NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The French Quarter Festival starts tomorrow, and it’s expected to bring crowds of people to the French Quarter.
A big part of these springtime festivals are the food and beverages.
Some food vendors, like Ma Momma’s House of Cornbread, Chicken & Waffles, are getting ready for their very first French Quarter Festival, and their menus surely won’t disappoint.
“[We’ll be serving] our festival-only, full-of-flavor, golden nekkid, Eat Fit, NOLA-approved whole wings,” said Nicole Mackie when answering which food item may be their most popular.
The wings will be presented differently than how they’ve been presented at past Louisiana festivals.
“All of our beverage supplies and packaging on site will be recyclable, and all of our food supplies from food vendors will be compostable,” explained Kenneth Spears, the food and beverage director for French Quarter Festivals, Inc.
Straws will mostly be eliminated. New Orleans Original Daiquiris, Pat O’Brien’s and Tropical Isle will serve their drinks with paper straws.
This initiative was made possible by a grant from the Barataria-Terrebnne National Estuary Program and their partner, the Geauxing Green Program.
The grant provided food vendors a $500 subsidy to help cover the cost for the eco-friendly materials.
“Those items are more expensive, but it’s definitely something that will benefit the entire planet, so I’m happy to be a part of that,” said Mackie. “Ma Momma’s House, again, [couldn’t be] happier.”
With this change, French Quarter Festival organizers are hoping to reduce the festival’s waste footprint by 80%.
“The main decision is that I think we really, really care about the environment and the earth, and we want to see the earth sustain and survive and be good for future generations,” said Spears.
French Quarter Festival takes place April 21-24. For more information, click here.