t was a hot and steamy as we trod carefully through the morning puddles of the freshly washed streets in the Big Easy’s French Quarter where we were pleased to find a most unusual store by the name Lucullus.   Having seen proprietor Patrick Dunne featured on Martha Stewart Living TV show a couple of times, I was looking forward to finding his store and maybe meeting him.

1870 etched absinthe glasses

      Lucullus deals exclusively in objects, art and antiques related to dining and imbibing!   As well as an expert culinary antique collector and historian, Mr. Dunne also writes for national magazines. The latest article I found of his was featured in this month’s House Beautiful. He has written for many other magazines and due to the rarity of what his shops offer, they have also been the focus in several national publications. He is the author of, The Epicurean Collector, published by Little Brown, NY, which explores the world of culinary antiques and has some wonderful and evocative photographs. I was lucky enough to be presented with a copy while at the shop, in lieu of my disappointment at missing meeting Patrick himself I think! However we did meet and chat with his wonderful assistant Kerry, a great guy.

Antique silver taste-vins

      A sixth generation Southerner, the illustrious Mr. Dunne received his Master’s in Intellectual History from Georgetown University and did his doctoral work in American and European Culture at Tulane University. He is well respected in both the worlds of antiques and the ways of food and matters of the table.

      He has been contributing editor to Historic Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust, where he explored the history of food in the column 'Clio’s Table.’ As Editor at Large for Southern Accents his column the, 'Epicurean Collector,’ educated and entertained readers on artifacts from our culinary heritage.

Patrick Dunne

      Mr. Dunne also consults on the decoration of houses and restaurants and has a particular interest in the Southern interior style, specialising in assisting clients and in building antique collections and objects. He has recently been named senior Editor at Large for House Beautiful. Wow! No wonder I didn’t get to meet him with his schedule.

      We enjoyed ourselves immensely seeing all the antiques, rare collectables and soaking up the atmosphere of luxurious elegance. Beautiful silver taste- vins that we too have started to collect when in France, gorgeous old English pieces and the French absinthe servers with their tiny taps, etched glasses and strainer spoons which are making a come-back. Well not for absinthe, but a less poisonous version, like Pernot.

1850 porcelain Pots de Creme

      The furniture was amazing; an 18th century Catalan dining table and chairs in tooled leather, a round French Empire sycamore table and a stunning English oval, 20 seat walnut dining table made in the 1840’s. Alongside were fabulous sets of   turquoise china, a favourite of Princess Margaret, presented to her by her friends, the Colemans, who own the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. Other delights were 1850 Pots de Creme, made from Louis Philippe porcelain and late 19th century milk glass Easter eggs, café au lait bowls cutlery galore, utensils, linens and beautiful old Champagne glasses. Lucullus is housed in a 1790 building with a lovely courtyard, and is one of the few to have survived the big fire of 1794 in the French Quarter.

      There are two Lucullus in New Orleans, we visited both, one in the French Quarter and the other on Magazine Street. Both are well worth a visit into the elegant past, whether you buy or not!