Small Town Chefs Winner: Dustie Latiolais
From fry cook to executive chef, then bringing it back home to the bacon
I’ve always worked in restaurants,” said Chef Dustie Latiolais, who from an early age was influenced by his grandfather’s partiality for feeding and entertaining clients during winters at the hunting camp in Krotz Springs and summers at the fishing camp on Toledo Bend. “My great uncle, Pat Huval, hired me at Pat’s of Henderson. I needed a job when I started to drive, in high school, so I started there as a bus boy. When I graduated Cecilia High in 2005, Johnny [Hebert] was starting up Crawfish Town USA, and I started here with my first full-time cooking gig.”
Latiolais, Executive Chef at Crawfish Town USA since 2011, first worked at the establishment as a line cook from 2005 to 2008, during which time he met his wife, Denise, who was also working at the restaurant. Determined to go further in the industry, Latiolais left his fry cook post at Crawfish Town USA and pursued post-secondary education in culinary arts at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge. He commuted to the Institute from Breaux Bridge, staying in Baton Rouge after class to refine his experience, first as a cook at Tsunami in the Shaw Center and then as Sous Chef at Stroubes Seafood and Steaks, also in Downtown Baton Rouge.
“I wanted to learn more,” said Latiolais, who is characteristically Cajun, with a thick beard and accent to match. “So, I went to the Culinary Institute, working my way through…We were the first class to graduate from the Institute…The Program was still being developed into what is it today. They announced that there would be an associate’s degree offered several months after I received my certificate…So, I worked in Baton Rouge until a few months later when the associate’s program started. In that program, I focused on pastries and breads as my specialty. The other specialty option was Cajun cooking, but I’d grown up with that—it was already in my blood. I learned a lot in the Institute and in the Stroubes kitchen—it was a scratch kitchen back then, and I learned a lot about fresh ingredients.”
When Latiolais and his wife started a family and realized their need for benefits, he continued his career as a sous chef at Lake Charles’ L’Auberge Casino. When the opportunity for an Executive Chef-Food & Beverage Director position became available with Hilton Hotels & Resorts near the Baton Rouge airport, Latiolais felt ready to take the next step: leading kitchen operations. A year later, in 2011, Executive Chef Colt Patin left Crawfish Town USA for the Louisiana Culinary Institute, opening up the Executive Chef position for Latiolais. Finally, the commute was over, and Latiolais was back home.
Crawfish Town USA has undergone drastic changes since Latiolais’ return, from revising and reducing menu options, to renovating the space, to implementing a state of the art inventory system, to sourcing local artwork to adorn the walls, to increasing crawfish production and consumer distribution. But with the curtailed commute, Latiolais began considering new ways to fill his off time.
“Whether it’s stirring a black pot of crawfish étouffée during a Saturday night shift or stirring up a crowd for a taste of his signature Bacon Jam at the Saturday morning farmers market, Dustie takes pride in the roots food and the Cajun culture he is known for."
In December 2014, Cochon Cannery was born out of that opportunity… and bacon. “I had some time and we wanted to do something for the family, for Christmas. Didn’t have a ton of money, but we could cook something and give that as gifts…so we got creative,” said Latiolais of himself and Denise, a full-time baker at Great Harvest Bakery in Lafayette. “I didn’t know how to can the meat or jar the meat, but I read up on it and taught myself. Denise’s great-aunt had a jarring cookbook from 1927, so looking through [the book] I think, ‘I can do this with bacon,’ and made bacon jam. And I gave it to the family, and they loved it, and said I should sell this. I started thinking that I wanted to do something with it, and get something started at the [Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm]…Mary [Patout], Mary Mary Markets, really got me in the market and sold me on the idea of trying to join the market and told me to apply. I always thank her for that when I see her.”
While she stood behind the product and the concept, Denise thought Latiolais was crazy to take on another profession, so he began formally developing the business under the radar and, unbeknownst to Denise, worked to brand the item with Denise’s brother, who developed the logo, established the business as an LLC, and applied to vend at the farmer’s market. On Memorial Day weekend of 2015, the Latiolais family business that is Cochon Cannery was formally launched at a booth within the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Moncus Park, formerly known as “the horse farm.” There, Denise and Latiolais began vending their Bacon Jam—a blend of bacon, Steen’s syrup, vinegar, onions, and locally sourced cane sugar. With Cochon Cannery’s popularity, the product line grew to encompass a Spicy Bacon Jam (their best seller), a variety of other jams, Bacon Salt, Bacon Salted Caramel, Apple Bacon Butter, Figs & Pigs, and Cochon Cannery dry goods.
One fan of Cochon Cannery’s products and Latiolais’ cooking is George Graham, who has featured Bacon Jam as an ingredient in recipes on his popular blog “Acadiana Table”. "Ask Dustie what the most underused ingredient is for producing amazing results and he’ll tell you hog lard. That gives you a peek into the rural sensibility of this chef and the genesis of his genius,” said Graham. “Whether it’s stirring a black pot of crawfish étouffée during a Saturday night shift or stirring up a crowd for a taste of his signature Bacon Jam at the Saturday morning farmers market, Dustie takes pride in the roots food and the Cajun culture he is known for."
These days, Latiolais, Denise, and their two children, Dawson and Demi, are found vending the first, third, and fourth Saturdays of the month at the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market, every second Saturday at the Youngsville Farmers & Artisans Market at Sugar Mill Farms. Their products can be purchased via their online shop, as well as at Red Stick Spice Company in Baton Rouge. And for festival lovers (because what South Louisianan doesn’t love a good festival?), Cochon Cannery’s poboy placed 2nd in both the People's Choice Award and the Judge's award for Best of the Fest at the Second Annual Lafayette Po-boy Festival this past April, and the brand will be competing at the First Annual Plate Lunch-A-Looza at Sugar Mill Pond in on September 16.
“We feel like the sky is the limit…we’ve gotten such a good response,” said Latiolais, who hopes to soon start distributing Cochon Cannery’s products to Acadiana’s restaurants. “With having two kids, I believe it is important to keep cooking traditions alive, and these types of events help Dawson and Demi understand why we cook the ingredients we do…we hope this is a part of our family for a long time. Being recognized for awards like the Small Town Chefs Award helps continue the food traditions and makes it feel even more important to us.”
Get your tickets for the August 20 Small Town Chefs Awards dinner today.
Crawfish Town USA
2815 Grand Point Highway
Henderson, La.
(337) 667-6148
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Cochon Cannery
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“Acadiana Table” is George Graham’s blog on Cajun/Creole cooking and culture. Find his recipe for Cochon Cannery Bacon Jam Baked Brie here.