I’m sure there’s always been boudin omelets in south Louisiana, but I’m pretty sure the first one for sale in Baton Rouge was at dawn on the first day of the first Baton Rouge Balloon Festival. Carlton LeGrange had taken a slot at the Fairgrounds to park the mobile kitchen (an old Frito Lay delivery truck refurbished with stainless steel prep tables, a six burner stove/oven with a griddle, and three Pitco Frialators) and sell to the festival crowd from dawn to dusk. We had lunch and dinner covered with shrimp and catfish poboys and fries, but we had to wrack our brains for breakfast because neither Café LeGrange location had a breakfast or brunch menu at the time. We bounced a lot of different ideas. Whatever we chose had to be quick to execute, low prep (who knew how many would show for the dawn firing, or whether they’d want to buy breakfast at the fairgrounds?) and support the brand. Café LeGrange and LeGrange Catering had always been all about boiled crawfish and jambalaya, red beans and gumbo, fried seafood platters and poboys. We couldn’t just offer a styro plate of bacon and eggs and biscuits. Carlton finally came up with the boudin omelet, fashioned after Jerry Lee’s boudin and pepperjack sandwich.
We used Jerry Lee’s boudin for the restaurants’ boudin balls, and since Jerry Lee’s was on the way to Baton Rouge from the catering compound out in Watson, we’d stop often on the way out to a catering gig for Jerry Lee’s free coffee and a breakfast of boudin links and saltines and on the way back for more boudin links and cracklins and jerky along with a six pack or two of tall boys. We had plenty of Jerry Lee’s boudin at the store, eggs were cheap enough and easy to prep, and the griddle made quick work of both heating the boudin and cooking the omelet. And they were well received, we did good business at that first balloon fest and many more afterwards. Jerry Lee’s Cajun Foods is still right where it’s always been, and Carlton has a place out in Central, Carlton’s Seafood, 12424 Hooper Rd. Carlton still rolls out the best boiled crawfish I’ve ever had. Ditto Jerry Lee’s boudin and jerky and cracklins. And don’t forget that boudin and pepper cheese poboy. Definitely worth the ride out there.
