Given its rich culinary history, it's no surprise that New Orleans is the home of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFAB), an institution dedicated to the food and drink of the South.
Five years after its opening, the museum is in the process of expanding and relocating, a decision that Kelly Schultz, vice president of communications for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, believes will offer tourists and residents a richer way to experience the city's culture.
That expanded experience will include multiple opportunities to taste Southern foods or do some cooking.
"No matter whom we are marketing to — the convention planner, the leisure traveler — the food is the common thing they experience when they come to New Orleans, and they absolutely love it," Schultz said. "Having this monument is very appropriate, and the plans to expand are going to make it even better."
The museum, formerly at the Riverwalk near the French Quarter, will move to a 30,000-square-foot building at 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. in the Central City area. The relocation is set for completion by this fall.
Liz Williams, museum director, said, "We were outgrowing the [previous] space, and it made perfect sense. Now, the [new] neighborhood is right in the middle of the city, and we have some wonderful old buildings that are attracting people's attention because [the buildings] are lovely."
On weekdays, museum-goers are 70% tourists and 30% locals, while those numbers are reversed on the weekends, Williams said.
New attractions in the relocated museum will include a Culinary Innovation Center, a demonstration kitchen that will also offer cooking classes; a children's gallery; extensive exhibits on every Southern state; an updated "SoFAB pantry"; and a new restaurant, called Purloo.
"It's classic French with a Southern twist," said Ryan Hughes, Purloo's executive chef. "The menu is going to be Southern regional favorites, all with French twists. It's the next really hot, hot cuisine."
Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to taste Southern finger foods as they browse the exhibits, Hughes said.
"We feel that you can't be a food museum without being able to [offer samples]," Williams said. "If visitors are coming to New Orleans because they like to eat, they'll be learning a lot about the food. There are so many things about food that connects us, [the museum] is an important place people can go to just to learn about themselves."
Visit www.southernfood.org.