Company's Coming! with Guest Nonna Addison Hinson
King Cake Chronicles: A Tale of Tradition, Taste, and Togetherness
Picture this: I’m sitting in the back seat of the family car one early February morning as we pull into the parking lot of Manny Randazzo’s bakery. A light rain was falling, and, worst of all, it was cold. Despite this, there was already a line at the door, about 30 people deep. Most people would give up and try again another day, but my father, Vernon Hinson, was determined to snag a Manny Randazzo’s king cake before we left for my aunt and uncle's for the Mardi Gras weekend.
After about what seemed like eternity (okay maybe 45 minutes) the front car door opened. Success! Vernon had secured the gold. I mean it is Manny Randazzo’s after all, it is practically good as gold. While any old bakery can wrap up some cinnamon in some dough, ice it, and sprinkle it with sugar, Manny Randazzo adds that special magic that truly makes it a cake for a king (or queen, or non-gender monarch).
Manny Randazzo’s has always been my mom’s favorite and my father always made sure to get her at least one king cake (but usually more) every season. This was the last weekend before the carnival season would end, so it was now or never. Well… more like now or waiting another year but when it’s King Cake the stakes ARE that high. Come rain or shine Vernon was determined to make it happen. Sometimes the most impactful ways to say I love you are through the little things.
A Slice of History
The roots of the King Cake date back to the Roman Empire, with origins in Saturnalia. Back then, they would bake a bean into a cake, and the lucky reveler who received the bean would be king (or queen) for the day. Yay!
They would then be sacrificed to the Gods. Not yay!
This tradition was passed down and adopted by Christians, who would eat the cake on Twelfth Night, the Christian holiday that marks the start of the Epiphany. Over time, the beans were replaced with little trinkets and baubles, and later the plastic babies we know, love, and avoid choking on today.
The baby-in-the-cake tradition is said to have started in New Orleans in the 1930s. McKenzie's was a beloved bakery that was formative not only to New Orleans but to what we know as the King Cake today. As the story goes, one day a toy salesman entered McKenzie’s to get some goods and sold owner Donald Entringer Sr. a Frozen Charlotte doll.1 This inspired Mr. Entringer to replace the trinkets with little porcelain dolls that were baked into the cake, thus creating the modern king cake. Thankfully now, porcelain Miss Charlotte has since been replaced (for the most part) with little plastic babies!
The baby is meant to signify luck and prosperity for the year. In local terms… it means you’re the one in charge of bringing the next King Cake to the function. As with everything carnival it’s not that serious, but it is a great tradition that keeps the parties going!
The Heart of New Orleans
Carnival vs. Mardi Gras: while you may hear both of these terms being used, they are not interchangeable! The Carnival season begins on Twelfth Night (remember Twelfth Night?) and lasts until the Tuesday before Lent, which is better known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. The season itself varies, sometimes starting in January (colloquially known as an Early Mardi Gras) or sometimes ending on March 9th (also known as a Late Mardi Gras). It’s important to know when the season is to maximize your King Cake intake!2
Music, food, and community — the New Orleans trifecta. These three elements are truly ingrained in our core. And what's the best way to combine those? Why, a party, of course! New Orleanians love nothing more than to get together, share some laughs, and share a meal.
Carnival time is the ultimate time to indulge in all three. From dancing in the streets before a parade rolls to hosting a house party because you’ve got a coveted spot on the parade route, we are looking for any and every reason to have loved ones over and party together.
Personally, my favorite party during carnival time is the King Cake party. With so many options (bakery choice, sweet vs. savory, traditional vs. filled) and so little time, this is the best way to optimize your carnival and spend an afternoon with your favorite people and dessert! The most common way to do this is to invite over however many people you want (and can comfortably host) and have everyone bring a king cake of their choice.3 You can even encourage people to bring their favorite non-king-cake king cake items like King Cake Daiquiris, King Cake Ooey-gooey cakes, and King Cake Macaroons. All real things, all really delicious.
And we start ‘em young! The moment you can stand and shout is the moment you can start celebrating Carnival. I have many memories of King Cake Fridays in school growing up. Each week, we would anxiously wait for just after lunch on Friday to see which lucky student got the baby and was responsible for bringing the next king cake. I always wished I got the baby because I wanted the five seconds of fame that came with announcing “I got it!”. Very telling, right? From then on my love of king cake (and attention I suppose) was born!
King Cake Etiquette 101
There are very few rules when dealing with King Cake. I mean it is still at it’s core just a pastry. However, for beginners let me break down some Do’s and Don'ts that will always have you looking like a local!
Do: Leave the Knife in the Box. Just make sure it’s not one of your good ones! After a couple of daiquiris someone will toss the box and you don’t wanna lose your good cutlery.
Don’t: Bring a grocery store king cake! I don’t care what you think, they're just nasty. While Manny Randazzos is my favorite, there are plenty of local places to explore. If you’re ever in New Orleans at carnival be sure to see The King Cake Hub, to see a variety of options to choose from.4
Do: Show up to any and every Carnival function with a King Cake. They’re a fantastic hostess gift and I don’t think I've ever seen someone turn down their faces to it!
Don’t: Eat king cake before twelfth night! It’s not a hard rule but it’s certainly taboo!
Do: Try non-traditional ones! There’s savory King Cakes (the Bywater Bakery Boudin King Cake is delicious!), there’s Chocolate King Cakes, there’s Gluten Free King Cakes!
Don’t: Pretend you didn’t see the baby. If you see it at all, if you know the baby is there, you got the baby! This is a great way to introduce your favorite and maybe underrated king cake to your groups. Just please, I cannot stress this enough, NO GROCERY STORE KING CAKES.
These rules, whether learned or explicitly told, stay with you throughout your life. They become second nature. Your first time getting a little too tipsy on the parade route, joining your first walking krewe, or even catching your first Muses shoe.5
What they don’t tell you about Mardi Gras is that as you get older, your point of view shifts. It used to be about catching the most plastic beads and junk that will inevitably end up sitting in a bag in the attic until you need them for a class project or a costume. Now, it turns into the time you spend with your loved ones. My favorite thing now is sitting around waiting for the parades to start, with people dancing in the streets while they're blocked off, young and old wearing bold, colorful costumes, and little pockets of communities popping up to hold your spot on the route all day. There’s really nothing like it. It’s what makes New Orleans special.
Thinking back to those childhood days in the Manny Randazzo’s parking lot, King Cake has always been a part of my family. In early 2021, my father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It was the darkest time I’ve been through. But even in hard times, traditions go on. Now I’m the one who stands in line outside of Manny Randazzo’s early in the morning (yes, even in the cold, even in the rain) to get my mom her favorite king cake. It’s a little way to show some love, it’s a little way to share some love, and it’s a little way to connect with loved ones.
Raised in New Orleans, Addison Hinson has traded musical theatre's spotlights for the glow of social media screens. By day, he's a content curator extraordinaire for clients across the city. By night, he transforms into Katrina Waters, New Orleans' most delightful "unnatural disaster." He is an occasional “male” model, part-time Caniac, and full-time Betsey Johnson stan. Catch both sides of Addison's vibrant life by following @AddisonHinson and @KatrinaWaters504 on Instagram.
A Frozen Charlotte doll, sometimes referred to as a Penny Doll due to its low pricing, was popular from the 1850s to the 1920s. These dolls are "lovingly" named after the character in the poem "A Corpse Going to a Ball" by Seba Smith, which tells the story of a young woman who, on her way to a ball and refusing to dress for the weather, freezes to death. It's not exactly a shining endorsement of the idea that “a hoe never gets cold.”
Pro Tip: when in “season,” it is completely appropriate (and encouraged) to have King Cake for breakfast. Washing it down with a daiquiri or coffee is completely dependent on whether you’re on the parade route or in your house. I'll let you choose which is more appropriate.
Pro tip: Be sure to have a list to ensure no duplicates!
The King Cake Hub is a pop-up shop that sells a variety of King Cakes and paraphernalia. Offering choices in traditional, gluten-free, savory, and even King Cake beer, macaroons, and hot chocolate bombs, they truly have something for everyone.
The Krewe of Muses is an all women krewe and social club. Their signature throws are hand decorated/designed Shoes. I encourage you to check out their Instagram (@KreweOfMuses) to see some highlights of their shoes! They’re a highly sought out treasure and each one is a work of art!