New Orleans

Ben travels "South of the South" to the urban center of Louisiana -- New Orleans. What's more, he does so when the city's pulse is at its quickest -- Mardi Gras. Whether making gumbo with Leah Chase, the "Queen of Creole Cuisine," shucking oysters near the Hayne Boulevard levee or blackening Gulf fish with the Big Easy's most beloved jester, Jacques Leonardi, Ben explores the city's 400-year-old mishmash of culinary traditions with gusto.