The Big Book of King Cake

02/11/2026

Is the baby in your king cake Jesus?

Since I wasn't able to ask the man himself, big thanks to Ayu Bakehouse, D**g Phuong Bakery, Joe Gambino's Bakery, Loretta's Authentic Pralines, Levee Baking Co., and Liz Williams for helping me get to the bottom of things in my article this week for The New York Times and NYT Cooking!

Does the popular figurine represent Jesus or the Crescent City’s typical joie de vivre?

01/23/2026

I LOVE amateur baking events! Especially when it becomes a fun community gathering, which is exactly what's going on this Saturday at Second Line Brewing.

If you're an amateur king cake baker, then check out the information in Second Line's bio so you can sign up and compete for a trophy! Or, if you don't fancy yourself a baker, come by around 1pm to start tasting slices of king cake! All money raised goes to The New Orleans Family Justice Center.

I'll also be selling and signing The Big Book of King Cake and The Little Book of King Cake, AND I'll be judging the entries. Hope to see you there!

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01/07/2026

I'm thankful to Gambit Weekly for hiring me to write this cover story. There is little more interesting to me than how our traditions -- food or otherwise -- are tied to similar customs around the world.

I had a blast learning about how (and why) cultures across the globe celebrate Carnival this time of year, and I hope you'll check it out in print or online at
https://www.nola.com/gambit/digital_edition/gambit-digital-edition-january-5-2026/html_f380a49d-d766-4f3a-892e-c392f9dd8664.html

Happy Carnival season!

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01/06/2026

I hope to see you tonight at ! I'll be giving my fun king cake history talk and signing copies of and The Little Book of King Cake! 6:30pm!

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