Acadiana Profile December-January 2014

In Every Issue table des matières

4 Free-lancing

Top 20 Stories in Acadiana Profile (1975-2010)

Celebrating 45 years by trent angers

6 Nouvelles des Villes

News Briefs From Around Acadiana

by lisa berry-leblanc

10 De la Cuisine

Canapés

by marcelle bienvenu

14 Les Artistes

Coming into the Light

Once too bashful to share her work with the Acadiana art community, artist Gwen Voorhies' exploration in brighter colors reflects deep thought and humble confidence. by william kalec

20 La Maison

Sanctuary on the Water's Edge

A Lafayette physician designs a home to evolve with her young family. by lisa leblanc-berry

50 Personnes d’Acadiana

Barrels of Fun

Oilmen by day, co-workers David Meaux and Cole LeBlanc chase their dreams after-hours as operators of Acadiana's first rum distillery. by william kalec

58 Sur le Menu

Soups for the Soul

by jan risher

62 Soirée

Tinsel & Treasures 20th Anniversary

38

64 Soirée

Acadiana Profile's 45th Anniversary Party

68 Visiter

The Best Things to See and Do

in Cajun Country compiled by judi russell

72 En Français, S’il Vous Plaît

À la recherche de Beausoleil

by david cheramie

Features 26 Cozy Cocktails

Spirited Drinks for the Acadiana Winter

by lisa leblanc-berry

34 Screen Savers

The story behind Cajun Mardi Gras masks

by michael patrick welch

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38 Lost Recipes

Cookin' From Another Era

by marcelle bienvenu

December 2013/January 2014 Vol. 32 No. 6 Executive Editor Trent Angers Managing Editor Sarah Ravits Art Director Sarah George Associate Editors Haley Adams, Lauren LaBorde Intern Lexi Wangler Executive Vice President/Editor in Chief Errol Laborde Sales Manager Rebecca Taylor (337) 298-4424 • (337) 235-7919 ext. 230 Rebecca@acadianaprofile.com Sales Assistant Erin Maher Azar Distribution/Newsstand Manager Christian Coombs Executive Assistant Kristi Ferrante Subscriptions Erin Duhe For Subscription Information: 887.221.3512 Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production Designer Antoine Passelac Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell

Renaissance Publishing LLC 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 • (877) 221-3512 315 S. College Road, Suite 160, Lafayette, LA 70503 (337) 235-7919 Acadiana Profile (ISSN 0001-4397) is published bimonthly by Renaissance Publishing LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 and 315 S. College Road, Suite 160, Lafayette, LA 70503 (337) 235-7919. 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 2013 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. www.acadianaprofile.com | december 2013/january 2014

3

freelancing

by trent angers

Top 20 Stories in Acadiana Profile (1975-2010) In my last column, I presented 10 of what I felt were the Top 20 articles that appeared in Acadiana Profile during my 35-year tenure as editor of the magazine, 1975-2010. Those stories were penned by writers other than me.

This second batch of the Top 20 are among the ones I wrote over the years, stories I felt would have strong appeal to the reader.

As I was going through the back issues of the magazine, reviewing articles I’d written, I realized there were some common themes in the stories to which I was most strongly attracted.

I observed a clear pattern: my apparent fascination with the supernatural and paranormal; my admiration for people who perform heroic deeds; and my determination to defend the good name of the French-Acadian, or Cajun, people – my people.

As with the first batch of stories, I’ve listed the titles of the articles and added the date of publication plus the volume and the number, in case anyone would like to look up these articles and read them in their entirety. (Try your local library, and if that doesn’t work drop me a line and I’ll mail you a photocopy of the article.)

“The Forgotten Hero of My Lai” (March / April 1998, 18/6) U.S. troops had killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese women, children, and old men in the infamous My Lai Massacre in March of 1968. Then Hugh Thompson and his crew stepped in and stopped the slaughter. What Thompson got for his trouble was to be treated as a traitor for 30 years before finally being recognized as a bona fide American war hero. (I also wrote a book on this subject).

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december 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

“The Terrible Storms of 2005” (Oct. 2005, 25/2) Hurricanes Katrina and Rita mauled the Gulf Coast in quick succession, striking less than a month apart. Katrina’s massive storm surge collapsed bridges, wrecked houses and businesses, and caused the failure of the levee system designed to protect New Orleans. Rita did similar damage in southwest Louisiana’s coastal parishes. (This article was the lead story in the first of five editions covering the impact of these hurricanes.)

“An Airboat on the Streets of New Orleans" (Sept. 2006, 26/1) A Breaux Bridge couple rescued nearly 800 people from the floodwaters in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina breached the levees. Doug Bienvenu and Drue LeBlanc used their airboat to save people trapped in their homes and on their rooftops. (I also wrote a book about this adventure.)

“A Fire Truck Called ‘The Spirit of Louisiana’” (July / August 2002, 22/1) Louisiana’s heroic response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks included the gift of a bright red fire truck to the New York Fire Department. Thousands of ordinary citizens, students and businesses gave from the heart to make it happen. ‘‘A Confederacy of Dunces Author Taught at USL” (Sept. / Oct. 1981, 9/4) John Kennedy Toole’s novel was widely acclaimed as brilliant and hilarious – one of the funniest books ever written. He is remembered by his friends and peers as witty, bright, and

entertaining. In the 1960-61 school year, he could be seen about the USL campus, always with a half-smile as he observed “the human sideshow” around him. (Accompanying this article was one about Toole’s mother, Thelma Toole, and her relentless crusade to have her son’s novel published after his death. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981.)

“Grand Coteau: The Holy Land of South Louisiana” (March / April 2002, 21/5) This is one of the truly holy places in North America – a town of mystery, with well established ties to the supernatural.

Featured are the town’s major religious institutions: the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House, and St. Charles College/ Jesuit Spirituality Center and Novitiate. (In addition to this article, some years earlier I wrote the story of the first authentic miracle in the U.S.; it’s titled “The Miracle of Grand Coteau,” May 1976, 5/3.)

“The Canonization of Katharine Drexel” (Sept. / Oct. 2000, 20/5) “The Patron Saint of South Louisiana,” Katharine Drexel was canonized in Vatican City on Oct. 1, 2000. She was recognized for her boundless compassion and generosity toward blacks and Native American Indians in the South and Southwest.

Several of the schools and religious centers she founded in the 1920s and ’30s to serve blacks and Indians in Acadiana are still in operation.

“The Spirit of Oak Alley” (March / April 1981, 9/2) A psychic visited Oak Alley plantation house in the 1970s and found it to be alive with the spirits of some of its inhabitants from days gone by. A lady in a black veil was sighted on the widow’s walk, and the housekeepers kept hearing footsteps upstairs even after the tourists were gone for the day.

“The Three Faces of Dudley LeBlanc” (Second Quarter 1977, 6/1) The late State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc of Abbeville, whose political career spanned half a century, was a legend in his own time. Some remember him as a powerful and cunning politician; others as the developer and brilliant promoter of the vitamin supplement called HADACOL; and others as the generous and protective political leader of the Cajun people.

“The Truth About the Cajuns” (Aug. 2005, 25/1) This is an excerpt from a book I wrote that was designed to dispel the myths and stereotypes about the Cajun people.

To read some of the articles in national magazines and newspapers, one would think that Cajuns are unambitious, simple-minded, hedonistic types whose lives revolve around eating, drinking, and dancing.

MAGAZIN ILE E CE OF R Determined to not let that false impression stand, I tried to set the record straight by portraying our people with the accuracy and dignity to which we are entitled. ap P

ACADIA NA

G ATIN BR LE

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questions or comments about this column can be addressed to tcangers @ cox . net .

sur le web

If you can’t get enough Acadiana Profile, check out our website. Everything is easy to read on your smartphone or tablet. Flip through the issue archive, renew your subscription, or read the English translation of En Français, S’il Vous Plaît. You will also find content from all of Renaissance Publishing’s publications, including Louisiana Life and New Orleans Magazine. You can find it at AcadianaProfile.com.

For up-to-the-minute information about Acadiana events, recipes and fun photos, make sure to like Acadiana Profile on Facebook and follow @AcadianaProfile on Twitter.

Attention Festival-Planners! Help Us Promote Your Event!

Go online to AcadianaProfile.com, and click on “Submit an Event to Acadiana Profile” to let us know about festivals, shows or special events coming up in your town.

Remember, the sooner we get the information, the better able we are to help you.

Want to contact the Acadiana Profile staff by email? Want to see one of your events on Acadiana Profile’s Facebook page? Send feedback to Managing Editor Sarah Ravits at sarah@acadianaprofile.com.

www.acadianaprofile.com | december 2013/january 2014

5

nouvelles des villes

by lisa leblanc-berry L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles

Business is Booming in Lake Charles LSU economist Loren Scott has outlined a positive economic forecast with new data derived from his collaboration with the College of Business. According to the 2014-2015 Louisiana State Economic Outlook, Lake Charles should be the “shining light" of the state’s economy in

Saltgrass Steakhouse and Vic

the Lake Charles metro area

& Anthony’s Steakhouse.

will add 3,300 jobs in 2014 and

“The new developments

4,500 more jobs in 2015. The

and tourism products coming

number of workers needed

to Southwest Louisiana in the

in the area is expected to rise

near future are just further

to 14,000 by 2017. Greenfield

examples of how the region has

Logistics Solutions is building

established itself as the premier

a $70 million “man camp” on

resort destination in the Gulf

200 acres to accommodate the

Coast,” said Megan Monsour

job growth.

Hartman, senior marketing

The new Golden Nugget

manager for the Lake Charles/

Houma Seeing Job Growth According to Loren Scott’s economic forecast for 20142015, the Houma-Thibodaux region is projected to finish third among Louisiana’s eight metro areas in total job growth.

Predictions included the addition of 5,200 jobs over the next two years in the region at a rate of 2.6 percent, coming in behind the Lake Charles

Hotel and Casino resort,

Southwest Louisiana Conven-

which is situated adjacent to

tion and Visitors Bureau. “It’s

by the Magnolia LNG ex-

L’Auberge Casino Resort, will

exciting to be able to showcase

port facilities in the Port of

be the fourth casino in Cal-

our culture, festivals, culinary

Lake Charles, as well as the

casieu Parish and will feature

heritage, outdoor adventures

to drive Louisiana’s growth.

expanding tourism sector

715 guest rooms and suites,

and high-end casino entertain-

Four new rigs are expected by

that includes the opening

an 18-hole championship golf

ment to the new folks moving

2014 with 10 additional rigs

of a new casino, are driving

course, a spa and restaurants

here and guests who continue

surfacing by 2017.

investments. “I’ve never seen

such as Landry’s Seafood,

to visit. The future is bright!”

numbers like these,” Scott

Grotto Italian Ristorante,

the coming year.

Industrial expansions led

6

commented. He predicts that

december 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

and Baton Rouge areas. The economic forecast includes expansion in offshore oil production that will continue

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7

Youngsville Developments Underway The long-awaited new

Rewriting Cajun History in Loreauville A growing number of

70-acre Sports Complex

Cajuns wants to set the

and Activities Center in

record straight about

Youngsville will open in

misconceptions regarding

January 2014. Tournaments

the original Acadian set-

for 2014 and 2015 have

tlers with the New Acadie

already been booked,

Project. Spearheaded by

and a boost in tourism is

ULL archaeologist Dr.

anticipated.

Mark Rees, the group aims

Developer Robert Daigle,

to locate the original mid-

who brought Sugar Mill

18th-century settlement of

Pond to Youngsville and

the first group of Acadian

River Ranch to Lafayette, is

exiles led by Joseph Brous-

adding to the fast-growing

sard (known as Beausoleil),

Youngsville area with Fairfax

along the Teche Ridge in

Farms and Waterview. Phase

Loreauville. The project

One of Fairfax Farms, a

will include a search for ar-

residential and commercial

tifacts that date back as far

development that will be

as 1765 within the first few

built on 235 acres near Foster

months of arriving in Loui-

Park, is currently underway.

siana from Nova Scotia.

Waterview continues the

“We could correct a lot

expansion of Sugar Mill

of false assumptions and

Pond with a 160-unit new

misinformation about

apartment complex located

Acadian history,” Rees

at the intersection of

points out. Loreauville

Waterview Road and Prescott

Mayor Al Broussard adds,

Century, which will make

30 other albums have been

Boulevard. Two new fast-food

“The New Acadie Project is a

its debut (in French and in

recorded mostly in English.

outlets, Rotolo’s Pizzeria and

positive thing for the village,

English) at the Acadian World

His accordion can be heard

Taco Bell, are also slated for

and also for the culture and

Congress in New Brunswick,

tourism of the entire state.”

Canada, in August 2014.

on the albums of such great

the Sugar Mill Pond property.

jo-el sonnier

“We hope to focus on at

St. Martinville Featured in French Travel Series Patrick de Carolis, host

8

Hot Off the Press French cultural activist Warren Perrin, who is the

least 40 different Acadian communities,” Perrin

legends as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Robert Cray, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello,

says. “The last part of the

Merle Haggard and Dolly

book will be a compilation of

Parton, among others.

of the popular French

founder of the Acadian

television travel series “Le

Museum in Erath and the

Grand Tour” spent part of

author of books about

November filming in St.

Vermilion and Iberville

Martinville. The segments are

parishes, announced that

slated to air in two episodes

he is at work on a new book

titled "Amérique Française"

about the history of St. Landry

Sonnier, the 67-year-old

fundraiser with a multi-

(French America). French-

Parish, slated for a release in

Cajun musician who has

speaking residents of St.

early 2014. “We have over 230

four Grammy nominations

course feast and live music

Martinville and Arnaudville

photographs, many which

under his belt and has

were interviewed for the

have never been previously

starred in several movies,

show. The crew is also filming

published, including photos

anounced that he will be

in Terrebonne Parish. To

of Clifton Chenier,” he notes.

releasing a new album, The

yacht on earth” to be docked

learn more about the series,

Perrin and his wife, Mary,

Legacy, featuring original

at the Port of Orleans. For

visit www.legrandtour.fr.

are collaborating on another

songs that will be recorded

information, contact Judy

book, Acadia of the 21st

entirely in French. Sonnier’s

Dunn at (337) 288-8826. ap

december 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

various articles from Acadians throughout the world.”

Lafayette Ladies Afloat

En Français, Enfin!

Women’s League is

Rayne native Jo-El

The Acadiana Symphony presenting a glitzy, floating

to benefit the orchestra on Jan. 19, 2014, on the “largest privately owned residential

photograph courtesy david simpson

www.acadianaprofile.com | december 2013/january 2014

9

de la cuisine

10

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Canapés

By Marcelle Bienvenu Photographed by eugenia uhl

Canapés are defined as small, decorative pieces of bread (toasted or untoasted) that are topped with savory garnishes such as anchovies, cheese or some type of spread. They've always fascinated me. They were often served at ladies’ tea parties or cocktail receptions when I was a young girl. Some were made with soft, sliced white bread with a garlic spread that was tinted pale pink or green with a touch of food coloring. Others were squares of lightly toasted bread spread with mayonnaise and topped with tiny, delicate shrimp or a smoked oyster. I adored daintily picking them up – with my pinky finger held gracefully just so – and nudging them into my mouth.

Alas, I didn’t quite learn the art of canapé-making until the last few years. For ever so long, my ideas of hors d’oeuvres were chips and dips, cheese trays and various kinds of finger sandwiches. I had to improve my repertoire.

I went through Mama’s trove of recipes. I bought a couple of Martha Stewart’s books. I asked a friend, who's a fabulous hostess, to give me some ideas. I was on a mission to perfect the art of the canapé. I tried my hand at miniature carrot muffins, tiny cream puffs filled with crabmeat and heart-shaped toasted bread dabbed with herb cheese. With patience, a lot of experimenting and a strong back, I am finally able to make several tiny, delicate, dainty and delicious canapés. Bending over small squares of bread or pastry and filling them with tiny amounts of spreads and such is not easy – at least for me it isn’t.

I have also developed some policies as to when I will put forth energy to make these detailed “little bites.” I serve them only when I have a small party of 10 to 12 guests. I do not make more than four or five different kinds for one affair, and more often than not, they are served cold or at room-temperature. Trying to heat these things in an oven and somehow getting them on a platter or tray is more than I can handle when I have guests.

These are the ones that I find the simplest and best that I can manage on my own.

The shrimp canapé recipe can be doubled if you wish.

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11

de la cuisine

SHRIMP CANAPÉS MAKES 12 CANAPÉS

6 slices of thin white bread 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 12 thin round slices of cherry tomatoes 48 slices of ripe olives 12 small cooked shrimp ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 12 fresh dill or parsley leaves Spread the bread with the butter and cut into 12 2-inch squares. Arrange the tomato, olives and shrimp on top of each square.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and horseradish, and dot the top of the shrimp with this mixture. Garnish with the dill or parsley.

HEART TOASTS WITH HERB CHEESE MAKES ABOUT 30 CANAPÉS

½ cup crème fraîche 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Dash of cayenne 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 10 very thin slices of bread Whip the crème fraîche in an electric mixer until fluffy and set aside. In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese with the remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. Fold in the whipped crème fraîche and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the bread using a heart-shaped cookie cutter small enough to yield three hearts per slice. Put the cutouts on a baking sheet and bake until dry but not colored, about 10 minutes, turning after five minutes so the edges won’t curl. Remove from the oven and cool thoroughly. Using a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip, pipe a bit of the herb cheese onto each toast. Serve at room temperature.

C AV I A R P I N W H E E L S MAKES ABOUT 30 SLICES

4 tablespoons butter ½ cup flour 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cups milk 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

12

4 egg whites, stiffly beaten 1 teaspoon sugar These pinwheels are favorites of mine. You can make any kind of filling using ham, shrimp or whatever suits your fancy. I like this one made with caviar for festive holiday parties. Don’t be intimidated by making the jellyroll bread. If I can do it, anyone can!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil an 11-by-16-inch jellyroll pan, line with wax or parchment paper and lightly oil.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend in the egg yolks and sugar.

Fold in the egg whites.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

pan. Bake until lightly golden, 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from the heat and gently turn the pan over onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper.

Lift the pan and carefully peel the paper from the jellyroll. Let cool completely.

Caviar filling: 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 2 tablespoons sour cream 5 ounces caviar (red or black) Beat the cream cheese and sour cream until soft and fluffy. Gently fold in the caviar. Spread the filling evenly over the jellyroll. Then, carefully roll the jellyroll beginning at one end of the 11inch side. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for at least 3 hours.

To serve, remove the wrapping and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices and arrange on a platter. ap

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13

les artistes

14

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Coming Into the Light Once too bashful to share her work with the Acadiana art community, artist Gwen Voorhies' exploration in brighter colors reflects deep thought and humble confidence.

BY WILLIAM KALEC The shyness – the invisible but menacing barrier that blanketed the understated brilliance of Gwen Voorhies’ paintings from the eyes of everyone for so long – hasn’t disappeared entirely. It's still there, just underneath the surface of her psyche, an insecurity she’s done her best to subdue.

That’s why it’s still hard to talk about her work, uncomfortable even. If you wanna email, that’d be fine.

Ask (or type) anything you want. Through that medium, she can explain her artistic concepts and thought processes without sounding so damn righteous. She hates that. It feels forced. It feels braggadocious.

“I wouldn’t even know what to say,” Voorhies laments.

“I couldn’t even show (my work) for a long time. I didn’t feel like an artist. I felt artificial. It seems contradictory that I’d be painting really strong but feel insecure in showing my work, but I think that had a lot to do with fear of criticism.”

When asked how long she kept her pieces to herself, Voorhies sighs before sharing, “It took me 35 years before I was confident enough.”

Thus, at an age when many artists’ careers have wandered off on various tangential detours only to come back full-circle to their strengths, Voorhies sheepishly admits she’s taking her first professional turn. She’s delving into the use of brighter colors, now.

There’s symbolism in the switch, she shares. For so long, Voorhies exclusively dabbed her brush in dark, earthy paints, creating landscape scenes of majestic, yet haunting places.

“Looking back, you can tell when artists go through a traumatic experience,” Voorhies says. “There’s a parallel in their tone and in their feelings – at least there was for

me. It shows up in their work whether they can talk about it or not, it’s their authenticity coming through.

“I remember taking a workshop with Elemore Morgan, and I remember my daughter was in the hospital, and there wasn’t anything I could do to help that situation, so everything I painted was dark and depressing. He kept saying, ‘You’re boxing it in. You’re trying to control it.’ I had no control over what was happening to her so I was putting that control in my painting.

“And so now, there’s a parallel with the color shift and the changes in my life. The darkness has been lifted.”

Yet the shyness persists. While painting is undeniably Voorhies’ passion, it remained her dirty little secret for decades. It’s hard to explain, she says. In front of a blank canvas, she brims with confidence. There’s no hesitance in her strokes and few pauses once the artistic process has started. She works fast. Faster than most, for sure.

But put her in front of that same canvas – now filled and hanging on a wall – and Voorhies' insecurities surface.

For instance, the second painting she ever finished won a regional high school art award, yet Voorhies decided not to keep the piece. When Voorhies finally jumped into the deep local pool of painters, those close to her had no clue she even liked art, let alone that she possessed the talent necessary to create it. A couple years ago, one of Voorhies’ friends thought she was pulling a prank when she showed her recently-completed website featuring the vast catalog of her work.

“We can paint beautiful paintings, but people can look at it and hate them. It’s kind of scary,” Voorhies says. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been painting for 50 years; it matters if it touches them. So if you’re not confident and self-assured, if you’re insecure and a

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15

les artistes

little bit shy, that’s holds you back tremendously. I was lucky that it didn’t show in my work, but it showed up when I tried to talk about it and explain what I was trying to do.

“You almost have to turn it off. For a while there I would show my work but didn’t care if anybody liked it. I just painted and painted and painted, and it didn’t even matter if I liked it for a while there. I had to put it out there and work through this fear and overcome it.

You know what they say about face your fears? I had to overcome it.”

The result? A previously unforeseen collection of landscapes and portraits that the local art community has embraced. Typically, Voorhies visits the places she paints, snapping a picture only when the conditions are unbearable (which is often in the merciless Louisiana summer.)

The Acadiana topography – heavy earth tones topped with stretching shadows – lent itself to Voorhies' fondness of dark colors.

But considering her shift in mood and style, Voorhies has wandered inside and outside the region to find settings more conducive to the other end of the color spectrum.

“They’re brighter for me, but I like subtlety.

The colors are still sophisticated but they’re brighter. Not these dark browns and greens,” she says. “It’s a lot of soft, neutral colors. I like that because it’s very soothing and calming and that’s what I want people to get from my work.

I want them to enjoy getting into the landscape and feel like they can go in and sit, you know?

And when I paint a figure in my landscape I want them to know what that person is thinking. That they’re kind of comfortable in that space and in deep thought.” ap 16

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portrait by Travis gauthier

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19

la maison

Sanctuary on the Water's Edge A Lafayette physician designs a home to evolve with her young family.

By Lisa leblanc–berry Photographed by chad chenier 20

December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

As much as Nicholas and Maria Doucet love to travel abroad and escape to their vacation house on False River in Point Coupée Parish for occasional jetskiing, they equally enjoy coming home to their elegant, three-story mansion in River Ranch. With highly demanding careers, the Doucets view their primary residence in Lafayette as a cherished haven for spending quality time with their three children, ages 15, 13 and 9. “River Ranch is such a great place to raise children,” Maria says. “There are things they can do with their friends that are within walking distance. It’s the house where all the kids tend to accumulate.”

Situated on a graceful bend in the Vermilion River, the stunning 9,000-squarefoot home is at once exuberant and appealing. It entices children of all ages with a massive all-glass great room featuring 26-foot-tall, coffered ceilings and a panoramic view of the river that spans the entire rear of the residence.

The duality between Old World and modern comes to life in the compelling architectural elements of the palatial home, which is child-friendly yet extravagant.

Maria, a physician, relied on her innate flair for decorating and years of extensive research to design the house, which was completed in 2008.

“There aren’t that many homes built like this in Lafayette, with that very broad, unrestricted view and the distinct architecture,” says builder Gayle Carmouche, president and owner of La Fosse Construction. She has been designing custom homes in Lafayette and Baton Rouge for the past 30 years.

“The house really stands out. In the front, it’s a classic plantation-style home, but in the back, it is more contemporary, so it is actually a mixture of two different styles. Maria was very organized with her concepts that she presented to me,” Carmouche says. “There was never a hiccup from start to finish.” Also on board for the project was architect Edson Davis of Edson Davis Design, Inc., known for his work with such traditional neighborhood developments as River Ranch and Sugar Mill Pond in Youngsville. To assist with embellishment of the interior, Maria hired Judi Bolgiano of Bolgiano Custom Homes and Finishes.

“I wanted to design a house that had something for everyone, something that could evolve as the children transition their interests while growing older,” Maria says.

Placing emphasis on creating a house that had a generous child-friendly living area, while retaining more formal spaces for elegant parties, Maria designed the great room, kitchen and breakfast room, guest wing and master suite wing to open onto deep porches that surround the back of the house. An expansive veranda gives way to a gated courtyard accentuated by lush foliage. It leads to an elevated outdoor kitchen complete with chandeliers, a fireplace, a flat-screen television and a dining area. A magnificent pool and winding gardens add to the relaxed outdoor living room ambience.

A jet fountain lights up the pool spa for evening entertainment. A Brazilian quartzite pool surround from Massimo Exotic Granite and Marble connects to a veranda overlooking the Vermilion River.

Graceful brass and crystal sconces from Brocante French Country Antiques flank the 16-foot-tall glass French doors that open onto a deep porch, pool area and luxurious courtyard.

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la maison

Top: The stately residence combines Old World charm with modern amenities, including a sound-proof music room designed with 17-year-old musician-athlete Nicholas Doucet Jr. in mind. Bottom: An antique iron chandelier adorned with 32 rose petal candelabras illuminates the gazebo/loggia.

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An electric gate at the front of the property opens onto an auto port and parking plaza.

The stately plantation-style entrance and foyer lead to the formal dining room that is situated across from a study where Nicholas and Maria wind down most evenings. “At the end of the day, when the children are asleep, we are in the study at the partner’s desk facing each other and working on different projects. That’s probably our best quality time of all!” Maria remarks.

“This house is a wonderful place to enjoy as a sanctuary after a busy day. It not only reflects our individual personalities and interests, but also displays the many places we have traveled through the years,” she says.

A prominent head and neck surgeon, author and television personality, Maria was elected as president of the Lafayette Parish Medical Society in November 2013. Nicholas heads the Lafayette satellite office of Barkley and Thompson, a distinguished New Orleans-based law firm. The power couple is devoted to regularly hosting functions at their home for numerous social and charitable organizations, especially around the holidays, when they erect a 24-foot-tall Christmas tree trimmed with Victorian angels, miniature chandeliers and fresh flowers.

Traditionally, the UL Lafayette choral gathers to sing on the upstairs balcony bedecked with garlands and ribbons for the Doucets' posh holiday galas. “I love our house during Christmas. It’s so festive and magical. We always decorate early for the season. For the Carnival season, we celebrate with parties and are involved in several krewes, but we usually skip town right before Mardi Gras.”

During parties, guests enjoy visiting in the large, open kitchen, with its charming French stove topped with a fanciful mantel that wraps around two corbels and an intricate clay hood that was custom-carved by a local artisan. “I love to cook and make bread from scratch when I have the time.

But these days, I mostly use the stove for baking cookies! We bring in caterers for the parties.”

Maria carefully pondered the décor of each room throughout the five-bedroom residence while construction was underway, starting with the dining room. “It’s the most important room in

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la maison

the house,” she says. “The dining room table was the very first piece of furniture I bought when we began building the house in 2007. It seats 24 people. I have an older sister and three younger brothers with 17 children between us.” she explains.

“When we all get together, we have our own football team and our own talent show!”

A dazzling chandelier, obtained from a cathedral, illuminates the room with candles. “We use the dining room frequently.

I think it’s important for my children to practice etiquette regularly, not just for special occasions. It’s important that they know where the knives and forks go.” A natural hostess, she began teaching each child how to set the table at a young age.

“It’s wonderful that we have such a close relationship with our children,” Maria emphasizes. “My husband and son are musically inclined, and one of my daughters has turned out to be a very good singer, so we now have a music room with a stage and around 15 guitars. They can play like they are rock stars! We put on skits and have a lot of fun laughing at ourselves. My middle daughter is an avid reader whose first book was published at age 9, so we created a large, floor-toceiling Beauty and the Beast style library and gallery that wraps around the upstairs of the house. For the ballerinas, we have an exercise room for practicing stretches and have now put all the dolls away that were in there. We’ve tried to incorporate everyone’s interests as they grow older, so our house is continually evolving.”

Other than the exquisite quartzite flooring from Brazil that Maria selected for the kitchen, and the travertine floors in the master bath, the house is fashioned with solid mahogany floors throughout. “I don’t like the look of long leaf antique pine,” she 24

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explains. “It’s not formal enough for the look of the house.”

Great attention was placed on the décor of the master suite, which includes an airy, hexagonal sunroom that overlooks the river. “I had our mahogany bed custom-made,” Maria says.

“The main bedspread is adorned with draperies that resemble valences; it is very Versailles. We went to Paris twice this summer and visited Versailles. The Hall of Mirrors was spectacular ... For our bedroom, I couldn’t go for the entire wall filled with mirrors, of course, but I liked the appearance of that type of wall, so I was trying to incorporate that look without being too overpowering.”

Maria designed similar panels for the master bedroom that recall the ornate antique originals as seen in France.

“My most cherished pieces of all are the books we publish from our family vacations every year as coffee table adornments,” Maria concludes. “Our house is a home full of children, family, friends and enough wonderful memories to fill a lifetime. We find many reasons to celebrate life every day.” ap

Top left: The open floorplan features a gourmet European-style kitchen that connects to a breakfast area and great room. Top right: Standing beside the cast stone mantel (left to right) are 9-year-old singer-ballerina Katherine with her mother, Maria, and her nationally ranked equestrianauthor sister, Alexandra. Bottom: A gold-and-crimson Aubusson rug from Cyrus Persian Rugs complements a gilded mirror (left) and tapestry (right) that were recently purchased in Paris. Artist Khu Dan painted the portrait atop the mantel depicting the Doucet children when the home was built. ABOVE: Intricate cornices constructed from Parisian antique grates were welded to accommodate silk custom draperies that flank an unusually tall custom bed by Maitland-Smith in the master suite.

The off-white gilded loveseat from Brocante lends a regal touch. The custom Versailles wall plaques by Maitland-Smith herald a time-honored expression in French interior design. www.acadianaprofile.com | december 2013/january 2014

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SPIRITED DRINKS FOR THE ACADIANA WINTER

BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY PHOTOS BY TRAVIS GAUTHIER

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aby, it’s cold outside. It’s gumbo weather, hunting season, and Carnival time is just around the corner. The bars are hopping from Lake Charles to Houma, and we have a greater diversity of bar options, well-trained bartenders creating snazzy new drinks, and new locally made spirits to look forward to in 2014.

Acadiana’s cocktail culture is flourishing this time of year, heightened by Christmas celebrations, New Year’s Eve bashes and all the Carnival balls and parties leading up to Fat Tuesday on March 4. From the Krewe of Carnivale en Rio ball in Lafayette on Jan. 4 to Twelfth Night featuring 50 krewes promenading in Lake Charles and the Krewe of Andalusia’s glitzy 75th anniversary pageant in New Iberia held Jan. 18, there’s a whole lot of partying and cork-popping going on along the bayous.

New distilleries are thriving, rum is flowing like a waterfall, and good bartenders are almost as popular as crooked politicians these days. There is a bar for just about everyone and every occasion. We often take for granted our impressive variety of original Louisiana drinks like the Sazerac, which I’d prefer to enjoy while relaxing near a roaring fire at Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro in Lafayette, or at the circa-1890s Alligator Bar in St. Martinville. It’s a sight better than sipping hot buttered rum after shivering on a Colorado ski slope (where I lived for a season), or downing a bone luge, that ridiculous drink which requires imbibing a shot of alcohol through a cleaned-out shank bone, a trend that started in Portland, Ore., last year. Our capable Acadiana bartenders continue to spare us from such recent national trends, including dressing up your drink with those eye-candy foams and gelatins, pushing mixed drinks on tap rather than hand-crafted ones, making cocktails with lowalcohol ingredients that resemble spiked salads and succumbing to the recent resurgence of peddling sherry. Here in Acadiana, we’re safe from such nonsense.

The trends we are seeing currently in South Louisiana are led by an increase in the popularity of locally made rum by Acadiana entrepreneurs, in part thanks to Bill 64 that was passed by the Louisiana Senate giving distillers the right to sell their spirits directly to consumers in small quantities. This includes Donner-Peltier Distillers’s Rougaroux Rum, Louisiana Spirits’ Bayou Rum and Rank Wildcat’s Sweet Crude Rum. Flavored whiskeys and small batch bourbons are also hot in the bayou state, although flavored vodka is still king of the road.

For the first time since Prohibition, aged whiskey is being made in Louisiana, and it’s all happening in Thibodeaux at Donner-Peltier Distillery, which announced the debut of their LA-1 in December, while the new batch of Rougaroux 13 Pennies, a praline-flavored rum with a faint bitterness, is still being worked on and will be available in the coming months, according to officer manager Taryn Clement.

“We’re getting more pecans from a different pecan farm so that it comes off as more sweet,” she says. “But it’s

not like Captain Morgan, which is really sweet.” David Meaux, co-owner of Rank Wildcat, which is Acadiana’s first micro-distillery based out of Lafayette, notes that his rum is made with local sugarcane. “We make more of a French-style rum than a British rum made with molasses.

Other local distilleries are using a product from a different stage of the product than we are utilizing. We strictly use fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice with no flavors added, and we cut it with purified water. We hit shelves a year ago, and now we’re in over 100 stores throughout the state.”

“More white spirits like gin and vodka are consumed during the warmer months, and brown spirits such as Cognac and American whiskey are consumed during the cooler months,” explains Chris Smith, the district sales manager of Glazers of Louisiana, one of the largest distributors of spirits and wine in the state.

“Vodka is the largest category, followed by whiskey in cases sold. Confectionary flavors like whipped cream, cake and recent additions such as cinnamon twist and wild honey are made by the leader in the industry, Smirnoff Vodka,” Smith says. “Whiskey’s growth in the last couple of years includes jumping on the flavor trend with the additions of honey, cinnamon and maple.

“Crown Royal is the largest selling spirit in Louisiana and the first to market this maple flavor,” he continues. “Every large bourbon house has constructed its own line of small batch bourbons, and Bulleit bourbon is one of the top leading small batch bourbons. All of this innovation has made it a dream for bartenders to get creative in making new cocktails.”

You can find such hand-crafted cocktails, old favorites and some of our locally made rum at the finer bars that we recommend, while the more casual neighborhood joints we suggest offer friendly bartenders and good vibes that are guaranteed to warm you up and enliven your party on a cold winter’s night.

Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro

507 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette (337) 706-8544

With a marvelous, flickering fire in a hearth that is situated near the bar, the elegant Jolie’s is enhanced with paintings by George Rodrigue and attracts patrons ranging from young professionals to a sophisticated older crowd.

Wednesdays are great because the appetizers and drinks are half price all night long, according to spirits manager Tanner Ducote, who created the popular Tender Flock cocktail (made with cognac, Dijon mustard and rosemaryinfused simple syrup) for winter imbibing and the Fall Invasion (made with apple brandy, a little ginger liqueur and holiday spices including grated nutmeg). Both drinks will warm you up in a jiffy. Ducote notes that their most popular winter drinks are the Sazerac (not too sweet is the key) and an impeccable Old Fashioned. The house-made mixers are from local, seasonal ingredients and reflect the

farm-to-table concept of the award-winning restaurant.

You can enjoy a full dinner menu at the bar. Tip: Try the foie gras and figs, quail gumbo and the succulent whole redfish wrapped in house bacon.

Blue Dog Café

1211 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette (337) 237-0005

A fun, casual bar just down the street from Jolie’s, featuring more of those famous George Rodrigue paintings and a generous happy hour weekdays that is highlighted by two-for-one mixed drinks and delicious appetizers such as smoked duck quesadillas, seafood wontons with a plum ginger sauce, crab cakes and seafood stuffed mushrooms.

Jazz, blues and acoustic music attracts locals ThursdaySaturday nights. The place is packed for Sunday brunch, so come early.

Charley G’s

3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Lafayette (337) 981-0108

A popular, romantic place to meet in the evening featuring live piano music Thursday-Saturday and a happy hour MondayFriday, this upscale, well-staffed bar, surrounded by frosted glass partitions, has several intimate candlelit booths, an impressive assortment of specialty liquors and liqueurs, and a wine list with more than 100 options by the bottle and the glass.

It’s a good spot to land after shopping at the nearby Acadiana Mall. I like to warm up with a steaming bowl of their duck and andouille gumbo or the white bean soup with boar sausage and the delicious chopped short rib French dip sandwich with caramelized onions, white remoulade and shiraz jus that is served during lunch. For a bit of holiday cheer, try the Georgia Peach cocktail, fashioned with peach vodka, cranberry and orange juice and a hint of lime. There's good Irish coffee, too.

Tsunami

412 Jefferson St., Lafayette| (337) 234-3474

The sleek and sexy lounge at Tsunami has soft lights, black chandeliers, Brazilian granite countertops and a front patio for mingling and smoking. According to awardwinning bartender Marshall Kemp, the signature cocktails that are popular during the winter months include chocolate martinis and they also make a terrific Old Fashioned here. The bar offers all the locally made rums. “Vodka is a top seller right now. And once it starts getting cold, the hot sake starts flowing fast. I’ll put a splash of raspberry liqueur, blackberry liqueur or pineapple juice in the sake,” he says. “We’re experimenting with Bayou Spiced and Bayou Silver Rum with the new Swamp Pop praline cream sodas for the holidays. We’re working on creating a drink list with all the flavors.” Fine cognacs and champagne are available for those special occasions.

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Pamplona Tapas Bar

631 Jefferson St., Lafayette | (337) 232-0070

Graze on tapas, drink a little sangria and enjoy some pre-prohibition style cocktails, a specialty here. Tip: try Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon. Everything is fresh and house-made including the bitters and syrups. Check out the TIXA wine system. Bartender Casey Granger rolled out a new cocktail menu recently featuring 10 new cocktails. “For the winter, I like to make a cocktail with pecan vodka, sweet vermouth, chocolate bitters, coffee bitters and a little vanilla extract. The pecan flavor really comes out. We have a great atmosphere and a mixed age group here.”

Prejean’s

3480 N.E. Evangeline Throughway, Lafayette | (337) 896-3247

Lafayette has numerous live music bars, but this is the best place to go for Cajun dancing, serious cocktails and authentic Cajun food prepared by a top chef. A great place to bring a large group, Prejean’s has hosted famous actors, writers, governors and other celebs through the years. Put on your dancing shoes, because the nightly live Cajun music will make you jump up and shake your tail feathers. Cozy up to the bar for mixed drinks, local beers, and be sure to sample the outstanding gumbo. Also check out the Oyster Saxophone nestled in a pirogue, and the Carencro mixed grill. Prejean’s now holds the record for the most medals captured by any culinary team in the South. Their pheasant and quail gumbo is a favorite at Jazz Fest each year.

POUR and VILLAGE CAFÉ

605 Silverstone Road in River Ranch, Lafayette (337) 981-8085

Village Café’s sister concept in the Town Square of River Ranch, Pour is a small, charming wine bar offering the best selection of wines in the city and a self-serve system (you can try as many wines as you like by the taste, half glass or full glass). The hand-crafted cocktails are made with fresh ingredients (the list is divided into four categories: easygoing, complex and layered, boozy and intriguing, and dessert).

Start the evening with drinks at Pour, followed by dinner at Village Café, which garnered Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence and is now offering brunch. Try the rabbit boudin balls, seared foie gras, Gulf snapper with fried green tomatoes, and for your inner child, the yummy Swamp Pop Praline Cream Soda Float. It’s always cool when concerts are being performed in the square.

Ruth’s Chris STeak house

620 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette | (337) 237-6123

If you want to see local heavy weights cutting deals over lunch, stop in at the handsome bar and observe all the silk suits. Ruth's Chris is known for its sizzling steaks, but it should also be known for the bar’s Sizzle, Swizzle and Swirl $7 happy hour menu, offered Monday-Friday evenings. It features mouth-watering nibbles such as tenderloin skewers, prime sliders and two-fisted, vintage-inspired cocktails.

Try the Pomegranate Martini, Ruth’s Manhattan, Classic Cosmo and the stiff Moscow Mule. Elegant and intimate, the popular bar attracts a well-heeled crowd. Located near Acadian Village and the Acadiana Center for the Arts.

Jefferson Street Pub

500 Jefferson St., Lafayette | (337) 232-5040

Recently acquired by new owners, the casual gastro-pub, frequented by a youthful college crowd, serves a good Irish coffee, the famous Vegas Bomb and the Sidecar cocktail made with cognac and triple sec that will warm you up when the wind is blowing, plus late-night chocolate bread pudding and other goodies until 2 a.m. Popular for its live music on Thursdays, the bar also attracts sports fans with its flatscreen televisions. Instant parties happen after ULL home games and LSU games. .

Corner Bar

1700 Chemin Metairie road, Youngsville (337) 451-4149

The new Corner Bar in Youngsville is owned by Stanley Lerille (son of Red Lerille of the eponymous Health and Racquet Club). Stan is the proprietor of the original Corner Bar in Lafayette. The 3,000-square-foot Youngsville bar features 13 jefferson street pub

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touchet's bar

flat-screen TVs inside, another one on the 50-seat patio, and there are also TVs in both bathrooms – “so you don’t miss the game,” Lirelle explains.

Staffed by a dozen female bartenders, the casual watering hole features a painting of an old wino by Olivia LeBlanc and a good jukebox. It's also popular with athletes, a tradition that started years ago in Lafayette. Runners and bikers are offered beer on the house, mostly on Thursday nights. The nearby, new multi-million-dollar, 70-acre sports complex is slated to open in early 2014.

Route 92 Bar

2600 East Milton Ave., Youngsville (337) 857-5025

Live music and pool tournaments draw crowds at this large, rustic bar that is popular with Youngsville residents and folks from Lafayette. Low ceilings, seven pool tables, picnic tables on a covered front porch, and spacious terrazzo floors for dancing. Last time I visited, Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie were playing on a Sunday, when oysters on the halfshell were $8 a dozen. Good Bloody Marys are served. One of the partners of Shuck’s Seafood Patio in Abbeville owns Route 92, which is why the oysters are fresh and delicious.

Wawee’s on the River

411 W. Milton Ave., Milton | (337) 856-8336

If you have a boat, pull it up to Wawee’s bar on the Vermilion River and enjoy the big outdoor deck, stiff cocktails, live blues jams, tasty Cajun vittles and locals. This out-of-the-way joint is a fun spot to land on weekends, especially for boaters.

Fezzo’s Seafood Steakhouse and Oyster Bar

720 S. Frontage Road, Scott | (337) 261-2464 2111 N. Cherokee Drive, Crowley | (337) 783-5515

The second location in Scott is my favorite (the original is in Crowley). It’s an upscale yet casual place to meet up with friends. You can watch games at the sports bar while feasting on chargrilled oysters, oysters Rockefeller, delicious shrimp and okra gumbo, flame-grilled steaks and other delectable offerings from the extensive Cajun menu. The restaurant is accented with brick walls, ceiling fans and a spacious, covered front porch rimmed with plantation columns. I like to get a cup of crawfish bisque and half of the Craig’s poor boy, made with shrimp, oysters and crawfish laced with a creamy sauce for lunch. “We have a really friendly staff, a lot of smiling faces and a relaxed atmosphere,” says catering and marketing director Renee Hernandez. The Crowley location has a giant stuffed alligator and big, beautiful oak trees at the entrance and a sleek bar serving excellent drinks.

City Bar

8401 Maurice Ave. (Highway 167), Maurice | (337) 893-1968

You just never know who you will run into that will be nursing a hangover at this famous little watering hole in Maurice. The Cajun Bloody Marys are popular with Lafayette lawyers, businessmen, politicos, good old boys and folks stopping in on their way to Lafayette and beyond. Be sure to stop in at Hebert’s Meat Market before or after a cocktail and get some boudin to go. During the holidays, this meat market is the best place in Acadiana, hands-down, that makes turduckens. (Note: Watch out for the fuzz, because this little stretch of highway in the middle of town is a famous speed trap, and they will pop out of the bushes quicker than you can blink.)

Touchet’s Bar

7490 Highway 167, Maurice | (337) 893-9882

A rustic little joint not far from City Bar, Touchet's is just on the outskirts of Maurice. Open since 1962, the bar used to offer some great homemade gumbo, but now the staff hosts cracklin’ cook-off parties a couple times a year (as a fundraiser), and they set up spacious tents on the side of the place. During the open jam sessions, celebrity Cajun musicians often show up and play, so it’s always a treat.

The drinks are well-made and inexpensive, there’s a small dance floor, and the regulars are ultra-friendly. Owner Derek Touchet inherited the bar from his father. “It used to be a gas station, a bar and a barber shop when my grandfather opened it,” he says.

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clementine's

Clementine’s dining & Spirits

113 E. Main St., New Iberia | (337) 560-1007

This has always been one of my favorite places to enjoy cocktails on a Friday night during the holidays and the weeks leading up to Carnival, when the balls and parties are in full swing. Named for folk artist Clementine Hunter, whose works appear in the restaurant, it is owned by Wayne Peltier, a gifted cook who has shared some great holiday recipes with me (though he’s not the chef here). Sit at the turn-of-thecentury mahogany bar, order your favorite cocktail (all are expertly made), and munch on bar bites such as Cajun wontons stuffed with spicy crawfish boudin that will stoke your internal furnace.

La Poussiere

1215 Grand Pointe Ave., Breaux Bridge (337) 332-1721

The most famous bar in Breaux Bridge, of course, is Café des Amis (similar to Fred’s in Mamou), where the Saturday morning zydeco brunch draws a lineup of people outside the door who are waiting for seats and drinks, starting at 7 a.m. (tiny dance floor, however); second to that in popularity is the old Mulate’s, which used to attract all those tour buses. But for something less touristy and more authentic, I prefer the 50-year-old, no-frills La Poussiere. It’s strictly a locals bar (no food) and attracts an older crowd that enjoys waltzing to the old-timey Cajun bands on the spacious wooden dance floor. Drinks come in small plastic cups, but the bartenders are generous with their booze, and the prices can’t be beat.

Nash’s

Fremin’s restaurant

101 E. Second St., Broussard | (337) 839-9333

402 W. Third St., Thibodaux | (985) 449-0333

Festively decorated for the holidays, this is a beautiful, charming place to take family and friends for the best cocktails around. First time I reviewed Nash’s, I was told that it is haunted, and recently, the owner’s wife told me that the little boy (a ghost) was “at it again,” upsetting things in the kitchen in broad daylight and annoying the staff. New Orleans restaurateur Nash Barreca, the proprietor, used to run Barreca’s, the former seafood restaurant on Metairie Road that is now a special events venue. The handsome, elegant bar is softly lit and flanks the restaurant, which has a wraparound, glassed-in porch overlooking camellias and oak trees. It offers great signature cocktails, top-shelf liquor and liqueurs, plus a hit parade of Louisiana classics. The bar is popular for private parties this time of the year. Order a stiff Old Fashioned followed by the double-bone French centercut pork chops with rich fig demi-glacé, yams and dirty rice

Housed in one of Thibodaux’s historic landmarks (formerly the Roth Drugstore, built in 1878), Fremin’s features a beveled glass and mahogany storefront and the original pressed tin ceiling on the first floor, while the second floor has a wrap-around wrought-iron balcony. A handsome, solid mahogany bar on the first floor features an extensive drink menu with specialty cocktails. Ask for bartender Luke Peloquin, who is also the mixologist for the Donner-Peltier Distillery, where he creates cocktail recipes for their various spirits. Luke makes terrific eggnog during the holidays, topped with whipped cream. He created the Follies of Fall cocktail, a hot drink that will warm you up, made with Rougaroux Full Moon, 13 Pennies, and Sugarshine rums, apple cider and apple juice, honey, a split vanilla bean, cloves, cinnamon and ground nutmeg, garnished with apple rings. His wife is sous chef at the elegant restaurant, which serves

and you’ll be singing "fa-la-la" all the way home.

gourmet Creole-Italian fare.

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Cristiano Ristorante

Luna Bar and Grill

A popular restaurant with a romantic bar in the heart of Houma, Cristiano’s is embellished with a patio rimmed with palm trees and twinkling lights, while the living-room style bar is set up with deep leather chairs and sofas that invite guests to linger over cozy winter cocktails. The proprietors also own two restaurants in New Orleans: Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street and Dick and Jenny's on Tchoupitoulas Street.

The large bar on Ryan Street, which is where it’s all happening these days, is designed with exposed brick and a patio, and it showcases works by local artists. The bartenders whip up delicious cocktails, and there is live music most evenings. Luna has reasonable prices, casual food and overall good vibes.

The Boxer and the Barrel

100 N. Main St., St. Martinville | (337) 342-2593

724 High St., Houma | (985) 223-1130

7817 W. Main St., Houma | (985) 262-0583

This funky live music dive featuring indie rock, open mic Tuesdays and games on Sundays serves up some pretty good margaritas and hurricanes. Burgers and bar food prepared at The Duke (try the buffalo fries topped with popcorn chicken and bacon, drenched in sauce and finished with blue cheese) tend to satiate those with the munchies, waiting for those thumping sets to begin.

Bar Roussel

7887 Main St., Houma | (985) 655-7890

A great date place, the elegant, upscale cocktail lounge offers excellent hand-crafted cocktails (everything is made from scratch) in a smoke-free environment, with an Internet juke box and a lovely patio. Your best bet for a soul-warming winter drink: Check out two versions of the Southern Gentleman cocktail made with bourbon, fresh blackberries and basil over ice, or bourbon, orange chipotle syrup and bitters over crushed ice. Soft lighting creates a sexy ambience.

719 Ryan St., Lake Charles | (337) 494-5862

Alligator Bar

Owners Bob and Charmaine Savasten (she’s the head chef of La Maison, which occupies half of the building that houses the Alligator Bar) just happened upon this neglected 10,000-square-foot place after retiring to St. Martinville from Oklahoma in 2006. They fell in love with it and decided to embark on an extensive restoration of the landmark, which is the largest downtown structure, overlooking a 250-yearold church. The unique, all-cypress, 35-seat circa-1890s bar is topped with alligator skin and is popular among judges, lawyers and doctors. “We serve 50 different martinis and 66 kinds of beer, and can make anything you want,” says Bob. “We serve Absinthe, traditional Sazeracs and we are one of the only bars around that serves the Obituary Cocktail, a New Orleans drink from the 1920s.” A gathering place for numerous citywide functions, there is live music on Friday nights includes swamp pop, zydeco and Cajun bands. “This place is fun for Mardi Gras, because the parades pass right in front.” Bob says. “We enjoy being an integral part of the community and having a great place without having to go to New Orleans or Lafayette.” ap

Cypress Bayou Casino

832 Martin Luther King Road, Charenton (337) 923-7284

You can enter this beautiful casino and hotel and never come out. It features no fewer than seven restaurants, in addition to several bars and places to hear music. Be sure to check out Mr. Lester’s, a high-end steakhouse with serious cocktails; RIKRAK, an upscale sushi restaurant with a sleek bar; Loco Mexican Grill & Cantina with its super margaritas; and Bocat’s, a cool oyster bar serving good drinks. ROX is the upscale nightclub, featuring some great live entertainment every weekend plus national acts; The Pavilion is a concert venue showcasing the likes of Charlie Daniel, Lionel Richie, and Irma Thomas, while Loco offers live music on Wednesday and Thursday nights. You’ll find superb cocktails and live music any day of the week, plus the gaming is always there to tempt you into possibly winning a bundle before heading to the next lively spot. One of the many perks is that it’s super easy to meet people here.

alligator bar

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GEORGIE MANUEL

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Wherever Mardi Gras is celebrated, the mask is key. Behind the best masks, they can’t tell whether you are laughing or crying. They can’t tell how absolutely drunk you are. The mask helps erase consequence. “Riders want folks to say, ‘Well, I didn’t see you on Mardi Gras!,’” claims Iota Louisiana mask-maker Jackie Miller. “Then they can say, ‘Oh, yes, you did; you just didn’t recognize me.’”

In South Louisiana, myriad small communities celebrate French-inspired Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Runs through their towns. On horseback, flatbed trucks and ATVs, hordes of colorfully garbed riders blaze through the middle of big, Cajun crowds while singing, shouting and begging for nickels, trinkets and ingredients for a gumbo meal to be shared by the community later that night. The runs’ overlords (the capitaines) wear traditional wild, flashy robes and pointed hats called capuchin, while barking instructions to their foolish riders. The capitaines leave their faces exposed to let everyone know who is in charge. The drunken, debauched riders, however, hide their human identities behind various parish-specific masks made and molded out of wire mesh.

[

masks. “The aluminum is more flexible to your face,” she says. “[Riders] used to use just screen, but back then they were riding on horses and going slow. Now we’re going 55 [miles per hour] in a truck down a trail, and it’s cold, so I cover my masks completely with stuff, to make them warmer.” Trahan also sets her masks apart with the addition of soft-sculpture mouths, and noses such as her special croquecignole (doughnut) nose, which Trahan says is reminiscent of wire masks made in the 1940s.

The most famous and well-documented of these wire mask makers are Allen and Georgie Manuel of Eunice, whose ancestors have been making masks and running

THE STORY BEHIND CAJUN MARDI GRAS MASKS [BY

MICHAEL

PAT R I C K

WELCH

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PHOTOGRAPHS

BY

ROMERO

The wire masks of Church Point, for instance, are known to be plain, featuring regular human noses. Their capuchin are not as tall. Basile’s masks have no nose, just simple, colorful stylized features painted directly onto the screen.

Unlike other mask-makers, Lou Trahan covers her masks with colored felt, yarn, buttons, lace and other knickknacks. For 20 years, Trahan has been one of two people making traditional wire masks for the Egan community southwest-ish of Iota, between Crowley and Jennings. Egan happily stands in the shadow of the much larger Tee Mamou parade just to the west. She began making masks for her husband and two boys to wear while running with Mermentau. Of course, admiring friends soon wanted their own masks, which Trahan obligingly made.

“Egan kind of slowed down for a few years there,” remembers Trahan.

“They had a disease in the horses and so went to trucks, but then they disappeared. Then about eight years ago the descendants started it up again.” Trahan continues to utilize aluminum window screen for her

&

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the Courir de Mardi Gras since the 1930s.

“My inlaws were big into the women’s run,” says Georgie. “And my grandmother, who also ran with the women, was a costume maker, so when our family needed costumes we got down to the nitty gritty. But then we started going into New Orleans for their Mardi Gras,” recalls Manuel, who says that over the next few decades Eunice’s tradition fell into decline.

In the early '70s though, the Manuels chose to stay in Eunice for Mardi Gras and encouraged their neighbors to help resuscitate the traditional Courir de Mardi Gras.

“Why take the kids to the city when there is so much history and culture right here?”

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she says. “Then because we did it, a lot of other people did it too. It just takes somebody to keep at it and keep pushing it.”

The Manuel family can be partially credited with what is now again a huge celebration in Eunice, with thousands of participants and more than 500 riders on horseback.

Manuel’s wire masks are distinct for keeping closest to the original, turn-ofthe-century style. “I’m a history buff, and a romantic at heart,” says Manuel. “If the tradition of Mardi Gras is hundreds of years old, we need to stay as close as we can. I have about two-dozen masks in my collection from prior to the 1900s and they just give off an aura and a style that shouldn’t be changed.” As a result, Manuel’s masks are more or less flat, their stylized facial features applied with paint. None of them have noses. “I might add trim or fringe but usually only on re-

LOU TRAHAN

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December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

quest,” says Manuel, who continues to make masks every year. Her work can also be seen in exhibits in locales as disparate as Maryland, Holland and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Her work has been featured in books including A Unique Slant of Light: The Bicentennial Art and Weird Louisiana. Her work can be seen at the Presbytere of the St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans and in the permanent exhibit at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice.

Tee Mamou, west of Iota, boasts one of the oldest Mardi Gras groups, which has never stopped running since the Acadians first arrived in Louisiana. Women run Courir de Mardi Gras on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, children run on Sunday, and the men run on Mardi Gras proper.

Unlike other areas where the women do most of the mask-making, everyone in the Tee Mamou community makes wire masks. But Jackie Miller of Iota has nonetheless been Tee Mamou’s recognized queen of traditional wire masking ever since her sons – now in their 50s – first began running Mardi Gras as kids.

“When folks were first wearing these masks back in France,” explains Miller, “they didn’t want to be identified as they were going around begging from people they knew. They were proud people and didn’t want to be humiliated. That’s also why they performed; to sort of earn what they were given. Now the mask is just pay-acting, for the element of surprise.”

Whereas other southern Louisiana Mardi Gras celebrations invite the whole community to run, Tee Mamou is more particular. “You have to be part of the group,” says Miller. “You have to go to the meetings, join the group, learn the song and have the proper dress. Meaning the masks have to be screen-based.” Tee Mamou masks are traditionally characterized by long noses and brightly colored decoration, but Miller says the design has evolved.

“Years ago, the masks used to have beards and hair made out of horsehair and whatever else you could find around the house -- whereas now we can just buy wigs. At first we had to sew a lot of the stuff on there, but now we use glue guns, plus we have access to more trim and braid than when I first started. And since riders wear the masks for so long, we just try to make them a little more comfortable now.

“Through the years I’ve developed my own style,” adds Miller, whose masks are what she calls a “double screen.”

“Mine are plastic mesh on the inside and wire on outside. The wire keeps the molded face shape, but then the plastic is easier on the skin. Plus with double screen you can see out of the mask, but they can’t see in.” ap

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peanut brittle 38

December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

cookin' from another era

by Marcelle Bienvenu | photographs by Eugenia Uhl

O

ne of Papa’s favorite treats for the holidays was what he called tactac: popcorn balls. He often sent a request to Tante Belle, who lived next door to us when I was a youngster to make him a batch. She was an ace at making popcorn balls as well as caramel corn. In fact, she loved popping corn for any occasion. For my siblings' and my birthday, she often made sugar corn.

After the popcorn was popped, she drizzled sugar syrup tinted green, blue, red or pink (made so by the addition of food coloring) to make it festive.

Tac-tac was also popular at our local church fair held the first Sunday of December. The

nuns spent hours making hundreds of the balls to see for a nickel apiece at one of the booths.

Thinking about the church fair, which was called the Christmas Tree Fair, also brought to mind the divinity fudge one of my aunts made to sell at the fair. She tinted the sugary candy a bright green and poked a red cherry in the center of each square.

This particular aunt was the mother to 13 children, so there were always extra hands to help her with the candy-making. Back then, there were no electric mixers, so everyone took turns stirring the mixture until it reached a certain consistency. Later on, Papa gave Aunt Taye two electric mixers every Christmas

From Our Readers In our October/November 2013 issue and on our website,

cabbage and rice dish; Shirley Manuel Johnson, who

we asked readers to submit their favorite "lost recipes."

shares her 100-year-old recipe for catfish courtbouillion;

Included in this section are three winning recipes that

and Paul Rockwell, who shares his mother's cornbread

the staff has selected from the following readers: Adam

recipe. All three of these readers received a $100 gift

Barrilleaux, who shares his grandfather's porkchops,

certificate to Jolie's Louisiana Bistro in Lafayette.

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oven-made caramel corn 40

December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

because she burned them out making so much of her specialty.

In the spring, Papa’s fancy turned to sweet dough pies – tarte à la bouillie. He loved the regular custard ones the best. I preferred the ones filled with syrupy blackberries. In the small community of Catahoula, a few miles from St. Martinville, it was traditional for the ladies of the village to make hundreds of the pies to have on Good Friday and what became known as “pie day.”

Mrs. Tootie, a grand dame and a great storyteller, was of the opinion that since Catholics were allowed to eat only one meal on Good Friday, then why not eat pies well into the late evening without taking a break – one meal, right?

As Papa would say, “Oh, for the good old days!”

My sister Edna and I have dutifully reproduced Tante Belle’s popcorn balls and the caramel corn, but we just can’t seem to get it right with the sugar corn. We keep trying.

Perhaps you might want to introduce these delights to your family during the holidays.

Reader Recipe: Pork Chops,Cabbage and Rice

Oven-Made Caramel Corn Makes about 6 quarts 6 quarts freshly popped corn (about 1 cup unpopped corn) 1 cup dry roasted peanuts 1 cup pecan pieces 2 sticks butter 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Combine the popped corn, peanuts, and pecans in a large roasting pan.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and stir in the sugars, salt and corn syrup. Bring to a boil for five minutes, stirring often (temperature should be about 244 degrees). Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda.

Pour sugar mixture over the popped corn and nuts, and stir well. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Store in airtight containers.

Season the pork with salt and cayenne pepper, and put in refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Completely brown pork in canola oil. Remove the pork and add onions, bell pepper, celery

3 pounds pork chops or sliced Boston butt

and garlic to the grease. Cook vegetables until

3 medium onions, chopped

clear on low heat. Add cut cabbage and sauté

1 1/2 chopped bell pepper

for about 20 minutes, covered. Stir frequently

1 cup chopped celery

on low heat. Add the rice, stock and pork to the

2 tablespoons minced garlic

pot. Stir and cook covered until rice is tender.

2 cups long-grain rice

Uncover and cook off any additional liquid.

1 large cabbage (3-3 1/2 pounds),

Add additional salt and cayenne to taste.

quartered and sliced 1 inch 1 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup Canola oil

from Adam Barrilleaux

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41

popcorn balls

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December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Popcorn Balls Makes 12 to 14 balls 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1/4 cup popping corn kernels 1 1/2 cups cane syrup 1/2 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar Heat the oil in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and swirl to make sure the kernels are evenly coated with the oil and are in one layer. Cover the pot and gently shake until popping discontinues. Carefully remove the lid and transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.

Combine the syrup and brown sugar in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan.

Reader Recipe: Catfish Courtboullion 1 bunch of parsley, chopped 2 bunches of green onions, chopped 2 large onions, chopped 3 1/2 to 4 lbs of catfish fillets cut into serving size 1 small can tomato paste 6 minced garlic cloves 1/2 cup of Crisco shortening flour, divided Cajun seasoning to taste 5 cups water Make layers in very large pot with a tight-

Heat the mixture and stir to dissolve the sugar. Stir constantly while cooking. Do not leave it alone, because you need to push it until it reaches the thread stage, or until it reaches the temperature of 270 to 290 degrees. It will be the color of taffy and thick.

Have a cup of cool water nearby. When a drop is added to the cup of water, it will crackle.

Carefully pour it onto the popped corn. With a long-handled spoon, stir to coat evenly. Once it's coated evenly and cooled a bit, break off and form into balls about the size of a soft baseball (or as big or little as you want). Place on a layer of waxed paper to cool. When cooled completely, wrap in waxed paper.

Layer 6: ½ of combined parsley, green onion tops, and onions.

Layer 7: ½ of catfish fillets.

Layer 8: ¼ cup flour, sprinkled on.

Layer 9: ½ small can of tomato paste, spread on top Add minced garlic, Cajun seasoning, and 5 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, gently and carefully stir bottom to keep from sticking. Note: Use a wooden utensil to stir with a flat edge, such as a roux stick. You have to scrape the bottom (gently) to keep the roux from sticking and burning on the bottom. It takes a very delicate touch.

Cover pot tightly and simmer on low heat after bringing to a boil; shake covered pot several times

fitting lid:

during cooking or stir gently. Stir gently, as not

Layer 1: ½ cup Crisco solid shortening, spread

to break up fish, but scrape bottom now and then

evenly on bottom of pot.

as to not let scorch. Cook for exactly 1 hour after

Layer 2: ¼ cup flour, plus one tablespoon,

bringing to a boil. Check for seasoning. Add hot

sprinkled on top of Crisco.

sauce or Worsestershire to taste, if desired.

Layer 3: ½ of combined parsley, green onion tops and onions.

Layer 4: ½ of catfish fillets.

Layer 5: ½ small can of tomato paste, spread on top of catfish fillets

Serve in bowls over rice.

Serves about 8.

from Shirley Manuel Johnson

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tarte a la bouillie 44

December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Tarte a la Bouillie Makes 1 pie to serve 6 Again, this is one of those dishes that describes the type of cooking the Acadians developed.

The ingredients are simple – milk, eggs, butter – all available on the farms where they lived. It is, and was, a cuisine of “making do” with what was at hand.

Tarte à la bouillie (loosely translated, this means a tart or pie filled with boiled custard) is a South Louisiana thing. Ask anybody over the age of 50 years old who lives in this area, and they will tell you, “Oh, yes, my grandmother and old aunts used to make them.”

Reader Recipe: Mom's Cornbread

1 box corn muffin mix 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cottage cheese 4 eggs, beaten 1 stick butter (melted) 1 can corn, drained 1 onion, large dice Tabasco, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Grease preheated 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Pour mixture into skillet.

Cook uncovered at 375 degrees for 30-45

1 quart plus ¼ cup milk 2 egg yolks 2 cups sugar 1 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup plus 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon baking powder

minutes (until browned on top and sides).

Paul Rockwell

mom's cornbread

Scald the quart of milk in a heavy Dutch oven. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored at a low speed with an electric mixer. Add 1 cup of the sugar and beat well. Add the evaporated milk and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, mixing well at low speed with the electric mixer. Stir in ¾ cup of the flour.

Gradually stir in about ¼ of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Add this mixture to the remaining hot milk, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, about 15 minutes. Gently stir in 4 tablespoons of the butter and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool completely.

Cream the softened 4 tablespoons butter, gradually adding 1 cup of the sugar, beating well. Add 2 cups of the flour and the baking

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divinity fudge 46

December 2013/january 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

powder, beating at low speed with an electric

Stir until the sugar dissolves. Continue stirring

mixer until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

and cooking until the soft crack stage, or until it

Add Âź cup milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon

reaches the temperature of 270 to 290 on a candy

vanilla, stirring until well blended.

thermometer and threads appear when the spoon

The dough will be crumbly at first but will

is raised, about 20 minutes.

form a smooth ball with continued mixing. Turn

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. With

the dough out, and knead 4 or 5 times. Divide the

the electric mixer on medium-high, slowly, slowly

dough in half.

add the hot mixture to the egg whites, beating

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

constantly until the mixture turns glossy. Add the

Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour

pecans and mix well, then pour into the prepared

on waxed paper. Press one portion of the dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully transfer the

buttered pan.

Let sit until cooled completely. Cut into squares.

pastry (floured side down) to a buttered 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Fill the pastry shell with the custard, reserving 1 Âź cups. Place the remaining

Peanut Brittle

dough on waxed paper and press into an 11-inch

Many farmers in Louisiana raised peanuts in

circle. Carefully place the pastry over the filling.

their home gardens because of its many uses and

Do not slit top crust. Seal and flute the edges.

nutritional value. They were boiled or roasted

Bake until lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

and used to make brittle for the holidays.

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Spoon the reserved custard into individual serving dishes, chill and serve at another time.

My father loved peanut brittle, and I made it often for him when I was a young girl. We made this brittle simply because we had all the ingredients available on the farm. I continue to make this to give as gifts and to have for the family.

Divinity Fudge

It can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

Makes 15 to 16 pieces You should only attempt to make this candy on a cold, dry day.

2 cups sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 2 cups raw shelled peanuts

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups chopped pecans

Pinch of salt

2 cups sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup

Combine the sugar and syrup in a heavy

1/4 cup tap water

saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and

2 large egg whites

cook until the mixture registers 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add the peanuts. Cook,

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease an

stirring constantly, until the mixture is a light

8-by-12-inch glass dish with the butter. Set aside.

brown color and registers 300 degrees on a candy

Arrange the pecan pieces evenly on a baking sheet.

Bake until brown and toasted, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy, deep saucepan over medium-low heat.

thermometer.

Remove from the heat, add the baking soda and salt and quickly pour on a marble slab or a large sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Spread as thin as you can. Cool, then break into pieces. ap

www.acadianaprofile.com | december 2013/january 2014

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Store made ready to cook boneless stuffed turkey rolls and fryers.

Stuffings available are cornbread dressing, pork sausage, shrimp with rice, broccoli and cheese (just to name a few).

www.acadianaprofile.com | December 2013/january 2014

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personnes d’acadiana

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Barrels of Fun Oilmen by day, co-workers David Meaux and Cole LeBlanc chase their dreams after hours as operators of Acadiana’s first rum distillery by william kalec

Meet David Meaux and Cole LeBlanc, a couple of guys who actually did what we all drunkenly talk about, who brought to fruition those 70-proof whimsical notions that often dissipate in the lost hours between closing time and Waffle House.

Together, they own and run Rank Wildcat Distillery, the first business of its kind to call Acadiana home when they opened their shed door two years ago. Located in a nondescript commercial warehouse once rented out to a plumber, the twoman operation is part Boys Club, part burgeoning alcohol enterprise.

“It is quite a trip, something we got into really more as a hobby … but it’s been amazing,” Meaux says. “We love it. It’s one of the few jobs where it’s mandatory to drink on the job.”

Apparently, all that “hard work” has paid off. Bottled from a still they built themselves and named after a girl, Rank Wildcat’s signature Sweet Crude Rum was one of six domestic spirits recognized at the 2013 Washington Cup – essentially the hard-liquor Oscars – sharing the honor with heavy-hitters like Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace. Pretty impressive considering Rank Wildcat’s “workspace” is lined with common garage-items like a charcoal grill, three garden hoses, a couple tailgate chairs and a dusty exercise bike.

photograph travis gauthier

“We did a lot of work,” LeBlanc says. “It was definitely not set up for any type of distillery. We had to put plumbing in the walls. It wasn’t set up for any type of anything. It was just a warehouse. We basically converted that into a registered and functional rum distillery. We’re very proud of it. I mean, it’s not a big fancy thing. It’s what we built, and we’re proud to show it to anyone who wants to see it. It’s small, but it allows us to make good rum and not go into the poorhouse doing it.

“We’re having a good ole time,” LeBlanc says. “Our top roof portion is open, and the guy next door, well, he can listen, and he’s probably laughing. We’re cutting up, and he’s working. He has a little painting shop. Man, I can’t imagine what he’s heard and what he’s thinking.”

If we’re going to start on the first page of this easy-to-root-for story, the concept of Rank Wildcat was loosely conceived after hours, when the two left the triumphs and stresses of the work day at Coastal Land Services behind and talked about how cool it’d be to make the kind of liquor they were currently tipping back.

“The idea just never died,” Meaux says.

“I don’t know … it was like, cosmic. It just seemed like something that should happen.”

Fast-forward a couple of months. During his honeymoon in Ireland, Meaux convinced his better half to take a tour of the Jameson’s Whiskey distillery, where he witnessed the beautiful complexities of the liquor-making process firsthand and gleefully strolled through aisles of aging product. Brimming with inspiration, he pulled out his phone right there and sent a $40 email to LeBlanc. The message was clear as rum: We’re doing this!

“That’s where it became a business idea rather than playing around, getting drunk,” Meaux says. “I caught the bug.”

Upon his return stateside, he and LeBlanc immediately applied for a liquormaking license, a process (like anything that is government-run) bogged down

with a lengthy wait period. While stuck in spirits purgatory, LeBlanc and Meaux researched methods used by other distilleries and toyed with ideas to make their recipe unique. Still, despite all that preparation, they had no clue what they were actually getting into once given the green light by the state.

“Neither of us are scientists. We’re landmen. We didn’t have anybody in our pocket that was a master of distillery or anything,” LeBlanc says. “It probably caused more trial and error than anything.

“Those first batches, they weren’t undrinkable in a dangerous way, but they didn’t taste as good as what we decided we wanted to sell. We weren’t going to move forward until we were 100-percent happy with the product. We’ve still got jars of old stuff – and man, I’m really glad we decided to tinker.”

Every step – from gathering raw ingredients, the distilling, the filling, bottling and labeling – is handled by either LeBlanc or Meaux, hence the early morning wake-up times on Saturdays. Despite their success, neither co-owner is eager to quit their day job. With their brand easily found at various establishments in and around Acadiana, Rank Wildcat is in the infant stages of distributing throughout the state.

“It’s a good spirit. At the end of the day that’s the crux of the matter. People really love it,” Meaux says. “We don’t have a lot of money to do billboards and big fancy tourist attraction-type facilities, so we rely heavily on local word-of-mouth. Because we’ve done it that way, we’ve been able to generate a buzz just here in the region, with very little expenditure.

“This has all been funded up until now out of our back pockets,” he continues.

“And that’s part of our story: We built everything about this business, and I think we want to ride it out at this level for as long as we can. This is fun; it’s still fun. I don’t know if the fun would go away if it was full-time. That’s a big decision.” ap

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

410 Eraste Landry Rd Lafayette (337) 234-7427 631 Albertson Pkwy.

Broussard (337) 839-0948

Give yourself a Better Night’s Sleep! SleepFans are the first fans designed to help you fall asleep quicker and sleep more soundly, generating a soothing “red noise” that promotes relaxation, while producing a cooling air movement. Variety of colors available at Teche Electric Supply.

www.acadianaprofile.com | December 2013/january 2014

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GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALTH! 301 Doucet Road, Lafayette, LA 337.984.7738 www.redlerilles.com

Merry Fitness to All... and to All, a Good Life!

Come by today for a Tour.

54

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57

sur le menu

Louisiana’s cold days may be few in number, but when they hit, it’s to-thebone chilly. For many of us, gumbo is the go-to food on wintry days – sometimes defined as any day under 70 degrees.

However, life beyond gumbo is a reality, and a number of Acadiana restaurants serve additional types of soups that can warm the body and soul.

Village Cafe 1 Degaulle Square, Lafayette (337) 981-8085 | villagecafelafayette.com Village Café in Lafayette has a solid menu with a variety of great options, but when I’m in the mood for soup, Village Café’s tomato basil soup is my go-to option. The soup is proof that excellent food doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s got that simple, but hard-to-come-by, just-right combination of tomato, basil and cream.

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to go to Village Café too. I have become obsessed with the hand-fried potato chips and homemade ketchup they serve complimentary at every table. The wait staff prides themselves on excellent service.

Other Village Café favorites include the seared tuna, the meatloaf lunch special, and the crab cake sandwich. Their apple salad is also a tried-and-true winner.

If you’re in the mood for a great wine, Village Café’s selection and sommelier do not disappoint.

Creola Café 284 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Grand Coteau | (337) 662-3914 While we’re on the subject, Creola Café in Grand Coteau also serves a delicious tomato basil soup. It’s a local favorite and legendary among 58

Soups for the Soul by jan risher stock photo

many students in the area. Creola Café’s tomato basil evokes a certain sentimentality in Theresa Zaunbrecher of Rayne, who’s a senior at Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau.

“My grandma takes us to Creola Café every year for Grandparents Day,” she says. “About two years ago, I tried the tomato basil soup my cousin had ordered, and I couldn’t get enough.”

Zaunbrecher and others agree that the soup is perfectly spiced.

“We’ve made it a tradition to go there every Grandparents Day until I graduate,” she says. “This year will be my last Grandparents Day at Sacred Heart. It’s bittersweet.”

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

The French Press 214 E. Vermilion St., Lafayette (337) 233-9449 | thefrenchpress.com The French Press is one of Acadiana’s most acclaimed restaurants. In fact, chef owner Justin Girouard is a two-time James Beard nominee. To continue the celebration that is The French Press, in October, Girouard was named one of six “Chefs to Watch” by Louisiana Cookin’ magazine.

All of that is well and good, but if you’re wondering what that means for you personally, let me clarify that news.

The French Press has a daily soup special. Neither I nor they can tell you

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sur le menu

tomato basil soup creola café

the next time they’ll have their butternut squash soup, but here is the thing: It is worth making regular stops by the restaurant throughout winter to hit it on the lucky days when the butternut squash soup is available.

The French Press’ butternut squash soup is a thing of beauty and wonder.

“It’s almost impossible to describe, but it’s so much more than butternut squash,” says Elizabeth Lyons of Lafayette. “The thick soup has got a saltysweet flavor combination with lots of layers of flavor beneath that. It’s complex, but it is wonderful.”

One of the best things about The French Press is that even with all of its accolades, its lunch menu is still very reasonably priced.

Dinner is lovely too, but lunch seems like a real bargain.

Cafe des Amis 140 E. Bridge Street, Breaux Bridge (337) 332-5273 | cafedesamis.com There are so many reasons to go to Café des Amis – the Wednesday night singer/songwriter nights, the Saturday morning zydeco brunch, the bread pudding, and the list goes on. But if you haven’t tried Café des Amis’ turtle soup, what’s stopping you?

You are in Louisiana, after all.

Stella Theriot, of Gueydan, loves to go to Café des Amis for the turtle soup. She says the dark, flavorful and comforting soup is one of her favorites.

“The accompanying cognac offered in a tiny silver pitcher elevated the soup to an even higher culinary level,” Theriot says. She believes Café des Amis’ overall charm and menu reminds its patrons of a simpler time.

Tiffany Wyatt of Lafayette appreciates the dish’s cultural uniqueness and says Café des Amis “serves it up perfectly.”

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Suire’s GrocerY & Restaurant 13923 Louisiana 35, Kaplan (337) 643-8911 More turtle soup! If you want to try some fine turtle sauce picante, go to Suire’s Grocery & Restaurant, just south of Kaplan on Highway 35. They sell it hot or frozen. Take your ice chest and bring some home. (While you’re there, do yourself a favor and try the chicken salad sandwich.)

Longhorn Steakhouse 4248 Ambassador Caffery Parkway Lafayette | (337) 981-8549 Yes, Longhorn Steakhouse is a chain, and we generally focus on locally owned restaurants, but if you’ve ever been to the Longhorn Steakhouse on Ambassador

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Caffery Parkway, you probably are as smitten as I am. I don’t know how this restaurant trains its staff, but it works well. The staff is friendly but won’t linger too long. They’re attentive but not bothersome. And they’re Johnny-on-thespot with service. If you’re looking for a great lunch option, check this place out.

While you’re there for lunch, do yourself a favor and order the French onion soup. It’s served steaming hot with a deep beef flavor and wonderful croutons. It’s got crusty cheese around the edges and wonderful sautéed onions.

It really is a great choice for soup as the weather approaches Louisiana’s version of cold.

Also, Longhorn offers each table a complimentary basket of delicious bread and soft, creamy butter. Lunch is a reasonable price and overall, a very enjoyable experience. ap

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soirée

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Tinsel & Treasures 20th Anniversary The Junior League of Lafayette hosted its 20th annual Tinsel & Treasures benefit at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette, Sept. 26-28. Tinsel & Treasures, a holiday market, has raised more than $3.9 million over the years; funds have been invested in various community programs throughout the Greater Lafayette area.

Tinsels & Treasures kicked off with a benefactor appreciation party on Sept. 25. from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center.

The party included a live auction and music by Louisiana Red. Recognized this year for her hard work and dedication was Denise Giosa, who served as the very first chair of Tinsel & Treasures and has continued over the past 20 years to volunteer and work hard in making the event – and the Junior League of Lafayette – a success.

The Junior League of Lafayette is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

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1. Tootsie Reagan and Denise Giosa 2. Blaine and Rita Goodrich 3. Trisha Tapin, Anna Claire Inzerella, Joan Ransonette and Kathryn Cullen 4. Allison Howard, Melissa Boudreaux and Angela Miller

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

photographs travis gauthier

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soirée

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45th Anniversary of Acadiana Profile On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the staff of Acadiana Profile magazine held a 45th anniversary party at Abacus in Lafayette. After a brief introduction by editor in chief Errol Laborde, honorees Jonathan Kastner, Lindsay Mason, Dustie Latiolais, Marc Krampe and David Phillips stepped up to receive awards (presented by Laborde and food writer Cheré Coen) and give a few words of thanks. Five new restaurants and eateries in the region also received accolades, including Demitasse Café, Freetown Fries, Social Southern Table & Bar, The Little Big Cup and Landry’s Seafood & Steakhouse.

Megan Monsour Hartman from Lake Charles accepted Acadiana Profile’s “City of the Year” award, and special recognition went to executive editor Trent Angers, who brought several family members, including many who have worked for the magazine, and to Red Lerille of the eponymous Health and Racquet Club. Entertainment for the night included music by Caleb Elliot and Sam Broussard and a photo booth run

by Danny Izzo. Guests also enjoyed beverages from Glazer’s and Abita.

Acadiana Profile, one of the oldest regional magazines in the United States, celebrates the rich heritage and culture of the area, spanning from Lake Charles to Lafayette to Houma and everywhere in between.

1. A ribbon cutting outside of Abacus, featuring staff members of Acadiana Profile and the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau. 2. Keepsake awards were presented to honorees. 3. From left: managing editor Sarah Ravits, executive editor Trent Angers and chief executive officer Todd Matherne

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soirĂŠe

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9 4. Caleb Elliot and Sam Broussard played music for the evening. 5. Honoree Marc Krampe gets a friendly pat on the back from fellow honoree Jonathan Kastner. 6. Managing editor Sarah Ravits with Megan Monsour Hartman), who displays the Lake Charles, City of the Year award. 7. Abacus was filled with celebratory guests. 8. Guests enjoying libations 9. Executive editor Trent Angers talks to Lafayette news station KLFY.

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

photographs travis gauthier

www.acadianaprofile.com | December 2013/january 2014

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visiter

Around Acadiana: Gatherings, carnivals and activities around Acadiana. Compiled by judi russell

DECEMBER

Through 31. Idlewild Plantation Christmas Lighting Tour. Kemper Williams Park,

Patterson. (985) 395-4905.

Through 31. Christmas House Tour. Grevemberg House, Franklin. (337) 828-2092.

1 Christmas Shoppe. 113 Willow Wood Drive, New Iberia. (337) 229-1982.

1 Sounds of the Season with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra.

St. Peter’s Church, New Iberia. (337) 364-1603.

1 Thibodaux Christmas Extravaganza. Downtown Thibodaux.

(985) 446-1187.

1-31 Victorian Christmas at the Joseph Jefferson Home. Jefferson Island,

Rip Van Winkle Boulevard, New Iberia. (337) 359-8525.

Cracklin’ Cook-off & Car Show

5-7 Sulphur’s Christmas Under the Oaks Festival/Holiday House.

Henning House, Sulphur. (337) 527-0357.

6 20th Annual Oil Center Festival of Lights. Oil Center, Lafayette.

(337) 232-4343.

6 Christmas Spirits. Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Lake Charles.

(337) 274-2012.

6 McNeese State Holiday Art Sale. McNeese State University,

Shearman Fine Arts Center Grand Gallery, McNeese. (337) 475-5060.

6 KCS Holiday Express Train. DeQuincy Railroad Museum, DeQuincy.

(337) 786-2823.

6-15 White Christmas. ACTS Theatre, Lake Charles. (337) 443-2287.

7 Cracklin’ Cook-off & Car Show. Cut Off Youth Center, 205 79th St.,

Cut Off. (985) 632-7616.

Jennings Christmas Festival & Gumbo Cook-Off

7 Jennings Christmas Festival & Gumbo Cook-off. Louisiana Oil &

Gas park, Jennings. (337) 821-5532.

7 Le Feu & L’eau (Fire & Water) Festival. Nunn Arts & Cultural Collective,

Arnaudville. (337) 523-5832.

7 Light Up the Lake Christmas Celebration. Lake Charles Civic Center,

Lake Charles. (866-625-4586).

7 Christmas Under the Lamppost Walking Parade & Lamplighter

Ceremony. Corner of Jackson Street and Main Street, Franklin.

(337) 828-3631.

7 Santa’s Block Party. Downtown Morgan City. (985) 395-4905.

7 Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Ceremony. 102 W. Main St., New Iberia.

(337) 365-1428.

Santa’s Block Party

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

Thank You Acadiana! for a successful Palates and Pate’.

Because of your generous support, we are able to continue to help hundreds of families each year build their futures by rebuilding lives!

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at&t • Schilling Distributing • Louisiana Oil & Gas Association (LOGA) • Stuller Family Foundation Postlethwaite & Netterville • Rick & Connie Voth Tony & Pam Fontenot • La Savoy • Broussard & David IberiaBank • Landry-Harris & Co. • Investment Partners of Acadiana - Nanette Soileau Heggie • Helmer Directional Drilling • Zoom Photo Studio • Pixus Digital Printing Lantec • Petroquest Energy • Paragon Casino • Investar Bank • Lafayette Coca-Cola • Washington State Bank

Artists: Ramsey Ayers • Jill Tauzin-Broussard Carl Groh • Lue Svendson • Erin Chance Fenstermaker • Kyle Braniff • Paul Schexnayder • Kelli Kaufman • Donald LeBlanc • Mitch Evans • Kathryn Crosby Lynda Frese • Sandi Stewart • John T. Landry Bonnie Camos • Jerry O’dell Pottery • Carlos Daigle • Jobe • Tanya Falgout • DD Manly Elizabeth Simon • Ricardo Johnson

Restaurants: Another Broken Egg Cafe • Charlie G’s Everything Else is Cake • Jolie’s Bistro The Lab • Le Triomphe Nash’s Restaurant • Pamplona Poseidon’s Poupart Bakery Riverside Inn Ruffino’s • Ruth’s Chris • Social Sophi P Cakes • Village Cafe’ Zea Rotisserie & Grill

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visiter

8 Magic on Main; Christmas Tour of Homes. 317 E. Main St., New Iberia.

(337) 369-6446.

8 Jeanerette Christmas Parade. Main Street, Jeanerette. (337) 579-2153.

12 Christmas Tree Festival. Louisiana State Museum, Patterson.

(985) 395-4905.

13 Wreaths Across America. Maison Jardin Assisted Living, Morgan City.

(985) 385-3003.

13-15 The Nutcracker. SPAA Performing Arts Theatre, McNeese State

University, Lake Charles. (337) 475-5000.

Christmas Tree Festival

14 Yuletide on the Bayou. Bouligny Plaza, New Iberia. (888) 942-3742.

14 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by the Lake Charles Civic Ballet.

Rosa Hart Theatre, Lake Charles Civic Center. (866) 625-4586.

19 I’ll Be Home For Christmas. Heymann Performing Arts Center &

Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette. (337) 291-5540.

don’t see your event? go to acadianaprofile.com to submit.

22 Christmas Cantata. Pharr Chapel, Morgan City. (985) 384-7984.

JANUARY

Through 6 Christmas Tour. Oaklawn Manor, Franklin. (337) 828-0434.

18-19 Rollin’ Buccaneers RV Rally. Kemper Williams Park, Patterson.

(985) 395-2298. ap

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December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

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en français, s’il vous plaît

À la recherche de Beausoleil par david cheramie Accolé sur la rive gauche d’un des méandres serpentins du Bayou Tèche se trouve le village de Loreauville, dans la paroisse d’Ibérie. Tout autour, la terre riche et fertile nourrit les clos de cannes à sucre qui s’étendent à perte de vue. Plusieurs familles, comme ailleurs chez nous, vivent aussi des divers métiers associés avec l’industrie de l’huile. Couche sur couche, les sédiments déposés par une succession d’inondations régulières depuis la nuit des temps ont enrichi la région jusqu’à l’Eau Haute de 1927, laissant pousser une communauté à la fois agricole et industrielle basée sur les valeurs qu’on connaît bien en Acadiana. Le respect de la terre, de la famille et des traditions règne dans ce petit coin tranquille de notre pays. Pourtant, quelque part enfoui en-dessous de cette surface féconde se cache un secret dont la révélation risque d’apporter autant que l’or blanc ou l’or noir, non seulement en terme de donner une nouvelle source d’énergie économique mais aussi dans la perspective de renforcer les liens qui nous unissent. Ce n’est pas l’énergie solaire, mais il s’agit d’un soleil qui porte un nom de famille et une histoire des plus illustres.

Joseph Broussard, dit Beausoleil, et ses compagnons, les premiers Acadiens arrivés en Louisiane en 1765 pour fonder la Nouvelle-Acadie, sont enterrés là quelque part, ainsi que les traces archéologiques qui nous donneront une idée de comment ils ont vécu dans ce voisinage autrefois connu comme Fausse Pointe. Le professeur Mark Rees de l’Université de Louisiane à Lafayette pense qu’il peut les retrouver et il n’est pas seul dans sa quête.

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Né d’une idée lancée lors d’une réunion de l’association Famille Beausoleil, formée des descendants du héros du Grand Dérangement et de leurs collègues, le Projet Nouvelle-Acadie compte parmi son comité de pilotage non seulement des Broussard, dont le maire de Loreauville, mais de nombreux louisianais aussi déterminés que le professeur Rees à découvrir l’endroit précis. Les premières fouilles aux environs sont prometteuses et indiquent la présence d’une forte activité au passé.

Rien que la taille de la maison d’Armand Broussard, un des fils de Joseph, construite un quart de siècle après les premières arrivées acadiennes, fait preuve d’une réussite matérielle impressionnante. À sa mort, le patrimoine d’Armand était estimé à 65 000$, ce qui en ferait un millionnaire de nos jours. Sa maison, qui date de 1790, se trouve dans le parc historique Vermilionville. Elle a été déménagée de la région où l’on cherche la présence des tombes et des premières installations de ces pauvres défunts, décédés sous le coup de la fièvre jaune et d’autres maladies tropicales en arrivant comme tant d’autres avant et après. Il est évident que les premières constructions n’avaient rien d’aussi cossues. Leur emplacement exact reste un mystère pour l’instant, mais le Projet Nouvelle-Acadie a bien l’intention de le dévoiler avant que le développement de nouveaux lotissements ne risque de les couvrir ou les détruire à jamais. Une fois découvert, le site peut

December 2013/January 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

devenir un centre important de tourisme et d’éducation.

Le Projet Nouvelle-Acadie, en plus de sa mission d’aider le financement des travaux, a annoncé ses quatre raisons d’être. La première est de promouvoir l’économie culturelle en incluant la communauté dans la planification de la gestion des ressources culturelles.

Deuxièmement, c’est de faire avancer la connaissance de l’histoire des premiers établissements et sites d’enterrement acadiens en les localisant. Ensuite, on veut délinéer et comprendre les modèles d’établissement des foyers en NouvelleAcadie. Enfin, le groupe aimerait examiner les preuves des expressions d’identité culturelle et ethnique, tout en tenant compte des relations variables entre l’histoire, l’identité et le terrain. Selon le professeur Rees, le manque de connaissance à l’égard des ces propriétés et tombes anonymes a mis ces sites à risque de destruction et de négliger une occasion d’étendre l’économie culturelle.

Il est inconcevable de penser qu’avec toute l’importance le personnage de Beausoleil, on ne sait quand même pas où se trouve sa dernière demeure après avoir mené une guerre pour la liberté de son peuple. Mais comme dit le proverbe latin, « L’argent est le nerf de la guerre ».

Grâce aux efforts du projet, on va trouver l’argent nécessaire pour honorer la mémoire des premiers Acadiens et pour continuer leur testament de prospérité. ap

for an english translation , visit www . acadianaprofile . com .

illustration by sarah george