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it wasn’t until he began experimenting with various ingredients and season ings that he made his own very different version. In a large cast-iron dutch oven, he browns chicken seasoned with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. He removes the chicken and browns chopped Boston butt pork in the same pot. “I find pork gets tough, so after I brown it, I put some water in there and boil the pork for about 20 minutes until there is just a little water left,” he said. Finally, he adds sliced smoked sausage to the pot to brown. Then in go the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic, which are cooked until soft. So far, sounds like classic jambalaya, right? But it is here that Nick starts to take his own path. He adds a can of diced

you likely have on hand. In a small bowl, combine ½ tablespoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin and ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon each of fine salt and sweet paprika (or ground achiote powder, if you have it); and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix well and store in an airtight container where you keep your other spices. NICK ACOSTA’S PASTALAYA When some folks make pastalaya (a popular take on jambalaya where pasta is substituted for the rice), they typically follow the traditional recipe for the classic Cajun dish — but not Nick, Director of Business Analytics for Rouses Markets. “I’ve eaten other versions of it over the years, and I like the flavor. The pasta soaks up a lot of the flavor,” Nick said, but

“My dad makes his jambalaya with the rice he boiled to go with gumbos, stews and gravy — it’s a great way to use leftover rice. I use parboiled rice that cooks right in the pot with everything else. It’s a trick to keep the rice from getting mushy if you’re keeping the jambalaya on the stove for a while. And now Nick is using pasta. We all cook a little differently; it’s the same tradition, but we each added our own touches.” — Tim Acosta, Rouses Markets Advertising & Marketing Director

10 ROUSES SUMMER 2025 • WWW.ROUSES.COM