Francisca Aleman or “Panchita,” as she is affectionately known to family and friends, counts herself a blessed person. Twenty-two years ago she left Vera Cruz, Mexico, alone, seeking a better life in the United States. “Coming to the United States gave me hope, and I was happy to work here to help my family in Mexico,” she said.

Whenever she visits her family back home in India, one of the first things Karen Fernandes asks for is a succulent vegetarian stew brimming with mushrooms plucked from the hillsides of the coastal town where she grew up. “We make it with lots of spices, so say you want to make chicken curry – you would just substitute mushrooms for the chicken,” explained Fernandes, listing other ingredients that she craves from her homeland, such as fresh coconut, bamboo shoots and the purple blossoms of the banana plant, the latter of which adds texture and flavor to lentil dishes.

On any given day at St. Anthony’s Gardens Senior Living in Covington, the kitchen staff operates as a restaurant offering a choice of five entree items, specials and an “always-available” menu (that includes salad, sandwiches and desserts).

It’s the price every homeowner in South Louisiana must eventually pay: re-armoring structures assaulted by scorching summers, heavy rains and winters that can feel as cold as Minnesota one day and swampy the next. That time has arrived for Spanish Renaissance-style St. Joseph Church and its 99-foot-high bell tower, which rises majestically over the streets of Old Gretna.