At this point, alternative foods aren’t really alternative anymore. It’s like music in the 1990s. What was sort of underground has really become mainstream as more and more people have changed their diets to be healthier or to eat more ethically. 

Gluten free or vegan foods aren’t just for speciality aisles anymore. They’re marketed aggressively for what they are — or what they aren’t — because companies know there are buyers out there. 

Bianca Francis found her way to veganism by accident, she says. She was traveling for work and bought what turned out to be some meat gone bad. It put her on a path to finding some meatless recipes. By 2019, she was a full-on vegan.

Now here’s the thing. Bianca is a baker. She’s always been a baker; it’s something she learned from her mom. She started publishing vegan tips on a blog, and that became a springboard for her bake shop: Bianca Bakes Bliss. It’s a home-based business that sells vegan gingerbread, cinnamon rolls, wedding cakes and more. You can order her cakes online or find her at local pop ups and farmers markets. 

Creole cooking has never and will never go out of style. It’s bold, it’s playful, it’s flavorful — it’s addicting. That is if you try Logan Alfred’s signature dish - crack wings. Folks line up outside his food truck — Southern Kreole Cravings — to get their hands on his spin on fried chicken wings with his own special sauce.

Logan first created them while working as an offshore caterer. Rig workers gobbled up so many that Logan’s onshore bosses took notice of the commissary invoices and flew to the rig to see what the fuss was about. Crack wings stayed on the rig menu from then on out. 

In 2020, Logan launched Southern Kreole as both a food truck and a catering operation. Of course, Logan is more than just a wings guy. But the dish has become a runaway hit: He sells as many as 12,000 in a single year. 

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

At this point, alternative foods aren’t really alternative anymore. It’s like music in the 1990s. What was sort of underground has really become mainstream as more and more people have changed their diets to be healthier or to eat more ethically. 
Gluten free or vegan foods aren’t just for speciality aisles anymore. They’re marketed aggressively for what they are — or what they aren’t — because companies know there are buyers out there. 
Bianca Francis found her way to veganism by accident, she says. She was traveling for work and bought what turned out to be some meat gone bad. It put her on a path to finding some meatless recipes. By 2019, she was a full-on vegan.
Now here’s the thing. Bianca is a baker. She’s always been a baker; it’s something she learned from her mom. She started publishing vegan tips on a blog, and that became a springboard for her bake shop: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BiancaBakesBliss/">Bianca Bakes Bliss</a>. It’s a home-based business that sells vegan gingerbread, cinnamon rolls, wedding cakes and more. You can order her cakes online or find her at local pop ups and farmers markets. 
Creole cooking has never and will never go out of style. It’s bold, it’s playful, it’s flavorful — it’s addicting. That is if you try Logan Alfred’s signature dish - crack wings. Folks line up outside his food truck — <a href="https://www.southernkreolecravings.com/">Southern Kreole Cravings</a> — to get their hands on his spin on fried chicken wings with his own special sauce.
Logan first created them while working as an offshore caterer. Rig workers gobbled up so many that Logan’s onshore bosses took notice of the commissary invoices and flew to the rig to see what the fuss was about. Crack wings stayed on the rig menu from then on out. 
In 2020, Logan launched Southern Kreole as both a food truck and a catering operation. Of course, Logan is more than just a wings guy. But the dish has become a runaway hit: He sells as many as 12,000 in a single year. 
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/giadamorganphotography/">Giada Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2024/10/14/vegan-cakes-crack-wings/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH finds The Current Publisher and Editor Christiaan Mader conducting business Acadiana style: over lunch. Each week Aileen invites guests from Acadiana's  business community to join her. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan Mader invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan Mader invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

Vegan Cakes,  Crack Wings

Running a business is usually an exercise in multitasking. Whatever your one real gift is — that thing that got you into business in the first place — there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be doing it anymore once you’ve become successful enough.

That can be bittersweet. But it’s the way of the world. So it would make sense that what often separates good operators from great operators is the ability to do lots of different things well. 

Sometimes it’s better to be a jack of all trades, especially when you’ve got a lot to do. Take the music business. It’s never enough to be proficient at an instrument. At some point, you gotta manage your act — get booking done, promote it, advance the show logistics, arrange rehearsals, setlists, egos, riders, the whole nine. 

That gets much more complicated when you’re in a wedding band. You’re the soundtrack to someone’s special day. So the stakes are high. That’s why wedding bands can command top dollar. It’s a smart business. But a tough one. Especially if you’re like Matt Cobb and play 110 gigs a year. 

Matt runs two different groups — Rouge Krewe and Parade Route. And, yes, he runs them. Besides bringing the hype to your cousin’s wedding or your aunt’s company Christmas Party, Matt is doing the books and managing the when, where and how of his band’s hectic schedule.

He started RougeKrewe in 2019 after graduating from UL with a degree in music education. The band got to be so in demand, that they couldn’t fill all the bookings. So he started a second band: Parade Route. 

Matt and his bands spend most of their time playing in Louisiana, but they’ve been booked out of state and abroad. Wherever they go, their motto is “We don’t just play music. We bring life to the party.” 

If playing hundreds of gigs sounds exhausting. Try managing properties. It’s easy to get spread thin in the development business, and it’s one of those industries that you learn by doing, not in business school.

Ravi Daggula has been connected to several high profile developments in Lafayette. He got his start flipping residential properties after college and cutting his teeth in hospitality by working at a hotel. He got into historic revitalization with Maison Mouton, a restored Creole manor he converted into a bed & breakfast. It gave him the bug for more ambitious development projects, so Ravi kept at historic preservation concepts. Today his portfolio of properties are gathered under the banner of Belle Vie Hospitality. 

Ravi is originally from India and moved to Lafayette to get a degree in computer engineering. He thinks of himself as an impact investor and looks for projects that will have value that extend beyond the property itself, and its return on investment.  

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

Running a business is usually an exercise in multitasking. Whatever your one real gift is — that thing that got you into business in the first place — there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be doing it anymore once you’ve become successful enough.
That can be bittersweet. But it’s the way of the world. So it would make sense that what often separates good operators from great operators is the ability to do lots of different things well. 
Sometimes it’s better to be a jack of all trades, especially when you’ve got a lot to do. Take the music business. It’s never enough to be proficient at an instrument. At some point, you gotta manage your act — get booking done, promote it, advance the show logistics, arrange rehearsals, setlists, egos, riders, the whole nine. 
That gets much more complicated when you’re in a wedding band. You’re the soundtrack to someone’s special day. So the stakes are high. That’s why wedding bands can command top dollar. It’s a smart business. But a tough one. Especially if you’re like Matt Cobb and play 110 gigs a year. 
Matt runs two different groups —<a href="https://www.rkpartyband.com/"> Rouge Krewe</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paraderoute1/">Parade Route</a>. And, yes, he runs them. Besides bringing the hype to your cousin’s wedding or your aunt’s company Christmas Party, Matt is doing the books and managing the when, where and how of his band’s hectic schedule.
He started RougeKrewe in 2019 after graduating from UL with a degree in music education. The band got to be so in demand, that they couldn’t fill all the bookings. So he started a second band: Parade Route. 
Matt and his bands spend most of their time playing in Louisiana, but they’ve been booked out of state and abroad. Wherever they go, their motto is “We don’t just play music. We bring life to the party.” 
If playing hundreds of gigs sounds exhausting. Try managing properties. It’s easy to get spread thin in the development business, and it’s one of those industries that you learn by doing, not in business school.
Ravi Daggula has been connected to several high profile developments in Lafayette. He got his start flipping residential properties after college and cutting his teeth in hospitality by working at a hotel. He got into historic revitalization with <a href="https://moutonplantation.com/">Maison Mouton</a>, a restored Creole manor he converted into a bed &amp; breakfast. It gave him the bug for more ambitious development projects, so Ravi kept at historic preservation concepts. Today his portfolio of properties are gathered under the banner of<a href="https://belleviehospitality.com/"> Belle Vie Hospitality</a>. 
Ravi is originally from India and moved to Lafayette to get a degree in computer engineering. He thinks of himself as an impact investor and looks for projects that will have value that extend beyond the property itself, and its return on investment.  
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com/">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2024/10/07/see-you-at-the-wedding/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

See You At The Wedding

Hank Williams’ 1952 song, Jambalaya On The Bayou, was the first time much of the world heard anything about us. What at first-listen to most people sounded like a bunch of nonsense syllables like Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, turned out to be a menu of Cajun dishes – Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo.

Today, if you’re from Acadiana and you travel the world, when you’ve been away from home long enough you might find yourself tempted to try Cajun food someplace else. And, though you may be in a pretty Parisian bistro, or a cool café in Quebec, you feel confident declaring the jambalaya or the gumbo doesn’t taste right.

Because we invented these dishes, we set the standard for this kind of cuisine. But what happens when you strip away our homefield advantage? When it comes to other types of consumables, how do we stack up here in Acadiana? 

Let’s start with the two most popular and universally consumed human-made libations: coffee and beer. Is it fair to compare Acadiana coffee to, say, Colombian coffee? Or our local brew to German beer? Well, if we’re going to hold them to our Jambalaya and Gumbo standard, they’re entitled to hold us to their beer and coffee standard.

Colombia is one of the coffee capitals of the world. So, if you live in Abbeville Louisiana, with a population of around 12,000, you couldn’t expect to get a cup of fine Colombian coffee. Right? 

Wrong.

Because one of those 12,000 people in Abbeville is Natalia Hernandez Choate, who happens to be from Colombia, you can go to Nube9 Coffee, or visit Nube9 online, and get yourself a cup - or a gallon - of genuine Colombian coffee. You can also get a bag of Natalia’s freshly imported Colombian coffee beans. Or you can pick up a bag of Nube9 beans at a number of select stores across Acadiana.

By and large here in Acadiana, we like things the way they are. We don’t like change. Maybe you grew up in Calcasieu Parish drinking Budweiser, believing it’s “The king of beers.” In that case your concept of monarchy might need a little re-education. That was the program Eric Avery found himself embarking on in 2016 when he opened Crying Eagle Brewing Company in Lake Charles.

Today Crying Eagle is a local staple. They have 20 craft beers on tap at their brew pub. They have a bistro, a beer garden, a tap room, and live music most nights. They introduce at least one new beer to the lineup every week. And they have 8 beers for sale in cans.

The brewery employs 40 people.

And how are they doing on the beer equivalent of the Jambalaya and Gumbo Scale? Pretty darn good. The Independent Craft Brewer’s Association described Crying Eagle’s “Divine Imagination” Double IPA as a "world class beer of superlative character and flawless execution."

When someone calls you up and suggests going to get a cup of coffee or a beer, you know they don’t mean it literally. The coffee or the beer are a reason to get together and socialize. 

But the coffee on the table or the beer on the bar are far from irrelevant. I’m not sure that anyone’s done a study on this, but I think you’ll agree, it seems like better coffee and better beer make for better conversation and better occasions.

So, Natalia and Eric, are not just responsible for producing thirst-quenching liquids, they’re contributing to our happiness, and enhancing our relationships.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

Hank Williams’ 1952 song, Jambalaya On The Bayou, was the first time much of the world heard anything about us. What at first-listen to most people sounded like a bunch of nonsense syllables like Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, turned out to be a menu of Cajun dishes – Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo.
Today, if you’re from Acadiana and you travel the world, when you’ve been away from home long enough you might find yourself tempted to try Cajun food someplace else. And, though you may be in a pretty Parisian bistro, or a cool café in Quebec, you feel confident declaring the jambalaya or the gumbo doesn’t taste right.
Because we invented these dishes, we set the standard for this kind of cuisine. But what happens when you strip away our homefield advantage? When it comes to other types of consumables, how do we stack up here in Acadiana? 
Let’s start with the two most popular and universally consumed human-made libations: coffee and beer. Is it fair to compare Acadiana coffee to, say, Colombian coffee? Or our local brew to German beer? Well, if we’re going to hold them to our Jambalaya and Gumbo standard, they’re entitled to hold us to their beer and coffee standard.
Colombia is one of the coffee capitals of the world. So, if you live in Abbeville Louisiana, with a population of around 12,000, you couldn’t expect to get a cup of fine Colombian coffee. Right? 
Wrong.
Because one of those 12,000 people in Abbeville is Natalia Hernandez Choate, who happens to be from Colombia, you can go to <a href="https://www.nube9coffee.com/">Nube9 Coffee</a>, or visit Nube9 online, and get yourself a cup - or a gallon - of genuine Colombian coffee. You can also get a bag of Natalia’s freshly imported Colombian coffee beans. Or you can pick up a bag of Nube9 beans at a number of select stores across Acadiana.
By and large here in Acadiana, we like things the way they are. We don’t like change. Maybe you grew up in Calcasieu Parish drinking Budweiser, believing it’s “The king of beers.” In that case your concept of monarchy might need a little re-education. That was the program Eric Avery found himself embarking on in 2016 when he opened <a href="https://www.cryingeagle.com/">Crying Eagle Brewing Company</a> in Lake Charles.
Today Crying Eagle is a local staple. They have 20 craft beers on tap at their brew pub. They have a bistro, a beer garden, a tap room, and live music most nights. They introduce at least one new beer to the lineup every week. And they have 8 beers for sale in cans.
The brewery employs 40 people.
And how are they doing on the beer equivalent of the Jambalaya and Gumbo Scale? Pretty darn good. The Independent Craft Brewer’s Association described Crying Eagle’s “Divine Imagination” Double IPA as a "world class beer of superlative character and flawless execution."
When someone calls you up and suggests going to get a cup of coffee or a beer, you know they don’t mean it literally. The coffee or the beer are a reason to get together and socialize. 
But the coffee on the table or the beer on the bar are far from irrelevant. I’m not sure that anyone’s done a study on this, but I think you’ll agree, it seems like better coffee and better beer make for better conversation and better occasions.
So, Natalia and Eric, are not just responsible for producing thirst-quenching liquids, they’re contributing to our happiness, and enhancing our relationships.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/giadamorganphotography/">Giada Morgan</a> at<a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2024/09/23/calcasieu-beer-colombian-coffee/"> itsacadiana.com</a>.

Calcasieu Beer & Colombian Coffee

It’s getting easier by the day for your average person to become a graphic designer. Fire up a Canva account, and you can have  a logo in minutes. And Lord knows AI is only making that easier, and more surreal. 

But, as things get easier for the masses, it puts a premium on stuff made by hand. Time was that it took blood and sweat to make the world beautiful. But, today? Well, imagine a robot trying to paint a boombox on a brick wall or the hood of a car. Foe some things, technology and machines won't do. For those occasions, you need an airbrusher. Like, for example, John Zant.

John is celebrated in Lafayette for his hand painted designs. He likes the tough jobs and has developed a knack for painting on any kind of surface, like signs and glass and metal and brick. He grew up in New Mexico and moved to Lafayette in the 1980s to go college and picked up an airbrush when a fraternity brother got him a job at a local store. 

John spent years honing the skill and went on to launch a career in exterior art. He painted his first mural at Pioneer Park in Jennings and today gets contracts from local businesses looking for signage or designs that will help them stand out. 

John’s also very active in the local skater community and is known by the moniker Bag of Boards. 

Standing out is the name of the game in the high-end shoe business. Kids line up around the block to get the first shot at a limited edition sneaker. But if you want your footwear to be truly limited, you might hire Brandy Cavitt to paint your shoes. 

Brandy is a graphic designer by trade. But her obsession is shoes. In 2024, she launched Shoe Fly Dirty Coast, a company that customizes sneakers on demand. The work is intensive. She conditions, massages, strips and softens shoe fabrics of all types — canvas, leather, you name it — so they can properly take paints. And she uses the high-end stuff to make the colors pop and stick. The process takes days but it can add years to the life of a shoe once properly treated with sealant. 

Brandy’s play is to cash in on sneaker culture, which puts a big emphasis on one-of-a-kind, hard-to-find wearables. 

Brandy grew up in the Lafayette area and started her career in graphic design at 21. She’s also a musician and previously worked for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

It’s getting easier by the day for your average person to become a graphic designer. Fire up a Canva account, and you can have  a logo in minutes. And Lord knows AI is only making that easier, and more surreal. 
But, as things get easier for the masses, it puts a premium on stuff made by hand. Time was that it took blood and sweat to make the world beautiful. But, today? Well, imagine a robot trying to paint a boombox on a brick wall or the hood of a car. Foe some things, technology and machines won't do. For those occasions, you need an airbrusher. Like, for example, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/john.zant1">John Zant</a>.
John is celebrated in Lafayette for his hand painted designs. He likes the tough jobs and has developed a knack for painting on any kind of surface, like signs and glass and metal and brick. He grew up in New Mexico and moved to Lafayette in the 1980s to go college and picked up an airbrush when a fraternity brother got him a job at a local store. 
John spent years honing the skill and went on to launch a career in exterior art. He painted his first mural at Pioneer Park in Jennings and today gets contracts from local businesses looking for signage or designs that will help them stand out. 
John’s also very active in the local skater community and is known by the moniker Bag of Boards. 
Standing out is the name of the game in the high-end shoe business. Kids line up around the block to get the first shot at a limited edition sneaker. But if you want your footwear to be truly limited, you might hire Brandy Cavitt to paint your shoes. 
Brandy is a graphic designer by trade. But her obsession is shoes. In 2024, she launched<a href="https://www.facebook.com/brandycavittcompany"> Shoe Fly Dirty Coast</a>, a company that customizes sneakers on demand. The work is intensive. She conditions, massages, strips and softens shoe fabrics of all types — canvas, leather, you name it — so they can properly take paints. And she uses the high-end stuff to make the colors pop and stick. The process takes days but it can add years to the life of a shoe once properly treated with sealant. 
Brandy’s play is to cash in on sneaker culture, which puts a big emphasis on one-of-a-kind, hard-to-find wearables. 
Brandy grew up in the Lafayette area and started her career in graphic design at 21. She’s also a musician and previously worked for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com/">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2024/09/16/stand-out-from-the-crowd/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

Vegan Cakes, Crack Wings

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