From Farm to Restaurant Table – SWLA Eateries Use Local Sandwich Ingredients

by Angie Kay Dilmore

Ever wonder where the food you eat comes from? If you, as a consumer, are concerned about freshness and good nutrition, it’s a valid question.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), conventional produce coming to Southwest Louisiana travels an average of 1,500 to 2,500 miles. Lettuce and spinach are primarily shipped from large commercial farms in California and Arizona; tomatoes often originate from California, Florida or Mexico. Meats and seafood can be shipped from anywhere across the globe. 

For some local chefs and restaurateurs, that is unacceptable. Instead, they source some of their ingredients from local farms and producers—fruits and vegetables in season, fresh seafood, local honey, breads from nearby bakeries. “It means a lot, as a new restaurant and as a chef, to utilize and show off our local ingredients,” says Chef Lyle Broussard with Crying Eagle-Lakefront. “I feel a great sense of pride when guests ask about some of our sources.”  

Living near the Gulf Coast, it’s relatively easy to find fresh seafood, including in our sandwiches. Dave Evans at Augustine offers a Fried Oyster Po’boy featuring local Gulf oysters with lettuce, tomato and garlic aioli. 

At Luna Bar and Grill Downtown and Luna South, enjoy The Venus with grilled or fried shrimp straight from the Gulf dressed with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, lettuce, tomato and jalapeño mayo on your choice of bread—brioche bun, jalapeño cheddar sourdough or sourdough wheat.  

On the Crying Eagle-Lakefront menu, you’ll find two tempting seafood po’boys. Their shrimp is sourced from Big Easy Foods on Ryan St., and their oysters come from JT’s Seafood on Lake St., both in Lake Charles. 

Fresh microgreens add crunch, flavor and nutrition to a variety of sandwiches at The Bekery. Owner Rebekah Hoffpauir sources her microgreens from Jaran Cannon at 3rd Day Farms. 

Biscuits n Jamz makes a breakfast sandwich called the F Biscuit (F for French toast). It’s a house-made biscuit dipped in French toast batter and grilled with an egg, sausage link and bourbon bacon onion jam. Chef Al Hess sources their eggs from his own Sugar Shack Farm in Iowa, Louisiana.  

When it comes to fresh bread, it doesn’t get any fresher than house made. Chef Zachary Aymond at Pujo St. Cafe bakes the bread for his Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich each morning. It’s a buttermilk-marinated chicken breast, fried and drizzled with hot honey, served on his jalapeno/cheddar bun, and dressed with house-made pickles and mayo. “Making items in house from scratch or sourcing locally ensures a standard of quality through knowledge of the ingredients used in our dishes,” says Aymond. 

Want to add some freshness to your own unique sandwiches? Visit local farmers’ markets for that just-picked, fresh-baked goodness!