Acadiana Profile February-March 2015

mamou moments

Cajun Mardi Gras P. 47

city of the year Houma Rises P. 34

colorful springtime produce + 3 light & easy recipes P. 39

top lawyers

366 listings in 48 categories P. 52

acadianaprofile.com

| 1

contents A little extra Editor’s note Nouvelles de villes Newsbriefs Le visiter Calendar lagniappe

NOTE DE L’EDITEUR

home+style 13 À la mode

Give your heart away

pour la maison Dig into spring! la maison

For the Love of Antique Wood

food+drink 25 Mediterranean in Acadiana Springtime Entertaining recettes de cocktails Cajun Bloody Mary sur le menu

de la cuisine

culture 71 personnes Liz Bergeron la musique

Sweet Crude

les artiste Hank Holland en francais

Un conte de deux Mardi Gras

features city of the year 34 Houma takes home the prize.

by Will Kalec

garden fresh 39

A springtime gardening guide to tomatoes, basil and bell peppers, plus 3 light and easy recipes by stanley dry

mamou moments 47 A photographer captures the Cajun Mardi Gras. photos by ron J. berard

top lawyers 52

Our annual lawyers list, plus spotlights on two firms Tomatoes are packed full of color and vitality, and provide inspiration for an abundance of recipes.

2 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

profiles by christopher jennings

lagniappe

learn french cache-cache What Do you look forward to this spring?

[ka-shay ka-shay] n. hide and seek example: Pour la fête d’anniversaire de Chloé, les enfants ont fait une longue partie de cache-cache.

February/march 2015 vol. 34 | № 1

Editor in Chief

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Art Director

Lead Photographer

Errol Laborde Sarah Ravits Melanie Warner Spencer Sarah George “Hitting local farmer’s markets.

Fresh blueberries, strawberries, peas and new potatoes can’t come soon enough for me.”

Danley Romero

Sales Manager

Rebecca Taylor

“The Lake (337) 298-4424 Charles Civic Ballet’s (337) 235-7919 Ext. 230 Assemblé 2015 Rebecca@acadianaprofile.com production in March.”

Sales Associate

Sales Intern

Traffic Manager

Distribution Manager

Alivia Vidrine

Jean-Paul Poullet

Administrative Assistant

Subscriptions

Production/Web Manager

Production Designers

In Ireland, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, people celebrate Mardi Gras by eating pancakes and participating in pancake-themed activities.

Erin Duhe John Holzer

behind the scenes

Director of Marketing & Events Cheryl Lemoine

did you know?

Denise Dean Sara Kelemencky Staci McCarty Ali Sullivan

Monique DiPietro

Chief Executive Officer

President

Alan Campell

Vice President

Errol Laborde

Vice President of Sales

Todd Matherne

“The plethora of fabulous festivals around the state and of course, the peak of crawfish season!”

Colleen Monaghan

Like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/AcadianaProfile) and follow us on Twitter (@acadianaprofile) for daily updates, happenings in the area and other news!

We want to hear from you, and we’ll post a question every week – post your answers and you could be published in the magazine!

Renaissance Publishing LLC • 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123 • Metairie, LA 70005 • (504) 828-1380 • (877) 221-3512 128 Demanade, Suite 104 • Lafayette, LA 70503 • (337) 235-7919 ext. 230 Acadiana Profile (ISSN 0001-4397) is published bimonthly by Renaissance Publishing LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 and 128 Demanade, Suite 104, Lafayette, LA 70503 (337) 235-7919 ext. 230. Subscription rate: One year $10; Foreign Subscriptions vary. Periodicals postage paid at Lafayette, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Acadiana Profile, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2015 Renaissance Publishing LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Acadiana Profile is registered. Acadiana Profile is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Acadiana Profile are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner.

4 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Lead photographer Danley Romero snaps the perfect shot for our new home shopping column, Pour La Maison, by Ashley Hinson. Check out pg. 16 for Hinson’s picks on how to garden in style.

acadianaprofile.com

| 5

note de l’editeur

by sarah ravits

I am looking forward to making Stanley Dry’s tomato-basil sandwich, and washing it down with a Cajun Bloody Mary.

a new look Acadiana Profile magazine expands as the region thrives You might notice that thingS look a

Sarah Ravits, Managing Editor

6 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

photo by marianna massey

little different around here – a little brighter and a little bigger. That’s because, in keeping up with the ever-growing region, we’ve decided to expand our coverage and give the magazine a fresh, new look. The staff of Acadiana Profile is excited about launching new columns: In La Musique (pg. 74), Michael Patrick Welch, a musician, author and teacher, interviews the young, energetic members of Sweet Crude, a sometimesFrancophone band out of New Orleans that adds Cajun-infused spice to its indie-pop sound. We’ve also added Recettes de Cocktails, in which mixologist Sal Agnello offers a local twist to a traditional Bloody Mary (pg. 32) – a great pick-me-up for the Carnival season that is well underway. Also be sure to check out Pour La Maison, our new home shopping column on pg. 16 – in this issue, Ashley Hinson encourages you to get outside and garden with cool new necessities.

Speaking of gardening, our cover story by Stanley Dry teaches you how to grow some essential items for light, easy recipes (pg.

39). There is nothing quite like preparing food from your own garden, and he offers plenty of tips to make it successful. We also welcome our new food columnist, Jyl Benson, who will be roaming the region in search of the area’s best places to dine.

We’ve always been proud to showcase the heritage of Acadiana, and photographer Ron Berard has snapped a collection of up-close and personal photos of a traditional Cajun Mardi Gras celebration in Mamou on pg. 47.

Finally, we want to congratulate the entire city of Houma, our City of the Year (pg. 34).

We love to hear from you and hope you have a Happy Carnival season and have a great start to your spring!

acadianaprofile.com

| 7

nouvelles de villes

by lisa leblanc-berry

jackPot, Once Again lake charles

8 |

Rodrigue Exhibit new iberia

The “George Rodrigue Comes Home: Under Iberia’s Live Oaks with George Rodrigue and his Blue Dog” exhibit at New Iberia’s Bayou Teche Museum runs through March 14 and is unlike previous exhibits in that some of the art has never been seen before. The works are from the private collections of local residents, and those of former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Art Museum in Lafayette and the George Rodrigue Foundation.

acadiana profile february/march 2015

New Hunting App

lafayette

for your phone

The Career Fare, held Feb. 24 at the Cajundome Convention Center, offers employers and graduates an excellent opportunity to network; it attracted 1,100 students last year. Visit career. louisiana.edu to register or call (337) 482-1444. To see Lafayette’s Mardi Gras Indians on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 17) go to Pontiac Point at 1 pm or to the Mardi Gras Show at Clark Field at 5 p.m. (mardigrasshow. com) performers as The Butler (scenes were shot in Houma, Terrebonne Parish).

California and Canada tied for 2nd place, with 15 films each.

The buzz among many Acadiana hunters during the recent split season was about a free new hunting app created by a group of tech-savvy Louisiana sportsmen. The new app, HuntSoft.com, allows hunters to track data on their property (from trail-cam images to in-field sightings), easily create a property maps, access weather and interact with other hunters.

The mobile app is available for free for one property and up to 50 game log entries. Packages that cover multiple properties and additional log entries are available for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.

Save Pont Breaux! breaux bridge

The iconic bridge that gave the town its name is in need of a major facelift that will cost up to $400,000.

Efforts are underway to raise a portion (up to $75,000) for a federal matching grant. So far, $30,000 has been raised by the Save the Bridge committee. In 1799, Breaux Bridge received its name when a footbridge was built at the spot over Bayou Teche. Visit facebook.com/ breauxbridgesavethebridgeproject.

photos courtesy: golden nugget hotel and casino lake charles; george rodrigue foundation; huntsoft.com

Players have been flocking to the new $700 million, 25-story Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino Lake Charles, built by billionaire Tillman Fertitta. It opened with great fanfare, complete with showgirls and state and local officials. It’s Fertitta’s fifth casino since he took over Golden Nugget casino and hotel properties in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada nine years ago.

Situated on a 290-acre property that includes an 18-hole championship golf course debuting in April, the hotel features 740 luxury rooms and suites, seven Landry’s, Inc., restaurants and five bars and lounge spaces, plus live entertainment.

A boardwalk and walkway will create a path for visitors to easily travel back and forth between Golden Nugget and the sprawling, elegant L’Auberge du Lac Resort Casino next door.

Career Fair and Indians

acadianaprofile.com

| 9

calendar

by judi russell

around acadiana Gatherings, carnivals and activities around Acadiana. february

march

6. Krewe of Andalusia

1-April 30. Azalea Trail of New Iberia. Driving/walking tour, New Iberia. (337) 365-1540.

Mardi Gras Parade. Historic Downtown, 102 W. Main St., New Iberia. (337) 367-6466.

7. Carencro Mardi Gras Parade.

Carencro High, Carencro.

(337) 896-4147.

Cookoff. Agricultural Arena on the Yambilee Fair Grounds, Opelousas. (337)684-6751.

7. Krewe des Chiens Parade for

7. Cajun Comic Relief. Heymann

Dogs. Downtown, Lafayette. paradefordogs.com

Performing Arts Center, Lafayette. (337) 291-5555.

14. Calling All Lovers. 121 S. New Market St., Martinville.

(337) 394-2258.

7. Shadows Arts & Crafts

15. Color Vibe 5K Event.

14. 2nd Saturday Artwalk.

LARC’s Acadian Village, Lafayette. (337) 981-2364.

Downtown, Lafayette.

(337) 291-5566.

15. Old Time Boucherie. Eunice

20, 27. Downtown Alive! Parc

City Hall, Eunice. (337) 457-7389.

International or Parc Sans Souci, Downtown, Lafayette.

(337) 291-5566.

21-22. Tabasco Shootout Soccer Tournament. Louisiana Pepperplex, New Iberia.

(337) 364-8200.

26-28. 10th Annual Eagle Expo & More. Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau, Morgan City. (985) 380-8224.

28-March 1. The Home, Garden

& Lifestyle Show. Cajundome Convention Center, Lafayette.

(337) 981-3053.

PROMOTE Go to AcadianaProfile.com and click on “Submit an Event” to let us know about your festivals, shows or special events. The sooner we get the information, the better able we are to help you.

10 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

1. 29th Annual Here’s the Beef

Show. Shadows-on-the-Teche, New Iberia. (337) 369-6446.

21. Acadian Memorial Festival

& Wooden Boat Congres.

Downtown, St. Martinville.

(337) 394-2258.

21. Festival of Live Oaks. New Iberia City Park, New Iberia.

(337) 369-2337.

29. Annual World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cookoff. Northwest Community Center Pavilion, Eunice. (337) 457-7389.

acadianaprofile.com

| 11

12 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

style+home Ă la mode 14

Give Your Heart Away by sarah ravits

pour la maison 16 Dig Into Spring!

by ashley hinson

la maison 18

A timber frame fashioned by Amish craftsmen showcases the enduring beauty of reclaimed lumber in a custom house designed by Acadia Parish farmers. by lisa leblanc-berry

The eco-friendly Garber home is energy efficient, combining 21st-century technology with Old World craftsmanship. The Amish-Acadian connection that flourished during its construction resulted in a long-lasting relationship between like-minded Iota family farmers and the Amish artisans of Apple Creek.

style+home À la mode

4. White gold

This handmade, one-of-a-kind goldfilled sterling silver locket from Dirty Rice Designs can fit a picture of your sweetheart or shine on its own.

1.

3.

2.

4.

5.

diamond heart pendant, Armentor Jewelers, 1921 Kaliste Saloom Road, Lafayette, (337) 534-8529; 1020 East Dale St., New Iberia, (337) 364-5375; 1303 N. State St., Abbeville, (337) 893-0917; armentorjewelers.com.

5. Charles Krypell Ivy Love collection bangles in sterling silver, Paul’s Jewelers, 325 Oil Center Drive, Lafayette, (337) 233-6975; 600 Silverstone, Lafayette, (337) 981-7600; paulsfinejewelry.com.

6. Ruby and diamond

heart pendant in white gold, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, 5725 Johnston St. #128, Lafayette, (337) 981-8071, lmfj.com.

6.

1. Luz heart with pink pearl on sterling silver chain, Mignon Faget, 1921 Kaliste Saloom Road, Suite 124, Lafayette, (337) 534-8753, mignonfaget.com.

7.

2. Vintage silver

heart locket with clock face, Dirty Rice Designs, dirtyricedesigns.com.

3. Pearl and

gold-filled heart bracelet, Dirty Rice Designs, dirtyricedesigns.com.

give your heart away Romantic gifts from local vendors for Valentine’s Day by sarah ravits | photo romero & Romero

14 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

7. Sterling silver Venus heart pearl crystal necklace, Mignon Faget, 1921 Kaliste Saloom Road, Suite 124, Lafayette, (337) 534-8753, mignonfaget.com

acadianaprofile.com

| 15

style+home pour la maison

1

tip Water and feed your plants at the roots to prevent leaf diseases.

2

3

4

5

dig into spring!

Gardening in style by ashley hinson | photo romero & romero

1. A camellia is a

great addition to any garden. Plant a variety of them to have constant blooms from September through May. From Stine.

2. We love this kelly

green glazed ceramic pot that lets the flowers stand out.

From All Seasons.

3. A perky yellow watering can is lightweight and perfect for feeding your spring harvest.

From Native Sun.

4. The Corona spade

and hand shovel set is small enough to sow tiny seeds but strong enough to last season after season.

From All Seasons.

5. These springtime-

inspired gloves are stylish and durable – and will protect your hands from dirt and the elements.

From Native Sun.

Stine. 6501 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Broussard. (337) 837-1045. stinehome.com All Seasons. 2974 Johnston St., Lafayette. (337) 264-1418. buyallseasons.com Native Sun Landscaping and Nursery. 1401 East Broussard Road, Lafayette. (337)857-0856. nativesunnursery.com

16 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

acadianaprofile.com

| 17

style+home la maison

for the love of antique wood A timber frame fashioned by Amish craftsmen showcases the enduring beauty of reclaimed lumber in a house designed by Acadia Parish farmers in Iota. by lisa leblanc-berry | photos chad chenier

Most mornings, Michael

Garber gets going well before dawn. His wife, Kristi, watches over their four young slumbering children as he heads out from their picturesque 40-acre property rimmed with 18 |

hauntingly beautiful live oaks and a sun-dappled pond that glistens in the early light.

It’s just a mile and a half down the road to headquarters at the 4,700-acre Garber Farms on the outskirts

acadiana profile february/march 2015

of Iota. While Kristi home-schools the children, Michael runs the family business with his dad, Wayne, and brother, Matthew, who was crowned “Mr. Yam” at the Yambilee Festival for his contributions

to the sweet potato industry. Growers since 1881, the Garbers have been running the farm in Iota for the past 38 years. They produce rice and some of Louisiana’s finest orange-fleshed Beauregard and

Evangeline sweet potatoes, grown in the rich, sandy loam soil between Bayous Nezpique and Des Cannes.

The sleepy town of Iota (population 1,560 according to the 2014 census), comes alive

left The rustic open kitchen, appointed with industrial drafting stools and a six-foot-wide soapstone sink that Kristi designed, flows into the dining/living areas located on the second floor. The cabinets were built by Mennonites in Ohio, home of the world’s largest Amish community. right The heavy timbers towering over an office loft above the kitchen are enveloped with structural insulated panels (SIPs), a Green way to frame and super-insulate buildings.

this time of year as thousands of spectators arrive for the Tee Mamou-Iota Folklife Festival held on Fat Tuesday, with dancing in the streets. The Tee Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras “runners” that beg for gumbo ingredients at homes along the route sing French lyrics that are similar to the original European chant that dates back to the fête de la quémande of medieval France.

From the mid19th-century to the early 20th-century, Iota was flush with tourists as a resort town.

Visitors were drawn to the reported healing powers of spring waters discovered by Native Americans. After the water dried up in 1907, visitors scattered to the wind. Some say it was caused by drilling for oil in nearby Evangeline.

In 1930, a pumping plant was built on

the site of the former springs to irrigate crops in Acadia. The plant closed 30 years later, and reopened in the 1990s as the Point-aux Loups Springs Ballroom, where weddings are now held overlooking scenic Bayou des Cannes.

In the spring and fall, during the height of the harvest seasons, Michael’s 10-hour days at the farm often stretch to 15 and 16 hours.

He also runs a fairly

new reclaimed wood business and mill shop (oldwoodreclaimed.com), featuring custom millwork and a variety of species that are housed in a modern handling facility at the farm.

“It really started with my passion for reclaimed wood,” he says. “My father used a lot of reclaimed cypress in his home while I was growing up. I developed an appreciation and love for it.” The Garbers’ new Acadian-style home in Iota, built with a combination of reclaimed wood including antique long leaf pine, cypress and white oak, inspired his salvaged wood sideline at the farm.

When Michael and Kristi began an addition to their small, 1,100-square-foot, one-bedroom home in 2009, which they used as a footprint for the new residence that almost quadrupled in size, they had been collecting reclaimed wood for years.

“We had these beautiful 120-year-old virgin pine timbers and antique cypress. I wanted to utilize Old World craftsmanship for our new house,” Michael

says. “We were always into the reclaimed wood for our own use, but we had a lot of extra materials during the house project. We felt like our love for the wood could turn into something more.”

While browsing through a timber frame magazine at Barnes & Noble before the house plans were drawn up, Michael had an epiphany.

“There was a story done on a house that an Amish outfit in Ohio did, and it was done with Old World craftsmanship. I called them, but they wouldn’t take my job because I had reclaimed timbers. They only worked with freshcut timbers. So they referred me to Hickory Circle Construction in Apple Creek, Ohio. They were willing to work with my materials.”

The Garbers designed their energy-efficient, eco-friendly house to reflect a rustic, country feel. No architect was employed. “The Amish worked with me on the design,” Michael recalls.

The Garbers’ living room/dining room/ kitchen areas are located on the second floor while the bedrooms are on the first floor.

Diane Trahan of Diane’s Drafting drew up the floor plans and exterior layout. “We knew what we wanted,” Michael says. “I actually built a miniature of the house before we started.”

The sturdy, intricately engineered timber frame was erected by six robust Amish workers from Hickory Circle Construction, who arrived from Ohio. While acadianaprofile.com

| 19

their normal mode of transportation is a horse and buggy, and the Amish universally object to both car ownership and operating a vehicle, the workers made an exception to ride in a van as passengers. “These 20 |

guys have a great sense of humor,” Michael says.

“They’re also incredibly honest, a pleasure to be around, and they worked nonstop until they got the job done.

We have a long-lasting relationship.”

acadiana profile february/march 2015

The artisans used traditional Amish craftsmanship to produce mortise and tenon joinery (wooden pegs) for the elaborate hand-crafted timber frame. The skill in creating such precise

joinery is a great source of pride for the Amish.

Europeans brought the art of timber framing to America, and it remained the predominant means of construction until the mid-19th-century.

The invention of mass-produced nails and manufacturing smaller timbers quickly gave rise to less expensive, less sturdy light-frame construction using studs and braces connected with nails.

Although the majority of American homes are still built using stud construction, there’s a revival of “green” timber frame homes such as the Garbers’.

Their house is solid as a rock, and the warmth of the various antique woods, enhanced by natural light, offers a calming effect.

Looking up from the room that soars to a height of 25 feet, one takes in the beauty of the vaulted ceiling, rustic wood beams and artistic wood designs in the various walls.

Acclaimed artist Anne Bishton (of Anne Bishton Design in New Orleans) created classically inspired stencil motifs on various walls and flooring as focal points, to further embellish the home.

She created a multi-layered design motif on the stairs that resembles fabric instead of the paint that was used to create the illusion. “It’s in keeping with an early American motif; I wanted it to resemble a carpet.”

In the kitchen, she created a magnificent optical illusion on the two-story wall facing the pond. “The

pale, shimmery stencil was named after Jane Austen.

It needed something subtle that wouldn’t compete with the wood.” The mesmerizing stencil seems to disappear and then reappear in a variety of shimmering hues as you walk past it.

“The Garbers let me stay in their house the entire time I was working, and they treated me like family. They let the Amish stay here, too.”

Says Michael, “It’s been a real journey, since everything was custom-made. I think that the contrast between old materials and contemporary flourishes gives a good effect. I’m just glad that the children can enjoy it.

They get plenty of fresh air and exercise out here.”

In this fast-paced, homogenized world where most American households are overtaken by children and parents who are constantly connected through electronic devices, the Garbers have a

different idea. They curb a wired existence and spend more face time with their children. The importance they place on family and timehonored traditions carries over into their strong work ethic.

“My oldest son, who is 8, is already working with me at the farm on Saturdays, stacking potatoes,” Michael proudly remarks. “We didn’t grow up driving tractors. We learned to work with our hands.” top, left The kitchen opens onto a veranda that offers a splendid view of the sevenacre pond and 40-acre property rimmed with oaks. bottom, left The bedrooms are located on the first floor, including an intimate child’s room appointed with custom furniture. The first floor ceilings are nine-feet while the second floor living areas rise to a height of 25-feet, showcasing the beauty of the Amish timber frame craftsmanship. above The master bath was designed to incorporate old materials with contemporary flourishes. acadianaprofile.com

| 21

22 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

acadianaprofile.com

| 23

food+drinks sur le menu 26

Mediterranean in Acadiana by jyl benson

de la cuisine 28 Spring holiday treats

by marcelle bienvenu

Each hue in the Mardi Gras palette represents a cultural value.

Purple: justice.

Green: faith.

Gold: power.

recettes de cocktail 32 Cajun Bloody Mary by sal agnello

FOOD+DRINK

SUR LECUISINE MENU DE LA

mediterranean in acadiana Restaurants across the region offer distinct, flavorful cuisine.

Filet mignon, hummus and asparagus from Cousins Lebanese Cuisine in Lake Charles

by jyl benson | photos romero & romero

A linear contemplation

of Cajun culture and its distinctive cuisine leads to thoughts of the southwest Louisiana Cajun-French patois and a yearning for dishes based on seafood and smoked meat. When considered from the surface it’s simply intuitive to assume that the mystery and elegance of the Mediterranean cultures and the sweet, pungent spices that define their cooking would stand at odds with an association to Cajun culture.

26 |

Perhaps this is because for generations Acadiana’s many people of Mediterranean descent publicly strived to assimilate into their adopted culture, usually working as merchants, while maintaining the culinary traditions of their ancestral lands in their homes.

Hilary Hurst Landry recalls stories of her great grandparents, George and Adele Ackal, immigrating to New Iberia from their native Beirut three

acadiana profile february/march 2015

generations ago. “No one really knows how they ended up here, but we have speculated that French being the second language in their region, they regarded French-settled Acadiana as a sensible place to go. My grandfather acquired swaths of farmland and opened Ackal’s Grocery, which was like the Walmart of the day, right next to the railroad line. Everyone in the community would have done business with them but they probably would have

found their in-home customs unusual.”

Della Viator says, “Growing up in New Iberia and later Lafayette, I had friends from Lebanese and Syrian families and they would invite me home for things like stuffed grape leaves, and both fried and raw kibbeh. I was always struck by the closeness of the family members, their dark features, and their urban flair that was quite unique in Cajun-country.

Their celebrations

sometimes included Middle Eastern music and group dances, and some families grew grape leaves on their fences. Groups of ladies would get together to socialize and make stuffed grape leaves, and I remember the musical sounds coming from the numerous stacks of gold bracelets they wore on their arms while they worked.”

The oil boom of the 1970s and the resulting urbanization and growth of Lake Charles and Lafayette brought

Mediterranean foods out of home kitchens and into the general stream of commerce as second and third-born generations sought to capitalize on the foods familiar to them while diversifying the restaurant scene for a population that was growing both in numbers and in wealth. Today it’s easy to find eateries offering shawarma, gyros, falafel, grilled kabobs, baba ganoush, hummus and bulgur-rich fried kibbeh.

Like many Mediterraneaninfluenced restaurants in Acadiana, Cedar Deli blends traditional Mediterranean cuisine with regional flavors, hence the availability of the shrimp gyro, a Middle Eastern poor boy with olive salad and cucumber sauce; and a fried Halloumi cheese “sub.”

Though the location in Lafayette is a casual grill, Mazen’s Lake Charles’ locale is a white-tablecloth affair. It also blurs the cultural line. Gulf fish and regional fare dabbed with French sauces (red snapper with crab cakes and grilled shrimp in a lemon beurre blanc), wiener schnitzel, and creamy hummus with cinnamon-kissed grilled beef tenderlion co-exist happily on the menu.

With locations scattered all over Acadiana, a fresh meal at Zeus’ Cafe is as easy

Cedar Deli. 1115 Jefferson St., Lafayette. (337) 233-5460, cedardeli.com Cousins Lebanese Cuisine.

2612 Kirkman St., Lake Charles.

(337) 437-1144 Mazen’s Grill. 5818 Johnston St., Lafayette. (337) 769-4440, (337) 884- 8460, mazens.com Mazen Mediterranean Foods.

217 W College St., Lake Charles.

(337) 477-8207, mazens.com Zeus. (several locations) zeuscafe.com

bonus bite With the arrival of spring so comes fresh goat cheese from Belle Ecorse Farms, a lush 10 acre micro-dairy farm and goat cheese plant located in St. Martinville on land Wanda Barros’ French Acadian family has been working for decades. Wanda refrains from milking her small, happy herd of dairy goats from October until the first signs of spring appear, allowing for milk that’s flavorful and high in butterfat.

Her handmade cheeses include fresh, soft chèvre, goat milk feta, and soft-ripened/bloomy rind cheeses. During peak season delicious chèvre curd is also available. Catch Wanda most Saturday mornings at the Red Stick Farmers’ Market in Baton Rouge or visit the farm by appointment. Belle Ecorse Farms, (337) 394.6683, belleecorsefarms.com.

to come by as fast food – but much better. Start with the rosewater based-Lebanese tea. The Zeus Special Plate can be shared and includes grilled chicken schwarma, paper-thin gyro meat, rice, hummus and fried kibbeh.

Sexy date night? It’s a bit of a treasure hunt to find Cousins Lebanese Cuisine in Lake Charles, given that the entryway to the restaurant is hidden in the wall of a tin shack behind a liquor store. But once you step through the door, you’ll feel like you’ve arrived in another world. The interior features a beautiful carved bar and moody, dramatic lighting. With three to an order, the Halabi Kabob (hunks of ground lamb and beef rib-eye rubbed with warm spices, chopped parsley and onion) would be plenty for two to share.

It comes with pita bread, fragrant rice, and a choice of hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouli, fattoush and/or Lebanese fried potatoes.

acadianaprofile.com

| 27

FOOD+DRINK

CUISINE DE LA CUISINE

spring holiday treats Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day by marcelle bienvenu | photo eugenia uhl

Ah, the question is

this – is Mardi Gras early or late this year?

In my humble opinion, I think it’s right on time: Feb. 17. In 2016, it’ll be on Feb. 9 and to me, that’s early. In 2019, it’ll be really late – March 5.

The only dilemma this year is that Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) is going to be jammed into our

28 |

Carnival season. I’m in a quandary. Do I blend the purple, green and gold decorations of Carnival with the red and white of Valentine’s Day? Will I have to gently remind my husband, amid the hullabaloo of parades, balls and king cake parties, not to forget to order me flowers

acadiana profile february/march 2015

and get my box of Godiva chocolates?

Or should I just forget about romance and keep on trucking to Fat Tuesday? And then, a month after that, I have to dig out all that green stuff for St. Patrick’s Day! Only in Louisiana do we have to party hard from the Christmas

and New Year’s season and not stop until midMarch. Ain’t life great?

Never fear, I’m here to give you suggestions how to celebrate all these special days with aplomb.

First, let’s deal with Mardi Gras. I know just about everyone can pick up king cakes at a supermarket, bakery

or convenience store where you’ll find a wide assortment of those purple, gold and green confections, but why not do something special this year and make your own? I’ve been following this fairly easy recipe for over 20 years, and it is always a crowd-pleaser.

Fleischmann’s Yeast King Cake In a large bowl, combine 1½ cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, salt and undissolved yeast.

Heat the milk, water and butter until very warm, about 120 to 130 degrees.

Add to the dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add the eggs and ½ cup of the flour. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour (2 ¾ cups) to make a stiff batter.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Punch the dough down.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface.

Divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 28 by 4 inches. Brush with the melted butter then sprinkle evenly with the remaining ¾ cup sugar and the cinnamon. Beginning at the long end, roll each up tightly as for jellyroll.

Pinch the seams to form long ropes. Braid, then form into an oval. Pinch the ends together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm, draftfree place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Ingredients

4¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1½ teaspoons salt 2 packages Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast ¾ cup milk ½ cup water ½ cup (1 stick) butter 2 eggs ¼ cup melted butter 1 tablespoon cinnamon Powdered Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 2 to 3 tablespoons milk Colored Sugars

1½ cups sugar, divided Green, purple and yellow food coloring

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire race. Brush with the powdered sugar glaze and sprinkle with the colored sugars.

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

Whisk until smooth.

COLORED SUGARS

Mix food coloring before adding the sugar.

acadianaprofile.com

| 29

Chateaubriand Pour Deux Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Rub it with the oil and one tablespoon of the butter. Broil or grill for 8 to 10 minutes on each side until well browned.

Baste once or twice with about two tablespoons of the butter. Transfer the meat to a baking pan and roast for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until it’s slightly springy to the touch or registers about 135 degrees on a meat thermometer. Let stand for about five minutes before carving it into 3/8-inch diagonal slices.

Ingredients

While the meat is cooking, sauté the potatoes in the remaining four tablespoons butter until golden brown. Keep warm until ready to serve.

¼ cup tarragon vinegar

Béarnaise Sauce

TIP FOR THE CORNED BEEF & CABBABGE:

The traditional accompaniments, carrots and potatoes, can be cooked in either the boiling liquid from the cabbage or in the boiling liquid from the meat. That will give the vegetables are wonderful flavor.

Plan on serving two carrots and one potato per person with the cabbage and corned beef. Oh, and I love to serve it all with a concoction of sour cream and prepared horseradish to give everything a little hit!

30 |

Corned Beef and Cabbage

In a small heavy stainless steel or enameled saucepan, combine the vinegar, shallots, tarragon, salt and white pepper and reduce the liquid over medium heat to about two tablespoons. Remove the pan from the heat and add one tablespoon cold water. Add the egg yolks and whisk the mixture over very low until it’s thick. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, over low heat, lifting the pan occasionally to cool the mixture and making certain that each piece is melted before adding the next. Cook the sauce, whisking, until it is thick.

Taste for seasoning. You may want to add a little more salt and white pepper. Add the parsley.

The sauce may be kept warm, covered with buttered wax paper, in a pan of warm water.

Makes about 1¼ cups

acadiana profile february/march 2015

1 center cut fillet, about 4 to 5 inches in length Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 7 tablespoons clarified butter 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut lengthwise into thin French-fry slices Béarnaise sauce

2 tablespoons minced shallots 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried ¼ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, or more to taste 3 large egg yolks, beaten lightly 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 12 pieces 1 teaspoon minced freshly parsley leaves

corned beef

Go to your supermarket and get about a 7½ pounds corned beef.

It’s packed in brine and some packages come with a seasoning packet.

Put the corned beef in a large Dutch oven and add enough water to cover it.

Add the seasoning packet and boil the meat over medium heat until tender.

It may take two to three hours, and you will have to keep adding water to the pot to keep the meat submerged. Once it’s cooked, remove it from the boiling liquid, let cool a bit before slicing thinly to serve.

CAbbage

In one very large pot (or 2 smaller ones), combine the cabbage, water, sugar, and vinegar. Cook on high heat until tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and removed the cabbage with a slotted spoon.

You make can make this in advance, and store the cabbage in the refrigerator with enough of the cooking liquid to keep it moist.

When ready to serve, bring the cabbage and the liquid slowly up to a gentle boil to heat it thoroughly.

As mentioned above, serve the cabbage with the corned beef, carrots, and potatoes.

Makes about 20 servings

Ingredients

7½ pound corned beef 3 heads green cabbage, cored and quartered 1 head red cabbage, cored and quartered 2 gallons water 4 cups sugar 2 cups red wine vinegar 2 quarts of the cabbage cooking liquid 2 quarts chicken stock

acadianaprofile.com

| 31

FOOD+DRINK

recettes de cocktails DE LA CUISINE

cajun bloody mary Hair of the dog, with a local addition recipe by sal agnello | photo eugenia uhl

If you find Bloody Mary mix too salty, try using Spicy V8 instead.

Ingredients

1.5 ounces La 31 Bière Noire 1.5 ounces Oryza vodka 4 ounces Bloody Mary mix Dash Tabasco Garnishes of your choice Pour Bière Noire into the bottom of a glass and top with ice. Mix other ingredients and pour over the top.

Garnish with pickled okra, green olives, celery — or even shrimp.

32 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

acadianaprofile.com

| 33

c i t y of t h e y e a r Strengthened by a robust local economy, high quality of living and blossoming downtown, Acadiana’s eastern jewel

exemplifies the best of the true Cajun lifestyle by will kalec

For all the reasons to journey here, and all the reasons to put down roots – high-performing schools, safe neighborhoods, expanding and diverse entertainment options, enough jobs for practically everyone and a thick catalog of natural splendor – Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet mentions something we honestly forgot to consider when naming Houma Acadiana Profile’s City of the Year.

“There’s something in the water,” Claudet says. “It’s home.

There’s a sense of family down here, and I think we’re keeping more of our young people, and we’re seeing people from other parts joining us and staying with us for all we have to offer.

It’s definitely a great place to live. Of all the positive lists being made these days, name one and we’re on that list.”

Well, let’s check.

TOP: A happy couple dances at the Jolly Inn. BOTTOM: Roasted red

pepper and Parmesan chargrilled oysters at Cristano Ristorante.

Houma is Louisiana’s second most-exciting city (ranking just behind New Orleans), according to Movoto, a national online real estate firm. Forbes designated Houma as the No. 8 fastest-growing small city, home to workers ranked No. 6 in fastest-growing wages. Houma enjoyed the 15th highest GDP growth in the U.S., thanks mostly to good times in the oil patch and offshore. Houma’s Rougarou Festival – a 3-year-old, familyfriendly Halloween extravaganza complete with bands, vendors and a spooky parade route through downtown – caught the collective eyes over at USA TODAY, which named it a Top 10 costume party nationwide. And an annual survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certainly gave Houma residents even more reason to smile when the Cajun community finished as the No. 2 Happiest City.

Though officially a town of just 33,000 (Census reports don’t include the unincorporated Bayou Cane area, which nearly

doubles the population) Houma has been and continues to be the cultural and commercial epicenter for the traditional agro-centric communities of Terrebonne Parish. Even with New Orleans a mere 45-minute car ride away, make no mistake, when locals tell you they’re “going to town,” that means they’re going to Houma – a distinction that’s never really changed over the years, even if everything else has.

Powered by a vibrant economic climate largely immune to troubles found in other parts of the country, Houma of yesterday doesn’t resemble Houma today. Quaint, homey mom-and-pop dining establishments like A-Bear’s Café are now neighbored by recognizable national brands like Chipotle (which opened in January 2015) and Texas Roadhouse (which opened in summer 2014), to name a few.

Infrastructure projects such as a thoroughfare connecting Highways 311 and 24 should open up much-needed commercial

space to appease a swelling population base that shows no signs of tempering, thanks to state-best unemployment rates.

Long-standing attractions like Southdown Plantation, Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum and the best saltwater fishing excursions on the planet continue to strengthen and showcase Houma’s Cajun heritage while newer events like the Bayou Beer Festival – a booze-tasting bounty featuring breweries from around the South – cater to a growing number of new-age, local adults who’ve decided to pursue their personal and professional aspirations at home.

And re-enforcing Houma’s reputation as a great place to raise a family, two new projects will offer kids diverse recreation options for years to come. Last fall, civic leaders broke ground at the Bayou Country Sports Park along Highway 311. The 100-acre complex comes with a $23 million price tag and, upon completion, will feature athletic fields (softball/baseball/ soccer), tennis and volleyball

acadianaprofile.com

| 35

Wetlands preservation activist and award-winning musician Tab Benoit has strong ties to the region – he graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School and owns the city’s Tab Benoit’s Lagniappe Music Cafe.

36 |

plentiful opportunities in the oil and gas sector. By the end of the year, unemployment rose slightly to 4.5 percent, still well below Louisiana and national averages.

Business expansion projects announced in the past 12 months totaled more than $80 million and are predicted to create 1,000 additional jobs. Construction is nearing completion on its 97,000 square-foot expansion (manufacturing and distribution space) at its division headquarters, which will create 33 new jobs. K&B Industries finished building a 200,000 square-foot warehouse and is set to construct a new administration center this year.

Other Houma-area companies that expanding or improve their facilities include: Dishman & Bennett Specialty Tools, Settoon Towing, Safe Zone Safety and Training Consultants, Barracuda Oil Tools, Performance Energy Services and PHI. Two major corporations – both tied directly to the oil and gas industry – recently decided to relocate their headquarters to Houma. DANOS, a strategic construction and production services partner, announced its $10 million new headquarters will bring more than 400 new

acadiana profile february/march 2015

jobs to the region. Baywater Drilling, a fairly-new operation, is also constructing its new digs in Houma complete with office space, training rooms, a break room kitchen and short-stay living quarters for staff.

“Oil and gas is cyclical,” says Katherine Gilbert-Theriot of the Terrebonne Economic Authority. “We all know that, and those companies here know that. So what they’ve done is diversified within their field. It’s not just one sector – they’ve taken to exporting, handling deep-water and ultra-deep-water projects and also the inland drilling. So those business plans have been altered and tailored to handle slower times.”

For instance, Gulf Coast Fabrication – a longtime south Houma staple known for building components of offshore drilling platforms – won a contract to manufacture the foundations for Block Island Wind Farm near Rhode Island.

The first-of-its-kind project (an offshore series of wind turbines) will generate 30 megawatts of power: enough to supply close to 20,000 homes. The project is set to begin this year.

“Our economy is as diversified

photos courtesy houma cvb

courts, bike paths, and even a designated area for four-legged friends to run around without a leash. Then, this Spring, the Fireman’s Skate and Bike Park (an ode to former Bayou Cane Fire Chief Jerry Gautreaux) is scheduled to open next to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

“For people in these bayou communities, Houma is ‘The Experience’ – the dining experience, the shopping experience and the entertainment experience,” Claudet says.

“Anything you need you can find, and anything you want do to, you can do. Take something like Christmas shopping.

Yes, you could drive to New Orleans and deal with traffic and headaches and everything that comes along with all that.

Or you can come to Houma and shop at the same types of stores without the turmoil.”

For all it has going for it, Houma’s best brag involves its recent string of economic prosperity that’s gone relatively unrivaled anywhere in the state, and in February 2014, anywhere nationally. That month, Houma’s 2.8 unemployment rate was the lowest of any U.S. metro area – a feat mostly attributable to

as it can get for a community that depends so much on the oil and gas industry,” Claudet says.

“This is a place where you can find work, for sure. But it’s also a place where, as a business, you can find skilled employees.

You talk about resources – our workforce is a resource to be proud of here. The people have a work ethic you don’t find everyplace. They’re qualified. If they need additional training, there’s places to get that training.”

While the community leans heavily on oil and gas, Houma also has witnessed a boom of environmental opportunities for workers in recent years. Terrebonne’s Department of Coastal Restoration and Preservation (located in Houma) continues to proactively implement its “Comprehensive Plan for Coastal Restoration.” The vital first step can be broken down to four objectives: increase the integrity of barrier island systems, increase the vertical accretion of wetland soils, maximize habitat diversity of coastal wetlands and ensure the actions taken by the parish are consist with the state’s “Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.”

“This is Bayou Country,” Claudet says. “We’re surrounded by bayous and we’re known for that. Unfortunately, we’re one of those areas that have been fighting coastal erosion for quite some time, and while that’s created great challenges, it’s also brought forth great opportunities. We’re on the forefront when it comes to new land management types of jobs, restoration jobs – we’re the poster child for that.”

acadianaprofile.com

| 37

Garden Fresh how to grow these springtime staples, plus three light & easy recipes the new year off right What a wonderful time of year we’re coming into, with the prospect of warmer weather, longer days, boiled crawfish and spring planting just ahead of us. If you haven’t already made your garden plans, now is the time to do so, even if your garden is limited to a few pots on the patio or balcony. It’s remarkable how much can be grown in small spaces with minimal effort. The payoff, whether you have a large plot or minimalist plantings, is being able to walk outside and harvest part of your dinner.

Freshness is the key, and spring plantings of tomatoes, basil and bell peppers will reap many rewards in the coming months. by stanley dry | photos eugenia uhl

acadianaprofile.com

| 39

TOMATOES Open a seed catalogue and be astounded by the many varieties of tomatoes available to the home gardener – large tomatoes, small ones, cherry tomatoes, currant tomatoes, red, pink, orange, yellow, white, green tomatoes.

Local stores may not offer such a wide range of plants, but there are still enough selections to please the gardener who wants to experiment with new varieties. Some are particularly suited for container gardening.

There is nothing that can match the pleasure of eating a tomato you’ve just picked from a plant you’ve grown.

for the body

health tip Tomatoes provide vitamins C and K, potassium, molybdenum, fiber, glutamic acid and phytonutrients.

on the plate

tomato, basil & mozzarella sandwich SERVES 1 PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

in the garden

grow it

Full sun soil: Rich, well-drained soil. ph: 5.8-7.0 water: Keep soil evenly moist. fertilize: Before planting, at first fruit set, and every 2-3 weeks thereafter. harvest: 60-75 days from date of transplanting tip: Plant several varieties of tomatoes, both to hedge against crop loss and for diversity on the table. sun:

40 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

This sandwich, which I eat almost daily during our tomato season, is, in my mind, the very epitome of summer.

The combination of ingredients is classic with nothing added that would detract from their simple and essential goodness.

Split a poor boy loaf or a length of French bread and drizzle the interior generously with extravirgin olive oil. Fill the loaf with slices of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

in the kitchen

PREP TIP

There may be worse things you can do to a tomato than putting it in the refrigerator, but not by much.

Refrigeration destroys a tomato’s delicate flavor, so don’t do it!

acadianaprofile.com ACADIANAPROFILE.COM| | 41 41

for the body

health tip

BELL PEPPERS

Bell peppers are a source of vitamins C and E, pyridoxine, folate, fiber, potassium and phytonutrients.

One of the “holy trinity” in Cajun cooking, bell peppers are essential in many dishes, as well as a favorite salad ingredient. There was a time when we saw only green bell peppers, but today there are red, yellow, orange, lilac, purple and chocolate-colored peppers which can add a rainbow of color to your table.

on the plate

ROASTED peppers SERVES 4 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

in the garden

grow it sun: Full sun soil: Rich, well-drained soil

5.5-7.0 Keep soil evenly moist fertilize: Fertilize when flowering begins; avoid excess nitrogen harvest: 70-80 days from date of transplanting tip: Peppers are good container plants.

Treat your family or guests to a beautiful antipasto selection of multi-colored roasted peppers, tomato wedges with basil, anchovies, sliced hardboiled eggs, olives, cured meats, and cheeses, along with plenty of crusty bread and wine.

ph:

water:

42 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Roast 4 peppers of different colors over a gas flame, under a broiler or on a grill, turning them with a pair of tongs as they char. When the peppers are blackened all over, put them in a glass or metal bowl and cover. Leave them to steam until cool enough to handle. Pull off the charred skin of each pepper, then split lengthwise. Remove stem, ribs and seeds. Slice peppers lengthwise into strips about ¼-inch wide.

Arrange the pepper strips on as platter, drizzle with olive oil and season with coarse salt.

in the kitchen

PREP TIP

In any preparation, using peppers of various colors will enhance the presentation.

acadianaprofile.com ACADIANAPROFILE.COM

| 43

BASIL Life without basil might not exactly be unthinkable, but it sure would be less pleasurable. Basil is a tomato’s best friend, both in the garden and on the table. Available in a variety of leaf shapes, colors, and flavor characteristics, basil thrives in containers as well as in the ground.

It can be grown in almost anything – window boxes, pots, olive oil or coffee cans.

Basil won’t tolerate frost, but small containers can be brought inside when cold weather threatens, thus assuring a year-round supply.

for the body

health tip Basil provides vitamin K and flavonoids.

on the plate

PESTO MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 12 MINUTES

This versatile Italian classic is good on almost anything— pasta, seafood, grilled vegetables, poultry, or meats. Pecans or walnuts can be substituted for pine nuts.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, 1 clove peeled garlic, ¼ cup pine nuts, and ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan. Pulse a few times to combine, then, with the motor running, drizzle in ¼ cup (or more) of extra-virgin olive oil until you have a creamy emulsion.

Season to taste with coarse salt.

44 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

in the garden

grow it sun: Full sun

Fertile, well-drained 5.5-6..5 water: Keep soil moist fertilize: Occasionally harvest: Pinch off the tips of stems to encourage bushiness; harvest leaves during the entire growing cycle tip: Basil and tomatoes are companion plants; growing them together is thought to improve both. soil: ph:

in the kitchen

PREP TIP

Puree fresh basil with olive oil in a blender, then freeze in small portions for use during the winter.

acadianaprofile.com ACADIANAPROFILE.COM

| 45

46 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

The Cajun screen masks are a staple on Mardi Gras Day in Mamou. Only the captains remain unmasked – to let people know who’s in charge. Reveling riders hide behind masks made out of wire mesh and various cloth.

photos by ron j. berard

acadianaprofile.com

| 47

Facing Page, Top, left: Mamou Mardi Gras captain Boyd Landreneau leads a charge of about 8-10 other captains, all clad in purple capes. They oversee the entire Courir de Mardi Gras, which lasts almost all day. Each captain is in charge of 10-15 men on horseback. Facing page, bottom, left: Paul LeBlanc of Mamou in a rare moment of solemnity. Most of the day is spent riding boldly through large crowds, singing, shouting and begging for trinkets and gumbo ingredients to be shared with the community later. This page: Runners relax on their mounts at the half-way point of the run.

acadianaprofile.com

| 49

this page: Benny Manuel of Mamou takes a break before mounting his horse again. Facing page, top right: Captain Boyd Landreneau laughs atop his horse. bottom, right:

A chicken enjoys a rare moment of freedom before being captured by the masked riders.

50 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Top Lawyers 366 listings in 48 categories Methodology The voting for Professional Research Services survey to determine the 2015 top attorneys for Acadiana Profile magazine was open to all licensed attorneys in the Acadiana, Louisiana market area. Each attorney was asked which attorney, other than himself or herself, they would recommend in the Acadiana area. Each attorney was allowed to recommend up to three colleagues in each given legal specialty. Once the online nominations were complete, each nominee was carefully evaluated on the basis of the survey results, the legitimacy of their license, and their current standing with the State Bar Association of Louisiana. Attorneys who received the highest number of votes in each category are reflected in the list by legal specialty.

52 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Administrative/ Regulatory Law Aaron J. Broussard Broussard & Hart, LLC 1301 Common St. Lake Charles 337-439-2450 Bobbie J. Duplantis Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Albert Michael Karre Jr. Attorney at Law 208 W. Main St. Lafayette 337-235-5704 Matthew David Lane Jr. Ziegler & Lane, LLC 556 Jefferson St. Suite 102 Lafayette 337-289-5352 Estelle E. Mahoney The Schwab Law Firm 7847 Main St. Houma 985-868-1342 Jeannie C. Prudhomme LA Attorney General’s Office 556 Jefferson St. 4th Floor Lafayette 337-262-1700 Leslie J. Schiff Schiff, Scheckman & White LLP 117 West Landry St. Opelousas 337-942-9771 Randall C. Songy Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camelia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Chris A. Verret Attorney at Law 325 Audubon Blvd.

Lafayette 337-237-4600

Admiralty & Maritime Law William M. Bass Voohries & Labbe 700 St. John St. Lafayette 337-232-9700 Charles C. (“Chuck”) Bourque Jr. St. Martin & Bourque, APLC 4084 Highway 311 Houma 985-876-3891

Richard C. Broussard Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 Katharine R. Colletta Chaffe McCall LLP One Lakeshore Dr. Suite 1640A Lake Charles 337-419-1825 Paul J. Cox Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad st.

Lake Charles 337-240-9349 Larry Curtis Larry Curtis Maritime Attorney 300 Rue Beauregard Building C Lafayette 337-235-1825 Blake R. David Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 James D’Arensbourg Hollier Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Stephen J. Johnson Attorney at Law 1 Church St. Houma 985-868-9600 Catherine M. Landry Preis & Roy, PLC 102 Versailles Blvd.

Suite 400 Lafayette 337-237-6062 Brandon W. Letulier Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Matthew D. McConnell McConnell Law Offices 1021 Coolidge Blvd.

Lafayette 337-347-6404 Kevin P. Merchant Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Jerome H. Moroux Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 Patrick C. Morrow Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett 324 West Landry St. Opelousas 337-948-4483

Frank Neuner Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000

Robert K. Hammack Robert K. Hammack, Attorney at Law 201 Heymann Blvd.

Suite 24 Lafayette 337-237-7463

George H. Robinson Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-267-2319

Appellate Practice

James P. Roy Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards LLC 556 Jefferson St. Suite 500 Lafayette 337-593-4190 Melissa L. Theriot Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Douglas W. Truxillo The Onebane Law Firm, APC 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Conrad S.P. Williams III Williams Law Group 435 Corporate Dr. Suite 101 Houma 985-876-7595

Alternative Dispute Resolution

J. Michael Fussell Jr. Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-521-8870 Kenneth Pitre Pitre Law Office 100 S. Vivian Ave. Eunice 337-457-9048 Bradley Travino Hunter, Hunter & Sonnier LLC 1807 Lake St. Lake Charles 337-436-1600 Michael H. Schwartzberg Vamvoras, Schwartzberg & Associates LLC 111 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-433-1621 Lawrence P. Simon Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424

Banking and Finance Law

Theodore G. Edwards IV Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier, McElligott, Fontenot, Gideon & Edwards 810 S. Bunchanan St. Lafayette 337-237-1660

Richard L. Becker Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987

Greg Guidry Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camelia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660

Stephen Chiccarelli Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC 450 Laurel St. Lake Charles 225-381-7044

Thomas R. Juneau Sr. Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 202 Lafayette 337-269-0052

Dennis L. Doise Perret Law, LLC 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 220 Lafayette 337-593-4900

Andrew D. McGlathery III Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 West Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491

Dallas K. Kingham Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 West Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491

Antitrust Law

Steven T. Ramos Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660

Kevin L. Camel Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-240-9349

acadianaprofile.com

| 53

my toughest case

Mental illness & Divorce Bernard Thomas “Tom” Shea Hometown: Northampton, MA Alma Mater: Ithaca College (2006); LSU (2010) Firm: Sanchez Law Firm (Lake Charles) Expertise: Family Law

Although Tom Shea of Lake Charles’ Sanchez Law Firm says that family law can be a difficult field of practice that many attorneys avoid “like the plague,” he loves it, especially areas relating to community property.

“I very much enjoyed all of my accounting, finance and economics courses in college,” he says. “I was even on an intercollegiate Accounting Jeopardy team, which is every bit as nerdy as it sounds.”

This interest has served him well, especially in one of his current cases, which he says count among his most complicated to date. His client is a woman who had been “interdicted because of mental illness just a few weeks before her husband filed a divorce suit,” he says. “The parties owned a business, and questions related to business valuation and ongoing business operation have been the major issues.”

Although he initially felt worried about the case since his client’s medical condition would make it difficult for her to help him get a good handle on the situation, especially the flow of money, he was relieved to find that his client’s son,

who had been appointed as her curator, “really stepped up to the plate,” Shea says.

“Throughout the case, which has been on-going for a couple of years now, he has helped me gather documents and piece our complete case together little by little. I know that we’ve both worked incredibly hard on the case, and though there has been lots to do, it has felt like a great collaboration the whole time.”

Although the case is in its final stages of resolution, Shea says he is hopeful.

Shea says the appeal of Sanchez Law Firm is that it is “small and specialized. We can be as flexible as we need to be, and I think that allow us to nimbly change our systems when we need to do so,” he says.

As for law as a practice, She says that while it can be “a little intimidating to know that people are counting on you to handle some very difficult problems, […] if you work hard consistently, try to keep improving everyday, and treat all people with respect (even those on the other side of cases), great things will happen,” he says. “That may sound a little hokey, but I do believe it.”

profile by: Christopher Jennings Photograph by: Romero & Romero Photography

54 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency & Reorganization Law

J. Michael Fussell Jr. Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Lafayette 337-237-0123

H. Kent Aguillard M. Terrance Hoychick, A.P.L.C. & H. Kent Aguillard 141 S. 6th St. Eunice 337-466-4419

Paul D. Gibson Gibson Gruenert 600 Jefferson St. Suite 600 Lafayette 337-233-9600

Paul N. DeBaillon DeBaillon & Miley 201 Travis St. Lafayette 337-237-0598

Jospeh C. Giglio Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424

Harold L. Domingue Jr. Harold L. Domingue, Jr., Attorney at Law 711 West Pinhook Rd. Lafayette 337-234-6003

Michael D. Hebert Milling Benson Woodward LLP 101 La Rue Frane Suite 200 Lafayette 337-232-3929

Armistead M. Long Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132

Barbara L. Irwin Pujol, Pryor & Irwin, LLC 12320 Highway 44 Bldg. 4 Suite 4C Gonzales 225-644-0607

Stephen C. Polito Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 West Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Scott J. Scofield Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 900 Lake Charles 337-433-9436 Gerald H. Schiff Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Thomas E. St. Germain Attorney at Law 1414 Ne Evangeline Trwy.

Lafayette 337-235-4001

Commercial Litigation George Arceneaux III Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Hading St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Lamont P. Domingue Voorhies & Labbe 700 St. John St. Floor 5 Lafayette 337-232-9700

Steven C. Lanza Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Kevin P. Merchant Neuner Pate 1001 West Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 William B. Monk Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 West Broad St. 4th Floor Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Frank Neuner Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Rick C. Norman Norman Business Law Center 145 East St. Lake Charles 337-436-7787 Camille B. Poche Babineaux, Poche, Anthony & Slavich LLC 1201 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-984-2505 John R. Pohorelsky Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 900 Lake Charles 337-433-9436

acadianaprofile.com

| 55

my toughest case

bringing compassion to the law

56 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

J. Michael Veron Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson LLC 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Mark W. Frilot Baker Donelson 3 Sanctuary Blvd.

Mandeville 985-819-8417

James B. Supple Supple, Cremaldi & Curet, LLP 200 Willow St. Franklin 337-828-5480

Robert L. Waddell Jones Walker 600 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-593-7623

John R. Pohorelsky Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 900 Lake Charles 337-433-9436

James A. Watson Roddy, Watson & Everett 400 E. College Ln. Lake Charles 337-474-4886

Commercial Transactions/ LLS Law Richard L. Becker Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987 William S. Green Preis PLC 102 Versailles Blvd.

Suite 400 Lafayette 337-237-6062 Steven C. Lanza Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Brandon W. Letulier Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Lawrence L. Lewis III Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Henry C. Perret Jr. Perret Law, LLC 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 220 Lafayette 337-593-4900

Communications Law William M. Bass Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-493-7216

Construction Law Shawn A. Carter Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Richard D. Chappuis Jr. Voohries & Labbe 700 St. John St. Lafayette 337-232-9700 58 |

James T. Rivera Scofield & Rivera, LLC 100 E. Vermilion Suite 301 Lafayette 337-235-5353 Emmett C. Sole Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Douglas W. Truxillo Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camelia Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-2660

Corporate Governance & Complaints Law Kevin J. Koenig Raggio, Cappel, Chozen & Berniard 1011 Lakeshore Dr. Floor 5 Lake Charles 337-436-9481 Laura L. Putnam Attorney General 207 N. East St. Abbeville 337-781-5636

Corporate Law Jude C. David Perret Doise 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 220 Lafayette 337-593-4900 Dennis L. Doise Perret Law, LLC 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 220 Lafayette 337-593-4900 Jospeh C. Giglio Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Henry C. Perret Jr. Perret Law, LLC 1200 Camelli Blvd.

Suite 220 Lafayette 337-593-4900

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Jared L. Watson Robichaux, Mize, Wadsack & Richardson LLC 1777 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-433-0234

Criminal Defense Non White-Collar Todd S. Clemons Todd Clemons & Associates 1740 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-477-0000 Robert P. Fuhrer Robert P. Fuhrer Attorney at Law 504 Roderick St. Morgan City 985-385-1703 Joshua S. Guillory The Law Office of Joshua S. Guillory, LLC 317 E. University Ave. Lafayette 337-233-1303 Shane K. Hinch Vamvoras, Schwartzberg & Hinch, LLC 1111 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-433-1621 Jason W. Robideaux Attorney at Law 1228 Camellia Blvd. Suite A Lafayette 337-291-9444

Criminal Defense White Collar Lester J. Gauthier Jr. Lester J. Gauthier, Attorney at Law 306 S. Pierce St. Lafayette 337-366-8047 Kay K. Gautreaux Kay Karre Gautreaux, LLC 405 W. Convent St. Lafayette 337-232-7747 Joshua S. Guillory The Law Office of Joshua S. Guillory, LLC 317 E. University Ave. Lafayette 337-233-1303 R. Michael McHale McHale Law Firm, APLC 631 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-990-0093

Michael D. Skinner Skinner Law Firm, LLC 600 Jefferson St. Suite 810 Lafayette 337-354-3030 John K. Stockstill J. Kevin Stockstill Attorneys at Law, LLC 412 W University Ave. Suite 206 Lafayette 337-262-0203

Elder Law Dixie C. Brown Law Offices of Brown and Doskey 7932 Park Ave. Houma 985-851-0033 L. Milton Cancienne Jr. Cancienne Law Firm 515 Barrow St. Houma 985-876-5656 Steven M. Jankower Jankower Law Firm, LLC 110 Exchage Place Suite 101 Lafayette 337-289-1746 Betty A. Raglin Sigler & Raglin, APLLC 630 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-439-2033 Kenneth David St. Pe St. Pe’ Law 311 W. University Ave. Suite A Lafayette 337-534-4043 Andrea L. West West Law Firm, LLC 250 West Vine Eunice 337-457-8044

Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law James J. Davidson III Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier & McElligott, LLP 810 S. Bunchanan St. Lafayette 337-237-1660

Employee Benefits Law Joel P. Babineaux Babineaux, Poche, Anthony & Slavich LLC 1200 Camelia Blvd.

Third Floor Lafayette 337-984-2505 Damon L. Beard The Townsley Law Firm 3102 Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles 337-478-1400

acadianaprofile.com

| 59

J. Michael Fussell Jr. Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0123 Stephen C. Gaubert Gaubert & Smith 600 Jefferson St. Suite 404 Lafayette 337-354-3000 Christopher P. Leyoub Plauche, Smith & Nieset 1123 Pithon St. Lake Charles 337-436-0522

Energy Law William F. Bailey Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Bobbie J. Duplantis Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Patrick W. Gray Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC 200 W. Congress St. Lafayette 337-412-6003 Julie D. Jardell Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 James N. Mansfield III Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Samuel E. Masur Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Mark R. Pharr III Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith 328 Settlers Trace Blvd.

Lafayette 337-735-1760 Matthew J. Randazzo III Randazzo Giglio & Bailey, LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900

60 |

Richard W. Revels Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424

David L. Carriere The Law Office of David L. Carriere 322 S. Market St. Opelousas 337-948-6217

Daniel M. Landry III Attorney at Law 802 General Mouton Ave. Lafayette 337-237-7135

George H. Robinson Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-267-2319

Robert P. Cuccia Attorney at Law 311 Goode St. Houma 985-873-8595

Cynthia C. LeBourgeois Attorney at Law 239 La Rue France Lafayette 337-232-2320

Paul B. Simon Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-307-0133

Andre Doguet Attorney at Law 1223 Saint John St. Lafayette 337-235-7144

Joan M. Malbrough Malbrough & Wright, APLC 4266 W Main St. Gray 985-873-2849

Environmental Law

Bradford H. Felder Huval, Veazey, Felder & Renegar, LLC 2 Flagg Place Lafayette 337-234-5350

Todd H. Melton Attorney at Law 616 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-439-2979

Patrick W. Gray Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC 200 W. Congress St. Lafayette 337-412-6003

Charles G. Fitzgerald Cox Fitzgerald, LLC 113 W. Convent St. Lafayette 337-233-9743

Robert M. McHale Jr. The McHale Law Firm 631 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-990-0093

Michael J. Juneau Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Lafayette 337-269-0052

Valerie G. Garrett Valerie Gotch Garrett APLC 100 E. Vermilion St. Suite 212 Lafayette 337-232-1616

Walter M. Sanchez The Sanchez Law Firm, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 1050 Lake Charles 337-433-4405

John Green Jr. Attorney at Law 1135 Hodges St. Lake Charles 337-990-0060

Bernard T. Shea The Sanchez Law Firm, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 1050 Lake Charles 337-433-4405

Gary P. Kraus Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Lafayette 337-237-2660 Thomas M. McNamara Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC 200 W. Congress St. Lafayette 337-412-6003 Patrick C. Morrow Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett 324 W. Landry St. Opelousas 337-948-4483 Alyse S. Richard Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 202 Lafayette 337-269-0052

Family Law Edward K. Bauman Edward K. Bauman, Attorney at Law 1131 Hodges St. Lake Charles 337-491-0570 James D. Bayard Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camelia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Jamie B. Bice Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Joshua S. Guillory The Law Office of Joshua S. Guillory, LLC 317 E. University Ave. Lafayette 337-233-1303

Danna E. Schwab The Schwab Law Firm 7847 Main St. Houma 985-868-1342

Helen P. Harris Helen Popich Harris, APLC 321 W. Main St. Suite 2D Lafayette 337-291-6092

Adam G. Young Adam G. Young, APLC 315 S. College Rd. Suite 163 Lafayette 337-740-0852

Charles K. Hutchens Charley Hutchens, PLC 1704 W. University Ave. Lafayette 337-237-4102

Government Relations Practice

Jonathan L. Johnson Johnson & Vercher, LLC 910 Ford St. Lake Charles 337-433-1414 Philip C. Kobetz Attorney at Law 120 Representative Row Lafayette 337-291-1990 Gregory A. Koury Koury & Hill 205 S. Michot Rd. Lafayette 337-993-1842 Jeanne M. Laborde Laborde Law Firm 203 Energy Pkwy Bldg 8 Lafayette 337-261-2617

Samuel B. Gabb Plauche, Smith & Nieset 1123 Pithon St. Lake Charles 337-436-0522 Alex A. Lopresto III Jeansonne & Remondet Attorneys 200 West Congress St. Suite 1100 Lafayette 337-237-4370

Health Care Law Charles J. Boudreaux Jr. Preis PLC 102 Versailles Blvd.

Suite 400 Lafayette 337-237-6062

acadianaprofile.com

| 61

Nicholas Gachassin III Gachassin Law Firm 200 Corporate Blvd. Suite 103 Lafayette 337-235-4576

James P. Doherty III Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987

Christopher Johnston Gachassin Law Firm 200 Corporate Blvd. Suite 103 Lafayette 337-235-4576

Matthew S. Green Preis & Roy, PLC 102 Versailles Blvd.

Suite 400 Lafayette 337-237-6062

Jack M. Stolier Sullivan Stolier Knight LC 1042 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 2 Lafayette 337-233-6210 Berryl G. Thompson Gachassin Law Firm 200 Corporate Blvd.

Suite 103 Lafayette 337-235-4576 Donald W. Washington Jones Walker 600 Jefferson St. Suite 1600 Lafayette 337-593-7614

Immigration Law Michael W. Adley Judice Adley 926 Coolidge Blvd.

Lafayette 337-235-2405 Todd M. Ammons Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 West Broad St. 4th Floor Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Ashley F. Dees Attorney at Law 313 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-214-0354 Adolph B. Curet III Supple, Cremaldi & Curet, LLP 200 Willow St. Franklin 337-828-5480 Robert J. David Jr. Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 202 Lafayette 337-269-0052 James M. Dill Dill Law Firm 825 Lafayette St. Lafayette 337-261-1408 Kevin M. Dills Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier & McElligott, LLP 810 S. Buchanan St. Lafayette 337-205-7053

62 |

Thomas R. Hightower Jr. Thomas R. Hightower Jr. 1019 Lafayette St. Lafayette 337-233-0555 Matthew D. McConnell McConnell Law Offices 1021 Coolidge Blvd.

Lafayette 337-347-6404 John E. McElligott Jr. Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier & McElligott, LLP 810 S. Buchanan St. Lafayette 337-237-1660 Jennifer E. Michel Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP 100 E. Vermilion St. Suite 300 Lafayette 337-205-4739 Charles V. Musso Jr. Plauche, Smith & Nieset 1123 Pithon St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-0522 James L. Pate Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhool Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Elena A. Pecoraro Pecorara Law 600 Jefferson St. Suite 810 Lafayette 337-266-2233 Joseph R. Pousson Jr. Plauche, Smith & Nieset 1123 Pithon St. Lake Charles 337-436-0522 Michael J. Remondet Jr. Jeansonne & Remondet, LLC 200 W Congress St. Suite 1100 Lafayette 337-237-4370 James T. Rivera Scofield & Rivera, LLC 100 E. Vermilion Suite 301 Lafayette 337-235-5353

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Intellectual Property Law Somer G. Brown Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-436-6611 Ryan M. Goudelocke Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann 220 Heyman Blvd.

Lafayette 337-223-0300 Jesse D. Lambert The Law Office of Jesse D. Lambert, LLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 102B Lafayette 337-232-5006 William W. Stagg Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann 220 Heymann Blvd.

Lafayette 337-233-0300 Robert L. Waddell Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre, LLP 600 Jefferson St. Suite 1600 Lafayette 337-593-7623

Labor and Employment Law Joel P. Babineaux Babineaux, Poche, Anthony & Slavich LLC 1201 Camellia Blvd.

Third Floor Lafayette 337-984-2505 John S. Bradford Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Thomas L. Colletta Jr. Attorney at Law 1100 Poydras St Suite 2100 New Orleans 504-584-9147 Robert J. David Jr. Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 202 Lafayette 337-269-0052 Gregory Guidry Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Michael D. Hebert Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987

Michael P. Maraist Maraist Law Firm, APLC 600 Jefferson St. Suite 810 Lafayette 337-266-2230 Christopher L. Zaunbrecher Attorney at Law 413 Travis St. Lafayette 337-237-4070

Land Use & Zoning Law Richard L. Becker Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987 Henry R. Liles Henry R. Liles, P.L.C. 940 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-513-0924

Legal Malpractice Law Erin McCall Alley Baggett, McCall, Burgess, Watson & Gaughan, LLC 3006 Country Club Rd. Lake Charles 337-478-8888 David J. Ayo Allen & Gooch 2000 Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 400 Lafayette 337-291-1000 Blake R. David Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 Dennis P. Gardner Jr. Allen & Gooch 2000 Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 400 Lafayette 337-291-1000

Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions David S. Cook David S. Cook, APLC P.O. Box 53394 Lafayette 337-234-4155 Thomas A. Filo Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-240-9349 Ben L. Mayeaux Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000

ADVERTISEMENT

STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT: J. Rock Palermo III*, Alonzo P. Wilson,

J. Michael Veron*, Jamie Blair Bice*, Michael G. Hodgkins, Jere Jay Bice; SITTING: Turner D. Brumby**, Ashley E. Philen

*Chosen for 2015 Super Lawyers | **Chosen for 2015 Rising Star

VERON, BICE, PALERMO & WILSON, LLC OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION IS NOT LICENSE TO DESTROY PROPERTY.

The mission of Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson, LLC is to seek justice, whether in a land contamination or oil and gas matter.

When big oil and gas companies drill, they are supposed to be stewards of the land. Too often, however, companies contaminate the soil and water in the area where they drill, rendering property dangerous or unusable for future operations.

When this happens, the value of the land plummets, and the innocent landowners can be left holding the bag for an expensive clean-up.

Firm partner J. Michael Veron is considered by many to have pioneered Louisiana land contamination litigation. His landmark trial and appellate case against Shell Oil resulted in a $76 million final judgment for his clients. Veron’s critically acclaimed book, Shell Game: One Family’s Long Battle Against Big Oil, detailed the litigation. His recent article updating significant developments in the litigation appeared in the Tulane Environmental Law Journal.

As one of Louisiana’s leading environmental litigation practices, Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson has access to knowledgeable, trusted experts

who help the firm’s attorney explain drilling complexities to juries and judges.

Repeatedly recognized as one of the Best Law Firms by The Best Lawyers In America and listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, the firm works tirelessly to recover compensation for landowners who suffer as a result of oil company carelessness, and to hold polluters responsible.

Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson is proud of its success in representing those who seek to restore their property.

VERON, BICE, PALERMO & WILSON, LLC 721 Kirby St. | Lake Charles, LA 70601 | PH: (337) 310-1600 | FX: (337) 310-1601 louisianaoilandgaslaw.com | louisianaenvironmentallaw.com | veronbice.com Results may vary, depending on specific facts and law. acadianaprofile.com

| 63

John E. McElligott Jr. Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier & McElligott, LLP 810 S. Buchanan St. Lafayette 337-237-1660

Berryl G. Thompson Gachassin Law Firm 200 Corporate Blvd.

Suite 103 Lafayette 337-235-4576

William B. Monk Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 1018 Pujo St. Lake Charles 337-439-5239

Todd A. Townsley The Townsley Law Firm 3102 Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles 337-478-1400

John P. Roy Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards LLC 556 Jefferson St. Suite 500 Lafayette 337-593-4190 Maureen O. Sullivan Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP 100 E. Vermilion St. Suite 300 Lafayette 337-205-4523

Medical Malpractice Law Jerald P. Block Block Law Firm 422 E. 1t St. Thibodaux 985-446-0418 Charles J. Boudreaux Jr. Preis PLC 102 Versailles Blvd.

Suite 400 Lafayette 337-237-6062 William E. Bourgeois Bourgeois Thorguson LLC 1025 N. Victor II Blvd.

Suite P Morgan City 985-384-2055 John S. Bradford Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. 4th Floor Lake Charles 337-493-7224 Marc W. Judice Judice Adley 926 Coolidge Blvd.

Lafayette 337-235-2405 Philip C. Kobetz Attorney at Law 120 Representative Row Lafayette 337-291-1990 Daniel C. Palmintier Gachassin Law Firm 200 Corporate Blvd.

Suite 103 Lafayette 337-235-4576 Sera H. Russell III Attorney at Law 111 Mercury St. Lafayette 337-205-9786 64 |

Mergers & Acquisitions Law Steven G. Durio Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann 220 Heymann Blvd.

Lafayette 337-233-0300 Steven C. Lanza Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-984-2503 Frank S. Slavich III Babineaux, Poche, Anthony & Slavich LLC 1201 Camellia Blvd.

Third Floor Lafayette 337-984-2503

Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law Stephen C. Polito Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491 Sue Tannehill Mann Onebane Law Firm 1200 Camellia Blvd. Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660

Municipal Law Gregory W. Belfour Jones, Tete, Fonti & Belfour, LLP 1135 Lakeshore Dr. Floor 6 Lake Charles 337-439-8315 John W. Jewell Jewell & Jewell 143 E Main St. Suite 3 New Roads 225-638-3311

Natural Resources Law Gregory G. Duplantis Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Richard E. Gerard Jr. Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 900 Lake Charles 337-433-9436 Patrick J. Hanna Rabalais Hanna & Hebert 701 Robley Dr. Suite 210 Lafayette 337-981-0309 James N. Mansfield III Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Samuel E. Masur Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Terrence D. McCay Kean Miller, LLP 1 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 1150 Lake Charles 337-430-0350 Matthew J. Randazzo III Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. St. Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Richard W. Revels Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Gary J. Russo Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre, LLP 600 Jefferson St. Suite 1600 Lafayette 337-593-7610 Lawrence P. Simon Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 J. Michael Veron Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Oil and Gas Law George Arceneaux III Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Christopher B. Bailey Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900

Jasmine B. Bertrand The Onebane Law Firm, APC 1200 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660 Bobbie J. Duplantis Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Joseph C. Giglio III Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Ryan M. Goudelocke Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann 220 Heyman Blvd Lafayette 337-233-0300 Larry C. Hebert Ottinger Hebert, LLC 1313 W Pinhook Rd. Lafayette 337-232-2606 James N. Mansfield III Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Samuel E. Masur Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, LLC 400 E Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 4200 Lafayette 337-237-0132 Matthew J. Randazzo III Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Richard W. Revels Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Jamie D. Rhymes Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Scott J. Scofield Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC 901 Lakeshore Dr. Suite 900 Lake Charles 337-433-9436 Lawrence P. Simon Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Randall C. Songy The Onebane Law Firm, APC 1200 Camllia Blvd.

Suite 300 Lafayette 337-237-2660

acadianaprofile.com

| 65

Personal Injury Litigation Glenn J. Armentor Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471 Jere J. Bice Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600 Kevin L. Camel Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-240-9349 Quincy L. Cawthorne Doran & Cawthorne PLLC 521 E. Landry St. Opelousas 888-527-4716 Michael K. Cox Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-240-9349 Larry Curtis Larry Curtis Maritime Attorney 300 Rue Beauregard Building C Lafayette 337-235-1825 Blake R. David Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 Claude P. Devall Jr. Hoffoss Devall, LLC 3205 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-433-2053 Derrick G. Earles Laborde Law Firm 203 Energy Pkwy.

Building B Lafayette 888-288-8909 Anthony Fazzio Fazzio Law Firm 4906 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy.

Lafayette 337-366-0919 James S. Gates Morrow, Gates & Morrow, LLC 613 S. Main St. Opelousas 337-942-6529 Joshua S. Guillory The Law Office of Joshua S. Guillory, LLC 317 E University Ave Lafayette 337-233-1303 David H. Hanchey Hanchey Law Firm 535 E. St. Lake Charles 337-436-5551

66 |

John L. Hoffoss Jr. Hoffoss Devall, LLC 3205 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-433-2053 Rebekah R. Huggins Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471 Randall S. Iles Attorney at Law 1200 W. University Ave. Lafayette 800-334-8802 Barbara L. Irwin Pujol, Pryor & Irwin, LLC 12320 Highway 44 Bldg 4 Suite 4C Gonzales 225-644-0607 Remy A. Jardell The Law Office of Remy A.M. Jardell 625 St. John St. Lafayette 337-267-0985 Patrick A. Juneau Jr. Juneau David, APLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 202 Lafayette 337-269-0052 David C. Laborde Laborde Earles Law Firm 203 Energy Parkway Building B Lafayette 888-288-8909

Chaz H. Roberts Chaz H Roberts Law, LLC 112 Oil Center Dr. Suite M Lafayette 337-504-3202 James P. Roy Domengeaux, Wright, Roy, Edwards & Colomb LLC 556 Jefferson St Ste 500 Lafayette 337-233-3033 Alan Whittington Stewart Allen & Gooch 2000 Kaliste Saloom Rd. Suite 400 Lafayette 337-291-1000 Melissa L. Theriot Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Rex D. Townsley The Townsley Law Firm 3102 Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles 337-377-0584 Christopher L. Trahan Attorney at Law 1302 Lafayette St. Lafayette 337-234-6999 J. Michael Veron Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Holly Lamarche Galloway & Jefcoat, LLP 1925 Dulles Dr. Lafayette 337-205-7085

Personal Injury Litigation

Hunter W. Lundy Lundy Lundy Soileau & South LLP 501 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-439-0707

Richard C. Broussard Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323

Jerome H. Moroux Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323

Somer G. Brown Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-436-6611

Patrick C. Morrow Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett 324 W. Landry St. Opelousas 337-948-4483

Roger G. Burgess Baggett, McCall, Burgess, Watson & Gaughan, LLC 3006 Country Club Rd. Lake Charles 337-478-8888

James L. Pate Neuner Pate 1001 W Pinhool Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000

Richard T. Haik Jr. Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett 324 W. Landry St. Opelousas 337-948-4483

M. Keith Prudhomme Mudd & Bruchhaus, LLC 410 E. College St. Lake Charles 337-562-2327

Steven W. Hale Hale Law Firm 1735 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-426-1071

Larry A. Roach Jr. Roach Law Firm 2917 Ryan St. Lake Charles 337-240-9760

Thomas R. Hightower Jr. Thomas R. Hightower, Jr. A Professional Law Corporation 1019 Lafayette St. Lafayette 337-233-0555

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Robert M. Martina Galloway & Jefcoat, LLP 1925 Dulles Dr. Lafayette 337-205-7085 Vincent J. Saitta Colomb & Saitta 428 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-231-5250 Thomas E. Townsley The Law Office of Thomas Townsley 711 Pujo St. Lake Charles 337-430-0994 Wells T. Watson Baggett, McCall, Burgess, Watson & Gaughan, LLC 3006 Country Club Rd. Lake Charles 337-478-8888

Product Liability Litigation Blake R. David Broussard & David 557 Jefferson St. Lafayette 337-233-2323 James P. Doherty III Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987 Pride J. Doran Doran & Cawthorne PLLC 521 E. Landry St. Opelousas 888-527-4716 Anthony Fazzio Fazio Law Firm 4906 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy.

Lafayette 337-366-0919 Ben L. Mayeaux NeunerPate 1001 W Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Michael J. McNulty III Plauche, Smith & Nieset 1123 Pithon St. Lake Charles 337-436-0522 Alonzo P. Wilson Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson 721 Kirby St. Lake Charles 337-310-1600

Project Finance Law Timothy L. Ryan Williams Anderson Ryan & Carroll LLP 200 W. Congress St. Suite 1020 Lafayette 337-205-8105

acadianaprofile.com

| 67

Public Finance Law Jeremy A. Hebert Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987

Railroad Law Thomas L. Colletta Jr. Port of Lake Charles 751 Bayou Pines East Dr Ste P Lake Charles 337-439-3661 Kyle L. Gideon Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier, McElligott, Fontenot, Gideon & Edwards, LLP 810 S. Buchanan St. Lafayette 337-205-7053

Real Estate Law Christopher B. Bailey Randazzo Giglio & Bailey LLC 900 E Saint Mary Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-291-4900 Richard L. Becker Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Rue Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987 Philip H. Boudreaux Andrus, Boudreaux, Landry & Coussan, APLC 1245 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-984-9480 Gerard J. Bourgeois Bourgeois Thorguson LLC 1025 N. Victor II Blvd.

Suite P Morgan City 985-384-2055 Timothy J. Bradley Bradley & Moreau 1318 Camellia Blvd.

Lafayette 337-235-4660 Michael D. Carleton Woodley Williams Law Firm LLC One Lakeshore Dr. Suite 1750 Lake Charles 337-433-6328 Jean-Paul P. Coussan Andrus, Boudreaux, Landry & Coussan, APLC 1245 Camellia Blvd.

Suite 200 Lafayette 337-984-9480

Elisa D. Davis Turnkey Title & Escrow LLC 91 Settles Trace Blvd.

Building 1 Lafayette 337-326-4830 Jonathan R. Davis Turnkey Title & Escrow LLC 91 Settles Trace Blvd.

Building 1 Lafayette 337-326-4830 John P. Everett Jr. Roddy, Watson & Everett 400 East College St. Lake Charles 337-474-4886 Joseph C. Giglio Jr. Liskow & Lewis, PLC 822 Harding St. Lafayette 337-232-7424 Jeremy A. Hebert Becker & Hebert, LLC 201 Beauregard Lafayette 337-233-1987 Billy E. Loftin Jr. Loftin, Cain & LeBlanc, LLC 2901 Hodges St. Lake Charles 337-310-4300 Angelique B. Moreau Bradley & Moreau 1318 Camellia Blvd.

Lafayette 337-235-4660 Julius J. Stagg IV Bradley & Moreau 1318 Camellia Blvd.

Lafayette 337-235-4660 Harry L. Tuten III Tuten Title & Escrow, LLC 326 Settlers Trace Suite 101 A Lafayette 337-524-1703

Securities Regulation Andrew H. Goodman Kean Miller LLP One Lakeshore Drive. Suite 1150 Lake Charles 337-430-0350 Matthew D. Lane Jr. Ziegler & Lane, LLC 556 Jefferson St. Suite 102 Lafayette 337-289-5352

Eva Yvette Dumas Bradley & Moreau 1318 Camellia Blvd., Lafayette (337) 235-4660

68 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Tax Law

Trusts and Estates

Jean C. Breaux Jr. The Law Offices of Jean C Breaux & Associates 1018 Harding St. Suite 103 Lafayette 337-233-4447

L. Milton Cancienne Jr. Cancienne Law Firm 515 Barrow St. Houma 985-876-5656

Angela S. Bryson Bryson Law Firm, LLC 515 W. Convent St. Lafayette 337-233-4210 Cary B. Bryson Bryson Law Firm, LLC 515 W. Convent St. Lafayette 337-233-4210 Donald A. Capretz Donald A Capretz, APLC 1011 Coolidge Blvd.

Lafayette 337-326-4738 Russell J. Stutes Jr. Stutes & Lavergne, LLC 600 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-337-0629 H. Aubrey White III Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491

Transportation Law Alan K. Breaud Breaud & Myers APLC 600 Jefferson St. Suite 1101 Lafayette 337-266-2200 James M. Dill The Dill Law Firm 825 Lafayette St. Lafayette 337-261-1408 John E. McElligott Jr. Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier & McElligott, LLP 810 S. Buchanan St. Lafayette 337-205-7053 Elena A. Pecoraro Pecoraro Law 600 Jefferson St. Suite 810 Lafayette 337-326-4689 Bryan D. Scofield Scofield & Rivera, LLC 100 E. Vermilion St. Suite 301 Lafayette 337-326-4729

Donald A. Capretz Donald A Capretz, APLC 1011 Coolidge St. Lafayette 337-326-4738 Daniel J. Finch Donald A. Capretz, APLC 1011 Coolidge St. Lafayette 337-237-9999 Stephen P. Jewell Jewell & Jewell 143 E Main St Ste 3 New Roads 225-638-3311 Jefferson T. Kindler Stubbs Law Firm LLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 103 Lafayette 337-233-9755 David L. Sigler Sigler & Raglin 630 Kirby Street Lake Charles 337-439-2033 William P. Stubbs Jr. Stubbs Law Firm LLC 1018 Harding St. Suite 103 Lafayette 337-233-9755 Bradley J. Trevino Hunter, Hunter & Sonnier LLC 1807 Lake St. Lafayette 337-436-1600 H. Aubrey White III Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP 127 W. Broad St. Floor 4 Lake Charles 337-436-9491

Venture Capital Scott D. Chenevert Jones Walker 600 Jefferson St. Lafayette 225-248-2116

Workers Compensation Law Glenn J. Armentor The Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471

Michael L. Barras Michael L. Barras, APLC 120 Lee St. New Iberia 337-369-6400

Thomas A. Filo Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-436-6611

Mark L. Riley Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471

Michael D. Bass Guglielmo, Lopez, Tuttle, Hunter & Jarrell 306 E. North St. Opelousas 337-948-8201

Rebekah R. Huggins The Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471

Thomas E. Townsley The Law Office of Thomas Townsley 711 Pujo St. Lake Charles 337-430-0994

Gary F. LeGros Jr. Gary F. LeGros Jr. Attorney & Counselor at Law 1217 Main St. Franklin 337-828-2013

Richard E. Wilson Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson, LLC 723 Broad St. Lake Charles 337-436-6611

Douglas L. Bryan The Bryan Law Firm LLC 419 S Preston ST. Marksville 318-240-8282 Thomas A. Budetti Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards LLC 556 Jefferson St. Suite 200A Lafayette 337-269-9499 Harry K. Burdette The Glenn Armentor Law Corporation 300 Stewart St. Lafayette 337-233-1471 Gary J. Delayhousse Briney & Foret 413 Travis St. Lafayette 337-237-4070

Jeremy N. Morrow Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Jennie P. Pellegrin Neuner Pate 1001 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 200 Lafayette 337-237-7000 Joy C. Rabalais Borne & Wilkes, LLC 200 W. Congress St. Suite 1000 Lafayette 337-232-1604

acadianaprofile.com

| 69

70 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

Colorful scarves from Liz Bergeron’s Here and There Boutique.

culture les personnes 72

While working fulltime in Sulphur, 31-year-old Liz Bergeron operates Here and There Boutique, a jewelry business inspired by a mission to Kenya. by will kalec

la musique 74

New Orleans-based Sweet Crude gives props to its members’ Acadian heritage. by michael patrick welCh

les artistes 76

Of all the obstacles Lockport’s Hank Holland’s overcame, the hardest has been the loss of his mother. And so, he paints. by will kalec

en français 80

Un conte de deux Mardi Gras par david cheramie

culture LES personnes CULTURE

the benefit of beads While working full-time in Sulphur, 31-year-old Liz Bergeron operates Here and There Boutique, a jewelry business inspired by a mission trip to Kenya. by will kalec | photo by romero & romero

Because she’s a

pastor’s daughter and embodies all the Pollyanna stereotypes of one, Liz Bergeron apologizes for not making her story short.

“I’m really bad at doing that,” the 31-year-old explains.

Don’t worry about it. The remarkable details behind the formation of an LLC built on TLC is well worth pressing pause on life to listen to.

As the CEO of Here and There Boutique, Bergeron partners with women of Kenya’s Emarti village, selling their traditional, tribal-inspired items such as beaded necklaces, bracelets, headbands and even tableware like coasters stateside. Here and There has a digital storefront, but the majority of sales are done in-person at festivals and art markets throughout

72 |

Acadiana. From a booth that includes plenty of pictures taken during her handful of trips to Kenya, Bergeron echoes the company’s mantra: “Everything you buy here makes a difference over there” to swarms of curious customers.

acadiana profile february/march 2015

“I want them to know this isn’t pretend.

This is legitimate,” Bergeron says. “So I love answering questions like, ‘Where is the money going?’ and ‘Where do they get the beads?,’ because the profit is going to these women.

It empowers them.

We bargain. I place orders. I show them designs. We stress the importance of quality.”

Bergeron’s interest in Kenya piqued way before the formation of Here and There in March 2014 or even her first trip to the country six months prior. As a child, she recalls going to a “mission parade” where missionaries walked around, almost like a faux Olympic opening ceremony, carrying the flag of the countries they visited.

The Kenya missionary never showed up, so Bergeron stood in, dressed in native garb.

“I don’t think I knew what was going on; I was probably 8,” she says. “But I remember thinking, ‘This is cool. I like Kenya.’ So it sounds like nothing, but that left an impression on my heart.”

Fast-forward to the fall of 2013. She was depressed one day – as she says, “throwing a pity party ... And at that moment, it just

snapped, and I realized how good I have it here and that all these trivial worries and wants in my life were just that – trivial. And right then, Kenya popped up on my heart.”

She called her father’s friend, who organized relief trips to Africa, inquiring if a group was headed to Kenya anytime soon. Sure enough, a two-week women’s-only mission was set to leave shortly through the nonprofit One Child Matters. Upon arrival, Bergeron marveled at the preponderance of women and children in the Emarti village, a common occurrence not only there but in many other areas of Kenya, as the men tend to take extensive gathering expeditions. She spent her days teaching villagers ways to conserve water and fight the spread of disease. She also took an interest in the jewelry the women crafted, partially to trade or sell, mainly for cultural reasons.

Bergeron says, “I instantly knew there was a market for this in America. So the trip ends, and I come back home, but my heart is burning – this stuff would sell, and this would provide jobs and income for a very poor community.”

Through the same officials supervising the relief mission, Bergeron pitched the idea and made a small, initial purchase order. Raw materials (beads, strands, elastics, fasteners and adhesives) were provided: a ‘no biggie’ for Bergeron but cause for applause among the village women. As their relationship grew, Bergeron introduced the Emarti women to flashy-colored beads: highlighter shades of yellow, green, orange and pink. When she returned to pick up the order, all those beads had been swapped

for primary colors. “Guess it wasn’t their thing,” Bergeron says. “But as always, everything was beautiful.

So whatever works. But they do want to try things, and they are open to different designs and concepts.”

Either Bergeron or her friend, Kasey Damiata, has been back to Kenya three times to pick up the orders – a one-woman chore.

“Between a duffel bag and a suitcase, everything fits. When you go, you give away half your clothes anyway,” Bergeron says. “It’s commercial, but my business is hardly commercialized, if that makes any sense.

These aren’t orders of 6,000 bracelets or anything.”

Because Bergeron pays the bills with her Monday-Friday gig as a cost supervisor at Firestone Polymers, Here and There’s 2015 festival schedule isn’t quite ironclad, though she’ll have a presence at the Lake Charles Flea Fest (March 21-22) and Houma’s Southdown Marketplace Festival in April.

“Here and There is almost like the marriage of all these dreams coming together – my heart for Kenya, my heart for the boutique and my heart for these women,” Bergeron says. “It all came together, and I’d like that to keep developing in the future. I’d love to have a brick and mortar storefront, and I’d love to expand beyond Kenya. Other places need just as much help and have just as much beauty. (Here and There) could be all over the world and everything you’d buy would help the well-being and empowerment of someone somewhere.”

For more information, visit hereandthereboutique.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/ hereandthereboutiquellc.com

acadianaprofile.com

| 73

culture lA musique

indie pop with a cajun twist New Orleans-based Sweet Crude gives props to its members’ Acadian heritage. by michael patrick welch | photo by danley romero

2015 will see the

release of the much anticipated first album from the Frenchleaning, seven-member indie pop group, Sweet Crude.

The group’s first EP, Super Vilaine (2012), laid the groundwork for the group’s sound, which features sparse

melodic instrumentation – analog keyboards, violin, bass guitar but no six-string – over a thick bed of drums, played simultaneously by four drummers. In this way, Sweet Crude sounds similar to other popular bands of the day, such as Arcade Fire and Imagine Dragons.

To listen to Sweet Crude, visit acadianaprofile.com.

74 |

acadiana profile february/march 2015

“The songwriting has evolved a lot,” says bandleader Sam Craft.

“We’ve been incorporating a wider range of elements and gotten darker on some levels – we’ve explored some more sinister timbres.

We’ve explored what it would be like to write a three-minute pop song,

straight up, no fooling around – still decorated in all the Sweet Crude filigree. We have also been playing with transitional pieces: soundscapes that connect the new songs together.”

One thing that will remain is the band’s penchant for singing

many of their lyrics in Louisiana French. “[Our singer] Alexis [Marceaux] grew up hearing traditional Louisiana music all the time with her family, who is from Morgan City. Then my mom’s family is from Opelousas. My great grandfather was

monolingual French, so it was something that was heard at family gatherings. It was sort of a curiosity that I was too young to really care about or be passionate about.”

But around 2011, Craft’s curiosity blossomed into a mission to help keep Louisiana French alive. “I’ve seen how the last generation of people who’ve grown up speaking it are getting to a point where they’re passing on,” says Craft. “We’re at a critical point; when our grandparents’ generation dies, that will be the last of the people really raised speaking [Louisiana French].”

And so he set about learning this regional dialect.

“I wanted to be able to sing in it,” Craft admits. “I wanted to be able to learn traditional Cajun music and know what I was singing about, and what all those old guys were singing about.”

But grabbing onto what was fading away proved a bit of a challenge. “I had to build my own immersion program,” he says. “But there are lots of meet-up groups and discussion groups. There are different French Tables, and I try to go to those so I can use the language.”

Craft has spearheaded a French movement within his own band, which also includes his brother Jack Craft on keyboards and backing vocals. The other members are learning Cajun French by singing it. “I am showing them the ropes on a lot of this stuff,” says Craft. “It has a lot more to do with the song we’re working on at the time, and learning those words and what they mean … We all want to buckle down and make it a more formal thing.”

Either way, within three years, Craft had started his hybridized new band, which is now headlining big clubs and rocking Louisiana

festivals. “We were concerned at first how the reaction would be,” Craft admits of his band’s music which, other than Marceaux, belting out her words like a French Ann Wilson, does not resemble traditional Louisiana music.

At times Sweet Crude’s tunes almost sound like Cajun vocal tracks over instrumentals remixed by Vampire Weekend. “We worried, for one, will this alienate young people who don’t know French? And two, would it alienate an earlier generation that think they’re coming to hear zydeco music, something they can two-step to?”

Several gigs in Acadiana area put their fears to rest.

“We were surprised at the great reaction,” says Craft.

“We were playing in a dancehall tent, everyone’s there to jitterbug waltz and two-step. We were afraid we were gonna get crucified. But we’ve since been invited to play Festival International, and Festival Acadie [in New Brunswick, Canada] – where like, you gotta play two-step and waltz music. It’s strictly a zydeco and Cajun swamp pop festival, but we were invited to play it, and that was a huge vote of confidence.”

on the upbeat T-BOIS BLUES FESTIVAL

What began off as an annual family-and-friends crawfish boil / reunion on an alligator farm has blossomed into a full-blown camping festival in Larose. If you’re into getting down and dirty, rain or shine, while dancing to the likes of Cedric Burnside, Colin Lake, Eric Lindell, Honey Island Swamp Band and a bevy of other blues and swamp-pop artists, check out the website for more information: tboisbluesfestival.com.

Another sweet bonus: Beer from NOLA Brewing is included in the ticket price.

– Sarah Ravits

acadianaprofile.com

| 75

culture les artisteS

jane’s son Of all the obstacles Lockport’s Hank Holland’s overcame, the hardest has been the loss of his mother. And so, he paints. by will kalec

Therapy is a glob of

76 |

but to offer fans of his work (and therefore fans of his grit and will) a clearer picture of what he is as an artist and who he is as a person.

Stationed inside his gallery along Highway 1 in Lockport – a thoroughfare haven for potholes, not paintings – Holland looks up on occasion to observe the traffic, an annoying

acadiana profile february/march 2015

but necessary respite when his hand cramps.

He’d love to just paint and paint and paint for hours, but he can’t.

He’d love to haul his work across the state, to weekly crafts fairs and jubilant festivals, but that’d be asking a lot of his body. He’d love to set up shop at art shows, but standing for extended periods of time isn’t easy.

Born with cerebral palsy, Holland worked for years at the shipyard before discovering art, subjecting himself to grueling conditions.

When asked what he remembers of those days, he deadpans, “It was so hot.” But he did the job, supporting his blossoming, young family. Never once did he complain.

Not outwardly, anyway.

His mother, Jane, raised him that way.

“She never felt sorry for me,” Holland says.

“I asked her later, ‘Why were you so hard on me?’ And she told me she knew that ‘people would try to break you down in life because of your disability.’ I thank her for that.

“She let us be who we wanted,” he

photos by romero & romero

orange acrylic and a can of clean bristles.

Healing occurs with every calculated brushstroke. Tribute is paid daily to the one he misses most by taking her passion and turning it into a profession.

Hank Holland is painting windows today, not to colorfully shade away the curious

continues. “Maybe that wasn’t the best idea, because I was a difficult boy.”

So to escape the trials of motherhood, Jane painted.

Though he never paid much attention, Holland vividly recalls Jane setting up in the kitchen, cup of coffee in one hand while a cigarette burned slowly on the lip of an ashtray. Her pieces primarily remained scattered around the house.

On occasion, she’d wrap one as a gift if, say, a friend just moved into a new house, but otherwise, Jane

never sold her paintings.

They were a release.

Nothing more. Cheaply therapeutic – much like the craft would be for Holland when Jane passed in 2007.

Months after Jane’s death, Holland (who has no formal art training) was shopping for groceries and household items at the Lockport Walmart when he suddenly felt compelled to purchase art supplies, which certainly weren’t on his shopping list.

“That was six years ago,” Holland says. “And here I am. At the time, you don’t

acadianaprofile.com

| 77

For more information, visit hankhollandfolkart.com.

know why you’re doing it. I just grabbed brushes and a canvas and threw it in the cart.

Looking back, I think I did it to feel better, to feel my mother’s loving presence. She was her happiest when she 78 |

was painting, and the same is true for me.

“I can hear her,” he continues. “I can hear my mother’s voice in my conscience and in my memories when I paint. She’s almost my coach. ‘Hank do

acadiana profile february/march 2015

this. Hank try this.

More color here.’”

Holland swallows deeply to collect himself.

“She’s here when I paint.”

Though blessed with natural artistic talent, Holland gradually

unearthed canvas after canvas, the novice painter leaned on familiar scenes – bayou families, small-town festivals, community meals, kids playing in tree houses – while honing his style.

Tourists dug them initially, and in time, Holland’s clientele was deep enough to leave the shipyard and paint full-time. Because of the early success, Holland’s subject matter hasn’t strayed too far from home, though his abilities are light-years removed from that Walmart epiphany.

Even today, as his total canvases painted rapidly approaches 10,000, Holland is still a work in progress.

“I’m very critical of myself,” Holland says. “It’s a constant process to get better.

Some people work their

whole lives and paint their whole lives and can’t make a living off their art. Here I am after six years, and I’m making a real good living, and so I don’t take that for granted. So I think it’d be hard to find anyone tougher on my work than myself.

“I paint a lot of stuff that shows the way it used to be,” he continues.

“It’s stuff that didn’t happen that long ago, probably back when our grandparents were young, but it feels of a different world now.”

On his website, Holland states his paintings hang in all 50 U.S. states and 97 countries around the world. Every last one of them comes from his Lockport studio – Baby Jane Studio – appropriately named after his late mother.

“You don’t normally drive down Highway 1 looking for art, but I have people from New Orleans who come to my gallery to buy my stuff – and New Orleans is full of galleries,” Holland says. “I wonder what my mom would think – all these people coming to my gallery. I wonder what she’d say if she walked through this door, just like they do.

It gets me emotional.

I know she’d be proud of her little boy.”

acadianaprofile.com

| 79

culture en franÇais

un conte de deux mardi gras par david cheramie | photo by cheryl gerber

Si c’était un hasard

que Cavelier de la Salle trouve l’embouchure du Mississipi et prenne possession des terres drainées par ce fleuve en les nommant Louisiane d’après Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil, et qu’un jour de Mardi Gras, le 3 mars 1699, Iberville l’établisse comme colonie française, c’est que parfois le hasard fait bien les choses. Depuis lors, notre état vit sous le signe des visions de grandeur et des frasques du carnaval. Cette fête ancienne qui remonte au Moyen-Âge est sans doute la première image qui vient à l’esprit des gens d’extérieur quand on évoque notre nom.

Le faste associé avec les derniers jours avant la saison solennelle du Carême attire le monde entier vers la Louisiane dans l’espoir de vivre 80 |

des émotions insolites et peut-être attraper un collier Made in China ou deux, voire, pour les plus chanceux, une noix de coco. Masqué ou pas, chacun prend une nouvelle identité avant de reprendre le train-train quotidien.

Mais ce n’est pas qu’un aspect d’une fête qui joue sur l’ambiguïté.

Jean de La Fontaine, un poète français du XVIIe siècle, est connu pour ses Fables. Une des plus connues, Le Rat de ville et le Rat des champs, joue sur un thème fort connu; la morale de cette histoire de la rencontre d’un campagnard et d’un citadin est que la vie rustique est préférable à la vie urbaine. On retrouve ce motif un peu partout en littérature, mais en Louisiane, nous avons une version qu’on

acadiana profile february/march 2015

peut voir, toucher, sentir et même y participer chaque année. Mais dans ce cas, la morale est un peu différente car il n’est pas certain, selon les goûts, laquelle des deux versions est la meilleure. On a le choix.

Le Carnaval de la Nouvelle-Orléans, la Ville en français louisianais, avec ses flottes, ses fanfares et ses costumes extravagants, sert d’exemple à plusieurs municipalités à travers l’état. Les Krewes, ces groupes qui organisent non seulement les parades, mais les bals somptueux qui les accompagnent, n’épargnent aucune dépense dans la poursuite de cette folie annuelle. Même dans le grand nord à Shreveport, on a des défilés où la foule se presse pour attraper les

bébelles jetées du haut des chars allégoriques en saluant leur roi d’un jour. Dans le lointain passé, comme on le voit dans Notre Dame de Paris, où Victor Hugo couronne Quasimodo, le roi était celui qui venait des plus bas rangs de la société, inversant l’ordre social en soupape de secours du peuple. De nos jours, la royauté carnavalesque vient des couches supérieures, inversant l’inversion.

Dans les prairies du sud-ouest, le courir du Mardi Gras, une tradition qui était presque perdue et ramenée de l’oubli par Revon Reed, Fred et Paul Tate à Mamou, le spectacle est inversé.

Au lieu d’un défilé qui passe devant une foule agitée mais immobile, les « coureurs » – en réalité à cheval et suivis par des musiciens dans

un wagon tiré par des tracteurs -- avec leur célèbre capuchon, leurs cris de « cinq sous » et menés par le capitaine, vont de maison en maison pour quémander les ingrédients d’un gombo communal, tout en chantant « La Chanson des Mardi Gras ». Les spectateurs qui essayent de rester en marge sont vite absorbés dans la fête; soit appelés à contribuer financièrement soit obligés d’improviser un pas de danse, ils se joignent à la célébration. Si c’est un matin brumeux, on peut facilement se croire transporté aux temps des cathédrales.

Un jour j’ai vu Mardi Gras en Haïti qui, de mon point de vue louisianais, était un mélange de nos deux célébrations. J’étais dans la capitale de Port-au-Prince quand j’entends arriver de loin une joyeuse musique et les cris et chants d’une foule en liesse. Bientôt je vois une flotte comme chez nous, transportant des musiciens en train de jouer des chansons aux rythmes endiablés des îles. Au lieu de passer devant des spectateurs rangés au bord du chemin, la flotte était entourée des centaines de danseurs et d’autres fêtards qui suivaient à travers la ville. Quelle que soit votre préférence, la ville, la campagne ou une combinaison des deux, nous sommes tous invités au bal de Mardi Gras.

For an English translation, visit acadianaprofile.com

ADVERTISEMENT

have always played by the rules, turned upside down, because some oilfield company thinks profits are more important than worker safety, I want to help -- it is part of who I am, the way I was raised.

RECOGNIZED AND HONORED In the Fall of 2013, Curtis was named by the Woodward/ White publication Best Lawyers® as “Lawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation for the metropolitan area of Baton Rouge, which includes the Lafayette area. Curtis has also been named in the publication known as: Louisiana Super Lawyers® since its inaugural issue in 2007. He has also been listed in the Louisiana Super Lawyers publication in the Top 50 Attorneys in Louisiana from 2012 – 2014. For more than fifteen years, he has been listed, in the MartindaleHubbel Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers® and holds the highest rating given by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory®. Almost two decades ago, St. John’s University honored Curtis with its Alumni Outstanding Achievement Medal. In the summer of 2005, Curtis was invited to join The Academy of Trial Advocacy, an exclusive group of some of the country’s most accomplished trial lawyers.

He is also a founding member of The Aletheia Institute, a national, by invitation only, organization of lawyers committed to promoting truth in advocacy, full disclosure in discovery and a fair measure of justice to all litigants.

M Y M I S S I O N I S S I M P L E - - T O O B TA I N A N OUTSTANDING RESULT -- WITHOUT EXCEPTION -FOR EVERY CLIENT. Larry Curtis is recognized as one of Louisiana’s pre eminent personal injury lawyers. For over thirty years, Curtis has successfully represented maritime workers of all type - drill rig and platform workers, service hands, and offshore construction workers, as well as commercial divers, dredge crew and fishermen - in cases involving serious injury or death. “My mission is simple - to obtain an outstanding result- - without exception - - for every client.”

EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE With more than 35 years of experience, Curtis is a seasoned lawyer, with a national reputation in maritime personal injury cases. Over and over, Curtis has won multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.

Curtis explains, when I see the lives of good people, who

SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION AND COMMUNITY Curtis is a member of the American, Federal, Louisiana, and Lafayette Bar Associations, The Maritime Law Association of the United States, as well as the American and Louisiana Associations for Justice. He has served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council, the Board of Governors, and the Council of Directors of the Louisiana Association for Justice. Curtis is an Emeritus Member of The American Inn of Court of Acadiana. Curtis served on the Board and is a past President of the Lafayette Bar Association. He has been invited to speak at local, state, and national professional meetings about federal trial practice and maritime personal injury litigation.

Community involvement is important to him as well: for five years he served as the host of a monthly TV program about Catholic Social Teaching. He is a member of, and, presently serves as an officer of, the Knights of Columbus, Council 7275.

300 Rue Beauregard, Bldg. “C” Post Office Box 80247, Lafayette, LA 70508 PH: (337) 235-1825 • (800) 528-1825 FX: (337) 237-0241 Larry N. Curtis, LTD. Received a Tier 1 ranking in Baton Rouge for Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Litigation www.larrycurtis.com

by U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms” in 2013, 2014 and 2015.