Vintage Cookbook Mystery series

Cooking the Books: Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron

By Doreen Sheridan

June 22, 2022

Whether she’s writing under her own name or under the nom de plume Maria diRico, I love Ellen Byron’s culinary cozies. With her latest mystery series, she takes us back to her beloved Louisiana with our heroine, the New Orleans-born but Los Angeles-raised Miracle “Ricki” Jones-Diaz. Ricki was abandoned shortly after birth but was swiftly…

The Legendary Women Restauranteurs of New Orleans

By Ellen Byron

June 7, 2022

For decades, patrons of the New Orleans landmark restaurant Commander’s Palace were greeted by the beaming smile of proprietor Ella Brennan. Prompted by her leadership, the quaint Victorian eatery perched on a picturesque corner of the Garden District across the street from a centuries-old cemetery became an award-winning purveyor of Creole haute cuisine.  Ella was…