In South Louisiana, food is more than just sustenance. It is a way to bring friends and family together and it connects us to our history and our culture. Few places are more tied to these culinary roots than Louisiana's River Parishes, which stretch along the levees of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Here the many cultures and diverse people who call the area home–Cajun, Creole, German, French, Spanish, African, and Native American–have mingled to produce a rich tradition of harvesting the largesse that Louisiana provides all year long.