It’s amazing how many restaurants are still popping up around Acadiana. In Lafayette alone, I’m just now discovering a couple of places that have been open for almost a year! A Facebook site called Foodies of Lafayette has proven to be a wealth of information on good food and restaurants all around us. It’s a growing group of passionate food connoisseurs devoted to sharing their good experiences and promoting wonderful food.
Foodies of Lafayette was started, via Facebook page, in 2019 by Heidi McDonald who says “food should be a delicious escape.” The site, moderated by Jason Stoner, supports local restaurants and other food venues, from gas stations and food trucks to snow ball stands. Members, totaling 98,000 at the start of April, follow the page to discover everything from where to find homemade fig preserves, the best crawfish and blue point crabs to great crispy rice and much more. Local restaurants can post daily and weekly specials – at no charge – and members can share photos and recipes of dishes they’ve made.
What unique about the Foodies of Lafayette site are the very things that have made it so popular, reaching 3.1 million per month. That is, there is no advertising and it only welcomes positive comments from food experiences. “We want to know what you love, not what you don’t like,” emphasizes Jason, who shares a few of his more recent favorite finds. “I love the authentic schezwan-style soup dumpling from Dumpling Hour, the crunch tacos at Mescal’s, and the lasagna at Sarrica’s Little Italy, shaped like a rose with the stuffing in the middle.
Each year, Foodies presents a Culinary Excellence award to one restaurant that its seven member panel has chosen to be the best. Last year’s winner was Antoni’s Italian Café. Nominees for the 2025 award include Park Bistro Lafayette, La Crêperie Bistro, Mazen Grill, Dumpling Hour, Deuce’s Taste of the South, Spicy House Lafayette and Patacon Latin Cuisine; the winner will be announced in June.
“We’re more than a Facebook site now, taking on more media and activities,” says Jason who hosts a Foodies segment on KPEL radio each Friday at 8:30a. “We’re expanding into Instagram lightly and we’ll be on YouTube once our podcast Foodie Talk starts.
Last year, Foodies hosted its annual potluck get together at Lagneaux’s Restaurant, a Friendsgiving where 150 members showed up with a dish. The group also hosts events like Graze and Glaze, where members indulge in an olive tasting at Graze Acadiana and then head over to Painted Bayou to glaze an item, like the recent garlic juicer. There are weekly food field trips to a local restaurant. “We’re also kicking around the idea of having a weekend-long Foodie Festival next year with chefs, music and, of course, food,” shares Jason. “And, we’re planning a Foodie trivia night.” He is also excited to share that Foodies of Lafayette be serving cocktails, for the first time, at this year’s Festival International.
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