Frank Davis “Naturally N’Awlins” Memorial Bridge: The Legacy of a Louisiana Celebrity

The Frank Davis “Naturally N’Awlins” Memorial Bridge, otherwise known as the I-10 Twin Span Bridge, connects New Orleans to Slidell across the Eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain. It is named after the radio and television personality Frank Davis, who highlighted the colorful culture within Louisiana.

     In 1942, Frank Joseph Davis was born to Preston and Rosina Davis in New Orleans, Louisiana. From a young age, Davis was interested in the outdoors, fishing, and cooking. He often spent his weekends fishing with his father, and occasionally, in his teenage years, Davis prepared meals for his parents before they returned from work. After graduating from high school, Davis attended college at LSUNO, now known as the University of New Orleans. While there, he pursued multiple areas of study before settling on his occupation. Initially, Davis pursued a degree in ichthyology due to his interest in fish, but he later changed his major to English. After that, he went to Charity Hospital and learned how to become an X-ray technician.

     After college, Davis married his wife, Mary Clare, and served a short stint in the National Guard before starting his job as an X-ray technician. During this time, Davis also worked small side jobs to explore his interests. Through these jobs, Davis was eventually hired by the public relations department of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries office to be a full-time editor for the agency’s magazine. It was at this job that a radio producer from WWL heard about Davis’s articles and his love for fishing and the outdoors. The producer offered Davis the opportunity to host some of the outdoors and fishing segments on the radio, and Davis accepted. As his popularity on the radio grew, Davis was offered to host more segments and even a weekend marathon call-in show called “Weekend Live.”  

     In 1981, he began to appear on television. Davis’s appearances began with hosting the weekly fishing reports on WWL. However, these appearances grew into a much larger TV segment the station named “Naturally N’Awlins,” where Davis would explore and interview notable businesses, restaurants, and people around New Orleans to draw attention to the people and places that made New Orleans so special. Davis’s jovial and energetic personality drew in a substantial audience and made the people he interviewed feel at ease and comfortable with telling their stories. Moreover, he started hosting Tuesday morning cooking demonstrations with guests where he showcased Louisiana cooking.

     As his cooking demonstrations grew in popularity, Davis wrote several cookbooks that were full of his personality. His most popular work was Frank Davis Cooks Naturally N'Awlins," containing 160 Southern and Louisianian recipes, a temperature guide, a baking chart, a list of common ingredient weights, and a section with explanations for common cooking terms. All of Davis’s cookbooks were made for inexperienced and experienced cooks alike, and his writing reflected that, using welcoming and encouraging language.

     After a successful thirty-year-long career, Davis retired in 2011 because of growing health problems. By the 2010s, he had previous issues with his heart and diabetes and was also recovering from cancer, so for the sake of his well-being, Davis said farewell to his fans. Unfortunately, Davis’s health issues worsened as he was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy or CIDP, which caused his white blood cells to attack his nerves and the insulation around them. After a hard-fought battle, at 71, Davis died in 2013 due to complications from CIDP.

     The Frank Davis “Naturally N’Awlins” Memorial Bridge is one last celebration of the local celebrity who brought pride to Louisiana's food and culture, especially in New Orleans. In 2014, Davis’s friends, family, and fans petitioned for the I-10 Twin Span Bridge to be named after him because he used to fish on Lake Pontchartrain, and now, Frank Davis is forever remembered in the place where he did what he loved.