The NOCCA Institute’s Boxcar food truck at Pinch A Palooza - Deanie's Seafood Restaurants and Market

The Boxcar food truck will offer fare inspired by local & seasonal produce, support NOCCA programs

Pinch A Palooza Deanie's Crawfish Festival Louisiana Boiled Crawfish and fried crawfish tails

Deanie’s is excited to introduce more than just crawfish to its food offerings at this year’s Pinch A Palooza Festival & Crawfish Eating Contest!

In addition to more than 2,500 pounds of boiled Louisiana crawfish prepared with our signature Creole seasonings and other Deanie’s crawfish specialties including our Crawfish Nachos, Crawfish Balls and Fried Crawfish Tails, The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) Institute‘s Boxcar food truck (@BoxcarNOLA) will serve dishes inspired by seasonal produce from the Institute’s Press Street Gardens.

Proceeds from food truck sales at Pinch A Palooza will support the Institute and NOCCA programs.

Pinch A Palooza is not only a celebration of Louisiana crawfish but also of its rich culture and sense of community. As the first restaurant in New Orleans to serve certified “Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood,” Deanie’s is an advocate of fresh and locally sourced ingredients. The Boxcar uses fresh herbs and produce from the Press Street Gardens and other local farms to form its seasonal and affordable menu. A Boxcar favorite is its “Everyday I’m Trufflin” fries tossed in truffle oil topped with chicken confit, gravy, aged cheddar and pickled red onions (pictured below). See the Boxcar on Facebook for more items offered in the past. NOCCA Institute Boxcar food truck truffle fries

Press Street Gardens is a half-acre urban farm and outdoor applied learning laboratory serving the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts as well as the Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, and Ninth Ward neighborhoods. Press Street Gardens provides fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs for NOCCA’s Culinary Arts Department to use in classroom training, for The Boxcar food truck, and for local residents and businesses. It supports innovative, integrated, hands-on learning for NOCCA students by incorporating garden space into arts, sciences, humanities, and health education curricula.

NOCCA’s programs nurture local young talent, keeping the unique arts culture of New Orleans and our region alive. Projects of the NOCCA Institute, The Boxcar food truck and Press Street Station cafe give NOCCA’s Culinary Arts students the opportunity to get first-hand experience in the real-world restaurant industry. Proceeds from the food truck support NOCCA’s programs and its young artists as they study to become tomorrow’s cultural leaders.

NOCCA’s student body and neighbors come from richly diverse backgrounds. Press Street Gardens is an exciting green space for community events and educational opportunities that bridge lasting relationships between NOCCA and the surrounding community.

A nonprofit community supporter and advocacy organization for NOCCA, The NOCCA Institute has helped turn NOCCA into a flagship professional arts training facility by providing supplemental funding for NOCCA and advocacy for NOCCA’s world-class program.

We can’t wait to see you at Pinch A Palooza on April 19 in Bucktown! Be sure to bring your appetite! Beer and specialty cocktails will also be available for adults.