A TASTE OF LOUISIANA WITH CHEF JOHN FOLSE & CO. LOUISIANA COOKING WITH A CHANGE OF HEART X

PROGRAM FACT SHEET - 1000 Series

Length: Twenty-six 30-minute programs

Description: This new Louisiana Public Broadcasting series with renowned Cajun and Creole chef John Folse features healthier, but still tasty, versions of Louisiana family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.

Distribution: American Public Television. The series feeds on Saturdays beginning April 5 through September 27 at 1030- 1100ET/511. The NOLA code is CJFC.

Promotion A 30-second promo is available.

Materials: Complete press kits and B/W photos have been sent to all PBS stations. Color photos can be e-mailed. Show will premiere in April, 2003. Chef Folse is available for phone interviews and on-site cooking demonstrations. For further information, contact Bob Neese at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, at (800) 272-8161, ext. 4274. To contact Chef Folse’s office, call (225) 644-6000.

Cookbook Something Old, Something New: Louisiana Cooking With A Change of Heart by Chef John Folse is available at a cost of This cookbook includes more than 200 pages of pictures and recipes. The cost is $29.95 which includes shipping and handling. To order, call 1-800-973-7246 and have your credit card ready, or send check or money order to Louisiana Public Broadcasting, 7733 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810. The cookbook is also available on ShopLPB (www.lpb.org).

Underwriters: The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism; Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits; The Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the Louisiana Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

CHEF JOHN FOLSE AND LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING PREMIERE THE TENTH SERIES OF A TASTE OF LOUISIANA WITH CHEF JOHN FOLSE AND COMPANY

World-renowned Cajun and Creole Chef John Folse is back with his tenth series of A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse and Company produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting. The series will begin feeding on Saturdays on American Public Television (APTVS) on April 5. The new 26-part series is called Louisiana Cooking With A Change of Heart and features healthier, but still tasty, versions of Louisiana family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. "I think it is important to show people that you can cook healthier Cajun and Creole meals without sacrificing the great taste,” Folse said. “That’s what this new series is all about." These high-energy half hour shows were taped before a live audience at Folse’s home in Gonzales, Louisiana. “I really enjoyed the presence of the studio audience in the new series because it brought a lot of energy to the show,” Folse said. “It was also a treat to interact with the audience before, during and after the shows.” Many of the shows also include live musical performances by such Cajun groups as the Hackberry Ramblers, Black Guidry, and Ann Savoy and the Magnolia Sisters, who perform songs featured on The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood soundtrack. The underwriters for Louisiana Cooking with a Change of Heart include Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits, the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Louisiana Office of Culture Recreation and Tourism, and the Louisiana Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. For more information, contact Bob Neese at 1-800-272-8161, ext. 4274. EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Show #1001: Guest Carol Benoit prepares her mother's recipe for Shrimp Spaghetti. Her recipe calls for pancake mix instead of flour for the roux. During a tour of her home, she shows Chef Folse her collection of coffee pots and cookbooks, numbering over four thousand! Chef John Folse prepares the recipe using fresh shrimp, fat free and low sodium ingredients.

Show #1002: Marjorie Domangue of Bayou Black, Louisiana shares her family’s recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup. John prepares the dish with fat-free margarine, fresh vegetables and low - fat cuts of meat. Musical guest Black Guidry sings his 'Cajun original tune "Cajun Man.”

Show #1003: Bobbie Lee Belanger of Houma, La. prepares her old family recipe for Shrimp Sauce Cauliflower.

Show #1004: Sunday Morning Chicken Fricassee tops the menu when Chef Folse welcomes Melba Matherne of Houma, La.

Show #1005: Chef Folse travels to Napoleonville where Diane Politz prepares Stuffed Eggplant in Italian Gravy. John then uses fresh eggplant and low-sodium tomato sauce to make his version of this classic dish in his home kitchen.

Show #1006: Carol Leblanc prepares her grandmother's recipe for Chicken, Sausage and File' Gumbo. Musical guests are Anne Savoy and the Magnolia Sisters, including Christine Balfa. They play songs from their CD, "Evangeline Made", recently featured in the film, "The Gumbo Ya-Ya Sisterhood".

Show #1007: Cherie Zeringue of Thibodeaux, La. prepares her recipe for Oeufs Aux Lait (Egg Custard). John recreates the dish with low-fat ingredients without losing any of the flavor of the original.

Show #1008: A special Sweet Potato Cake recipe is prepared by Darlene Foret of Raceland, La. John makes the dish with low-fat, sugar substitute ingredients and fresh sweet potatoes.

Show #1009: Guest Martha Butler of Houma, La. prepares her favorite family recipe for Cajun-Style Chicken and Eggplant Casserole along with spicy cornbread.

Show #1010: Marie Orgeron, prepares a Pecan Pie recipe that has been handed down for decades at Sacred Heart of Grand Coteau, a private girls school near Lafayette, La.

Show#1011: Lafayette, La. native Brenda Martin prepares an old recipe for Cous Cous, a kind of cereal pudding made from fried corn meal.

Show #1012: Don Duplechan of Oberlin, La. prepares his family recipe for Sauce Picquante.

Show #1013: Pasta company owners Maryann and Buster Fresina of Baton Rouge take Chef Folse on a tour of their company. Mrs. Fresina makes Mama Fresina's Lasagna. John Folse prepares the dish in his studio kitchen, using low fat cheeses, meats and lots of olive oil!

Show #1014: Luke Lupari’s Shrimp Salad is prepared by Frank Russo of Morgan City, La., the center of Louisiana’s seafood industry. Using Frank’s basic recipe, Chef Folse prepares a healthier version of the dish with low sodium and low-fat ingredients.

Show #1015: Noted cardiologist Dr. Craig Walker of Houma, La. joins Chef Folse in the kitchen to cook Grilled Fish and discuss the health consequences of rich Louisiana dishes.

Show #1016: Chef Folse travels to the home of Florence and Tony Gravois in Des Allemands, La. who bake Petite Gateaux (Christmas Tea Cookies).

Show # 1017: Professional hunting guide Captain Sammy Faulk of Lake Charles, La. and his father bring their recipe for Baked Goose Holly Beach, a traditional Holiday meal. Chef Folse also tours the marsh with Capt. Faulk and joins a duck hunt with hunters from the Grosse Savante Lodge.

Show #1018: Glenda Daigle of Paincourtville, La. prepares Glenda’s Apple Roasted Duck. Chef Folse prepares the duck, extracting much of the fat and sodium from the dish. Side dishes include fresh vegetables and a vanilla Ba-Ba Cake, with a perfect meringue. Show #1019: Grandma Breaux’s Succotash Soup is prepared by June Breaux Greene. She and John take a tour of a vegetable market where they discuss all the fresh vegetables available in South Louisiana for this rich, spicy soup.

Show #1020: Judy Guidry of Grand Isle, La. prepares her family recipe for Broccoli with Dijon Vinaigrette. Chef Folse prepares the dish with fresh broccoli and a low-fat dressing.

Show #1021: Nutritionist Dr. Jocinda Bonzillan from Nicholls State University in Thibodeaux, La. discusses the need for heart healthy recipes that still have the flavor of many classic Cajun dishes.

Show #1022: Martha Longman of Dulac, La. cooks Barbecued Shrimp Longman. Her brother, Brad, takes viewers on a tour of his seventy-five foot shrimp boat, named “Cool Change.”

Show #1023: Agnes Wyatt prepares Grandpa Porche’s Potato and Ham Soup. Chef Folse makes the dish in his studio kitchen with low-fat, low- sodium ingredients.

Show #1024: Nora Dejoie of New Orleans shows her unusual recipe for Vegetable Jambalaya. The musical guest is Lillian Boutte, who sings “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” and closes the show with a rousing version of “When the Saint’s Go Marching In”.

Show #1025: Sharon Jesowshek, who works behind the scenes to help John prepare some of the dishes for the series, prepares her own recipe for Hog’s Head Cheese. She and John visit the herb garden behind her beautiful log cabin home, where they make the fresh Hog’s Head Cheese.

Show #1026: Guest Doug Guerin whips up a batch of “Uncle Bro’s Cajun-Style Stuffed Merliton.” He and John Folse tour his home and collection of cooking devices; homemade smokers, sausage makers, and even a vertical barbecue pit that can cook sixty chickens at once! CHEF JOHN D. FOLSE, CEC, AAC BIOGRAPHY

Chef John Folse, born in St. James Parish in 1946, learned early that the secrets of Cajun cooking lay in the unique ingredients of Louisiana’s swamp floor pantry. Folse seasoned these raw ingredients with his passion for Louisiana culture and cuisine, and from his cast iron pots emerged Chef John Folse & Company. When Folse opened Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant in 1978 in Donaldsonville, he set out to market his restaurant by taking “a taste of Louisiana” worldwide. He introduced Louisiana’s indigenous cuisine to Japan in 1985, Beijing in 1986 and Hong Kong and Paris in 1987. In 1988 Folse made international headlines with the opening of “Lafitte’s Landing East” in Moscow during the Presidential Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1989 Folse was the first non-Italian chef to create the Vatican State Dinner in Rome. Promotional restaurants also included London in 1991 and 1993, Bogota in 1991, Taipei in 1992 and 1994 and Seoul in 1994. In 1988 the Louisiana Sales and Marketing Executives named Folse “Louisiana’s Marketing Ambassador to the World” and the Louisiana Legislature gave him the title of "Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the World.” The international success of Folse’s cornerstone property, Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant, spawned the incorporation of several other Chef John Folse & Company properties. White Oak Plantation in 1986 established Folse’s catering and events management division. Chef John Folse & Company Publishing, since 1989, has produced seven cookbooks in his Cajun and Creole series and a novel by Leo Honeycutt. “A Taste of Louisiana” is Folse’s international television series produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting since 1990. Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing, since 1991, is one of the few chef-owned food manufacturing companies in America producing custom manufactured foods for the retail and food service industry. The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., opened in October 1994 and is dedicated to the preservation of Louisiana's rich culinary and cultural heritage. In August 1996 Folse began broadcasting his radio cooking talk show, "Stirrin’ It Up...The Best Tasting Show on Talk Radio.” Additionally, with the celebration of its 5th anniversary, “Stirrin’ It Up,” the radio cooking talk show expanded to include “Stirrin’ It Up,” the television cooking show on WAFB-TV Channel 9 in Baton Rouge. Exceptional Endings, the pastry division, was launched in 1996 to create specialty desserts, pastries and savories. In October 1998 a fire destroyed the 200-year-old Viala Plantation, which housed Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant, and in May 1999 Folse opened his former Donaldsonville home as Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant at Bittersweet Plantation offering fine dining and bed and breakfast accommodations. In the year 2000, Folse incorporated Digi-Tek Productions, a full service digital recording studio. Expanding on the catering services of White Oak Plantation, Chef John FOLSEvents Management & Catering fulfills the special events needs of clients both regional and national. Folse has received numerous national and international accolades. In 1987 the Louisiana Restaurant Association named him “Louisiana Restaurateur of the Year.” In 1989 Nation’s Restaurant News inducted Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant into its “Fine Dining Hall of Fame.” In 1990 the American Culinary Federation named Folse the “National Chef of the Year.” In 1992 Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, recognized Folse with an honorary doctor of Culinary Arts Degree, as did Baltimore International Culinary College in 1995. In 1994 he assumed the role as national president of the American Culinary Federation, the largest organization of professional chefs in America. In 1995 Folse was one of 50 people recognized in Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Profiles of Power.” In 1996 Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant received the Award of Excellence from Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiR_NA). Today, Folse serves as DiR_NA Chairman. In 1998 Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing received TGI Friday’s Inc. Procurement Product Development Award for assisting in the development of Friday’s Jack Daniels Glaze. In 1998 Food Arts Magazine awarded Folse the “Silver Spoon Award” for his sterling performance and contributions to the food service industry. In 1999, the Research Chefs Association named Chef John Folse & Company "Pioneers in Culinology" due to the efforts of Chef Folse's culinary research team. In November 1999, the Acadiana Chapter of the American Culinary Federation inducted Chef Folse into the Louisiana Chef's Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions to the promotion of Louisiana cuisine. Additionally, Folse received the Antonin Careme Medal in November 2000. Twenty years of culinary excellence later, Folse is still adding ingredients to the corporate gumbo he calls Chef John Folse & Company, which is as diverse as the Louisiana landscape, and he would not want it any other way.