We visited New Orleans for a week recently, and had the pleasure to stay with Chef Karen at her B&B. We also took advantage of the opportunity to take two of her cooking classes. The cooking classes: Chef Karen isn't just a great cook, she is an excellent teacher. Her classes are as hands-on as you're willing to make them. Her stated goal is to demonstrate and then step away from the kitchen. Your group of 4-8 students will do all of the prep work and then rotate through the actual cooking of multiple local classics. Chef Karen will guide you through the steps, and explain exactly what you're doing and why. She will describe not only what you are looking for as you cook, but also what you are tasting and smelling for! My wife and I have already prepared an authentic jambalaya since our return home, with the recipe and skills we learned in Chef Karen's kitchen. We felt truly prepared by her teachings. I would unreservedly recommend her classes if you get to New Orleans and can spare one afternoon/evening for an immersive experience. The B&B: A charming home in the Algiers Point neighborhood, just across the river from the French Quarter, Casa Pelican has two bedrooms available for rental. Our room was comfortable and homey, with our own bathroom. The air conditioning was a wonderful counter to the 90+ degree summer heat. Breakfasts were homemade, delicious, and plentiful. The best thing about the place, though, is Karen. She is the warmest and friendliest person, and she opens her home to her guests as if they are friends, not just customers. She is so willing to engage with you in conversation, and she is a fount of information about the area, the culture, and of course the food. We found this situation to be terrific, but I think it wouldn't necessarily be right for everyone. Some small caveats: - As mentioned on their listing, Case Pelican is an older house with a relatively steep and narrow stairway up to the bedrooms. It wasn't a problem at all for us, but if you aren't comfortable getting your bags up a narrow flight of stairs, this might be a problem. - It's not difficult to get from Casa Pelican to the French Quarter, but it is about a ten minute walk to the ferry (a five minute ride) and then a few minutes to get into the SW edge of the FQ. (The ferry runs every 30 minutes until 9:45pm midweek and 11:45 on weekends.) Totally doable, but it means it's not convenient to drop back to the room midday for a rest, or in the evening to shower and change before you head to a nice dinner. It also means you're going to have additional walking on both ends of your day. With that in mind, I have to say that my wife and I feel like now we have a great friend in New Orleans and we...