Loretta's Authentic Pralines

Loretta Harrison founded Loretta's Authentic Pralines in 1983 in New Orleans, becoming the first African American woman to own and operate a praline company in the city after winning a Jazz Fest vendor contract in 1978 with just $700 and a multi-generational family recipe. Her shop in the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny became synonymous with Creole sweets, offering classic pecan pralines alongside stuffed beignets, king cake, and calas. Harrison, celebrated as the "Queen of Pralines," won the inaugural New Orleans Beignet Fest in 2016; she passed away in February 2022, and the business continues operating with two locations.