PENDLETON — When Lisa Floyd went to New Orleans for the first time in 1991, the Pendleton resident said she had a strange feeling she’d been there before.

“I had a real affinity since the beginning,” she said.

That first trip was the beginning of her captivation with The Big Easy, and what turned into dozens of trips to the city to visit friends and study cuisine.

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Floyd shared stories of her love of the city while she taught people how to cook a couple of Cajun dishes, during a recent cooking demonstration at Pendleton Community Public Library. It marks the start of what a library staff said are plans to offer more food-related programming to the public.

Floyd taught a crowd of more than a dozen people how to make jambalaya and bread pudding with whiskey sauce, using techniques learned at The New Orleans School of Cooking under the tutelage of chef Kevin Belton.

“These are his recipes,” she said, providing some background on the former professional football player who has his own TV cooking program. “That’s where I got my training.”

Floyd used the library’s Learning Kitchen, which was paid for largely through a $7,000 grant from the South Madison Community Foundation. Floyd used to be the foundation’s director and still works for the organization.

Kristen Case, library adult programming and outreach specialist, said this was the first culinary program she’s arranged for the kitchen, which was installed in summer 2018.

To launch the library’s effort to offer cooking adventures to the public with Floyd was “a good first,” Case said, because of Floyd’s connection to the foundation.

The class was also good timing because the pinnacle of Mardi Gras celebrations — which are closely associated with New Orleans — was on the horizon.

Case said she is in process of formulating plans for a menu of activities using the kitchen but is not ready to release details.

Everyone in Floyd’s class received copies of the New Orleans recipes, and Floyd demonstrated the preparation step by step.

Attendees took notes — sometimes watching her, and at other times watching the food on a large monitor that showed a live view from a camera mounted on the ceiling above the stove.

She gave general tips such as “everything starts with the trinity” — onion, bell pepper and celery — ingredients that often can be used interchangeably in recipes, depending on preference.

She also tried to dispel myths, such as the notion that all Cajun cuisine is highly spicy.

Floyd used mixing bowls and pans, the stove and microwave to make the recipes.

The Learning Kitchen also has a fridge, as well as a fire extinguisher, Case said with a laugh.

When Floyd was finished each recipe, she gave out samples to everyone who wanted one.

“Well this is just great,” said Freda Wyatt, who lives in Fishers but comes to Pendleton often. “All my girlfriends live up here.

“I’m going to make both recipes, by the way.”

Maggie Hastings of Pendleton said she, too, enjoyed the demonstration, calling Floyd “knowledgeable.

“I’ve never been to New Orleans,” she said. “The food so far is delicious — I want to try the bread pudding.”

For more information about library programming, visit pendleton.lib.in.us.