The 2025 Essence Festival Put New Orlean’s Rich Food Scene On Display

Getty Image/Merle Cooper / Essence Festival Of Culture

New Orleans is famous for many things, but its food ranks high on that list. The local cuisine is frequently cited as a key reason for the city’s thriving tourism, boasting some of the most iconic regional dishes in American culinary culture. If you’re heading to NOLA, you can’t miss the gumbo, jambalaya, po boys, and beignets. With a Creole grandmother, it’s the food I crave the most that I find hardest to come by here in LA.

However, during my visit to The Big Easy for the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, I stumbled upon at least one unexpected addition to the typical New Orleans menu after taking a chance on a suggestion from — where else? — TikTok. It served as a reminder that sometimes, the real magic lies off the beaten path, away from the obligatory tourist spots, and embracing the local perspective of any so-called destination city.

But first, I needed to sample the offerings at the Essence Festival itself. After all, the Festival was the primary reason for my trip, and there’s no better way to explore the vast array of New Orleans’ local food scene than by visiting the food court on the convention floor, where more than a dozen local vendors had gathered to showcase various interpretations of the Creole and Cajun dishes that form the backbone of the city’s culinary identity.

Aaron Williams

Selecting from the tempting array of catfish, fried chicken, sausages, and sweet treats turned out to be quite a challenge. After all, one has only so much room in their stomach, and since seafood dominated the menu, very little of any dish would have survived the heat and humidity of the 30-minute trek back to my hotel (or a night in the mini-fridge, for that matter).

In the end, I opted for a place that offered a little bit of everything. From Finger Lickin’, I enjoyed a combo plate featuring catfish, fried shrimp, and fried chicken for my first lunch, generously topped with yum yum sauce, the sweet and tangy condiment that perfectly complemented the meal.

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