Bacchanal wine: A Brief History

What started as a sleepy little wine shop on the outskirts of New Orleans slowly emerged as an eclectic Bywater watering hole, and then after Katrina became an epic part of the city's recovery as guest chefs from around the city came and cooked for the crowds on Bacchanal Sundays, NOLA's original pop-up. This iconic day became immortalized in HBO's series Treme, and from this day a new business model emerged--a speakeasy that featured great food and music in a backyard party seven nights a week. Unfortunately, Bacchanal did not have the permission or the permits to be an outdoor kitchen and jazz club seven nights a week, and eventually we were raided by the city on a busy Friday night in the Summertime. That raid began an epic year-long struggle to gain the legal rights to our backyard party, and with the help of the people of the Bywater and the support of people around NOLA, we won our day at City Hall.