City Council proposes tightening short-term rental rules amid fight over former Zara’s on Prytania

The New Orleans City Council voted Thursday to begin the process of tightening the laws allowing short-term rentals in commercial property as a result of the long-running dispute over the fate of the former Zara’s grocery on Prytania Street — centered not on the business itself, but on the AirBnB apartments above it.

“I am offering this motion in response to what has been an outpouring of concern about the ease of acquiring a commercial short-term rental license,” said City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell on Thursday. “I believe [the City Planning Commission] should look into this matter, and this is the first step toward that.”

Kristine Froeba: When will New Orleans get to enjoy chef Alon Shaya’s cooking again?

Renowned chef Alon Shaya has distanced himself from the Besh Restaurant Group by launching a new hospitality group, formed only two days after Shaya’s ouster from his namesake restaurant.

Rosh Hashanah 2017 began at sundown on September 20, the first day of the Jewish New Year. It was also the date of the founding of Pomegranate Hospitality, chef Alon Shaya’s new company. The pomegranate is a long time symbol of the Jewish celebration and a symbol of fruitfulness, perhaps in this instance, also new beginnings.

Danae Columbus: Local entrepreneur opens online spice company, “Royal Merchant”

Armed with her Tulane MBA and a love of cooking, 31-year old Barkley Rafferty recently launched an online and direct mail spice business, Royal Merchant Trading Company, which is supplying customers with amazingly fresh, high quality, hard-to-source spices from around the world.

“I started developing this product two years ago out of my frustration,” said Raffferty. “I love to cook. At New Orleans grocery stores I can find great produce, local seafood, and fresh bread. But I could never find the exact spices I was looking for,” Rafferty continued.

This Week at The Broad: The Happiest Place on Earth?

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This is it! The weekend that kicks off what we all lovingly call the holiday season. The two months between Halloween and New Years are filled with candy and family and overeating candy and avoiding family. It’s also the time of the year when the film studios pump out award contenders and their most crowd-pleasing entertainment offerings, and this week we are proud to present one from each of those categories.

Cantrell, Charbonnet meet in two Uptown forums in one day

With less than a month before the New Orleans mayoral race is decided in a runoff election, candidates LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet debated the issues facing the city in two different Uptown settings on Tuesday — first before hundreds of college students at Tulane University, and later with the Alliance for Good Government.

StayLocal presents Shopkeeper Stories: Third Generation Baker Creates Deep-Fried Delectables at Blue Dot Donuts

Before you even open a box of a dozen donuts from Blue Dot Donuts, you can smell the sweet, warm pastries calling. When you finally crack the top open, you can see the intense colors of assorted donuts freshly baked and frosted—these are not your average donuts. Like jelly in a donut, New Orleans culture is injected right into the heart of Blue Dot Donuts. Name: Zach Foster
Store: Blue Dot Donuts
Since: Founded in 2011

What ignited the spark in you to start your business? Well technically, the business had already started when I bought it.