Grin And Bare It

When it comes to supporting the community, chefs – New Orleans chefs in particular – are an extremely generous, giving bunch. And when it comes to helping their own in the service industry, they’ll gladly give the shirt off their back – literally! To raise funds for a local mental health services program for hospitality workers, 21 Crescent City chefs have recently peeled off a bit more than just their shirts, baring it all – or at least most of it – for charity. On this week's show, we learn about Jiggly Bits: The New Orleans Naked Chefs Calendar for 2025. The project is the brainchild of local food photographer, Kat Kimball. Kat joins us to discuss the cheeky calendar with stories of photoshoots involving fireballs, flying bagels, and strategically placed cookware. The chefs featured in Jiggly Bits are a veritable who's who of our city’s dining scene, including Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf, Charly Pierre of Fritai, Nina Compton of Compère Lapin, and many more. We speak with Chef Nina, as well as Mr. June and Mr. November (Prince Lobo and Eric Cook) about what it's like to be in front of the camera in the altogether. We then learn about the charity they stripped down for: WeHelp NOLA. Founding Director Olivia McCoy tells us about the nonprofit which provides free mental healthcare access to service industry workers. Taking tasteful nudes is one thing, but photographing food? That's an art within itself. We end our show with prolific cookbook author Kit Wohl, who welcomes us into her home studio where she writes, cooks, styles, and photographs her beautiful books. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.