Counting Blessings and Cajun Adventures: A Louisiana Homecoming

Sweet Tea, Donuts, and Zydeco Dreams  

There’s something about Louisiana that gets in your blood like hot sauce in a pot of gumbo. If you’ve ever wondered why we Cajuns are so proud of where we come from, let me tell you—it ain’t just the food (though Lord knows that’s reason enough). It’s the people, the music, the way the air smells like roux and possibility.  

Last week, I packed up the family—my wife Debbie, granddaughters Skylar and Sunshine, and enough excitement to fuel a second-line parade—and headed back to my hometown of Sulphur and Lake Charles, Louisiana. It had been too long since I’d been home on a weekend, and boy, did I remember why weekends there are sacred.  

No Louisiana morning is complete without donuts, and Dino’s Donuts in Westlake https://dinosdonuts.squarespace.com/read-me is where dreams—and waistlines—are made. Since 1972, Dean Lambert’s little shop has been cranking out perfection, one warm, sugary bite at a time. Walking in there is like stepping back into childhood—same smell, same joy, same feeling that life is better with powdered sugar on your shirt.  

Now under Jody Doucet’s care (Dean’s son-in-law), Dino’s hasn’t lost a step. If anything, it’s gotten better, like a fine roux simmered just right. And if you’re ever near Westlake, do yourself a favor: stop in, grab a dozen, and thank me later.  

You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Ronnie Fruge playing old Cajun tunes while your mama and aunts two-step like they’re still teenagers. Sitting there, watching family and friends laughing, dancing, telling stories—well, that’s church to a Louisiana boy.  

Then there was Sunday brunch at Rikenjaks, where my old friend Mike Dolan and Zydecane turned the place into a full-on Zydeco party. If you’ve never had boudin and Bloody Marys while an accordion sound wails in the background, you’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures.  

 The Holy Grail of Cajun Cooking: Tony Chachere’s  

On the way home, we made a pilgrimage to the mother ship of flavor—the Tony Chachere’s factory in Opelousas https://www.tonychachere.com/our-roots/. Standing there, surrounded by the legacy of the “Ole Master” himself, I couldn’t help but smile. Louisiana taught the world how to eat, and Tony Chachere made sure we did it right.  

 Thank You, Lord, for Home  

As I sit here in Savannah, flipping through pictures—cousins laughing, friends singing, my granddaughters eating Dino’s Donuts, sugar up to their elbows—I’m reminded that God’s greatest blessings aren’t things. They’re moments. They’re family. They’re the way a familiar song can make your heart swell or how the first bite of a perfect donut tastes like love.  

So here’s to Louisiana—the land that raised me, the food that fuels me, and the people who remind me what matters. And hey, if you’ve never been? Well, bless your heart, you’d better start planning a trip.  

Here is a link to some photos and videos of our adventure LINK