When you pop into Laura’s II for a simple (and large) lunch of Creole-style rice and gravy and all the fixings, expect to rub shoulders with fans from across the country.
This inconspicuous cafe near the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a destination restaurant, for good reason. Back in 2018, Laura’s II was featured on an Acadiana episode of “Parts Unknown” with Anthony Bourdain. As the celebrity chef chowed down on ribs and stuffed turkey wings, he declared it one of the best restaurant meals he’d had in Lafayette — and the world took notice.
A plate lunch including a stuffed baked turkey wing with rice, turkey necks, gravy and greens is pictured at Laura’s II Cafe Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in Lafayette, La.
Chef Madonna Broussard’s star has been rising ever since. She has been in the kitchen since she was a little girl, working with her grandmother, the original Laura, who opened the restaurant in 1968. These days, the friendly lunch line and dining room at 1904 W. University Ave. regularly fills with longtime regulars and tourists alike, all looking to experience something that can feel all too rare — authenticity.
“Our slogan is, ‘We’re raised on rice and gravy.’ It’s our signature, and we process in generations — just learning how to make the gravy. We’ve been making it since ’68, and I think we’ll make it until 2088.”
Bring a friend, plan for leftovers, or just come hungry when you make a trip to Laura’s II. Plate lunches aren’t exactly known for being light fare, but Broussard’s establishment is especially generous with portions — and she likes it like that.
“I’ve seen places where they do the small eats, small plates. We’re large eats,” Broussard says.
Like so many across south Louisiana, Broussard doesn’t rely on recipes to ensure a consistent, flavorful experience in each overstuffed plate. In this chef’s kitchen, it’s all about instinct honed through generations of knowledge in how to perfect a roux.
She says, “Every morning, we start with roux and water and seasoning to taste. And it’s all our own tastes. You know, you just have to know that taste. We don’t use recipes — color and texture and taste is our big recipe.”
Employee Chantell Dugas adds smothered turkey necks to a plate lunch at Laura’s II Cafe Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in Lafayette, La.
Other southern James Beard nominees this year include luminaries like Nando Chang, a Michelin-guide chef from Miami who serves gorgeous plates of Japanese-Peruvian inspired bites. At Laura’s II, the experience is a little bit different, but no less profound.
When it comes to rewarding culinary excellence, many people still visualize buttoned-up establishments with a god-like chef reigning over the kitchen. Chef Broussard doesn’t approach food that way. From her reliance on skill, tradition and instinct, to her enthusiastic presence in the serving line and dining room, foodies know they’ll always eat good at this Lafayette spot — like a member of Broussard’s own family, who are often in the kitchen with her.
Her daughter, Lacey Broussard, has been learning and working alongside her mom for years now. According to Broussard, she’ll be next in line to helm Laura’s II, and after that, Broussard says she has twin granddaughters who are showing an interest in the culinary arts. Whatever the years bring, it looks likely that Laura’s II will continue to dish up exceptional Acadiana soul food, hopefully for generations to come.
The 2025 James Beard Awards winners will be announced on June 16 at a ceremony in Chicago.
发表回复