What if a cooking class could also tell you why the food exists in the first place?
That’s the question the Southern Food and Beverage Museum answers on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City, a neighborhood that carries its own deep history. The building is the former Dryades Market, a 1911 structure that SoFAB purchased and renovated when it relocated here in 2014. The street was once a commercial center for New Orleans’ Black and Jewish communities, renamed in 1989 for civil rights activist Oretha Castle Haley. Before you even pick up a spoon, you’re standing somewhere that means something.
The cooking program inside is the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, led by chef Dwynesha Lavigne, who runs hands-on classes in Creole and Cajun cuisine on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Each session is small, which means you’re not watching from the back of a crowd. Every ticket includes a three-course lunch, museum admission, and a curator-led private tour of the building. That last part is what separates this from every other cooking class in the city.
The tour matters because SoFAB isn’t just a backdrop for the kitchen. The Leah Chase Louisiana Gallery covers the food and traditions of Louisiana, named for the legendary Creole chef herself, and the exhibit “Louisiana Eats!” traces everything from beignets to crawfish harvesting to how jambalaya evolved through colonial and Native American foodways.
Outside, the Gumbo Garden contains plants from the three continents that shaped Southern food: Africa, North America, and Europe. You walk through okra, file powder plants, and bay laurel before you ever cook with them, and that changes how you think about what goes into the pot.
The Cajun class builds around maque choux with tasso, a dark-roux gumbo with andouille, chicken, and Louisiana long-grain rice, and bananas Foster made with cane syrup.
The Creole class covers tomato salad with Creole remoulade, jambalaya with vine-ripened tomatoes, and a traditional Bananas Foster with vanilla ice cream.
Both menus are specific enough to teach real technique, not just the broad strokes. You’re learning why a dark roux behaves differently from a blonde one, and why that matters to the dish on your plate.
Classes run $85 for SoFAB members and $100 for non-members, with seats capped at 10 people. Book ahead.
The museum is open Thursdays through Mondays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and major holidays. SoFAB is at 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Call (504) 569-0405 or visit southernfood.org to reserve your spot. You’ll leave full in more ways than one.
