Letter from Donny Rouse

One of my very first jobs was in the butcher shop at our supermarket in Thibodaux. Meat-cutting is a craft, and the senior butcher, a great guy named Mike Dupre, taught me all about the different cuts and grades of meat, how to use a knife — we cut every steak we sell — and how to trim our steaks and roasts. Mike also taught me how to make our fresh sausages, as well as stuffed meats and vegetables. We produce all of those items in-house using recipes that go back to my grandfather’s time.

My dad learned butchery the same way I did, on the job. Dad started at Ciro’s, my family’s original grocery store, as a teenager. One of his mentors was Leroy Theriot, the butcher at Ciro’s, who later became a meat market manager at our first Rouses Market. We are a family business for more than just my family — Leroy's wife, Geraldine, worked at Ciro's in the deli and bakery; his niece, Lori Simm is the deli merchandiser for our bayou stores.

Leroy set the standard for every butcher who has followed him at Rouses. And because this is so important to our stores and to us, this year we established the Leroy Theriot Meat and Charcuterie Culinary Arts Scholarship at the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, to help create and train a new generation of experienced butchers. We also established a Food Entrepreneurship scholarship in my grandfather’s name. As Thibodaux natives, we have been longtime supporters of Nicholls State, and we’re happy to continue our commitment to the school and to the next generation of culinary and grocery professionals.

— Donny Rouse, CEO, 3rd Generation

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

If you're interested in learning more about these scholarship opportunities, visit www.rouses.com. Each one gives up to $1,500 per year to part-time employee recipients.

Leroy Theriot, meat market manager for Rouses Markets, circa 2008.