Popsicles, Pale Ales & Pizza

Three new Lake Charles spots capitalize on hometown pride

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"There’s something about Lake Charles,” said Bodega Wine Dive co-owner Lance Thomas, of his decision to return home. He’d left to pursue a career in graphic design, seeking out cities like Nashville, San Francisco, and Austin. But Lake Charles called him back. “There’s lots of opportunity here, but it still has a small-town feel.”

Inside Bodega, black and white décor and a sophisticated, yet offbeat, ambience surround patrons drinking everything from rosé in a can (and paper bag wrapper) to Dom Pérignon champagne. Thomas takes great pride in the housemade pizza dough and sauces as well as accoutrements like jams, dips, mustards, and spiced nuts that grace the impeccably arranged cheese and charcuterie boards.

In addition to a well-curated wine list and food menu to complement it, Bodega offers classes and events for the public that usually have a twist—like pairing wine with Thai delivery or matching four different pizzas with four different types of wine. 

“You can wear a prom dress, tuxedo, or jeans here any night of the week,” said Thomas. “We’re here to make wine fun.”

1980s nostalgia meets frozen delights at Pops and Rockets, a downtown ice cream shop located right next to Botsky’s gourmet hot dog and sausage eatery. Co-founders, lifelong friends, and Lake Charles natives Nick Villaume and Robbie Austin spent a lot of time in the ‘eighties listening to music, going to shows, and making mix tapes. 

After Villaume’s return to the area in 2013, the friends decided to collaborate on homemade popsicles and ice cream with ‘80s-themed names like Pulling Peanuts (From a Shell), a Thai-spiced peanut pop; the cookies-and-cream-flavored No Cream Compares 2 U; and Choc Blobster, made with dark chocolate and peanut butter. 

Not only is the love of ‘80s music reflected in the names and flavors of Pops and Rockets’ confections but also in the Ms. Pacman and Galaga arcade games (free plays—and a Galaga high score gets free ice cream) and wallpaper printed with rows of mix tapes and designed by Villaume.

Villaume and Austin began by making the popsicles in their home kitchens and selling them out of a bicycle-powered cart at festivals and other events; now Villaume has a brick and mortar shop with an ever-expanding menu of offerings. (Austin left amicably in 2016 to focus on art and teaching.) 

“I [just] wanted to bring something cool to Lake Charles to make it a town that I would want to live in and that young people would enjoy,” said Villaume. “I had no idea that it would take off as it has.”

Eric Avery opened Lake Charles’ first brewery since the 1990s, Crying Eagle Brewing Company, in 2016. The 15,000 square foot brewery shares ten acres of land with a thriving taproom and community event space.

“For the life of me I just couldn’t understand why Lake Charles didn’t have a brewery,” said Avery, adding that it seemed like a long shot for someone with a real estate background to succeed in craft beer. Regardless of the unlikelihood, he said, “I was fiercely driven to create an amazing brewery in our corner of Louisiana, in Lake Charles, my hometown.”

Crying Eagle has three flagship beers which are distributed in cans and on draft: Ready to Mingle, a light Belgian-style beer; Calcasieu Common, a hybrid lager/ale; and Louisiana Lager. Another dozen or so are brewed in smaller batches by head brewer Bill Mungai, but only for consumption in the tap room. 

The Crying Eagle team have just broken ground on an on-site kitchen with the owners of Bodega and Prime Cuttery, which will focus on high-end, but beer-friendly food like flatbreads and paninis, with locally sourced ingredients. The anticipated opening of the brewery’s restaurant is in early 2018.

The thread connecting all these new, delicious businesses always comes back to the love of Lake Charles and the importance of investing in the city and its people. “I think being situated in such close proximity to Houston, New Orleans, and Austin, we wind up with a very eclectic style of our own and the city reflects that,” said Villaume. 

With his own business, he hopes to inspire others into making a cultural contribution. “I feel that Lake Charles doesn’t quite realize how fantastic it could be.” 

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