The Hidden Histories Behind New Orleans Traditions
Laura Guccione is a New Orleans cultural historian, author, and storyteller who brings overlooked histories into the light. Through archival research and a lifetime immersed in the city’s hospitality, culinary, and creative communities, she explores how migration, faith, food, masking, and memory shape the traditions New Orleans carries forward.
Coming October 22, 2026
St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans
New Orleans has celebrated St. Joseph’s Day for generations but the story behind the tradition is more complex than many people realize.
In her forthcoming book from Louisiana State University Press, Laura traces the celebration’s unexpected connections to Mi-Carême and reveals how Sicilian immigrants and other New Orleans communities transformed it into an expression of faith, identity, resilience, and pride.
From Lived Experience to the Archives
Laura’s work is rooted in a life spent within New Orleans culture, from childhood visits to the French Market and decades behind some of the city’s most storied bars to owning a French Quarter mask shop and studying culinary arts.
That lived experience eventually led her into the archives, where she discovered that many familiar traditions held stories that had been overlooked, simplified, or forgotten. Today, she combines rigorous scholarship with accessible storytelling to connect the past with the people, places, and practices still shaping New Orleans.
Bring New Orleans History to Your Audience
Laura is available for lectures, author conversations, panel discussions, community programs, and media appearances. Her engaging presentations make cultural history accessible while honoring the complexity of the communities and traditions at the center of it.
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