When Lagneaux’s Country Store was under construction more than two decades ago, there wasn’t much to see on its stretch of Fieldspan Road in Duson, Louisiana. The store was almost in the middle of nowhere.

But neighborhoods began to spring up as people left the city for a quieter setting, and owner Stephanie Lagneaux has seen the business grow over the years. She said customers are still taken aback by what they find inside.

“They think it’s just a gas station. People are surprised we have meat and are surprised to see fresh produce. It’s a little more than a regular convenience store,” Lagneaux said.

The Butcher Shop

There is a lot that sets Lagneaux’s Country Store apart from other c-stores, but the meat selection takes center stage. There are walls of meat products that rival what one might find in a supermarket.

“We have deboned chickens stuffed with seafood dressing, seafood cornbread, broccoli, cheese and rice, rice dressing, cornbread dressing and crawfish étouffée,” she said. “They’re available and popular all year round, but we sell more of them during the holidays.”

The store also takes cornbread dressing orders during the holidays, and Lagneaux’s is a staple item that has made local news. “People love our cornbread dressing. It was featured in the local newspaper. It’s simple, but it’s really good,” said Lagneaux.

Lagneaux’s offers a wide range of meat, made possible through its meat department team of four people.

Another popular item is the store’s meatballs, which are made from its hamburger recipe. “The meatballs are seasoned and ready to take home and cook,” she said.

The sheer volume of meat products is made possible by this small store’s large meat team, which is a department of four people. “Donald Trahan handles the meat. I’m fortunate to have him. He makes our cracklins, boudin and boudin balls,” she said.

Bursting With Boudin

Boudin (pronounced boo-dan) is a mixture of richly seasoned pork cooked with onions, peppers and Cajun seasoning, mixed with rice and stuffed in sausage casing. It can be found in most c-stores in Louisiana and much of the South—similar to cheese curds being prolific in Wisconsin or West Virginia’s pepperoni rolls. And when people find a boudin they like, they become loyal, passionate customers.

Lagneaux’s offers boudin in multiple ways—there are also boudin balls, which are the store’s boudin mixture rolled into a ball, battered and deep fried instead of in the sausage casing.

“Boudin and boudin balls are big sellers for us,” said Lagneaux. “I couldn’t say one sells more than the other.”

Continue reading “Meat, Boudin and Louisiana Cooking” in the December 2024 issue of NACS Magazine.