AUSTIN — In Louisiana, good food and good times are an essential part of life.
This Foodie Friday we are spicing things up and taking you to the big easy of Austin -- New Awlins Cafe located off Spicewood Springs Road.
"When people come here that's the first thing I wanna do, I want to give them a taste of New Orleans," said restaurant owner Aaron Hegger.
Hegger lights up when he talks about his home state of Louisiana.
"New Orleans is big on hospitality," he added.
The friendliness, the culture, the food.
For 21 years, Aaron ran a successful pie business in NOLA. But after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 everything changed.
"A lot of the businesses that I was going to and restaurants and stores were closed. Everybody was just trying to get their life back together," said Hegger.
Aaron relocated his family to Austin and eventually reconnected with his love of cooking.
Cajun food brings him so much joy.
"If you're not born there and raised with that taste in your mouth, it's hard to duplicate it. You have to grow up there," he said.
With that first-hand knowledge, Aaron's been introducing Austinites to this authentic cuisine.
He opened up New Awlins Cafe in 2013.
The jambalaya is a must try, as is their gumbo. But a big seller happens to be their seafood pasta.
"And then on top of that, we have a crawfish etouffee that we make, which is really good," he added.
Every dish on the menu is packed with a medley of flavors.
"The food consists of four different nations. You've got the French, Spaniards, Italians and you've got the Africans, so you take all those different people, and you blend the food together, and it makes it something unique. That's what makes New Orleans food," said Hegger.
And no visit to New Awlins Cafe would be complete without a po'boy.
There's no skimping out on the shrimp in this sandwich and the bread is homemade.
All their pies are made daily from scratch. They have savory pies with crawfish, crabmeat, and alligator in it.
They also make all kinds of delicious fruit pies.
Check out last week's Foodie Friday episode at Paperboy below:
