Satchmo's School Lunch in New Orleans
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Louis Armstrong at the Aquarium in New York 1946, Photographer Bill Gottlieb
Today let’s turn to one of my favorite foodies—Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. Talking about his childhood in New Orleans and his mother, Armstrong writes, “When Mayann was living with stepfather Tom [who] was working at the DeSoto Hotel on Barrone and Perdido Streets. When he came home he brought with him a lot of ‘broken arms’ which were the leftovers from the tables he served. From them Mayann would fix a delicious lunch for me which I took to school when her work kept her away from home all day long. When I undid these wonders in the schoolyard, all the kids would gather around me like hungry wolves. It did not take them long to discover what I had: the best steaks, chops, chicken, eggs, a little of everything that was good.”
