FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Kelsey Parris
Kelsey@southernfood.org

NEW ORLEANS - October 18, 2016 - In partnership with Ochsner's Eat Fit NOLA Program and the New Orleans Consulate of Mexico, the Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) will host a celebration of El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) on Saturday, October 29 from 11AM-3PM. Adults and children are invited to attend a day of activities and food in celebration of the lives of their departed loved ones.

On El Día de los Muertos, Mexicans remember and pay tribute to their deceased loved ones. Celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd, this holiday is similar to the American celebration of Halloween, with its themes of death and the spirit world. However, unlike the modern-day interpretation of Halloween, El Día de los Muertos is neither morbid nor gloomy. It is a festive remembrance of those who have departed.

The museum will be transformed into an interactive Mexican market. Participants will learn about Latin American traditions associated with the holiday while listening to lively Mariachi music and everyone will have the opportunity to decorate their own sparkling sugar skulls to take home. The Mexican Consulate will provide coloring books for children, and there will be stations for cutting out Papel de Picados (paper lace decorations), as well as constructing of colorful papier mache masks..

In the museum's beautiful, spacious test kitchen guests will enjoy a taste of the culture. Demonstrations and tastings will show how to prepare traditional treats and snacks associated with the holiday. For adults only, there will be a tequila tasting and Chef Greg Reggio of The Taste Bud and Mizado Cocina will prepare and share a Black Widow cocktail (Maestro Dobel Reposado tequila, Malbec, triple sec, orange and lime juice with black cherry puree) in a commemorative glass rimmed with black salt. All ages will enjoy demonstrations and samplings of calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin), champurrado (chocolate atole - a drink similar to hot chocolate), and pumpkin tamales.

Throughout the day the Día de los Muertos alter, found in the Texas exhibit, will be updated. New items will be incorporated into the exhibit and there will be discussions of the significance of the alter in Latin American culture. Bring something to share...the artifact you contribute could become a permanent part of the museum's collection!

Participation in this event is free with museum admission ($10.50 for adults, $5.25 for children over three years of age, $5.25 for seniors over 60). Museum members receive free admission at all times.

For further information, please visit http://natfab.org/events/celebrate-the-day-of-the-dead-at-sofab

The Southern Food & Beverage Museum is a nonprofit living history organization dedicated to the discovery, understanding, and celebration of the food, drink and the related culture of the South. While based in New Orleans, the Museum examines and celebrates all the cultures that have come together through the centuries to create the South's unique culinary heritage. SoFAB also hosts special exhibits, demonstrations, lectures and tastings that showcase the food and drink of the South.

Registered dietitians with Ochsner Fitness Center, have collaborated with local restaurants to create Eat Fit NOLA, a partnership that highlights the better-for-you items right on the menu, making it effortless for anyone to eat nutritiously, anywhere in the city.

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