A chef who learned by sanding beer boxes, waxing banquet-room floors, and listening to Creole cooks all day doesn’t need a flashy origin story. He needs consistency, standards, and a dining room full of regulars who keep coming back. From inside Nash’s Restaurant in Broussard, Louisiana, we sit down with Nash and Jenny Vereca to unpack how a family legacy in New Orleans becomes a long-running Acadiana favorite set in a stunning 1908 historic home that still has a few “spirit” stories floating around.

Nash walks us through his earliest lessons at Frank’s Steakhouse, why he still chases small improvements even when guests already love a dish, and how scratch cooking shapes everything from sauces to dressings. Jenny shares her own crash course in food service and logistics, from supplying offshore rigs to getting thrown into high-volume New Orleans ball catering where “make 1,500 sandwiches” is treated like a casual request. Along the way, we talk restaurant management fundamentals, hiring for personality, and building a menu that respects Italian roots while meeting Louisiana seafood expectations.

We also get honest about what longevity really costs: soft openings, marketing misfires, being on site constantly, and surviving hurricanes, oilfield downturns, COVID, and inflation without losing heart. If you care about Lafayette and Broussard restaurants, local food culture, and what real hospitality looks like when nobody is watching, this conversation delivers.
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The podcast was made possible through partnerships with Rouses Supermarket, Logic Refrigeration HVAC, Ounce of Hope, Cajun Table, Vermilionville, Soul Haus Kitchen, Chris Logan Media, and Sunday Soda Fountain – proving that when a community rallies around celebrating local food culture, amazing things happen. Subscribe now to join this delicious adventure and become part of the movement that's transforming Lafayette's food scene one bite at a time!

learn more: foodiesoflafayette.com

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Lafayette didn’t always know what pizza was, and Alesi’s Pizza helped change that. We sit down with the family behind one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Lafayette, Louisiana to follow a story that starts in Sicily, passes through Ellis Island, and lands in Acadiana in the most unexpected way: a WWII posting at an old Army air base and a chance meeting with a “little Cajun girl” at a downtown lunch counter. The result is a restaurant legacy that’s about more than food, it’s about how families put down roots and how communities adopt new traditions.

We talk about the early days when locals asked what fruit went in a “pizza pie,” and how Alesi’s eased Lafayette into Italian food by starting with diner staples and slowly clipping on the Italian menu. You’ll hear why the pizza became the anchor, why fresh dough and fresh sauce still happen daily, and how a simple crust-and-sauce combo can outlast every trend. Along the way, we get into the Johnson Street move, the iconic neon sign, the mid-century feel, and the behind-the-counter moments like learning to toss dough and earning your way up through the unglamorous jobs.

The conversation also gets real about the restaurant business today: the nights, weekends, holidays, and the feeling of never being fully off. With Alesi’s nearing 70 years, we discuss why selling the business is on the table as an option, what kind of reaction that sparked across Lafayette, and the advice they’d give anyone dreaming of opening a restaurant in Cajun country. If you care about Lafayette food culture, family-owned restaurants, and the history behind the best pizza in Lafayette, this one’s for you.

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, then share the episode with a friend and leave a review so more people can find the stories behind our local legends.

The podcast was made possible through partnerships with Rouses Supermarket, Logic Refrigeration HVAC, Ounce of Hope, Cajun Table, Vermilionville, Soul Haus Kitchen, Chris Logan Media, and Sunday Soda Fountain – proving that when a community rallies around celebrating local food culture, amazing things happen. Subscribe now to join this delicious adventure and become part of the movement that's transforming Lafayette's food scene one bite at a time!

learn more: foodiesoflafayette.com

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A great bakery doesn’t just sell pastries. It keeps a city’s memories warm, one loaf at a time. We’re sitting down at Sunday Soda Fountain with Patrick Poupart, the next-generation baker behind Poupart’s Bakery in Lafayette, Louisiana, to dig into how a true French bakery took root here and why people still drive in from out of town with an ice chest to stock up.

Patrick shares the family story that starts in France with serious craft training through the Compagnons du Devoir and leads to Poupart’s opening its doors in 1965. We talk about what it means to grow up above the shop, learn the work young, and come back from baking school in France with a deeper love for fermentation and bread. If you’re curious about sourdough starter culture, baguettes, and why “bread is alive,” this conversation gets specific in a way food lovers will appreciate.

We also get practical: Poupart’s American king cake versus French king cake, what makes French pastries different, and how the bakery has grown into sandwiches, soups, freezer meals, and full-scale catering for massive events. Along the way, Patrick explains a mindset we want more of in the Lafayette food community: sharing knowledge, helping other chefs, and choosing collaboration over competition.

If you care about local businesses, Cajun and Creole food culture, and the craft behind French baking in Louisiana, hit play. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, share this with a friend who loves king cake, and leave a review telling us your go-to Poupart’s order.

The podcast was made possible through partnerships with Logic Refrigeration HVAC, Ounce of Hope, Cajun Table, Vermilionville, Soul Haus Kitchen, Chris Logan Media, and Sunday Soda Fountain – proving that when a community rallies around celebrating local food culture, amazing things happen. Subscribe now to join this delicious adventure and become part of the movement that's transforming Lafayette's food scene one bite at a time!

learn more: foodiesoflafayette.com

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