Discover Lafayette

Lafayette City Marshal Reggie Thomas joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his mission to protect the citizens of Lafayette and to become the best marshal’s office nationally. A 30-year veteran of the Lafayette City Police Department who worked his way up the ranks, as a detective and eventually serving as deputy and interim chief of police, Marshal Reggie was elected Lafayette City Marshal i...

Ari Dolegowski, a BioPerformance Therapist who offers transformative massage sessions with a tailored approach rooted in Physical Therapy and Eastern medicine, joins Discover Lafayette to share his philosophy on living a well-rounded and healthy life. He studied both Eastern and Western modalities of therapy in Thailand, Costa Rica, and New York City, to form an integrative approach to treatment a...

Paul Hilliard, President of Badger Oil Corporation, has led a wonderful life of generosity and love of community that provides a humbling lesson in being a good steward of God’s resources. At 99 years of age, he is sharp and insightful, a true testament to his wisdom and vitality. Paul was 17 when he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps during his Senior year in high school in February 1943, quittin...

Matt Oldenburg, Director of Zoosiana, is our guest today. The zoo has been a family passion for years, as it was originally purchased by Matt’s father, George Oldenburg, in 2002, after a successful banking career. George transitioned into zoo ownership to pursue his love for animals. Over the years, Matt took on a leadership role, managing the zoo’s operations and its expansive collect...

Adam Daigle, Business Editor of the Acadiana Advocate, discusses the biggest business news of 2024 in this episode of Discover Lafayette. We want to thank the Advocate for highlighting our latest podcast each week in their online Business Section. You can subscribe online at theadvocate.com/newsletters to keep up with our community’s latest business headlines. The # 1 story in 2024, without a doub...

In this episode of Discover Lafayette , we feature Mel Haynes, owner and proprietor of Sweet Envie, a delightful bakery and deli located at 4302 Moss Street in North Lafayette. Mel brings a beautiful sense of joy and humor into our world and shares her inspirational story of becoming a successful business owner who follows her instincts. Since opening in 2021, Sweet Envie has become beloved for it...

The Acadiana Center for the Arts’ Sam Oliver, Executive director, and Taylor Davis, Board President, join Discover Lafayette to discuss the AcA’s 50th anniversary approaching, the superb programming they offer our community, and discuss upcoming events. The Acadiana Arts Council, the organization that later evolved into the Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA), was established in 1975. I...

Our guests today are Jeff Martin and Blake Adams, creators and proprietors of Short and Fat, a unique custom men’s clothing line. While there are plenty of options out there for plus sizes, big and tall, and regular, there just aren’t traditionally that many for, well, someone who may be short and fat. Short and Fat originated in 2017 as Jeff and Blake’s response to a lack of clothing options for...

Becky Collins and Jennifer Joseph, volunteers with the Bayou Teche Museum in New Iberia, join Discover Lafayette to discuss the museum’s inaugural fundraising musical event, Music On Main, taking place November 21, 2024. Located at the Bayou Teche Trading Company, Music on Main will be filled with food, music, and fun! The two bands performing are The Eighties Experience, an 80’s and 90’s tr...

Our guests today are Mia and Rob Sandberg, husband and wife, and a dynamic duo of entrepreneurship! Mia is the proprietor of Root Floral on Jefferson Street in Downtown Lafayette, 810 Jefferson Street. The shop is open Tuesday – Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. unless an event taking place.. Her company specializes in providing floral arrangements for events, w...

Dr. Shannon Bernard and Michelle Luquette, representatives of On Track by 5 Alliance for the Lafayette Parish Public School System, join Discover Lafayette to discuss their department’s mission to improve the quality and access of early care and education for children from birth to age 5 years of age. The research is clear: 90% of brain development occurs before age 5. Great work is being done to...

Kevin Landry, proprietor of Café Lola, joins Discover Lafayette in special partnership with Eat Lafayette and Lafayette Travel. Eat Lafayette is a yearlong celebration of Lafayette’s locally owned restaurants. Café Lola was opened at 1155 Coolidge in the Oil Center in April 2002 by Mark and Jill Balser. Their focus was on fresh, wholesome, colorful, and delicious ingredients sourced locally....

Jill McGehee and Amy Broussard of Acadiana Vintage Finds join Discover Lafayette to discuss their inaugural marketplace event to be held October 25 – 27, 2024 at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette. If you love consignment or thrift shopping, want to do your bit to purchase repurposed items to reduce waste production and conserve resources while supporting sustainable consumer habits, or just lov...

Ochsner Lafayette General’s Patrick Gandy and Marie Lukaszeski join Discover Lafayette to discuss the hospital system’s careful growth and planned design to meet the needs of the region today and into the future. The only Level II Trauma Center in Southwest Louisiana, its services extend to patients “from the bayou to the border,” stretching along I-10. Incredibly, the hosp...

Shelley Delahoussaye, Supervisor of the Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center, joins Discover Lafayette to share her passion and love of animals and how the animal shelter works to save as any animals as possible while searching for loving and safe environments for them. A graduate of UL – Lafayette, Shelley earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. After working in private vet clin...

Hollie Girouard, proprietor of Ton’s Drive-In and Ton’s Downtown joins Discover Lafayette in partnership with Eat Lafayette to discuss her family’s multigenerational success in the restaurant business. While Hollie is known for her dedication to Ton’s, she is also well-known for her athletic prowess, having been a volleyball player for teams at ESA and UL – Lafayette, the l...

Peggy Feehan, Executive Director of CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana), an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the French language and culture in Louisiana, joins Discover Lafayette to discuss the agency’s mission and work. Born and raised in the New Brunswick province of Canada, Peggy grew up speaking French, enjoying the outdoors with deer and moose...

Seth Ransonet joins Discover Lafayette to discuss the third annual NOMAD Music Festival to be held on September 21, 2024 at Warehouse 535. NOMAD is a wholesome music event emphasizing family-friendly values and aiming to promote truth, goodness, and beauty through music. It’s mission is to glorify God and inspire people to find their true home, spiritually and emotionally, through the power...

Michael Soileau, Director of LUS Fiber, joins us to discuss his vision for the organization. A native of Mamou, Michael graduated from Mamou High, and then earned a degree in International Business from UT in Austin and an MBA from LSU – Shreveport. He took over the reins at LUS Fiber in May 2024. Before this appointment, Michael had worked exclusively in private enterprise. His past em...

Frank Randol of Randol’s Restaurant in Breaux Bridge, joins Discover Lafayette in partnership with Eat Lafayette, a yearlong celebration of our locally owned restaurants, to share news of the revival of his unique Cajun restaurant and dancehall concept, a longtime staple in Lafayette. Breaux Bridge is only 15 minutes from Lafayette and is part of a corridor surrounding Lafayette Parish that is rip...

Julie Rabalais, founder and Director of For the Birds of Acadiana, joins Discover Lafayette to share her love of birds and commitment to rehabilitating wild songbirds, waterbirds and waterfowl. For the Birds of Acadiana is Louisiana’s only State and Federally permitted facility dedicated to the rehabilitation of federally protected songbirds, Waterfowl, and Waterbirds. Located in Lafayette,...

Rob Perillo has decades of experience in forecasting Acadiana’s weather and has tracked hundreds of tropical storms and hurricanes during his career. He celebrated 20 years at KATC this January and is one of the most beloved meteorologists in the country, particularly well-known for his expertise in covering hurricanes and severe weather events. Last year, Rob Perillo extended his contract with KA...

Tammy Theriot and Bryant DeLoach of Home Bank, Member FDIC, join Discover Lafayette to discuss how banks can assist business owners achieve their financial goals, along with treasury management solutions. Bryant Deloach serves Home Bank as a Senior Commercial Relationship Manager. He has lived in Lafayette his entire life, graduating from Lafayette High and USL, and raising his family here. Starti...

Discover Lafayette’s sound engineer, Jason Sikora, has a voice many of you are familiar with, as he’s participated in our interviews over the past seven years, ensuring a finely-tuned, professional podcast. Jason Sikora pictured with Butch Roussel during a recording of Discover Lafayette Podcast. But many of you may not know his interesting back story, or how he came to live and work in Lafa...

Jason Redmon, proprietor of the iconic Hub City Diner at 1412 S. College Road in Lafayette, joins Discover Lafayette to celebrate Hub City Diner’s longevity and popularity, as well as his support of Lafayette Travel and Eat Lafayette, a yearlong celebration of Lafayette’s locally owned restaurants. Hub City Diner’s ambiance is akin to the famous tv show, “Cheers,” wher...