RESTORATION PERFECTION

BY MARY DITCH | PHOTOS BY MISTY LEIGH MCELROY

It’s all in the presentation.

Whether it’s the next delectable course at dinner or the combination of flavors selected for your next drink, it is an arguable point that the beauty lies in the presentation. The same holds true for the home of Don Kasten and Jeffery Markel. The house carries with it centuries of history, presented in full color with the present owners.

Built in 1892, the current homeowners recently celebrated five years of ownership of this magnificent Thibodaux treasure, purchasing it in May 2018. First owned by the Simoneud family, and passed on by the Goodwin family, five generations of the same family lived in the house. The home is a Creole-style raised cottage, a style found earlier in history than this home. Other homes in the neighborhood built in the same time frame favor a much more elaborate Victorian style. The 2,700 square foot cottage contains two bedrooms (the third is used as a dining room) and 2 ¾ baths (there are no tubs in the home.)

The house needed to undergo a transformation to be brought up to what Jeffery and Don wanted their home to be. “All work that we did was intentionally designed and carried out to do the least amount of damage and that someone in the future could easily return to original condition if desired,” shared Don. “But we had to have a few changes where we could insert our personal style on the house. We respected the dedication of the former owners to preserving the original elements of the home - but 120 years later it was time to remove that original wallpaper and color scheme. We are grateful to be the new stewards of this home and when the time comes for us to leave we hope that we can sell to one of the original descendants.”

The house is completely made of cypress floors, wall, ceilings and structure. The floor plan was common to the style of the house where past generations of owners were able to move room usages around as they saw fit. The only rooms that remained the same over the years were the kitchen and bathroom which had been in the same location since 1892 and 1916 respectively. In the first year of owning the home, Don and Jeffery removed wallpaper and wall board to expose interior cypress wall cladding and removed linoleum and floor coverings. A more modernized floor plan was created to help the home flow for the couple. Rogers Home Improvements moved the kitchen and bathroom, and added a walkthrough closet from the master bedroom to the new bathroom. All the walls and surfaces were sanded down to restore the cypress to its original condition. Jeffrey mixed wall stains to paint the upper portions of each of the primary room walls.

Don and Jeffery moved into their new home in June of 2019. While living in the home, renovations continued including removing the original 1916 bathroom and restoring the original back garden stairs; created a new 3/4 bath and put in a butler ’s pantry/home bar in the original back porch area; installing a new roof on the home, along with central heat and airconditioning.

Color plays an important role in the home, from the bright and lively exterior colors, to the paint used in the interior. “We used a base of white paint for all the woodwork and then color stained each room,” explained Don. “We did the hallway in a gray, black and white theme to let each room opening off the hall to have the Wizard of Oz black and white to color experience and wow factor. The doors in the home maintain the original faux bois wood grain paint technique in shades of orange and gray which work perfectly into our chosen color scheme.”

The wonderfully eclectic home is very personal in style, which each gentleman’s interests and collections displayed. It was wonderful to hear the stories shared that each takes away as a favorite part of their home. To read more about their stories visit POV online at houmatimes.com/ publications/point-of-vue. POV

No. 1 Exterior

No. 2 Detail

No. 3 Front Porch

No. 4 Dining Room

No. 5 Bathroom

No. 6 Hallway

No. 7 Dining Room

No. 8 Living Room

No. 9 Kitchen Detail

No. 10 Kitchen

No. 11 Bar

Enjoy more photos at houmatimes.com/ publications/point-of-vue.

BY ISABELLE GAREIS PHOTOS BY CHANNING CANDIES

Houma native Tonilynn Brown is bringing fresh food from her farm to your table! She is the owner and operator of Cajun Boots Farm, an aquaponics farm located in Houma which specializes in leafy greens, microgreens, raising catfish, and more.

Tonilynn was not always a farmer, and underwent a unique journey to find her true calling. "I wasn't a farmer to begin with—I graduated from LSU in 2004 with a degree in chemical engineering, and worked as a chemical engineer for around 15 years," she explained. "Most of that time I spent in Utah, where I had a really great job and met my husband Mark. We made a great team—he was a mechanic and the go-to guy at the chemical plant where I worked." Tonilynn detailed how after a while of working at the chemical plant, she and her husband began to feel disheartened by the whole corporate structure and vision. "We watched our CEO run the company into bankruptcy, and still make millions in his severance package. Meanwhile, the rest of us are working day in and out trying to deal with the issues, and seeing no improvements," she shared. "That was our wakeup call when we realized this life was no longer for us."

Tonilynn explained that as her interest in chemical engineering and corporate life was waning, she began to grow interested in gardening, farming, and using her hands. "I grew, like, one single tomato plant and was hooked," she said with a laugh. "I think I had three tomatoes in total and I loved it. I knew I didn't want to keep working in corporate, so I said to my husband, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could be farmers?' and he agreed. My good friend Katie told me soon after that I needed to stop dreaming about it and talking about it, but research, read, learn, and make it happen. So we did!" After that boost from their friend, the couple got down to business planning how they could pursue their idea of starting a farm down in southern Louisiana. Tonilynn remembered reading through the magazine Modern Farmer, a gift from her friend Katie, and seeing a full-page ad for an aquaponics workshop in North Carolina. "I opened the page and showed it to Mark—without even saying anything to him, he looked at me and said, 'This is it!' she shared. "We knew that was what we needed to be doing. I convinced my parents to join us in North Carolina for this workshop, and it was just so fascinating. So for the next two years, we worked on a serious financial plan for how we could start our aquaponics farm."

Fast forward to 2020, and Cajun Boots Farm was officially established in Houma. "We started small, at first establishing our greenhouse and aquaponics system and then growing microgreens," said Tonilynn. Cajun Boots Farm now sells various vegetables and products such as tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, ochre, homemade salad dressing, and more, alongside raising catfish. "We are an aquaponics farm, so everything works together," she explained. "For example, the water that the catfish are raised in has ammonia from their waste, which is converted into usable nitrogen for plants—which we use to water our other crops. Aquaponics is all about converting and reusing." Tonilynn explained that as the farm began to see success with their microgreens, vegetables, and more, she and her husband started taking samples to different local chefs, farmer's markets, and food professionals. "We got really positive responses from everyone and wanted to continue to expand, so we began figuring out how to have a steady presence in local farmer ’s markets," she said. Cajun Boots Farm products are now consistently present in several local farmer ’s markets such as Market at the Marina, the Live Healthy Thibodaux Market, the Maker ’s Market at the Terrebonne Parish Library, and the Cajun Farmer Market on Tunnel Boulevard in Houma.

Tonilynn went on to explain that while farming is extremely rewarding, the transition into this new career was not without its challenges. "We undertook Cajun Boots Farm entirely debt-free—so I would say the most difficult part of our journey so far has just been running the finances," she said. "We are very lucky that we have so much support from my parents to undertake this venture. With farming, you are really doing everything yourself, which with people, and showing community members that this is what good, fresh produce should be. The reward is definitely in the harvest."

Cajun Boots Farm is also in for a bright and expansive future thanks to its current successes. "We have some more land around Houma, and we definitely see ourselves expanding," she said. "I see us growing lots more fruit, vegetables, maybe even citrus, and more." Tonilynn explained that one of her biggest dreams for the farm is to begin an annual or semi-annual farm-to-table event for the community to come and enjoy. "We would host a dinner, and the idea is that the vast majority of everything you sit down to eat would be freshly grown from our farm, or other local farms from around the parish.

Point of Vue magazine is pleased to present What’s Up, Doc?, a special advertising section to highlight local medical professionals and give you a closer look behind the scenes.