Mr T Black

Creole Tomato Farmer
Lutcher, Louisiana

“St. James Parish is going to be all gone in 50 years. Someone’s gonna to buy all that. They like plants-oil refineries- that’s what they’re looking for. You got the Mississippi River, you got three parishes and St. James Parish, three railroads: one here, one in the back and one across the river. You got the river. Ship everything out in boats. I say 50 years, its gonna be all a big subdivision.”

T Black grows some of the most beautiful tomatoes in Louisiana. He hosts the annual Creole Tomato Festival with LSU on his land in St. James Parish. His humility is almost as impressive as one bite of his amazing vegetables.

Photo: Claire Bangser