Family Works: The Ball Family

by Kerri Cooke

The Ball family legacy in Lake Charles began with Reginald McWilliam Ball Sr. who grew up In Winnfield, Louisiana, before moving to Lake Charles. By the age of 18, he was already a business owner three times over. 

His portfolio included two dance halls and a taxi cab company. His impact on the city of Lake Charles began in the 1940s when he purchased the 1200 block of St. John Street where Lake Charles Vocation Institute was built, a trade school for Black WWII veterans. To the right of the trade school was Ball’s Drive Inn Café, where his wife, Evelyn Walker Ball, was the chef. The café was known for its fried chicken and stuffed shrimp, but the fried chicken quickly became the best-selling item. 

The vocational school closed in the mid-1950s and the space became an entertainment venue called Ball’s Auditorium from then through the 1960s. Entertainers included Ike and Tina Turner, Fats Domino, Marvin Gaye, Little Richard and Duke Ellington. Ball’s Auditorium became known as one of the premier black-owned entertainment venues in the South. Around the same time, Reginald Ball Sr. partnered with George Duhon to connect the school/auditorium to Ball’s Drive Inn Café. This created a lounge area which became known as the Rose Room, a nightclub. 

Reginald Ball Sr. and Evelyn had four children which included Reginald Ball Jr., Gladwin Ball, Lucion Ball and Brenda Ball. Reginald “Reggie” Ball Jr. would become an essential part of keeping the Ball family’s food enterprises going, while Gladwin Ball, who had worked in most of the Ball companies, tried to keep the historic legacy of the school/auditorium alive by having it listed as a historic landmark. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful, and the building was torn down in 2007. However, in 2014, the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society labeled the spot where it had been built as a lost landmark. 

After the auditorium closed, Ball’s Drive Inn Café was still serving up its signature spicy fried chicken, and on July 7, 1971, a second location opened on Enterprise Boulevard, knows as Ball’s Fried Chick-N. By 1972, there were a total of five locations. Then, by 1976, none of the locations were still active. In 1977, Reginald Ball Sr. founded a seasoning company called Ball’s Creole Seasoning Company. He determined the right ratio of ingredients in his seasoning with the help of the community.  

Back to Reggie Ball Jr. After some time in Los Angeles as an adult, he moved back to Lake Charles and married Eva “Rita” Landry Ball. He took over the seasoning company when his father died in 1983 and renamed it Reggie Ball’s Cajun Foods. It’s now called Ball’s Cajun Foods. It was also in 1983 that the Enterprise Boulevard location of Ball’s Fried Chick-N reopened before a hiatus between 1990-2002. Even in his late 80s, Reggie Jr. continues to be active with the seasoning company. 

Ball’s Fried Chick-N took on new life when Reggie Ball Jr.’s son Reginald “Reggie” Ball III reopened Ball’s Fried Chick-N on Enterprise. Reggie Ball III married Angela Brown in 1999, and despite the two both having full-time careers, they decided to keep the Ball Family business alive. On April 25, 2003, Ball’s Fried Chick-N reopened at 606 Enterprise Blvd. His father, Reggie Ball Jr., would open a second location on Common Street. Business went smoothly until Hurricane Laura on August 27, 2020. 

Due to the devastation, the Common Street location was torn down and the Enterprise location would need intense fixing. Ball’s Fried Chick-N was about to open to the public when an Ef-2 tornado hit the building on April 10, 2024. This could’ve been the death blow to the family business, but with the help of God and the community, Reggie III and Angela persevered. 

The Iowa High School baseball team helped clean up the building, outside help was offered with construction and Crying Eagle Brewing hosted a fundraiser to go straight to Ball’s Fried Chick-N. 

Finally, on April 28, 2025, Ball’s Fried Chick-N reopened at 606 Enterprise Blvd. Locals were so excited, they had arrived hours before opening to get a place in line, which is a testament to how highly regarded the Ball family is and how beloved their fried chicken is. 

In conclusion, Angela Brown-Ball says, “Reggie Ball Jr. will be 87 years old this year and enjoys watching his son, Reggie Ball III, and his grandchildren continue the Ball Family Legacy. Kiersten and Reggie Ball IV work alongside their dad at the restaurant and enjoy the love the community shows them every day. Kiersten and Reggie Ball IV are the fourth generation who will continue what their great grandfather, Reggie Ball Sr., started 79 years ago.” 

Photos:

Family photo Front row: Reginald “Reggie” Ball Jr. and his wife, Rita Landry Ball. (Reggie Ball Jr. owns Ball’s Cajun Foods Seasoning Company. He and his wife Rita operate the business themselves) Back: Current Ball family generation who owns and operates Ball’s Fried Chick-N restaurant. Left to Right: Angela Brown-Ball, Kierstan Ball, Reggie Ball III and Reggie Ball IV.

At the age of 86 years old, Reginald “Reggie” Ball Jr. still owns and operates Ball’s Cajun Foods Seasoning Company. The seasoning company was started by his father, Reginald Ball Sr. in 1977.

Reggie Ball IV working inside Ball’s Fried Chick-N (son of Reggie Ball III and Angela Brown-Ball)

Kiersten Ball working inside Ball’s Fried Chick-N (daughter of Reggie Ball III and Angela Brown-Ball)