da parish

trim

33

observat ions and opinions about new or leans autumn 2011

St. Bernard PariSh: 465 Square MileS of land | 1329 Square MileS of water | 67,229 reSidentS in 2000 | 35,897 reSidentS in 2010

PhotograPhS © toM VariSCo deSignS

da parish

This is my home. Where a levee, a cruise ship, an oil refinery, a plantation and a smoke stack are all odd neighbors of mine.

Barry lemoine is a writer, educator, actor and producer. for his efforts in producing theatre and promoting the history

and culture of the Parish, lemoine has earned the moniker, the Bard of St.Bernard.

By Barry Lemoine This is the place that I call home. New Orleans’ historic

neighbor, St. Bernard.

Home of one of the most important military victories in our

nation's history—fought bravely by a ragtag group of militia,

pirates, Indians, and blacks. Fighting to the death—12 days

after the war of 1812 had ended.

This is my place—a place of family and festivals and some of the

best food in the world, and some unhealthy people eating lots of it.

This is Da Parish. St. Bernard, Louisiana. Settled by the Canary

Islanders in 1687. Located only 20 minutes from downtown New

Orleans. And, until 2005, home to 70,000 people.

This is a community where over 120 people drowned from waters that

breached our levee system. Where human error cost human lives.

This is the place that used to be surrounded by cypress trees, until

MRGO made them go.

This is the site of the largest residential oil spill in the history of

our nation. The only parish ever declared 100 percent devastated.

Tommy Dorsey played music here. Al Capone ran booze here. And yet,

few people have heard much about us. This is a place of fisherman

and blue collar workers. A place that ordinary folks call home.

People will ask, “How can you live there?

You don’t even have a hospital!”

But it’s home. It’s our home.

It’s hard for me to feel warm and fuzzy driving down Veteran’s

Blvd, but when I’m going down the road towards Delacroix, and

I pass the plantations and the oaks, and head to the end of the

world….I know, I’m home. I know, I’m back, and I know, I’m just

where I’m supposed to be.

eric Schmidt, along with his wife Sabrina and two children

hana and ethan, live on Jackson Boulevard in Chalmette.

they plan to stay no Matter what.

CraB traPS at Shell BeaCh

i'm not so sure i chose Chalmette as much as Chalmette chose me.

i feel blessed.

i don't feel trapped.

i'm not a crab.

Live Anywhere?Why Does ANyoNe

PhotograPhS © toM VariSCo deSignS

CraB traPS at Shell BeaCh

Music plays out. Lights fade. End scene.

Chris: When you look out—a lot of what you see is just dead. But you can’t give up. Ya gotta fight for what you love. My paw paw told me that. Said that we all needed to be wetlands warriors. Might have been better if I was Superman, considering how much work there is to do out here. They say we lost a half a million trees during Katrina

(Continues digging. Austin, his younger brother comes in to help.)

Austin: Paw paw told me one time, he said—“You know if the Saints played out here instead of the Dome, they couldn’t even finish the game. We losing a football field of marsh every half hour.”

(Takes out another sapling)

It may not seem like much, but every little bit counts, right?

Chris: I'll never forget the first time I went trawling with him. He tells me, “You gonna come work with me today, and this is how we do it. One share for me, one for the boat, and one for the helper.” I said, “You don't wanna take me along. I don't know what I'm doing.” He said, “Jump in...I'm gonna teach you. That day, I made $60 dollars. Man, I thought I died and went to heaven.”

(Will, another brother joins them. Throughout the rest of the scene they continue planting the saplings.)

Will: He just loved being out here. My pawps said I took my first breath in Shell Beach, and I'll take my last one here too. And he did. And when he died we even sent him away with his rod and reel, so he could keep fishing up there. With God. We all called him paw paw. Everyone else called him Blackie.

(Guitar player Jude Leblanc plays first verse of Cold Play’s: Fix You)

Will: I know that sounds old to say that he was 90 when he died, but my paw paw, he never seemed old. He was like ageless. I remember him driving the boat with his big old glasses on. They say he could drive through the marsh blindfolded, he knew the water so good. And he had the biggest hands and feet you've ever seen. He would walk barefoot across the rocks and oyster shells even in the coldest of weather. People would say, “God Blackie, that's gotta hurt...why don't you put some shoes on?” And he'd say, “I would...problem is I need a half a cow hide and a keg of nails to make a shoe big enough to cover my feet.”

Chris: As a kid, I didn't have a dad around. But Blackie....he took me under his wing. He taught me how to use the land to provide for my family...for that I'm forever grateful. He’s gone now but I still feel close to him when I’m out here. I see the boats, I smell the marsh. It’s like he’s here with me. Like this is the place we both belong.

Will: Sometimes I still find myself looking across the street to see if he's sitting on the porch or over in his chair. Sometimes, when it’s real quite, it still feels like he hasn't left, like he's still watching us.

(Jude plays 2nd verse of Fix You)

Austin: Well, that’s another tree in the ground. Only 499 thousand or so to go. Might not ever know if what we’re doing is helping, even if I live to be 90. But I sure hope so. I mean you have to hope, right.

Chris: Or like Paw Paw Blackie used to always say… “The show must go on, even if I ain't here.”

CYPRESSSCENE

from The Somewhat True History of St. Bernard: A Love Story

by Barry Lemoine

PhotograPh © JaCkSon hill

B A L D C Y P R E S S

The Mississippi River Gulf

Outlet (MRGO) was created

to provide a shortcut from

the Gulf of Mexico to

New Orleans. Dredging the

waterway allowed saltwater

to flow inland from the Gulf

destroying the wetlands.

near Shell Beach After Hurricane Katrina, all structures must be 21 feet above sea level.

Photograph © 2010 Jackson hill

PhotograPh © JaCkSon hill

near Shell Beach After Hurricane Katrina, all structures must be 21 feet above sea level.

LADIES INVITEDWhat draws people to St. Bernard parish is the

people of St. Bernard parish—they love their

food, they love each other and they love to have

a good time.

In creating this book, we relied on family traditions

and tried and true recipes from our diverse

culture. “Serving St. Bernard” is dedicated to

the cooks who exemplify the generosity and

warmth of the people of the parish.

Perhaps the most shining example of that spirit

is Mr. Rocky Tommaseo, who immigrated from

Sicily to south Louisiana, building a business that

became the cornerstone of Italian family cooking

for the entire metro New Orleans area.

In many ways, the Tommaseo family became

ambassadors of St. Bernard through its home-

style cooking. From their

and service, to the down home feeling of the

restaurant, Rocky and Carlos became synonymous

with the parish itself.

The Tommaseo and Gioe families made their way

from Palermo, Sicily to Violet in the early 1900s.

In 1953 they began a tradition of working at

Angelo’s Restaurant. “As they would come over,

they would all go to work for Angelo. It was all

family over there,” said Tommy Tommaseo, who

currently manages

Within weeks of opening Rocky and Carlos,

Hurricane Betsy inundated the parish. Fortunately

for Tommaseo and his family, the restaurant was

situated on high ground. While it lost power, the

restaurant was able to provide the community in its

time of need. For days, around the clock, the family

served, sold, and gave away food to those in crisis.

“Hurricane Betsy really put us on the map,” Tommy

said. “We had planned on feeding emergency

workers and policemen, but we were also feeding

refinery workers and power workers. We also gave

away a lot of food to people in need. And I think

after the storm, they remembered us for that.”

generosity in portions

froM Serving St. Bernard: Food and Folklore From the PariSh By the VoiCeS foundation – VoiCeSoflouiSiana.org

Rocky & caRlos.

we SerVe 400 PoundSof macaroni and cheese

everyWEEK.

— toMMy toMMaSeo

PhotograPhS © toM VariSCo deSignS

OYST

ERQu

een

tHe

THEsHe is very, very conscious tHat wHen Her own daugHter

is old enougH to be oyster Queen, tHere may not be any more oysters

tHe oyster Queen gets ready to greet Her subjects.

She wears silly bands given to her by her three brothers,

and the magic sliver locket is from her boyfriend

who is a cage fighter.

Her crown stands nearly 6 foot tall.

Purple, it becomes obvious, is her favorite color.

Down the Road, oysters signify abundance and community and water.

Living here all of her life (except for two years after the storm),

she knows the significance of the water.

Water has the power to save or destroy her community.

But, parades are happy times, so she puts on a smile

and rides a convertible Mustang borrowed from a friend.

But, she's only 17,

and she's trying to finish

high school

and she's working nearly

every single day,

and she has a boyfriend,

so she's not sure what to

do about that.

the Jacksons have been working with their niece, dominique thompson, for several years, and her growth has been, in a strange way, documented in photo-essays, films and in writing. their latest collaboration, short film “destiny lives down the road,” was shot entirely on location, with no budget and features a cast of non-actors.

Words and Pictures by the Elektrik Zoo www.elektrikzoo.com

OYST

ERQu

een

PhotograPh © PatriCk JaCkSon and daneeta loretta JaCkSon

sHe is very, very conscious tHat wHen Her own daugHter is old enougH to be oyster Queen, tHere may not be any more oysters

First,

the Violet Canal

was cut which divided St. Bernard and

made the lower part an island.

little by little st. bernard parisH

Has been carved up by special interests much like a Thanksgiving Turkey.

The feds completed the process when in 1957

they began the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet which officially cut St.

Bernard parish off from all adjoining land masses in 1963. The finished

project turned our community into two distinct islands: the Mississippi

River to the south, the Industrial canal to the West, the MRGO to the

north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east… with the Violet Canal dividing

what remained of the parish into two parts.

to the Eastern Orleans Parish landmass.

Then the Industrial Canal

was cut in the 1920s connecting the Mississippi River to Lake

Pontchartrain. Now all of St. Bernard had become a part of an

island, but a portion remained attached

Every Thanksgiving the people of St. Bernard parish tremble,

like their nervous feathered friends they wonder…how will Uncle Sam wield his knife this year!!!

It did not take long to correct that problem.

In the 1930s the federal government dug the Intracoastal

Water Way which in effect separated most of St. Bernard from

what remained of Orleans parish. But that was not enough,

some recognizable part of the bird remained.

rantFinalrantby Ron Chapman

Professor of History, Nunez Community College

The very end of the road – Delacroix Island, April 2005

PhotograPh © SaBrina SChMidt

ContreaS Verret

toCa PeCan groVe

reggio Bayou roa d

P l a n tat ion

Court houSe

doCkVille oakS

Bayou BieVenue Jean lafitte loS iSleñoS

Village & MuSeuM ChalMette MonuMent

kenilworth Plantation fiShing de la

ronde ruinS toCa reggio

da del aCroix iS l a nd

PariSh randazzo’S Bakery

Shell BeaCh Jean lafitte

national hiStoriCal Park

and PreSerVe aMeriCan

wetland Birding trailS

PariSh Beauregard houSe

ProCtor’S landing Breton

Sound Battle of new orleanS

roCky & Carlo’S ySCloSkey

hoPedale BleSSing of the

fleet terre aux BoeufS

fiShing the end of the world

VoiCe Mehle the

old Jail Jean lafitte

national hiStoriCal

Park and PreSerVe

Battle of new orleanS

Beauregard houSe

the oBeliSk lafitte andrew JaCkSon kaiSer

aluMinuM PaCk enhaM oakS de l a ronde

ruinS roCk y & Carlo’S St. Bernard CiViC

Center torreS Park louiSiana CrawfiSh

feStiVal PariS road Bayou

Bie V enue l a k e Borgne

Judge Perez exxon MoBil

da PariSh forty arPent

Canal randazzo’S Bakery

terre aux BoeufS iriSh

italian iSleñoS Par ade

toMato feStiVal knightS

of neMeSiS Jeanfreau’S

ChalMette high Meraux

MurPhy oil St. Bernard

highway da PariSh Violet

PoydraS oySter feStiVal

old araBi doMino Sugar friSCoVille St. Bernard Seafood & farMerS’ Market leBeau Plantation St. Bernard

Acknowledgements . Disclaimers . Explanations. When we decided to devote an entire issue of Desire to St. Bernard Parish, we didn’t

know where to start. In fact, we first thought we’d concentrate on Chalmette alone, since we knew a couple people from there. Thankfully,

we were encouraged to include the whole parish by that very same couple—Sabrina and Eric Schmidt—and we are very grateful. There

is no way 16 pages can adequately cover a whole parish, so of course we left out some interesting people and places. What we did find

interesting is that everyone we spoke with still had sad memories of Hurricane Katrina and anxiety about the future of their parish mixed

with an equal portion of hope. These same people, however, said pretty much the same thing when asked why they returned to their

neighborhoods—“It’s home.” So, this issue is a snap shot, not an in-depth portrait of our neighbors down the road.

What follows are the names of the generous folks who advised and inspired us: Elizabeth “Gidget” McDougall, Barry Lemoine,

Kenny Campo, Tommy Tommaseo, Ron Chapman, Daneeta Loretta Jackson, Patrick Jackson, and Sabrina and Eric Schmidt.

Desire is the registered trade name of Desire, L.L.C.© 2011 Desire, L.L.C. 608 Baronne StreetNew Orleans, LA 70113 e-mail: tom@tomvariscodesigns.com

Publisher: Tom VariscoArt Direction, Design: Tom Varisco DesignsDesign, Production: Amy Morvant, Uyen Vu Printing: Garrity PrintingPaper Stock: Accent OpaqueType Face: Trade Gothic

COVer IMAGeS © 2011 AMy MOrVANT & TOM VArISCO