Po’Boy tells the story of how a humble sandwich became a symbol of New Orleans culture, history, and cuisine. Invented to help feed a crowd of out-of-work individuals in New Orleans’s streetcar industry, the po’boy is a submarine-like sandwich served on French bread, with common fillings that include fried seafood, roast beef and gravy (“debris”), and hot sausage. Rich with historical detail, Po’Boy welcomes readers into the world of the city’s most iconic sandwich.
Burke Bischoff, a lifelong resident of New Orleans’s West Bank, is a journalist and former executive editor at Where Y’at magazine. A graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, he also worked as an associate producer at WYES-TV.
“Perfect subject matter! Ain’t many topics as near and dear to me as sandwiches, and few things soothe my soul like a dressed shrimp or oyster po’boy with some hot sauce and a cold beer on a sunny day in New Orleans!”
~Chef Mason Hereford, coauthor of Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans
“Who knew that so much delicious history could be contained in a single sandwich? Burke Bischoff’s deep dive into New Orleans’s ubiquitous poor boy loaf examines the working man’s sandwich from all angles: the history, the ingredients, and that most vital element, the poor boy bread. Any lover of New Orleans food will find much delight between these pages.”
~Poppy Tooker, author of Louisiana Eats! The People, the Food, and Their Stories
“With this book we discover that each bite of the beloved New Orleans sandwich is a bite of local history.”
~Peggy Scott Laborde, coauthor of Lost Restaurants of New Orleans
“As a fan of culinary history, I recommend Burke Bischoff’s book in which he describes, in detail, New Orleans’s legendary poor boy sandwiches. My mouth was watering while reading the book. I have great memories of enjoying gravy-drenched beef poor boys and piping hot, crispy fried-oyster poor boys (my personal favorites) when I lived in New Orleans.”
~Marcelle Bienvenu, coauthor of Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine