Here in Lafayette, comedy is growing up. The scene is expanding, more shows are popping up. It’s become a draw for national touring acts. And comics are choosing to stay—or come back—because there’s actually something to build here. That’s pretty remarkable. Lafayette wasn’t really on the map as a comedy town until the last decade or so. But comedy itself — how it works, how it’s consumed — has changed. And it’s booming nationally while other live entertainment offerings have hit the skids. On t...
Jul 26, 2025•33 min
Some things are so familiar we stop thinking about them. Bread, for example. Or curry. They show up in so many meals they’re practically background noise. Staples. Comforts. Universals. So what happens when someone decides that’s not good enough? On this edition of Out to Lunch we’re talking about reimagining the familiar — turning the everyday into something exceptional. It takes a mix of obsession, patience, and maybe a little defiance. It’s the kind of project that makes your friends say, “Yo...
Jul 19, 2025•33 min
For every entrepreneur, the fantasy of your own business is about being in control of your destiny. For a lucky few, that pays off with the job — and lifestyle — of your dreams. One way to get there is to help other folks fulfill their own fantasies. Or maybe even one — at least temporarily. That fantasy might be waltzing through an evening of elegance in the gown of your dreams. Or hobnobbing with trolls while you nosh on a turkey leg. If the latter is your cup of mead, you might venture to Vil...
Jul 13, 2025•29 min
Ideas always sound good in theory. Especially business ideas. That’s the deception of entrepreneurship. Even the simple stuff gets complicated. Take my guests today. One started a business hauling junk. The other lends tools out for free. Simple, right? But as they’ll tell you, there’s a lot more to it once you pop the hood. Anna Kojevnikov is co-founder of the Lafayette Tool Library , a nonprofit that lets members borrow tools for home, yard, or auto projects—at no cost. Anna moved to Lafayette...
Jun 22, 2025•32 min
These days, Facebook might be the last place you’d go for a taste of the sweet life. Social media is more likely to spike your blood pressure than your blood sugar. But it’s a pretty potent platform for launching a business or building a community. Foodies Jason Stoner is one of the mods at Foodies of Lafayette , a massive online community with more than 100,000 members, operated by Jason and the group’s founder, Heidi Jacobs MacDonald. Jason is also the chef and host of Sunday Dinners, a monthl...
Jun 15, 2025•29 min
If you think you know dirty jobs, you probably picture Mike Rowe knee-deep in some sewer or wrestling livestock. But let’s be real: there’s nothing heroic about coming in after the cameras are gone to mop up someone else’s mess—that’s the real work, and it can be a solid business proposition. That’s especially true in Louisiana, where the air is wet and the floods frequent. All of that environmental damage needs someone to clean it up. And many of them turn to Rinea Blanchard. Rinea is the Owner...
Jun 08, 2025•29 min
Fashion is a $400 billion industry in the U.S. It includes household names with global reach and big-box scale. But in this massive market, there's room for the neighborhood shop — if you find the right niche. That’s right. If you want to get into the clothing industry, you don’t have to be afraid of fast fashion. Plenty of consumers are still out there looking for something curated, something custom — something that makes them feel unique. LaGina Bruno knows that first hand, she's the Owner of ...
May 25, 2025•29 min
“If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you'll work until you die.” That’s a bit of advice from Warren Buffet, "The Oracle of Omaha" and perhaps the world’s most successful investor. For most, it’s a dream. But for Drake Bajat it’s a personal philosophy and throughline in his serial entrepreneurship. Today, Drake owns Restoration One , a Lafayette-based company specializing in water, mold, fire damage, and biohazard cleanup. But he’s also operated a successful tax and accounting ...
May 17, 2025•29 min
Great products start with an idea, and a lot of tinkering. Edison and his lightbulb. Jobs and Wozniak in their garage. The image is familiar—a lone inventor, obsessing over details, experimenting, failing, learning, and eventually discovering something great. South Louisiana has a pretty rich tradition of entrepreneurship and invention. Consider the crawfish boat, for instance. And, when you think about it, Cajun and Creole food in general can be likened to hare-brained contraptions. We’re const...
May 11, 2025•30 min
Americans love their pizza. We eat around 3 billion pizzas a year—that’s about 350 slices per second. And we wash down a good portion of it with wine: the U.S. is the world’s largest wine-consuming country, drinking nearly 1 billion gallons annually. Put that all together and you’ve got a complete meal. Pizza, of course, is ubiquitous in Lafayette. And it’s not hard to find a decent glass of wine. But it’s fair to say we’re not known for those delicacies. We’re more of a boudin and light beer cr...
Apr 20, 2025•30 min
Running a nonprofit might sound like a mission of the heart. But it’s also very much a business. These organizations have to pay staff, keep the lights on, and provide services. Yes, they rely on philanthropy. But they also need to generate revenue, build partnerships, and constantly make the case for their value—not just to donors, but to the community at large. Acadiana has hundreds of nonprofits big and small. And to some extent they compete just like for-profit enterprises. There’s only so m...
Apr 14, 2025•29 min
Email has been around since the 1970s. It’s quick, it’s convenient — and it consumes your life. If you’ve got an office job, chances are you spend most of your working life in an inbox. Email may be the engine of modern commerce, but it might also be the slowest way to get things done—especially in industries where precision and timing are everything. That’s the pain point Chuck Perret set out to solve. Chuck is the founder of Centerline.Co , a cloud-based data management platform for the constr...
Apr 07, 2025•32 min
It was once conventional wisdom in business that bigger was better. Economies of scale weren’t just preferable, they were inevitable, like a law of nature. But, while big-box stores and corporate franchises do have advantages in cost and efficiency, small businesses are proving they can thrive by leaning into their niches. Take Le-Grenadier , a cocktail lounge in downtown Lafayette where quality and atmosphere reign supreme. Owner Mia Stanford doesn’t just serve drinks—she creates experiences, c...
Mar 24, 2025•33 min
Frontiers aren’t just about the Wild West or outer space. They’re about discovery—whether it’s navigating a bayou or reshaping industry. Some frontiers lead us into nature, others to the grocery store aisle. For Janeene DeClouet, she seeks out frontiers for peace. She is the owner of Duc in Altum Kayaking , a kayaking adventure business with a spiritual twist. What started as a personal search for strength became a career spent helping others discover the beauty of the outdoors. A native of New ...
Mar 17, 2025•30 min
In Acadiana, food has a way of carrying history with it—whether it’s a family recipe passed down for generations or a classic technique reinvented for today’s tastes. For Ryan Jannise, keeping a family tradition alive meant growing and scaling it. Ryan owns Lena’s Cajun Seafood Dishes, a company built on his grandmother’s beloved recipes. His grandmother, Lena Saltzman, was well-known for her cooking in the Delcambre area, where neighbors and friends sought out her seafood dishes long before the...
Mar 10, 2025•31 min
Architecture is more than just buildings—it’s about creating spaces that inspire, connect, and serve communities. That’s something Wes Thiele understands well. Originally from Atlanta, Wes moved to Lafayette in 2009, drawn by the steady opportunities in construction. Career prospects took Wes to Dallas, but Lafayette left an impression on him. When he got the chance to move back to Lafayette, he pounced on it. Today, Wes is a partner at Diverse Studio , a firm he co-founded in 2023 with a vision...
Feb 24, 2025•35 min
In 1992 during Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, LSU grad and Clinton Chief Strategist James Carville came up with two slogans for Clinton to focus on: "The economy, stupid" and "Don't forget about healthcare." Today, politicians and citizens alike are very aware of both of these issues, which are more or less now combined in what is called The Care Economy. Even if you haven’t heard of The Care Economy you’ve benefited from it. It’s an umbrella term economists have developed to describe a w...
Feb 17, 2025•32 min
Some people build businesses on big ideas—others on big hearts. Sometimes, the best business plan is just knowing how to help people. Music might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to helping people, but for Vanessa Lomas, it’s her love language…or maybe help language. Vanessa is the owner of TheraCare Music Therapy . Ninety percent of TheraCare’s clients are autistic, have down syndrome or cerebral palsy. The idea behind music therapy is that it can help people express or cope wi...
Feb 10, 2025•28 min
When you hear the word "franchise" you probably think golden arches or a pepperoni pizza. But franchises can be as creative and personal as any small business. Today we’re diving into two different ways of running a business. On one side, you’ve got a franchisee — a business owner who taps into an established brand and system. On the other, a self-starter — someone who builds a business from scratch, learning and growing every step of the way. Christiaan's lunch guests today represent both paths...
Jan 20, 2025•31 min
When you hear the words "Gen Z," what word comes to mind? If you’re over 40, the answer is more than likely dismissive. When you look at the data, though, there’s one word that should come to mind: entrepreneurial. In 2023, a record 5 million new businesses were started in the United States. A massive portion of them were started by Gen Z entrepreneurs. About 50% of Gen Z respondents say they intend to start a business in the next five years. And about half already have side hustles. Yes, many a...
Jan 13, 2025•31 min
There’s always something to do in Acadiana. That’s great if you’re a consumer. Options for lifestyle and entertainment are a big part of your quality of life. But if you’re on the business side of the equation, an endless supply of activities makes for a crowded and competitive market. Throw in Lafayette’s notorious seasonality, and running an entertainment business can be challenging — but rewarding. Lafayette is a small market. That means we’re often off the radar for national tours in the per...
Jan 06, 2025•32 min
There’s a saying in show business: Every musician wants to be an actor. And every actor wants to be a musician. For a lot of people, either option would be a dream job. Especially if they grow up to be doctors or lawyers instead. But do lawyers want to be doctors? Do doctors want to be lawyers? Maybe. Maybe not. Even if you join the bar. You can still work in health care. Just ask Jack McGee. Jack is an attorney. He got a law degree from Tulane. But he’s not practicing law so much these days. In...
Nov 18, 2024•32 min
One way or the other, if you’re in business in the 21st century, you’re selling yourself. That’s true whether you’re selling crafts or services. Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram or YouTube are basically all marketplaces of personality. You still need a product that people want, but that’s not really enough. You need to connect with people if you want folks to buy what you’re selling. When it works. It works. For many entrepreneurs today, the game is about virality. But lightning in a bott...
Nov 11, 2024•33 min
If you're looking for an optimum time to do something difficult, it's easy to find excuses to procrastinate. When you're a habitual smoker is there ever "a good time" to quit smoking? When you prefer sloth, is there ever "a good time" to start working out? The answer is, of course, it's always a good time, and it's never a good time. It's the same with starting a business. There’s never really a good time to start a business. The common wisdom is, life happens. Don’t let it get in the way of the...
Nov 04, 2024•30 min
Sometimes in business you just need to go in a different direction. Maybe you’re a victim of your own success. Maybe your work-life balance is out of whack. Maybe you’re bored or maybe you just need a little extra cash on the side. Recognizing the change is probably the easy part. Changing is the hard part — especially if you like what you do. Rachel Sam figured out the change part the hard way. She built a successful program at UL. Got promoted. Had a daughter. But things got hard. Anxiety flar...
Oct 21, 2024•32 min
At this point, alternative foods aren’t really alternative anymore. It’s like music in the 1990s. What was sort of underground has really become mainstream as more and more people have changed their diets to be healthier or to eat more ethically. Gluten free or vegan foods aren’t just for speciality aisles anymore. They’re marketed aggressively for what they are — or what they aren’t — because companies know there are buyers out there. Bianca Francis found her way to veganism by accident, she sa...
Oct 14, 2024•30 min
Running a business is usually an exercise in multitasking. Whatever your one real gift is — that thing that got you into business in the first place — there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be doing it anymore once you’ve become successful enough. That can be bittersweet. But it’s the way of the world. So it would make sense that what often separates good operators from great operators is the ability to do lots of different things well. Sometimes it’s better to be a jack of all trades, especiall...
Oct 07, 2024•28 min
Hank Williams’ 1952 song, Jambalaya On The Bayou, was the first time much of the world heard anything about us. What at first-listen to most people sounded like a bunch of nonsense syllables like Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, turned out to be a menu of Cajun dishes – Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo. Today, if you’re from Acadiana and you travel the world, when you’ve been away from home long enough you might find yourself tempted to try Cajun food someplace else. And, though you may be in a p...
Sep 23, 2024•28 min
It’s getting easier by the day for your average person to become a graphic designer. Fire up a Canva account, and you can have a logo in minutes. And Lord knows AI is only making that easier, and more surreal. But, as things get easier for the masses, it puts a premium on stuff made by hand. Time was that it took blood and sweat to make the world beautiful. But, today? Well, imagine a robot trying to paint a boombox on a brick wall or the hood of a car. Foe some things, technology and machines w...
Sep 16, 2024•29 min
Do you think maybe it's time we dispense with the myth of the starving artist? There are more than enough ways to make money in creative industries these days. And not just in applied arts like graphic design or architecture. "Marketability" can be a dirty word for some artists, but for others it’s a goal that isn’t at odds with expression. Even abstract expressionism. Or as Andy Warhol put it, "The business of art requires strategy and analysis." OK, you're right, that’s not Warhol. That’s a bi...
Sep 09, 2024•30 min
