Old Coffepot Restaurant - New Orleans, LA (The Evil Dentist Awaits)

714 St. Peter St.

New Orleans, LA 70116

29.958171,-90.065086

www.theoldcoffeepot.com   

            After a long night of partying it up hard on Bourbon Street, there is nothing better than eating a good hardy breakfast to soak up all that alcohol. Whether it's some good steak and eggs from the Clover Grill, those famous mini Krystal burgers, or a serving of beignets; all can alleviate the pain. One traditional breakfast food that has more history than all of those foods put together are calas. If you like beignets, then you would love calas, as they are basically beignets on steroids! Calas are made of leftover rice mixed into a sugary egg batter, then deep fried and served dusted with confectioner's sugar. People wonder why we southerners have such good physiques; look at all of the starches and carbs that we consume. I mean come on, every meal we eat usually consists of rice, potatoes and/or bread. Hell, most of the time, it’s all three at once!
            The story behind these little bundles of diabetes dates back to the beginning of New Orleans in the 1700's. As we have mentioned, slaves were normally given Sundays off as their day to rest and worship. What they did with that one day was up to them, as some sang and danced while others found ways to make a little extra money on the side. When the Spanish took control of Louisiana in the 1760's, they brought with them a powerful legal instrument, coartacion, which gave slaves the right to buy their freedom. Over time, under this rule, over fourteen hundred slaves would ultimately buy their freedom. This gave many the incentive and the drive to work extra hard, offering various side services and selling numerous types of items, often food. It was not an uncommon site on a Sunday morning during this time to see a slave walking the French Quarter, selling dozens of calas.

            One of the few places that you can still find these delicious treats are at the popular Old Coffeepot Restaurant on Saint Peter Street. Since 1894, this hidden gem has been serving up some of the best breakfasts in New Orleans. However, as famous as the restaurant and their tasty dishes are, this building is also known for a dark past, years before the first calas were slung to the public.
            The structure was first used in the 1850's as a dentistry for Dr. Xavier Deschamps. As anyone can imagine, going to the dentist during this era was not a particularly fun thing to do. Everything they did to you hurt and that was normally because the weapons they used looked more like torture devices and there were little to no forms of anesthetics that were being used at the time. If you need a

Mmmmm....calas!

reminder at some of these practices, look no further than my previous blog about the Pharmacy Museum. If you had a tooth that needed to be pulled, better take a good swig of whiskey and hold on tight! Several doctors during this time began looking toward hypnotism and various types of non-lethal anesthetics that would help make their job a little easier and cause them to possibly lose fewer fingers in the process.
            Dr. Deschamps was one of these doctors who experimented in hypnosis and different forms of medicinal remedies. He was also swooped up in the spiritual craze of this era, often partaking in séances in an attempt at communicating with the dead. However, as most people were trying this new spiritual voice mail system simply to communicate with a lost loved one, Dr. Deschamps had more greedy motives in mind. He believed that he could attempt to communicate with the dead in the hopes that they could tell him the secret whereabouts of random amounts of hidden money. During this time, many people did not use nor trust banks so it was a common thing to hide their life savings in mattresses or buried out in the yard. As dementia and death would often take the individuals before their secrets could be divulged, this would often leave money undiscovered. Dr. Derschamps felt that he had the direct source of finding out where this money was and decided he would start using his unwilling patients as his portals to the loot!
            I have often read of present-day stories where doctors have performed inappropriate acts on their patients while under anesthesia, but none in the attempt at finding hidden treasure. It is said that Dr. Derschamps was a slick individual, often having the gift of gab and persuasion with his young female patients. One in particular, struck a nerve with the good doctor, as he felt that she had psychic abilities. In his twisted mind, Derschamps felt that if he questioned this young woman while under hypnosis, she would lead him to some form of hidden treasure. Personally, a simple, “Hey psychic lady, tell me where I can find some money at” would've sufficed!  

Photo of the building taken sometime around
1930-1940.

            Apparently, this young woman had a mouth full of cavities or something, as Dr. Derschamps would perform many procedures on her. Each time, under hypnosis, he would try to extrude not only teeth, but the whereabouts of hidden treasures. Each time, the attempts were unsuccessful and this would only enrage the good doctor. He would become so frustrated that he would beat this poor woman. Apparently, other dentists were hard to come by, her HMO plan sucked, or the woman was a sucker for abuse, as she continued to visit him. After numerous weeks of constant beatings from the none-the-richer doctor, the young girl, who was probably now toothless, finally died from an overdose of chloroform. Fortunately, the evidence pointed to Dr. Derschamps and he was promptly arrested, tried and executed.
            For obvious reasons, the dentistry was shut down and the building was used as private residences. Immediately, those who lived here were haunted with the apparitions of a terrified young woman. Equally as scared, these residents would flee from their home, never to return again. In 1894, the home would be converted into the present-day restaurant and the hauntings have not diminished one bit. The apparition and shadow of a young woman has often been seen wandering through the restaurant and she is said to be the cause of many poltergeist-like activity, such as moving pots and other objects around and touching guests and staff. Employees that work off hours will often hear their names being called when no one else is present in the building. Others also feel that the evil doctor is also to blame for the strange occurrences here. Many women who visit here have claimed to be taken over by an immense pressure or depressed feeling. Some think its Dr. Derschamps looking for his next victim that could possibly lead him to riches. As odd as it sounds, the ghost of a black cat has often been seen wandering through the restaurant and it is said to be an omen that the evil doctor is not far behind.
            Next time you are in the need for a good filling breakfast and stumble upon this quiet little cafe, do yourself a favor and grab a bite. I just do not recommend going if you happen to have a toothache or in need of any dental work. Lord knows, you wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention to one of the resident hauntings!