One historical trademark that people associate with Opelousas is their food, particularly their seasonings. Some of these flavorings have been around for almost 100 years now and are widely used in many pantries around the world. Everywhere you look, it’s pretty obvious: Opelousas has an abundant resource of chefs, recipes, and ingredients which altogether made this humble community the “Spice Capital of Louisiana.” In this list, we’ll give you the best of what Opelousas has to offer right from their chefs’ food book. From seasonings to sausages, from Cajun delights to local dishes that you must try. It’s all here.
1. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
A man named Tony Chachere started the legend of Creole seasoning in Opelousas. His specialty? Cajun cuisine, a three-pot food preparation that is easy to follow and made flavorful using onions, green bell pepper, and celery. A 100 years after, Tony’s famous seasonings are still used and have developed over time to offer a wide variety of creole flavors for Gumbo, Jambalaya, and other recipes which Mr. Tony and his family generously share. They also offer different mixes and sandwich sauces to add a signature Opelousas spice to your meals.
Tony Chahere’s Creoloe Seasonings has a store located at 5604 I49 N Service Road, an old neighborhood in Opelousas. You can easily reach the place with expert guides. They also have an online store where you can place your orders.
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Address: Opelousas, LA 70570
Website: Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
2. LouAna Cooking Oil
Founded in 1984, the famous LouAna Cooking Oil is produced in Opelousas. This brand offers premium oils that are a perfect companion when deep frying, sautéing, baking, and basically, cooking any kind of dish. It was first discovered during the time of Cajun settlers in Louisiana and to this day, people in the kitchen including housewives and renowned chefs are turning to LouAna Oils to inspire their cooking. There are plenty of options to choose from depending on your kitchen needs–there’s canola, corn, vegetable, sunflower, coconut, and peanut oil. LouAna’s organic coconut oil is also offered as a skincare product, too.
Visit LouAna’s factory at Opelousas or taste the exciting dishes and recipes like Cajun-Fried Baby Back Ribs uniquely flavored by LouAna’s oil when you visit restaurants.
LouAna Cooking Oil
Website: LouAna Cooking Oil
3. Targil Seasoning, Inc
Another name known for seasoning and butcher supplies is Targil Seasoning located at 229 Wartell Avenue. It started over 25 years ago and continues as a family business, expanding their products and services from a simple provider of in-house spices to a place where you can mix your own special seasoning. They also conduct cake decorating classes and specialty decorating classes for those who love baking.
If you’re in Opelousas, you can visit the Targil Store over at Wartell Avenue and try creating your own spice blend. You can also purchase some cooking utensils and choose from a wide collection of cake supplies. The Targil family gives warm customer service to everyone who comes in. You can personally talk to them and get an insider’s perspective about their history, story, and products.
Targil Seasoning, Inc
Address: 229 Wartell Ave. Opelousas, LA 70570
Website: Targil Seasoning, Inc
4. Savoie’s Sausage
Continuing the Cajun heritage of cooking for 62 years now, Savoie’s Sausage is a must-try if you’re craving for seafood pies, smoked sausages, or boudin. This family-owned business started as a grocery store, evolved into a hog farming business, and eventually into a trusted supplier of sausages and other pork-based products. People started to take notice of Ms. Eula’s sausage recipes and customers continue to love their Cajun food products. Some bestsellers include Savoie’s Roux and Sauces and their signature Smoked Sausages.
The original grocery site remains as the current headquarters of Savoie’s Sausage in Opelousas. As a matter of fact, some of their employees now came from families that helped out in the Savoie business decades ago.
Savoie’s Sausage
Address: 1742 Highway 742, Opelousas, LA 70570
Website: Savoie’s Sausage
5. Famous dishes
Visiting Opolousas won’t be complete without trying their signature dishes. Aside from sausages and seasonings, this place is home for local restaurants with a unique set of menus but offers the same taste, distinctive of the rich flavors of Opolousas. You will notice that most eateries serve jambalaya, shrimp Creole, and gumbos which you can try in one day. There is also a line of meals known as Soul Food dishes like collard greens, corn bread, and more!
Frank’s Poboys at Landry Street serves a catfish fillet seasoned with tomato gravy bursting with rich flavors and seasoning. Over at East Landry Street, you may indulge in an authentic shrimp basket from Mama’s Chicken. They also serve chicken tenders, fried gizzard, and onion rings which go perfectly with their specialty baskets. For dessert, get some sweet dough pies and tea cakes at Yam Country Pies or treat yourself with sweet donuts at Sonya’s Donut and Deli located at Jen Kayla Blvd. Before you go home, don’t forget to eat some bread pudding and blueberry cobbler, too! There’s a perfect food option for everyone’s taste and a restaurant you can trust with your appetite.
Famous Dishes in Opelousas
Website: Famous Dishes in Opelousas
Mama's Chicken
Website: Mama’s Chicken Menu
Yam Country Pies
Website: Yam Country Pies
Perfectly seasoned
This is Opelousas, a humble community and Louisiana’s pride in musical style, well-preserved culture, and flavors. Locals use the phrase “perfectly seasoned” in describing their town and it’s pretty obvious why. Everywhere you look–from the house structures to their festivals, local shops and specialty restaurants, you will see a trace of history coming alive. There is no better way to go back in time than by trying their food and meeting the families behind Opolousas’ heritage flavors. Some do travel hundreds of miles just to give it a try and all of them go home with a full stomach and yes–a big, big smile.
History
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