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Way to Geaux, Jeaux! by Donny Rouse, CEO, 3 rd Generation

I can remember when LSU first signed Joe Burrow, a transfer quarterback from Ohio State. Over three seasons as backup in Ohio, Burrow had made just two touchdowns. But Coach O recognized talent when he saw it. I like to think we do that at Rouses, too — our VP of Operations started out as a service clerk stocker.

2019 was our first year as an official sponsor of LSU Athletics. LSU went undefeated in the toughest conference in all of college football. And Burrow threw an SEC-record 48 touchdown passes. In fact, he had one of the greatest passing seasons in college football history. It seemed like the whole country — yes, probably even you Alabama fans — was pulling for him to win the Heisman. It was the heart he showed during his Heisman acceptance speech that left Coach O and the rest of us crying like we’d been cutting onions all day. “I’m up here for all those kids in Athens County…who go home to not a lot of food on the table…” he said, inspiring donations to the Athens County Food Pantry from all over the country. Feeding the hungry is something we can all support, and we make it easy to help; you can join us in donating to our local food banks at any Rouses Market year-round. Just scan a coupon at the register to add to your bill, or purchase a pre-packed bag of canned goods for $10, which we will deliver for you. In his speech, Burrow gave credit to his LSU teammates for welcoming a kid from Ohio coming down to the bayou. That’s the Cajun spirit we talk about. A coach’s son himself,

he teared up while thanking Coach O for “…taking a chance on me not knowing if I could play or not,” and introducing him to crawfish and gumbo. Coach O is just like the rest of us on the Gulf Coast; we love to share our local food — our seafood, gumbos, boudin and all the great food this area is known for. Speaking of sharing our food: We catered a lot of tailgates at LSU’s Oaks this season, including all of the ones for Robin and Jim Burrow, Joe’s parents. Robin told an interviewer that she “loves, loves, loves [our] boudin balls and jambalaya and gumbo.” We love, love, love Robin. We heard from our tailgate team in Baton Rouge that she and Joe are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Watching them in interviews, it’s easy to see where Joe gets his humility. Burrow will likely be the number one pick in the NFL draft come April. But whether he’s number one in the draft or not, the adopted son of Louisiana — Jeaux Burreaux — will always be number one to us. Happy New Year, and thanks for a great 2019. I look forward to all the fun and food we’ll share in 2020.

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