HOMETOWN HEROES
Welcome to the July issue of Point of Vue magazine, our 7th annual Hometown Heroes edition. This year, our focus is on nontraditional heroes, those whose everyday acts of kindness, resilience, and innovation often go unnoticed, but whose impact is deeply felt.
Living in a small community offers us the extraordinary privilege of recognizing and celebrating the heroic qualities in those around us. It's not just the big gestures that make someone a hero; it’s the small, consistent acts of love, courage, and dedication that truly define heroism.
In this issue, you’ll read about people who have turned their challenges into triumphs, who have dedicated their lives to helping others, and who inspire us through their unwavering commitment to making our community a better place. These are the stories of our neighbors, friends, and family members who embody the spirit of heroism in the most unexpected ways.
Our first story shines a light on a uniquely qualified set of local heroes who are a part of an organization called Pilots for Patients. Pilots for Patients is a program dedicated to providing free air transportation to patients needing diagnosis and treatment at medical facilities not available to them locally. Their goal is to eliminate the burden of travel, allowing the patients to focus on getting well. Each flight transporting a patient to and from care is called a mission, and there are numerous volunteer pilots who use their own resources and funding to help these patients in their community. Within the Terrebonne area, we are blessed to recognize two local pilots, Taylor Weeks and Glenn Northcott, who currently work with the program, and another local pilot Dr. Pedro Cuartas, who previously worked with the program. We also chat with local mother Teri Rau and her son Brecken about how Pilots for Patients has impacted their life. Read more about this amazing story, starting on page 16.
In our second story, we see how through God ’ s Little Warriors, Houma-native Bernadette Dugas has dedicated her time, personal funds, and energy towards helping U.S. military families stationed all over the world cope with infant loss. Bernadette sews bereavement gowns for those lost in childbirth to be buried in. The beautiful gowns are created from donated military uniforms, and carefully crafted to offer families a beautiful option in which to bury their child. Learn more about these selfless donations and the love they are created with, starting on page 22.
Southern Farms Specialty Meats is owned and operated by Jady Guidry and Trent Naquin, who are both veterans. They have a mission to bring locally-sourced meat to the community. Southern Farms Specialty Meats will bring together a variety of different meats from farms all across southern Louisiana, ensuring all their customers enjoy high-quality, local, and ethical meat products for years to come. These two veterans have approached starting a new business with
dedication and pride. Share in their story, beginning on page 26.
While maybe a bit untraditional in terms of Hometown Heroes, I hope these stories inspire you as much as they have inspired us. Let’s continue to celebrate and support each other, recognizing that heroism comes in many forms and is often found in the most unlikely places.
Thank you for being part of our community and for joining us in honoring our hometown heroes.
Special Note: Just days before going to press with this issue, our community was saddened by the news of the passing of one of Houma’s quiet heroes, Mr. Jack King. Social media was quickly filled with memories and anecdotes of his kind heart, his smile that carried all the way up to those twinkling eyes, and the way you knew God placed him on this Earth and left him in Houma all these years to spread joy and laughter amongst those who knew him. I loved just sitting and chatting with Mr. Jack. I was one of the many who often offered him a ride, selfishly just to hear another great story.
My last visit with Mr. Jack was at Downtown Jeaux over a root beer float for him and an iced coffee for me. We chatted about our summer plans: his, to travel to see family, and mine, to serve as an Uber to bring Jackson to a million summer camps. We were both extremely excited to see what the summer would hold.
In a One on One interview on HTV, Martin Folse captured the essence of what made Mr. Jack a quiet hero in my eyes. Mr. Jack never really complained about his life and the way things turned out for him. He shared with Martin, “You think you have problems? Look around, because there’s always someone that's worse off.”
May we all continue to live with the same positive outlook on life.
We’re gonna miss you, sha. POV
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Paige Pipsair MSN, FNP-C
What is your favorite summer memory, and why does it stand out to you?
DOUGLAS
The best summers I remember were filled with non-stop baseball, swimming, and riding bikes with all my neighborhood buddies. Staying out every night until the street lights came on was one of the few rules thrust upon us, and we reluctantly obeyed. There was actually a lot to do before video games became popular and we certainly made the most of it. Great times!
SCARLETT
My favorite summer memory is going to Disney World with my family. We were all together making memories and riding all the rides!
CALEB
The summer after 9th grade, I took a trip to AstroWorld Houston with Mulberry Baptist Church’s boys basketball team. It was the first non-family trip away from my parents and home. During that age of self discovery, that newfound feeling of joy and freedom of hanging out with my buddies created my favorite summer memory.
DEBBIE
My favorite summer memory was lifeguarding at Riverdale Country Club. It stands out to me because I got to spend my entire summer surrounded by all of my friends while we hung out at the pool.
GREG
RYAN OLIVIA
My favorite memory is having a sleepover with my sister’s friend. I'm too young for sleepovers. But in two years, I can have my own sleepover. And we can do the same things!
Going to Gulfport/Biloxi with my parents as a young kid in the '70s and visiting the SS Hurricane Camille gift shop to buy seashell souvenirs. It stands out because it brings back fond memories of my parents and a period of time that had a much slower pace than life today.
THIBODAUX'S TIMELESS ELEGANCE
BY MARY DOWNER DITCH | PHOTOS MISTY LEIGH MCELROY
Nestled away under a majestic oak in historic downtown Thibodaux is the charming home of Lance Ledet and Dr. Channing Parfait. The historic home was built in the early 1900s. The traditionally styled home features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Although the home is more than 100 years old, there are many original features such as high baseboards, transoms on tops of door frames, and some original door knobs. The homeowners moved into the home in 2021. The home underwent an extensive renovation for two months. All of the walls were repainted, floors refinished with a darker wood stain, and
the primary bathroom was completely renovated with a new walk-in shower, marble tile, and textured walls by a local artist. The guest bathroom was also renovated with a new lavatory and green shower tiles.
The historic home has three fireplaces, two of which are believed to be original to the home. The fireplace in the sitting room was recently remodeled with new marble and custom shelves were built on each side. All of the fireplaces are coal burning. There are wood floors throughout the home. The kitchen was also renovated to have the same Italian porcelain tile throughout the kitchen and
sunroom, as well as new countertops and tile backsplash.
“The sunroom and kitchen are connected spaces that are the true gathering space of the home,” shared Lance. “Any time there is a party, families and friends tend to gravitate toward the sunroom because of all of the natural light and views of the gardens.”
“The foyer (although it’s really in the middle of the home) is a favorite,” explained Lance. “It was outfitted with new black and gold wallpaper and the ceiling in the foyer was completed with champagne tarnished silverleaf.” POV
Whether recovering from a stroke, fall, or other medical condition, our customized rehab program helps you recover quickly so you can get back home. If you’re getting ready for long-term living, we make the transition from home to our community as rewarding as possible. A variety of spacious resident suites offer the ultimate in privacy and comfort.
BY EVAN CRESSOINE | PHOTOS BY CHANNING CANDIES
As a southern Louisiana community, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes as well as their surrounding areas have persevered through a multitude of trials and tribulations. From hurricanes like Katrina and Ida to the chronic, and sometimes terminal, illnesses that plague individual households, our community seems to be constantly on the mend. Luckily, there are a number of dedicated heroes who come together to make that mending just a little easier. Pilots for Patients [PFP] is one of these organizations.
Made up of local pilots and based in Monroe, La, Pilots for Patients is a program dedicated to providing free air transportation to patients needing diagnosis and treatment at medical facilities not available to them locally. Their goal is to eliminate the burden of travel, allowing the patients to focus on getting well. Each flight transporting a patient to and from care is called a mission, and there are numerous volunteer pilots who use their own resources and funding to help these patients in their community.
One of these volunteer pilots that has worked with Pilots for Patients for over six years is Taylor Weeks. While Taylor has only been personally involved for a few years, the organization as a whole has been around for nearly fifteen years and conducted its inaugural flight on Jan. 14, 2008 with Mike Terry as the pilot and Linda Fox as the first patient to take advantage of this organization.
According to Taylor, Pilots for Patients was started by Philip Thomas, a Monroe resident and president of Precision Paper & Board. He’s also a member of the Alliance for Aviation Across America and, as Taylor puts it, had a
heart for people who were struggling to get from A to B in their medical journey.
Taylor said the amount of missions Pilots for Patients completes a week is around twenty to thirty which is wildly inspiring for local cancer patients or anyone with compromised immune systems who cannot fly with a public airline or travel by car. Through the volunteer work of these pilots and the donation of private planes, patients are able to get to and from their needed treatments in a timely manner and be back home the same day.
A pilot has the option to work with the same patients if they need frequent transportation, however, it doesn’t happen too often. Taylor’s priority is picking up any missions from Houma as much as he can since he is currently one of the only pilots from the area. Otherwise, most patients and pilots are in the Monroe or northern Louisiana area. More often than not, the pilot that transports patients back home from their medical treatment would be a different pilot than the one who flew them there.
Aside from Pilots for Patients, Taylor actually owns Luckey’s Jewelers, a local family business, and that takes up the majority of his time. He has a wife and two sons who are also in love with aviation so perhaps the humanitarian aviation practice will continue down the line.
According to Taylor, the organization is certainly growing, however it seems to be growing more in patients than in pilots. This could be due to the growing cost of aviation and the simple fact that people aren't flying as much, but more people in the community are becoming aware of Pilots for Patients which is
definitely positive. Taylor sees the organization growing and hopes to see more pilots soon, specifically from the southern regions of Louisiana.
For patients to qualify for a mission with Pilots for Patients, they need a reason for travel whether that’s a one time appointment or recurring appointments, and from there it’s as simple as contacting the main office at (318) 322-5112. They will then require a written notice from the patient’s doctor stating their need for travel and affirming that they can travel. They will be linked up with a pilot for their mission and Taylor said it seems like an easy, streamlined process.
“A few years back, I was actually at the jewelry store one day, and someone I had never met before heard about the organization and heard that I fly. He was practically begging me to take his wife for treatment. She had terminal cancer, and sadly, she’s since passed. But however, within about a day and a half from our initial meet up, we were able to get her fully signed up and fly out with her. So, it’s really, really quick. It’s not something that will take a lot of their time or effort,” Taylor shared.
As for pilots who may want to get involved with PFP, they must meet the basic criteria which is 250 hours of experience and be IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) certified. They should certainly have a willingness to help. As Taylor puts it, pilots are usually looking for a reason to fly and you can only fly for fun for so long. This gives someone a really great reason to fly across the country, to navigate busier airways, and to ultimately get to help and meet some really amazing people.
HELPING ALONG THEIR JOURNEY
Another local pilot that has volunteered with Pilots for Patients for many missions is Glenn Northcott. He has flown over 300 missions with the organization so far and continues to fly with them because, for him, it's more than just helping others out, it’s about loving on your brothers and sisters in the community and planting that seed everywhere you go.
“To me, life is not just about helping people and doing good deeds, but about planting seeds, and helping them along their journey, and just giving them the support they need. Whether that's a flight or a hug, or to say a prayer with them. Just to help them in their journey,” Glenn said.
Throughout his life, Glenn has known the struggle and perseverance that comes with terminal illnesses such as cancer, having lost his mother and a wife to it as well as having battled cancer himself. He knows from personal experience the ways in which it can affect someone's life from financial burden to the stress that is induced when one has bills to pay while
being in poor health.
“If I can lighten their burden just a little bit by making it easier to get to and from a specialist then it's worth it,” Glenn shared.
Glenn first got involved with PFP around 2015, having been inspired by his father who flew missions for a similar organization called Angel Flight. Now, not only does Glenn fly for PFP, but his son and daughter-in-law do as well.
Glenn has been unflagging in his efforts to get patients where they need to go, having flown patients all the way to Los Angeles, California and Rochester, Minnesota. Pilots for Patients has no bounds for where they are willing to fly patients. The priority is getting them where they need to go.
“It’s really comforting to see when you can help these people in their time of need. It's really a benefit and a blessing to the pilots when you do the trip and when you get done. It just makes you more grateful for your own situation
whether it be health or a job, it just makes you appreciate how good life really can be, and the good times,” Glenn said.
He strongly believes that pilots should feel encouraged to volunteer for organizations like Pilots for Patients because there are a plethora of people, especially in local areas, who do not have easy access to the specialized care they need. Glenn acknowledges that there are great, qualified doctors in south and north Louisiana, but also knows that when you get a specific type of cancer, or a complicated illness, you want to go somewhere where the doctor treats that type of thing twenty times a day and not three times a year. Because of the pilots volunteering their airplanes and their services, it eliminates that cost issue that stops many from getting the specific treatment they need. Not to mention, it expedites the process as a whole and gets the patients back home in a superior timeframe that doesn’t include, as Glenn quipped, “bouncing up and down the highway for six hours”.
Outside of PFP, Glenn’s main occupation is flying for United. He deals with a couple of other aviation businesses as well, and this gives him the opportunity to bring in more volunteer pilots for the organization. Several United pilots have since joined PFP.
“A couple of years ago, my sons and I, we did a thing where we landed in every airport in the state of Louisiana in one day. I think it was 69 airports, and it took us like 18 hours. But, what we did is we took a Pilots for Patients sign and we put it at every airport in the state, so we're just planting the seeds in the aviation world. So every time a pilot lands in Louisiana, they’re gonna see these signs and go ‘What the heck are these signs? What are these people?’ So if we can do something to add two or three more pilots a year, well then that’s 10 or 20 more patients that I've helped that year,” Glenn said.
Aside from aviation, Glenn is fairly involved with Cross Church in Houma alongside his wife, and he travels to
Honduras for medical and youth mission trips. He goes down there two or three times every year, and plants seeds there as well. He cherishes his time there and his ability to go and share a smile, a laugh, and a hug.
According to Glenn, he has three main passions in life beside his wife and family: aviation, boating, and helping people. He believes life is about finding a way to devote yourself to your passions and dedicating yourself to helping people and planting that seed so the ones you’ve helped will continue to help others.
As Glenn shared, “I’m not a doctor, so I can’t heal these people. I’m not an eloquent spokesperson. I’m not a pastor. But I found a way that I can help these people.”
And that mindset remains true with another local volunteer pilot flying for PFP, Dr. Pedro Cuartes. He
first got involved with them around 2017 after he had been flying for nearly three years, and having known of organizations like it, the immediate draw was the chance to help his local community.
“To be able to fly and use that skill, and be blessed enough to have my own plane for it, well what better way to use it, versus just flying around, for a wonderful purpose,” Pedro said.
A couple of years ago, Pedro actually sold his plane and is mainly concerned with his main occupation as a dentist. He’s fairly busy work-wise and with general family life, but he is technically still a member of Pilots for Patients, though he hasn't flown for a few years. When he was flying for them, he would make the time by dedicating his designated off days to flying missions, and it wasn't too hard for him to find that time because he wanted to fly anyway.
While he came across so many wonderful people through his volunteer work, Pedro specifically remembers two patients on the opposite ends of the spectrum, age-wise. “One of them was an older gentleman with his wife, and then a much younger person—he had to be in his mid-thirties— and his wife, and although they were at different points in life, their stories were kind of similar, and I remember connecting with them very well. In the couple of hours or so we’re together, you cut through all the fluff and get right down to the big, meaty life issues, and I learned a lot from them,” Pedro shared.
Pedro was one of the first pilots in the Houma area to volunteer with PFP and has seen lots of growth around the southern regions and is so glad to see it take off. He would like to see even more help expand across the state, and even out to neighboring states like Mississippi and Arkansas.
EASING THE BURDENS
The experiences one gains from working with Pilots for Patients connects with the patients and their families just as much, if not more, as the pilots that volunteer. Teri Rau, a local mother of five, first heard about PFP when she was searching online for options to travel to and from the specialized care her son needed in Houston, Texas.
Her son, Brecken, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma
(bone cancer) in his leg when he was seven years old. He has since completed his treatments, but when they utilized Pilots for Patients, they traveled to Houston twice a week.
“For us, it was a lifesaver, financially and emotionally, because I was able to get my other kids to school in the morning and then leave with Brecken to go to the local airport, fly out to his treatment in Houston, and be back home for the evening activities for Brecken and the rest of the kids. It was just amazing what it did for us, having to go twice a week, for 12 weeks,” Teri shared.
Teri and Brecken flew with many different pilots during their time with PFP. “One was a guy named Benjamin from Covington, one was Taylor Weeks [...]. We flew with Malcolm and Rosemary who own a little bed and breakfast in Gheens. [...] There was another pilot who would fly out of the Shreveport area. He actually went to medical school with my husband and once he heard we were flying, he applied with Pilots for Patients so he could fly down here and get us there. [...] There was a lady from Baton Rouge. There were so
many people all around just wanting to help,” Teri shared.
Brecken’s treatment originally started in Baton Rouge to allow Teri to remain open to doing her other mom duties, however their switch to Houston caused her a lot of stress until she found Pilots for Patients which allowed her to do all of that and more. They utilized PFP for their trips to Houston and back, and received help from a driving organization called Houston Ground Angels which transported them between the airport and the hospital. They were able to receive Brecken’s treatment and return home all in one day.
Pilots for Patients provides a vital service for local Louisianians that is not often thought about. You think about people battling cancer or other illnesses and pray for their recovery and their care, but here are true heroes, dedicated to ensuring that the stress of transportation is cut out from the stress of everything else. And with just this simple burden lifted off of their shoulders, these families and patients can focus on what truly matters, which is getting well. POV
In a world filled with difficulties and hardships, there are a select few in the community who have truly dedicated themselves to bringing light to even the most tragic situations-- and Bernadette Dugas, founder and creator of local ministry God’s Little Warriors, is undoubtedly one of those people.
Through God’s Little Warriors, Houmanative Bernadette Dugas has dedicated her time, personal funds, and energy towards helping U.S. military families stationed all over the world cope with infant loss. The local seamstress receives donated military uniforms from American soldiers, both retired and deceased, and sews bereavement gowns for those lost in childbirth to be buried in. The gowns are then donated to hospitals all around the world, often at the personal expense of Bernadette, for staff to give to parents grieving a recently lost child.
Bernadette has been sewing since she was in the 4th grade, and has been working as a seamstress her whole life. She opened Mermaid’s Masquerade, a specialty costume shop in Houma in 2008, but still did not feel as if she had truly found her calling in the world.
“I was in church for a service, and our pastor said that God has given us all a gift-- and it is our job to find what our gift is and use it for good. That message really resonated with me," explained Bernadette. “I was anxious to find what my gift was. I saw on Facebook that someone was making bereavement gowns for children who passed, in utero or stillbirth, and donating them to local hospitals. I knew I wanted to do something similar, and began working with typical fabric I had around my house
BY ISABELLE PINTO | PHOTOS PROVIDED
and donating the gowns to local hospitals. I received good feedback when I posted them online and decided to keep going."
After a positive response from the community over her bereavement gowns, Bernadette began receiving donated wedding dresses to use-- making her creations even more intimate and beautiful– but she still felt like something was missing.
"I was making tons of bereavement gowns out of these wedding dresses, when one day a very old and dear friend contacted me and asked if I could find a way to make a bereavement gown out of her husband’s U.S. Navy uniform, to be donated to a Navy family who lost their child,” said Bernadette. "This request touched my heart so deeply and really sparked an interest in me. I made four or five gowns out of this one jacket, posted them to Facebook, and it just absolutely caught on fire. That's when I knew-- this is my gift. This is what I'm supposed to be doing."
From there, Bernadette threw herself head-first into creating bereavement gowns out of donated military uniforms for grieving military families. The local seamstress now receives donated uniforms from members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, completely takes them apart, and then remakes them into four different sizes of gowns, from premature on down. Bernadette also sews what she calls "cocoons," designed for children so small they can fit in the palm of a hand. Uniforms are donated from a variety of different kinds of veterans, including active duty, retired, and families of the deceased. Bernadette also has very rare historic uniforms, dating back as far as
the Vietnam War or World War II.
Bernadette explained how unique her practice is, particularly as she is serving the U.S. military population stationed all over the world. "As far as I know, I am one of, if not the only person making these bereavement gowns out of military uniforms," said Bernadette. "I had to start by cold-calling military hospitals across the country and overseas, explaining what I do, and asking if I can donate these gowns to them. Many of them were interested and told me they had never heard of anything like this before. Lots of hospitals had beautiful bereavement gowns, but not any made out of military uniforms."
Bernadette has donated over 1,200 gowns to 45 military hospitals, including ones in Italy, Japan, Guam, Spain, and over 15 different states. Bernadette sends bereavement gowns representing different branches to each hospital in a variety of sizes, so they are always available when needed. Despite this large, international outreach, God’s Little Warriors remains a one-woman operation-- and entirely dependent on community donations.
"It is a lot of work making all these gowns by myself, but I feel so incredibly honored to do it," said Bernadette. "I am so blessed to be able to contribute in this way. Losing a child is such an impossibly difficult thing to go through, and I hope that these gowns give the families some modicum of comfort-- knowing someone cared enough to do this, so their child can be buried in a military uniform."
Bernadette’s incredibly hard work creating all these gowns is not in vain, however. While her gowns made of
"It is a lot of work making all these gowns by myself, but I feel so incredibly honored to do it. I am so blessed to be able to contribute in this way."
wedding dresses were beautiful, she explained that these military bereavement gowns go one step further in uniting the military community. "Whenever someone donates a uniform to me, I ask them to include the name of the soldier, their rank, title, years served, retired/deceased/serving-- as much information as they possibly can provide. I then sew that information onto a little tag that is sent with the bereavement gown to the hospital," said Bernadette. "That way, the family who gets the gown knows exactly whose uniform their baby is wrapped in. I want to honor those soldiers who gave up their uniforms as much as I am honoring the families who need them. It creates a really incredible connection."
This connection has touched many of those familiar with God’s Little Warriors, and Bernadette has heard stories from the hospitals she has donated to. "Sometimes I hear from nurses who tell me they witness the families not only praying for their lost child, but for the soldier who donated the uniform at the same time," said Bernadette. "Which is really special to hear."
As for the future of God’s Little Warriors, Bernadette plans to continue making these important bereavement gowns and donating them to as many hospitals as possible. Since this ministry runs entirely on donations, the local seamstress asks that anyone who has a military uniform from any branch consider donating to a good cause so she can continue serving families in need. Other ways to donate to the ministry can be found on their Facebook page, "God’s Little Warriors."
As we honor those who serve this country, so too must we honor those behind the scenes, bringing comfort to military families in grief. Bernadette’s dedication not only serves as a beacon of hope, but as she continues her mission with God's Little Warriors, her selfless acts of compassion will continue to remind the community of the power of service. POV
BY ISABELLE PINTO | PHOTOS BY DL MEDIA
Calling all food lovers in the Lafourche and Terrebonne areas! Cut Off's newest, veteranowned business, Southern Farms Specialty Meats, recently opened its doors-- just in time
Southern Farms Specialty Meats is owned and operated by veterans Jady Guidry and Trent Naquin, who have a mission to bring locally-sourced meat to the community. Southern Farms Specialty Meats will bring together a variety of different meats from farms all across southern Louisiana, ensuring all their customers enjoy high-quality, local, and ethical meat products for years to come.
Jady is also the owner of Guidry's Cajun Farmstead, a charming farm located in Cut Off, which opened in late 2019. "I started the Cajun Farmstead part-time right around when COVID-19 started, and have been working there on and off for the past four years," explained Jady. "We started raising pasture-raised chickens, which focuses on the animals living out in the sunlight with fresh bugs, seeds, and grass to eat. Big industrial farms cram these animals into chicken coops where they never see the light of day-- so pasture raising is a lot more labor intensive, but significantly more ethical for the animals and yields a much
Guidry's Cajun Farmstead also provides pasture-raised pigs, ducks, and turkeys around the s part-time work at his farm, Jady served as a full-time safety manager for a boat company, and is the father of two young girls.
"I really felt passionate about working on my farm and selling these products, so I decided to turn it into something full-time. I was ready to take the Cajun Farmstead to the next level," said Jady. "So I decided to leave my full-time career and put everything into starting Southern Farms Specialty Meats. I knew I couldn't take on this project by myself, so I reached out to my good friend Trent Naquin and we decided to partner to make this dream a reality."
Co-owner Trent Naquin specializes in specialty meats, such as curing sausages, boudin, and more, and the new meat market aims to combine the talents of the two men. Southern Farms Specialty Meats opened its doors on June 10th, 2024 in Cut Off, and offers dozens of unique services to the community. The meat market currently provides locallysourced meat from Guidry's Cajun
Farmstead and farms all across Louisiana, including chicken, pork, beef, lamb, eggs, honey, and spice blends. There will also be boudin, fresh green onion sausage, garlic sausage, smoked sausage, in-house bacon, pork cracklins, chicken cracklins, boudin balls, and much more. Southern Farms Specialty Meats is also working to be sustainably zero-waste, and plans to make pet food from different meat byproducts in their store.
For Jady and Trent, their goal with Southern Farms Specialty Meats is twofold: to source as many products and services as possible from other local farms and businesses, supporting the community as much as they can, and to provide local food lovers with ethical, high-quality meats at a good price.
Just as with any new business, Jady and Trent have faced their fair share of doubts and challenges. "It was a really nerve
wracking decision to leave my career and start this business. A lot of people don't realize that when you start a new business, there is a lot of money that goes out before you get anything back in," chuckled Jady. "We have always sold things from Guidry's Cajun Farmstead, but it was too part-time to support a salary. Now with Southern Farms Specialty Meats opening, we know all the hard work will be worth it. All these years I have never paid myself a salary from the farm, and I'm excited to see our new business grow and hopefully support multiple employees."
Despite the difficulties of getting a new business off the ground, Jady explained that the excitement he and Trent feel much outweighs any nerves. "Trent and I have been doing our own thing for these past few years, and it is really rewarding to see all our hard work come together
like this," said Jady. "But even more so than that, offering this service to our community is ultimately the best thing. We have a lot of people that thank us, because there are just not many places that offer what we offer. We are not just a little butcher shop that gets wholesale meat from who-knows-where, but we are supporting local business and providing a great product in the process. We hope people will continue to care about where their food comes from, how it was raised, and support these small businesses."
The bond that connects Jady and Trent does not stop at their passion for providing high-quality products, however-- when you shop at Southern Farms Specialty Meats, you are supporting a double veteran-owned business. Both Jady and Trent served their country in the United States Marine Corps for several years before joining forces to create their new business. "I served in Okinawa, Japan and spent some time in Afghanistan before finishing out in North Carolina and eventually coming back to Louisiana," said Jady. "It’s really interesting how it worked out, because Trent and I never knew each other in the service. We didn't start to get to know each other until just a few years ago, when we met through the specialty meats business."
This veteran connection is represented in the Southern Farms Specialty Meats logo, which is an artistic rendering of an American flag. "Being a veteranowned business is something we take a lot of pride in," said Jady. "We want to always show our patriotism and our thanks for other citizens who served." Southern Farms Specialty Meats will offer discounts for customers who have served or are currently serving in the military, and first responders, as a thank you for their service.
As the newest addition to the culinary landscape of Lafourche Parish, Southern Farms Specialty Meats promises more than just a place to purchase your meats – it offers a heartfelt connection to the community and a commitment to quality like no other! POV
CRUSTACEAN COMMENTARIES
Crawfish. The 2024 season has been a tough one. Heat, drought, a low Atchafalaya, and salt-water incursion have all converged to drive prices up and availability down. But the season wasn't tough on just crawfish farmers and crawfish eaters. While farmers fished hard to make humans as happy as possible, our muddy, little, pincered friends have worked hard to make themselves as happy as possible as well. If they didn’t get caught in a trap or a net or an egret's beak this summer, crawfish have been lounging deep in their cozy, water-cooled burrows with their ten legs propped up on a pile of decaying plant litter that they’ll slowly eat while avoiding the 21st century heat above on the surface. By fall, when the rice harvest is done and other pond litter starts to die, this summer’s survivors will wax sensual and mate to create the 2025 and future harvests. Eggs will hatch in spring, and crawbabies will get their little pincers busy chopping away at plant stubble and then proceed to molt and grow and molt and grow in a circle of life conceivable by neither Mufasa and Simba nor Elton John and Tim Rice (although lyricist Tim was clearly named for the favorite eats of Louisiana pond crawfish).
Shrimp. Summer marks the great shrimp shift change in PoV Country, when harvesting transitions from brown shrimp season to white shrimp season. But in certain locations outside of PoV Country, this bounty of two-toned seafood riches may represent the last shift change ever. Earlier this summer, America’s biggest seafood chain, Red Lobster, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They'd been closing hundreds of restaurants since 2023, but that’s not because of the lack of lobsters. Rather, it’s the corporation’s failure to turn a survivable profit on our precious, little ten-legged prawns. With no competitive price control for shrimp due to a supplier monopoly, and despite making that “limited-time all-you-can-eat shrimp” deal a permanent menu item, Big Red simply could not turn a profit on shrimp. What a cautionary tail! It's worth noting that there has never been a Red Lobster restaurant operating in PoV Country. Had there been, given our historic industry and rate of consumption, they would have surely turned a profit. Not to open a restaurant here is pure corporate stubbornness. Sometimes in the shrimp business, you just gotta break the heads.
Lobsters. Although they may be common to the aquarium in the seafood department of your local supermarket, lobsters are not native to PoV Country. And with our local abundances of other native seafoods, crustacean and otherwise, there’s not much call for it. Besides, can you imagine what conflict would arise when our cajan blue crabs would find yankee lobsters eating their favorite snack fishes? Talk about an MMA bout! (That stands for Mixed Marine Animals in this case.) Frankly speaking among humans, lobsters just take up too much room in the ice chest and in the pot, and after they're boiled they're just too hard to peel. You know what happens when you pinch the tail of a boiled lobster? Absolutely nothing. But an enterprising business has figured out how to make it easier for Cajuns and others to break the heads on this lumbering crawfish wannabe. Next time you're visiting a Costco wholesale store, check out the frozen seafood aisle and look a product called “naked lobster.” Naked lobsters are real lobsters treated with high pressure that separates the hard shell from the soft, pink meat. The pink meat is pressure-sealed under transparent plastic wrap so that you UNDER THE SCOPE | BY
bayous: “Amici! Spedisci qui i granchi blu! Free shipping!” Though I have not received any blu granchi from my amici yet, I hold out for hope like I hold onto a bottle of crab boil: After all, summer in the Northern Hemisphere is young yet. POV
RENDEZVOUS
Golden Meadow-Fourchon
Tarpon Rodeo
July 4- 6
Fourchon Pavilion, Port Fourchon
Fish, eat, dance and win at the annual Tarpon Rodeo! Proceeds provide college scholarships and school equipment for South Lafourche students. Come out for some fun for the whole family!
Annual Good Earth 4th of July Fest
July 4
Bayou Country Sports Park
Celebrate our freedom, our good Earth, and fun times with live music, local food, fun and games!
Let Freedom Ring Festival
July 4, 3 - 10 p.m.
Peltier Park, Thibodaux
Teams will vie for victory in three distinct categories: grilled, smoked, and fried. In addition to delicious food, attendees can relish live music and a dedicated kids' zone. Wings for the Win Inc. is a non-profit organization that assists families with a baby in the NICU.
4th of July Celebration
July 6, Noon
Coco Marina, Cocodrie
Fishing, food, fun and more help to celebrate the 4th of July at Coco Marina! Live music from the Josh Garrett Band, the Joe Stark Band, The Poboys and JP Bourgeois. Enjoy food trucks and vendors, the annual boat parade, and fireworks to end the night!
6th Annual Blue Boot Rodeo
July 11-13
Tarpon Rodeo Pavillion
The rodeo is a three-day, family-friendly event filled with fishing and fun! The Blue Boot Rodeo is the major fundraiser for the Riley John’s Blue Boot Foundation. The foundation’s purpose is the promote awareness of water safety and drowning prevention.
3rd Annual Juice Fest
July 14, 4 p.m.
Downtown Houma
Come out to Courthouse Square this July and join Deejay and friends for a great music festival!
Island Strong Music Fest
July 18-20
Tarpon Rodeo Pavilion
The three-day festival will feature live music, food, craft booths and various other vendors that will support Grand Isle’s recovery from Hurricane Ida. All proceeds go to rebuilding Grand Isle’s recreational facilities and other projects vital to the town’s recovery.
Inaugural Slider Cook-off
July 26, 4 p.m.
Robinson Ranch Co.
Robinson Ranch Co. is excited to host an inaugural slider cook-off, sponsored by Bourgeois Meat Market. Admission for adults is $20 (includes 4 slider tickets). Kids 12 and under are free. Guest judges include The Cajun Ninja, Chase Toups and DJ Rhett. Entertainment provided by Caleb Lapeyrouse & the Drivers.
Trial of the Wicked Witch
August 1, 7 - 10 p.m.
Woodmen of the World Hall
The Sunrise Rotary Club of Houma and Martin & Pellegrin CPA’s proudly presents the fairy tale parody where the audience is the jury. Talented performers bring this classic tale to life in a unique and entertaining way. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite. POV
1. Changed color of door frame
Turned lamp on
Changed color of curtains 4. Changed color of pillow
Added pillow to sofa
8. Removed bulb from chandelier 9. Removed trinket box on top books ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH:
Removed frame from wall
7. Added pot to mantle
