Emeril Lagasse's newest restaurant, 34, is a show-stopping homage to Portuguese cooking — and to the woman and place who raised him.

Why it matters: It's a reminder that the world really is a pretty small place, even if Lagasse comes from a larger slice of it than we in New Orleans usually think.

The big picture: The restaurant is Lagasse's first to open here in more than eight years, adding a new chapter to the culinary history of a city that made Lagasse a household name and became synonymous with his brand.

• Lagasse entered the national scene while cooking at Commander's Palace, a fabled run that included, as the story goes, Ella Brennan changing how the young chef's last name was pronounced to make him seem more cosmopolitan. (Luh-gas became La-gah-see.)
• But time marches on, and families grow.
• Today, Lagasse's empire includes his son, E.J., who serves as chef patron at the flagship Emeril's Restaurant and co-proprietor at 34.

Zoom in: Still, Lagasse's history in New Orleans is why, to many, the fact that he's not from here still comes as a surprise.

• Lagasse was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, which has the country's highest concentration of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants. Hilda Lagasse, the chef's mother, was among them.
• And so, at 34, he honors that heritage.

The result is a stunning testament to Portuguese cooking that reflects not only the American diaspora but also the salted, dehydrated and fermented flavors that, over the centuries, helped Portugal expand across the globe.

• You can taste it in the compressed pineapple that lies like a collapsed butterfly beside the chouriço mouro (a grilled blood sausage stuffed with rice, like boudin) and the salt cod fried in cloud-soft fritters.

More photos and menu details

Prospect.6 opens this week, bringing a monthslong celebration of global art to venues across the city.

Why it matters: The triennial exhibition, this time running through Feb. 2, 2025, makes a $10 million impact on the city, the presenting nonprofit says, and it brings really cool artistic experiences with it.

Zoom in: This year's edition asks a tough question: "What if New Orleans, a predominantly BIPOC city deeply impacted by hurricanes, receding coastlines, histories of violence, and a cyclical commitment to celebration, was considered a harbinger for the world that is to come?"

• That's answered via two dozen events across nearly as many venues, from public street corners to formal museums.

Our picks featuring New Orleans artists during opening week:

• Artist talk for "Harbingers of Now" with Jeannette Ehlers, Joiri Minaya and L. Kasimu Harris, the New Orleans photographer who created the "Vanishing Black Bars" project. Today at 5pm. RSVP.
• Watch "Quietly Amongst the Disquiet," a film by Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, which examines the city's Vietnamese community as the score and dialogue are performed live. Saturday at 3:30pm. RSVP.
• See Quintron's "Weather Warlock," one in a series of weather-controlled analog synthesizers. It is especially dynamic at sunrise, so this is an early-morning affair. Sunday at 6am. RSVP.

Full event schedule.

⭐️ Taylor Swift made a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank that'll buy about 75,000 meals for people in South Louisiana. (WDSU)

• GNO Inc. estimates her Eras Tour brought a $500 million economic impact to the city. (Fox 8)
• And, finally, Swift herself called the whole thing "magical." (Instagram)

🍽️ Carmo is closing after 15 years downtown. The restaurant's owners are focusing on eatwell, a fast-casual market in Metairie, and a new catering business. (Instagram)

🤯 Remember the St. Mary's Academy students who solved the Pythagorean Theorem? They proved it — nine more times. (The Times-Picayune🔒)

Moms of small children remain vastly underrepresented among Louisiana lawmakers, according to a new report.

Why it matters: State legislatures shape policies that directly impact families.

The big picture: About 3.5% of Louisiana's legislators are moms with young children, which is among the lowest representation in the country, the analysis from the Vote Mama Foundation found.

• Nationally, about 8% of legislators were female or nonbinary parents within children under the age of 18, the data shows.

What they're saying: "If you don't have parents with young children helping set the legislative agenda you're missing a whole segment of the population, and their lived experiences are not being brought to bear on decisions that are being made," Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics, told Axios.

Go deeper for more national trends

📣 Member alert: All this week, you could win fun prizes and support local journalism when you become an Axios New Orleans member.

• Sign up today to be considered for a $100 gift card to Banh Mi Boys.

And remember, existing members are automatically entered. Rules apply.

😋 Our recs: Bang bang shrimp banh mi and iced Vietnamese coffee.

• Banh Mi Boys has locations in Metairie and Uptown.