The LSU faithful may have noticed that concessions look a lot different this year in Tiger Stadium, with an expanded group of local caterers and vendors. Simple Joe Cafe, Queen Eats & Royal Treats, Tre’s Street Kitchen, The Shed BBQ and T-Beaux’s Creole Cafe are among several newcomers, adding new Cajun and Creole options to Death Valley’s chain vendors.
For this weekend’s home game against New Mexico, plan to sample items like Queen Eats’ smoked sausage po-boy with peppers; Tre’s Street Kitchen’s burgers with Tre’s signature sauce; chicken sausage tacos from T-Beaux’s Creole Cafe; and other examples of Southern and Louisiana cooking.
“It’s been going great,” says T-Beaux’s Creole Cafe founder Melissa Anderson. “I’ve been selling out by half-time.”
|
|
|
Anderson sells chicken and andouille gumbo prepared with her trademarked T-Beaux’ Creole Gumbo Seasoned Roux and Gravy Base as well as a chicken sausage street taco served with her homemade chow-chow, pickled onion, cabbage and barbecue sauce; fresh boudin and a deconstructed red bean po-boy that includes a small container of savory red beans and chunks of smoked sausage served with a packaged artisan roll.
“The idea is for you to dip it and assemble it yourself,” Anderson says. “It’s less messy this way.” She also sells a Death Valley Bloody Mary mix, a homemade non-alcoholic Bloody Mary blend spiked with her chow-chow.
Anderson is the creator of the Curvy Creole brand, which she launched in 2019.
Her seasoned roux and gravy base is the first of its kind on the market, she says. Sold in jars, the product serves as a gumbo starter to which home cooks can add water along with cooked chicken and sausage. Unlike other jarred roux products, this one is fully seasoned, allowing gumbo fans to cook a homemade gumbo at home or while traveling or tailgating with minimal effort, she says.
Anderson, a nurse and the 2018 winner of the Mrs. USA Ambassador pageant, got the idea for the product when traveling with pageant friends from around the country to the Florida panhandle.
|
|
|
“Naturally, being from Louisiana, they wanted me to cook gumbo,” says the Sunset native. “But I was short on time and ingredients.”
It planted the seed to create a product that, unlike instant roux, would jumpstart a pot of gumbo, requiring only the additions of water and protein. Working full time as an audit nurse, Anderson developed and packaged the product at the LSU AgCenter Food Innovation Institute. Last year, she joined forces with another food company, Ragin’ Cajun Foods, to significantly expand her production and distribution.
Look for Anderson at Tiger Stadium this weekend, along with other new Death Valley vendors. After this weekend, LSU has four remaining home games include: Tennessee on Oct. 8; Ole Miss on Oct. 22; Alabama Nov. 5; and UAB Nov. 19.