Acadiana Profile Magazine October-November 2022

NOTE DE L’EDITEUR

Note

LETTRES D’AMOUR

A Ville Platte dinner club lives on in its clientele’s fond food memories

24 L’ART

New Iberia-born artist Marjorie Brown Pierson documents the effects of climate change

RECETTES DE COCKTAILS

1910 Restaurant and Wine Bar revives a popular craft cocktail shaped by Manhattan’s East Village and Pharrell Williams

EN FRANÇAIS, S’IL VOUS

PLAÎT

Les Restaurants de mon cœur: Une affaire de famille

De La Cuisine

Dîner

La Maison

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Melanie Warner Spencer

Art Director Sarah George

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

RENAISSANCE PUBLISHING

Abbie Whatley

Manager Rosa Balaguer

Production Designer Meghan Rooney

Armand

John Holzer

Mallary Wolfe

Todd Matherne

AWARDS

International and Regional Magazine Association

The smell of certain foods can elicit some of our strongest sen sory memories. For example, the heady combination of apples cooking in cinnamon instantly transports me to my granny’s kitchen, late evening in the fall when she would spend a few hours after dinner making a batch of her muchheralded apple butter, using fresh apples from her orchard. I would sneak downstairs in my pajamas — masterfully avoiding creaky floorboards so as not to awaken my brother and cousins — creep into the kitchen where Granny would be standing by the stove, stirring the bub bling concoction with a well-worn wooden spoon. Of course she knew this moment would come, because of all of six grandchildren, I was the only one who — even on the precipice of sleep — couldn’t resist the smell of hot cinnamon apples. For at this stage, the apples hadn’t yet broken down into the creamy spread they would ultimately morph into as they thickened and cooked down. Granny would scoop a few spoon fuls into a small bowl for me and I would sit at the kitchen table and enjoy my favorite warm, seasonal treat and a few quiet moments with my grandmother. These are such wholesome, vivid and cherished memories for me and I’m grateful that something as simple as apples and cinnamon can trigger them into being.

in Acadiana. Where else can you get both the finest, most elegant, traditional French cuisine and also alligator, sometimes on the same menu?

2022

Winner Magazine of the Year

Gold Overall Art Direction

Gold Art Direction of a Single Story

Gold Portrait Series

Silver Food Feature

Bronze Reader Service Article

Bronze Special Focus

2021

Gold Art Direction of a Single Story

Silver Covid Related Story

Silver Food Feature

Bronze Overall Art Direction

2020

Gold Overall Art Direction

Silver Art and Culture Feature

Silver Recreation Feature

Bronze Food Feature

Bronze Profiles

Bronze Art Direction of a Single Story

2019

Winner Magazine of the Year

Gold Overall Art Direction

Gold Art Direction Single Story

Café Josephine in Sunset is a place we return to again and again — and we’re not alone. This year, we’re celebrating it as our Best Restaurant. It isn’t the first time, and it likely won’t be the last.

The self-taught cooks and highly trained chefs in the region relish feeding us their best and in this issue, we’re sharing our favorites from throughout Acadiana. If you are anything like me, you anticipate this issue year after year and save a copy for reference when you are looking for a new (or old favorite) place to dine. We hope you enjoy the issue and that it becomes an essential reference. Bon appétit!

Gold Photo Series

Silver Photographer of the Year

2018

Gold Overall Art Direction Gold Magazine Photographer Gold Art Direction of a Single Story

Gold Food Feature Gold Department Silver Magazine

Writer of the Year

Silver Hed & Dek

Then there are the restaurant memories. Celebra tions, romance, travel and adventure are just a few of the things that come to mind when I consider some of the experiences I’ve had while dining out. Adven ture is at the top of the list, especially when dining

Melanie Warner Spencer Managing Editor Melanie@AcadianaProfile.com

Silver Photo Series

2017

Gold Overall Art Direction Gold Magazine

Photographer of the Year

Gold Art Direction of a Single Story

Gold Food Feature

Silver Cover

2016

Gold Overall Art Direction

Gold Magazine

Photographer of the Year

Gold Art Direction of a Single Story

Silver Photo Series

Sipping Suds in Style

Lafayette Bring your beer-loving buddies to sip and sample more than 200 beers from local, imported and domestic breweries (including first-batch debuts) during Gulf Brew (Oct. 22), Louisiana’s oldest craft beer festival. Music enlivens the popular outdoor fest anchored by a main stage at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the fundraiser’s beneficiary. AcA brings live music and exhibitions plus art and music education to over 25,000 students in 77 public schools (acadianacenterforthearts. org/event/gulf-brew-2022).

LAFAYETTE, SUNSET New Supper Club Events

Peat & Pearls, a Floridabased supper club founded in Pensacola in 2017, recently expanded to Lafayette. The first of its quarterly seasonal themed dinners (enjoyed for an annual $75 membership fee plus dinner costs) features Chef Jeremy Conner’s multi-course Gulf seafood-themed Oct. 13 dinner at Lafayette’s John Nickerson House Event Center followed by an elaborate oyster-themed Nov. 17 dinner helmed by Chef Kelsey Leger and Chef Matthew Pettus at Honeycomb Café in Sunset (peatandpearls.com).

Of Bikes, Beer and Omelettes

Enjoy some of the smoothest road cycling in South Louisiana during Bikes, Brews, & Omelettes Two (Nov. 5-6) featuring a diversity of route distances and events. Combining the Bayou Teche Brewing Bike Bash with Abbeville’s Giant Omelette Celebration plus Tante Marie’s live Cajun Jam with gumbo in Breaux Bridge. Ride through a variety of welcoming Cajun towns offering special enticements along the way (latrail.org).

YOUNGSVILLE, JENNINGS, CROWLEY, ABBEVILLE, CARENCRO Fancier Location

The South Louisiana-based sushi, hibachi and steakhouse, Tokyo Japan, is expanding to its 5th location in Youngsville’s Sugar Mill Pond (preceded by Jennings, Crowley, Abbeville and Carencro). To be located inside a new 10,800-squarefoot commercial building. Tokyo Japan’s $1.2 million investment will be “fancier than any other location” with a state-of-the-art full wall display with nature motion graphics and ambient music plus a large garage door opening to a patio (slated for completion mid-2023).

by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

NOUVELLES DE VILLES

Glass into Sand

Lafayette Parish RoadRunnerApp delivery service is partnering with BackYardSapphire to expand pickup routes for glass recyclables in Lafayette Parish. The glass items are being picked up from customers’ homes and crushed into sand. Lafayette Consolidated Government has started using the recycled sand to fill sandbags for disaster relief (backyardsapphire.com).

YOUNGSVILLE New Digs

An expanding frozen daiquiri chain based in the Lake Charles area, Paradise Daiquiris Sulphur, recently purchased property in Youngsville (2760 E. Milton Ave. and the adjacent lot at 2780 E. Milton Ave., just west of Metairie Shopping Center), land records show. With three locations (Lake Charles, Sulphur and Moss Bluff), the drive-thru bar and grill’s menu ranges from jalapeño poppers to poor boys and boiled crawfish plus live music, karaoke and TVs for football enthusiasts (facebook.com/ paradiselakecharles).

Big Boys and Rubber Duckies

THIBODAUX Put on your stretchy pants for the 20th annual Big Boy’s Main Street Cook-off (Nov. 11) when 30 culinary teams prepare Louisiana-inspired dishes. Enjoy a toothsome Goose Burger with live music and a car show while awaiting team goodies. The next day (Nov. 12) is the award-winning 30th annual Thibodeauxville Fall Festival with three stages of live music, a food court, arts and crafts booths and the famous (hysterical) rubber duck race on Bayou Lafourche (lacajunbayou.com; downtownthibodaux.org).

MAURICE, ABBEVILLE

Grabbing Coffee with Boudin

The Abbeville-based Classic Cup Brew Bar & Eatery is expanding with a second location in Maurice, located next door to Hebert’s Specialty Meats (and in partnership with the owners of Hebert’s). The new, larger location will feature an indoor setting in addition to the drivethru option. Classic Cup’s popular in-house cold brew and flavored lattes will be offered with boudin biscuits, salads and sandwiches and signature cupcakes and cake pops (classic-cup.com).

by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

NOUVELLES DE

by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

Simple on Purpose

Baton Rouge, Lafayette New Orleans Saints’ former quarterback, Drew Brees, is investing (with others) in yet another culinary concept, Small Sliders, based in Baton Rouge. It’s coming soon to Lafayette. Based on a simple concept of serving small, premium cookedto-order cheeseburger sliders dressed with “Smauce” in a hyper-focused, vibrant drivethru design (includes milkshakes and queso dip for waffle fries). Another 42 nationwide locations are in the pipeline (smallssliders.com).

YOUNGSVILLE Gas Stop with Class

Now open in Youngsville (402 Lafayette St.), the locally owned Live Oak Food & Fuel convenience store transcends a typical gas and snack stop with such amenities as its Blend, Sip and Chill station featuring protein smoothies and shakes, an extensive Beer Cave, abundant fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and Yobe brand frozen yogurt, fresh crawfish pies, meat pies, boudin bites and creative pizzas from Lafayette’s popular Pizzaville USA. Expanding to Lafayette.

Here Come the Kayaks

NEW IBERIA Tours by Steven (featuring ghost tours, walking and jogging tours in New Orleans and Franklin) is placing a new fleet of kayaks at a new rental shop on a kayak dock off of Duperier Ave. for a “unique experience to explore the Bayou Teche in a way that has never been done before.” The kayak tour will also offer a walking tour to highlight New Iberia’s history and culture (toursbysteven. com).

THIBODAUX

Kids’ Cajun Haven Reopens

Following a Hurricane Ida-related pause with fundraisers and upgrades, the Cajun-themed Bayou Country Children’s Museum reopens in Thibodaux with a whole new look and new exhibits. Children can toss Mardi Gras beads from floats, explore a full-size sugarcane harvester, track waterfowl from a duck blind, climb aboard a shrimp boat, scale a two-story oil platform and experience severe weather simulation among many other activities (bayoucountrychild rensmuseum.org).

Jungle Boogie

A Ville Platte dinner club lives on in its clientele’s fond food memories

By Steve Cornelius illustration by Sara Willia

Like any sensible person equipped with functioning tastebuds, I love Louisiana cooking. The fusion of diverse ingredients and pepper-driven heat draws me like a moth to flame. During a span of seven years living on the Gulf Coast, I especially enjoyed visiting Evangeline Parish and Ville Platte. Forty years on, my memory has faded about many things, but a bygone restaurant and bar in Ville Platte named The Jungle Dinner Club — known for its outra geous décor and wonderful food — became a memorable favorite.

My usual order was a sirloin steak smothered in the best crawfish and gravy I’ve ever eaten. The bar sold a tasty, yet lethal drink made from equal parts alcohol and cherry punch. It made your ears ring and tongue grow thick and fuzzy. Those drinks took you to a completely different place mentally.

The Jungle was located in a rambling building on West Main Street. If you wanted a parking spot close to the blinking purple and gold neon sign, better get there early.

On one hot and humid September night, with my clothes stuck to me like plastic wrap, I headed into town to meet colleagues for dinner. As I idled past the place, an old man strolling by pointed and yelled, “Plenty parking just down there … easy walk to the front door.” I waved, parked my car and headed inside along with my colleagues.

As we filed into the cool dark ness, my friend Mary exhaled, “I can really use a drink.” Ten min utes later, we sat enjoying ice cold beverages among the visual chaos of leopard print seat covers and Mardi Gras beads, while I dug into that delicious sirloin steak smothered in crawfish and gravy. The spices, textures and heat worked in harmony, and I ate until I was about to pop. My tablemates enjoyed similar dishes and cocktails, while I knocked back two of those “special” concoctions. Always a light drinker, I sat in an alcohol-induced cloud of happi

ness and everything was just fine until I tried to stand, pay my bill and leave.

Suddenly, my legs didn’t work so good. The owner noticed me struggling to stand, put his hand on my shoulder and laughed, “Don’t be in such a hurry … live music starts in 15 minutes.”

Two hours later I rambled out into the humidity beneath the overcast sky, stinking of cigarette smoke and ears ringing from loud Zydeco music, but still feeling the fullness that comes from a satisfying meal. I made it back to my hotel without incident.

STEVE CORNELIUS has written three novels, a collection of short stories and a self-help book. His stories have been published by Mississippi Magazine and Mississippi Folklore. He lived in the Gulf South for nearly a decade and now lives near Huntsville, Alabama.

About five years later, I vis ited Ville Platte again. By then The Jungle had sadly closed. I like to think the owner decided to retire and catch up on his hunting and fishing. Forty years on, my memories of his craw fish smothered-sirloin steak hasn’t faded. ■

Emotional Horizons

New Iberia-born artist

Marjorie Brown Pierson documents the effects of climate change

by John R. Kemp

“The places we come from inevitably define us all on some level,” says Pierson, whose family founded Bruce Foods Corporation, including Louisiana Hot Sauce, in New Iberia. “So when these places are threatened, we feel threatened. Climate change is challenging both our sense of where we belong and who we are. Here along the Gulf Coast, hurricanes and land loss enlarge our emotional horizons.”

Pierson’s emotional horizons are the wet lands of South Louisiana. Born in New Iberia in 1961, she has spent her entire adult life living away from home. After high school, she headed off to study at the University of North Carolina and later at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. Fol lowing her dreams, she worked for a time in Washington, D.C., New York, the Netherlands (where she represented Bruce Foods) and back to New York, where she met her husband David. They married in 2001 and eventually settled in Durham when a venture capital partnership there recruited him.”

Novelist Thomas Wolfe wasn’t always right. Sometimes you can go home again, especially when your heart never left.

New Iberia-born photographer and artist Marjorie Brown Pierson, witnessing from afar the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, has spent almost two decades returning to Louisiana from her home in Durham, North Carolina, to document the effects of climate change on the state’s vanishing coastal wetlands. Whether pho tographing the coastlines of North Carolina, Sicily, Hawaii or Louisiana, she approaches the landscape with the reverence and expressive sensitivity of an artist for she presents not only what she literally sees in the landscape but also how she responds emotionally and aestheti cally to what she sees.

It took hurricanes those devastating 2005, hurricanes however, to awaken her memories of the beauty of the South Louisiana where she grew up and where her mother’s Cajun family has been for centuries. She sensed imperma nence for “the people and places that you know will eventually disappear” and distress “about the environmental transformation due to climate change.” She was determined to express that fragile beauty in some creative way.

In 2006, using her talent and formal training in photography, she set out to capture, what she describes as, “the ephemeral beauty of those evanescent wet land landscapes.”

“My mother and my sister and extended family all live in South Louisiana,” she says. “I started thinking about their safety and those lush landscapes that I presumed would always be there when I wanted to go back. And I suddenly realized how would Louisiana and its people survive, how would they get through it or anyone on the Gulf Coast. I started to develop a sense of panic. I thought would I ever be able to show my young daughter Isabel those beautiful landscapes, the sublime beauty of them that I had so eagerly departed from when I was 18.”

Her images and methods of storytelling are often complex, which force viewers to dig deep into the layers. For instance, in her “Rare Earth” images, shoreline trees are blurred to represent how rapidly climate change is happening. In another photograph taken at Fausse Pointe from a quickly moving boat, corpses of dead cypress stand as “ghost trees” and “an abstraction of our memories of those landscapes.” In her “Imaginary Topographies” series, Pierson has another message:

“I wanted to create a visual metaphor, refer encing both the Louisiana marshland slowly eroding and sinking into the Gulf of Mexico, and the human activity, oil and gas exploration in this case, that has hastened this process

since the 1930s. Channels cut into the marsh to move resources to drilling rigs offshore allowed salt water intrusion into the marsh, killing much of the plant matter holding the land together.”

The resulting images were “Channel Lace” and “Louisiana Lace,” which she cre ated by digitally blending high-resolution scans of vintage pieces of lace over pho tographs of fragmented bodies of water and marshland. In “Channel Lace,” which was printed on sugarcane paper made in Germany, one sees in the lace the fragility of the land and ecosystem tenuously held together and in the duckweed the loss of land and rising sea level.

In her two-photo collage “The Lotus Embodies the Soul,” Pierson juxtaposed a pixilated image of an open lotus-filled marsh with a photograph of a storm-flooded cemetery in Dulac, where only the white tops of grave stones were visible. The marsh photo was on top and the graves on the bottom, as if under water.

“When even beloved ancestors are threat ened in their resting places by rising seas,” she says, “climate change feels less like an abstract concept.”

These images are anything but a nostalgic visualization of childhood memories. Nostalgia, she says, is the “pain of homesickness,” which can be cured by simply going home.

“But,” she adds, “what if the place you call home is endangered from forces you can’t control and even when you are there it seems to be slipping away in real time. This longing for evanescent landscapes is what drives me to create the art.”

In her art and passion for South Louisi ana’s “evanescent” wetlands, Pierson has in a sense come home again. She apparently never truly left. ■

TO SEE MORE OF MARJORIE BROWN PIERSON’S WORK

Perfect Landing

by Marie Elizabeth Oliver photos by Haylei Smith

Sara Ashy has always had a soft spot for oak-lined country roads.

She and her husband, Brooke Inzerella, were looking for real estate on Lafayette’s Southside when she heard about a piece of property in Carencro that bordered a horse farm. Once they saw it, they knew they couldn’t pass it up. Later, Ashy’s mother told her the land once belonged to her great-grandfather. A “happy coincidence,” she says. But, that wasn’t the only thing that made it feel right.

“We had found an inspiration photo for a home we loved in Napa Valley. Minimalist, modern, Scandinavian, traditional,” says Ashy describing the design. “When we saw the property, we knew it would fit.”

Inzerella is the owner of Horticare Land scapes + Pools and a licensed contractor. He took on managing their new build, and they brought on architect Lisa Bourque to help bring their Scandinavian-style dream to life. The home itself is U-shaped, hugging an expansive

The living space features a vaulted ceiling and picture windows overlooking the patio and garden. “There’s a connection to the outside in every room, especially in the great room,” says Ashy. “We have tall windows, so you always feel like you’re living outside.”

Design

Lisa Bourque, lisabourquedesign.com

Contractor and Landscape

Horticare Landscapes + Pools, horticarelandscape. com

Builder F&J Builders, LLC, fjbuildersllc.com

A couple finds their sweet spot off of a gravel road in Carencro

Ashy fell in love with the kitchen’s bold cement tiles while browsing online. Conflicted about whether she should go a different (safer) route, she printed out paper versions of the tiles and taped them to the walls. Ultimately, the statement tiles won out, and she couldn’t be happier.

The home’s white walls leave plenty of room for the owners’ collections to take center stage. “We weren’t afraid of all the white, because we knew they would have pops of color in the art and in the upholsteries,” says Bourque.

Designing the outdoor living spaces was one of the home owner’s first priorities. At the top of the list: 10 raised beds for Ashy’s vegetable garden, which she quickly filled up. Inzerella designed the scene-stealing pond and fountain in the front of the property, and the couple has plans for a pool and deck in the backyard.

courtyard and outdoor kitchen. Bourque says the couple’s main goal was to have access to the outside from as many rooms as possible. Once they figured out where the home would sit on their property, she worked with Ashy and Inzerella to map out their daily rituals.

“In all my houses, I want to know how people have lived before, but the deep hard work is where do you want to live?” says Bourque. “Let’s make a home that honors who you really want to be.”

A spacious hallway connects the home’s living and entertaining space to its more private owner’s suite. Bourque designed this space to highlight the beauty of the natural vistas, as well as the couple’s eclectic art col lection. She says most people think of halls as utilitarian spaces, but if it’s something you’re going to walk through multiple times a day, why not make it feel more like a gallery?

Ashy’s background as a graphic designer shows up throughout the home, from the pat tern play of the tiles and bold textiles to the col orful, custom canvases she created for the walls. All the while, she’s focused on editing and letting the natural landscape take center stage.

“I have tried to stay as true as I possibly can to that whole minimalist vibe,” says Ashy. “It’s a lot harder than you realize.” ■

BY ERIC CORMIER PHOTOS BY JOSEPH VIDRINE

BEST OF DINING

In Acadiana, cooking is a way of life. It’s also a family affair and a community event. Home cooks abound, so the pros cooking in the region’s restaurants know they’re gonna be put to the test daily — and they are up to the challenge. In that spirit, here’s our list of those who made the cut for this year’s Acadiana Profile Best of Dining.

CRABMEAT STUFFED EGGROLLS

LUMP CRAB MEAT AND BOILED SHRIMP SALAD

CHICKEN

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR  CAFÉ

JOSEPHINE

Napoleon Ave. Sunset cafejosephinesunset.com

SOMETIMES a person does not need to taste food from a certain restaurant to know if the vittles prepared there are good.

The proverbial grapevine (person-to-person or social media) along with a few para graphs from foodies and writers in a newspaper, newsletter or magazine will do just the trick for developing a restaurant’s must-eat-at reputation.

But if a person is still in doubt, call and see how long it takes to get a reservation. If it will take a week or two to get a table at the place, then it would not be wrong to assume the res taurant is top-notch.

For example, a person can’t just walk into Café Josephine on any given night and expect a table and plate of something like crawfish nachos, lamb chops or tuna tacos. No, a food lover definitely needs to call and talk to one of the restaurant’s staffers to see what date and time is open on the reservation list.

This destination restaurant in Sunset is owned and operated by 58-year-old Carencro native Chef Troy Bijeaux.

Eaters from across America visit Café Josephine to eat food created by Bijeaux who for all intents and purposes is a kitchen savant.

3 Dishes to try

1CRABMEAT STUFFED EGG ROLLS One of the best finger foods a connois seur will find on the menu. A fried roll stuffed with delicate crabmeat, pecan pepper jelly, spicy mayo and Sriracha … bliss.

2SEAFOOD PLATTER Choices, oh what does one do? To eat a seafood platter consisting of catfish, shrimp, seafood cake, shrimp en brochette, two stuffed shrimp and seafood rice. Does one eat all this deliciousness grilled or fried?

3PRIME 14 OUNCE RIBEYE CAP This is one of Café Josephine’s top menu items. First you have to watch Chef Bijeaux prepare the meat on his grill. The performance and finished product are both sublime.

PRIME 14 OUNCE RIBEYE CAP

“Starting on Tuesday up until Saturday, people are lined up to eat here,” Bijeaux explains. “For us, the secret to success is quality of product, service and more importantly God’s blessing. I never went to cooking school and never ran a restaurant before. It’s amazing what this restaurant has done since we opened.”

Bijeaux sources fresh food from Loui siana growers and harvesters.

Those ingredients lead to dishes like a flavorful corn and crab bisque, lump crab meat and boiled shrimp salad and sea food pasta (angel hair pasta tossed with a seafood cream sauce, shrimp crawfish, jalapeños and green onions).

Yet, the most captivating aspect of the restaurant and menu is the open fire grill situated behind Café Josephine’s bar.

Here, Bijeaux holds court while cooking steak, pork and oysters.

“Everybody loves the grilling area. The fire. The aroma. And the food. It makes this place,” he says.

The menu is comprehensive, but Bijeaux also has nightly surprises on the board next to the greeting station a few feet from the open air grill.

None of this is available to the intrepid person who thinks they can just walk in a grab a seat. Understand this is not a pomp and circumstance culinary environment.

A reservation is the only way in because the demand is great. Chef Bijeaux’s fan club is huge and consists of pleasured palates.

Be patient and make a reservation; you already know the food will be good.

THE CHEF

Troy Bijeaux

Chef Bijeaux understands the nuances of vegetables, meats and seasonings and has assembled a menu with dishes that leave Café Josephine visitors wanting more. Bijeaux likes to say that the eatery’s theme is “food with attitude.” At an open fire grill, Bijeaux prepares steaks, pork chops, lamb chops and oysters all the while living his kitchen creed.

The Bus Stop Bistro

Preparing fresh and locally sourced food is what drives Jay Thornhill and Chef Charles vonAspern. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. The menu includes biscuits, shrimp and grits and an Andouille omelet ... lawd have mercy.  3823 N. University Ave. Carencro thebusstopbistro.com

LAKEVIEW PARK AND BEACH

CHEF OF THE YEAR

Chef wanda Lugo

Venezuelan food has three general influences which are the indigenous tribes that inhabited the area, followed by Spanish and African due to colonization and slavery. Chef Wanda Lugo brought those influences to the Hub City when she moved here with her family in 2006.

Since opening Patacon Latin Cuisine in 2015 Lugo has fused a few Louisiana and Gulf Coast flavor patterns and ingredients into her culinary repertoire.

The end result is delicious dishes that elevate customers into family who love South

American and Caribbean flavor patterns.

“I’m very methodical in the way I prepare food. I love seeing people enjoy my food,” Lugo says.  Amid the dizzying and delectable array of empanadas, patacones and arepas, diners will notice ingredients like crawfish and dishes seasoned with a hint of Bayou spice. The restaurant’s namesake “patacon” is a prime menu item. A patacon a fried green plantain sandwich dressed with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and a special sauce. Fillings include shredded beef, cheese, chicken or pork.

The folks that own this rest and relaxation hamlet in Eunice — situated in both Acadia and St. Landry parishes — believe music is important. The event lineup (acts perform in a barn) have included: the Steve Riley Trio, Dikki Du & the Zydeco Krewe, Janson Matte Band and Geno Delafose and French Rockin Boogie just to name a few.

1717 Veterans Memorial Highway • Eunice • lvpark.com

Best Brunch

Poche’s Market and Restaurant

Since 1962, this meat market and restaurant has been producing boudin and sausage that have lips smacking all over the countryside. Yet, these folks are serious about takeout food. Daily offerings include smothered beef, pork backbone stew, crawfish étouffée, smothered rabbit, pork roast, corn maque choux and sweet potato crunch.

The St. John Restaurant

Some food lovers refer to this restaurant in one of Acadiana’s most historic cities as an oasis. “You will literally feel like you have died and gone to heaven,” said one fan. The restaurant and menu will fill the souls of families and friends. Bayou Teche’s positive vibes are strong here.  203 N. New Market St. • St. Martinville thestjohnrestaurant.com

DI’s Cajun Restaurant

Where can you find a landing strip in a rice field, eat great Cajun food, listen to awesome music and get a hug? D.I.’s in Basile. Owner Sherry Fruge’s goal is for anyone who visits the restaurant to understand, “I want them to feel like they are eating at home.”

6561 Evangeline Highway • Basile • discajunrestaurant.com

Red Snapper

Pan-seared red snapper filet topped with a New Orleansstyle Meunière and lump crabmeat served with rice pilaf and grilled vegetables.

Lake Charles Chef Dan Schaad is always on the hunt for an ingredient, spice, recipe or technique that he can experiment with at Pujo Street Cafe

A few years ago, he tasted a fish dish at an eatery in New Orleans. He was smitten. “I decided to prepare something similar. Today, the dish is one of our top sellers,” he explains.  Pray tell, just what is this kitchen creation?

Pan-seared red snapper filet topped with a New Orleans-influenced Meunière with lump crab meat. The seafood is served over a bed of in-house prepared rice pilaf and brightly colored grilled vegetables.

“The crab meat in the Meunière is what we added,” Schaad says. “A lot of people come in looking for seafood dishes, and we upped the ante.”

901 Ryan St. • Lake Charles

BEST FAMILY SPOT

Best Place for

THE SIDESHOW: Schaad wants natural flavors to seep out of his food … the rice is perfectly seasoned, soft and fluffy, and the grilled veggies take on the subtle flavor of the fire grill.

THE TOPPER: The Meuniére is prepared the traditional French-influenced way with one addition: Louisiana Blue Crab … the white meat … rich and decadent flavor.

MARCELLO’S

THE SHOW STOPPER: The pan fried red snapper filet that is dusted with a simple seasoning mix of salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

The owners tout their restaurant as the "authentic Italian experience" and wine is the backbone of their assertion. The wine list includes rosé, sparkling, whites, and reds from France, Italy, California, Oregon and Argentina. A plate of Italian sausage, bell peppers, roasted onions, fried gnocchi, red wine rustica and burrata with a glass of vino here is culinary heaven.

340 Kaliste Saloom Road  Suite C • Lafayette  marcelloslafayette.com

SELECTION

The Taproom At Crust Pizza

Mixologist Jace Wallace and the staff seamlessly recreate old standard cocktails and flavorful new creations. Regarded as the Lake Charles area avant-garde bartender, Wallace has a fan base stretching from Houston to New Orleans. Try a Sugartown ‘Rita featuring cold-pressed watermelon juice from the fruit harvested in Sugartown.

Mel’s Diner

Workers, late night revelers and families know there is one eatery that stands as a beacon for staple breakfast and stickto-your-bones dish eating in Lafayette. Mel’s needs no introduction in SWLA and newbies quickly learn this is the best 24-hour restaurant the moment they bite into a biscuit. All other menu choices are just as delicious.

2956 Johnston St. • Lafayette • themelsdiner.com

BEST FOR DATE NIGHT

Pamplona

Regatta Seafood and Steakhouse

Regatta’s patio allows visitors to soak in the aroma of Lake Arthur while enjoying the visual awesomeness of trees covered in Spanish moss and native wildlife. This open air patio is a prime location to test the notion that food and drink always taste better outdoors.

508 Hawkeye Ave. Lake Arthur regattarestaurantla.com

The romantic Pamplona experience first starts with the walk on Jefferson Street (any time of the year). When a couple enters Pamplona they are embraced by the soft lights, dark hues and an atmosphere infused with sophistication. Lastly, intimacy is nurtured with delicious small plates and wine. Love can’t help but develop.  631 Jefferson St. • Lafayette • pamplonatapas.com

Best Patio

By Cheré Coen

TOLEDO BEND

would be the same as driving from Louisiana to Chicago — is a haven for bass fishermen. Bass master Magazine routinely names it a top bass lake in the nation, plus there’s plenty of crappie (sac-a-lait), bream and catfish to be had.

Accommodations, many right on the water and featuring boat launches, range from Cypress Bend Golf and Conference Resort and Wildwood Resort to two state parks and numerous private vacation rentals. If fishing doesn’t come naturally, guides will get you on the water, assist with the fishing and more.

“We had such a great time fishing and relaxing by the lake,” Fuselier related. “We had a fishing guide. And he cleans the fish for you!”

CHECK into the Hotel Bentley in the heart of down town Alexandria with its dramatic lobby, then put on your walking shoes and discover the hidden gems of the city. The Historic Downtown Walking Tour, with a handy map available on the city’s tourism page, takes visitors past early churches, residences and businesses, plus the Holocaust Memorial, Arna Bontemps House where the famous poet lived and unique cemeteries on the other side of the Red River in Pineville. Be sure to pause at C.A. Schnack Jewelry Company Store, built in 1931 and now the Diamond Grill serving up fine dining amidst stunning early 20th-century architecture.

Downtown attractions include the Alexandria Museum of Art, which will host artists throughout the city and countryside painting “en plein air” for the Farm to Forest Plein Art Festival Oct. 13-16. This four-day festival invites artists to paint outdoors in farms, the Kisatchie National Forest and in the city of Alexandria. The festival concludes with the Palette Party and Awards Ceremony held at the museum — which sports several outstanding exhi bitions — and paintings created during the festival will be on display and for sale.

Ready to venture outside the city? Across the river from downtown, Forts Randolph and Buhlow State Historic Site showcase the history of the Red River region. The state park contains earthen forts from the Civil War, remnants of Bailey’s Dam, which allowed the Union Fleet to float around the river rapids (hence the name, Rapides Parish) and a replica cabin used by early settlers.

ELAXATION, fishing and good food is what brings Beth Fuselier of Opelousas to Toledo Bend every year. The South’s largest manmade lake by surface area — a stretched area of the lake’s 1,200-mile circumference

(TOP) CYPRESS BEND RESORT (BOTTOM LEFT)

FARM TO FOREST PLEIN ART ART FESTIVAL (BOTTOM RIGHT)

BENTLY HOTEL

Special events happening around Toledo Lake this fall include the annual Zwolle Tamale Fiesta, which honors the contributions of Louisiana’s Native Americans and Spanish residents. If you can’t make the festivities Oct. 6-8, travel the Zwolle Hot Tamales Trail through the town of Zwolle and around the north side of the lake.

Two fall fêtes honor the European settlers that built farms and businesses in the region. Several families homesteaded, for instance, in the area known as Springhill in the late 1850s but it was the lumber industry that created the town and provided jobs. Residents left with the jobs in the 1970s, but the town remains, and with it the annual Springhill Lumberjack Festival. Scheduled for Oct. 8, it will feature entertainment, vendors and more.

Hailing back farther to early statehood, the region was known as “No Man’s Land,” for while the United States and Spain argued over bound aries, lawlessness prevailed. The Sabine Freestate Festival happens Nov. 4 in Florien with old-fash ioned shoot-outs, live music, a parade and more.

ONE of the most scenic drives in Louisiana exists along the Cane River outside Natchi toches. Sweeping live oaks and pecan trees line the winding road as it passes farmland, historic homes and plantations.

It’s all part of the Cane River National Heri tage Area, designated by Congress in 1994 for its “historic landscapes, Creole architecture and multi-cultural legacy.” Natchitoches began as a trading post between France, Spain and Native Americans, and later with plantation owners with the enslaved. The cultures blended in a unique American landscape. For example, Frenchman Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer had 10 children with enslaved Marie Thérèse Coincoin at Melrose Plantation and their Creole legacy became the area’s Isle Brevelle Creole community.

At the heart of the Heritage Area lies the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, owned and operated by the National Park Service. Visitors may enjoy self-guided tours daily of the park’s Creolestyle Oakland Plantation house and outbuildings that showcase the lives of both the owners and the enslaved who worked the land.

A good example of the Creole community can be found at St. Augustine Catholic Church, located approximately 15 miles south of Natchitoches. The church doesn’t offer tours, said Kelli West, director of marketing and communications at Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But the church is open and visitors can step inside and look for them selves.” The church does offer tours of its sanctuary and cemetery once a year at their St. Augustine Creole Festival in October.

Farther south is Melrose Plantation, a National Historic Landmark that still contains the Yucca House and African House built during the time of Metoyer and Coincoin. The African House later became the studio and residence of primitive artist Clementine Hunter and a collection of her paintings, plus her famous African House Murals, are on display.

The Melrose Fall Festival is Oct. 15-16 on the plan tation grounds.

PLANTATION

There’s so much to see and love in Natchitoches, Louisiana’s oldest city, from enjoying its trademark meat pies and Creole cuisine to its many attractions along Front Street and the Cane River Lake, an oxbow lake formed from the nearby Red River. The city boasts of more than 25 bed and break fasts, many in historic homes, and several museums, including the award-win ning Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

It’s also the ideal spot for an end-of-the-year getaway and the city’s annual Christmas Festival of Lights, a holiday extravaganza that stretches until January with a host of activities. The fun begins Nov. 19 when city officials “Turn on the Holidays” and announce the official start to the Natchitoches Christmas season. There’s a Kids Fest, cookies with Santa, live music on the Riverbank Stage and fireworks over Cane River Lake fol lowing the lighting of 300,000 lights and 100-plus set pieces. In the middle of all the fun is the 96th Annual Christmas Festival on Dec. 3 with enter tainment, arts and crafts, food vendors and more.

For more information, visit natchitoche schristmas.com.

Hall of Fame

Since 2017 Acadiana Profile has been publishing an Acadiana Kingfish section. We would like to acknowledge the Acadiana Kingfish Hall of Fame in this issue.

Acadiana Profile’s Kingfish section acknowledges accomplished businessmen of Acadiana. Generous, durable and unflinching in character, these Kingfish give more to others than to themselves, and for this they are recognized in this issue of Acadiana Profile magazine.

Visit acadianaprofile.com to view all the Kingfish and much more.

Kenneth J. Cochran, DSc, RN, FACHE

CEO OPELOUSAS GENERAL HEALTH SYSTEM

With over 20 years of hospital experience, including clinical expertise as a registered nurse, Dr. Kenneth Cochran is an enormous asset to Opelousas General Health System as President/CEO.

Dr. Cochran has extensive involvement in local, state and national level organizations and has been recognized for exceptional skills in financial and operations management, clinical outcomes, and physician recruitment. Since beginning his tenure at OGHS in 2015, he has been instrumental in driving initiatives to reduce hospital acquired conditions by 92 percent, increase employee engagement by 65 percent, and improve customer satisfaction by 46 percent.

Dr. Cochran’s greatest passion is working with the community to improve health outcomes. He contributes his success at OGHS to his leadership team, physicians and staff that he works alongside every day.

2021

Noah G. Brandon, MBA

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER UNITECH TRAINING ACADEMY

As a leader, Noah Brandon holds a firm belief that prioritizing quality growth, innovation, and integrity while giving back to those in need is key to success. Since becoming CEO of Unitech Training Academy, Noah has spearheaded positive growth and change throughout the organization, which offers six training campuses and two early learning centers located across Louisiana. Offering online and in-person hybrid learning models, Unitech has approximately 200 employees and educates thousands of students annually.

On a community level, Noah serves on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana and the Louisiana Association of Private Sector Colleges. He is also a member of the Leadership Institute of Acadiana’s Leadership Lafayette Class XXXIV, ULL Alumni Association, RCAF, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited and The Beaver Club.

SPONSORED

2019 KINGFISH

Travis R. Godley

PRESIDENT OF GODLEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Godley Wealth Management is an independent financial services firm that provides comprehensive financial services with unbiased advice. As the Founder and President of Godley Wealth Management, Travis Godley puts his heart into perfecting the investment process for Acadiana’s families, organizations, and individuals.

“I enjoy learning about the lives of others and finding ways to support their goals. It’s not just a business for me; I have a passion for helping people,” says Godley.

A Louisiana native, Travis has always valued community. He serves on the Investment Policy Committee for the Community Foundation of Acadiana and has repeatedly sponsored the construction of Acadiana’s St. Jude Dreamhome.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through Prospera Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC | prosperafinancial.com

2021 KINGFISH

Jesse Luquette, Jr. DEALER/OWNER SERVICE CHEVROLET CADILLAC

In the automotive business since the early 1970s, second generation Dealer Jesse Luquette, Jr. has developed a healthy respect for the hardworking, top-caliber employees at Service Chevrolet Cadillac who not only give their all for the company but who also work hard for the community.

“What I witnessed of our staff immediately after the hurricane was amazing—they donated hard-earned money, gathered supplies, and cooked for hundreds of hurricane victims who had nothing left,” says Jesse. “It is people like this who have made the company what it is today, and I feel blessed to work with these individuals.”

Jesse is also proud to know that the company they’ve helped build supports around 200 families in the community every year.

A Lucky Libation

1910 Restaurant and Wine Bar revives a popular craft cocktail shaped by Manhattan’s East Village and Pharrell Williams

by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry photo by Romero & Romero

When considering party drinks that could benefit from the oomph that vodka brings, Chef Andrew Green’s Get Lucky highball is a perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour sipper that marries small-batch honeysuckle vodka with blackberries, lemon, barrel-aged bitters and orgeat, an increas ingly popular ingredient in recent years. Its idio syncratic nutty character is essential to bringing out the cocktail’s complexity of subtle flavors.

“It’s very unique,” says Chef Green, proprietor of 1910 Restaurant in downtown Lake Charles, reopened in February 2022 after a 17-month hiatus (prompted by Hurricane Laura blowing off the roof). “We make our orgeat syrup in-house with toasted sliced almonds that are steeped with water in a food processor for 30 minutes, strained and simmered with sugar, accented with Curaçao and cognac and cooled.”

Green’s popular Get Lucky libation was named after Daft Punk’s retro-tinged 2013 hit song of the same name featuring Grammy-winning singer Pharrell Williams.

“‘Get Lucky’ was on the air while our cocktail menu was evolving,” he says. “The orgeat element was inspired by a combination of cocktail books I acquired in 2016 while visiting Death & Co. and Please Don’t Tell bars in Manhattan’s East Village.”

While the orgeat in “ Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails” blends toasted almond milk with rose water, cognac and amaretto, Chef Green omits the rose water and replaces the almond-fla vored amaretto with orange-flavored, bittersweet Curaçao for added depth.

“We’ve brought back Get Lucky and other pop ular cocktails plus original dishes like our quail bombs and gumbo croquettes by request,” he says.

During brisk autumn evenings, guests enjoy simmering bowls of Chef Green’s sumptuous duck confit gumbo in the courtyard overlooking the reportedly haunted Historic Calcasieu Courthouse (where the vengeful, still-roaming murderess Toni Jo Henry was sent to the electric chair on Nov. 28, 1942). Diners can smell the savory aroma of hickory during Smoke & Barrel’s annual bourbon and BBQ celebration (Nov. 19), held beneath the storied, elegiac oaks. ■

Get Lucky

2 fresh blackberries

2 ounces Cathead honeysuckle vodka

1 ounce orgeat

1 ounce lemon juice

1 lemon wheel

2-3 dashes of barrel-aged Peychaud’s bitters

1 straw

MUDDLE two blackberries at the bottom of tall glass and fill with ice. Shake the remaining ingredients (except the bitters) in a shaker with ice, and strain into the glass, then top with bitters. Garnish with a lemon wheel. Serve with a straw.

OPTIONAL STRAW TRICK: Place a finger over the straw’s hole to create suction, plunge the straw to the bottom of the glass to catch some of the muddled blackberries. Pull the straw out to lift a line of muddled blackberries.

1910 Restaurant and Wine Bistro

949 Ryan St. Lake Charles facebook.com/ 1910restaurantandwinebar

HOME BAR

Lightning in the Kitchen

D.I.’s in Basile perfects Prairie Cajun Cuisine

by Eric Cormier

photos by Joseph Vidrine

Inside a Cajun restaurant situated amid Evangeline Parish’s rice fields, you will find a little lightning bolt who cooks, manages, smiles, shares stories and gives hugs to all who ache for that home-grown dining experience.

A patron will question themselves about their own low-flow energy levels while observing Sherry Fruge work her magic at D.I.’S Cajun Restaurant.

The 78-year-old’s work and customer service style sets the tone for everyone who enters the front door.

Fruge, who literally built and opened the restaurant in 1986 with her husband Daniel Isaac Fruge (D.I.), loves every aspect of the selfcontained universe the business has created.

“This restaurant just keeps giving, giving and giving. It has been an amazing journey,” she said.

Daniel Fruge was a farmer who slowly tran sitioned into the crawfish business — utilizing fields he had access to.

Eventually, the family started boiling craw fish, and customers were told to bring their own beer.

Slowly, the restaurant took shape with the family using odds and ends to build the initial structure. The rest, as they say, is history, and customers have been loyal.

In return, the D.I.’S team prepares a variety of food that can best be described as the epitome of down-home, Prairie Cajun cuisine.

The menu consists of an assortment of appetizers; burgers; Po-boys; fried, grilled,

TRY THIS!

1

Boiling Room Special

This platter of boiled crabs, barbecue crabs, and boiled shrimp with corn and potatoes floats out the kitchen all day ... don’t think about it, just do it!

2

Grilled or Blackened Frog Legs

Forget that amphibians taste like chicken. This delicacy has to be appreciated for all the Cajun seasoning influences that make food great.

3

Bayou Blossom

Mrs. Fruge’s son shared a blooming onion with her with a challenge to make one. She went into the kitchen and improved it ... it’s a masterpiece.

and blackened seafood; house specials; steaks; gumbos; and dessert specials all created with Sherry Fruge’s recipes.

“My goal is to make people feel comfortable and I want customers to feel like they are visiting somebody’s home,” she said. “I like to play with food ... I love to cook.”

The grilled platter is one of the most amazing dishes on the menu. The plate is filled with grilled catfish, shrimp, oysters, a crab cake and a cup of gumbo.

Years ago, Fruge created her own allpurpose seasoning mix. The seafood on the platter is fresh, and the seasoning does not overpower the natural flavors.

In Southwest Louisiana, crawfish étouffée and gumbo are traditional dishes. A cook’s credibility in a home or restaurant kitchen is established based on how well they cook the two dishes.

Fruge has mastered the ability to cook étouffée and gumbo. Both exhibit earthy and rich, yet subtle flavor undertones that have you guessing what’s in the seasoning mix.

Other customer favorites are the boiled or barbecued blue crab and Dungeness crab.

The eatery’s boil station is busy Tuesday through Saturday with diners steadily ordering the crabs which are served on big circle trays with melted butter on the side.

Cajun music is played on different nights of the week which enhances the feeling of eating in rural Louisiana.

Another amenity at the restaurant is an air field located right behind the building.

Fruge’s son Cory has flown jet planes and prepared a landing strip for his friends who fly in to eat.

“People fly in from Houston, Alexandria, Fort Polk, New Orleans, Lake Charles and even Jennings,” Fruge said.

Whether in a car or plane, many head to D.I.’s for the feeling you don’t just get any where ... home. ■

The fried frog legs appetizer is perfectly seasoned and heartier than expected, so plan to share.

Seasonal Shift

by Marcelle Bienvenu photo & styling by Eugenia Uhl

Now that cooler weather has moved in, I’m ready for a hearty meal for a weekend gathering. Usu ally gumbo is my go-to for an autumn meal, but I decided that a cassoulet would be a nice change. Leave it to the French to combine white beans and various meats (like sausage, pork and preserved duck or goose) that are cooked long and slow, sending enticing aromas wafting through the house. ■

Cassoulet is a dish primed for ushering in cooler temps

Feel free to use canned roasted red bell peppers to save time, but pat them dry with paper towels before making the dip.

The cassoulet does take some effort to put together. Since I have no desire, or the time, to preserve a duck or a goose, I go heavy on assorted sausages, both smoked and fresh, as well as strips of lean pork and roasted chicken that are readily available at a local butcher shop. To make the preparation easier I substitute canned beans and count on fresh basil and thyme to intensify the flavors.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Since the cassoulet is quite substantial, I suggest this dip to be offered during the cocktail hour. It has the color and taste to complement crudités, toasted pita bread triangles or crisp crackers.

MAKES 1¼ CUPS

2 red bell peppers

3 slices white bread, crusts removed

¼ cup milk

¼ cup pitted green olives

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce

sliced green olives for garnish

PREHEAT broiler. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, and core and seed. Lay pieces skin side up in a shallow broiling pan and set pan 3 inches below heat.

Broil peppers until skin blisters and turns black. Remove peppers to a plastic bag and close it; let them steam for 15 minutes. WHEN they are cool enough to handle, peel off skin. Meanwhile, break bread into a small bowl, add milk, and soak for 10 minutes.

COMBINE bread, peppers, olives and garlic in a food processor and process with a pulsing motion for about 4 seconds. Add oil, lemon juice, and Tabasco sauce, and pulse 3 seconds longer. Spoon dip into a serving bowl, cover and let stand at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Garnish with sliced olives.

MAIN COURSE

Cassoulet, My Way

I use Trappey’s canned beans, but you can certainly use your favorite.

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

6 bacon slices, coarsely chopped

1½ pounds smoked sausage

1½ pounds fresh pork sausage

½ pound center cut pork chops (boneless), cut into thin strips

3 cups chopped onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ cup dry red wine or brandy

4 (15.5-ounce) cans navy beans with slab bacon

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice

1¼ cups canned chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 chicken thighs, roasted, skin removed and deboned salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste pinch or two ground allspice

¼ cup olive oil

3 cups cubed French bread, lightly toasted

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

PREHEAT oven to 350 F.

FRY bacon in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat until just browned and slightly crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.

ADD sausages and pork strips to bacon drippings and cook, stirring, until browned evenly, about 8 minutes. Add to bowl.

ADD onions and garlic to drippings, and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add red wine or brandy, and cook, until it is almost all evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, broth, tomato paste and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

ADD bacon, sausages, pork strips and chicken and stir to mix. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add allspice and pour mixture into a large casserole.

TO GET THE RECIPE FOR GOAT CHEESE POUND CAKE PLUS MORE TIPS VISIT ACADIANAPROFILE.COM

HEAT olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes and cook, stirring, until lightly golden. Transfer to a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and parsley. Toss to mix. Spread mixture over cassoulet and bake until the bread crumb mixture is golden brown and the cassoulet bubbles, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

If you have fig preserves, garnish the goat cheese pound cake with a spoonful on each serving.

Les Restaurants de mon cœur

Une affaire de famille

par David Cheramie illustration par Sara Willia

Le confort qui vient avec le souvenir des bonnes odeurs et saveurs qui émanaient des cuisines de notre enfance est souvent la source d’un bonheur profond et d’une inspira tion créatrice. Le romancier français Marcel Proust a mis en marche son œuvre magistrale, À la recherche du temps perdu, rien qu’avec l’évocation d’une simple pâtisserie, une mad eleine. Notre relation avec la nourriture est à la fois immédiate et ancestrale, transcendant le temps et les générations. Apprendre à cui siner auprès de sa mère et de sa grand-mère est parfois le début d’une carrière culinaire, comme dans le cas du plus célèbre chef cadien, Paul Prudhomme qui a appris à manier une cuillère en bois de sa mère, Hazel.

Dans mon village natif de Canal Yankee, il n’existait que des restaurants locaux, pas de chaînes nationales bien sûr. Ils étaient néanmoins d’une qualité exceptionnelle. Je me souviens en particulier de deux d’entre eux dont mes amis d’enfance et moi parlons encore. Le premier se situait sur la rive gauche du Bayou Lafourche dans un lieu-dit appelé la Pointe à saucisses, ou tout simple ment la Pointe. Ti-Ya’s servait des po-boys de rosbif qui ont atteint un statut mythique. Le pain divin venant de la boulangerie légen daire Dufrene, juste de l’autre côté du pont, ne pouvait qu’à peine contenir la sauce au jus qui dégoulinait de tout bord. On passait autant de temps à se lécher les doigts afin de ne pas en perdre une goutte qu’à croquer à belles dents le pain croustillant surchargé de viande, de laitue et de tomate. Je plains le monde qui n’a pas connu un tel délice.

L’autre restaurant était tenu par des cousins et ma famille y allait religieuse ment chaque dimanche après la messe. La Nouvelle-Orléans peut avoir Galatoire’s, Paris le Fouquet’s et New York Tavern on the Green. À Canal Yankee, Randolph’s Restaurant était une institution. Ce n’était qu’en arrivant à

l’ouest de l’Atchafalaya que j’ai entendu la phrase, « un temps de gombo ». Toute l’année, on y servait du gombo sublime. Dans la cui sine, la mère du propriétaire, Mme Freddia, une dame cadienne du genre qu’on ne reverra plus, régnait en maîtresse des lieux. Quant au propriétaire éponyme, M. Randolph était un homme jovial, travailleur et plutôt farceur. Avec son tablier blanc et une serviette drapée sur son épaule, il passait dans la salle saluer ses clients avec un rire infectieux et une bonne blague avant de regagner les cuisines nonclimatisées. Même si la bâtisse a disparu depuis longtemps, la

tradition continue avec son fils Randy qui est instructeur à l’Institut Culinaire John Folse à Thibodaux.

FOR AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION VISIT ACADIANAPROFILE.COM

Si on énumère ses restaurants locaux pré férés, la liste sera probablement composée presque exclusivement d’établissements gérés par des membres d’une même famille depuis des générations. Ils ont sans doute appris le métier au coude d’une aînée, le même savoir-faire qu’ils vont transmettre à leurs descendants, qu’ils soient restaurateurs ou pas. On peut faire une école de cuisine, mais la meilleure école est sans doute celle où l’amour familial est l’ingrédient principal. ■