Every local and transplant knows that Acadiana’s cuisine is second-to-none, and in recent years, more people outside of Louisiana are recognizing our region’s cuisine, not just that of New Orleans.
With local leaders developing the Acadiana Food Alliance and focusing on building up our food economy, it could be our time to shine.
A new restaurant called Lafayette is scheduled to open next month in Asheville, North Carolina. Another restaurant called Acadiana is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year in Washington, D.C.
These restaurants are serving up Cajun and Creole cuisine, but instead of focusing their brands on Louisiana or New Orleans, they have picked our city’s name and our region’s nickname.
“I think it’s flattering,” says Nathan Norris, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority and an instigator of the food alliance. “It’s a wonderful compliment, but it also tells us we can take better advantage of it.”
Asheville has branded itself as a foodie destination with a nickname of Foodtopia, which Norris says is almost unbelievable.
“Nobody is importing Asheville food elsewhere,” Norris says. “As much as people care about food here and as good as our food is, we should be blowing the doors off of that city, but they have a stronger food economy than we do.”
Michel Baudouin, the chef and owner of Lafayette, did not respond to multiple requests for a phone interview and instead emailed a written statement.
Baudouin says that the restaurant will serve up Cajun and Creole favorites such as red beans and rice, shrimp etouffee and boudin balls.
But he does not attribute the restaurant’s name to our city.
He instead credits Lafayette to the French general who delivered essential aid to the American Colonies during the American Revolution. Gen. John J. Pershing, upon his arrival in France as the U.S. entered World War I, famously declared, “Lafayette, we are here!” in tribute to Lafayette’s service to America.
Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Center, says that even though the restaurant’s owner may not mention Lafayette, Louisiana, specifically, the restaurant is clearly capitalizing on our city’s name recognition.
“Obviously we don’t own the Lafayette name,” Berthelot says. “But this has a direct tie to our area.”
The Cajun and Creole restaurant named Acadiana in D.C. is definitely named for our area, however.
Jeff Tunks, executive chef and owner of Acadiana, says he and his business partners struggled with finding a suitable name for their business and ultimately decided on Acadiana following a trip to Abbeville, Breaux Bridge and other area cities.
“We decided on Acadiana because it seems to encapsulate the region,” Tunks says. “I think our biggest accomplishment is when Louisianans and ex-Louisianians are in D.C. and they use Acadiana as a springboard to get their fix.”
During orientation and training, new staff members learn about the Acadiana region and why the restaurant is named after it.
Tunks worked as a chef in New Orleans for three years before opening Acadiana in 2005.
“As they say,” Berthelot says, “imitation is the highest form of flattery. I think it’s a testament to the hard work of our chefs, restaurant owners, tourism folks and others who have made Lafayette a foodie destination.”
While visiting south Louisiana, Tunks experienced everything from trapping crawfish to eating gas-station boudin.
“Everybody talks about food in that whole area,” he says. “I don’t care who you are or who you’re with. It’s just such a passion for everybody.”
Acadiana’s menu looks more authentic than most restaurants outside of Louisiana that sell food labeled as Cajun or Creole.
The restaurant even has seasonal crawfish boils and cochon de laits.
“Obviously using the Louisiana product is the key,” Tunks says. “And we respect the way it should be done. We try to keep it as close to the authentic dishes as possible.”
While Norris is happy to see others recognizing our area’s food culture, he thinks it’s more important for us to capitalize on our food culture.
Norris uses Napa Valley as an example. The California region known as Wine Country branded itself with such intention that it is now a major destination for wine experts and tourists alike.
“The fact that we’re exporting our food elsewhere means that we should take advantage of our unique culture as it relates to food,” he says. “We’ve been doing it a lot, but I think we can do it even more.”
said, noting that the ship is not only an important part of history but also a major tourism draw in the southeastern North Carolina. Just in the past eight days, he said, about 12,700 people have visited the Battleship North Carolina.