New Orleans!

by Giada De Laurentiis

  Alfie and Emilia followed Nanette and Teddy into the café, where they ordered four servings. They were given a small paper plate piled with several fried beignets and topped with an avalanche of powdered sugar. They walked back out to the sidewalk and sat at a table outside. Just then, a big brass band led a parade of people down the center of the street. Alfie smiled as he watched the passing crowd dance and sing.

  Alfie picked up a warm beignet and bit into a corner. He thought about the zeppole Zia had made that transported them to Naples. Even though both were made with fried dough and sugar, they were totally different. The beignet was much fluffier and not so dense. And the powdered sugar was a different kind of sweet than the mix of cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg on the zeppole.

  “It might just be fried dough,” Teddy said. “But I could eat them every day.”

  “And really, who doesn’t love fried dough?” Nanette said.

  “With sugar on top!” Alfie added, taking another bite and getting powdered sugar all over his clothes and even on his hat. He didn’t know which he liked better—zeppole or beignets. And he hoped he never had to choose!

  A white sign with red lettering hung from the side of a brick building: JULIANNE’S HANDMADE CANDY SINCE 1913.

  The kids stepped inside the small store. The white marble countertops were covered in glass and displayed a dizzying array of handmade candy. Alfie enjoyed the cool, air-conditioned space and took in the scene. There was an entire case of truffles with fillings like butterscotch, peanut butter, and banana. And there were just as many different kinds of pralines: chocolate, maple, coconut, Creole, and traditional. Alfie had never had a praline before, and even though he’d just eaten a mountain of powdered sugar, he was eager to try one.

  Emilia had already glued herself to the glass in front of the truffles. “Wow,” she said.

  “Hi there, kids.” A woman a little older than their parents came out from the back of the store. Alfie could see through the open doorway that all the candy was made right there. “Looking for something special or just a quick treat?”

  “Something special, for sure,” Teddy said, carefully pulling out the photograph. “Are you Julianne?”

  The woman laughed. “Goodness, no,” she said. “I’m Clarice, Julianne’s great-granddaughter. Julianne passed away ages ago.”

  “Wow! Her great-granddaughter!” Emilia exclaimed.

  Teddy put the photograph on the counter in front of Clarice. “Well, we were hoping someone could tell us who the woman in this picture is—next to our grandmother, Minnie La Salle?”

  “Minnie La Salle? Well, why didn’t you say so! And you’re her grandkids?” She looked from Teddy and Nanette to Alfie and Emilia. “I think maybe two are and two aren’t,” she said, smiling. She picked up the photograph. “Oh, sweet Minnie. We all miss her so much. And here she is with Delphine. I haven’t seen Delphine in ages.”

  “Delphine?” Nanette said.

  “Minnie and Delphine used to come in together all the time, especially when they were first learning to cook. They’d drop off a crawfish potpie or jambalaya for my mama to taste, along with the pralines Minnie used to sell us. They said we were their guinea pigs for all the new dishes they were learning!”

  Alfie watched Teddy and Nanette’s faces light up. Even he enjoyed hearing this new information about Mama Minnie.

  “So Mama Minnie and Delphine learned to cook together?” Teddy asked.

  “That’s right,” Clarice said.

  “Who taught them?” Nanette asked.

  Clarice glanced at the ceiling. “Hmmm. I can’t remember her name. She’s long since passed, but she was a very interesting woman. Everybody said she used magic in her cooking and that’s what made it so great.”

  Alfie and Emilia exchanged a quick smile. They knew a little something about magic.

  “Do you know anything about the book Mama Minnie is holding?” Alfie asked, pointing to the picture.

  Clarice put on her glasses and looked again. She shook her head. “I don’t think I ever saw Minnie or Delphine with a recipe book. They seemed to have all that knowledge in their heads.”

  Teddy nodded slowly, looking disappointed.

  “Do you know where Delphine is?” Emilia asked. “Teddy and Nanette would love to talk to her about their grandma.”

  “I haven’t seen Delphine in quite a while.” Clarice frowned. “She used to be in the city a lot, doing catering gigs for her longtime clients. She just loved being in the kitchen—maybe even more than Minnie. But as far as I know, she hasn’t done any catering in months. Not sure why . . .”

  Alfie felt defeated. They were so close to finding answers!

  “Oh well,” Nanette said, her eyes downcast. “We tried.”

  “I guess,” Teddy mumbled, turning toward the door.

  “Seriously, guys? That’s it? You’re giving up?” Emilia said.

  “It’s called a dead end,” Alfie said. “What else can we do?”

  “Keep trying,” Emilia said. “Keep thinking.” She thought for a moment. “Hey, I know! Ms. Clarice, do you happen to know any of the people Delphine used to do catering for? Maybe they know where she is.”

  Alfie had to admit, his sister was not only persistent but also smart.

  “Well, now, let me think,” Clarice said. “It’s been so long. I haven’t seen Delphine since before your grandma Minnie’s service—which was lovely, by the way. The songs you and your family performed in her honor were just breathtaking.”

  “Thank you,” Nanette said.

  “But maybe . . . ,” Clarice continued. “You know, I do remember Delphine mentioning a party she did once for the Lind family over in the Garden District. I remember because Delphine joked that Mrs. Lind was hopeless in the kitchen before she met Delphine. It might be worth a try, checking in with them.”

  “Awesome!” Emilia cheered. “I knew it wasn’t over!”

  “Okay, you were right,” Alfie said, thrilled to have another clue to follow. “Do you know where in the Garden District the Linds live, exactly?”

  “Can’t help you there,” Clarice said. “But it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. They’re one of the oldest families in the city. Hardly a month goes by without them having a party or charity event at their home. Just ask around, you’ll find it.”

  “Thank you so much, Ms. Clarice,” Nanette said.

  “Yeah, you’ve been a lifesaver,” Teddy agreed.

  “My pleasure,” she said. “Anything for Minnie’s grandkids. In fact, why don’t you all pick something out to take with you—my treat.”

  Everyone was more than happy to sample the candy despite the beignets, grits, eggs, and sausage they’d already had that day. After all, investigating was hard work!

  They all chose something different in order to share bites. Teddy went for the classic praline, while Nanette said there was nothing better than the Creole version with its extra sugar and butter. Alfie chose a Mississippi Mud, which was a large square of dark chocolate with caramel, pecans, and more chocolate. Emilia grabbed a milk-chocolate turtle. Clarice gave her two, “because they’re so small,” she said.

  Everyone thanked Clarice for her help.

  “You come back anytime!” she said. “And when you find Delphine, be sure to tell her she better come see me.”

  The gang walked back out into the strong afternoon sun. The day definitely was getting hotter, but Alfie was eager to keep going. “Let’s go find this Lind house!” he said.

  “I think we better go home and check in first,” Nanette said. “It’s getting late, and we have to play tonight, after all.”

  “Yeah, let’s go home and look up the Lind house online. Then we can go grab po’boys for dinner before we head to the club,” Teddy said.

  “Who are they?” Emilia asked.

  “Who?” Teddy said. �
�You mean what.”

  “You mean to tell us you haven’t had a po’boy, either?” Nanette said, her hand on her hip.

  Alfie and Emilia looked guiltily at Teddy and Nanette. “Guess not,” said Alfie.

  “You better call that aunt of yours,” Nanette said. “Because you’re eating dinner with us tonight.”

  “Yeah!” Teddy added. “Might as well see if you can stay another night. That way we can go find the Lind house first thing in the morning.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Alfie. More food and more adventure was just what he was hoping for.

  Alfie, Emilia, Teddy, and Nanette gathered around the La Salles’ computer and searched for the Lind home in the Garden District. There were tons of mentions of the Lind family and all the parties and fund-raisers they threw, but no address. Finally, when it started to get late, and Teddy said he was getting hungry, Alfie spotted the name of the street the Linds lived on in an old Southern Living magazine article.

  “Well, we still don’t have the address, but it’s something,” Teddy said, closing the Internet browser. “We’ll just have to go to Chestnut Street tomorrow and ask around.”

  “Sounds like it’s more of a mansion than a house,” Alfie added. “That shouldn’t be too hard to find!”

  Virgil peeked his head around the corner. “You grabbing dinner soon, Teddy? We’re starving!”

  “Yep!” Teddy jumped up. “We’re getting po’boys from Jack’s.”

  “Good choice.” Virgil smiled. “Are you two staying for dinner?”

  Teddy intercepted. “Yes, and they want to stay the night again, too. We’ve got more work to do on this photograph.”

  “I want to hear all about what you found out today when you get back from Jack’s,” Virgil said. “But in the meantime, Alfie and Emilia need to call their aunt. I want to make sure she’s okay with them being gone so long.”

  “No problem!” Alfie said quickly. “Ready, Teddy?”

  “Let’s go.”

  Alfie and Teddy crossed Elysian Fields and walked over to the block past Washington Square Park to Jack’s Po’boys. Alfie was still trying to figure out how to dodge Virgil’s questions about their aunt. Once inside the tiny sandwich shop, Alfie stared at the menu board. “I have no idea what to order,” he told Teddy.

  “How ’bout I just order a bunch with fried shrimp and some with fried oysters? Sound good?”

  “Perfect!” Alfie said, looking around the shop. There was a pay phone by the restroom, which gave him an idea. “While you order, I’m just going to give my aunt a call.” He motioned over to the phone.

  “Okay,” Teddy said, distracted by placing their order.

  Alfie went over to the corner and made sure Teddy wasn’t watching. He stood by the phone for a couple of minutes, and then rejoined Teddy at the edge of the counter.

  “All set,” he said. “She’s working late again, so she’s happy we’re staying.”

  “Great!” Teddy said.

  When they got back to the La Salle house, they spread out the po’boys on the table. Each one was made on a French bread roll with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise, and Crystal Hot Sauce. Alfie tried one with fried shrimp while Emilia tried the fried oysters.

  “I haven’t been hungry once since I met you guys,” Alfie said, taking a bite of his sandwich. The shrimp were perfectly fried, but not greasy, and the bread was fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The hot sauce wasn’t too spicy and added a bit of a vinegary aftertaste. Alfie loved it.

  “That’s how we like it here,” Rex said. “If your stomach starts to grumble, we’ve done something wrong.”

  “So tell us how it went at Mr. Picard’s today,” Jules said.

  Teddy told his brothers about going from Mr. Picard’s grocery to Julianne’s Candy, and the great things Mr. Picard and Clarice had said about Mama Minnie.

  “And then Clarice said that Delphine used to cook for the Linds over in the Garden District,” Teddy said, finishing up the story. “So we want to head over there tomorrow and see if we can find out how to get in touch with her.”

  “I’m impressed,” said Jules. “Y’all got a lot of good info today. It’s been a long time, but now I think I can remember Mama Minnie cooking with somebody else when we were small. That must have been Delphine. Don’t you think, Virg?”

  “Huh?” Virgil looked up from his sandwich. Alfie thought he seemed really distracted, like he hadn’t actually been listening to any of Teddy’s story. He took in all their faces. “Sorry,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?” Nanette asked.

  Virgil sighed and pushed the rest of his sandwich away. “I just got a call from Mrs. Ellsworth. The catering company she hired for the masquerade ball had a kitchen fire this afternoon. They can’t cater the ball. And Mrs. Ellsworth can’t find another caterer on such short notice, so she has to cancel the whole thing.”

  “What?” Jules cried. “They can’t cancel it! We need that gig.”

  “What’s going on?” Alfie asked.

  “Every year at the end of Jazz Fest the Ellsworths have a big masquerade ball. Mama Minnie used to cater it, and we’ve always played music at the ball. They found a new caterer after Mama Minnie died, but kept us on as the musicians,” Teddy explained.

  “We were counting on that money to pay Charlie what we owe him,” Virgil added. “Now we’re definitely going to be short.”

  Everybody sat in silence for a while, no longer hungry.

  Finally Emilia spoke up. “Now we have to find the Lind house and talk to Delphine!”

  “Why?” Jules asked.

  “What if there really is a recipe book?” Emilia said.

  “What good is that going to do us now?” Virgil asked. “And I really doubt that it would be Minnie’s book, anyway. She was always so adamant about never writing down any recipes.”

  “I still think it’s worth a shot,” Emilia said. “Maybe there’s no recipe book. But maybe there is, and that’s pretty big, don’t you think? To have all your grandmother’s recipes when you thought you had none? That’s huge.”

  “She’s right,” said Rex. “It’s Mama Minnie’s legacy, which means it’s our legacy, too.”

  “Maybe Gus and the other cooks could learn her recipes in time for next year’s masquerade ball. Then you could do the music and the food!” Alfie said. “Not to mention, you could use her recipes at La Salle Royale to bring customers back!”

  “And even if there’s no book, maybe Delphine can tell us stories about her,” Nanette said.

  “Or teach us to cook,” Rex added.

  “Okay.” Virgil held up his hands in surrender. “Go to the Lind house tomorrow and see what you can find. Now we better focus on tonight. It’s time to get ready to go.”

  Everybody scrambled up from the table to get dressed for La Salle Royale. Virgil turned around in the doorway. “Oh, Alfie and Emilia, let’s call your aunt real quick.”

  Alfie’s face got warm. “I already did. When Teddy and I went out to get the po’boys. Right, Teddy?”

  “Huh?” Teddy said. “Oh, yeah, there was a pay phone at Jack’s.”

  Virgil sighed. “I’d feel a lot better if I actually talked to your aunt.”

  “She was on her way to work.” Alfie shrugged. “She wanted me to thank you for letting us stay again. She said she really appreciates it and knows we’re in good hands.”

  “All right,” Virgil conceded. “But if you’re planning on staying past tomorrow, I’m gonna need to talk to her myself.”

  Alfie nodded, remembering their time in Paris. There was only so long you could keep the adults from asking too many questions.

  The next morning, the four detectives set out to find the Lind mansion in the Garden District. They boarded the St. Charles Avenue streetcar and sat on glossy wooden seats beneath
exposed lightbulbs on the ceiling. The trees along the streetcar line were dotted with Mardi Gras beads. The green, pink, and purple beads looked like they’d been hanging there for months or even years—the colors were faded by the sun. The city was lively enough during Jazz Fest—Alfie couldn’t imagine what it must be like during Mardi Gras!

  They hopped off at Jackson Avenue and walked a few blocks toward Chestnut Street. Alfie picked up two sticks from the ground and started tapping them along the fences as they walked.

  “Hey, that sounds like a jazz rhythm!” Teddy said.

  Alfie beamed. “Really? I just started learning to play the drums back home. I’d love to learn some jazz songs.”

  “Too bad Dad’s gone this weekend,” Nanette said. “He’s a great teacher.”

  Just then, a woman rushed past them on the sidewalk, eyes on her phone. Nanette stopped and said, “Excuse me. Do you know where the Lind house is?”

  “Sorry, I don’t,” she responded quickly and kept walking.

  When they reached Chestnut, Alfie spotted a man across the street walking his dog. “Sir?” he called out. The dog wagged his tail as Alfie approached. “Do you happen to know the Lind house?”

  “Sure!” the man said cheerfully. “It’s a big white house on the corner of Third, just a few blocks up. Can’t miss it.”

  The man’s dog licked Alfie’s hand. He bent down to give the dog a quick scratch under the chin. Then the dog grabbed one of Alfie’s sticks and started playing tug-of-war. Alfie laughed as the dog growled playfully. “Okay, you win!” Alfie finally said, letting go of the stick. “Thanks for your help,” he told the man.

  Alfie dropped the other stick and rejoined the detective team with a proud look on his face. “It’s just a couple of blocks this way, on Third.”

  “Good work!” said Teddy.

  They passed First and Second Streets, quickly reaching the corner of Third. A huge two-story, white columned house sat on a rich green lawn with a big weeping willow shading part of the upstairs balcony. There was a wrought iron fence, made to look like a row of cornstalks, ringing the property. A van was parked in front of the house, and a woman was carrying some folding chairs from the house to the van.