Camellia Grill's Contentious Façade; LRA Award Season

CARROLLTON?The ongoing legal battle between former Camellia Grill image steward Michael Shwartz and current Camellia Grill owner Hicham Kodr has taken a turn deeper into semantic territory, with Shwartz filing a preliminary injunction to stop Kodr from registering Camellia Grill's iconic four-pillared façade as a historic landmark. Kodr, as you may remember, ran afoul of his licensing agreement with Shwartz when he allegedly altered the restaurant's logo and failed to send Shwartz a small royalty check. After an unfavorable court ruling, Kodr tried to avoid having to change Camellia Grill's entire look (from employee uniforms to the building's façade) by appealing to the Louisiana Supreme Court to have the building designated as a historic landmark. [NOLA.com]

EVERYWHERE?The Louisiana Restaurant Association will, as it's wont to do, bestow awards on local restaurateurs at annual gala on August 3. Seafood joints are the big winners this year, with Michael Rodrigue, Lucien Gunter and Paul Rotner (owner, chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively, of Acme Oyster House), nabbing "Restaurateurs of the Year." Meanwhile, Drago and Klara Cvitanovich of the eponymous Drago's Seafood Restaurant in Metairie will be inducted into the LRA Hall of Fame. [Eaterwire]

MARRERO?Cafe Hope, a restaurant training program for at-risk youth in Jefferson Parish, recently reopened with a fresh paint job, new artwork, and fancy new cyprus tables. Everything is bright, airy, and generally indicative of the program's mission. [NOLA.com]

Outside Camelia Grill[Photo: Josh Brasted]