The 2023 Fall Seminar and Plant Boutique in St. Tammany

 The Master of Gardeners of St. Tammany along with the LSU AgCenter hosted the 2023 Fall Seminar and Plant Boutique this September in Mandeville. The event took place at Church of the King at I-12 and LA 59.

The event had several seminars that included presentations and table talks. The experts and experienced horticulturalists talked on many subjects such as the sale of bedding plants, trees, bushes, herbs and Gulf South natives. Patrons could also visit the Plant Boutique which had items from Bracy’s Nursery, Mizell’s Camellia Hill Nursery, Steiz Nursery and Windmill Nursery.

The table talk topics will include :

• “A Year at Clove Brook Farm: Gardening, Keeping Bees, Collecting Antiques, and Entertaining Friends” by Christopher Spitzmiller;
• “New and Recently Introduced High-Performing Plants for 2023” by Mike DeRee, of Ball Seed Company;
• “The Best Herbs to Use in Your Landscape Design” by garden designer, horticulturist and author Sue Goetz;
• “Container Gardening” by master gardener Peggy Plaisance;
• “Native Plants for your Landscape” by Caitlin Roberts of Swampfly;
• “Growing Vegetables,” by Grady Seale, of Covey Rise Farms; and
• “Ask the Expert” by Will Afton, county agent, LSU AgCenter.

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The Best Investment You Could Make

 Today’s housing market is all over the palace. There are prospective homebuyers out there who are asking themselves if this is the right time to purchase a home.

The pandemic caused a crazy housing market with home prices skyrocketing and buyers in bidding wars. Today, the market is cooling off a bit because of the high inflation.  The average interest rate for the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage reached 7.29%, as of July 31.

Even though these red flags might scare you, this is a great time to invest in the real estate market. According to Mike Biryla with The Agency, when there’s volatility in the housing market, it is a great time to purchase. “Sellers that are on the market right now are not opportunistic sellers. This isn’t the market where sellers can just try for a high number and see if it’ll happen,” says Biryla.

When investing in real estate, you need to remember that you are setting yourself up for the future. “If you’re not ready to take on that responsibility just yet but want to lock in an interest rate, buy it now. When it comes to real estate, I think it’s one of the best investments you could possibly make. It’s great for your portfolio and it’s great for your retirement,” says Emma Hernan of the Oppenheim Group.

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Brasa Will Open A New Location

If you live in Old Metairie then you are familiar with Brasa. The steakhouse will be expanding and will now have a second larger location in New Orleans. The new location will occupy the old Morton’s steakhouse in the Canal Place shopping center.

Owners Edgar Caro and Antonio Mata will renovate the space and hope to open its doors in October 2023. Brasa is a local concept that was the idea of the business partners. They want to change the space to have a Latin American flare. The original Old Metairie location was named Brasa Churrasqueria and is now called Brasa South American Steakhouse. ” This is the same menu, concept and vibe as Brasa, but we can do more here,” explains Caro.

The renovation will start with putting in open windows that will bring in tons of natural light. The space will also be painted in brighter colors and there will be tropical plants added for the Latin American design. They will add a huge dry-aging case and a display of high-end spirits at the entrance when you first walk into the restaurant. There will also be a dedicated lounge and three private dining rooms. The biggest change will be the added outdoor dining patio by the Canal Street Entrance.

“The idea is to keep the bones of Brasa, the essence of Brasa, and bring it here to downtown New Orleans,” Caro says. “We’re very excited about being part of the revitalization down here.

The partners are excited and look forward to the opening. They know that the downtown location will bring in the tourists who tend to spend more money when on vacation. The new location will add Wagyu steaks and grilled oysters among other seafood dishes.

“This will be the flagship for us,” Mata says. “I think we paved the road for what we want Brasa to be with the first restaurant, and it’s been successful. Now we’re ready for this,” added Caro.

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Where To Go in Covington To Get Israeli and Lebanese Dishes

 Tavi, located at 330 N Hampshire Street in Covington is a Northshore cousin to Shaya. Chef Fariz Choumali, the executive chef at Tavi, has worked for BRG Hospitality as an executive chef. He and his wife moved to New Orleans after visiting the city and felt like it was home.

“Beirut, where I’m from, shares a French culture and vibrancy with New Orleans. The first time I went to the French Quarter, with its architecture, music and culture, I felt at home. People come from all over the world to eat food here. I knew this city was for me,” explains Choumali.

Tavi opened its doors in January in Covington and shares many dishes with Shaya but he has also added some Lebanese street dishes. “Here we have so many regulars. People were waiting for this food. Covington doesn’t have a place like New Orleans, so our opening was a big deal to the community,” he says.

Tavi is located in a former barber shop that has been converted into the 85-seat restaurant. There is tons of natural lighting along with a 10-seat bar and a wood-fire oven. Tavi is named after one of the partner’s grandsons and is the Hebrew word for good.

Patrons will enjoy foods like buttermilk-soaking fried chicken spiced with turmeric and coriander, hummus, house-pickled vegetables and wild mushrooms with sage brown butter in za’atar-spiced hazelnuts. The Lebanese dishes include arayes, a grilled pita sandwich stuffed with ground kafta or seasoned lamb. Confit chicken is another dish that is cooked in duck fat and served with basmati rice.

The 10-seat bar offers some unique cocktails for patrons. The Road to Kfar is made of sumac-infused tequila, pom liqueur, lime juice and hibiscus syrup. Wines are also served that are Californian, Lebanese, French and Israeli along with beer from Greece and Lebanon.

“I still call my mom with questions about recipes. She can cook everything,” says Choumali.

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Home Builders Are Confident in 2023

 CNN reported that January has seen an improvement in home builder confidence. In fact, it was the first uptick since it has been falling for the past year.

Construction prospects are improving and this is good news for homebuyers in the housing market. For the past several years potential buyers have been facing a battle due to low inventory. According to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, the current sales, buyer traffic, and the conditions for the sale of new construction homes are improving.

Even with spikes in construction costs, shortage in building materials, and harsh affordability conditions, builders are starting to look up. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which * is meant to gauge market conditions reported that builders’ confidence went up from December to January. December reported the lowest since 2012.

“It appears the low point for builder sentiment in this cycle was registered in December, even as many builders continue to use a variety of incentives, including price reductions, to bolster sales,” Konter said. “The rise in builder sentiment also means that cycle lows for permits and starts are likely near, and a rebound for home building could be underway later in 2023.”

“In the coming quarters, single-family home building will rise off of cycle lows as mortgage rates are expected to trend lower and boost housing affordability,” he said. “Improved housing affordability will increase housing demand, as the nation grapples with a structural housing deficit of 1.5 million units.”

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The Future Looks Bright for Camellia Bay, a New Casino Project Planned for St. Tammany

 

P2E, also known as Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, has developed a plan to build a $329 million casino resort called Camellia Bay in St. Tammany on the vacant land close to Interstate 10 twin spans. Developers have been working on the proposal for months now and are ready for the vote by St. Tammany voters this December.

The project can have a great impact on St. Tammany's economy. The casino would bring tourists to the area and draw them to other events and attractions that are helped along the Lake Pontchartrain waterfront in Slidell. Many locals are worried that the project could also have negative impacts on their community.

Some St. Tammany Community residents are concerned that the casino would bring crime and decline to property values. This is not necessarily the case according to the Convergence Strategy Group.

"Through the research we see moderately positive impacts from similar developments across the country all the way down to just no impact, but we have not been able to uncover the negative impacts that many communities have feared," said Suzanne Leckert, an author of the study.

CSG is a research firm that is based out of New Orleans. They have over 40 years of experience in studying the leisure and gaming industry. According to their study, they found that a casino in the Slidell area would likely have a "moderately positive to negligible impact on surrounding businesses."

The study included an intense look into the proposed development's impact on the community. This includes a range of impacts from small businesses and tourism to crime and marriage or divorce rates. They looked at data that has been collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census, municipal governments and interviews with local leaders.

Property values will not drop according to the study. CSG cited that after MGM Springfield opened in Springfield, Massachusetts property values saw a 21.4% increase compared to the smaller growth increase of 2.3% - 14.3% in surrounding areas. Another casino close to home in Baton Rouge, L’Auberge Casino, saw a higher property value increase close to the casino.

"The community impact study provides an abundance of data and information for St. Tammany residents to take into consideration to help them make an informed decision about this project," Masingill said. "This project ... has really been reviewed, has been scrutinized from every single angle. We know that there's a significant campaign of misinformation and distortions and, look, we want people to have all of the information."

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The Northshore, the River Parishes and Jefferson Parish Will Now Be Connected Through Cultural Tours

The New Orleans area has a vast amount of great historical and cultural tours that both visitors and residents can enjoy. The St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission, the River Parishes Tourist Commission and Jefferson CVB have come together to offer a unique tour that will begin on the Northshore, going to River Parishes and ending in Jefferson Parish. The tour will highlight the Native, Creole and African American people, heritage, culture and way of life in the triparish region and will be updated on a daily basis to cover different parts of history and culture.

The tour will start at the Northshore where patrons will visit places such as the Bayou Lacombe Museum highlighting the history of natives and a Three Sisters and Medicine Wheel Garden and the Fontainebleau State Park where 153 enslaved people who worked at Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville's sugar plantation have a historical marker. Other stops along the way will be at the Madisonville Historic Museum, Jean Baptiste Lang Creole House, the Dew Drop Jazz and Benevolent Hall, and the nine Native and African American markers on the Historic Mandeville Marker Tour.

The next stop will be in the Louisiana River Parishes. Patrons will tour Whitney Plantation and learn about the cruel labor slaves went through on sugar plantations. There is also a memorial to the 1811 Slave Revolt that is located at the plantation. The Destrehan Plantation will also be toured where an exhibit is housed honoring the 1811 Slave Revolt procession and the Rost Home Colony. On a lighter note, the tour will also go to the 1811 Kid Ory History House and the Historic Riverlands Soul River Musical Journey where life after slavery is represented.

The tour will end in Jefferson Parish where patrons will visit the Marsalis Mansion Motel Marker, Camp Parapet and learn about this safe haven for slaves that were housed here during the Civil War's Union's occupation. Local gospel artist Mahalia Jackson’s gravesite is also located onsite. Other destinations on the tour will include True Vine Baptist Church, the oldest and longest-running African American Church on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish and famous pirate Jean Lafitte's smuggling route which is now the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

The tour is a five-day tour and can be customized. The tour is ideal for groups of around 10 - 25 but can have up to 50 people. Martha Martinez of YAYA Louisiana Tours and Travel is a certified tour guide and will accompany and lead groups if desired.

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