A School is Born
When Joe Cahn founded the New Orleans School of Cooking in 1980, the idea was deceptively simple: visitors shouldn’t have to leave New Orleans with only photographs and souvenirs. They should be able to go home and cook New Orleans food for the people they loved.
Getting people through the door wasn’t so simple.
In those early days, Joe walked Bourbon Street in a chef’s coat, passing out flyers and encouraging people to give his new cooking school a try. He recalled sleeping on the floor of the School during its first year, ready to open up if he thought someone outside might want to buy a cookbook. What developed was something different from an ordinary cooking class.
Joe understood that Louisiana food doesn’t make much sense without Louisiana people. Teaching gumbo meant talking about where it came from. Teaching jambalaya meant talking about the cultures that met here. And teaching someone to make a roux usually came with a story, a joke, and a warning not to burn it. Simply put, food and storytelling belonged together.
That philosophy became what we still call the “Fun, Food & Folklore of New Orleans”. The School moved from its original Conti Street location to the newly redeveloped Jax Brewery in 1984. Joe eventually sold the business in 1993, and in 1997 Greg Leighton and a business partner purchased it. They moved the school to its present home on St. Louis Street and began the next chapter of its life.
A Family Takes the Next Shift
For Greg and Suzanne Leighton, what was worth preserving about the New Orleans School of Cooking wasn’t simply a collection of recipes. It was the experience. The Leightons built on the idea that had been there from the beginning: people should leave the school with something they can take home—not just a full stomach, but a little more understanding of New Orleans and the confidence to cook its food themselves.
The School became a family business, and its reach grew. Demonstration classes were joined by hands-on experiences. The Louisiana General Store became a showcase for local products and the School’s own pantry staples. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans tourism, the Leightons expanded the school’s online business, allowing products such as Joe’s Stuff to reach former students and Louisiana-food lovers far beyond the French Quarter. Through all of that change, the purpose remained remarkably simple: Share what we love.
