Crawfish Bread®
Every third Sunday, we head to the middle of Louisiana for a visit with Wilbert Carmouche and Mary Guillory of Travel Avoyelles. This month they brought along caterer John Ed Laborde of Panaroma Foods in Marksville, the creator of Crawfish Bread®, and the conversation went straight to the kitchen table.
Watch the podcast below or listen to or download the audio version on Podbean:
Episode Highlights
Crawfish, crayfish or crawdad? John Ed has the local rule: call it crayfish and it's bait, call it crawfish and it's dinner.
The story of Crawfish Bread®. Born from leftover dough and now a fixture at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for about 38 years.
A rice, sugarcane and sweet potato parish. Boudin, boucherie, cracklins, and how the farm fields shape what's on the plate.
Weddings, Avoyelles style. Crawfish étouffée balls with remoulade, king cakes, and a groom's cake table built from hogshead cheese with crackers, cracklins and Steen's cane syrup.
Gas station gourmet. Plate lunches and breakfast at Y-Not Stop, and boudin balls with pepper jack at Juneau's.
Holiday tables. Boneless stuffed turkey, rice dressing, Christmas Eve appetizers, sweet potato crunch and tater-tinis.
Gumbo vs. jambalaya. Wilbert settles it: one is more like a soup, the other a standalone entrée.
A full day of eating. Breakfast, lunch and dinner picks from cinnamon rolls and beignets to Harry's Pronto Pups, picnics at Spring Bayou, and a black pot among friends.
La Petite Affaire Cafe. Photo: Lisa D. Smith
Places Mentioned
Panaroma Foods (Marksville) · Y-Not Stop · Juneau's · Harry's · La Petite Affaire Cafe · Kyrles Restaurant (Mansura) · Rocky's Tails and Shells (Bunkie) · Ben Routh Park · Spring Bayou Wildlife Management Area · Atchafalaya River · Simmesport
Cochon de Lait. Photo: Lisa D. Smith
Links
Plan your visit: https://TravelAvoyelles.com
Panaroma Foods, John Ed Laborde: https://panaromafoodsinc.com
Crawfish Bread: https://www.nolacrawfishbread.com
Kyrles Restaurant, Lounge and Catering: Facebook page
🎧 New episodes of Big Blend Radio's Travel Avoyelles Podcast air every 3rd Sunday.