Cuisine
SEPTEMBER 2021
38
ESPRESSO MEETS EXPRESSION
IN
SMALL TOWN
In addition to being a bustling café and lunch spot, Tante Marie hosts regular French Tables and Cajun Jams. Photo by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot.
LOUISIANA
CAFÉ AU LIFE
W
FOR JAM - LOVERS
Meet Me for Coffee IN SMALL LOUISIANA TOWNS, THE LOCAL CAFÉ IS THE CULTURAL HUB
Story and photos by Alexandra Kennon
A
re there any two things more universally enjoyed than coffee and music? Beyond perhaps food and air, little comes to mind. Ever since coffee’s seventeenth century arrival in the Western world, the bitter, caffeinated bean has held a strong grasp on modern life and culture. In addition to its abilities to enhance mental clarity and productivity, the daily act of consuming coffee has evolved into a revered, often social ritual upon which many have become dependent in ways beyond brain chemistry. For those such as the European philosophers in London in the 1700s and the Greenwich Village Beatnik writers of the 1950s, coffee shops have long served as communal spaces where creativity historically and famously sparks, and thrives.
Of course, in cultural epicenters like London or Greenwich Village, other venues for the arts abounded alongside the coffee houses, and still do. In small Louisiana towns like Folsom, Saint Francisville, and Breaux Bridge, though, coffee shops are not merely one outlet for artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives to meet and express themselves. In these three rural towns, and others like them, coffee shops are often the only communal hubs for artists available. Here are three coffee shops in rural Louisiana small towns that not only provide their communities with quality caffeine fixes and pastries, but also serve as incubators for the arts; providing outlets for local musicians, visual artists, and beyond to express themselves creatively, and nurturing a culture of artistic community.
The Giddy Up, Folsom
The Giddy Up in Folsom serves two origin coffee from South America, roasted in New Orleans, along with homemade pastries and lunch. They also host regular live music, an art gallery, and various activities for the Folsom community.
The Birdman in St. Francisville is a favorite spot for local musicians to gather and jam together. 38
S E P 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M
With a population under one thousand, Folsom does not technically qualify as a town; it’s a village. At the heart of that village, both physically and otherwise, is a grand, beautifully-restored wooden home with a high, peaked roof and a steady stream of locals coming and going, checking in on each other and sipping on—you guessed it—coffee. A shiny baby grand directly by the front door hints that there is even more brewing at The Giddy Up. Not that the coffee alone isn’t worth a trip—owner Frank Richerand is a self-professed connoisseur, and sources one hundred percent Arabica beans from South America, Central America, Indonesia, Honduras, and Guatamala, which are blended and roasted in New Orleans. “I get testimonial after testimonial about the coffee. People drive here for it,” Richerand told me. There are also housebaked Morning Glory muffins and other pastries, a sizable variety of paninis (including the “Muffulini,” whose name Richerand had trademarked), a Greek frittata and other gluten-free offerings from certified local vendors, soups, smoothies, and more. The sprouts in the
veggie sandwich are from local farmer/vendor Sam’s Sprouts, and the tomatoes and goat cheese cake are from right around Folsom, too. “We try to buy as much local as we can,” explained Richerand. Their iced coffee and “Frost Bite”—a frozen, frappé-like drink—are also favorites among regulars. There’s even a drive-thru, which kept the business going at the height of the pandemic. When The Giddy Up first opened in 2016, Richerand and his daughter Ashley Richerand Penton, who joins him in running the business, thought coffee was going to be the priority. “When we first started, we were focused on the food and the coffee, but we always talked about doing music, open mics,” Penton explained. Her sister, Micah Richerand Desonier— who works part time at The Giddy Up— is a singer and actress, frequently leading musicals with the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and encouraging a family-wide love of the arts. “So, it’s something that we definitely love being a part of, but we didn’t know how the community would respond,” Penton said. Now, The Giddy Up hosts live music on the first Friday night of each month
