New Orleans is where I was born.
Sometimes it feels like the place I escaped from. I have bittersweet feelings, man. The bitter makes me resilient and the sweet bubbles up in my writing. Whenever I begin to create a story, New Orleans, in all its cultural, culinary, and celebratory glory busts through my mental walls like Kool-Aid Man. I want to write about it and all its nuances, relating them to my experiences there and letting all that flesh out the characters surfacing out of my consciousness.
So, Beautiful’s BBQ takes place in New Orleans. Our mains: Esh, Kale, Lupa. all hail from there. Each of their distinct personalities and choices stem from Crescent City living. Esh was influenced by the food, so much so that he became a celebrity chef for a time.
Kale's journey is similar but different in that she's Vietnamese, and grew up learning the culinary ropes from working at her family's restaurant: the Bhan Sweet.
Lupa, to her parents' chagrin, really does run them streets. The city tends to open itself wide for the young and rambunctious; those who, behind their parents’ backs are determined to learn through trial and error. And to her credit, she is a little street smart. She can relax anywhere from the projects to the promenade. None of it keeps here out of trouble though.
None of our 504 born and raised family is ready for what New Orleans has yet to reveal to them though.
Culinary Creole wonders are just the entry point into a mystical underbelly of arcane ingredients, Black Market artifacts, scheming occultists, and Henchmonsters. I know, what the heck are HENCHMONSTERS?
Get ready to find out. One taste of our comic will make you a fan, but in the Beautiful’s eyes, you’re already family! Subscribe now and pull up a chair—episode one launches July 1st, 2026.
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