A great bakery doesn’t just sell pastries. It keeps a city’s memories warm, one loaf at a time. We’re sitting down at Sunday Soda Fountain with Patrick Poupart, the next-generation baker behind Poupart’s Bakery in Lafayette, Louisiana, to dig into how a true French bakery took root here and why people still drive in from out of town with an ice chest to stock up.
Patrick shares the family story that starts in France with serious craft training through the Compagnons du Devoir and leads to Poupart’s opening its doors in 1965. We talk about what it means to grow up above the shop, learn the work young, and come back from baking school in France with a deeper love for fermentation and bread. If you’re curious about sourdough starter culture, baguettes, and why “bread is alive,” this conversation gets specific in a way food lovers will appreciate.
We also get practical: Poupart’s American king cake versus French king cake, what makes French pastries different, and how the bakery has grown into sandwiches, soups, freezer meals, and full-scale catering for massive events. Along the way, Patrick explains a mindset we want more of in the Lafayette food community: sharing knowledge, helping other chefs, and choosing collaboration over competition.
If you care about local businesses, Cajun and Creole food culture, and the craft behind French baking in Louisiana, hit play. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, share this with a friend who loves king cake, and leave a review telling us your go-to Poupart’s order.
The podcast was made possible through partnerships with Rouses Supermarket, Logic Refrigeration HVAC, Ounce of Hope, Cajun Table, Vermilionville, Soul Haus Kitchen, Chris Logan Media, and Sunday Soda Fountain – proving that when a community rallies around celebrating local food culture, amazing things happen. Subscribe now to join this delicious adventure and become part of the movement that's transforming Lafayette's food scene one bite at a time!
learn more: foodiesoflafayette.com
