NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Last year, NiceRx Health, conduced a study on health and placed the 50 United States in order from the healthiest to the least healthy. Louisiana continues to make the bottom of the lists in terms of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and the like. However, Louisiana is also renowned for its flavor and food. There is a connection between what is deliciously soulful and also what is deliciously unhealthy.
The I-tal Garden Restaurant aims to provide flavorful healthy options in one of the most food forward communities in the country, Treme, New Orleans.
Joseph “Chef Ra” Robinson is co-owner and the executive chef at I-tal Garden and says, “at the time, there was hardly any plant-based and vegan options in New Orleans. My wife Regina and I decided to start our own food business. Louisiana is the second to last state as far as being healthy. However, we are the food capital of the country. I feel like it is my duty to bring a revolutionary healthy spin of our legendary food.”
“Chef Ra,” grew up in New Orleans and knows good food in general. He made the transition into vegan eating many years ago. He met his wife Aisaba in college. Aisaba’s family has roots in New Orleans. She grew up in Oakland, California and remembers experiencing healthier food options in California.
“The root of the African American diet is a biproduct of slavery. We received what white folks wouldn’t eat. That basis of cuisine has become staples in our culture. Most of us live in food deserts. Fast food is cheap and everywhere. A lot of it is systematic,” explains Aisaba Regina Hall Robinson, the co-owner of I-tal Garden.
“One of the dishes that I like is the ‘Ra Pasta.’ It was created and named after me. Our okra file gumbo is very flavorful,” explains Chef Robinson.
“People travel here from other places and say they wish that they had something like this in their city,” explains Aisaba Robinson.
To get a taste of I-tal Garden yourself, click here.
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