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Unique Gardening/Cooking SchoolSlidell Business a Tasty Side Trip from New OrleansPlan a trip to Passionate Platter in Slidell, LA, as a tasty side trip for a tour of the GulfSouth or New Orleans.
Linda Franzo, owner of the Passionate Platter, refers to her business concept as a “garden-to-table” business. Indeed, people who visit the quaint house nestled in the heart of Olde Towne Slidell will experience a unique blend of garden and kitchen while learning from a woman who is passionate about cooking and gardening. In the Passionate Platter GardenWhen Franzo’s husband gave her the house as a surprise present eight years ago, little grew there but grass. Today the shaded walkways reveal themed gardens, kitchen herbs, vegetables and touches of garden whimsy, such as rusting signs proclaiming “Life is Good”, wax-beaded candelabras hanging from the Concord grape-laced arbor and a tiny glass-housed fairy, soon to be part of a fairy-themed garden for children. Garden tour and luncheon guests are often greeted in the airy, colorful house with champagne hibiscus coolers. Franzo, a LSU Ag Center-trained Master Gardener, takes that opportunity to get to know her guests and pass around a sampling of herbs from the gardens. A garden tour is included in the visit and occurs either before lunch or after, depending on the guests’ preferences, Franzo says. Her goal is to show visitors a variety of ways to garden, including pots and raised beds. For example, the garden includes over 30 potted fig trees, which helps keep them manageable, she says. Lunch includes a cooking demonstration and desert. Guests may also be treated to a herbal or scrub made from items in the garden. Everything that grows around the house has some use, whether it is medicinal, edible or purely to attract butterflies. Teaching and FoodFranzo spent two decades as a speech therapist in the public schools. During those years she discovered that children with speech difficulties learned better while baking bread . . . and she also discovered her own innate talent for teaching cooking. A self-taught cook, she now offers a variety of cooking classes for all ages, caters and opens the Passionate Platter for groups who need entertainment or a place to conduct a business meeting. A Tasty VisitFranzo often arranges lunches and garden tours for groups or families who are coming to New Orleans from the Gulf coast. They can stop with her for lunch, spend some time in the gardens, and be in New Orleans by early evening for dinner. Visitors to New Orleans who would like a side trip will find Passionate Platter is only about 45 minutes drive away on Interstate 10 West or Highway 11 West. A trip to Franzo’s garden can be combined with beading at Meme’s Beads just a block down the street or, on a Saturday morning, with a trip to the Farmer’s Market in Griffith Park. People interested in antiquing will find easy access to Slidell’s Antiques District from Passionate Platter’s front porch. Others might enjoy planning a trip to the swamps with one of the many swamp tours that originate near Slidell. To find out about events at Passionate Platter, visit www.passionateplatter.com. Although Franzo is available by email, she prefers to be contacted by phone: 985-781-HERB Passionate Platter is open by appointment only.
The copyright of the article Unique Gardening/Cooking School in Louisiana Travel is owned by Madeline Vann. Permission to republish Unique Gardening/Cooking School in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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