(This article first appeared in the January issue of NACS Magazine.)

Two lifelong friends with a passion for cooking great food decided to see if others would develop a passion for their food.

Julius Flugence and Jonathan Linzer have been cooking together since college.

“We’d barbecue at Julius’ mom’s house. We only focused on cooking meat. His mom, Carolyn, did the sides. We didn’t think about food as a business,” recalled Jonathan, adding, “Julius is from a family of foodies. I just love cooking.”

When COVID hit, the pair decided to make boudin. “Boudin was a way to get out of the house during the pandemic,” said Jonathan.

At this point, we need to explain boudin. Boudin is a mixture of rice, pork, onions and bell peppers that is highly seasoned and stuffed into sausage casing. It is as ubiquitous in southwest Louisiana as cheese curds are in Wisconsin or pizza in New York.

When the pair won the Boudin Cook-Off and Bacon Festival in 2022, people asked where they could find more. There was no location. When they won the competition in 2023, the pressure was on.

Julius was slow to warm up to starting a business. He works as a project coordinator in oilfields. “Jonathan is the businessman. He pushed me off the cliff. I didn’t leap,” he said.

They found a location in the Food-N-Fun c-store in Broussard, Louisiana. The plan didn’t include being in a gas station. “Jonathan saw the space. He’d come in the morning, noon and afternoon to watch the traffic,” recalled Julius.

“I saw a lot of traffic. I knew traffic flow would be the key to success,” said Jonathan. The lease was signed in January and Lazy Caveman opened on March 22, 2023.

Originally, despite the pair’s award-winning recipe, boudin was not going to be the star of the show.

“In the beginning we were going to do smoked meats. Lazy Caveman is about drinking bourbon and eating smoked meat. That’s why my mom said we’re like cavemen: We only cook meat, no sides,” said Jonathan.

To continue reading, check out the latest issue of NACS Magazine.