New Orleans offers an amazing list of dishes, and I was lucky enough to try many of them last week at our 15th Annual Travois Indian Country Affordable Housing & Economic Development Conference. I’ll summarize the conference by describing the week’s events as great eats from our time in NOLA.
Our conference starter was Monday night’s Welcome Reception in the beautiful courtyard at the W Hotel. This was like starting off a meal with the perfect gumbo. It warmed everyone up, introduced you to what the week would offer and made everyone smile. We played yard games, enjoyed delicious sushi rolls, pork loin sandwiches, cajun meatballs and more and were greeted by Elizabeth Glynn, chief operating officer of Travois.
On Tuesday morning, we came together at Le Meridien to begin conference sessions. We were welcomed to New Orleans by Maryal Mewherter, tribal councilwoman for the Houma Tribal Nation, and Raymond Clark Jr., a citizen of Houma Nation, who sang and drummed for us. Their welcome was very sweet — very similar to a beignet! — and heartfelt. We appreciated the warm welcome and were so happy to meet representatives from a nearby tribe.
Our 20th Anniversary Superhero Awards luncheon on Tuesday was like wonderful jambalaya — so many ingredients and so much preparation but it turned out perfect! It was so nice to recognize the “superhero” work done by our clients and project partners.
All attendees were given a tote bag, coffee mug, Café Du Monde beignet mix and coffee as a thank you for coming! And 20 lucky attendees won some fun raffle prizes. These were little but surprisingly very nice — like crawfish!
Tuesday and Wednesday were full of informative sessions. We heard from Travois staff, experienced clients, and knowledgeable industry partners. These long days of learning kind of remind me of shrimp and grits — very filling but an absolute must!
A po’boy is a staple in New Orleans, just like our sponsors are a staple in helping to provide a wonderful conference every year. Thank you again, sponsors!
Our evenings were filled with great company and many laughs — just lots of fun. Ah, yes, like dessert — creole bread pudding soufflé, pecan pie a la mode, bananas foster and strawberry shortcake!
We can’t wait to do it again in 2016! We’ll be seeing you in Nashville on April 4-6, 2016!
View photos of all of these events below in our gallery and check out our Facebook page for more!
Did you attend our conference? What was your favorite part, meal or activity?
