Every December, the twinkle of holidays lights casts a certain spell on New Orleans’ French Quarter. From hotel lobbies to private homes, decorations dazzle.
But this year, there’s new magic brewing on Bourbon Street with a real witch — Cristina Quackenbush (owner and chef of the popular restaurant Milkfish for more than a decade)— whose most recent offering, Tatlo Divine Cuisine and Absinthe House — is stirring the pot.
Born in a tiny village in the Philippines, Quackenbush came to the United States at the age of 5 with her mother and stepfather, a U.S. Marine. After settling in southern Indiana, most of her childhood was spent on her American grandmother’s farm.
“That is where my love for food and cooking came from,” she said. “[My grandmother] taught me how to sew, can food, make bread and butter — everything from scratch. We were constantly in the garden, watching it grow, picking it when it was ready. I learned not only the health benefits but also the spiritual elements that food brings which is what makes me a green witch.”
Tatlo means three in Tagalog, Cristina’s Filipino home dialect.
“Three is a very magical number in the witchy world,” she continued. “At Tatlo, you’ll see it everywhere, in the dining room, in the cocktails, on the menu. It’s the symbol of being a powerful witch. I have it tattooed on the back of my neck.
Quackenbush emphasized that she uses her powers for good.
“I use my power in divinity to help people,” she said. “To provide a space and experience where you heal spiritually and through your physical body.”
To accomplish this goal, she opened Tatlo in September in an intimate back space at Bourbon Street’s Old Absinthe House. Originally a place reserved for 19th-century women to imbibe, Quackenbush noted that, “From the first time I entered the room I felt I had passed through a spiritual portal.”
The restaurant’s servers begin the evening with what she terms “a witchy positive manifestation,” which means they gently probe the diner’s intentions to learn particular areas of concentration. Abundance? Love? Protection from negativity? All is possible after an evening at Tatlo. A candle is then placed on the table to indicate the diner’s intent — pink or red for love, green for abundance. Once lit, it burns brightly throughout dinner. Diners are then given an opportunity to write down a manifestation or wish for themselves or someone else.
“At the end of the evening, you burn it in the candle’s fire,” Quackenbush explained. “By the time you leave, you have literally immersed yourself in healing your mind, body and soul.”
In Quackenbush’s magical hands, Asian flavors ranging from her Filipino home to Vietnam appear alongside favorites from her popular Milkfish restaurant and pop-up brand. Each dish has its own intent. For spiritual enlightenment, there is Triquetra, combining pork ribs with sticky lemongrass BBQ, candied mango, red cabbage, mint and cilantro. Chicken adobo arancini made with purple sticky rice creates synergy, said to offer fertility, abundance and growth.
Most magical of all are the “protection noodles” meant to repel evil spirits. Filipino pancit noodles in a mushroom broth are tossed with crab butter, garlic and green curry. Arriving at the table with an edible, burning tallow candle nestled among the noodles, it melts into the plate as you dine.
“It’s a good spell that lasts at least a week,” Quackenbush reported. “A lot of people say they immediately feel more positive. That’s one of the best compliments I’ve received, to learn the food had an impact on our guests before they leave Tatlo.”
During December, Tatlo is hosting a uniquely Filipino style Réveillon dinner, Noche Bueno. Lighted star-shaped lanterns called parols signifying hope and good adorn the dining room. Traditional Filipino Christmas dishes including roasted pork Lechon and Bibingka made with salted duck and cassava cake appear on the seasonal menu as positive holiday energy abounds.
Poppy Tooker has spent her life devoted to the cultural essence that food brings to Louisiana, a topic she explores weekly on her NPR-affiliated radio show, Louisiana Eats! From farmers markets to the homes and restaurants where our culinary traditions are revered and renewed, Poppy lends the voice of an insider to interested readers everywhere.
Catch Poppy Tooker on her radio show, “Louisiana Eats!” Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Mondays at 8 p.m. on WWNO 89.9 FM.
