Dragonfly Café offers breakfast, lunch and transformation in the Irish Channel

A new breakfast and lunch spot is bustling in the Irish Channel. Dragonfly Café opened in November as a partnership with Raphael Academy, a state-licensed school for students with developmental disabilities. 

Thaddaeus Prosper manages the café, and Chef Gregory Thomas runs the kitchen. Tammy Patterson is the café’s master baker. 

Prosper was approached by the executive director of Raphael Village and asked if he would like to help open a café. It was a prospect that he and Patterson had considered for a while. Prosper worked for decades at Emeril’s and NOLA restaurants, and the café is a dream he has had for a long time.

Hollywood leading man Josh Duhamel to reign as Bacchus LIII

 

Actor and director Josh Duhamel will reign as Bacchus LIII on Sunday, Feb. 27, Clark Brennan, captain of the Krewe of Bacchus, announced on Monday (Dec. 20). 

“We at Bacchus are so excited to once again present a first-class parade with the legendary Josh Duhamel, a fabulous king who is already destined to be a crowd favorite,” Brennan said. “After a tough two years, the citizens of New Orleans and our visitors from around the world are ready to celebrate. We are also committed to supporting our local musicians who have been struggling.” 

Duhamel starred in the Netflix original series “Jupiter’s Legacy” and made his directorial debut with “The Buddy Games” which he also co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in.

At Undergrowth Coffee on Magazine, sustainability is always brewing

Undergrowth Coffee is the newest java stop on Magazine Street, taking residence in the former Hey! Café spot near Napoleon Avenue. Owned by Alyssa Johnson and Zack Rescoe, Undergrowth Coffee focuses on sustainability. The owners aim to create a coffee shop that is not only good for Uptown coffee aficionados but good for all of the coffee growers and other businesses that make Undergrowth Coffee what it is. To the owners, the shop’s name represents not only the fertile area where all plants start but the outliers of society.

Traffic advisory: Work set to begin on Magazine Street reconstruction in Audubon Park

From the Mayor’s Office

New Orleans Department of Public Works and Louisiana Department of Transportation contractor Hard Rock Construction will begin construction on Magazine Street in and near Audubon Park next week. On Jan. 4, 2022, crews will begin lane closures on Magazine Street from Leake Avenue to West Drive to begin sewer and water line work on the first phase of the project, on the river side of Magazine. During this phase of work, eastbound traffic will be detoured to St. Charles Avenue via Broadway Street.

Man is beaten to death in Leonidas neighborhood, NOPD says

Anthony Grana, 51, was fatally beaten on Tuesday (Dec. 14) in the Leonidas neighborhood. The New Orleans Police Department learned of his death on Thursday (Dec. 16), according to an NOPD email. It is being investigated as a homicide.

Uptown’s modern Réveillon chefs take on a classic New Orleans feast

New Orleans’ decadent holiday feast, le Réveillon, is traditionally served on both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Now it has expanded to include the entire month of December. The Réveillon tradition descends from the French Catholics of the colonial New Orleans period under France’s rule. There were once two Réveillons: le Réveillon de Noël, enjoyed before sunrise on Christmas Day, and le Réveillon du premier de l’an’s, enjoyed early on New Year’s Day. After Creole families strolled home from Midnight Mass or “la Messe de Minuit” at the St.

Police blotter: Three vehicle thefts reported in Uptown area

Three vehicle thefts were reported in Uptown neighborhoods this week. The first, with four victims, took place in broad daylight in Central City. Three men, ages 48, 43 and 37, and a woman, 32, were in a car in the 2200 block of Terpsichore Street at about 12:30 p.m. when a man opened the driver’s door and demanded everyone get out, implying that he had a gun. The victims complied, and the carjacker fled in the victims’ gray 2021 Toyota Corolla, with Oklahoma license plate NPP 9069. The other carjacking reported on Wednesday was in the University area.