Louisiana Creole Culture in Acadiana Featured on National Geographic’s “World of Flavor with Big Moe Cason”
Look for Acadiana on the big screen as Louisiana Creole Culture will be front and center on an episode of National Geographic's "World of Flavor with Big Moe Cason."
The new series from National Geographic debuted on July 25th and features Navy veteran and champion pitmaster Big Moe Cason as he "embarks on an epic journey to seek out the most mouthwatering dishes cooked over an open flame."
"World of Flavor with Big Moe Cason" follows the charismatic host in a four-part series where he "explores the connections between American barbecue and cultures around the world."
In the four-part series, Cason dives for fresh conch in the Bahamas, roasts ‘gator in Louisiana, connects with his roots in South Carolina and braves piranha-infested waters in Colombia.
Tune in tonight (Aug 8) and 9 p.m. to see Episode 3: Gumbo, Gator, and Grillin' where Big Moe dives headfirst into Louisiana's Creole culture with a large portion of the episode being filmed in the Acadiana area.
Without giving away any spoilers Big Moe managed to soak up some of our best local creole traditions during his time in Acadiana including a trail ride and a Boucherie complete with a musical performance from the Zydeco Boss Keith Frank and his Soileau Band.
According to the episode description, Big Moe becomes familiar with the flavors of Cajun and Creole, before attempting a regional recipe on his own.
Dustin Cravins with Cravin Boudin/La Louisianne Consulting was able to spend a good part of the week with Big Moe during filming and described the entire experience as an "honor."
Cason hooked up with Cravins through a mutual contact named Bob Carriker who knew Dustin would be the perfect authentic Creole connection that the National Geographic host was looking for after interviewing him for a book he is currently writing.
I asked Dustin if there was anything that Big Moe was fascinated or surprised by and he told me that it "tripped him out" that he's never experienced real Louisiana Creole traditions.
He was really shocked at the depth of the Creole culture. It tripped him out that Creole culture is still so prevalent here and that he hadn’t been exposed to it really before (all he ever really knew was the Cajun piece). He was enthralled with the food, language, music, traditions, and vibe.
This will be the second time this week that our region is featured on national television as a Lafayette woman was featured on American Pickers over the weekend.
Be sure to tune in to "World of Flavor with Big Moe Cason" tonight and if you miss it live, I'm sure you can tap in on the Nat Geo page to watch the episode once it airs.