Paul Christiansen
Tony Chachere's products.
Louisiana is famous for its food and its cocktails, for its coffees and spices. But where do all these products begin? We (writer-photographer duo Kristy and Paul Christiansen) are on a mission to discover the origins of some of our most famous and unique locally made products through the bi-monthly Country Roads series, “Made in Louisiana”.
There’s no mistaking the Tony Chachere’s factory—its giant, Instagram-worthy branded seasoning silo beckoning from the Interstate. We trekked to Opelousas to take a peek inside the home base of one of Louisiana’s most beloved seasoning blends and learn a little more about its namesake and founder, Tony Chachere.
Tanya Bellard, Customer Service Manager, met us at Mr. Tony’s Country Store, a gift shop for all things Tony Chachere’s and visitor entrance to production viewings and a historical film. She brought us straight back to the viewing room, where a wall of windows separated us from the massive warehouse beyond. Workers walked the production lines, examining products as the conveyor belts hustled shakers and boxes across the room. While we observed the nonstop activity, Bellard explained how Tony Chachere’s grew from one man’s homemade spice mix into the massive enterprise it is today.
Born in 1905, Chachere grew up in Opelousas, and he and his wife, Patricia, raised their family in the home that now houses the Lafon-Ardoin Funeral Home. Growing up in the thick of Cajun and Creole ancestries and culture, he loved to hunt, fish, and especially cook. He would often bring visitors and friends to his camp in the Atchafalaya Swamp to impress them with his homegrown culinary skills. Although not a trained chef, many around Acadiana referred to Chachere as “Ole Master.”
A pharmacist by trade, he also worked as an insurance and pharmaceutical salesman. “He was into everything, tried anything he could, and if it succeeded, that was his path,” said Bellard, who listed off several of Chachere’s ventures—including a pepper sauce, a makeup line, a bug spray, and a book about how to train your dog. It was when he retired from the insurance business in 1970, though, that “he fell into the seasoning,” according to Bellard.
Portrait at Tony Chachere's factory, re-photographed by Paul Christiansen
Mr. Tony Chachere, the original maker of the popular Cajun Country seasoning mix.
Chachere published the Cajun Country Cookbook in 1972, which included recipes he’d collected over the years. The staple ingredient in every dish was his personal seasoning blend, for which he also provided the recipe. Chachere sold the first ten thousand copies in a matter of weeks from the back of his station wagon. As the cookbook circulated, people started approaching him to ask where they could buy the seasoning, rather than having to make it themselves. So, he started whipping up large batches of the stuff for sale—packaging it in mason jars.
To say Chachere’s seasoning took off is an understatement. He began making guest appearances on radio and television shows across the South and cooked for several Louisiana governors and Miss America. In March 1995, Chachere became the first inductee into the Louisiana Chefs Hall of Fame. A week later, he died, three months before his ninetieth birthday.
Today, operating in Opelousas out of a 150,000-square-foot facility and employing over 130 people, Tony Chachere’s is still a family-owned business. Tony and Patricia had six children, five of whom lived into adulthood, and representatives from each of the families reside on the company’s board. To mark the company’s fiftieth anniversary, the Louisiana Legislature declared June 14, 2022, as Mr. Tony Chachere Day.
“Our biggest seller is still the original seasoning. That is our bread and butter. That’s what made Tony Chachere’s what it is today.” —Tanya Bellard
Over the years, the product line has expanded to now include six seasoning blends, including bold and no salt varieties, salad dressings, injectable and pourable marinades, multiple dinner mixes, roux and gravy mixes, crab boil and fish seasoning, and even a bloody Mary mix. In the next year, the company will also debut a line of chili mixes, stuffing mixes, and a variety of new seasoning blends. All the dry goods are made from scratch to finish in the Opelousas factory. It all starts with mixing the seasoning blend, which is then either packaged or added to other products before being boxed up and loaded on trucks to ship out. “Our original Creole seasoning blend is our core flavor identity,” said Celeste Chachere, the Director of Marketing, Sales, and PR for Tony Chacheres, and Tony’s great granddaughter. “It is the building block of all our products. Our customers know and love us for that unmistakable flavor.”
“Our biggest seller is still the original seasoning,” echoed Bellard. “That is our bread and butter. That’s what made Tony Chachere’s what it is today.” Bellard explained that when more people started cooking at home during 2020, demand surged. And it hasn’t gone down yet. “We had to hire more people and expanded production, and we never really lost what we gained in COVID.”
Two of the seasoning lines run twelve to twenty hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, with over 100,000 thousands of cans rolling off the lines daily.
All of the products are proudly displayed and sold in Mr. Tony’s Country Store, along with his Cajun Country Cookbook, Tony Chachere’s-themed merchandise, and an array of Louisiana novelty items, such as kitchenware, books, and holiday decor.
Mr. Tony’s Country Store is located at 5604 I-49 N. Service Road in Opelousas, Louisiana. Regular store hours are Monday-Friday from 9 am–4 pm, with production viewings Monday–Thursday.
