My New Orleans
12/31/2020
Belief in the resurrection runs deep in Dreux Barra’s life, and as it turns out, in his gumbo pot, too.
The Youngsville-based food entrepreneur’s holy trinity mix that’s bell pepper, celery and onion, for those unbaptized in the wild ways of traditional Louisiana cooking “comes back to life, just like you chopped them yourself,” as he likes to explain at the many markets and cooking demonstrations he attends throughout Acadiana.
Barra’s C’est Tout (French for “that’s all” and pronounced “say-too”) is jars of chopped and air-dried trinity mix that when added to water, stock or right into the gumbo pot, flowers with a savory, aromatic edge that fills the room and conjures memories of family gatherings and holidays past; of hot Saturday nights with the Tigers on the tube; of pots full of hot food and arms full of warm embraces; of invitations signed, sealed and delivered with a simple “y’all come.”