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ORAL HISTORY
Floria Woodard
The Court of Two Sisters
Originally from Mississippi, Floria Woodard headed to New Orleans seeking opportunity. She found it as server at The Court of Two Sisters (the first African American server) but eventually set her sights on the bar in the late 1960s. Miss Flo is still behind that bar, serving cocktails to the locals and returning tourists who seek her out at this well-known French Quarter restaurant. Miss Flo calls herself a mixologist and prides herself on the consistency of her drinks. She’s so good that every year Flo has entered the French Quarter Fest’s bartending contest, she has won. Whether for her handmade Hurricane or her special Golden Coconut, Miss Flo claims that measuring ingredients is her secret to success. Whatever the secret, people certainly feel strongly about her.
*It is with great sadness that the SFA shares news that Floria Woodard passed away on March 16, 2010. In honor of Ms. Flo, the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and Crescent City School of Bartending have partnered to create a bartending scholarship in her name. The Flo Woodward Memorial Bartending Scholarship will annually select a bartending professional to attend the Bartending/Beverage Management Course. Interested parties should email flowoodardbarscholarship@crescentschools.com for more information.
