BEST KING CAKES EVAH!
LOUISIANA SAKE & MORE!
12.14.21
SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER!
In this Issue:
NEW LISTING DETAILS! ● A PREVIEW! ● PHENOMENAL ESTATES ● SEASONAL RECIPE ● WED TALK: HISTORY AROUND THE TABLE ● HOLIDAY EVENTS ● BEST GIFTS ● PAY ATTENTION! ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS FOR YOUR HOME!
9.3.21
PRICE IMPROVEMENTS STELLAR ESTATES
ONE UNDER CONTRACT
CULTURAL DISTRACTIONS
PRICE REDUCTIONS! TOP PROPERTIES!
8.14.21
THREE PRICE REDUCTIONS!
ARCHITECTURAL
FORAY
COCKTAIL RECIPE & MORE!
7.21.21
SAT OPEN HOUSE ARCHITECTURAL ADVENTURE, EXPLORE THE BLOOMS+
