Rouses_May-June-2018

EAT LOCAL

M y friend Maria, who is a generally amazing person, pulled off one of her most memorable triumphs at our place of work right after Hurricane Katrina. She had all of us come into the conference room where, lo and behold, she had set out a massive amount of jambalaya with all the fixings. Our lunch was warm, comforting — just what we needed. In the trashcan we found several empty boxes of jambalaya mix. But somehow, someway, despite the fact that it wasn’t truly homemade, it was perfect. Maria is not alone in her love of jambalaya mixes, a fast and inexpensive way to get a dinner of considerable comfort on the table.The mixes are easy to customize or double or triple. Recently I bought one of every kind of jambalaya mix at my nearest Rouses.The overflowing bag — $52 worth — contained a lot of jam- balaya, since most mixes are priced at $3 or less.There were even two “pastalayas,” a popular jambalaya variant some people make at home. When I began to examine and research the mixes, I found much to admire, as well as several surprises. All but one of the brands is based, of course, in Louisiana, where jambalaya originated. And almost every single producer is a family business, or began as one. Zatarain’s, the biggest dog in this pack, began with a New Orleans family, although it’s been owned by food giant McCormick since 1993. I found Zatarain’s Reduced Sodium, Spicy,Mild, Brown Rice, and Jambalaya with Cheese boxed mixes, plus a ready-to-eat, 90-second Heat and Serve version. All but the Heat and Serve are produced in the company’s big Gretna facility, where they make a whopping 200 different products. The company has been inspirational in this crowded category; Ryan Schexnayder of Ryan’s Cajun Pantry can attest to that. He created his Cajun Brown Jambalaya in 2010 after cooking for friends and family, who always asked when he was making it next. “I thought, if Zatarain’s and all the others can put it in a dry mix, let me see if I can do it.”

rice flour when they created the mix.Back then,Champagne said,“It was ‘cutting edge’ to have no MSG.There’s a lot more competition in the gluten-free market now.” One of the newest companies is Jambalaya Girl, founded by New Orleans native Kristen Preau. When Preau was growing up, her dad sold cast-iron cooking equipment, and he’d make jambalaya to showcase his cookware, then provide samples of it for prospective customers. After Katrina, while they were evacuated in Kentucky, they wanted to do post-storm fundraising. They did what came naturally: They made jambalaya. “People were going wild over the recipe,” said Preau. “They wanted to connect and talk about New Orleans. I realized I wanted to do something with this. It became my calling, to work with something that promotes my culture.” “Every weekend for the first few years I was in Rouses doing demos,” Preau said. Starting in 2010 she began doing events and festivals. When making the mix 500 pounds at a time in her dad’s Gentilly warehouse, she decided to go into the business full-time. What sets Jambalaya Girl apart? “It has more vegetables,” Preau said, “and it’s not as spicy or salty.” She does many events with the New Orleans Moms Blog, who approached her; they said their kids eat it. “That’s my niche,” Preau said. “It pleases a lot of palates.” The Jambalaya Girl mix is made at the Magic Seasoning Blends plant in Elmwood, founded by the late chef Paul Prudhomme. In the photo of blackened redfish in Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen , the late chef ’s seminal cookbook, the cooker Preau’s dad sold can be seen.

Schexnayder, who grew up in Thibodaux and now lives in Hahnville, Louisiana, was a certified welding inspector until the oil patch went sour a couple of years ago, he said. Now, he’s a full-time entrepreneur, working on growing his line of dry mixes. Some suppliers are primarily known for other products, which suggests just how good the jambalaya mix business must be. Blue Runner has the only Creole Jambalaya Base in a can. The other big bean name, Camellia Brand, has a dry mix jambalaya. And Tony Chachere’s in Opelousas, the giant among Creole seasoning mixes, also has a jambalaya mix offering. Jambalaya mixes today tend to have less sodium and no MSG. Autin’s Cajun Foods was founded by Jennifer Champagne’s grandparents 25 years ago. Their box says “gluten free,” because they happened to use

Kristen Preau, Jambalaya Girl

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