If you grew up a Creole in 19th-century New Orleans, you likely enjoyed one of the biggest feasts of the year following Christmas Eve midnight mass. All the stops were pulled out for these multi-course meals, called reveillons, which traditionally featured the finest the family could afford. Such celebrations virtually died out by the middle of the 20th century as kitchen staffs for private homes became a thing of the past for all but a very few. Over the last couple of decades, however, a reveillon revival has taken place in New Orleans, centered in restaurants for the month of December. Continue reading
