Rouses Magazine - Cookin' on Hwy. 1

By Tim Acosta, Advertising & Marketing Director

When we kicked off a local pop-up at one of our New Orleans stores, we turned to social media to find our first vendors. During the pandemic, food-makers found they could build their brands through social media.

We were surprised by just how many of those food entrepreneurs were women. We expected it to be split pretty evenly, but more women than men seemed to find innovative new ways to support their families during the pandemic through food.

A few of the women who joined our pop-up already knew each other; others quickly became friends. It became as much about supporting each other, and pulling up everyone else along with them, as it was about just selling their individual products.

I really enjoyed all of the food from all of the vendors. If you are on the West Bank of New Orleans, check out Issa Snack Express in Harvey; their Cajun #DowntownDipp is a great spin on RO*TEL Dip. They also have old-fashioned smothered potatoes that remind me a lot of my mom’s.

Linda Green, the well-known, well-loved Ya-Ka-Mein Lady, was one of our original pop-up vendors, and she still pop ups at our stores in New Orleans. So many festivals had been postponed or canceled during the pandemic that customers cheered when they saw

Ms. Linda’s tent in front of our store. We had one customer who came every single week and filled up an ice chest with her ya-ka-mein to get him through the next seven days.

More and more of the local food products presented to us are made by women. I can remember when Mam Papaul’s was one of only a few being made locally. Nancy Wilson founded the brand in 1972. It was the first brand of New Orleans-style foods to be produced in convenience mixes. Jambalaya Girl, a New Orleans company founded by Kristen Preau, was introduced at our Rouses Markets in New Orleans in 2010. Now Jambalaya Girl is available for purchase in every single Rouses Market across the Gulf Coast, as well as in stores around the country. And her product line has greatly expanded.

Local is and has always been our first priority. At Rouses Markets, you’ll find products grown, caught, raised and made by women from all over the Gulf Coast. We celebrate these brands year-round, not just during Women’s History Month, and we encourage you to celebrate them, too.

Photo By Channing Candies