It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

We tend to think of entrepreneurs as people with an obsessive vision. They have an idea that will change the world or at least make them lots of money. They take it to the workshop and hack away for days, hours, years until they bring their genius to market and find success. 

Sometimes, a business idea just sort of happens. Maybe it’s a stroke of luck. And that could be a stroke of bad luck. Savvy entrepreneurs can make whatever hand their dealt — work. 

Ari Dolegowski found his calling after he got hurt. He had been a phys ed teacher in New York and played in an adult soccer league. A physical therapist was on his team, so he asked for help. What he got was a new career.

Ari became interested in the combination of eastern medicine and physical therapy practiced by his teammate. So he set out to do that himself. He set up shop in Lafayette in 2020 after he and his wife relocated to be closer to her family during the pandemic. That shop is called Ari D Therapy & Training. He practices massage therapy, prenatal massage, cupping and more. The idea is to combine Eastern and Western practices to help clients manage pain and injuries holistically. 

Ari books session at his studio and makes house calls. Ari grew up in Colorado and spent time as a professional soccer players in leagues in Israel, Chile and the U.S. 

Disasters are a fact of life in Louisiana. It’s not so much luck as it is a changing climate. Dealing with the aftermath is a real pain. Especially when you get walloped by back to back hurricanes. 

Imagine spending a month without power and then having to wrangle someone to fix your roof. And once that’s done, you’ve got to haggle with your insurance company to pay for it. Well, there could be another way. You could call Colorwheel. A disaster recovery company founded by Beau Killingsworth. 

Colorwheel is essentially a construction company with a twist. They don’t just help you fix your roof, they help you with the insurance claims process, too. 

Beau grew up in Lake Charles and had been through enough floods and hurricanes to know how much of a headache that was. He started colorwheel after working as an attorney in Lafayette and getting more familiar with the insurance claims process. He started the company in 2023. Beau is still a practicing attorney and contractor. He’s also a podcaster. He hosts a show called One Big Headgame.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lafayette’s restaurant scene is famously difficult. There are more restaurants per person in the Hub City than there are in New Orleans, Austin and even New York City. Plus, you’re not just competing with the restaurant down the block. This is a place where everyone cooks. People set the standard in their own kitchens. 

So what do you do if you move to Louisiana from a culinary capital like New York? How do you get ahead? Well, to start, you don’t open a Cajun restaurant.

Peter Cooke made that decision early on, when he opened Park Bistro, a fine dining concept grounded in Italian cuisine that’s tucked into Lafyette’s Saint Streets neighborhood. 

Peter cut his teeth in high end cuisine in New York. At 25, he became the executive chef at Krupa Grocery near Prospect Park in Brooklyn and earned the restaurant a Michelin Star recommendation. He guided the restaurant through the pandemic and burned out. Plus, he married a girl from Louisiana. So he and his family relocated to Lafayette in 2022. Within a few months, he opened a restaurant and called it Park Bistro — a nod to his old New York neighborhood. 

Chances are, if you’re making a sandwich in Acadiana, you’re using Evangeline Maid bread. It’s a childhood staple known for its soft texture and surgary flavor. It’s white bread. The processed stuff that’s great for a grilled cheese sandwich or a dollop of barbecue sauce. Country bread it is not. For all its French heritage, artisan bread making has not really been a big thing in this neck of Louisiana. 

But that’s changing. One of the bakers behind a movement of craft bakeries is Chris Frazier of Boscoyo Baking Company. 

Chris got into baking while working in the construction industry in Austin. He and his partner Haley met, and then ran bakeries in Portland, Oregon but moved to Lafayette to be closer to family. They opened Boscoyo in 2023. 

Boscoyo zigs where white bread zags. They use stone milled whole grain flours and slow fermentation sourdough to make staples like Focaccia, Baguette, Ciabatta and their in-demand pan de campagne — the traditional french country loaf. They also offer pizza nights and cakes to fill out their business line. All of their baked goods are made with the same approach. No white flour and as much local sourcing as possible. 

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quality isn’t enough to sell a product. Consumers need to connect with what you’re selling. And the first way they do that, usually, is by connecting with your brand. 

What is a brand? Well, for one thing, it starts with a name. But any marketing agency will tell you it’s more than that. It’s your company’s values. It’s what makes your product stand out. It’s the warm fuzzy feeling loyal customers get when they see your product on the shelves of their grocery store. 

Of course, a name is important. Plenty of great products have been tanked by a lousy name. Sure, a cookie by any other name would taste as sweet. But that doesn’t matter if no one buys it. And when we’re buying products, we’re often buying them on faith, and the promise of a brand. 

So if you believe in your product, but it’s not selling, maybe try shaking up the name. Think of it this way: Richard Starkey is an accountant. Ringo Starr is a Beatle. 

Danielle Reggio’s allergen-free baking company began life as Dani Cakes in 2016. Her gluten-, egg-, soy-, dairy- and nut-free cupcakes did pretty well at farmer’s markets, but she felt like her expanding product line had outgrown the company name. 

In 2022, she took on a new name: Whiskful Baking Company. Until then, Dani had been a home baker inspired by her own struggle with food allergies. Not long after the rebrand, Dani was able to quit her job to bake full time. 

Today, Whiskful Baking Company makes a wide variety of allergen-free baked goods. Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies, donuts, beignets, baguettes, dinner rolls and even pop tops. 

Dani is originally from Carencro. Her bakery is located in Broussard. 

Terrence Jones was in law school when decided to start a candy company. He created a brand — CBurns Tech and Confections — and a Facebook page to get started. 

At first, the idea was to do business consulting and sell candy. When he tried to make a logo, he realized the concept was a little confusing. Some deft Googling led him to a branding opportunity: No one had claimed the name Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy. And Pecan Candies are Creole through and through. Terrence grew up making his family’s pecan pralines, a tradition handed down from his grandmother. 

Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy has two product lines. Creole-ish includes the Jones family pralines and a BBQ sauce. While Cajun-ish offers a white chocolate spin as well as an allergen free pecan candy. 

The company now has three offices - in Lafayette, New Orleans and in Atlanta - and has received support from Beyonce’s BeyGood foundation.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan and Liliana Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us think about business in terms of the point of sale. I’ve got a product. You’ve got money. You give me money for the product and boom: we have an economy. 

But Adam Smith’s invisible hand didn’t put that product on my shelf. It likely came on a truck. And that truck was built with parts sourced from places near and far. Which in turn were manufactured with raw materials extracted from all four corners of the globe. 

That’s a supply chain. Ball it all up, and it’s the backbone of the American economy. 

Logistics are an important part of every business. Getting the items that you need when you need them has a big impact on your productivity and bottom line. And that’s true if you’re running a restaurant or building a rocketship. Time is money. So is distance. When companies need something jonny on the spot, many of them use GOPHR, an on-demand delivery app developed by Lake Charles native and resident, Warren Vandever. 

GOPHR is sort of like Priceline for logistics. It connects businesses and consumers to a fleet of 650,000 networked vehicles operated by independent contractors. The app can scan an object to produce a cost estimate, and links up the delivery with the right-sized vehicle. They ship just about everything. Paper clips, building supplies and industrial equipment. 

Warren founded the company in 2019 after a decade in the military. 

Louisiana has a long history in the logistics business, thanks to its industrial history and the offshore oil and gas industry. And many firms with legacies offshore have diversified their portfolios along with the state. 

Complete Logistical Services is a company out of the Northshore area that helps offshore and maritime firms with staffing and recruiting. The person in charge of selling those services is James Brown. 

James is the sales manager at CLS and has a background in marketing. And that has him working in a brand new world for the Gulf of Mexico: SPACE. In recent years, CLS has carved out a niche working with space tourism firms and companies developing offshore wind platforms. 

James handles day-to-day client outreach, farming new prospects and making sure current CLS clients have what they need. He grew up in Metairie and lives on the northshore. 

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some things are better left to the professionals. If you’re a VIP with a target on your back, security is one of those things.

Protection

Personal security is a highly specialized business. It takes discipline, preparation and the willingness to put your life on the line for your client. Risking life and limb isn’t for everyone. And that’s why few people get into personal security. 

Those who do, like Myron Fonseca, often come from backgrounds in the military or law enforcement. Myron comes from both. Myron spent 31 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as Colonel. He served as a commander in Iraq and received a Gold Star. 

In the 1970s, Myron began a career in policing. He worked in SWAT and as a bailiff for a judge. The experience sparked an idea to go into personal security. In 2022, he started Top Brass Protection.

Top Brass offers security services for individuals, families, businesses, homes and valuables. He also helps clients develop response plans for emergencies and disasters, including active shooter preparation. But the bread and butter of Top Brass is executive protection — personal security for VIPs.

Pole Dance

If you need protection, you’ll need a body man. If you want to work on your body and your body image, you might try pole dancing. And yes, you’ll need some training. Just ask Magnolia Love. 

Magnolia is the owner of Magnolia’s Playground, a pole fitness and yoga studio.

Magnolia struggled with body image issues and self-esteem in her 20s. And in 2012, she discovered pole dancing on Youtube. She liked the idea, bought a pole and tried to teach herself. It took years to learn but took off when she moved to Texas and started taking classes. 

When she moved home to Scott, Magnolia decided to open a pole fitness studio herself. She bought four poles and installed them in a mother-in-law suite in her backyard. Something clicked. She gathered students, and in 2023 Magnolia opened a brick and mortar studio in Downtown Lafayette. 

The studio attracts 60 students each week and has 25 studio members. Magnolia employs seven teachers and hosts 15 classes per week. 

Magnolia is also a certified yoga instructor and a certified funeral director and embalmer.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At some point, you’re going to hand the keys to your business to someone else. That’s true whether you’re hiring employees or contractors or planning for succession. Life happens. And it’s just not in the cards for you to be able to run your business, by yourself, forever.

For many entrepreneurs, selling big is the dream. In the startup space, they call it an “exit” — the point at which some big fish gobbles up your smart idea and pays you handsomely for it. But the unicorn exit is a rare thing (that’s why they call it a unicorn, after all) and lots of firms out there need to think about life after the founder.

Even if you’re running a mid-sized company, chances are, one day, you’ll want to sell off your business and enjoy the fruits of your success. So what do you do? That’s trickier than you might think. Fortunately, there are people out there who can help.

Jude David is co-founder and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for Final Ascent, a firm that specializes in helping mid-market businesses find buyers.

Jude has a background on the legal side of finance. And he his co-founder Steve Conwell realized that mid-level businesses — those with valuations between $10 million and $200 million — weren’t served by the investment banks that typically helped the big companies find buyers and partners for mergers. So they launched Final Ascent in 2017 to fill that void. They’ve grown to acquire clients all over the U.S., and primarily do their client work remotely. 

The company helps business owners think through how to prep their business for sale, making sure the company’s profile is as attractive as possible to bump the value of the sale. 

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing your new business idea can take a few different shapes. 

You might take a deep dive with market research and try to define the demographic slice of consumer you’re looking for. Before you even bring your product to the shelves, you’ll try to understand the potential for growth: How many customers are out there who would want what you’re selling? How much disposable income do they have? What services are they already using?

It’s a way of measuring your potential. And that can be crucial to attracting investors, especially to a new idea and a niche product. But for a lot of entrepreneurs, the very first market test is themselves. 

Kelly Hebert has a background in marketing and runs a media and design company with her husband. But Kelly is here to talk about a feeling we’re all familiar with: hangriness.

On a long road trip, Kelly got a little hungry and irritable and had a frustrating time finding a place to eat on her route. The experience inspired a search for an easier way. That led her to Dryve, a new travel app designed for parents. 

Dryve helps them make easier pit stops with streamlined searches for coffee, restaurants, fuel and more. The idea is to quickly direct parents to what they need with as little distraction as possible. 

Not every business idea requires extensive market research or design. Sometimes you just need a gimmick. 

People like to poo-poo a kitschy calling card, but let’s face it: Everyone in business is trying to stand out. And little stands out more than Santa riding a lawn mower. If you run into that yuletide vision in Lafayette, you’re probably looking at Santa Sutton.

Santa’s idea began as a way of getting noticed. He took his dad’s old Santa suit and started riding an electric scooter, just to see if he could go viral.  And he did. Santa on a Scooter became something of a sensation on TikTok, and Santa parlayed that fame into a business: Santa on a Mower.

Santa on a Mower is exactly what it sounds like. And it works. Since launching in 2022, Santa has signed dozens of properties to manage year round.  Before that, Santa worked for 15 years as a chef and was born and raised in Lafayette.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re gonna be first, you’re gonna take a risk. All the more so if you’re going to market with a foreign concept. 

People are creatures of habit. We look to the world we know to understand new concepts. And if something we’re trying is unlike anything we’ve tried before…that can be a recipe for failure.

Think of it this way: People who are remembered for being ahead of their time aren’t usually remembered for being wildly successful. It’s a contradiction in terms.  To illustrate: Imagine trying to explain yoga to a bunch of Cajuns in the 1980s. 

Movement

Yoga is so commonplace now, it’s hard to fathom. But that’s pretty much the story of Jerry Smith-Guidry, who was one of the very first people to teach yoga in Lafayette. A self-described “type A” personality, she discovered wellness and yoga in 1989 and fell in love. She went on to create the yoga program at Red Lerille’s Health Club here in Lafayette. 

Today, Jerry runs Acadiana Yoga & Wellness studio, which she founded in 2009. Acadiana Yoga offers a range of wellness services, including yoga classes, massage, reiki, pilates and more. It’s also the only Yoga and Pilates mat certification in Lafayette. 

Meat

It’s one thing when you’re introducing something new, and another thing entirely to introduce something misunderstood. Like bologna. Yes, bologna. And if you’re eating a slice of cajun smoked bologna made by Ross Brown, go ahead and get rid of any preconceived notion of how that sausage is made.

This is Bougie Bologna — High grade stuff made from pork shoulder. 100% free of byproducts, mechanically separated meats, and the unmentionables you usually find in bologna with the first name O-S-C-A-R.

Ross got into making bologna to convince his wife to like it. He learned the process from YouTube and started selling at a local bar — the Freetown Boom Boom Room in Lafayette. It caught on. And in 2022, Bougie Bologna was born. Ross quit his job offshore and has moved into bologna full time.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had a journalism student approach me a while back for a story. I asked him, “what kind of a journalist do you want to be when you grow up?”

He said, “A food writer. Because AI won’t take my job.” 

Won’t it though? I suppose if they create a neural simulation of what it’s like to eat boudin, they could. But the panic around AI is big; mostly because few people really understand it.

The models making headlines, like ChatGPT, are really only the latest in a long line of advances in technologies designed to assist work - that is make it easier on people. Most companies still rely on people. And they need people to be good at what they do. AI can make work more efficient, but it can also help companies select and train their employees. 

That’s the concept behind iCan, a company founded by David DeCuir. David spent years in the oil and gas industry and noticed that workforce development was a big problem. His company employed lots of people, but they struggled to make sure they all knew what they were doing.  So he developed a new training program for his employer and cut $2.5 million off their annual bottom line. 

Saving money is making money in business, so David struck out on his own. And iCan was born. iCan’s cloud-based software helps companies set up custom platforms that use chatbots to train employees on anything from HR guidelines to procedures. 

Since launching fulltime in 2022, iCan has expanded from the energy industry to work with utilities and processing facilities.

David grew up in Lafayette and currently lives in the Geismar/Dutchtown area.

Helping companies get better is a massive industry. We generally call them consultants. And their product lines can range from expert assistance to IT. 

If you’re in Lafayette, you’ve heard of CGI. And you probably think of it as a tech company.  But it’s better understood as a consulting firm, and it’s one of the largest in the world. 

Will LaBar is VP of consulting service for CGI and worked for the company out of Lafayette since 2000.  Will was CGI employee number one in the Lafayette market. CGI employs hundreds in the area. 

Will is in charge of CGI’s onshore delivery program. He leads a team that helps smaller markets get technology jobs, coordinating between local governments, business sectors and universities. 

Will grew up in New Jersey and has worked for CGI since 1998.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America has had a complicated relationship with Downtowns. When we invented the suburbs in the mid-20th century, Downtowns were left behind, only to make a roaring comeback in the 21st century. 

That story should sound familiar for folks in Lafayette. Lafayette’s Downtown was left for dead in the 1980s and 1990s. It was practically a no-man’s land in the late 20th century but started coming back to life at the turn of millennium. 

That turnaround didn’t come from nowhere. In 1983, some local business leaders created Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, a nonprofit group that promotes activity and commerce in Downtown Lafayette, sort of like a chamber of commerce.

Most folks know DLU by its major public programs like Downtown Alive! and most recently the building of an inclusive playground at Parc Sans Souci.

Today, DLU is headed by Jessica Hauerwas, who took over as DLU’s executive director in 2023.  Jessica comes from a marketing background. She moved to Lafayette from Houma to go to UL and got jobs in marketing and business development at Acadiana Center for the Arts, Brand Russo and LogoJet. 

Jessica got involved in DLU as a board member, becoming board president. Her job today is to promote Downtown as a destination and community asset and to raise money for DLU’s programs and activities. 

American Downtowns can be pretty old. That’s why folks left for the suburbs in the first place: lots of cheap, new stuff. But Downtowns have great bones and great buildings. Putting them back into proper form is a great way to freshen up the built environment and create a sense of place.

For that kind of work, you’ll need an architect. Nic Bourque, is an architect’s architect. Fun fact: Nic was the first person to receive a master’s degree in architecture from UL. From there, he worked as a staff designer in Baton Rouge before returning to Lafayette to open his own firm in 2013. 

Nic joined veteran firm Holly & Smith Architects in 2022, where he now serves as its studio director. 

Holly & Smith have earned a reputation for restoring forgotten buildings, particularly in Downtowns and main streets. They work mostly on commercial projects, with some residential contracts mixed in. They’ve carved out a niche for themselves in sustainable design and specialize in using passive climate control systems, landscaping and shading to achieve comfortable interiors with a smaller carbon footprint. The firm has locations in Lafayette, New Orleans and Hammond.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in  downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show  by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.