“My brother-in-law gave this to me, I need to go lock it in the car. I’ll be right back,” Breeze says as he virtually whisks pass us on our way into Nate’s. He briefly pulls back the tissue to expose the new born sculpture, then covers it right back up. “We’re on the outside patio; Kevin is already here,” he says as he leaves us in his dust.

Sitting around a table with Breeze, Joy Mayweather, and Kevin Knight, I begin to receive schooling on everything from New Orleanian dialect to how to breakdown and consume platters of crawfish to what unbreakable people become in light of life-altering devastation.

Just after learning that Joy and Breeze have been thick as thieves since he DJ’d a comedy show at Joy’s venue in 2010 and that Kevin and Breeze met regarding promotions for the 2018 Mardi Gras Ball, our meeting was put on pause by an impromptu reunion with Monya, the operations manager of Avocado Restaurant & Lounge (https://www.avocado-lounge.com), who had walked in since we’d sat down. Apparently, The Krewe of Orleans had a Linens & Lids party at her restaurant and she was eager to greet him. During that welcome disruption, a few phone calls that Breeze intercepted and bathroom breaks by Joy, who was feeling a little under the weather, Kevin elaborated on how he, a German-born, world-traveled, young man in his late 30s, progressed from a career with AIG to being the CEO of a sustainable business, Urban Events Global.

Apparently, Kevin was presented with the opportunity to support and attend the Krewe of Orleans (pronounced crew of or’ leans) Mardi Gras Ball. With protecting his brand in mind, Kevin checked-in with a few sources who validated The Krewe and the ball as a quality event. After which, Kevin sold over 60 tickets (6 tables) in short order by accessing his network.

Breeze rejoined us and Kevin in his demonstration of how to tackle the vast tray of crawfish before us. There is a strategy, or strategies, to cracking, deveining and eating crawfish. Most notably, the feast itself – crawfish boils, in particular – are communal in nature, where everyone eats from the same bucket and/or shares the same serving of crawfish which is usually spread across a huge table with sausage, corn and potatoes. It was a most appropriate setting to discuss preparations for The Krewe of Orleans Mardi Gras Ball 2018.