“I was born in this city, and y’all better believe that they’d better lay me down in this city, says artist Durand Jones. “I love it that much.”

“I grew up outside of New Orleans. I cut my teeth in this city, ya know, making my way as a musician. But I now live in Texas. So I wanted to come home and hit some of my favorite spots.”

“You know, growing up in Louisiana, you can find some of your best meals in gas stations,” Jones says of one of his newer favorites, Banh Mi Boys. “You see the traditional Bahn Mi, and you see the traditional po’boy...then that fusion...It’s kind of like jazz in a way.

“Venturing onto another New Orleans food favorite, the snowball, Jones finds the southern staple at a porch speakeasy run by a spirited group of burlesque dancers. “Snowballs...a lot of people think they originated in New Orleans. Because it’s so hot here. And nobody does snowballs better than New Orleans.”

“You can taste whenever someone’s really making up something they’re loving; something that matters to them.”

While Jones has a healthy appetite for New Orleans’ cuisine, it’s the music culture that truly whets his palate.

“Whenever I was living in New Orleans, I was just a young gun trying to make it. I left as a boy and I’m coming back to the city as a grown man with a full career in music.”

“Seeing these young cats keeping this alive...it really shows you how important it is for us to carry on the New Orleans tradition – to really carry that flag.”

“Preservation Hall to me is a staple to New Orleans. It’s torch bearing...for the legacy that was created here. It’s so special to me to be within the walls of this place. So much history...so many greats have graced this Hall.”

Jones’ deep love for his home city is evident not only in the sentiment with which he speaks, but also through the music he continues creating today. HEre’s to carrying on New Orleans culture.