Tom Fitzmorris is uniquely qualified to write about the food of New Orleans. Born in the Crescent City on Mardi Gras, he'd never left his favorite town for more than three weeks at a time--that is, until Hurricane Katrina struck and Tom and his family were forced to evacuate.

Prior to the disaster, Tom was just putting the finishing touches on his magnum opus: a collection of recipes for the best of New Orleans food gathered and developed over more than 30 years spent reporting eating in the Big Easy. In addition to his weekly restaurant review column, which has been published continuously for 33 years, Tom is best known for his daily 3-hour radio show, "The Food Show," broadcast every afternoon on WSMB.

With New Orleans Food, Tom presents more than 250 great New Orleans recipes designed for the home cook, all steeped in the Creole and Cajun traditions, yet updated to reflect contemporary tastes and ingredients. From small plates (Shrimp Remoulade with Two Sauces) to main courses (Redfish Herbsaint, Root Beer-Glazed Ham) to desserts and drinks (Bananas Foster, Beignets, and Cafe au Lait), these are dishes both elegant and casual, traditional and evolved. Whether you are nostalgic for the taste of New Orleans or simply love good food, New Orleans Food should find a place on your cookbook shelf. Now every Monday, everywhere, can be red-beans-and-rice day.

A portion of the profits from the sale of this book will benefit New Orleans recovery efforts.