Category: Acadiana Life

  • Cajun French Soul food in the heart of San Francisco

    Cajun French Soul food in the heart of San Francisco

    A few years ago, I was in San Francisco for a work-related conference and my husband and I were looking for some new restaurants to try while we were in town. I love using Trip Advisor and Yelp when I travel to find new restaurants and attractions. On a whim, I thought “Let me see…

  • Pizza with a Cajun twist

    Pizza with a Cajun twist

    If you’re in Lafayette and you haven’t been to Dean-O’s pizza, what in the hell are you waiting for? You’ve never had pizza like this before. Ever. Let me try to explain Dean-O’s to the uninitiated: Take pizza baked in a wood fired oven with a thin, crispy crust, give it a Cajun spin and…

  • What being Cajun means to me: Resilience

    What being Cajun means to me: Resilience

    As I outlined in a previous post, I’m writing a series of blog posts about what being Cajun means to me – the traits typically found people who identify with the Cajun culture. In previous posts, I blogged about resourcefulness , our joie de vivre and the incredible value we place on our family. In this week’s post,…

  • Good, clean family fun – Antique Car rallies

    Good, clean family fun – Antique Car rallies

    As mentioned in a previous post, my father bought and restored a 1922 Chevrolet that we nicknamed “Yellow Bird”. This car is like a family member to us – and some of our favorite memories as a family were when we’d participate in Antique Car rallies and caravans. It’s likely a little known fact that…

  • Keeping your Cajun culture alive even if you live out of state

    Keeping your Cajun culture alive even if you live out of state

    Many native Cajuns have left South Louisiana – some for greater job opportunities, others due to a devastating hurricane or because other members of their family moved. Whatever the reason you’re no longer in Louisiana, you can still celebrate the Cajun culture through our unique culinary traditions and customs. 1. Learn to cook authentic, Cajun food…

  • Meet our unique family member: Yellow Bird

    Meet our unique family member: Yellow Bird

    Describing my father as a unique individual would be an understatement. He had varied, interesting hobbies and an outrageous sense of fashion. One of his more prevalent hobbies was collecting and restoring antique automobiles. My mom remembers that she and my father originally had a beautiful navy blue 1932 Chevrolet as their first antique automobile.…

  • A community comes together – the story of the Gulf Coast Benefit Concert

    A community comes together – the story of the Gulf Coast Benefit Concert

    Today I’d like to revisit an important event that occurred on July 1, 2010. Five years ago, after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, I felt helpless watching the residents of Louisiana suffer as a result of this accident. This situation was not only impacting the region in an emotional and financial way, but…

  • Get ‘dat boudin in my belly

    Get ‘dat boudin in my belly

    I love boudin. I’ve loved boudin ever since I was a kid. My father’s house was right near a great little convenience store/meat market that sold EXCELLENT boudin. I’d head there anytime I was visiting for a few links of boudin for lunch. For those of you who don’t know what boudin is – here’s…

  • What being Cajun means to me: Family

    What being Cajun means to me: Family

    As I outlined in a previous post, I’m writing a series of blog posts about what being Cajun means to me – the traits typically found people who identify with the Cajun culture. In previous posts, I blogged about resourcefulness and our joie de vivre. In this week’s post, I’d like to talk about how…

  • Remembering the traditions of my Cajun family

    Remembering the traditions of my Cajun family

    Family traditions are something that you’ll always remember. As we all grow older, it’s common to remember those traditions and yearn to create your own family traditions with your family.  This morning I had a memory of a tradition that my mother began in our family when I was a small child. On Sunday mornings…