Baton Rouge often gets a bad rap for being a belt and suspenders kind of town, where people eat in chain restaurants and go to movie theaters and don’t do the kind of interesting, unique things – be they related to food, music or festivals – that are so characteristic of some fo sthe state’s other big cities. But its’ simply not true! And bright young entrepreenuers are taking risks to dispel those misconceptions.
Bread
Steven Gottfried is owner of the St. Bruno Bread Company, a commercial artisan bread bakery in Baton Rouge that delivers fresh bread daily to local restaurants and more than a dozen grocery stores.
St Bruno is a wholesaler and doesn’t have a storefront. And that’s intentional, in furtherance of Stephen’s mission to raise the standard of daily bread and elevate the experience of eating everyday foods.
Steven Gottfried and Stepahnie Riegel, with a graphic appearance by Steven’s dog Bruno with wheat in his mouth, the inspiration for Baton Rouge’s massively popular St. Bruno Bread Co
Steven is a native of Baton Rouge who learned the craft from chef Gary Darling in Covington before spending several years honing his skills first in San Francisco and then at Bellgarde Bakery in New Orleans. He went out on his own in 2017, originally in New Orleans, but the COVID pandemic changed those plans, and since late 2021, St. Bruno has been based in Baton Rouge.
The upside of Covid is that we in Baton Rouge can now get a variety of St Bruno breads including sourdough, French baguette and po-boy loafs.
And now, the Circus!
Laura Siu Nguyen is an event planner and communications professional who is also the founder of Night Market BTR, a new annual event that celebrates Asian American history in the style of a Lunar New Year festival.
Stephanie Riegel and Laura Siu Nguyen talk about Night Market BTR, Laura’s Taipei-inspired home-grown homage to Asian markets that light up when the sun goes down
Laura created Nigh Market BTR to celebrate culture, community and creativity in Baton Rouge and brings people of Asian American heritage together. Laura is a native of Honduras, who came to Baton Rouge more than 15 years ago to attend graduate school and never left. In the years since, she has been involved in helping launch and promote a variety of events and activities – including her own.
Steven Gottfried, Stephanie Riegel, Laura Siu Nguyen, Out to Lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard
Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs On the Boulevard.
