The Inspiration

So I am shopping for cheese at Lafayette, La's Fresh Market. Low and behold I catch sight of the Sept issue of Wine Spectator and right on the cover is "100 Great Cheeses". I read thru the articles on cheese and begin to search for the cheeses in the markets cheese case. Funny, I can't seem to find but a couple of these "100 Great Cheeses".


I go to a few other local grocery and speciality shops who handle cheese but I am no where close to finding even 10 of the top 100 cheeses according to this article.


So I end up buying the mag and immediately start googling and emailing the list requesting prices or distribution info.Of the 100, now get this, I only am able to find online web sights for 54. Granted some of the cheesemakers had more than one cheese on the list but still I was thinking I should have been able to find more information about these cheeses.

But again I am back to where can I find these cheeses.....

Next week... The Emails.

The Beginning

Every story, every adventure, every day has to have a beginning. La Fromagerie d' Acadiana began with me having a crazy idea for a new cheese shop for the people of Acadiana.. Where they could come to sample, enjoy and buy the multitude of choices the fromage world can offer. Those choices that are not currently available at all, anywhere near here.

I guess the Pre-History of this idea dates back to my second foray into entrepreneurship, Of-the-month.com where I sold monthly clubs like wine of the month and candle of the month. Well one of those clubs was of course, cheese of the month. Funny but I never actually handled the cheese I let a third party vendor I-gourmet.com handle the shipping and execution of the club.

Later on as I was you can say "hiding from the world" in the small town of Hammond, La.. and wasn't in a good place at the time, failed marriage, failed business. What I did have was a close circle of good friends. One of them mentioned to me that I might want to open a shop and call it "Le Grande Fromage".

I didn't have it in me at the time to take up the cheese monger mantle but I filed it away in the back of my mind.

Since then I have meet a wonderful women and we have had a beautiful child and I had moved on in business as well working as a manager for companies such as Dollar Tree, Save-A-Lot, Babies R Us, Children's Place, Al's Formal Wear and currently Best Buy.

But the thought of going back into business for myself and being my own boss is a strong drug and I am needing a fix more and more.

So recently as I was shopping in the New Fresh Market here in Lafayette, La. I came across the cover of Wine Spectator Magazine on it was 100 Great Cheeses and as I searched I could not find even a quarter of these cheese in the area.

So the La Grande Fromage File that I had tucked away was sprung open again.

so it begins......