Acadiana Profile Magazine April-May 2024

30

A Little West in the South

The Cajun Rodeo Association of South Louisiana

38 Trailblazers

Meet five Acadians making a real difference in their region

42 Top Lawyers

A list of Acadiana’s top lawyers and specialities

Round up of what's new in Acadiana

April/May

20 UN VOYAGE AU VILLAGE

The last weekend of April means five days of the 38th annual Festival International de Louisiane 56

La Maison

A new home in Sunset boasts plenty of acreage and modern-day farmhouse design.

Dîner Dehors

Jean Lafitte : l’homme, le mythe, la légende

L’Art

Lafayette artist Olivia Luz Perillo’s work in nature

EDITORIAL

Editor Reine Dugas

Art Director Sarah E.G. Majeste

Associate Editor Ashley McLellan

Copy Editor Liz Clearman

Lead Photographer Danley Romero

Web Editor Kelly Massicot

ADVERTISING

Sales Manager Rebecca Taylor (337) 298-4424 (337) 235-7919 Ext. 230

rebecca@acadianaprofile.com

Sponsored Content Coordinator Jeremy Marshall

RENAISSANCE PUBLISHING

PRODUCTION

Digital Director Rosa Balaguer

Production Designer Ashley Pemberton

Production Designer Czarlyn Ria Trinidad

MARKETING

Marketing Manager Greer Stewart

CIRCULATION

Distribution John Holzer

ADMINISTRATION

Office Managers Mallary Wolfe Emily Ruiz

Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne For

More than January, with its built-in feeling of beginnings and setting new goals, Spring, for me, is the real time for a re-set. It might be that relief from the winter weather, as mercurial as it can be in South Louisiana, or the moment before the long, hot summer sets in, but the rst snap of the coolness of Spring always has me excited and thinking of new possibilities.

Though the season is only here for a brief time — some years lasting only a few weeks — the crisp air, azaleas in bloom, festivals and everything else that’s happening around this time puts the spring in a lot of people’s step. It’s a great time to throw windows open, give the house a good clean or tackle any projects you’ve been putting o . It’s prime time to dig into your garden, plant some owers and use the days as a colorful respite between the cold temps of winter to the sweltering ones of summer that are just around the corner.

This is when I like to look ahead, to set some goals—gentle ones. Fun ones. It’s Spring a er all and nothing is so serious, which is probably why I like this time to consider new things I’d like to do. It’s always right about now that I sketch out a new writing project or look up classes I’d like to take, start planning a house project or a trip.

I guess I’d say I feel inspired in the Spring, and I think a lot of people do. When you walk the streets, you’ll see people smiling more, spot a little more energy in them. You’ll notice that there’s an optimism and general joy about life.

What else always inspires me is seeing people doing amazing things. This issue, we’ve highlighted trailblazers — people who are making an impact in their particular eld, whether it’s conservation, music, education or the arts. These folks have consistently put in the work and have the skills and talent to stand out, to make a di erence. So as you browse the pages of this issue — hopefully on your porch, enjoying a tall glass of iced tea and a cool breeze — I hope you’ll nd some new recipes to try and draw inspiration from a few of the people who make Acadiana such a lovely place.

Reine Dugas, Editor Reine@AcadianaProfile.com

Boudin For Days

Round up of what's new in Acadiana

BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY

Best Boudin in the Land

Known as the “boudin capital of the world” since 2012, the Scott Boudin Festival (April 5-7) features the top boudin vendors of legend and lore: Don’s Specialty Meats, Best Stop, Billy’s Boudin, Menard’s and NuNu’s presenting both classic and creative offerings, served hot with a backdrop of toe-tapping Cajun music and fireworks that light up the evening sky (scottboudinfestival.com).

EASY DOES IT

An easy way to find good crawfish: Download The Crawfish App, enter your location and browse over 1,600 vendors to find live or boiled crawfish with weekly prices plus user reviews (shop. thecrawfishapp.com).

Toad-ally Tasty

Rayne Frog art abounds and live music lingers until midnight at the 50th annual Rayne Frog Festival (May 9-11). Enjoy frog eating contests, a frog cook-off and frog races (watch your feet for wayward runaways). The less fortunate hoppers are destined for deep fryers churning out fried frog legs, a fest favorite. Fun fact: Teen girls competing for the title of Frog Queen are required to present a live frog dressed in fancy or funny costumes. (facebook. com/raynefrogfestival).

Of Fur, Feathers and Fins

For more news briefs visit AcadianaProfile.com

Krotz Springs Adventuresome foodies can vote for the best wild game in a Fur, Feathers and Fins Cook-off and sample the various wild offerings as the sounds of swamp pop and Cajun music fill the air at the Krotz Springs Sportsmen’s Heritage Festival (May 30-June 1). Created to celebrate the wetlands and the extraordinary wildlife on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin (kssportsmensheritagefestival.com).

SCOTT

Claws for Celebration

Despite the soaring crawfish prices and mudbug shortages that kicked off the season, Acadiana’s worldfamous Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival prevails (May 3-5), thanks to St. Martin Parish’s status as Louisiana’s top producer of crawfish. Record crowds are expected at the 63rd annual festival featuring over 30 Cajun and zydeco bands, dance contests, cooking demos, crawfish eating contests and dozens of crawfish dishes served by friendly local raconteurs in the “crawfish capital of the world” (bbcrawfest.com).

PINCH A PILE OF TAILS IN THIBODAUX

The 6th annual Mudbug Boil Off (May 11) celebrates the season’s peak with spicy boiled crawfish, a parade, auctions, live music and a unique cooking competition hosted by the Thibodaux Fraternal Order of Police as a charitable fundraiser (lacajunbayou.com/ calendar-of-events/ festivals-andevents/fop-mudbug-boil-off).

It Takes a Village

Arnaudville

The 39th annual Arnaudville Étouffée Festival (April 26) showcases a diverse array of étouffées made with everything from crawfish to wild game. The festival’s lauded étouffée cook-off, live local music, bingo games and kid-friendly carnival attract visitors to Arnaudville, known as a hub for creatives, Francophones and foodies. The vibrant village is uniquely situated in two parishes and bordered by two bayous (cajuntravel.com/events/ arnaudville-etouffee-festival/).

Look to the Sky

Golden Meadow Spring is synonymous with crawfish season and food-themed festivals. A relative newcomer is the uniquely themed Louisiana Boulettes & Balloons Festival (May 17-18), the first of its kind in the area, featuring various seafood and pork boulettes and other Cajun classics. The second annual festival is kicked off by a magnificent balloon glow at dusk, followed by tethered balloon rides and colorful hot air balloon races in Golden Meadow (labbfest.com).

BREAUX BRIDGE

Bon Festival!

The last weekend of April means five days of the 38th annual Festival International de Louisiane, with music on several stages, gourmet food, children’s activities, Louisiana artists, a world market and a parade. Best of all, there’s no admission to this celebration.

BY CHERÉ COEN

1

2

Acadiana is known for its world-renowned cuisine so don’t miss visiting the food vendors by Parc Sans Souci and indulging in the crawfish spinach boat from Bon Creole Seafood. Made especially for the festival, the creamy crawfish and spinach mixture overflows from a round, hollowed-out bread loaf. Talk about bon! Bon Creole’s restaurant is in nearby New Iberia and we recommend visiting for their delicious seafood po’boys.

3 Music

Being the largest international music festival in the country, of course there’s music. Each year, the nonprofit organization that runs the festival invites musicians from around the country and more than two dozen countries. This year, to give you an idea of the festival’s worldwide reach, La Dame Blanche of Cuba and France will be playing Sunday, April 28, at Scène Fais Do Do. And that’s just one of many international acts to enjoy.

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE LOUISIANE Wednesday-Sunday, April 24-28, 2024 Throughout downtown Lafayette festivalinternational.org

Food Shop

Shoppers will not want to miss the Marché du Monde World Market or the Marché des Arts with its artists and artisans selling their wares. But kids have their moment in the sun as well. The annual Petit Marché, where children and teens set up booths to sell their art, will take place in the courtyard of Ascension Episcopal School, close to the Scène des Jeunes mini festival for kids on Saturday and Sunday.

TRANQUIL LANDSCAPES

Lafayette artist Olivia Luz Perillo's work in nature

BY JOHN R. KEMP

Olivia Luz Perillo, a Lafayette native who now resides in nearby Grand Coteau, is a documentary photographer, lmmaker, musician, artist and social justice activist whose spirit, imagination and art move easily between the natural watery landscape of South Louisiana and the

deserts of her ancestors along the Texas, Arizona and Mexican borders. Symbolically, she o en juxtaposes images from these “ecosystems” and cultures to help her “shi inward and explore ancestral healing.”

Perillo began this “inward” journey as a child during frequent family car trips from Louisiana to visit her mother’s family in the small town of Fabens, Texas, about 30 miles east of El Paso. “I became inspired by the changing landscape between South Louisiana and far West Texas, witnessing similarities and overlaps between the cultures that bounced back and forth between my life experiences.”

In creating her “ancestral healing” images, Perillo o en places scanned-in, faded black-and-white family photos into full color images of desert landscapes where her ancestors have lived for generations. In that sense, she considers herself an archivist of family stories and photos that keep her connected to her people.

“As soon as I started photographing West Texas,” she says, “I became aware of how important documentary work was in telling my story, while excavating my family’s stories and origins through the land and

environment they were born into. I was probably 18 when I realized being a full-time photographer could be a career path. I started working with musicians towards the end of high school, photographing my friends’ bands and making occasional short videos.”

Perillo’s interest in photography began when she was ve with her Barbie camera. She was fascinated that with the click of the camera, “time and memory could be frozen into an image forever.” That fascination continued into her early teens. Although she didn’t take photography classes while attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, her courses in graphic design, drawing, painting and printmaking greatly in uenced her photography when it came to, as she says, “considering light, color and composition.”

Perillo le college a er a couple of years to take jobs at Parish Ink and Red Arrow Workshop in Lafayette. There, she learned how to run a business and sell her prints, handcra ed necklaces and “essential oil

blends” under the name of “Indigo Light” at pop-up markets across South Louisiana. When she was 24, Perillo began freelancing full time — primarily photographing and promoting local musicians. Then in 2018, she and her business partner Syd Horn made a short video documentary, “Migration,” which played in eight countries. They followed that up the next year with the documentary, “Intention.” Both features are on YouTube. Perillo and Horn now make music videos and documentaries under the name Honest Art.

Through it all, Perillo’s work has gained national attention. She’s done work for Chanel and in 2019, The Marshall Project hired her to document a Baton Rouge woman whose partner was imprisoned at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The story also appeared in the New York Times. In 2022, Harper Collins commissioned her to create a collaged image for the dust jacket of a colleague’s forthcoming non ction true crime book.

Looking over Perillo’s body of work, her ever-present connection to the natural world is clear.

It’s her favorite place to be.

“I’ve been fascinated with color and light gradients, form and composition, plants, landscapes and the cosmos for as long as I can remember,” she says.

“Very early on, I realized how healing and meditative it was to be present with them, knowing it would be an art practice I would continue throughout my life.”

When out in nature with her camera, she prefers the light around sunset through dusk. For, as she says, “the colors illuminate themselves in a way unlike any other as they have a speci c feel of so ness while continuously getting darker. It’s flattering on the shapes of people’s faces when making portraits. Metaphorically, it serves as an alignment with the shadow self.”

Perillo, describing herself as a “Chicana-Italian American artist who happened to be born into a Cajun and Creole culture,” also sees her work in terms of social justice, intergenerational healing and what she describes as the e ects of “American imperialism” on her own bloodline. Working towards change “within creative mediums is an activism I am passionate about.”

Looking deeper into the many underlying issues, Perillo says her images “serve as a portal of tranquility and a space for personal re ection, gratitude for and healing with the land and self.” In that sense, her landscapes and collaged images call to mind what the Navajo describe as “hozho,” roughly de ned as living in peace, balance and harmony with nature.

“I receive a lot of inspiration from nature,” she says, “as it is always changing and is cyclical, much like our human experience with birth, growth and inevitable death. Capturing these moments is becoming increasingly more important to witness over time and another reminder of the temporality of all existence.” 

Born 1993, Lafayette, Louisiana

Residence Grand Coteau

Inspiration

Family history, nature, Louisiana music

Medium Photography, photo-collages

Favorite Imagery Louisiana swamplands, deserts in West Texas and Arizona, Louisiana musicians Web oliviaperillo.com; honestartproductions.com

MEET THE ARTIST

Olivia Luz Perillo

Farmhouse Feels

A new home in Sunset boasts plenty of acreage and modern-day farmhouse design.

BY MISTY MILIOTO

PHOTOS BY HAYLEI SMITH

Jade and Matt Ledoux, a couple who met in college while attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, knew they wanted to settle on property in Sunset near where they both grew up. When they stumbled upon a large property in the area, they bought it with a 10-year goal in mind. “We met with a land architect for about [one] year, designing the entire layout, which included elevations, ponds, trees, a pad for a ‘barndominium’ and a house pad,” Jade says.

Over the years, the Ledouxs landscaped the property, built the barn-inspired condo and grew their family (they now have two boys, Luke and Grant, and two girls, Kate and Molly). In August 2021, they met with April Guillory, owner and principal designer at April Guillory Design, to plan the main house. The Ledouxs also worked with Guillory’s build company, Arbor Home Group, and Passion Home Design (Guillory’s preferred architecture rm).

Marble tile backsplash in the kitchen creates a timeless look.

Jade and Matt Ledoux opted for a mixture of flooring types, from antique brick and engineered wood to lava stone and porcelain.

A neutral color palette runs throughout the entirety of the home, while traditional millwork adds a touch of femininity.

“Having spent so much time planning the foundation of our property and taking our time to make sure everything was perfect, we knew that hiring April was a necessity for building our forever home,” Jade says. “She has a talent for achieving specific styles along with creating timeless spaces. The fact that April is a contractor also sealed the deal for us. Having our space planner, contractor, project manager and designer all wrapped up in one was the complete package.”

Two priorities when designing their main home were to comfortably accommodate four children and also to provide the ideal space for entertaining. Jade knew she wanted a clean and cozy look with lots of white, resulting in a modern farmhouse aesthetic.

The resulting 3,000-square-foot airy and bright home features four bedrooms, three and one-half baths and a bonus area with an office, lounge and balcony that overlooks the pool and property. The ooring sets the tone for the home, with the use of engineered wood, antique brick, lava stone and porcelain.

One of Jade’s favorite spaces is the galley foyer, which features three French doors, antique brick oors and a ceiling made of reclaimed wood from an old bank. She also loves the kitchen — which acts as the centerpiece of the home — with its open oor plan, Bertazzoni appliances and a white oak island with prep sink.

“The Ledouxs wanted a fresh, yet timeless style that had life-friendly finishes,” Guillory says. “Marble is

Guillory spruced up the neutral color palette by introducing texture and subtle touches of color.

CREDITS

TDesigner

April Guillory

April Guillory Design aprilguillorydesign.com

instantly timeless. My favorite application in their home is the marble tile splash in the kitchen.”

While the overall color scheme is neutral, Guillory used floral wallpaper in the daughters’ bathroom and added pops of color and texture throughout the rest of the home. For example, furniture and rugs feature touches of slate blue as a way to introduce color, but still in a neutral hue.

“The paint, tiles and stones are all light and cool,” Guillory says. “The wood tones and metals are warm. I always base my color palette on the stone countertops. In fact, we select these rst and base our paint hues and all other surfaces on what is present in the stone. The use of traditional millwork adds a needed femininity and pulls the design back into that timeless theme Jade [wanted].”

The Ledouxs moved into the main house in July 2023, and Jade says, when it comes to building a forever home, it’s important to be patient. “I kept telling myself, ‘We have one [chance] to get it right,’” she says. “And with April leading the way, I’m happy to say we did.”

Warm wood and metal tones contrast against the cooler colors used in the paint, tile and stone.

A LITTLE IN THE SOUTH

LITTLE WEST

The Cajun Rodeo Association of South Louisiana—providing entertainment, preserving culture and bringing communities together

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID JOSHUA JENNINGS

32 It’s rodeo night in Sulphur

AND DESPITE TEMPERATURES just above freezing, a crowd of local cowboys and southern Louisiana families are steadily filling up the stands. Some are huddled around small propane-fed space heaters, which glow with subdued roars throughout the audience; others are bundled in camo or home-woven shawls or lean here and there in cowboy hats and leather rodeo jackets — enduring it for the sake of the culture, for the sake of the show. Out back with the livestock, those not working their horses or rushing about with clipboards are gathered around a communal fire between the bull trailers.

Tonight is no small event. The top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls from the past year of rodeos put on by the Cajun Rodeo Association (CRA) are gathered here for two nights of back-to-back finals, where over $100k in cash and prizes are up for grabs for the champions in seven events: ranch-style bronc riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, team roping, bulldogging and bull riding. For those unfamiliar with rodeo events, bronc riding entails a saddled rider clinging to a high-flying bucking horse, a performance judged on the intensity of the horse’s wild agility and how smoothly the rider manages it; the three roping events involve roping calves from horseback in a variety of ways; bulldogging pits man again steer in a contest of strength and will in which the man must wrestle the animal to the ground and twist him by the horns until the top of his head touches the dirt; barrel racing is a women-only event that involves racing in the fastest time around a triangle of three barrels; bull riding, which attracts some of the youngest participants while simultaneously being the most dangerous, is selfexplanatory — the aim being to remain atop a bucking bull for eight tumultuous seconds.

Top A contestant holds on at the beginning of another round of ranch-style bronc riding. Sulphur, LA. Bottom left Two young spectators at the CRA Rodeo in Houma, LA. Bottom right Every CRA Rodeo begins with a prayer to keep the contestants and animals safe, followed by the national anthem. Sulphur, LA.

For an entire year, contestants have shuttled themselves and their animals from town to town throughout South

Louisiana — from Amite to Houma, from Scott to Napoleonville, and beyond— to earn their place in this weekend’s finals. Without the CRA, which is based in South Louisiana and conducts all of its rodeos here, athletes from Cajun country would need to drive 8-10 hours, to places like Texas, North Louisiana or Arkansas, to rodeo. The CRA provides opportunities close to home where these cowboys and cowgirls can develop and test their skills. Given that contestants must pay to compete and cover their own travel expenses (meaning food, accommodation and transport long distances for themselves, their families and their animals), and that only a handful walk away with prize money, the CRA’s presence is what makes participation in the rodeo lifestyle possible for South Louisianians. Traveling farther away would mean less development at the amateur level, making it more challenging for those who want to pursue rodeo professionally.

The CRA has served as an important step on the road to going pro for athletes such as Waylon Buquoi, 18, from Slaughter, Louisiana, who was the CRA’s top bull rider in 2022. Buquoi says he first got into bull riding at age 2, starting on little calves.

“From there I kept moving up,” Buquoi says. “Up to steers when I was 7, then mini bulls, then junior bulls. Now I’m riding open with the CRA.”

He began riding bulls at CRA rodeos in 2022 and won the championship his first year of participation. These Cajun Rodeos served as an essential introduction to competition at an amateur level, giving him the confidence to go pro in 2024 and begin competing at national rodeos with the PRCA. For a young cowboy with limited resources in South Louisiana, the CRA is a great opportunity.

“With the CRA, you just don’t have to travel as far,” Buquoi says. “And you don’t have to spend so much money on gas just getting there.”

Providing opportunity to those like Buqoi is what the CRA is all about.

“We are the only amateur rodeo association based in the South,” says Ben Watson, president of the CRA. “What makes this organization special is that it is based on a working person’s mentality and ability, meaning that the guy or woman who works 9 to 5 Monday through Friday still has the opportunity to rodeo. These are your local a/c guys, your

electricians, your working people. Some will end up going professional and those that do always like to come back to the CRA, where they began, to compete when they’re in town. It’s a great association to keep the Western way of life alive.”

It’s not only in the arena that this culture expresses itself, but in the audience, which is remarkably family-oriented. Outside the occasional lonesome cowboy, the majority of the spectators arrive as families. Roughly one in four are small children, scampering around in boots and cowboys hats, riding make-believe horses, roping invisible calves that they chase from atop lithium-powered hoverboards. It is a safe environment for children to run wild and interact with their peers, an opportunity for community members to reunite and catch up, for teenagers to preen and socialize and occasionally, perhaps, look to the arena and be inspired to compete themselves.

“The whole point of what we’re doing here is bringing communities together,” says Watson. “Bringing a light to someone who has never seen rodeo before and maybe inspiring them to go down the path of being in the Western way of life and living in the way of our ancestors.”

Left Rodeo clown Preston Broxson with his Cajun Mardi Gras dummy and props for his acts, Sulphur Top right A young cowboy come to watch the rodeo. The CRA is proud of the family-friendly atmosphere it cultivates, Houma Middle right A contestant secures his hat before a bronc ride Houma Bottom right Calf roping competition at the CRA Finals, Sulphur

I’ve been to countless rodeos throughout the United States and Mexico, and was on the lookout for what makes a Cajun rodeo of South Louisiana unique, besides the obvious, such as the overabundance of French last names (Leblanc, Broussard,

Boudreaux, etc.) or the fact the rodeo clown dressed his prop mannequin in a Courir de Mardi Gras outfit. Hints of it came in the men’s restroom, when a cowboy struck up a conversation in the stalls, asking everyone where they’re from and didn’t fully seem to believe I’d come “all the way” from New Orleans — a three-hour drive. He himself was from Church Point, here to watch his younger cousin team rope. More clues came from the crowd, snacking on boudin and cracklins, and from the ethnic makeup of both athletes and audience, which mirrored the diversity of the region. In the end, I decided it was in the relaxed, genteel friendliness of all those present, a mood so common in South Louisianan culture that it is di cult to fully recognize when you are among it, and only when you venture elsewhere do you realize that something, some subtle Cajun ingredient, is missing.

Mutton busting, a sheep-riding event for young children, at the CRA Rodeo, Houma

That said, you need not be from South Louisiana to participate in CRA rodeos — that just happens to be where a majority of participants come from.

“We pull folks from Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas,” says Davis. “Occasionally, we even get bull riders from Brazil, or, for instance, bronc riders from Montana, who rodeoed with us while they were down here in Louisiana pipelining.”

“For rodeos in this region, the CRA is probably the hottest thing going on right now,” says Jana Browning, a barrel racer from Zachary, Louisiana, who has competed with the CRA for more than seven years. “They pay well, they get a lot of entries

and the people on the board work really hard to support the association and make their rodeos fair and safe for everyone.”

Browning began her rodeo career team penning, then moved on to cutting, then in her senior year of high school her parents bought her a barrel-racing horse and that has evolved, nearly 20 years and many horses later, into this, her eighth time competing in the CRA finals.

It is for those like Browning that the CRA, founded in 1990, has been putting on 22-24 rodeos every year for nearly a quarter century. That requires a lot of work, especially considering that the board members who organize these rodeos are working people with families. An event like the finals requires months of coordination and planning. For the organizers, all that time and e ort is worth it — it’s a way to do their part to continue the Western way of life while bringing an economic boon to communities where they hold their rodeos. With 300+ contestants over a weekend of rodeos (not to mention their families) all buying groceries, renting hotels rooms, eating out and so on, that’s a whole lot of money and culture pouring into these small South Louisiana towns. ✪

Clockwise Chute dogging, in which contestants must wrestle a steer to the ground, at the CRA Finals, Sulphur; A contestant wrestles a steer to the ground during the chute dogging competition at the CRA Rodeo, Houma; A father and son lined up for the mutton busting competition at the CRA Rodeo, Houma; A contestant wrestles a steer to the ground during the chute dogging competition at the CRA Finals, Sulphur; Concession stand at the CRA Rodeo, Houma

MEET FIVE ACADIANS MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THEIR REGION

TRAILBLAZERS

JOHN Warner SMITH

BY CHRISTOPHER LOUIS ROMAGUERA

“History is burning in my gut,”

John Warner Smith told me. Smith is known in many circles in Louisiana. Whether he’s writing books and being the Poet Laureate of Louisiana from 2019-2021, or working for the Urban League of Louisiana, he and his work has always been steeped in a passion for Black people and their history.

Smith’s newest venture is working as the executive director of Shadows-on-the-Teche, the museum at the old sugar plantation at the William Weeks plantation in New Iberia, originally built in 1834. After reading a poem he wrote commemorating the 75th anniversary of the expulsion of Black doctors from Iberia Parish in 1944, titled “Sermon of the Dreamers,” Smith got the position. He said, if you’d have asked him earlier in his life if he’d be the executive director of a museum, he

wouldn’t have thought so, but the chance to “reframe history, to tell the whole story of it,” was too good to pass up.

Smith has always worked to tell stories in a way that they hadn’t been told before, whether it was poetry about Muhammad Ali or the novella he wrote and published in 2022 with UL Press, “For All Those Men,” a fictionalized account based on the true story of how the Ku Klux Klan tried to take over Louisiana in the early 20th century.

As the executive director of the museum, Smith can expound on the history that had been told there prior, (and the histories told so often at plantations that exclude the enslaved). He has set up the museum to include the stories of the enslaved with a new interpretative experience and has even organized different exhibits and themes featured in each room of the plantation. For Smith, this is very important, as he says, “History is taking a bad rap. There’s denialism, people trying to prevent history from being taught and told and we’re doing the opposite. History can be such a bridge builder, such a teacher and we can do a better future.”

EDUCATION LINDSAY SMYTHE

BY FRITZ ESKER

The French language is a vital part of Acadiana’s culture. At the newly formed École Saint-Landry, Principal Lindsay Smythe is teaching a new generation of Louisiana’s youth the French language while providing a comprehensive education.

École Saint-Landry is a full French immersion charter school, which means all subjects are taught in French except for English language arts. The idea initially came from local architect and former State Rep Stephen Ortego. Smythe, then a French teacher at Lafayette High School, attended the first exploratory meeting on opening the new school in December 2016. École Saint-Landry first opened its doors to students for the 2021-2022 school year at the site of the former Sunset High School, a building on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Cameron Parish native, Smythe was a natural fit for the principal position because she had extensive classroom experience, spoke fluent French, and had a principal’s certification. The now 44-year-old Smythe did not learn French until she was 31, when she traveled to Nova Scotia to attend an immersion program at the Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia.

Smythe said immersion schools are important because it is easier to learn a foreign language in childhood than adulthood.

“Kids are sponges,” Smythe said. Even more importantly, immersion can level the playing field for disadvantaged students.

“Immersion is the great equalizer,” Smythe said. Regardless of

a student’s financial background, everyone is starting from square one when learning a new language. “We want any child, no matter what their background is, to have the benefits of a bilingual brain.”

One challenge a full immersion school faces is finding teachers who are both fluent French speakers and qualified to teach their subject. To fill this gap, École Saint-Landry utilizes many teachers on cultural exchange visas. These teachers are allowed to stay in the United States for up to five years. A benefit of this program is the children get to hear French spoken in di erent accents, as teachers have hailed from places like France, Belgium and Senegal.

Currently, École Saint-Landry has 174 students in grades K-3. A new grade (about 70 students) will be added each year until it becomes a K-8 school.

When she is not working for École Saint-Landry, Smythe is an avid traveler who enjoys spending time with her husband and cat. A former college javelin thrower at LSU, she always enjoys watching sports of all kinds.

ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY Michelle MACFAYDEN

BY SUZANNE FERRARA

It’s not every day that you meet a female ground control NASA engineer who helped legend John Glenn on his last space mission — a ride on the space shuttle Discovery — in 1998. “Working mission control was fun and exciting. I watched over the computers that controlled — and landed — the shuttle,” says Eunice native, Michelle MacFayden. While the NASA post is impressive by celestial-sized proportions, MacFayden traded in her key to mission control to ignite something more meaningful on planet Earth. Instead of analytically landing space shuttles in the abyss, gravitational pull firmly planted her boots on the ground in the heart of Acadiana. Her deductive brainpower used for protecting astronauts is now being used for a

humanitarian mission fueled by her galaxy-sized heart.

“I keep hearing Matthew 25:35, ‘Welcome the stranger’.”

The mother of four, selflessly assists hundreds of desperate refugees from 60 countries who are searching for better lives in the United States. She volunteers at three statewide holding facilities, one of which is in her backyard of Evangeline Parish at the Basile Detention Center. “When people hear ‘detention center,’ they think they got caught by authorities, and that’s not the case. They want to turn themselves in so they can start the process, and the majority are not criminals,” explains MacFayden, a devoted volunteer with Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention, LA-AID.

MacFayden is among nearly two-dozen LA-AID volunteers who tackle an endless list of tasks, including advocating for voiceless migrants. “We help them connect with their families and sponsors, get necessary medical care that might be ignored, as well as visit them.” It’s not uncommon for MacFayden to welcome a refugee to stay overnight at her home. “If I were in this situation, God, I hope somebody would open the door for me to make sure I was okay.”

One could say it’s apropos that MacFayden is emphatic about helping her fellow man survive; after all, her ancestors were expatriated Acadians. She’s a direct descendent of Acadian and Cajun patriarch Louis Arceneaux (circa 1765), whom many believe was the real-life character Gabriel in Longfellow’s celebrated poem “Evangeline.” “The Acadian people were exiled. Can we not see they are in the same situation?”

In retrospect, MacFayden’s decision not to become an astronaut paid off astronomically because she found heaven on earth through helping humankind. She said, “To me it comes from God. It’s a desire I can’t explain; why I was called to do this is just a mystery.”

If you’d like to volunteer or make a donation to LA-AID, go to laaid.org.

CONSERVATION

Phillip “SCOOTER” TROSCLAIR

BY FRITZ ESKER

When Phillip “Scooter” Trosclair was growing up in Grand Chenier, he loved bass fishing. He was so passionate about his hobby that at age 16, he approached Guthrie Perry of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge to ask if he could help tag bass to track their movements. Perry said yes, and the very next day Trosclair returned to tell him he had used all 100 tags. An impressed Perry then gave Trosclair 1,000 tags and would soon o er Trosclair a student job at Rockefeller. Now at age 48, Trosclair is a program manager at Rockefeller and is on the front lines of efforts to rescue and restore Louisiana’s precious coastlines.

Shortly after he began his work at Rockefeller, Trosclair’s bosses asked him to help spot alligator nests from a helicopter. Seeing the land from above gave Trosclair his first real sense of the challenges Louisiana’s coastal lands face and how the extent of those challenges can vary from area to area. Those challenges have only intensified since Trosclair began his work.

Trosclair said as Louisiana loses land from its coastline, the tides change and saltwater intrusion increases. Some of the vegetation is unable to transition to becoming a saltwater marsh and it dies. The losses also a ect shrimp, fish and crabs in the area. These losses then a ect locals who depend on the seafood industry for their livelihoods. The coastlines provide the region a vital bu er zone for hurricanes, and the devastating hurricanes of 2020 emphasized the need for coastal restoration.

“Our coastline is our first line of defense,” Trosclair said. “Once we start to lose that, everything is a ected.”

Some parts of the coastline are losing more land than others, and Trosclair said the goal is to focus on minimizing land loss in specific areas. The challenge is finding money for the work, which is expensive. Recently, the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act has provided funding.

One project Trosclair worked on was the Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization Project, which placed rocks along the shoreline that protected it from gulf waves and allowed the marshes behind the rocks to rebuild.

When asked what he loves the most about Acadiana, Trosclair points to the people he has met and worked with as part of his job at Rockefeller. The sense of community he feels informs his fight to save Louisiana’s coastal areas.

“We’re all in this together,” Trosclair said.

CULTURE

STELLA MILLER

BY FRITZ ESKER

When 77-year-old Stella Miller looks back on her time in Lake Charles, one of the most satisfying things for her is that she has lived to see genuine change for African Americans in the community. She played a significant role in achieving that change as the executive director for the Black Heritage Gallery for 22 years.

“The gallery is a place for African Americans to show their work and for other people to see their work,” Miller said.

Miller retired last year from her position as executive director, one she held from the gallery’s opening in 2001. When it opened, she said there were little to no opportunities for African Americans to showcase their art. Now,

the gallery does five individual shows a year and one group show a year. She said the opening receptions always feature diverse crowds of friendly people.

“The arts community is the friendliest community there is,” Miller said.

Most of the artists have Louisiana roots, even if they are now currently living abroad or elsewhere in the United States. The group show often features many Lake Charles artists. One year, a six-year-old artist participated.

Making an impact on children was one of Miller’s favorite parts of the job. When someone visited the gallery and said their child liked to draw, Miller would always encourage the parent to bring the child to the gallery for a future visit. Successful artists all start somewhere, and trips to galleries can provide inspiration for aspiring young artists.

MUSIC Steve RILEY

BY WENDY LEMLIN

Aside from her work in the gallery, Miller worked as the Upward Bound director at McNeese State University. Her job involved helping local high school students get into college.

Even though Miller retired as the gallery’s executive director, she still stays quite busy in the Lake Charles community. She has worked as a campaign manager for two candidates for judge and one candidate for city marshal. Instead of taking a salary for herself, she asked that the candidates make a donation to the gallery.

Miller’s work has not gone unnoticed. On January 18, Miller received the Civic Service Award — the highest recognition o ered by the Chamber of Southwest Louisiana in honor of Miller’s e orts in the community.

A San Antonio native, Miller moved to Lake Charles when her first husband got a job there. A mother of two and a grandmother of two, she said she still loves the city for its people and its food.

“The people are genuine; the people are good,” Miller said.

GRAMMY-winning and 2023 Cajun French Music Association Hall of Fame inductee Steve Riley found his calling early in life, inspired by his family, his culture and some of the greatest Cajun musicians of all time. Known for his masterful accordion playing, soulful singing and poignant songwriting, Steve’s talent and drive have enabled him to be a fulltime musician since his early teens.

In 1988, at the age of 18, Riley co-founded the ever-popular Cajun band Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, earning a leading place in the world music limelight from the get-go. Riley is also a founding member of Lil’ Band O’ Gold, High Performance, the Racines and The Band Courtbouillon, with whom he and fellow band leaders Wayne Toups and Wilson Savoy won the GRAMMY award in 2013. Additionally, Steve has earned five other GRAMMY noms, as well as myriad accolades and awards.

When asked who his greatest influences in both music and life have been, Riley doesn’t even hesitate. “My maternal grandfather, Burke Guillory, taught me to sing Cajun songs, starting when I was about 3. He was part of that generation of French-speaking Cajuns who worked to bring back the old traditions, and he instilled in me a deep love for my culture. The great accordionist, Marc Savoy, is my dad’s first cousin and as a kid I’d be captivated listening to him and the legendary fiddler, Dennis McGee, playing music together at my grandparents’ houseparties.”

It was the late Dewey Balfa, however, who had the greatest impact on Steve Riley’s early musical life. After being mesmerized by a Balfa Brothers’ recording when he was about 12, Steve received his first accordion at 13, and finally met his soon-to-be mentor at 15. “When we played music together that first time,” Riley recounts, “it was magical. I started touring with him that year until his death when I was 22. He told me, ‘Music is freedom. You will want to do things with it that I probably would never have thought of. Be open to it all. You can spend your life in South Louisiana dance halls, or you can tour the world and experience it all, representing your music and your culture in an informative and positive way.’ I try to live that advice every day.”

Now, at the age of 54, Steve Riley has no intention of slowing down and resting on his laurels. In addition to his gigs with the Mamou Playboys, he teaches online accordion classes and produces musical events under the banner of Steve Riley Productions. (A program called “International Accordion Kings” is coming up at the end of April in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and New Orleans). Family is a top priority in his life, and along with wife Katie, Steve is passing the musical torch along to his three children: daughter Elise, 20, and sons Burke, 14, who is now the drummer for the Mamou Playboys and Dolsy, 11. “It’s one of the greatest joys of my life to play music with them and see them start their own bands and grow musically. My overriding goal is just to be the best person that I can be for my kids and support them in every way.”

TOP LAWYERS

“Our area’s most respected attorneys, as nominated by their peers within the legal profession. The attorneys in this feature were selected by Professional Research Services (PRS), which conducted an online peer-review survey of area attorneys in Acadiana, Louisiana. Attorneys were asked to nominate fellow lawyers they deemed the best in their field of law practice. Many votes were cast honoring excellence in all categories of law. The featured attorneys were screened and selected through the verification of licensing and review of any infractions through applicable boards, agencies and rating services. For additional information, visit prscom. com. Acadiana Profile was not involved in the selection process. “

LAWYERS

TOP LAWYERS

Administrative/ Regulatory Law

Jeffrey Lieberman Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2349

Admiralty & Maritime Law

William B. “Billy” Baggett Jr. Baggett, McCall, Burgess, Watson, Gaughan & Andrus, LLC Lake Charles 337-478-8888

Blake R. David Sr. Broussard, David & Moroux, LLC Lafayette 337-233-2323

Robert M. Kallam Kean Miller LLP Lafayette 337-422-3642

Joseph G. “Joe” Kopfler Kopfler & Hermann, Attorneys at Law Houma 985-303-2357

Brian J. Lindsey Kean Miller LLP Lafayette 337-422-3655

Alan J. Meche Allen & Gooch Lafayette 337-291-1000

Francis X. Neuner Jr. Neuner Pate Lafayette 337-272-0311

Mark R. “Tiger” Pharr Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith, APLC Lafayette 337-735-1760

James P. Roy Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards, LLC Lafayette 337-291-4878

John P. Roy Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards, LLC Lafayette 337-291-4878

James P. Ryan Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik Opelousas 337-948-4483

Randall K. Theunissen Allen & Gooch Lafayette 337-291-1000

Douglas W. Truxillo Onebane Law Firm Lafayette 337-237-2660

Alternate Dispute Resolution

Robert J. David Jr. Juneau David, APLC Lafayette 337-905-3128

Richard T. Haik

Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik Opelousas 337-948-4483

Richard J. Hymel

Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions Lafayette 337-905-3128

Thomas R. Juneau Sr. Juneau David, APLC Lafayette 337-905-3128

James A. Lochridge Jr. Voorhies & Labbé Lafayette 337-232-9700

Andrew D. McGlathery III

Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP

Lake Charles 337-493-7226

Appellate Practice

James R. Nieset Sr. Plauche, Smith & Nieset, LLC Lake Charles 337-436-0522

Lawrence “Larry” P. Simon Jr. Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2323

Banking and Finance Law

Billy J. Domingue Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2342

Cody “C.J.” J. Miller Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2346

Steven T. Ramos Andrus Boudreaux Lafayette 337-984-9480

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Scott J. Scofield Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry Lake Charles 337-433-9436

Bet-the-Company Litigations

James H. Gibson

Gibson Law Partners, LLC

Lafayette 337-243-9193

Commercial Litigation

Jessica S. Allain Jones Walker, LLP

Lafayette 337-593-7625

Clare Sanchez Burke Sanchez Burke, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-4405

Matthew “Matt” Mize Robichaux, Mize, Wadsack, Richardson & Watson, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-0234

William B. Monk Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP Lake Charles 337-493-7232

John R. Pohorelsky Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry Lake Charles 337-433-9436

B. Gene Taylor III

Gold Weems Bruser Sues & Rundell, APLC Alexandria 318-445-6471

Commercial Transactions/LLS Law

Kyle M. Bacon Jones Walker, LLP Lafayette 337-593-7706

Emily Breaux Wright Kean Miller LLP Lafayette 337-422-3669

Construction Law

Lee Hoffoss Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers Lake Charles 337-221-0230

Emile Joseph Jr. Allen & Gooch Lafayette 337-291-1000

Corporate Law

Joseph “Joe” Giglio Jr. Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2311

Steven C. Lanza Onebane Law Firm Lafayette 337-237-2660

Landon R.G. Roberts

Robichaux, Mize, Wadsack, Richardson & Watson, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-0234

Criminal Defense Non White-Collar

Patricia M. Beasley Fuerst, Carrier & Ogden Lake Charles 337-436-3332

Joseph M.W. Burke Sanchez Burke, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-4405

Todd S. Clemons

Todd Clemons & Associates, APLC Lake Charles 337-477-0000

Donald D. Cleveland

Donald D. Cleveland, APLC Lafayette 337-205-0319

Shane K. Hinch Hinch and Associates Lake Charles 337-940-9224

Adam Johnson The Johnson Firm Lawyers Lake Charles 337-427-8961

Jennifer E. Jones Sanchez Burke, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-4405

Thomas L. Lorenzi Lorenzi & Barnatt, LLC Lake Charles 337-436-8401

Jordan T. Precht Precht Law Firm Lafayette 337-201-9119

Walter Marshall Sanchez Sanchez Burke, LLC Lake Charles 337-433-4405

J Michael Veron Veron Bice Attorneys at Law Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Cody J. Vidrine Loftin & LeBlanc, LLC Lake Charles 337-310-4300

Criminal Defense White Collar

Michael Antoon Vamvoras Antoon Lake Charles 337-433-1621

J. Michael Veron Veron Bice Attorneys at Law Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Donald W. Washington Jones Walker, LLP Lafayette 337-593-7624

Energy Law

Vanessa Waguespack Anseman Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2344

Turner D. Brumby Veron Bice Attorneys at Law Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Brian Capell Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2368

Hunter Chauvin Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 225-341-4313

Patrick W. Gray Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC Lafayette 337-412-6003

Rebecca M. Guidry Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2309

Jackson Davis Logan III Knezek Law Firm Lafayette 337-266-2233

Patrick S. Ottinger Ottinger Hebert Lafayette 337-232-2606

John M. Parker Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2331

April L. Rolen-Ogden Liskow & Lewis Lafayette 337-267-2330

Environmental Law

Turner D. Brumby Veron Bice Attorneys at Law Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Thomas M. McNamara Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC Lafayette 337-412-6003

Alex P. Prochaska Jones Walker, LLP Lafayette 337-593-7616

Family Law

Erin Abrams The Johnson Firm Lawyers Lake Charles 337-427-8961

Tropical Flavors

Upgrade your mojitos with the sweet-tart touch of fresh tamarind syrup

BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY

PHOTO BY ROMERO & ROMERO

As spring edges into summer, the mere mention of a tall, cool mojito evokes images of tropical vacations and white-sand beaches. Few cocktails have survived the test of time better than the minty-sweet, fizzy libation laced with lime. One of the world’s most celebrated and enduring cocktails, it was brought to life in Cuba in the 16th century.

Originally made with a crude cane spirit (aguardiente de caña, the forerunner of rum) blended with lime and peppermint as an elixir for pirates, the rumlaced mojito party really got started when Havana saw an influx of American tourists in the 1920s, thanks to Prohibition. Demand waned abroad a er the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

A sudden spike in popularity occurred in the early 2000s, propelled by a James Bond ick, “Die Another Day,” featuring the famous Cuban beach scene with Pierce Brosnan sipping mojitos as bikini-clad Halle Berry emerges from the sea. Since then, the mojito has only become more ubiquitous.

Listed as one of the world’s most popular cocktails in 2023 by Drinks International and VinePair, Cuba’s signature cocktail is served seven di erent ways at Area337, where tropical drinks complement owner Gus Garden’s homey Latin American cuisine.

AREA337

2500 KIRKMAN STREET

LAKE CHARLES 337-488-8464

FACEBOOK.COM/AREA337

“We make all the cocktails fresh to order,” he says of the Lake Charles eatery that recently made a comeback following a 2023 re.

His tamarind mojito takes the spotlight for its bold avors, brightened by an in-house syrup made with the pulp of fresh tamarind pods. Tangy with a caramel undercurrent, the sweet-tart tamarind syrup is also ideal for mocktails.

The best place to enjoy Area337’s myriad mojitos is on the breezy covered patio anking the small dining room. “We’re bringing back salsa dancing on the patio this spring,” says Garden. Tropical rum cocktail dinners are also underway. 

Muddle 7 mint leaves and 3 lime wedges in a glass. Add 2 oz. tamarind syrup and 2 oz. Bayou White Rum. Add ice and shake to chill. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and lime wheels. TAMARIND SYRUP: Combine ¼ lb. shelled tamarind pods with 2 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Simmer until the fruit separates from the seeds. Strain the solids. Add the strained liquid back to the pot. Fold in 2 cups of cane sugar and simmer until dissolved. Cool and store in refrigerator for up to three weeks.

HOME BAR

Mojito de Tamarindo

WEEKEND BBQ

Allison’s BBQ in Eunice –Get it while it lasts

BY ERIC CORMIER PHOTOS BY JOSEPH VIDRINE

Conventional restaurant wisdom dictates that being open six or maybe seven days a week ensures an establishment will remain open over an extended period of time.

Allison’s BBQ in Eunice has de ed that thought. The restaurant — regarded as one of the best barbeque joints in the Cajun Prairie — is only open on Saturdays and Sundays (yes, every weekend). Those have been the permanent days of operation since 1989.

“We run out of food every day on the weekends. I guess that outcome speaks for itself,” said owner Nessa Allison.

Allison’s sits o US 190, a few blocks east of downtown Eunice. As you drive into town, lower your automobile window, and let your nose guide you to the barbeque establishment. Pecan wood smoke emanates from the pit … you cannot miss the place.

TRY THIS!

1

Dark Chicken Lunch

Tender pieces of leg and thigh, lightly covered in Allison’s family barbeque sauce and all served with dirty rice, baked beans, potato salad and bread.

2

Rib Sandwich

Sometimes, a person just needs a simple pleasure. A few ribs, white bread, and barbeque sauce. Toss in your favorite beverage and a nap … life in the Cajun Prairie gets no better than that.

3

Link Alone

Yes, that is how it is presented on the restaurant menu. The sausage is boiled before grilled over pecan wood. Get it! You will relish the flavors.

This is a no frills eatery and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

When you walk in — a er waiting in a line — Nessa’s mom, Mona Allison, will take your order. The menu is on the wall, to the le of Ms. Allison’s work station. On it, a barbeque lover will view the steps to smoked meat heaven.

A basic barbeque lunch consists of meat, dirty rice, baked beans, potato salad and bread.

Meat choices include pork steak, half chicken, pork ribs, dark meat selection, white meat selection or a sausage link. There are also sandwich selections with the same meat choices.

The smoked meat reminds me of awesome barbeque found at trail rides and church bazaars. Meats are avorful and tender.

Allison’s was the dream business of Linus Allison (Mona’s late husband and Nessa’s father). When he rented the restaurant’s current location, the owners did not think a restaurant was viable.

“My dad asked for a chance. At that time, the property owner laughed about it but agreed to give my dad a few months. And here we are,” Nessa Allison said.

Business was so strong, that before she died, the property owner made a way for the Allisons to buy the building.

“We had the rst right to buy,” Nessa Allison said. She bought the building ve years ago.

Today, Allison’s brother Raymond Malveaux is the pit master. He learned from his father, to cook the meats low and slow. Knowledge about cooking BBQ meats were not the only thing that Mr. Allison le behind. He also created a BBQ sauce that has been served and sold at the restaurant since it opened.

Nessa Allison is glad her family keeps preparing down-home barbeque in the Eunice area. It is even more gratifying to her to see her dad and mother’s work making a di erence.

“For them, it was about cooking good food for the people,” she said. “I want to keep the tradition going.” 

LUNCH ON THE PORCH

Savory shrimp dishes and lemon bars for dessert

BY MARCELLE BIENVENU

& STYLING BY EUGENIA UHL

Spring is the season for crawfish, but it is also when locally caught shrimp becomes available. I usually head out to Cypremort Point or Delcambre for shrimp (and other local seafood) that’s brought in from Vermilion Bay.

It’s an ideal time for a seafood extravaganza. The weather is mild, the scenery is lush and my big, screened porch is ready for a party. Which shrimp dish — a stew, boiled or fried stu ed eggplant with shrimp and béchamel?

Let’s go for New Orleans-style barbecued shrimp and maybe an appetizer of shrimp sliders. A lemon dessert is always my choice to follow a seafood meal. 

PHOTO

STARTER

Shrimp Sliders

1½ pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped

½ cup minced onions

¼ cup minced bell pepper

½ cup minced celery

1 beaten egg

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup minced green onions

¼ cup minced parsley

All-purpose flour

1 cup solid vegetable oil for frying

1 cup tartar sauce

Slider buns or sliced toasted French bread

1. Mix the shrimp, onions, bell pepper and celery with the beaten egg in a mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, parsley and baking powder and mix well.

2. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Form the mixture into small patties. Dredge in flour. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

3. To serve, spread tartar sauce on the toasted buns or French bread, then tuck in the shrimp patties. Best served warm. Makes 8 to 12

Barbecued Shrimp My Way

6 pounds large shrimp, heads on (don’t peel them)

2 sticks butter

¾ cups olive oil

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 ⁄3 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)

½ teaspoon Tabasco® (or more, according to taste)

1 tablespoon rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon oregano leaves

1. Rinse the shrimp in cool water and drain. Spread the shrimp in a large shallow baking pan. In a saucepan, melt butter, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Cool slightly.

1. Pour the sauce over shrimp and marinate for one hour. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times with a spatula. Do not overcook. Serve in a soup bowl with lots of hot French bread to sop up the sauce. Be sure to have some trays around on which to put shells and such. Be forewarned — this can only be eaten with your hands. Makes 4 to 6 servings

DESSERT

Lemon Bars

1 stick butter, melted

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the butter, powdered sugar and one cup of the flour in a bowl. Mix well. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs until light in color. Add the granulated sugar, the remaining two tablespoons flour, the baking powder and the lemon juice. Mix well.

4. Spread this mixture over the crust and bake for 30 minutes more.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into squares. Makes about 40 squares

MAIN DISH

Cœur de pirate

Jean Lafitte : l’homme, le mythe,

la légende

PAR DAVID CHERAMIE

Il est né quelque part dans les années 1770, peut-être quelque part en France, peut-être à Saint-Domingue, peut-être ailleurs. Il est mort en 1823 ou en 1827 ou peut-être en 1857, en Honduras, au Mexique ou Dieu sait où. Il aurait grandi dans la Baie Baratarie; il aurait passé sa jeunesse sur les bateaux de son père. Ses grands-parents auraient fui l’Espagne parce qu’ils étaient juifs. Au fait jusqu’en 1804, on sait peu de choses sur le flibustier le plus célèbre, Jean Lafitte, quand on le retrouve sur son bateau, La sœur chérie, avec lequel il importe illégalement des esclaves en Louisiane du tout nouveau pays d’Haïti. Lui et son demifrère Pierre s’installent à Baratarie, dans un endroit qu’on appelle le Temple, où ils commandent des milliers d’hommes et établissent un empire bâti sur la contrebande, la piraterie et la traite des Noirs. Grandissant à quelques encablures de là, j’ai toujours entendu parlé des trésors enfouis en bas d’un arbre, protégés par le fantôme d’un pirate sacri é. La tte relève autant de la légende que de l’histoire, sinon plus.

Il est surtout connu pour le coup de main décisif que lui et ses hommes ont porté à Andrew Jackson lors de la Bataille de la Nouvelle-Orléans à la n de la Guerre de 1812, malgré le fait que seulement quelques semaines avant, les considérant comme des bandits sans foi ni loi, les commodores américains Patterson et Ross les avaient attaqués, saisissant leur butin. Pour le remercier une fois que la victoire garantissant la préservation de l’indépendance américaine face à l’Angleterre était acquise, Jackson a demandé un pardon pour La tte et ses hommes, ce que le Président Madison a donné. Ensuite, il quitte la Louisiane pour toujours et en 1816 s’installe dans une autre colonie de ibustiers plus à l’ouest sur la côte, devenue aujourd’hui Galveston. Deux ans plus tard, un ouragan décime la côte et La tte la quitte peu de temps après. Ensuite, on perd sa trace et il disparaît dans la légende. Certains racontent qu’il est en Angleterre dans les années 1840 où il aurait rencontré deux jeunes Allemands nommés Marx et Engels. Ces derniers lui auraient parlé de leurs théories sur le capitalisme et la classe ouvrière. Intéressé par ces idées, La tte les aurait subventionnés pendant qu’ils travaillaient sur Le Manifeste communiste. Jolie histoire, mais

on ne sait pas comment l’homme qui a sauvé la jeune république américaine a ni ses jours.

Tant qu’il est vrai qu’on a plus à craindre de nos jours des pirates qui voguent sur Internet plutôt que sur le Golfe du Mexique, on n’est pas complètement débarrassé de ces loups de mer. Si on est un peu nostalgique de cette idée romantique qu’on se fait de Jean La tte et ses émules, on peut toujours aller au Festival louisianais des Pirates au Lac Charles au mois de mai. On y verra « Jean La tte et ses boucaniers » tenter de capturer la ville, au grand plaisir des spectateurs et des charités que ce festival soutient.