About Me
Lifelong New Orleanian Laura Guccione holds degrees in anthropology, urban studies, and culinary arts. She combines scholarship with personal experience to uncover the city’s hidden history. She lives in an 1830s Creole cottage just outside the French Quarter. St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans is her first book.
Why I Tell These Stories
I have been fascinated by history for as long as I can remember. As a lifelong New Orleanian, my understanding of the city was shaped not only by books, but by lived experience, from childhood visits to the French Market to decades working behind the bar at places ranging from the elegance of Galatoire’s to the neighborhood character of Molly’s at the Market.
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My creative path also led me to the French Quarter, where my sister and I owned a mask shop for thirteen years. After Hurricane Katrina forced us to close the shop, I returned to school and earned a degree in culinary arts. Although I loved cooking, I soon realized that my deepest curiosity centered on the history behind food, how culture, migration, faith, and community shape the traditions we carry forward.
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That realization brought me to the University of New Orleans, where I earned a master’s degree in urban studies and began researching the often-overlooked Sicilian history of New Orleans. Today, from my 1830s Creole cottage in the Bywater, I combine academic research with a lifetime immersed in the city’s culture to uncover the stories hidden within its most familiar traditions.
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My first book, St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans, will be published by Louisiana State University Press in October 2026.