Maple Street Starbucks workers hold one-day strike over stalled negotiations

Workers at the Maple Street Starbucks took to the picket line last week for a one-day strike over stalled contract negotiations. When the Maple Street shop unionized in early June, it was part of a meteoric increase in unionized Starbucks across the U.S. After the first store unionized in Buffalo, New York, less than two years ago, 287 stores have successfully held union elections, while another 91 have held elections where the union did not garner enough votes to win. 

The striking Maple Street workers said Starbucks has refused to bargain with the union to establish a contract, which is why they decided to go on the one-day strike. They also said they want full staffing at the coffee shop. 

“We want to be met at the bargaining table and we want Starbucks to stop cutting labor,” one striker said. “We don’t have enough staff to keep up with growing demand at the store.”

As the workers and supporters gathered for the picket line on the sultry Wednesday morning (March 22), cars driving by honked their support. One friend of the organizers passed out bottled water and cups of vegetable soup. 

Rowan Bienes-Allen, sat by the storefront door with a laptop and a sign saying “Ask me about the strike.” So I did. As we spoke, she was asked to move by a manager wearing a Black history month shirt.

Colombian pop-up Waska mixes innovation with tradition

New Orleans’ culinary scene isn’t necessarily known for its Colombian food, but one local chef is working to change that. Jose Chris Blanco owns Waska, a Colombian-inspired pop-up that’s been making the rounds of local breweries. Blanco was born in Colombia and grew up in Miami; he considers Waska a tribute to his culture. He’s been cooking for about 13 years and started Waska in 2021, after moving to New Orleans. 

At Waska, Blanco experiments with different flavors inspired by Colombian dishes, but not what Blanco would call “your grandmother’s cooking.” “I play around with a lot of the same ingredients, but I use them differently,” Blanco said.

Propeller and Thrive Host Water Challenge March 30th (sponsored)

Companies pitch solutions to New Orleans pressing water issues! Environmentally-minded entrepreneurs will present their water companies to a panelist of water industry leaders and pitch their solutions to the most pressing water-related issues facing our community from 2:00pm – 3:30pm, March 30, 2023 at the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week at Gallier Hall, 545 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA. RSVP at https://www.noew.org/rsvp-water-challenge to attend the event. “These are existential issues, and New Orleans and Louisiana’s future depends on solving them,” says Andrea Chen, CEO and Co-Founder of Propeller.

Current Crop Roasting Shop lets coffee lovers roast their own

Coffee connoisseurs who want take their home brews a step further may find what they need at Current Crop Roasting Shop. The new Magazine Street retailer is not your typical coffee shop; it is designed to be a DIY a coffee roasting hub. Current Crop will celebrate its official grand opening at 3931 Magazine Street on Wednesday (March 1) at 3 p.m.

Current Crop offers products and experiences to help customers learn more about the art and science of home coffee roasting. As the trend of specialty coffee continues to grow, so too does the number of people interested in exploring the world of roasting their own coffee beans.  

Founder John Puckett said they want to contribute to the historic and already rich coffee culture of New Orleans. “We want to bring the love of home roasting to all those who appreciate a good cup of coffee,” he said. 

The store has coffee specialists on staff to guide and advise customers, as well as classes and educational resources.

The Tell Me Bar in the Lower Garden District lets the wine ‘be what it’s meant to be’

The Lower Garden District has a new social spot that features natural wine by local experts. Uznea Bauer, Cory Cartwright, and Tyler Robinson opened The Tell Me Bar on St. Thomas Street near the Pontchartrain Expressway in December 2022. 

It specializes in natural wine, which Bauer described it as wine created with as little intervention as possible. “You’re working as ‘hands-off’ as possible in the vineyard. You’re not using chemicals, pesticides or insecticides other than herbal applications and copper — more natural things with no chemicals,” she said.

Moon Garden opens Friday on Magazine Street, offering bubble tea and more

Moon Garden, one of the first dedicated boba tea spots in New Orleans, is opening Friday (Feb. 17) for tea and snacks on Magazine Street in the Irish Channel. The building was formerly the home of Alkemy Salon, which closed last year. Owner Raymond Curry completely renovated the Magazine Street building — the former Alkemy Salon, which closed last year — to fit his purposes, adding a kitchen and a bar and freshening up the space. Moon Garden is planning its soft opening for Friday (Feb.

Move over, po’boys, Francolini’s Deli brings the Italian sandwich to New Orleans

Tara Francolini was prompted to open Francolini’s Italian Deli when she started missing the sandwiches of her New Jersey youth. The Italian sandwich shop pops up every Tuesday at The Rabbit’s Foot on Prytania Street and will soon open a brick-and-mortar on at Tchoupitoulas. Francolini was born and raised in New Jersey and, after attending school in Boston, she moved overseas and lived in Australia and New Zealand. During her travels abroad, she began missing the Italian sandwiches she grew up on. When she returned to Massachusetts, she realized how unique Italian sandwiches are to the New Jersey area.

Smoked meat and ceviche? It makes sense at Los Crudos Seafood & BBQ

While New Orleans isn’t necessarily known as a barbecue town, Chef Mike Shaffer is hoping to help change that. Shaffer brings his own style to the New Orleans barbecue scene with Los Crudos Seafood & BBQ,  a pop-up that frequents local bars and breweries. 

Shaffer is from Southern California and spent six years working in Chicago restaurants. When the Chicago winters got too cold, he relocated to New Orleans and worked at Lilette and Marjie’s Grill before striking out on his own. With Los Crudos, Shaffer brings the Mexican influences of Southern California to his menu, serving a different kind of barbecue. “I picked up some influences from just from eating at friends’ houses and their parents cooking for me,” he said.

The Marsh hotel in Milan area invites neighbors to enjoy coffee, cocktails

A new boutique hotel, The Marsh, in the Milan neighborhood promises to be a destination for locals and visitors alike. The Marsh is located in the space on Delachaise and Dryades Street that housed the Gladstone Hotel and Restaurant. In 2020, the building was purchased by local developer Matt Rosendahl and completely renovated. 

 Rosendahl went to work adding new windows and refurnishing the space as a combination hotel and lounge. Special touches such as repurposed wood salvaged after Hurricane Ida add a cozy feel that lets you know that you’re staying at a hotel that’s proudly New Orleans. Located a few blocks from St.

Miss Shirley’s on Magazine keeps the spirit of a neighborhood Chinese restaurant

A new Chinese restaurant on Magazine Street has a familiar family at its helm. Miss Shirley’s opened on Dec. 1 in the space that was occupied by Jung’s Golden Dragon II. Jung’s Golden Dragon, which opened in Metairie in 1977 before relocating Uptown in 2010, closed in May when the owner, Jung Tan, retired. Miss Shirley’s is named for co-owner and hostess Shirley Lee.