In the hustle and bustle of today’s working society, it’s sometimes hard to find time for a vacation. It would seem that even when money does allow, time and responsibilities often won’t.

But in a progressive city like Valdosta, one growing with culture and diverse people, the opportunity to get away is sometimes closer than we think — sometimes just a walk away.

A trip across the world or just across the United States can be had in the 30 or 60-minute lunch break many of us take for granted. From Thai cuisine, to Mexican and Greek, to Jamaican, and now, the Creole flavor of New Orleans, new experiences are continuing to grow and await us right here in this city.

Brian Antoine, a New Orleans native and local restaurant owner, is bringing the flavor and feel of New Orleans to this city. Here is his story.

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Walking into the Flavor of New Orleans Restaurant Friday, I couldn’t help but be taken away immediately. I’ve never visited the city, but Lord knows I’ve heard about it, and I knew that this is what it had to be like over there.

Somewhere in the shops on Bourbon Street, there had to be brick buildings just like this one. Inside them, there had to be these same feathered masks, hanging along walls colored with rich shades of gold, green and purple. Over there, on Bourbon Street, the paintings must look like these, having blue-shaded characters holding mellow instruments, each picture invoking the spirit of jazz.

I imagine that somewhere on Bourbon Street, probably everywhere actually, this same tempting aroma of spiced rice, sweet baking bread and slow simmered meats has to fill the air. I imagine that’s what keeps the visitors there much longer than they’d initially planned to be, and the taste of it all must be what keeps them long reminded of the place on their way back home.

For Brian Antoine, New Orleans is home, although he is growing to love the city of Valdosta after he and his family relocated to the area just over a year ago.

“I was born and raised in New Orleans, and when the hurricane came, both my job and my wife’s job were destroyed,” said Antoine, who worked for the Postal Service for 17 years. “We were given the option to relocate and we chose to come here. I really enjoy the small-town atmosphere of Valdosta, and that there are still all the modern conveniences.”

Nestled in the heart of downtown Valdosta, Antoine’s restaurant keeps him surrounded in an atmosphere of home while bringing the genuine and unduplicable flavor of New Orleans to this city.

“I love New Orleans, and what I love the most would have to be the music, the sounds, the food, the atmosphere. All together, that’s the flavor of New Orleans, and that’s why people keep going, and why they keep coming back to the city,” said Antoine.

I’m not sure how many plates of gumbo, jambalaya and fried catfish I saw pass from the kitchen Friday while sitting in his restaurant amid the customers, who sat two and three to a table, seeming to share conversations unrelated to work.