cheese, a fried boudin patty, deep-fried onions 
and pickles, mayo, and remoulade sauce all 
stuffed between two halves of a hamburger 
bun. 

Jazzing up their menu even further, their 

boudin is made right in house by Barry 
and offered in multiple dishes and multiple 
versions, from plain boudin balls to balls 
of boudin stuffed with pepper jack cheese 
before being breaded and deep-fried. If you’re 
unfamiliar to all the magic that is this Cajun 
creation, however, open wide and prepare to 
let your mind be blown as the unique texture 
and flavors of this mixture of pork, rice, and 
spices meld into edible ecstasy. 

If you’re in the mood for something 

sweet, try one of their sugar-dusted pillowy 
pistolettes or dig in deep to one of the dozens 
upon dozens of flavors of Louisiana-style 
snowballs on the dessert menu. From pucker-
worthy dill pickle to creamy dreamsicle, their 
shaved-ice treats have the perfect option to 
satisfy your need for a sugar rush. 

Theirs is truly a family operation, as Barry 

and Sheri not only run things in the kitchen 
along with serving their customers, but they 
also share those duties with their son Caleb, 
who has over 10 years restaurant experience 
and created the Cajun Cardiac. “We’ve 
all got a hand in seeing this thrive, and we 
all love being here—we’re meeting people 
who enjoy what we’ve grown up eating and 

experiencing the flavors that are so special 
to Louisiana,” says Sheri. “When we have 
guests from Louisiana or someone who has 
ties to the state, they always tell me that they 
feel like they’re back home or like they’re at 
their maw maw and paw paw’s house,” she 
continues. “That was really important to us 
when we started—that, when our customers 
walk through the door, they feel like they’re 
walking into my kitchen at home. We don’t 
want them to feel rushed, and if they want to 
sit and visit for a while, we want them to feel 
welcome to do that.”

Everything on their menu is a bite of 

home, a welcoming to their table so inherent 
to Louisiana. “We wanted the food here to 
be something that you would find during 
any lunch back home, and that’s one of the 
things that really make us stand out here as 
something out of the ordinary.” And that’s 
precisely what keeps people coming back for 
more, from the specials that change out on a 
daily basis to the staples they serve up every 
day. Each of them is a plate heaped in a holy 
trinity made of flavor, love, and something 
that the Hesters know is as important as 
any roux—faith and trust in God. “That’s 
what’s kept us going, in all of this, and that’s 
really what’s made us successful,” Sheri 
says. And—unlike the spices that they used 
to create their Cajun seasoning—that’s one 
secret recipe they’ll gladly share.

•

June 2017   |   39  

Chicken 

Fricassee

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 tbsp. cooking oil

- 6 tbsp. flour

- 1 chicken, chopped into small 

  pieces

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 cup chopped onion

- 1 green bell pepper, chopped 

- 1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes 

- 1/2 tbsp. salt

- 1/2 tbsp. black pepper

- water
DIRECTIONS:

In a Dutch oven, stir together 

flour and cooking oil to make 

a roux. Add chicken and cook 

over medium heat until brown. 

Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, 

red pepper, black pepper, and 

salt. Add water until desired 

consistency is reached. Simmer 

over low heat for 60 minutes. 

Season to taste and serve over 

rice.

“That was really important to us when we started—

that, when our customers walk through the door, they 

feel like they’re walking into my kitchen at home.”

Louisiana Lunchbox is located at             
7000 Pine Forest Road, Suite A,   
Pensacola, Florida 32526.  

 

Open Monday-Friday  10:30 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. 
For more information, call (850) 361-1130 or 
visit LouisianaLunchbox.com.

XX-XX CoastalCuisine.indd   2

5/22/17   5:04 PM