LEON “KID CHOCOLATE” BROWN: How Do You Red Bean?

{from Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown’s Facebook page]

Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown was born and raised in New Orleans. He picked up the trumpet in a way that could only happen in a New Orleans family home—on a visit to his maw-maw and pop’s house when he was nine, he came across an old clarinet and a cornet tucked away. His mother decided that whichever one was cheaper to fix would be the one he’d learn to play. The cornet won, and with it, a lifelong journey in music began.

By the age of fifteen, Brown was already touring internationally, bringing the sound of New Orleans to stages far beyond the city limits.

He studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and later at the University of New Orleans. As much as he’s known for his performance career, Brown is also a respected and sought-after music educator. He works with programs like the Trombone Shorty Foundation, Trombone Shorty Music Academy, and the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, mentoring the next generation and helping to keep New Orleans’ musical traditions alive and thriving.

Over the years, Brown has earned a reputation as a deeply versatile performer, crossing genres with ease. He’s recorded and toured with artists across jazz, soul, R&B, and pop—including Irvin Mayfield, Jill Scott, and Nicholas Payton. He was part of the Grammy-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra in 2010 and has also received a Latin Billboard Award. His performances have taken him to major venues and festivals around the world.

Television audiences may know his sound from HBO’s Treme, where he provided the trumpet work for the character Delmond Lambreaux. Whether on screen or on stage, his music reflects the city that raised him—resilient, soulful, and full of life.

Today, Brown leads his own band, Kid Chocolate and Free P.O.C., and performs with the Players Ella & Louis Tribute Band. His playing brings together the heart of tradition with the freedom of innovation, drawing from second lines, modern jazz, R&B, and more.

Whether performing or teaching, Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown continues to carry the spirit of New Orleans music forward with skill, soul, and deep dedication.

{from Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown’s Facebook page]

What’s your earliest memory of eating red beans and rice? Who made it, and what made it special?

I remember eating them growing up. My earliest memory of that, I had to be at least eight or nine years old because both of my youngest siblings were there, and the youngest was old enough to feed herself. I remember my Mama cooking red beans and rice quite often. White beans, Lima beans, pork & beans, and black eyed peas for New Year’s Day, too. And sometimes my Daddy cooked them too.

It could’ve been Mondays, it could’ve been whenever it was the easiest meal to make, I don’t know, but I know it was often because they cooked them so much and I got so tired of eating beans and rice to the point that I regularly vowed when I grew up and moved out, I would never eat beans again! Looking back on it, however, those were special times because we were a family who sat down at the dinner table and ate together and talked about stuff and joked around as a family, every night for the most part. A lot of my friends didn’t grow up in households like this; they would get their food and eat in front of the TV or in their bedrooms. I was a little bit jealous, but I definitely see the benefit in how my parents raised us. That’s special to me. I cherish it now.

Do you cook red beans and rice yourself, or do you leave it to someone else?

I could not tell you the last time I put something in a pot or pan and turned the fire on to cook anything! For one, my wife is a chef and she loves to cook. I don’t have a love or a liking for cooking food myself. I used to be addicted to eating, but I have a different relationship with food now. Second, I don’t eat a lot of food cooked on the stove. Most of the food I eat is cooked by the sun. Fresh fruit and vegetables make up the most of my food.

My wife did teach me how to make red beans a few years ago, and they came out really good. Most of the time, when my wife cooks em she’ll make a small pot of vegan beans on the side for me and anybody else who doesn’t feel like eating the animal meat. She’s really serious in the kitchen.

When you think of the perfect bowl of red beans and rice, what has to be in there? Any secret ingredients or special techniques?

Hot sauce! I used to like Tabasco growing up, but now I’m a man. I like the hottest hot sauce I can get my hands on.