Celebrating 40 Years of “Talk About Good II”

In 1979 George Rodrigue loaned twelve of his Cajun paintings for use in Talk About Good II, a cookbook produced by the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana.  The paintings introduce the book’s chapters and include dinner scenes, seafood preparations and Cajun characters, each complemented by Rodrigue’s brief descriptions.

In 2019 we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of this iconic Cajun cookbook.  40 Years of Talk About Good will be the first of a new style of exhibit at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.  The exhibit will combine equipment, photography, storytelling, videography, dynamic displays, and original art to create an immersive experience for the museum guest.

The Culinary Corner Gallery will be transformed into a Cajun cooking dreamland with featurettes on the Women of the Lafayette Junior League, the equipment popular during the late 70’s and early 80’s, the techniques of Cajun Cooking, and the products that defined the era.

These food artifacts will be supplemented by the art of George Rodrigue. In the same way his work illustrated Talk About Good II, it will illustrate our exhibition on Junior League of Lafayette.  For the first time, paintings used for the book will be presented as a group.

Exhibit opens Saturday, December 7th, 11 AM – 5:30 PM and runs through February 28, 2020.

The opening event will be held during the museum’s “Made in Louisiana” showcase featuring Louisiana purveyors serving the most innovative new culinary foods, drinks and products such as:

craft beers, sauces, snacks, breads, absinthe, jambalaya, pies, salsa, spice mixes, tamales, pecan treats, oils, jams, coffees, honey, sweets, nuts, pepper jelly, pickles, crab dips, paella, wines, cupcakes, pralines, delicious cocktails and more!