Katrina hit NOLA "Bam!"... so, where was Emeril?

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from NOLA.com

I kept wondering as the cameras panned New Orleans day after day when Katrina struck and in the aftermath, where was one of the most famous promoters of New Orleans food? But he never seemed visible ... this article is chock full of explanations for his low visibility ... even the ever-annoying Geraldo was out and about as stories unfolded ... Anderson Cooper camped in NO for weeks ... but where was Emeril? Read the article ... do you think this explanation makes sense? I guess I was looking for something about Emeril because he is so heavily associated with the cuisine of New Orleans ...

The busy schedule is, in fact, Lagasse said, one of the reasons he hasn't gotten around to visiting New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina hit the city Aug. 29.   "I know this is a major catastrophe, but I work so far in advance. My things are planned, my people are planned," Lagasse said Wednesday from Raleigh, N.C., another book-tour stop.

Almost seven weeks after New Orleans fell victim to the worst natural disaster in the country's history, it's fair to question the chef's priorities. His business has taken a hit -- while none of his restaurants flooded, Emeril's was looted and Delmonico damaged by wind. But the company is diversified, geographically and otherwise. With revenue streaming in from sources as disparate as toothpaste endorsements, branded cookware and wildly popular restaurants in still-thriving locales, Lagasse is certainly doing a whole lot better than the city that launched him.

Love to hear any and all of your feedback on this article!

[joiei]

would you stop already. Creating ill will is just mean. Do you so dislike the man that you want to see him crucified even more here at eG? We need to focus on the positive rebuilding of New Orleans, not take pot shots at someone who has a different agenda than Brent Anderson. He is not native to New Orleans and that explains everything. I have friends who are talking about moving home for the first time in 25 years to help rebuild their hometown.

[Steven Blaski]

would you stop already.  Creating ill will is just mean.  Do you so dislike the man that you want to see him crucified even more here at eG?  We need to focus on the positive rebuilding of New Orleans, not take pot shots at someone who has a different agenda than Brent Anderson.  He is not native to New Orleans and that explains everything.  I have friends who are talking about moving home for the first time in 25 years to help rebuild their hometown.

←

It didn't strike me that GG was revealing any ill will, but rather revealing her curiosity about one of the most famous food personalities of our time, who happens to be connected with NOLA but who seemed nowhere to be found amidst the crisis. I, too, was curious about Emeril's whereabouts and what happened to his businesses, etc. in the aftermath. Finally, the other day, I saw a PSA on the Food Network in which Emeril was urging people to contribute to some food-related Katrina charity. But who knows -- maybe he was involved with Katrina efforts all along, behind the scenes? Maybe someone can enlighten us.

[Marlene]

We can either discuss the topic as posted or we can close it. Let's not speculate as to a poster's motives for starting a topic please. This is a news article. It's within the bounds.

[Jason Perlow]

I think the NOLA.com article makes some legitimate points, but certainly, Emeril is a busy guy, and I can certainly understand if he hasn't been able to spend time in New Orleans yet. He has a relatively large business to run, and I am sure he is up to his head with problems in having to manage his various outposts from afar, as well as keep up with his media appearances. I'm sure his lieutennants themselves have been all over his New Orleans businesses already.

[canucklehead]

Actually - I've been a little curious also.

I don't think the fact that he is not making the rounds in New Orleans is really a issue - it may simply be that he feels that it is not constructive for him be there (too much of a distraction from some of the really serious issues that need to be tackled).

He may being doing alot of things behind the scene. I may not be a huge fan of his cooking shows - but he has always struck me as a 'real' person who tries to do the right thing. But I have watched a couple of the recent Emeril Live's - and he does'nt give Katrina much (or any actually) mention.

He and the city are so intertwined in the public's mind - it is odd that he has not been more front and center on the disaster. But like I said above - we probably don't have the full picture - so I would hate for anyone to jump to any negative conclusions.

[joiei]

From Emeril's web site about something his group is doing in Atlanta. Here is a chance to show your support.

Another

Edited October 18, 2005 by joiei (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I was surprised to find that the article so closely mirrored my thoughts "where was Emeril?" ... I happen to like a lot about the guy and for anyone who has read anything about Emeril on eGullet, you will find that I am a staunch supporter of what he has accomplished. And justifiably so ...

But the article made me think that it would have been such a strong, positive PR "statement" to appear somehow, not necessarily on the actual scene but somewhere stating his emotions at such a catastrophic event ... I know that I kept looking for it ... found Prudhomme immediately ...

The message blasted around the world would have been priceless: I'm a New Orleanian. I'm here to help. I'm coming back.

expressed my feelings best, I guess ...

That's the message another New Orleans celebrity chef, Paul Prudhomme, sent out Sept. 20 during an appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews."

"We're feeding anybody in sight," Prudhomme said via satellite from the French Quarter. "If you're hungry, we want to feed you. . . . If you're in the military, we especially want to feed you. "That's my job, to lift people up with great food."

and, as I read everything possible about Katrina's aftermath, Prudhomme came across as a very publically empathic individual ...

That Lagasse, one of popular culture's great media masters, took a pass on the chance to put his own mega-celebrity to good use at such an unprecedented moment is just one of many post-Katrina mysteries. What isn't a mystery is that plenty of people have managed to do what Lagasse has yet to attempt: serve food to people in post-Katrina New Orleans.

and I guess I wasn't the only one who thought this ... the author here got similar impressions.

[chezcherie]

here's what i know--very soon after katrina, i noticed that emeril's organization had a blurb on their corporate website (a) trying to locate their people to verify that they were safe, (b) letting salaried employees know that their paychecks had been direct-deposited, or if no direct-deposit, for them to call with an address and they'd be sent, and © letting hourly employees know that the records of hours worked had been destroyed, so everyone had been paid for a full 40 hours, and the checks had been deposited, or to call, blah, blah...

it's a small thing, but it was in place very quickly, when most others were still scrambling. i think it shows that they are doing the right thing, and have their employees in mind.

i personally don't care for the emeril schtick, but i have heard, from people i respect, that he's a decent guy, and that the schtick is just schtick. that schtick makes gazillions of bucks, and my guess is that the more he can keep working (and i'm sure his schedule is grueling), the better able to do some good he'll be...

Edited October 18, 2005 by chezcherie (log)

[TAPrice]

I should say up front that Brett is a friend of mine and I'm inclined to trust his judgment.

That being said, the attack seemed pretty harsh given the evidence in the article. I can't help but think that there is more to the story. Perhaps we will never know.

I'm not inclined to judge the business decisions people are making. Emeril wasn't as generous as Dickie Brennan. Three months from now, however, Dickie's generosity might bankrupt him and Emeril will still be rich man. Who can say at this point?

The one comment by Emeril that really grated was him defense about how planned out his life in. Not being able to plan anything is pretty much a given for anyone from New Orleans. It just shows how disconnected Emeril's life is from the city.

[Gifted Gourmet]

more NOLA hospitality news in this item

the first corporate meeting held in the city since Hurricane Katrina struck the city more than six weeks ago. The meeting took place October 14 through 16 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the French Quarter.

For the meeting’s opening night dinner, internationally-renowned Chef Paul Prudhomme opened his signature K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant for the first time in six weeks. Next came a call to Chef Paul Prudhomme, an international ambassador of New Orleans cuisine, who was attending promotional meetings in China; he agreed to catch the earliest return flight possible, to try to be present to greet and cook for the group.

There are apparently other ambassadors for New Orleans' cuisine as well...

[Mayhaw Man]

First of all, I have known Emeril for years and Brett is a friend.

Second, I know that the location of his flagship restaurant had much to do with the revitalization of that section of downtown and that, Hurricane relief or not, the guy has been at the center of a serious upping of the ante in the New Orleans food scene and clearly has been the most visible chef from New Orleans (or anywhere else for that matter) around. Hurricane or no, these things have been important to New Orleans.

That being said, it's a shame that he hasn't done more, though this situation is so bad that it's really hard to judge, with any certainty, anyone's actions. And, as someone who has been "on the ground" here in New Orleans and the surrounding area, I can tell you that he has some big shoes to fill in the "doing the right thing" dept. It is hard to imagine a company going to longer lengths for their employees than Dickie Brennan's restaurant group or an operator being any more selfless than Paul Prudhomme (though there have been several more, though much smaller (well, everybody is smaller than Paul-he's a big guy, after all ) operators who have opened their kitchens for relief with no hope of renumeration).

We here in this part of the country have seen alot in the last two months, and the little things just aren't that important anymore. We have much larger issues to worry about. Brett was talking about some pretty big issues (after all, he is covering one component of one of our biggest industries) and I, for one, share most of the view points that he discussed in his piece. Am I, or do I think Brett, saying that Emeril is a useless cad and should have his NOLA passport revoked? Of course not. I believe that his point was, and I agree, that as someone who has made an entire career basing his work on the cuisine of this city, that he could be doing more, locally, to help out.

For the record, Brett (and virtually all of the writing, editorial, and photographic staff of The New Orleans Times-Picayune-if they don't end up with a boat load of Pulitzers the whole thing is rigged. Their work has been exactly what great newspaper work should be-quick, accurate, and digestible) has been doing an amazing job under some circumstances that have been, according to many of the reporters, soldiers, and relief workers, worse than ANY war that they have ever seen. I interviewed a sherrif from New Mexico last week, who had been in Lebanon when all of the Marines got blown up and in Desert Storm I and II, and he verbalized the same thing that I have heard over and over again-this is the worst destruction that he had ever seen. It ain't pretty here. Not even a little bit.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I very much appreciate your post on this thread because it both conveys gravitas and carries weight on knowing whereof you speak, Brooks. I think that because Dickie Brennan and Paul Prudhomme are basically still more closely involved with New Orleans than Emeril is currently (he is really all over the US with the addition of so many new restaurants and FN being based in NYC), so they reacted immediately. That said, I still wished to have seen him on national television with some sort of personal appearance and comments on the hurricane ...

[Tess]

here's what i know--very soon after katrina, i noticed that emeril's organization had a blurb on their corporate website (a) trying to locate their people to verify that they were safe, (b) letting salaried employees know that their paychecks had been direct-deposited, or if no direct-deposit, for them to call with an address and they'd be sent, and © letting hourly employees know that the records of hours worked had been destroyed, so everyone had been paid for a full 40 hours, and the checks had been deposited, or to call, blah, blah...

it's a small thing, but it was in place very quickly, when most others were still scrambling. i think it shows that they are doing the right thing, and have their employees in mind.

And that has to be foremost on your mind when you have a business like that-- keeping things together for your employess. It would be nice to have time for television appearances too, but he's not Geraldo.

[Mayhaw Man]

Bam! Bam! Put up or shut up says today's editorial in The Picayune

[srhcb]

"A lot of people ain't got no food on the table, but they gotta lotta forks and knives, and they gotta cut somethin'." Woddy Guthrie

SB (willing to leave the photo ops to politicians and journalists)(everybody else has to work)

[highchef]

O.K. I like Emeril, but I haven't seen anyone here either...if he's to do anything at this point, he need to direct it at all of the Louisiana coast, every inch. Emeril, Folsse', Prudduhum (sp) etc..need to be around and getting things back together. We are still in a weird zone...my sister says we're all suffering from combat fatigue!...

The resturants that opened the fastest, got closed the fastest. St. dept.of health. etc..

The whole gulf coast could use a little love.. from any where.

[srhcb]

Bam! Bam! Put up or shut up says today's editorial in The Picayune

←

Sometimes you can't win. If Emeril had showed up on the local news there others would be accusing him of grandstanding.

He's done a lot for the city, and I'm sure he'll continue to contribute in the future.

Considering all the work there is to be done, the criticism seems a bit snarky?

SB

Edited October 19, 2005 by srhcb (log)

[D. B. Brown]

Not going one way or the other on this ( well actually, I am ). Emeril is one of N.O.'s 'signature' personalities.

I have NO idea - so this is just a question . . .

Prudhomme - check

Brennan - check

Connick - check

What other NOLA personalities have ante'ed-up ? . . . honestly I don't know.

If there are many, then Emeril has some 'splainin to do. If not, then whatever he DOES do ( fund-raising, etc. ) is appreciated ( with *, for 'personal' no-show ) . . .

Hell, they're "fund-raising" all over the world. There are kids at the grammar school down the street washing cars for Hurricane Relief.

You would think that one of the "faces" of New Orleans would be more visible.

Taking care of the employees is nice and all, but it is ALSO "taking care of the Company" . . .

Personally, I would have thought him to be ALL OVER this thing - just for the P.R. windfall.

[Mayhaw Man]

Bam! Bam! Put up or shut up says today's editorial in The Picayune

←

Sometimes you can't win. I Emeril had showed up on the local news there others would be accusing him of grandstanding.

He's done a lot for the city, and I'm sure he'll continue to contribute in the future.

Considering all the work there is to be done, the criticism seems a bit snarky?

SB

←

No, actually to me, someone who is in the middle of this mess, I don't think that it's snarky at all. Let me tell you something. I got a paycheck on the Monday after the storm and I got one on the 15th and I got one at the end of the month and I got another this week. I am one lucky guy and I promise that, in the future when I feel like smacking my boss, I will think about this and how much it meant to me to check the mini bank the day after the biggest natural disaster in the history of North America and know that I could feed my family with no interruption in our lavish lifestyle. I don't know many people who continued getting paid throughout this ordeal unless they were doing something to earn it. Some employers did handle it as best they could and paid until they ran out of dough or could put them back to work, and others immediately laid off and told everyone thanks but no thanks. The one's who just wrote checks, and in many cases, are still writing them, are to be congratulated in public and loudly as far as I am concerned-and I think that you might have some trouble finding anyone down here to disagree with me. Emeril has alot of employees. He has made his career here and this city, New Orleans, has, in fact, made him as much as anything that he has done on his own. Do you think he would be yelling BAM from the rooftops if the had landed in Dubuque, or Denver, or Raleigh? I suppose that it could have happened, but it's hard to imagine.

Nothing snarky about it. This is kind of "put up or shut up" land. We've been torn down to the raw wood, no veneer left. Little things don't mean much. It doesn't even bother me one bit that it takes two hours to make groceries or that it is now taking me 4 hours to get back and forth to work when it used to take 90 minutes. I know this is happening because many of the people who are clogging the road and the checkout lines are here because THEY DON"T HAVE A HOUSE ANYMORE and I know better than to bitch about it. I also know that it's perfectly ok for the Picayune, or anyone else , to praise the folks trying to do it right or to chastise the ones who might not be quite so selfless. Good on The Picayune, says I. It's not just restaurant guys who are getting this treatment. It's everybody and that is exactly what the paper is supposed to be doing. Reporting. Maybe to many of you this kind of stuff seems trivial, but the restaurant business here is a big, big deal. The operators here are (sadly) our titans of industry and people want to know what they are doing. Everyone has family or friends in the business and many, many people here have worked at one time or another in the industry, so they are interested in how the things are being handled. Do good? Hurraahhh. Do bad? Boooooo.

Don't get me wrong. I like the guy. I've been eating his food since he (and I) was a young man working on Washington Ave. for Ella Brennan. I like his restaurants. I am all over this website in various places saying exactly that. I'm happy for him and his success, but at this point, most observers, including me, (and no doubt the people on his payroll who are here and want to work-very few in reality are here, most likely)believe that it's time for him to come home and take care of business here.

It's time for some truly NEW New Orleans Cooking.

[highchef]

No one locally, ie Louisiana, would have accused him of grandstanding, unless he was. Hell we know grandstanding when we see it, we invented it!

What Louisiana needs right now, is a concentration from the good to offset the bad. That's as concise as I can say it. You have to take the flavor, condense it, see what it needs to support it, add to it as necessary and say "God Bless" . We need to be supportive of NO, but we don't all have to live there. Come, bring you're money, eat, drink and pass a good time. Let the port do it's thing. It'll all be good in the end.

[srhcb]

So what are we talking about here then?

SB (honestly doesn't get it)

[highchef]

Well, SB, just go back to the beginning. The conversation just evolved, as they do. There will probablly never be, and seldom is, a resolution. but at least we got to bitch a little, share a little, and educate a little.

Just my Humble Opinion,

Patty

[KOK]

I am hoping to run the Mardi Gras 1/2 marathon next February (it seems the race events WILL be held and as of now I have NO intention of going to an

Emeril restaurant.

I've never been inclined towards the Brennan places either, but after reading of their generosity, I'd make it a point to visit as many as I could (if open).

I have, and hope to have again, the coconut cake at K-Paul's, as well as the gumbo and jalapeno rolls.

My friends and I have long been commenting on how we seem to see everyone except Emeril in re helping NOLA / Katrina. Perhaps he is doing much behind the scenes, but many would like to see him doing it publicly.

Just my two cents.

Thanks,

Kevin

[Flocko]

Bam! Bam! Put up or shut up says today's editorial in The Picayune

←

Sometimes you can't win. I Emeril had showed up on the local news there others would be accusing him of grandstanding.

He's done a lot for the city, and I'm sure he'll continue to contribute in the future.

Considering all the work there is to be done, the criticism seems a bit snarky?

SB

←

No, actually to me, someone who is in the middle of this mess, I don't think that it's snarky at all. Let me tell you something. I got a paycheck on the Monday after the storm and I got one on the 15th and I got one at the end of the month and I got another this week. I am one lucky guy and I promise that, in the future when I feel like smacking my boss, I will think about this and how much it meant to me to check the mini bank the day after the biggest natural disaster in the history of North America and know that I could feed my family with no interruption in our lavish lifestyle. I don't know many people who continued getting paid throughout this ordeal unless they were doing something to earn it. Some employers did handle it as best they could and paid until they ran out of dough or could put them back to work, and others immediately laid off and told everyone thanks but no thanks. The one's who just wrote checks, and in many cases, are still writing them, are to be congratulated in public and loudly as far as I am concerned-and I think that you might have some trouble finding anyone down here to disagree with me. Emeril has alot of employees. He has made his career here and this city, New Orleans, has, in fact, made him as much as anything that he has done on his own. Do you think he would be yelling BAM from the rooftops if the had landed in Dubuque, or Denver, or Raleigh? I suppose that it could have happened, but it's hard to imagine.

Nothing snarky about it. This is kind of "put up or shut up" land. We've been torn down to the raw wood, no veneer left. Little things don't mean much. It doesn't even bother me one bit that it takes two hours to make groceries or that it is now taking me 4 hours to get back and forth to work when it used to take 90 minutes. I know this is happening because many of the people who are clogging the road and the checkout lines are here because THEY DON"T HAVE A HOUSE ANYMORE and I know better than to bitch about it. I also know that it's perfectly ok for the Picayune, or anyone else , to praise the folks trying to do it right or to chastise the ones who might not be quite so selfless. Good on The Picayune, says I. It's not just restaurant guys who are getting this treatment. It's everybody and that is exactly what the paper is supposed to be doing. Reporting. Maybe to many of you this kind of stuff seems trivial, but the restaurant business here is a big, big deal. The operators here are (sadly) our titans of industry and people want to know what they are doing. Everyone has family or friends in the business and many, many people here have worked at one time or another in the industry, so they are interested in how the things are being handled. Do good? Hurraahhh. Do bad? Boooooo.

Don't get me wrong. I like the guy. I've been eating his food since he (and I) was a young man working on Washington Ave. for Ella Brennan. I like his restaurants. I am all over this website in various places saying exactly that. I'm happy for him and his success, but at this point, most observers, including me, (and no doubt the people on his payroll who are here and want to work-very few in reality are here, most likely)believe that it's time for him to come home and take care of business here.

It's time for some truly NEW New Orleans Cooking.

←

Right on target, Brooks!!

Bill

Louisiana expatriot