Grant Gautreaux

Current Hometown: Thibodaux Gautreaux was born in Grand Bayou, but moved with his parents to Pierre Part when he was 6 years old. His younger brother was the last child born in Grand Bayou. Favorite Thing to Do I just liked to play outside. We had a big tree. We had a tree that got […]

Talkin’ // Speech in Grand Bayou

Every community has its own way of speaking, from phrases to mannerisms to nicknames. But throw in some French Acadians in a protected rural environment, and the culture is ripe for speech that is hard for outsiders to understand!

Loose Grind Meat Spaghetti

The ultimate comfort food of the Addie Rousseau family was Maw Maw Mabel’s “Loose Grind Meat” spaghetti. As any real Cajun cook, she created her family favorites with no written recipe. And when she told her daughter-in-law Kathleen Whaley Rousseau the recipe, she omitted the “secret ingredient.” That is until they were all stuck inside […]

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Mabel “Maw Maw” Hebert Rousseau was famous for [her pineapple upside down cake]. For church bake sales, people in the community (from Grand Bayou to Paincourtville) would call her to see if she was making it and they would reserve it for themselves so it wouldn’t ever make it to church! It was a race […]

The Center of Faith // St. Elizabeth

By Chakyra Butler, Staff Writer In Paincourtville, about five miles away from Grand Bayou, stands a brick, Gothic-style Catholic church with twin towers. St. Elizabeth Church has been the religious center of the area, including Grand Bayou, for more than 100 years. “It is still just so special,” says Jessica Rousseau Baye, a Grand Bayou […]

Work // Making a Living

By Emilee Theriot, Staff Writer Grand Bayou was once the home to a thriving business community including a saw mill, a cotton gin, a broom factory, a moss gin, a country store, a dance hall and a barber shop, according to the Assumption Pioneer and documents written by former resident Hazel Aucoin. Growing up, Aucoin […]

Food // A Family Centerpiece

By Jade Gallaher, Staff Writer Food in Grand Bayou was not only the center of family gatherings but was also a celebration of the land where they lived. “I can remember for years and years, my mom and her sisters would get together every year and would get several sacks of crawfish and make crawfish […]

Betty Crochet Breland

Current Hometown: Belle Chasse While Breland was born in Grand Bayou in 1938, her family moved away when she was an infant. But she visited her grandmother in Grand Bayou frequently. Favorite Thing to Do Get on my grandmother’s porch with my crawfish net and catch crawfish off of the porch during high water. Favorite […]

Clarence “Bud” Rousseau

Current Hometown: Thibodaux Rousseau grew up in Grand Bayou with his family on the same property as his grandfather and extended family. His grandfather was a moss picker and he traded his land on Bayou Corn for the land on Grand Bayou to be closer to his job at the moss gin. Favorite Thing to […]