New Orleans Original cafe to open in Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach is about to get a taste of true, authentic Creole and Cajun food with the opening of a new restaurant downtown.

New Orleans Original Creole/Cajun Cafe will open its doors on Saturday, Aug. 29. Located at 188 E. Granada Blvd., in the building of the former Gili's Kitchen, the restaurant will offer a variety of dishes often found in New Orleans' French Quarter, including shrimp po'boys, charbroiled oysters, beignets, sno-balls and king cakes.

"It's just like a cafe on Bourbon Street," restaurant owner Brett Blanchard said. "The feel, the music, the vibe."

Blanchard, who grew up in the Metairie suburb of New Orleans, has been around the restaurant and baking industry his whole life. He used to own daiquiri shops in New Orleans, and when Blanchard moved to Ormond Beach in 2001, he couldn't find a restaurant that served authentic food from his home state.

He knew then that he and his family needed to bring those flavors here.

Twenty-five years later, that vision is finally coming to fruition for the Blanchard family, who have pooled together recipes from family and friends to create their restaurant's menu.

They've made their restaurant a "one-stop shop" for a select slate of New Orleans cuisine, said Blanchard's wife, Alisa. Typically, in Louisiana, customers have to go to different bakeries and restaurants to get specific food items.

"We wanted to focus on quality as opposed to quantity," Alisa Blanchard said. "We wanted to stay as true to his New Orleans roots as we could. We didn't want a huge menu and everything be subpar. We wanted a small menu and things be phenomenal."

Their son Joey Mendez is the restaurant's chef. Mendez has worked in the culinary world since he was 18, having started at Stonewood Grille. Over the years, Mendez has worked in the kitchens of local restaurants, including The Dish Tavern and Grille, Blau and Madeline's Wine Bar.

Is the food spicy? Not all of it, but some dishes will have spice, of course, Mendez said.

"With that spice, there's balance," he said. "You're gonna get a sno-ball in one hand, you're gonna get a po' boy in the other. They pair so well with each other."

The family had been looking for a place to open up their restaurant for some time before they came across the location at 188 E. Granada Blvd.

After Gili's Kitchen closed in April, the family's real estate agent called them to let them know it was available. The Blanchards, who have a background in construction, were at their farm in Georgia when they received the call and drove down that same day to look at the building.

Alisa Blanchard said the building already had a French Quarter feel, and that was a selling point for them.

"If you go down Bourbon Street or any of those streets, all the bars and restaurants — they all have French doors open to the sidewalk," Brett Blanchard said. "You just walk in, so we're going to have that feeling."

The family started renovations on June 1, transforming the interior to celebrate Mardi Gras and Louisiana culture.

"That's one thing about [Brett] — when he sets his mind to something and gets going, he is full steam ahead," said Briana James, the Blanchards' daughter. "We were in here every day, still are, just making sure everything is fine-tuned and ready to go."

Brett Blanchard said he's excited to open people's eyes to the flavors he grew up with.

"I grew up in the best place in the world to get the most flavorful food there is," he said. "People don't realize it till they taste it. When they taste it, they're like, "Oh my God!' I was like, 'Yeah! My mama used to cook it for us every night."

Visit neworleansoriginalcafe.com.

New Orleans Original cafe to open in Ormond Beach

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