Midway through oyster season here in Louisiana, it is appropriate we end our homage to Upperline and JoAnn Clevenger with this local delicacy and her delectable twist, Oysters St. Claude. JoAnn and Chef Ken Smith named the sauce after one of their favorite New Orleans restaurants that was lost to Hurricane Katrina. As acclaimed cookbook author and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi wrote about Oysters St. Claude on his website: “The oysters were sublime, but the punchy sauce—an ingenious combination of sweet, sour, savory, and spice—stood out even more.”

The appetizer is beloved by many, including New Orleans writer and food commentator Ian McNulty. We spent 2025 sharing stories about JoAnn’s life and recipes from Upperline, and Ian has most succinctly summed up the legacy as he writes about his last meeting with her in the closed restaurant:

It was empty except for JoAnn herself, who met me for an interview about her decision to retire and not reopen. The dining room did not feel empty for long. As she told stories of her customers, of the subjects and artists behind the paintings on the walls, of the chefs and waiters and dishwashers who worked together here, she re-animated the room with her vivid gratitude for it all.

That’s when I fully realized just how much Upperline represented, not just as her vocation but as her life’s work, a manifestation of her journey through New Orleans culture expressed through hospitality. It made me yearn for one more evening here, but I also left so very thankful to have experienced it through the years. 

We couldn’t agree more. Our heartfelt gratitude to JoAnn and Upperline for their culinary contributions and special memories.