WITH ITS OWN EVER-EXPANDING TRADITIONS, THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MORE EXCITING TIME FOR THE CARNIVAL CLASSIC IN THE CAPITAL REGION of
TO TRY BATONAROUND ROUGE, FROM SAVORY TO SWEET
PATIENT TRAVIS CLARDY IS BACK ON THE JOB AFTER HE WAS SIDELINED WITH SEVERE NECK AND ARM PAIN. A FEW MONTHS AFTER NECK SURGERY, HE IS BACK DOING THE TYPE OF HARD CORE WORK THAT KEEPS OUR ECONOMY RUNNING.
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Whether it’s on the bulldozer or in the carpool line, getting your back-BACK (and neck!)- is the goal. Dr. Eric K. Oberlander is an award-winning spine specialist who has developed one of the largest practices in the country.
As one of the few board certified neurosurgeons in Louisiana who has fellowship training in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery, his services are in high demand. Join the 8,000 patients that see Team Oberlander per year.
Call (225) 768-2023 to schedule your appointment.
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FIRST SATURDAYS AT FRENCHTOWN
Frenchtown Road Conservation Area
Feb. 1 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.
YOUNG PICASSO’S
Milton J. Womack Park
Feb. 1 | 10:30-11:30 a.m.
FIRST FREE SUNDAYS: BLACK HISTORY
MONTH Magnolia Mound: Museum + Historic Site
Feb. 2 | 1-4 p.m.
SWEET TOOTH DESIGNS
Ben Burge Park Feb. 4 | 6-7 p.m.
VIBIN’ YOGA Highland Road
Community Park
Feb. 4 + 18 | 6-7 p.m.
BREC GREEN FORCE VOLUNTEER
TRAINING Forest Community Park
Feb. 8 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
GUIDED TRAIL RIDES
Farr Park Equestrian Center
Feb. 8 + 22 | 9 a.m. + 10:30 a.m. + noon
YOU STOLE A PIECE OF MY HEART
TEEN EVENT North Sherwood Forest
Community Park
Feb. 13 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.
SWEETHEART SOIREE Independence
Community Park Botanical Gardens
Feb. 14 | 6-9 p.m.
10 + UNDER FUN TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Highland Road Community Park
Tennis Center
Feb. 15 | 8:30 a.m.-noon
NOURISHED BY NATURE
Forest Community Park
Feb. 19 | 9:30-11 a.m.
SUNSHINE SOCIAL: 80’S NIGHT
Milton J. Womack Park Ballroom
Feb. 21 | 6-9 p.m.
GEAUX FISH! CATFISH RODEO
Burbank Soccer Complex Fishing Pond
Feb. 22 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
MARDI GRAS FUN RUN
Perkins Road Community Park Feb. 22 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
SWAMP ART SPECTACULAR:
MEET THE ARTIST CLOSING RECEPTION
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
Feb. 23 | 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Today, he’s measuring how extreme stress impacts the immune system by studying athletes, trauma victims and even astronauts.
Soon, he and his team will apply that research to everyone — improving immune health, endurance and athletic performance.
With Our Lady of the Lake Health and LSU behind them, imagine what frontiers our researchers will explore next.
That’s the impact of champions.
Guillaume Spielmann, PhD
Lead Trauma Researcher, Our Lady of the Lake Health Associate Professor of Kinesiology, LSU
Learn how we are improving the health of Louisiana.
EVERYWHERE ELSE in the country, people eat cake a few times a year. It’s reserved for occasions like birthdays and weddings.
In south Louisiana, we start each January with weeks worth of sprinkles and icing.
At the onset of king cake season, we curiously inspect boxes in office kitchens, trying to discern the flavors and whether we want a slice, banishing any thought of New Year’s resolutions from our minds.
We scour social media for new-to-us bakeries, taking enthusiastic notes on the varieties we want to try.
By mid-season, we’re going hard, driving across town—or sometimes parish lines—to cross a coveted cake off our wishlists.
We might find ourselves pulling up in the alley behind someone’s house in the Garden District to pick up a fancy pastry from a cottage baker.
We swap slices in Tupperware containers with friends, always making sure they get a good piece with plenty of filling.
We ship boxes to loved ones in faraway places. (I once mailed a king cake to my grandma in Florida, who called me in tears to say it was the best thing she’d ever eaten.)
And as the season winds down, we shovel in forkfuls off the route at the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade—bakery unknown. They all blur together by this point.
This month’s cover story unboxes the Capital Region’s marvelous world of king cakes.
Our team has dreamed of publishing this guide for years. But we wanted to strike when the timing was right. We waited for a long season— one where we could publish in February and know the magazine would still have an extended shelf life on newsstands. We saw that Fat Tuesday would finally fall on March 4 in 2025. Bingo.
We were partly inspired by The Big Book of King Cake, Matt Haines’ stunning coffee table book that tells the stories of 75 bakers in greater New Orleans. (Grab a copy locally at shops like Red Stick Reads, or loan it from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. It’s worth it!)
225 Features Writer Maggie Heyn Richardson and I have been talking about the book since we each got our hands on it in 2021, and we were obsessed with the idea of writing a 225 chapter.
We wanted to explore how the Capital Region has carved out its own king cake culture, and how early, pre-millennium versions at businesses like The Ambrosia Bakery paved the way for the modern explosion of colors and flavors across restaurants, bakeries and micro-bakeries. What we’ve compiled in these pages is just a small slice of an entire universe of offerings across greater Baton Rouge.
Because king cakes are canvases for expression. The frosting is like the glue that holds our Mardi Gras costumes together. Each is handmade with love, and the possibilities are infinite.
Sharing boxes every year helps us build bonds not just with one another—but with our community. And that’s the spirit of Mardi Gras.
Happy feasting,
Jennifer Tormo Alvarez 225 Editor-in-Chief
Another bite
How does one bakery crank out 20,000 king cakes in a matter of weeks? We’re taking our king cake storytelling to YouTube in 225’s latest episode of Between the Lines, all about the madness of Mardi Gras season at local businesses like The Ambrosia Bakery. Follow us on YouTube at @225magazine
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December 2024’s most-read articles at 225batonrouge.com
Make merry memories at these Baton Rouge restaurants open on Christmas Day
Our 2024 meals to remember: the 225 team’s favorite plates of the year In one Baton Rouge neighborhood, a father is remembered for his secret Santa side gig
About our First Look inside Modesto Tacos Tequila Whiskey’s 1,600-square-foot expansion, which added a hacienda-inspired dining area in the space next door to the restaurant:
“Best Mexican restaurant in BR! Love the new expansion.”
—@lsu_tinka, via Instagram
Re: Maggie Heyn Richardson’s December 2024 profile of Seimone Augustus and her new era as an LSU Women’s Basketball assistant coach:
“What a successful young lady. So proud of her.”
—Brenda Young, via Facebook
Comments and analytics are from Dec. 1-31, 2024. They have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Best of 225 is turning 20 in 2025! Since its launch in 2005, 225 Magazine has spotlighted the city’s most beloved restaurants, bars, people and businesses in the annual Best of 225 Awards. The Capital Region’s original reader’s choice poll, Best of 225 has grown every year over the last two decades, adding more categories and drawing new voters. And we’re letting you decide which local businesses and people will be honored in our anniversary edition of the awards.
Voting is live on our website from Feb. 25 to April 8. The ballot features the people and businesses that received the most submissions during the write-in nomination period this past December and January. Make your voice heard at 225batonrouge.com/bestof225
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Romance novels are more popular than ever—here’s how to find one that suits you
BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON
YOU KNOW WHAT’S HOT?
Romance novels.
Popularity for the genre and its fantasy-centric cousin, romantasy, has been building for more than 20 years, but sales have surged noticeably since the pandemic with more readers cozying up to a good love story, says Mary Stein, East Baton Rouge Parish Library assistant director.
From sweeping historical romances to dark academia, settings and themes vary far and wide thanks to prolific authors turning out book after sultry book.
Romance novel sales rose 52% in 2022. And by October 2024, seven of the top 10 books of the year fell into the romance or romantasy category, according to Publishers Weekly
Widely read romantasy writers like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros and chick-lit novelists Emily Henry and Colleen Hoover have helped bring younger readers into the fold. Meanwhile, bingeable shows like Bridgerton and Outlander have inspired fans to read their favorite series’ source material and search for similar novels.
Along with a multitude of themes and settings, romance novels come with varying spice levels, Stein says.
“It’s the never-ending battle between sweet, and hot and steamy,” Stein says. “Readers want one kind or the other.”
“A reader can read the next one and the next one and just get lost in a hole.”
Jenna Jaureguy, EBRPL collection development librarian
Stein also suggests readers pinpoint the tropes they like, including second-chance romance, opposites attract, small-town setting or haters-to-lovers.
Once you find your lane, there’s plenty to work with. Some romance novelists write under multiple pen names, and many turn out series that keep fans eager for each new release, says Jenna Jaureguy, EBRPL collection development librarian.
“A reader can read the next one and the next one and just get lost in a hole—like I did personally during COVID with the Bridgerton series,” Jaureguy says.
Serious fiction readers might scoff at the romance genre, but that’s not stopping diehards. Jaureguy says they’ve gobbled up not just physical books, but e-books and audiobooks, too. In fact, Goodreads’ winner for the 2024 Readers’ Favorite Audiobook was Henry’s Funny Story, which was also the popular reading cataloging site’s winner for Readers’ Favorite Romance.
“I think a lot of the stigma has gone away,” Jaureguy says. “And at libraries, we just want our patrons to have what they like.”
“It’s fun,” she continues. “These are books people are enjoying and talking about a lot.”
Celebrate friendship this year at the Main Library for Galentine’s Day
Friday, Feb. 14
Movies on the Plaza, Galentine’s Day Edition Main Library at Goodwood
5 p.m.: Pre-movie events include Not So Regular Cookies and S.A.B.’s Snoballs, a nail bar, line dancing and a friendship bracelet station, plus “furry dates” with adoptable pets from Companion Animal Alliance.
7 p.m.: Screening of Now and Then age film celebrating friendship
Compiled by Gracelyn Farrar
MODESTO TACOS Tequila Whiskey expanded in December into the 1,600-square-foot space next door to make room for an upper-scale dining area that can be closed off for private events. The hacienda-inspired expansion, dubbed the Mezcaleria, was designed by Anne McCanless and Helene Dellocono with Texture BR and features natural wood tables, pops of brass and Saltillo floor tiles. Modesto’s same menu will be served in the space, but the bar will feature high-end tequila brands. eatmodesto.com
The Emporium Signature Spa was slated to open a second location last month at 334 Third St. downtown between Squeaky Pete’s and The Basin Music Hall. The business was located downtown for years before moving to Mid City in 2022 and is returning to its roots, per customer requests. theemporiumbr.com
Micro-bakery Honey Bee
Baking Co. opened its first storefront last month in Port Allen. Founder Kait Culy left her career in chemical manufacturing to launch her business in 2022 and is known for her king cakes, Biscoff blondies and behemoth cupcakes called baby cakes. kaitbakes.com
After closing last fall, the former Spanish Town cafe and market Belli announced plans to reopen this spring under new ownership and with a new name: Spanish Town Market & Cofe. The business is located in the historic building once home to Capitol Grocery. Find it on Instagram at @spanishtownmarket_cofe
For nearly a century, the Landry family has been serving up Louisiana’s finest seafood and hospitality at Don’s Seafood. Founded in the years following Prohibition, what began with Don Landry Sr. serving beer and Cajun dishes to friends has grown into a beloved restaurant empire spanning six locations across the state.
“My grandfather, Don Landry, was the ultimate people person,” says Dawn Landry LaBorde, Don’s granddaughter and a current partner in the business. “He paid attention to every detail, from making sure the coffee was brewed fresh to going out and chatting with every table. That personal touch is something we’ve carried on through the generations.”
That commitment to customer service is a point of pride for the Landry family. Whether it’s a longtime regular or a firsttime visitor, the staff at Don’s treats each guest like family. “We have employees who have been with us for over 40 years,” says LaBorde. “They know our guests by name and go above and beyond to make sure everyone feels at home.”
Sourcing the freshest local seafood has also been a hallmark of Don’s Seafood since the beginning. “We’re surrounded by the Gulf, so why would we ever look elsewhere for our crawfish, shrimp, oysters and fish?” LaBorde explains. “Our vendors are like family - we’ve been working with some of them for over 60
years. It’s important to us to support the local economy and preserve those Louisiana traditions.”
That focus on community and tradition extends beyond the kitchen. The Landry family has deep roots in Acadiana, with Don Landry himself hailing from a family of 11 siblings, all of whom were involved in the business in some capacity. Today, the company is run by a tight-knit operations team, whom LaBorde describes more as brothers than business partners, including Ray Stonemark, James Hebert, Austin Flowers and Jacob Allen. The team is also supported by Don Landry II, Tracy Landry and Mike Landry.
“We’re not a corporate chain - we’re a family business through and through,” says LaBorde. “Yes, we’ve grown to multiple locations, but the core values that my grandfather instilled are still at the heart of everything we do. We look out for each other, we listen to our guests, and we continue to celebrate the Cajun culture that’s so important to this region.”
As Don’s Seafood looks ahead to the next 90 years, LaBorde sees a future filled with continued growth and expansionbut always with a focus on maintaining that family-owned feel. “We want to keep growing, but in a way that allows us to stay true to our roots,” she says. “Whether it’s opening new restaurants or supporting our long-time employees, our goal is to keep this business in the family for generations to come.”
FOR YEARS, he’s been the driver of the Krewe of Southdowns’ signal vehicle—the guy in the parade’s first truck who sets a slow and careful pace for the procession of floats.
She’s been a founding member of the parade’s quirky Stranger Krewe, a walking troupe of enthusiasts who riff on the Netflix show Stranger Things, among other pop culture references, to inspire their themed costumes and dance moves.
But this year, Keith Bonnette and Cathy Raborn are taking a break from those roles to serve as the king and queen of the Krewe of Southdowns. From high atop their float, they’ll toss beads and throws to the thousands gathered throughout the neighborhood as the city’s original night parade rolls Friday, Feb. 28.
“I was so surprised to be named king,” says Bonnette, a Baton Rouge native and mechanical engineer involved in the parade since 1992, five years after its founding. Bonnette and his LSU friends operated a float in the parade until 1997, when he began driving the lead truck.
Starting at Glasgow Middle School, the familyfriendly favorite sneaks through Southdowns to its final destination in the Acadian Perkins Plaza shopping center. Its well-known wacky creativity is expressed through traditional floats, a troupe of torch-toting flambeaux, and various walking and dancing groups in illuminated garb.
“I have to say, it was a bucket list goal of mine,” Raborn says of being anointed queen. Raborn got involved in the parade after she and her husband, Mike, returned to Baton Rouge from Atlanta in 1994. They bought a house near the parade route then and were thrilled to resume living in a place steeped in Carnival culture. Residing in Georgia, the two had gotten involved in a krewe, but it wasn’t the same.
“You’d throw throws and nobody would know what to do,” Raborn says. “They’d just stand there and let them hit them in the head.”
“We love the Southdowns parade,” Raborn continues. “It’s a great social event for Baton Rouge.”
This year’s theme is “Safari,” but Raborn is mum on what that might mean for her queen’s costume.
“People will just have to come out and see,” she says. “It may be typical, and it may be something completely off the wall.” southdowns.org
—MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON
More than just running, Varsity Sports’ Baton Rouge Run Group has helped locals find love, friendships and community
BY OLIVIA DEFFES // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE
Ryan Williamson and Jessica
who met through a local running group, at their favorite spot for a date night, Superior Grill Highland
JESSICA DISON and Ryan Williamson weren’t looking for love when they joined Varsity Sports’ Baton Rouge Run Group.
“I was terrified to show up (to my first run),” Dison says. “I was shaking and so nervous. And I showed up on a Valentine’s Day run, actually.”
Instead, Dison remembers quickly forming a group of friends.
“Somebody’s going to talk to you, and somebody’s going to be there for any questions that you have and take you in with open arms,” she says.
But in 2023, Dison remembers spotting Williamson for the first time on a run around the Hundred Oaks neighborhood. She says he totally caught her eye.
At the time, Williamson was taken. Dison didn’t think anything would come from her crush. But after Williamson found himself single again, he and Dison got to know each other through outof-breath running conversations and post-workout hangs.
The young runners eventually began dating. And last fall, Williamson ran all 26.2 miles of the Chicago Marathon with an engagement ring in his pocket, proposing to Dison at the finish line—and inadvertently backing up the viral social media trend that claims running groups have become the “new” dating apps.
“I knew I had to incorporate running into the engagement because it’s so important to us,” Williamson says. “It’s how we met. It’s kind of like our lifeblood. … Running is a good motivator and driver. And if you share (that), I feel like you’re automatically closer.”
There’s nothing new about this trend, according to Varsity Sports owner Jenni Peters. Dison and Williamson’s love story is one of many she’s seen blossom since organizing the group around 25 years ago.
an understatement. … And, I don’t think any one of them will tell you that they joined a running group to meet girls or meet boys or get married and have kids.”
Just like Dison and Williamson, husbandand-wife duo Andrew and Katie Brouillette first ran into each other through the local club. Katie joined the group in 2016, while Andrew had been running with Varsity Sports off and on since middle school.
proposed to Dison at the Chicago Marathon finish line.
Aside from the love stories, Peters says the group is responsible for starting countless friendships, too. Member Claire Cashio can attest. Since joining the group in 2019, she’s gained a close-knit group of friends who she’s traveled nationally and internationally with to compete in races like the Boston Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Sydney Marathon and others. They keep in touch weekly through texts, lunch dates and, of course, runs.
“Hindsight’s 20/20, obviously. ... I did not know (the group) would have the lasting impact that it did until I started getting more involved,” Andrew says.
Today, the couple continues to participate in the club’s outings, though they might be running behind a stroller carrying their toddler, Jude.
“I just love the fact that I run with all different types of people that I would not come into contact with in my normal circles,” Cashio says. “I’m running with people with all different backgrounds and ages and genders, and we just talk while we’re running, which I know sounds ridiculous, but we do.”
Dison says joining the group has allowed her to connect with more people than she would have met on her own. Like Cashio, she too has found friends through the group, some of whom will stand as her bridesmaids next winter.
Though most in the group join to meet personal goals or get ready for a race, Peters says almost all have found a sense of community, too. She plans for the club’s meetings to start and end at local businesses to allow members to grab breakfast, dinner or a drink together after the runs.
Members of the run club have also formed multiple sub-groups. Some offer an extra running day, while others focus on other interests like reading, crafting or just socializing.
“I know there are probably at least a dozen people that have gotten together, and many of them ultimately married (through the run group),” Peters says. “That’s probably
Five run groups in the Capital Region
Varsity Sports Baton Rouge Run Group
Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m., locations vary varsityrunning.com
“You meet people who are like-minded and interested in the same things as you,” Katie says of the run group. “So, yeah, I think it’s a great way to meet people, make friends, and even find a boyfriend or a girlfriend.”
Happy’s Running Club
Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m., downtown Baton Rouge Find it on Facebook
Baton Rouge Run Club
Wednesdays and Saturdays, times and locations vary Find it on Instagram
Many of Varsity Sports’ runners admit that, like Dison, they too felt nervous and intimidated to join for their first group run. But, they all encourage anyone who is interested to show up, saying that someone in the group will scoop them up along the way or chat for the distance.
Finding new friends, or even lovers, might be just as easy as putting one foot in front of the other and taking a leap, or jog, of faith.
Le Chien Running Club
Thursdays at 6 p.m., starting at 101 S. Hummell St. in Denham Springs Find it on Facebook
Baton Rouge Sunday Social Running Club Sundays at 4:30 p.m., locations vary Find it on Facebook
Number of glorious days in this year’s Carnival season, which began Jan. 6 and runs through March 4
BYPHOTOS RICHIECOLLIN
HOW THE CAPITAL REGION DOES CARNIVAL: 35+ KING CAKES TO TRY, FROM SWEET TO SAVORY
Tracing the roots of Baton Rouge’s tasty take on the centuries-old pastry
BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON
ONE OF THE biggest upsides to a lengthy Carnival season like this year’s is the extra time it affords for sampling the ever-growing variety of king cakes. Made famous in New Orleans and once flavored only with cinnamon, king cakes are now sold in every corner of Louisiana (and beyond) in countless interpretations.
It’s no surprise. Rooted in the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, king cakes have been shape-shifting for millennia.
Their continued evolution in Baton Rouge is just part of their story. It’s fair to say the Red Stick was once a Carnival wasteland. But that slowly started to change around the mid’70s, when the city’s longest running parade, Krewe Mystique de la Capitale, was born. By the 1980s, two of the city’s biggest parades had arrived, with Spanish Town in 1981 and Southdowns in 1987.
Parades invited king cakes. Toward the end of the decade, king cakes emerged as area bakeries started seeing their commercial viability, says Gambino’s Bakery - Baton Rouge manager Angella St. Romain, a baking industry veteran since the ’70s.
In the late ’80s, she was working at a small bakery in Breaux Bridge when she attended a king cake workshop hosted by a trade organization at now-closed Baum’s Fine Pastries in Baton Rouge.
“At the time, no one was selling king cakes outside of New Orleans,” she says. “I remember bringing the idea back to my owner, and she said, ‘Nobody’s going to buy king cakes.’” St. Romain pursued it anyway—and sold nearly 200 that year.
1980S
King cakes migrate from the Crescent City to the Capital City. Gambino’s Bakery – Baton Rouge is one of the first in the area to sell them.
The Ambrosia Bakery’s traditional king cake with cinnamon and sugar is one of its top sellers.
It was a sign of things to come. Around the same time, New Orleans-based Gambino’s decided to open a Baton Rouge location. (St. Romain would go to work for it in 2002.) Owner Sam Scelfo began looking at expanding the store’s famed king cakes into Baton Rouge, where the pastry wasn’t yet widely consumed.
“I remember Sam saying, ‘This market is wide open,’” St. Romain says. “He saw an opportunity. ... It really took off.”
By the late ’80s, Gambino’s was selling large numbers of king cakes in Baton Rouge.
In December 1993, native New Orleanians Felix and Cheryl Sherman opened The Ambrosia Bakery. They rolled out king cakes in January 1994, says their son, Felix Sherman Jr., who operates the store today.
The seasonal business has become a key component of the bakery’s identity.
Ambrosia expects to sell 20,000 king cakes this year. Traditional, strawberry cream cheese and a recent upstart, Bavarian cream, are top sellers. So is Ambrosia’s signature Zulu King Cake, introduced in the late ’90s with a formula of coconut, cream cheese and chocolate.
Businesses like Gambino’s and Ambrosia still occupy a big part of the Capital Region king cake universe, but these days, they have a lot more competition.
Nearly every grocery store in town sells king cakes. Smaller specialty bakeries like CounterspaceBR and Eloise Market and Cakery
The Ambrosia Bakery has been making king cakes since January 1994.
have become known for their originality, while bougie caterer Gourmet Girls turns out highend king and queen cakes with intricate details. The evolution continues with artisan bakers like Yaya’s Blooms & Dough, Mid City Bakery and Honey Bee Baking Co. elbowing in with small-batch formulas.
And the New Orleans migration lives on, with the arrival of famed Dong Phuong king cakes a few years ago at a handful of retailers like Sweet Society, Saigon Hong Kong Seafood Market, Pho Café, Bao Asian Market and A&J’s Coffee Bean.
“There are just so many places to buy king cakes these days,” St. Romain says. “It’s really grown.” ambrosiabakery.com and gambinos.com
You’re free to live your life out loud! Because you’ve got the compassion of the cross, the security of the shield, and the comfort of Blue behind you.
BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON
SINCE ITS 2021 opening, Eloise Market and Cakery has become known for turbocharged sweets that appeal to your inner child. It’s no surprise its banana pudding king cake is one of its top-sellers.
“It came from our banana pudding cookie,” founder and owner MJ Schmidt Burr says. “People really loved it, and we thought it would make a good filling.”
No matter how hard purists might push back, fruit-filled variations like this one are now firmly embedded in the king cake canon. From apple to pineapple and from berries to bananas, fruit fillings are a common accomplice to king cake’s hardy, not-too-sweet brioche dough.
During Carnival season, Burr and her team make brioche dough every morning, allowing it to rise twice before baking. For a banana pudding king cake, Burr flips a baked ring upside down and pierces its surface to pipe in scratch-made banana pudding.
“The consistency is a little bit thicker than typical pudding,” she says.
Fancy filled king cakes usually have a visual tell, and Eloise’s banana pudding version is no exception. Its surface is painted with more pudding, and crushed and whole vanilla wafers.
“The cookies give it extra texture,” Burr says.
The shop has sold king cakes since early 2023, and it also offers king cake baking classes throughout the season. But this year, Burr says she’s rolling out a new and improved brioche.
The new pastry debuted at the Fête Rouge chef’s competition last August. Her cream cheese pecan king cake, filled with crushed pecans, cinnamon sugar and cream cheese, and smeared with cream cheese and caramel praline frostings, took second place.
“We’re really excited about this new recipe,” she says. “We’ve received excellent feedback.” eloisemarket.com
Caramel apple heath king cake from OAK POINT FRESH MARKET
Oak Point’s rabid fans now have a St. George location (the former Perkins Road Calandro’s Supermarket) to source its king cakes—already wildly popular in Watson and Central—like this carnivalmeets-Carnival flavor. oakpointmarket.com
Chocolate-covered strawberry king cake from THEE HEAVENLY DONUT
Find deep-fried, doughnut-style king cakes here in lots of fruit flavors. There’s not only strawberry but chocolate-covered strawberry, too. Find it on Facebook
Lemon-filled king cake from ROUSES MARKETS
Lemon-filled cinnamon dough is draped in white icing and dyed sugars. rouses.com
Blackberry cream cheese king cake from ALEXANDER’S MARKETS
Blackberries meet traditional cream cheese filling in this ode to one of Louisiana’s favorite fruits. alexandersmkt.com
FEBRUARY 7 6PM - 8PM
Sourdough king cake, anyone? Local bakeries like St. Bruno are rolling out modern takes on the classic treat
BY OLIVIA DEFFES
LAST MARDI GRAS season, St. Bruno Bread Co. owner Steven Gottfried threw his hat into the king cake ring, debuting massive braided beasts. And they immediately had a viral moment.
While most of those who indulged in a cake from Gottfried tore into it in the privacy of their own homes, ESPN newscasters did so on national television. Gottfried baked up a beauty to be presented during coverage of LSU Women’s Basketball’s matchup against South Carolina. But, instead of taking a slice, the anchors began mutilating the cake in search of the plastic baby inside. (Guess no
one told them what happens if you find it.)
Gottfried watched in horror, a moment his wife caught on video. That clip has over 4 million views on the bakery’s Instagram and prompted an apology from ESPN’s Elle Duncan.
“Any press is good press,” Gottfried says today. “Especially as a brand-new business ... it definitely helped get some brand recognition.”
Perhaps Gottfried will carry that buzz into this season. Just like his quest to make “better bread,” Gottfried elevated his king cake recipe with a sourdough brioche mixture that makes the cakes more flavorful and a little easier to digest for those indulging in one slice too many.
St. Bruno goes the extra mile—the cinnamon is ground in-house, the thick cream cheese frosting is made with locally sourced vanilla, and a dusting of purple, green and gold sprinkles is the final touch.
“One of the main perks of being a bakery in south Louisiana is you get to put your spin on king cakes,” Gottfried says. “People are interested, and they dig it.” stbrunobreadco.com
owner
Carnival Cake ice cream from GAIL’S FINE ICE CREAM
Here’s the scoop: Sweet cream ice cream is swirled with hunks of CounterspaceBR king cake, cream cheese buttercream bits and dashes of cinnamon. It’s all finished off with a dusting of hand-dyed, purple, green and gold sugar. gailsfineicecream.com
Glittery king cakes from SUCRÉ
The NOLA-born cakes are enjoying their first official Carnival in Baton Rouge. If Sucré’s shimmering cakes look too pretty to eat, a bite into the pockets of whipped cream cheese filling may convince you otherwise. shopsucre.com
King cake cookies and cookie king cakes from CAROLINE’S COOKIES
Cookie, meet king cake. King cake, meet cookie. The popular cookie shop’s king cake cookies come in flavors like cream cheese king cake, pecan cream cheese king cake, Bavarian cream king cake, blueberry cream cheese king cake and Biscoff king cake. Or, grab a ring-shaped cookie cake in the same flavors. eatcarolinescookies.com
Number of king cakes St. Bruno sold during its inaugural king cake season. This year, the bakery aims to double production. Find them at Cannatella Grocery, Iverstine Butcher, Red Stick Spice Co. and Rally Cap Brewing Co. And with a limited supply, don’t tear into your cake all at once.
King cake pie from ELSIE’S PLATE & PIE
If any establishment could harness the essence of Carnival into a pie, it’s Elsie’s. It starts with a gooey, marshmallowy Cinnamon Toast Crunch crust. Fluffy scoops of chilled cream cheese filling follow. elsiespies.com
Pull Apart King Cake from TREDICI BAKERY
When I dip, you dip. We dip! Tredici’s monkey bread-inspired dessert is designed for dipping and dunking slices in the sweet frosting bowl in the middle of the cake. tredicibakery.com
Savory takes the cake with Rock-n-Sake’s seafoodstudded Carnival creation
BY JILLIAN ELLIOTT
GIVEN THE ONLINE craze for sushi pizzas, burritos and doughnuts, the sushi king cake was inevitable. The idea came to Rock-n-Sake co-owner Dirk Dantin one morning, and after a little experimentation and a social media post, a modern Mardi Gras tradition was born in 2018.
Now, Rock-n-Sake makes 300400 sushi king cakes each season between its Baton Rouge, Metairie and Lafayette locations. The cakes often sell out, especially on big weekends like Super Bowl Sunday.
“The first layer is rice,” Dantin says. “Then, in the middle is some snowkrab and a little cream cheese. It’s topped with rice again, and pressed into a box mold.”
The cream cheese-filled rice “cake” is then artfully decorated in sections inspired by Rock-nSake’s most popular rolls. Each of the four corners is dressed with more krab and avocado. The remaining ends get generous layers of torched salmon, yellowtail and tuna—both sliced and spicy—along with toppings like tobiko, tempura flakes and jalapeños. Rest assured, the classic sushi sauces, ponzu, soy sauce and more, are served on the side with wasabi and ginger.
With raw and cooked fish, the 16-slice creation is priced at $100.
The process can be time-consuming, so Rock-n-Sake limits the number its sushi chefs make a day.
“Usually, we cap it at seven or eight a day,” Dantin says. “On the weekends, we’ll offer 10.”
Despite its popularity, Dantin recognizes that some king cake purists may be hesitant.
“People look at it as just this sushi item that we made just to look like a king cake, and it’s kind of like a joke,” he says.
more savory cakes
Boudin king cake from CITY PORK
The boudin king cake is a tradition in its own right, and City Pork’s is covered in pepper jelly, bacon and cracklins. citypork.com
Southern Belle King Cake from CALANDRO’S SUPERMARKET
Double down on the cream cheese, maple and bacon in this grocery store delight. calandros.com
Jambalaya king cake from LAMENDOLA’S SUPERMARKET
Louisiana classics collide, with jambalaya and fried sausage. lamendolassuper market.com
King cake burger from MASON’S GRILL
King cakes stand in for buns, sandwiching a half-pound patty, bacon and brie cheese. masonsgrill.com
Maple bacon king cake from THEE HEAVENLY DONUT
Meet in the middle with a maple bacon fried doughnut king cake. theeheavenly donut.com
But, he contends that the sushi king cake is more than the sum of its parts. The unique king cake format offers multiple flavor combinations and travels well.
If you’re looking to switch up the next king cake party, consider picking up a savory option. After all, as Dantin says, “How many sweet, frosted king cakes can someone have?” rocknsake.com
At Our Lady of the Lake Health, we’re not just setting the standard — we are elevating it. From lifesaving cardiovascular treatments to groundbreaking heart research, what we do today is what others will strive to imitate tomorrow.
Our Lady of the Lake Heart & Vascular Institute brings the highest level of care to a single, healing environment. With input from physicians, nurses and clinical experts, we ensure patients receive the full continuum of care in one private, comfortable space.
Our mission guides us, and a spirit of excellence propels us — because the communities we are privileged to serve deserve nothing less.
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Mardi Gras trends shift through the seasons—and can often be tracked through the grocery
By Jennifer Tormo Alvarez
GROWING UP, BRANDON Trosclair’s definition of a king cake was the one he was raised on from Ralph’s Market. His father worked at the Gonzales grocer, and at 15, Trosclair began pulling the Carnival overnight shift, too.
He discovered the art of baking the filling inside of the dough, which he says can give the pastries a flatter appearance but is also what keeps them moist. He learned how to airbrush the frosting, delicately painting the surface with icing. And then he finally tried a king cake from a different bakery, biting into a crunchy exterior of granulated sugar. His worldview was shaken.
Every local bakery or grocery store has its own POV when it comes to Carnival. And residents’ standards for how a king cake should look and taste are set at an early age, often shaped by the familiarity of the dessert they have easiest access to: the ones boxed at their community supermarket.
But in the era of social media, the lure of a specialty flavor is just as effective at erasing neighborhood borders.
Trosclair, today the owner of Ralph’s, recalls when its king cake lineup brought a customer from Alexandria to the store.
“She bought four,” he says. “The grocery business is so competitive. But if you create something special … it brings people from all over.” King cakes now connect grocers
with customers around the globe. Ralph’s ships worldwide during Mardi Gras. It’s an interesting study on regional preferences, Trosclair says. Ralph’s No. 1 online seller is apple cream cheese pecan, which isn’t as popular in-store.
In Mid City, Calandro’s Supermarket bakes 18,000 to 24,000 king cakes yearly, depending on the length of the season.
“King cakes are a huge draw that get people to flock to the stores. Most of (a grocer’s) customers are going to be around the immediate area,” says Blaise Calandro III, store manager at Calandro’s. “People come from Lafayette or New Orleans to get our king cakes.”
Instead of a traditional ring shape, Calandro’s makes a heftier pastry with a smaller hole in the center. It’s more real estate to load with goodness like cream cheese, figs or apples. Calandro’s offers over 50 flavors, including 22 labeled as “gourmet”—think: a boozy bananas foaster, or ZuZu, encrusted with chocolate, coconut flakes and pecans.
Around 2010, Calandro says the store began to lean in to its gourmet collection, decorating cakes with crumbles of Italian cookies and drizzles of peanut butter or chocolate.
“Now, other grocery stores will do gourmet flavors. I think that’s where the Baton Rouge scene kind of split itself from the New Orleans-style, big-ring, citrusy king cake,” he says.
And in 2025, the doubleand triple-digit lists of flavors at Capital Region grocers appears to be a winning formula.
Ralph’s hires around 20 extra staffers between its locations to keep up with Carnival demand. The Calandro’s bakery team logs extra hours.
“It’s kind of like their Super Bowl. … They go to town for these two months,” Calandro says. “That’s part of the reason we don’t do king cakes outside of Mardi Gras. By time Fat Tuesday rolls around, they’ve been going hard all season. It also makes the king cakes we do this season so special. It builds demand and rarity.” ralphsag.com and calandros.com
ZuZu King Cake from Calandro’s Supermarket
Turtle king cake from HI NABOR SUPERMARKET
Bavarian cream, chocolate and cream cheese ooze from the center of this salty-sweet treat, slathered with rich chocolate ganache, caramel and sprinkles of pecans. hinabor.com
Tres leches king cake from IDEAL MARKET
A milkly, vanilla cake is stuffed with cream cheese and smeared with fluffy whipped cream and purple, green and gold icing. Watch for rosca de reyes, a wreath-shaped Carnival pastry enjoyed in Latin American countries on Jan. 6. idealmarket.com
Almond wedding cake king cake from MATHERNE’S MARKET
Slivers of almonds dance atop this king cake coated in a nutty frosting. mathernes.com
Local bakeries are creating allergy-friendly Carnival confections—because everyone deserves to indulge
By Olivia Deffes
CINNAMON, SUGAR, ICING, sprinkles, plastic babies … and psyllium husk?
The soluble fiber might not be a common king cake element. But, for CounterspaceBR owner Sarah Joy Hays, it’s the key ingredient for a gluten-free version. Hays regularly offers glutenfree cupcake, cookie and breakfast burrito tortilla options. So naturally, the requests for a modified king cake eventually came rolling in. Hays started experimenting a few years ago. But after an honest and unfavorable
review of a test cake from a friend with celiac disease, Hays knew mastering the gluten-free recipe would be anything but a cakewalk.
“The vegan one’s actually a lot easier for us. We’re just able to make a couple of swaps,” she explains. “The gluten-free one is not even just a straight cup-forcup blend. We blend four or five different types of gluten-free flour and add in the psyllium husk.”
Last season, Hays debuted CounterspaceBR’s gluten-free cakes after she stumbled upon psyllium husk on a gluten-free baking blog.
She says a small amount mixed with water creates a gelatinous mixture to give the delicate dough the structure it needs to mimic that gluten-filled texture. The result is a king cake sans gluten—that still tastes like a regular one.
“We’re hoping to be able to meet the dietary needs of more people in town,” Hays says. “Not everything gluten-free is good. So, we want to make sure that we’re making not just a gluten-free option but a good gluten-free option.”
In 2024, CounterspaceBR pumped out over 1,700 festive cakes. Somewhere between eight to 12 of those per day were gluten-free—and they always sold. Hays and her team also ship a ton of cakes, including vegan and gluten-free ones. Last year, CounterspaceBR’s king cakes made it to all 50 states along with Mexico, and some European countries.
This long Carnival season, Hays encourages customers, especially those needing a special king cake,
Paleo king cakes from MAGPIE CAFE
A small amount of psyllium husk mixed with water produces a gelatinous mixture that helps CounterspaceBR’s dough mimic a gluten-filled texture.
Gluten-free king cakes from ELOISE MARKET AND CAKERY
Eat Fit King Cake from OCHSNER HEALTH
Gluten-free, vegan king cake cupcakes from MJ’S CAFE
to order ahead online to ensure they can nab one, regardless of restrictions or allergies.
Issue Date: Feb 2025 Ad proof #2
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Coconut shavings dyed with beets, turmeric and matcha stand in for sprinkles. There is a vegan version, too. magpiebrla.com
Offered in traditional cinnamon or filled with cream cheese. eloisemarket.com
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https://www.canva.com/design/DAGb1KLltn4/tF9cM_8U76z9cmO
QVgmj8A/edit?utm_content=DAGb1KLltn4&utm_campaign=de signshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
This one checks all the boxes: gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, zero-sugar, keto and dairy-free. ochsner.org/eat-fit
Like a single-serving version of the real thing, these cinnamon cupcakes are stuffed with a pecan praline filling. mjscafebr.com
gimmegimmeboutique@gmail.com
“This is the season of gluttony and eating it all and drinking it all and wild revelry,” Hays says. “And so to make sure that everyone can be included in that, it’s really exciting. Because no one should have to be giving up king cake during the most festive season of the year.” counterspacebr.com
Perfume and cologne brand Bayou Aroma helps locals formulate their own fragrances
BY OLIVIA DEFFES // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE
Bayou Aroma owner
Catherine Montour
FRAGRANCE SAMPLES spilling out of fashion magazines and bottles clouding up department stores have long sought to lure consumers sniffing out a signature scent. But perfume layering, a trend that has blown up in the past few years, is changing the market.
The idea is to spritz fragrances over each other for a custom scent. Publications like Vogue have outlined how to try it, while brands like Nest and Jo Malone sell sets with sample-sized bottles designed for layering.
In Baton Rouge, new local biz Bayou Aroma allows customers to layer their favorite notes in one fragrance for a unique perfume—no mass-produced bottles required.
It launched last year as Perfume Parties, growing a following through events. Now with new owner Catherine Montour and a new name, Bayou Aroma is carting its private parties and pop-ups around town. From an arsenal of scented oils, alcohol bases, bottles and roller balls, shoppers concoct one-of-a-kind fragrances.
“I kind of came up with the idea that it’s Louisiana based, so like that (double meaning) of like, bayou—but also it’s by you,” Montour says.
Montour stocks a collection of over 150 scents. Some are fruity and floral, like apple, pear, lavender and jasmine, while others lean musky and sweet like amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and tobacco and bay leaf.
Montour helps customers mix and match their own scent, and she can even help them create dupes of popular or rare scents. She knows deciding on a personal fragrance is a big commitment. If the notes are wrong or the ratio feels off, she’ll let clients adjust or even start over for a perfect perfume or cologne.
“I think people get excited about the fact that nobody else is going to smell like this,” Montour says. “So often you find a product, and then that product becomes a trend. But this is something that’s not trendy. … It’s uniquely you. You’re going to walk away with something that nobody else has.” bayouaroma.com
1Customers smell their way through Montour’s collection in between sniffs of ground coffee to reset the olfactory system.
2 Montour plays scientist using pipettes to add the liquid to either a tube or a bottle. Bayou Aroma’s customers are allowed up to 10 milliliters of oils.
3 She fastens a rollerball or spray nozzle to the custom fragrance.
When it opened 20 years ago, Towne Center at Cedar Lodge changed Baton Rouge’s retail landscape
LIKE MANY NATIVE Baton Rougeans, developer Stephen Keller started his career in Texas and moved back home to raise his family. When he returned in 1999, he’d make frequent drives to the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to fly into corporate offices in Houston. He’d often drive past the Witter family’s Live Oak Arabians horse farm on Jefferson Highway.
“It was 60 acres in the center of town that the roads all went around,” Keller remembers. “I was familiar with the developments in Houston. It took me a while to put stuff together. … I approached the family with a deal.”
several iconic national brands calling it home. It has helped set the standard for lifestyle and retail developments in the Capital Region over the last two decades.
Keller’s Creekstone Companies bought 48 acres along the eastern edge of Phil Witter’s Jefferson Highway property in 2003 and started construction. The name of the lifestyle development—Towne Center at Cedar Lodge—is a tip of the hat to Cedar Lodge Plantation, the former name of the grounds.
BY HOLLY DUCHMANN
Patrons can also shop from a collection of Louisiana retailers like The Queen Bee, The Tipsy Librarian and Rickey Heroman’s Florist & Gifts.
One notable aspect of the center, Keller says, is that there is no back to the property—there’s open-air shopping on both sides, with stores stretching outward along Jefferson Highway and Corporate Boulevard as well as toward the inner center of the development.
Birthday cards As 225 celebrates its 20th anniversary year, we’ll also be spotlighting other organizations and businesses celebrating milestones in 2025.
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That deal would become Towne Center at Cedar Lodge, a shopping center built on the grounds of the horse farm. Today, it hosts nearly seven dozen businesses, with
• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hrs from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.
Specialty foods supermarket Whole Foods opened its doors to anchor the center in November of 2005, while other iconic national brands such as Nike, Ulta Beauty, White House Black Market and a variety of chain and local restaurants would ultimately round out the tenant mix.
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No longer Spanish mosscovered grounds for grazing horses, Towne Center has expanded over the years to feature banking and financial services offices, a business park and a hotel on the 30-acre property.
While ground broke more than 20 years ago on the project, the
lifestyle development continues to grow.
This year, construction is set to begin on The Standard at Cedar Lodge, a 286-apartment community to be located behind the restaurants.
“We can have people who live in Towne Center,” Keller says, “and experience walking to the restaurants and retail—and have the full experience of the community.” townecenteratcedarlodge.com
78
Number of businesses located in Towne Center
9
Number of eateries shoppers can choose from, with Zea Rotisserie & Bar as the most recent opening
$110 million+ Tenant sales in 2023
698,000
Estimated number of people who visit Towne Center each year, accounting for 3.5 million visits
Sources: Commercial real estate firm JLL, Stephen Keller
11AM-10PM
When you need a mammogram, is your krewe.
Before you join the second line this Mardi Gras season, take care of your rst line of defense—your mammogram. At Woman’s, we combine cutting-edge 3D mammography technology with expert care to detect cancers at their earliest stages. Schedule your mammogram today, so you can keep your parade rolling for all the seasons to come.
Call your OB/GYN to schedule a mammogram or visit womans.org/mammogram.
The women in these pages are mentors, role models, advocates and successful professionals who inspire the people around them every day.
“
Dr. Eggadi is truly fabulous. She took the time to ask questions to familiarize herself with my medical history. She was easy to talk to, and she talked TO me not AT me, which is so refreshing. I’ve already recommended her to several people and will continue to do so.
—ANNA B.
“ “ Absolutely love Dr. Montcalm. She has such a great bedside manner. I could not be more pleased with how she handled my son. He felt at ease the entire time we were there and we just knew we were getting the best care possible. Thank you for being amazing!
—AMANDA R.
“Love Dr. Talbot! She is the best doctor I have ever had. She actually listens to your concerns and offers excellent care options. She goes above and beyond to make sure you receive excellent treatment. In my experience, woman doctors are much more compassionate, caring, and listen to your symptoms and concerns.
—TERRI J. “
“I give thanks to Stephanie Frederic. She decided to do a biopsy of a bump I had. I got a phone call from her a week later and it was cancer and had to be removed. She did a fantastic job of not letting this go and staying on top of it. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her!
—STEVE M. “
Anne Nowak describes herself as “curious.” Curious about other people’s stories, new places to travel and new experiences to try. Her kids’ interest in soccer has become her own after spending weekends at the soccer field for the past 12 years, and she is enjoying watching them develop into young adults.
“I am very proud of the work we are doing at the Career Center,” she says. “We are helping so many people improve their lives by assisting them in finding new or better jobs, by coaching them to be their best selves and achieve their goals.” She has grown the Career Center from a onewoman shop to a six-person, award-winning department.
“I truly love what I do and get motivated by my clients’ success,” she says. “We hear many inspiring stories, and I see it as a privilege when people trust me with their stories and share them with me.”
FAVORITES
• Place to Travel: Germany
• Cause to Support: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Way to Relax: Watching travel vlogs on YouTube
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Swagat
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it.
– Martha Graham
DIETARY ASSESSMENT AND NUTRITION COUNSELING, PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL
Catherine Champagne is a detail-oriented workaholic who loves her job, making retirement far from any future plans. “My son once told me I needed a hobby and my response was, ‘work is my hobby.’” Interacting with colleagues fills her social life, but she also enjoys cooking for family gatherings.
A main source of pride for Catherine is her involvement in the development of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet. She is also involved in Pennington Biomedical’s annual Wellness Day for Women. “We do health screenings and talks relating to women,” she says. “We get a lot of repeat attendees, and many know my face as I am always there.”
FAVORITES
• Fashion Influence: Anything casual
• Place to Travel: California
• Cause to Support: Anything cancer-related
• Way to Relax: Staycations and vacations
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Mike Anderson’s
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
Nothing great is ever achieved without enduring much.
— St. Catherine of Siena
Emily C. LeBeau is a purpose driven leader who thrives on solving problems, building relationships and inspiring others to reach their full potential. “I approach challenges with authenticity, empathy and a touch of humor, because life is too short to take ourselves too seriously,” she says. Her two sons are the center of her world, and her family can often be found outdoors, testing new recipes in the kitchen or traveling.
As a senior consultant at Deloitte, Emily is proud of breaking into the “big 4” consulting world in her forties after 18 years in education. As president of Junior League, she champions initiatives that address health and education in our community and also founded Teach225 to recruit and retain educators in Baton Rouge. “I try to inspire others by leading with authenticity, sharing my own journey and encouraging them to embrace joy unapologetically,” she says.
Audrey Hepburn meets Olivia Pope
• Place to Travel: France
Bearded Warriors or Wounded Warriors
• Way to Relax: Running outside & cooking
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Jubans
The most common way people give up by thinking they don’t have any.
– Alice Walker
Passionate about and grateful for all moments of life, Denisse Velazco is ready to tackle any project with her husband and kids in tow. “I love to multitask,” she says. “As any restaurateur or entrepreneur would tell you, there’s always something, so we have to be ready to add on the unplanned things.”
Denisse’s passion for extraordinary food drives her, but she also cherishes an amazing connection with her restaurant team and guests. “It is the reason we continue to strive for excellence at the core of what we believe to be the culture of Mexican cuisine,” she says. “Being transparent about our journey and sharing my struggles and lessons learned is what I believe leads me to connect with others on a deeper level.”
• Fashion Influence: Carolina Herrera
• Place to Travel: Mexico
• Cause to Support: Children’s cancer services
• Way to Relax: Sipping on tequila after a long day at work
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Mansurs on the Boulevard
Puedes lograr lo que quieras en la vida con disciplina, imaginación y la confianza todo es posible.
You can achieve whatever you want in life with discipline, imagination and the confidence of knowing that everything is possible.
– Carolina Herrera
Driven and disciplined, Emily Katherine Trahan opened her first boutique location at age 19 and grew to three locations in three years. Her goldendoodle Millie is a fellow fashionista and accompanies her to work often. Emily Katherine was an Acadiana Lifestyle 2022 Stars of Style Honoree and a Daily 20 Under 40 Honoree. When not at the boutique, she can be found playing tennis or traveling.
“I enjoy encouraging and mentoring others in making entrepreneurship a career path that will create a positive impact on both society and the economy,” Emily Katherine says. She encouraged the first employee she hired to open her own business and then carried her products in the boutique to help her get established. “I’m extremely proud to have had a chance to watch her grow her business,” she says.
• Fashion Influence: Ralph Lauren
• Place to Travel: Paris
• Cause to Support: Wounded Warrior Project
• Way to Relax: Exercise
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Jubans
Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest whenwe cheer each other on.
– Serena Williams
Dr. Felicia D. Young is a connoisseur of beauty. “I find the beauty in things we overlook sometimes,” she says. Her outlook grew out of some tough times and a complete transformation of her life over the last 10 years. “I’ve had so much support that I want people to feel that support as well. We’re all going through something,” the mother of two says.
PASSION & PURPOSE
As founder and director of Higher Minds of Education, Felicia works with school districts around the state to make sure kids are prepared for college or a career. She earned her doctorate degree three years ago and created a platform, “Dr. Fe Speaks,” to offer a safe space where people can ask for help and achieve their goals no matter what’s going on in their lives. “I have endured a lot,” she says, “but now that I look backwards, I’m so happy because my life is completely different.”
FAVORITES
• Fashion Influence: Naomi Campbell
• Place to Travel: Rome
• Cause to Support: Front Yard Bikes
• Way to Relax: Going to the beach
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: J. Alexander
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
I stayed on my own path and did not follow the herd. I made a way for myself.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR, BOARD APPROVED SUPERVISOR AND PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, YOUNG COUNSELING & CONSULTING LLC
Victoria Young is always eager to learn and connect with others. She loves reading the thought-provoking works of Robert Greene and Tia Williams and giving back to her community in ways that uplift those less fortunate. She is grateful for her own spirited “rainbow daughter” and husband, who fill her home with love.
Victoria’s proudest moment was opening her private practice in 2022 and focusing her passion for prioritizing the woman’s perspective centered around reproductive loss, infertility, and sexual trauma. “My cause is making a difference by restoring dignity and hope in women who may not be able to access services that are readily available,” she says. Her volunteer work focuses on the Capital Area Alliance for Homeless.
FAVORITES
• Fashion Influence: Solange Knowles and Lupita Nyong’o
• Place to Travel: Roatan Island, Honduras
• Cause to Support: Capital Area Homeless Alliance
• Way to Relax: A cup of lemon and ginger tea, followed by a body balance massage
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Stroubes Seafood and Steaks
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
I have learned that when we give joyfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. Compassion is the key to understanding our shared humanity, and when we we create a world
filled with love and connection.
- Maya Angelou
Tami Turnley possesses a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which helped her start a gymnastics business at the age of 19. She now owns TJ Rental Properties as well as Ideal Weight Loss Solutions. Tami’s inner strength and perseverance make her a motivating weight-loss coach. “I’ve been through every emotion there is that causes us to stress eat, so I feel like I can relate to those dealing with the same,” she says. Tami’s proudest accomplishment is her two amazing sons.
PASSION & PURPOSE
“My continued faith inspires me. Helping others inspires me. I strive to be a better person each and every day,” Tami says. “My main goal is not only to help clients lose weight but to help them start believing in their own strength and realize they are better and stronger than their emotions.”
• Fashion Influence: Whatever I feel comfortable in
• Place to Travel: Europe
• Cause to Support: St. Lillian’s Academy
• Way to Relax: Watching Netflix on the couch in comfy sweats
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge:
WORDS TO LIVE BY
What if God is not doing this TO you, He’s doing this FOR you.
– Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis “
Mary Carlock has lived in Baton Rouge for 47 years and has been married for 40. She spends much of her time with her grandchildren, relishing the opportunity to mold the next generation and teach them generosity. With 20 years in sales and 8 years at Brecheen Pipe & Steel, Mary has carved out a successful career in a male-dominated industry. Her background in accounting laid the foundation for her ability to thrive in corporate sales.
Mary is all about lifting others up. “You have to be happy within if you want to be successful,” she says, emphasizing that personal fulfillment is key to success. She’s committed to guiding others and teaching them the importance of kindness and generosity. Inspired by her mother’s tireless work ethic and dedication to family, Mary strives to give her all in everything she does.
• Place to Travel: beaches to mountains—Mary and her husband love to travel together.
• Way to relax: book while sitting outside on the swing.
WORDS TO LIVE BY
“Let nothing that shines from within.
- Maya Angelou “
Whitney Boyd has never met a stranger. She was adopted at four months old from Seoul, South Korea and grew up in a small Alabama town, so her Southern accent breaks the ice immediately. “I love all walks of life and I think that radiates through what I do for the bank,” she says. She moved to Baton Rouge two and a half years ago with her family in support of her son’s love of baseball.
Whitney started working as a financial sales representative in banking out of college and worked her way up to being head of two branches, with a third in the process of opening in Baton Rouge. As part of Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, she speaks about financial literacy at places like domestic violence and homeless shelters. “If I can go and help one person have knowledge and education about their finances, then I’m going to do it,” she says.
• Fashion Influence: @Bobbiwiththeeye on Instagram
• Place to Travel: Boston
• Cause to Support: Steadfast Foundation Scrolling through TikTok on the couch
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Gino’s
At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.
– Frida Kahlo
Since taking the reins of Ruffino’s, Alison Rodrigue has dedicated herself to honoring the vision of her late husband and Ruffino’s founder, Ruffin Rodrigue. With a background in finance from LSU and years of experience on Wall Street, Alison brings both business acumen and a deep passion for hospitality to Ruffino’s. According to Alison, “I am most proud of how my family and the team at Ruffino’s has continued to grow and move forward.” When not in the restaurant, Alison can be found traveling, cooking, and playing tennis.
PASSION & PURPOSE
“I am continuously inspired by those who have survived and thrived after great loss and tragedy,” she says. Alison is proud to celebrate 25 years of “remarkable” at Ruffino’s and looks forward to continuing Ruffino’s tradition of “Celebrating Life” for future generations.
FAVORITES
• Fashion Influence: Jackie Kennedy
• Place to Travel: New York City
• Way to Relax: Being in nature
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Ruffino’s, of course!
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
Women have always been the strong ones of the world.
– Coco Chanel
Kanoa Jo married her high school sweetheart, whom she met at age 15 in 2007. Together, they have two children, ages 11 and 8, and enjoy painting and traveling as a family. She finds daily inspiration in her children’s innocence, saying, “It’s something we should all still strive to have.” Balancing her family life with her career, Kanoa is proud to lead a groundbreaking business that serves the community.
As the co-founder of Capitol Wellness Solutions, Louisiana’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Kanoa has been a trailblazer in expanding access to natural health care. With a second location serving the Baton Rouge region, Capitol is breaking barriers and challenging the stigma surrounding medical marijuana. The dispensary proudly supports a diverse community, with women being its most common patients, and stands as a trusted resource for those seeking effective, compassionate care. Kanoa’s dedication to education, empowerment and meaningful change drives both her success and the impact of Capitol Wellness Solutions.
• Place to Travel: Anywhere with her family, making memories together.
• Cause to support: American Heart AssociationLouisiana and OLOL Children’s Hospital
• Way to Relax: Painting with her children.
• Restaurant: Supper Club
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
– Mother Teresa.
Morgan Hilliard is a wife and mother of three—two daughters and a son—balancing family life with her role as executive director of the Thrive Foundation. A 14-year veteran of the Louisiana Air National Guard, Morgan is also a member of the Baton Rouge chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, Ellevate Louisiana, and serves as a board member of the Dow Westside YMCA. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, attending Lagree classes, binge watching Netflix, and exploring her creative side through crafting.
For Morgan, leading the Thrive Foundation is deeply personal—it’s where her passion and purpose meet. “When your work aligns with your mission in life, it feels more like a calling,” she explains. Inspired by her family, Morgan is dedicated to advancing Thrive Academy’s mission to remove barriers and empower students at one of the state’s only public boarding schools. Morgan secures resources that build a supportive ecosystem around the whole child. From free driver’s education and out-of-state field trips to safe living spaces and crisis support for families, the Thrive Foundation goes beyond meeting basic needs—it inspires confidence, resilience, and success.
Europe, especially The Netherlands Thrive Foundation and anything related to literacy.
Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: “Power lunch” from Ruth’s Chris is always a treat
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
With 15 years of practice as a Breast Surgical Oncologist, Dr. Bowie provides comprehensive care at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center for women battling breast cancer. She keeps lasting and close relationships with many of her patients. A native of Northeast Louisiana, Dr. Bowie is a mother of two. When she’s not in the operating room, she stays active with daily workouts at Orangetheory and enjoys tennis, water skiing, and snow skiing.
PASSION & PURPOSE
Dr. Bowie is deeply involved in the community, working with organizations like the ECHO Alliance, Breastoration, and Mammothons. “I have dedicated my life to surgically removing cancer in patients,” she says. Growing up on a farm in Northeast Louisiana, Dr. Bowie was the first generation in her family to attend college. Her message to young readers: “Work hard for everything you have. The more you put into something, the more you’ll appreciate it.”
FAVORITES
• Place to Travel: New Zealand or destinations with great snow skiing.
• Cause to Support: ECHO Alliance - A group of women impacting the lives of cancer patients at Mary Bird Perkins
• Favorite Restaurant in Baton Rouge: Gino’s – One of the oldest restaurants in Baton Rouge!
PERSONAL INSPIRATION
Do or do not. There is no try – Yoda
Thirty-three years and 13 locations after its founding, the Mediterranean powerhouse is more popular than ever
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at LSU offers an enriching environment where older adults can explore new interests, rekindle passions and stay physically and intellectually active. Through its diverse courses and community, OLLI nurtures the spirit of lifelong learning, helping members connect and remain engaged in the world around them. For those curious about how OLLI has impacted real lives, here are three inspiring stories from participants who have found new opportunities for growth, fun, and friendship. Whether it’s learning a new skill, connecting with others, or simply staying active, the impact of OLLI is evident in the lives of
its participants. For those seeking to enrich their own lives with new experiences, OLLI provides a community where the joy of learning never stops. A special $25 OLLI at LSU membership allows you to register for many courses, take field trips, or attend special events within any chapter of OLLI at LSU. Chapters are located in Baton Rouge, St. Francisville/New Roads, Slidell/Covington, and New Orleans. For Spring 2025, class registration opens Feb. 10 and classes begin March 10. Additionally, there are many other benefits that OLLI at LSU offers. Contact OLLI at LSU via e-mail at olli@outreach.lsu.edu.
When Pat moved to St. Francisville, she and her husband were eager to meet new people and explore fresh activities. OLLI offered just that. What began as a desire to connect with like-minded individuals soon became a passion project. In 2015, Pat introduced pickleball to the St. Francisville community through OLLI. The response was overwhelming, with hundreds of participants enjoying this low-impact sport. Pat, who already loved staying active, also found a range of fitness classes, including chair exercise, seated yoga , and line dancing. Her involvement with OLLI has enhanced her personal well-being and provided her with the joy of helping others discover new physical and social activities.
EXPLORING HIDDEN TALENTS AND MAKING CONNECTIONS
For Carolyn, OLLI has been an outlet for creativity and social connection. After retiring, Carolyn sought ways to stay active and pursue new interests. She has taken various courses, from country line dancing to ukulele lessons, and has dabbled in painting, knitting, and even clay hand-building. “I joke that I’m searching for my hidden talents,” Carolyn says. But OLLI has given her more than just new skills—it’s also deepened her social life. One of her favorite OLLI moments came while playing pickleball when she realized that a fellow participant’s father had been best friends with her father years ago. These unexpected connections have made her OLLI experience truly meaningful. Through OLLI’s courses, she’s also explored her spiritual life and deepened her understanding of her father’s World War II experiences.
Claire first heard about OLLI while at work, and her curiosity led her to sign up for courses. She found OLLI to be a transformative experience, especially in health and wellness. A nutrition class provided her with knowledge that helped her understand how to make better choices for her long-term well-being. She adds that OLLI courses give her a fresh outlook on life by expanding her knowledge and perspective. The ability to take classes that cater to her health goals and learn from others with similar interests has helped Claire continue to lead a vibrant and engaged life. OLLI’s flexibility and wide range of topics have inspired her to keep exploring new avenues for personal growth.
About this feature: Each month across our 20th year, 225 will revisit restaurants from our past coverage. From Capital Region classics and award-winners to trendsetters and hidden gems, these businesses have helped shape our dining culture.
BACK IN 1992, two friends and recent LSU graduates rolled the dice on a Mediterranean restaurant on a then-quiet stretch of Bluebonnet Boulevard.
Middle Eastern cuisine was already popular in Baton Rouge at the time—it was first introduced in 1979 with the original Serop’s in Mid City. But the ambitious duo believed there was room for a new player in the city’s growing number of so-called GreekLebanese restaurants.
They were right. Thirty-three years later, Albasha Restaurant has spread to 13 full-service locations across Baton Rouge and southeast Louisiana. The flagship restaurant on Bluebonnet is still going strong, just as the neighborhood around it has exploded with residential and retail development. No matter the location, however, Albasha patrons can’t seem to get enough of its voluminous menu of shawarma, kebabs, gyros and more.
The key to success, says co-founder Naser Abudyak, has been consistency.
“We use the same recipes at every location,” he says. “And we give a lot of credit to our partner managers in each restaurant for making things work.”
Abudyak and his business partner Nabeel Badawi earned engineering degrees from LSU in the late 1980s before deciding to shift gears and try the restaurant business. Abudyak, who had owned a pizzeria for a few years after college, remembers spending a lot of time in Albasha’s first kitchen.
“It was a lot of hard work,” he says. “A lot of long hours.”
The toil paid off. Five years later, the partners opened a second Albasha location on Sherwood Forest Boulevard.
“And from there, we went all over,” Abudyak says.
Hands down, the most popular items on Albasha’s menu are the fried cheese appetizer and the
chicken shawarma plate, Abudyak says.
The fried cheese features planks of firm halloumi pan-fried in olive oil and topped with fresh parsley. Its simplicity belies its deep flavor and charming chewiness. And the tender, garlicky chicken shawarma, set off by inviting charred edges, is arguably one of the city’s most ordered dishes, especially at lunch.
served as a lone, simple sandwich, Abudyak says.
The scratch-made recipes reflect foods from the partners’ native Jordan. Flavors are consistent with those of home, but like other local Mediterranean restaurants in the U.S., the presentation meets American expectations. Chicken shawarma in side dish-happy Baton Rouge, for example, is expected to be accompanied by rice, hummus, pita and salad. Back home, it’s more commonly
Taking extra steps is part of the partners’ secret sauce. Their popular falafel is made from scratch, beginning with dried chickpeas soaked overnight, then ground with fresh herbs and spices before being formed into patties and pan-fried.
Three decades of business hasn’t dulled the partners’ ambitions. Future expansions are always a possibility, Abudyak says.
“A new location would have to be near business areas so we can have the lunch business, and also close to residential,” he says. “We’re always looking.” Find it on Facebook
How to make a natural movie theater-style snack for all types of flavor lovers
BY TRACEY KOCH // PHOTO BY AMY SHUTT
IHAVE ALWAYS LOVED going to the movies. The reclining seats, the big screen, and the brimming bucket of hot, buttery, crispy popcorn tap into all of my senses and totally thrill me, no matter what film I’m seeing. And, honestly, it’s the smell of popcorn that gets me the most. I rarely have any left over by the time the previews have wrapped.
Popcorn can also be a relatively healthy food to snack on when prepared with the right ingredients. So, to satisfy my
cravings while keeping with a clean diet, I decided to work out a recipe for a movie theater popcorn using all-natural ingredients. In place of the theater-style, butter-flavored popcorn oil, I made my own all-natural version using a little clarified butter and avocado oil. The avocado oil and clarified butter have high smoke points, making them ideal for popping corn. To recreate popcorn salt, I used a spice grinder to grind up kosher salt and a bit of ground turmeric for a clean coloring agent. The result was delicious.
The popcorn pops up crisp, light and not greasy, and the all-natural popcorn salt is nice and salty without an artificial aftertaste. Plus, it sticks to the popcorn well and gives it a little yellow tint.
For those who like flavored popcorn, I also created a few fun seasoning salts using all-natural ingredients for spice, herb or sweet lovers to add on top of their buttered popcorn. They’d all be great to level up a Valentine’s Day movie night at home or to share at a Galentine’s gathering. Action!
Yields 16 cups of popped popcorn
2 tablespoons avocado oil or grapeseed oil
4 tablespoons clarified butter
½ cup popcorn kernels
½ teaspoon Homemade Popcorn Salt (recipe follows)
1. In a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid or a stove-top popcorn popper, heat the oil and 1 of the tablespoons of clarified butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the popcorn kernels and ¼ teaspoon of the Homemade Popcorn Salt. Stir until the kernels are evenly covered with the salt.
3. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and reduce the heat to medium. Gently begin shaking the pot frequently as the popcorn begins popping.
4. Once the popping slows down, remove the pot from the heat. When the popping has completely stopped, remove the lid and pour the hot popcorn into a large bowl.
5. Drizzle the hot popcorn with the remaining tablespoons of the clarified butter and season with the second ¼ teaspoon of the Homemade Popcorn Salt. Toss to coat and enjoy.
*For flavored popcorn, omit the second ¼ teaspoon of the Homemade Popcorn Salt and replace it with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of the Voodoo, Garlic Parmesan or Mexican Chocolate seasonings.
For 16 cups of popped popcorn
¼ cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1. Place all ingredients into a spice or coffee grinder Grind until well combined and the consistency is very fine.
2. Place the popcorn salt in an airtight container. It can be stored in the pantry for several months.
For 16 cups of popped popcorn
These recipes use homemade clarified butter with a high smoke point. To learn how to make your own, head to 225batonrouge.com/recipes.
2 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon lime zest
1. Combine all ingredients in a grinder Grind until well combined and the mixture has become a fine powder.
2. Pour the seasoning into an airtight container. Store it in a dry place for up to several months.
For 16 cups of popped popcorn
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
1. Combine all ingredients in a grinder Grind until well combined into a fine powder.
2. Pour the seasoning into an airtight container. It can be stored at room temperature for several months.
For 16 cups of popped popcorn
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 Combine all ingredients in a grinder. Grind until well combined and the mixture has become a fine powder.
2. Pour the seasoning into an airtight container Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
A
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The floats behind many local parades are born just over the bridge from Baton Rouge
BY
INSIDE A SET OF warehouses in Plaquemine, there’s a hidden world of Mardi Gras floats. Some are as sizable as a streetcar, outfitted with seating for dozens of riders. On others, statues soaring as tall as 16 feet depict pop-culture characters. There are larger-thanlife alligators and panda bears, and uncanny depictions of cartoon characters and local celebrities. Every float is equipped with specialty LED lights, primed for day and night parades alike.
The artistry of these towering figures is the product of the team at Comogo Floats LLC, which recruits makers from around the state to decorate each one by hand.
Even if you haven’t heard of the company, you’ve seen its creations.
In addition to riding in its namesake Krewe of Comogo parade, the company rents out its work to parades from Addis to Ascension Parish. In Baton Rouge, its floats ride with krewes like Oshun, Artemis and Orion, and it plays a
big role in the annual Wearin’ of the Green Parade. It has rented out its floats for LSU events, too.
a downtown Plaquemine night parade. But her vision fell short in 2009, when she died from cancer.
she wanted to do,’” Earl Comeaux remembers thinking. “So we got enough members, and we got a connection in New Orleans, and we rented some floats.”
Not long after the Comeaux brothers joined the group, they decided they needed to make their own floats. Comogo Floats LLC was born, with Earl and Ralph Comeaux as managing partners, designing floats and renting them out.
And at the Krewe of Comogo parade, this year on March 2—the Sunday before Mardi Gras— spectators can see many of these floats in the same place.
immediately after Fat Tuesday. Earl says they intend to run the show at Comogo Floats for a good while longer.
“I would like to do it at least 10 more years myself, and hopefully somebody in my family will take it over,” he says. “My daughter’s been involved a lot; she’s helping out and learning. Hopefully, my youngest son or my daughter or one of my grandkids will pick it up.” comogofloats.com
That’s when the city came together and made a parade in her honor: the Krewe of Comogo. Comeaux’s brothers were not involved at first, but once they got the invitation to help, they were all in.
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In between gigs, the floats are stored in a warehouse where navigating the aisles feels like wandering a maze. In fact, Comogo Floats has grown so much, it moved its operations to these larger buildings ahead of this Carnival season. It all started in the 1990s, with Brenda Comeaux’s dream to form
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“‘If we’re going to do this, let’s get a parade going—let’s do what
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The nighttime parade has operated since 2013, now managed by Darrel Comeaux in Brenda’s honor. An 11-foot-tall float statue of Brenda, with a sign reading “In loving memory of Brenda Comeaux,” leads the parade.
After the last beads are thrown, the brothers look onward. They start construction on new floats for the coming year almost
Follow us on YouTube at @225magazine, where you can watch an episode about the makers from the archives of our Between the Lines series.
Feb. 2
Compiled
by
Olivia Deffes
Creatives For The Culture will meld lifestyles from Louisiana and Ghana for Roots of Our Own: A Legacy Project, held at the Main Library at Goodwood. Learn about how local cuisine, fashion and dance are linked to West Africa through demonstrations, drum performances, textile presentations and live music. artsbr.org/events
Feb. 7-9 + 14-16
How dangerous can watch making be? For a group of 1920s dial painters, the process made them fall mysteriously ill. Based on a true story, Radium Girls follows the efforts of Grace Fryer as she tries to prove the risks of radium exposure. Theatre Baton Rouge’s Young Actors Program will bring D.W. Gregory’s play to life on stage. theatrebr.org
Feb. 12 + 13
Single this V-Day? Or just over the holiday? Listen to the Bad Romance: An AntiValentine’s Day Concert by Baton Rouge Symphony at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Musicians will play breakup song instrumentals beneath immersive visuals on the planetarium ceiling.
Feb. 20
Presented by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, River City Jazz Masters continues at Manship Theatre with a show from jazz pianist Emmet Cohen, a longtime musician who first poured his soul out on the ivories at age 3. artsbr.org
Feb. 23
Go with the glow and head to Manship Theatre for Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey, a production by Lightwire Theater. This light-filled show follows Marvin the Mouse and his quest to be popular. Follow Marvin on a colorful trip through space to find himself illustrated by the Lightwire’s illuminated storytelling tools. manshiptheatre.org
Feb. 21
Rock out with Samantha Fish when she takes the stage at L’Auberge Casino Hotel. Prepare to see the Missouri native shred on the guitar while belting out her best rock and blues hits like “Bulletproof,” “Hello Stranger” and more. lbatonrouge.com
Compiled by Olivia Deffes
MARDI PARTIES
Grab a few bags to store all your catches, and head to these local routes to kick off Carnival celebrations. The season is long this year, but there’s no reason you can’t start letting the good times roll at February parades.
Feb. 15: Krewe of Oshun
Feb. 16: CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts
Feb. 21: Krewe of Artemis
Feb. 22: Krewe of Orion
FEB. 8
Comic fans, head to the Main Library at Goodwood for Mid City Micro-Con. Meet comic book authors, shop fan-made art, design characters and participate in the Cosplay Show and Tell. ebrpl.com
FEB. 8 + 9
Feb. 22: Krewe Mystique de la Capitale
Feb. 23: Mid City Gras
Feb. 28: Krewe of Southdowns 7
FOOD FEST
Some of the Red Stick’s tastiest mobile eateries are headed to Perkins Rowe for the Food Truck Round-Up. Save your appetite to sample everything from international cuisine to sugarysweet desserts. perkinsrowe.com
LET THE GOOD TIMES RUN
Burn those king cake calories at the Mardi Gras Mambo races. Runners can participate in a 15K, 10K or 1-mile fun run venturing through downtown Baton Rouge to the finish line at North Boulevard Town Square. runmambo.com
FEB. 9: Super Bowl LIX, caesarssuperdome.com
FEB. 21: Krewe of Cleopatra, kreweofcleopatra.org
FEB. 27: Krewe of Muses, kreweofmuses.org
Come on down to the River Center Theatre for Performing Arts to get a chance to be the next contestant on The Price Is Right Live. This traveling stage show is bringing all the games and excitement from the TV version to the Capital Region. Give your best guesses and press your luck to win dream vacations, appliances, new cars and other prizes. theatre.raisingcanesrivercenter.com
Get expert advice and grow your garden with award-winning blooms from the Camellia Show & Sale hosted by the Baton Rouge Camellia Society at Burden Museum & Gardens. lsuagcenter com
FEB. 19
Celebrate Black History Month at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s Fairwood Branch with a viewing of Lee Daniels’ historical drama The Butler. The flick is inspired by the life of Eugene Allen, a White House butler who served many U.S. presidents. ebrpl.com
FEB. 22
Bring your bait and rod and head to BREC’s Burbank Soccer Complex Pond for the Geaux Fish! Catfish Rodeo. Amateur fishers and seasoned anglers are all welcome to cast a line and participate for the chance to win prizes. brec.org
MORE EVENTS
Subscribe to our newsletter 225 Daily for our twice-weekly roundups of events. 225batonrouge. com/225daily
FEB. 1: Jersey Boys, acadianacenterforthearts.org
FEB. 21: Krewe de Canailles, krewedecanailles.com
FEB. 25: Dirty Dancing in Concert, heymanncenter.com
Where to find matcha lattes, milk teas and treats in
MATCHA HAS LONG been having a moment in the U.S., and rising interest even caused a recent shortage of some Japanese brands.
The tea originated in Japan several centuries ago and has become popular globally over the last couple of decades for its health benefits and clean taste. These days, you can find a matcha latte or matcha-infused treat in almost every coffee shop around Baton Rouge. Look for it in hot or iced lattes at Magpie Cafe or in House Brew’s latte made with Matcha Moto Ceremonial Grade tea. Or, slice into a Matcha Crepe Cake at Umami Japanese Bistro.
The verdant drink gets its color from green tea leaves ground up to create a fine powder that is then brewed into a strong, earthy beverage. Unlike regular green tea, which is steeped, matcha retains more flavor and nutrients because the leaves are part of the drink. It is rich in antioxidants. And while it contains less caffeine than coffee, its caffeine is slow-releasing—so the crash expected after a cup or two of Joe is nonexistent.
Ready to meet your matcha? Scan the QR code below for our full guide to where to find it around town.
—GRACELYN FARRAR
Catch you on the flip side
Read the full story—and more digital content—on 225’s website at 225batonrouge.com. Or, subscribe to our newsletter at 225batonrouge.com/225daily
Strawberry Salad
Mixed Greens, Fresh Strawberries, Pecans, Tomatoes, Cane Vinaigrette
Crab & Brie Velouté
Lump Crab, Brie, Cream, Seafood Stock
ENTRÉES
Oyster Carbonara
Applewood Smoked Bacon, Egg, Italian Cheeses, Spaghetti, Crispy Oysters
Smoked Tenderloin of Beef
Angus Beef Tenderloin, Lump Crab Oscar Sauce, Lyonnaise Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus
Roasted Tomato, Basil & Mascarpone Arancini
Roasted Tomato, Fresh Basil, Mascarpone Cheese, Risotto
Lobster Mac-n-Cheese
Lobster Tail Meat, Four Cheeses, Cream, CavatappiSkin-on Redfish, Gulf Shrimp & Stone Fruit Salsa, Risotto Milanese, Roasted Broccoli
Chicken Marsala
Panéed Chicken, Marsala Wine, Mushrooms, Spaghetti, Roasted Broccoli
Redfish on the Half-Shell
Skin-on Redfish, Gulf Shrimp & Stone Fruit Salsa, Risotto Milanese, Roasted Broccoli
Bread
Pork Osso Bucco
Pork Shank, Red Wine, Demi-Glace, Risotto Milanese, Grilled Asparagus
DESSERTS
Fruit Tart with Bavarian Crème
Salted
