Broad Street Story Project
Interviews

“I don’t want to live off of McDonald’s or Burger King my whole life. It’s unhealthy. I like to see the faces of the customers when they walk out. You can tell if someone enjoyed your cooking and if their belly is full.” – King Sanchez, Student at Liberty’s Kitchen – a unique cafe and food service training program. Photo by Genero Grinds.
The Broad Street Story Project takes a look at the vibrant daily life and culture of Broad Street and its surrounding neighborhoods, which are the repositories of many of New Orleans’ most vibrant traditions. The project has interviewed dozens of Broad Street business owners, residents, and stakeholders. Aditi Mehta handed out disposable cameras to Broad Street business owners and regulars so that they could photograph the most important details in their context. Mehta subsequently interviewed each participant, and eventually used the audio recorded interviews, along with their photos and hers, to create digital stories. The final exhibit featured photos mounted on the wall, and digital stories projected onto a large paint cloth. Read more at the polis blog and see images and video below!
Videos
Aditi Mehta filmed interviews with several Broad Street business owners and neighbors, including folks at F & F Botanica, Liberty’s Kitchen, Kine Black Coffee, The Law Office of David Band, Simply Devine and more. They give their perspectives on their work and the Broad Street corridor. See more below and at MIT’s CoLab Redio.

“It is really a multicultural salon – we service just about everyone and every ethnicity. It’s our home away from home because we are here more than anywhere else. I purchased this building with my husband in 2004, and decided to open the salon because I believe when people look good, they feel good, and that’s what this business is about.” – Janice Meredith, CEO of Simply Divine Salon. Photo by Janice Meredith.

“This is a sports bar for hard hats, for hard working people. This place is more of a clubhouse than a bar because everyone knows each other and they have been coming for the past 40 years. I’ve known some of these guys since I was sixteen. We don’t advertise this place. Word of mouth only.” – Carlos LeBlanc, Owner of Clubhouse. Photo by Carlos LeBlanc.



