Jay Dardenne's blog

Saveur magazine posted an excellent video about one of my favorite regions of Louisiana, Acadiana. The video really captures the passion people in that area have for food.

With the help of the Louisiana tourism industry we have doing our own part to fuel our American Idol this season. Each week we send delicious Louisiana cuisine to Los Angeles to nourish Westlake native Joshua Ledet before his weekly performance.

We are having a great time celebrating Louisiana's birthday this year. I decided the Bicentennial is a great time to recognize some of the incredible talents, personalities, successes and even some blunders that have come from or through our state.

I developed a list of the 200 most notable people in Louisiana history. It is not necessarily a list of our greatest, most popular or, even, most significant people. It is a compilation of individuals whose influence was felt in Louisiana, but also spread beyond our borders.

I often talk about Louisiana's rich culture and heritage. Our culture runs deep and when Louisianians have to leave our state—for any reason—they miss the special Louisiana life.

For the past few years Louisiana has been solidifying its position as Hollywood South. While serving in the state Senate I was honored to author the legislation creating Louisiana’s aggressive film tax credits. Those credits and the diversity of Louisiana’s landscape make our state a perfect place to film movies and television shows.

Being elected as lieutenant governor of Louisiana is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and not because of the reasons that may come to your mind. It’s because of the job that I get to do every day for the next four years. A job that comes easy to me: promoting the state of Louisiana, a place I consider to be the best place on Earth.

In my inaugural address I chose to talk about the happiest place on earth and my lifetime home, Louisiana. I talked about the rich cultural history, the world-renowned music and the joie de vivre that makes Louisiana unique.

I know I tend to talk about food often on this blog but I just can't resist. It's one of our best assets. Anyone who has visited Louisiana can attest to wanting to come back and taste it all over again. Southern Living is an expert on the South’s best offerings and they are right on, nominating not one, but two of Louisiana’s cities in its South’s Tastiest Town Awards.

Each year the American Bus Association produces a guide of Top 100 Events in North America. Three Louisiana events made the 2012 list: The French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, April 12–15; Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette, April 25–29; and Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, Morgan City, Aug. 30–Sept.

Yesterday I was in Jennings to participate in a press conference about the Grand Reveil Acadien which is happening across south Louisiana Oct. 7 – Oct. 16. While I was there I took the opportunity to talk about a neat project our office just completed. In conjunction with Louisiana’s 200th birthday we produced 200 Free Things to Do When You Visit Louisiana.  The list features fun activities throughout the state. And the best part is it’s all free.