Discover Lafayette

Jan Swift
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The Gateway to South Louisiana

  1. 6d ago

    Olivia Regard – Attorney, Baker, Writer and Champion of the Arts

    Olivia Regard, corporate counsel for Aggreko, food writer for The Advocate, baker, arts advocate, mother and enthusiastic traveler, joins Discover Lafayette to share the many chapters of a life that has been shaped by curiosity, creativity and a willingness to say “yes” to new experiences. Olivia grew up in New Roads, Louisiana, and spent seven years at LSU earning her undergraduate and law degrees. She laughs that one of the perks was “seven years of cheap football tickets.” She also holds a memorable place in LSU history: Olivia was LSU Homecoming Queen alongside Homecoming King Warren Morris, shortly after Morris hit his legendary game-winning home run in the 1996 College World Series. After law school, Olivia began her legal career in Baton Rouge with the Jones Walker law firm. She moved to Lafayette in 2005, transferring to the firm’s Lafayette office, and later practiced with Babineaux, Poché, Anthony & Slavich before moving from private practice into the corporate world. Her early litigation practice included environmental toxic tort defense before she transitioned into employment law. She handled matters involving non-compete agreements, proprietary information, discrimination and harassment claims, among other employment disputes. As a young lawyer, she had the opportunity to work alongside an experienced Jones Walker litigator handling cases across the country. “I learned so much from him,” Olivia says of that early mentor. Today, Olivia serves as Associate General Counsel for Aggreko, a global company specializing in temporary power and temperature control solutions. Aggreko’s work can range from providing power for major events to supporting data center construction, hospitals, petrochemical and refining operations, manufacturing facilities and other businesses that cannot afford an interruption in power or temperature control. Interestingly, Aggreko is headquartered in Scotland, but its North American story has strong Acadiana roots. The company expanded into North America through the acquisition of an oil and gas business in New Iberia, and its New Iberia campus remains a significant part of its operations. Olivia provides legal support to Aggreko’s data center and petrochemical and refining sectors, as well as its North American human resources team. Her background in employment law is particularly valuable because the role of in-house counsel is often preventative rather than reactive. She explained the difference between private practice and corporate counsel this way: when an employment dispute reached her in private practice, “the damage was already done.” She was defending, mitigating or resolving an existing problem. In-house, the goal is to educate managers and employees, maintain compliance with applicable laws and hopefully keep disputes from developing into litigation in the first place. “I love when I don’t have to call outside counsel to help me with a problem.” Olivia has been with Aggreko for just over three years and has found the experience enormously rewarding. “I have had more fun and learned more in that three-year time period than probably the 20-plus years of legal experience combined.” Louisiana Bakes For many people in Acadiana, however, Olivia may be just as familiar from a completely different pursuit: her Louisiana Bakes column in The Advocate. Olivia’s love of writing goes back to sixth grade and her English teacher, Pam Whitlock, whom Olivia credits with giving her both a love of writing and confidence in her own voice. Her love of cooking goes back even further. “My first memories of cooking were in my grandmother’s kitchen.” Olivia grew up in New Roads in a family where, as she jokes, “I either know them or I’m related to them.” Her grandmother was a wonderful cook, remembered particularly for her fried chicken and pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, neither recipe was preserved. “Those are the two recipes that I wish someone would have captured before she passed.” Food, memory and family would eventually become the ingredients of Olivia’s own writing. Like many families, the Regards spent a great deal of time in the kitchen during the COVID shutdown. Olivia sat her children down and asked everyone to choose something they wanted to learn to cook, something they wanted to eat, and something new they wanted Olivia to learn to prepare. COVID also brought Samson, Olivia’s sourdough starter, named for her grandmother’s maiden name. Cooking became a way of staying connected. Olivia shared recipes on Instagram and even mailed packets of yeast to friends around the country who couldn’t find it in stores. Friend and writer Jan Risher then organized a COVID-era version of The Great British Bake Off, livestreaming participants from their kitchens as they cooked and were interviewed by judges. That experience helped plant the seed for what came next. A “Year of Yes” When Jan later approached Olivia about writing for The Advocate, the invitation happened to arrive during what Olivia had privately decided would be her “year of yes.” That didn’t mean saying yes indiscriminately. As Olivia explains, sometimes saying yes to yourself requires saying no to something else. But she wanted to be open to experiences she might ordinarily decline. She traveled. She joined a group of 17 women paddling the Salmon River in Idaho. When someone invited her to visit, she tried to say yes. Then came Jan’s invitation to write. “Every inch of me wanted to say no.” Until then, Olivia’s personal writing had largely remained private, shared with a relatively small circle through her private Instagram account. Writing for a newspaper meant putting her voice, memories and recipes before a much larger audience. “It felt safe,” she says of her earlier writing. The newspaper column felt “very public,” opening her work to comments and criticism in a way she had never experienced before. She said yes anyway. “It has been an absolute labor of love.” Since 2023, Louisiana Bakes has combined recipes with stories about family, friendship, travel, Louisiana traditions and the people who have shaped Olivia’s life. One of her earliest lessons as a newspaper food columnist came from a satsuma tree in her backyard. She wrote about a bumper crop and recipes for using the fruit, only to discover that by the time the column was published, satsuma season was essentially over. A reader pointed that out. Instead of being discouraged, Olivia took the criticism to heart and became more deliberate about planning her columns months ahead, anticipating seasons, holidays and travel. That planning still leaves room for spontaneity. When Dolly Parton died, Olivia postponed a column she already had prepared and wrote a tribute connecting Parton, Steel Magnolias, food and memories of dancing to Dolly’s music in her grandmother’s kitchen. Her stories frequently circle back to family. She has written about picking pecans in one grandmother’s yard and is planning a piece honoring her other grandmother and her Mississippi mud cake. The Test Kitchen Olivia has assembled a trusted circle of friends and their children who serve as recipe testers. At first, she had to train them. Their reviews tended to stop at, “This is amazing.” Olivia needed more. She wanted to know what worked, what didn’t, and what might need to be adjusted before a recipe was ready for publication. Now her testers know their job and aren’t afraid to critique. Some recipes are classics that don’t need tinkering, such as the wonderfully simple “cup-a, cup-a, cup-a” cake made famous in Steel Magnolias: a cup of self-rising flour, a cup of sugar and a can of fruit cocktail. Others become Olivia’s own after years of experimentation. Her banana bread is one of those. She took elements she loved from different recipes and kept working until they “married” into the banana bread she wanted. One of her twists is fresh orange juice. Another favorite is chocolate pavlova, a large, delicate meringue topped with whipped cream and berries. It has become one of the desserts friends request most often. Even her son once bypassed the traditional birthday cookie cake and requested his mother’s pavlova. Next on Olivia’s baking challenge list: French macarons. And if they fail? That may become a column, too. Olivia is considering writing about her kitchen disasters, complete with photographs, including a lemon curd cake that tastes divine when everything works but can collapse into what she laughingly describes as essentially “a puddle of pudding” when the curd doesn’t set. For Olivia, perfection isn’t really the point. Cooking itself is restorative. “It’s therapy for me.” After a long workday or during difficult times, chopping, stirring and working with her hands brings a sense of peace. When friends come over, she would generally prefer they sit nearby with wine and cheese and keep her company rather than join her at the stove. “Here’s some wine. Here’s some cheese. We’ll talk and I’ll cook.” A Deep Commitment to the Arts Olivia’s creative life extends well beyond her kitchen. She traces her love of the performing arts to seeing Cats at Baton Rouge’s Centroplex as a child. She remembers being mesmerized by the production, dancing, music and singing. After moving to Lafayette in 2005, she became involved with the Acadiana Center for the Arts, first attending events and bringing her children, then volunteering. The connection deepened when her children attended Myrtle Place Elementary through the French immersion program. Olivia watched her daughter respond enthusiastically to arts-integrated education and began learning more about AcA’s arts education work. “When you see something like that ignite a fire in them, it’s contagious.” That interest led Olivi

  2. Sep 25

    CuGino’s Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro

    Discover Lafayette welcomes Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro, proprietors of CuGino, their beautiful Sicilian restaurant located at 117 South College Road in Lafayette. This episode is presented in special partnership with Eat Lafayette by Lafayette Travel, celebrating the locally owned restaurants that help define our community and our culture. CuGino may be relatively new to Lafayette’s restaurant scene, but there are generations of restaurant experience behind it. Hunter Moody grew up in one of Lafayette’s best-known restaurant families, while Gene Todaro brought authentic Sicilian cooking to Acadiana more than four decades ago as one of the founders of Marcello’s. Their paths are remarkably different, but their philosophies about food, hospitality and the people who work alongside them are very much the same. Hunter Moody: Raised in the Restaurant Business For Hunter, the restaurant business was part of life from childhood. His grandfather, B. I. Moody, was a CPA who became involved in the restaurant industry through the Trotter brothers’ Burger King franchise interest. The Moody family went on to own and operate numerous restaurants and other franchises, including Luther’s Barbecue, Chart House and Outback Steakhouse. Hunter remembers being included in the business by his father at an unusually young age. “When I was 12 years old, he’d say, ‘Son, get in the car. We’re going talk to Outback Steakhouse in Baton Rouge.’ When I was 15, he’d say, ‘Son, come sit at the kitchen table. Let’s discuss this month’s P&Ls and financial statements.’” Hunter says academics were highly valued in his large family, but he discovered early that his strengths were elsewhere. “I was more of a blue-collar kind of person, believe it or not, coming from a very well-off family with a lot of privileges, a lot of opportunities. But I played sports and loved them. I was good with my hands, good with people. From a young age, I wanted to be in the restaurant business.” At the age of 28, Hunter took over his family’s Sonny’s Barbecue operation in Baton Rouge at a difficult time. The restaurant had experienced two down years following the 2008 financial collapse, and the family was considering closing it. Hunter saw potential in both the management team and its loyal customer base. Within a year, he says, sales and profits returned. Over the next decade, the restaurant nearly doubled its sales. That experience also shaped Hunter’s approach to leadership. As Sonny’s itself began adapting to a changing restaurant industry, Hunter embraced a management philosophy centered on kindness, teamwork and creating a workplace where people could thrive. “I never minded sweating. I never minded working hard. And that’s why the business worked out well for me early on.” Gene Todaro: From Palermo to Louisiana Gene Todaro’s story begins thousands of miles away in Sicily. Gene grew up in Palermo and was 14 years old when his family came to the United States in 1961. His father had actually been born in Pueblo, Colorado, before returning with his family to Sicily, which meant he was an American citizen. After World War II, with Palermo devastated by bombing, Gene’s father and his brothers began considering leaving Sicily. A visit to the American consulate changed everything when they learned Gene’s family could obtain American passports. “We came into the country on an American passport because our father was American.” The family initially settled in New Orleans, where relatives already lived, before Gene’s path eventually brought him to Lafayette. Gene did not initially plan on spending his career in a restaurant. His academic background was in accounting, and he earned an MBA through Texas A&M while working for Halliburton in Dallas. He also operated a restaurant on the side. Then his younger brother Marcello, who was attending USL in Lafayette, called. “He says, ‘Gene, there are no good Italian restaurants in Lafayette. I need you to come down here and see what you think and see if you can help me get a restaurant.’” Gene came to Lafayette, surveyed the local restaurant scene and agreed that the city could use another Italian restaurant. He helped get the business started with every intention of returning to Dallas. Six or eight months later, his brother called again and asked for help. Gene sold his Dallas restaurant and moved to Lafayette. The rest became part of Lafayette restaurant history. The Todaro Taste The Todaro family’s food traditions came directly from Sicily. Gene remembers shopping for his mother, Rosalie, and learning the ingredients that went into her cooking. He may not have been the one doing the cooking, but he learned what the finished product was supposed to taste like. Rosalie Todaro “I knew all the ingredients and what went into different dishes, and I knew what they should taste like. And if something didn’t taste quite like it, we got to start from scratch. Let’s start all over.” That palate remains one of CuGino’s secret weapons. Hunter says the restaurant has an exceptional culinary team, but Gene remains closely involved in tasting dishes and working with the chefs. “The trick is Gene’s taste buds,” Hunter says. “Gene especially will say it needs a little bit of this. It needs a little bit of that.” One example is CuGino’s cacio e pepe, the deceptively simple Roman pasta made with Pecorino Romano, peppercorns and pasta water. Hunter recalls that it took roughly three months after opening to get the dish exactly where they wanted it. “You got to be able to give them the authentic dishes,” Gene says. An Unlikely Partnership That Was Years in the Making Long before Hunter and Gene became partners, Hunter was a customer and admirer of Gene’s restaurants. After Marcello’s was sold, Hunter remembers wondering why his own family had not pursued the opportunity. His uncle, Frankie Harris, apparently had similar thoughts. “One day we’ll go get Gene,” Frankie told him. Years later, Gene walked into 99 Bistro in River Ranch, where Hunter was managing and Gene’s stepdaughter was working as a chef. Hunter knew exactly who had walked through the door. He jokes that he immediately put on his best performance, mixing cocktails, running the restaurant and even heading into the kitchen to cook an entrée. “I think that he saw somebody who cared a lot about what he was doing,” Hunter says. Gene had not planned to return to the restaurant business after selling his restaurants. But the two began spending time together, eating lunch and talking about the industry. Photo of Gene Todaro and Hunter Moody at CuGino – by Brad Kemp of The Acadiana Advocate Hunter realized that beyond their restaurant backgrounds, they shared something more important. “One of the things, our philosophy and culture are the same. We treat people with kindness and respect…. People don’t work for me. They work with me.” Hunter says they refer to the people around them as team members, staff members and coworkers. “We found that we had a lot in common,” Gene says. And CuGino began to take shape. What Does CuGino Mean? Even the restaurant’s name reflects the partnership. “Cugino” is Italian for cousin. But in Sicilian, Hunter explains, the name can also be heard as “cu Gino,” or “with Gino.” In other words, you are dining “with Gene.” Hunter admits he wasn’t immediately sold on the name. “I didn’t like it at first, but I sure love it now.” Once Gene explained the Sicilian play on words, Hunter was convinced. “Because you do want to dine with Gene. We have a blast every day and night.” Creating the CuGino Experience CuGino occupies the former Tchoup’s Steakhouse location on S. College, and Hunter says the building was in excellent condition when they took it over. Rather than fill the walls with the typical décor associated with American Italian restaurants, the partners took inspiration from the simplicity Hunter noticed while traveling in Sicily and Italy. “I noticed that their structures are so beautiful. They’re sort of bare. There’s nothing on the walls.” The resulting restaurant uses Venetian plaster, warm lighting and carefully chosen details rather than covering every wall. Hunter knew they could deliver excellent food and service. When the atmosphere came together as well, the pieces were in place. The wine program is another essential part of the CuGino experience. Gene has spent decades developing his knowledge of wine, but CuGino isn’t designed only for serious collectors or people interested in expensive bottles. Guests can browse the restaurant’s wine selection themselves and find choices across a broad range of prices. “If you only want to spend $40, it’s fine. Go find your $40 bottle of wine,” Gene says. Hunter puts it another way: whether the bottle costs around $30 or hundreds of dollars, “If we don’t think it’s good, it’s not going to be in our restaurant.” As Gene says, “Some people are impressed by price and some people are impressed by taste.” What to Eat at CuGino The menu brings together Sicilian and Italian traditions, Todaro family recipes and the creativity of CuGino’s culinary team. Among the appetizers is fried mozzarella made from a quality wheel of cheese that the kitchen cuts down itself rather than purchasing pre-portioned. “We start from the big wheel, and we cut it down till we get to the little pieces,” Gene explains. “And it’s got a different taste altogether.” Hunter is particularly enthusiastic about the chicken piccata, with its lemon butter caper sauce and shallots.“You can cut the chicken with a fork. It’s juicy. It’s tender.” Guests can choose chicken, veal or eggplant, and Gene is especially proud of CuGino’s veal. “We have probably one of the

  3. Sep 18

    Missy Rogers – Founder and President of Noble Plastics

    Discover Lafayette welcomes Missy Rogers, founder and president of Noble Plastics, an advanced manufacturing company headquartered in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Noble Plastics is a remarkable Acadiana success story. What began in 2000 with one injection molding machine and Missy as the company’s sole employee has grown into a sophisticated manufacturing operation specializing in precision injection molding, engineering and robotic automation. A mechanical engineer by training, Missy built Noble Plastics around a deceptively simple idea: solve difficult problems for customers and be willing to manufacture things others say cannot be done. But as Missy shares in our conversation, Noble’s success has never been about one person.“It’s never been about me, and it’s never been something that can be achieved by an individual. I think the sooner you recognize that, the sooner you empower the capable people around you.” From Engineering to Entrepreneurship Missy grew up on the West Bank of New Orleans and earned her mechanical engineering degree from LSU. Today, she serves in advisory capacities at both LSU and UL Lafayette, and after three decades in the Lafayette area, she considers Acadiana home. Her grandfather, an engineer himself, had a profound influence on her life and leadership philosophy. He taught her to see herself as “a piece of the whole, not the head of the whole,” a lesson she continues to emphasize as Noble develops new managers and leaders. Missy met her husband, Scott Rogers, while both were mechanical engineering students at LSU. She describes herself as the analytical engineer and Scott as the creative, visionary engineer. Their complementary strengths eventually helped launch Noble Plastics. In the late 1990s, both were working in the energy sector when Scott recognized opportunities to use advanced plastics in applications traditionally dominated by steel. The automotive industry was already turning to lightweight materials to reduce weight and cost, and Missy and Scott both saw potential for the same transition in energy and defense. Plastics could offer properties particularly useful in demanding applications: chemical neutrality, electrical insulation, lighter weight and the ability to replace certain metal components. There was skepticism. Missy remembers being told some of their ideas simply couldn’t be done. But that became part of Noble’s niche. “Sometimes it takes a visionary who doesn’t see the limits, like my husband. And then a person like myself who will say, ‘Yeah, I believe in you. I’ll support this. Let’s find a way.’” Building a Company and a Family at the Same Time Noble Plastics’ first home was the rear of a rented building in an industrial park off Ambassador Caffery. Missy had a detailed five-year business plan, but life quickly reminded this self-described planner that not everything fits neatly into a spreadsheet. She and Scott already had two young children when Missy unexpectedly became pregnant with their third. Her attorney and accountant jokingly pointed out that there was nothing on page 17 of her carefully constructed business plan about having a baby in the third quarter. Her son spent much of his first year in a Pack ‘n Play in her office. Missy recalls holding him while a client signed a contract, handing the baby to the client, and then signing the agreement herself. That experience helped define the kind of people Noble wanted to work with: clients who valued relationships, local jobs and a company that understood their industries. What Exactly Does Noble Plastics Make? Noble is not making disposable cups, water-bottle caps or other commodity plastic products. The company occupies a highly specialized precision manufacturing space. In injection molding, solid plastic pellets are heated under pressure until the material flows, injected into a precision mold and then cooled back into a solid form. Depending upon the material, temperatures can reach the 500-, 600- or even 700-degree range. And these are not necessarily ordinary plastics. Noble works with specialty materials containing glass fiber, carbon fiber, nanotubes and other components engineered for strength, durability, heat management and insulating properties. Missy offers a wonderfully understandable description of the highly sophisticated equipment Noble Plastics operates: “They are like giant hot glue guns.” The difference is what comes out of those “hot glue guns.” Noble Plastics manufactures precision components used in energy, defense, solar, sporting goods and other industries, often creating parts the average consumer will never see. “What we make really matters in the programs that they go into,” Missy says. “And there’s a sense of pride for that.” Perhaps no story better illustrates the breadth of Noble’s work than one Missy recalls from about 15 years ago. On the same day, Noble’s smallest machine was producing super-glue extender caps used to attach fake fingernails, while its largest machine was manufacturing components for a TOW missile launcher. “That’s about as wide a spectrum of markets and clients” as you can imagine. Why Plastics Matter to Louisiana Missy also offers a fascinating perspective on an economic opportunity Louisiana has historically left on the table. When Noble was founded, she recalls Louisiana ranking at or near the top nationally in the manufacture of plastic materials because of the state’s enormous petrochemical industry. Louisiana plants produced polyethylene, polypropylene and other materials derived from petroleum and natural gas. Yet much of that material left Louisiana before being converted into finished products. Missy believes manufacturing provides an opportunity to close more of that supply chain loop within Louisiana, particularly as companies increasingly focus on reshoring and domestic production. “I think it’s going to be a beautiful age for Louisiana economic development to recover our manufacturing base.” Noble’s $8.5 Million Expansion in Grand Coteau Noble is now entering another significant chapter. The company announced an $8.5 million expansion of its Grand Coteau headquarters to increase production capacity, including work for solar technology manufacturer First Solar. Noble will manufacture plastic housings that protect electrical components carrying energy from photovoltaic panels into electrical systems. At the time of our interview, Noble employed people numbering in the mid-to-high 60s, with Missy expecting that number to move into the mid-to-high 70s by the end of the year. She believes the company could surpass 100 employees next year. For a founder who once was the only employee, she admits that “100” is a slightly intimidating number. Those jobs aren’t limited to engineers. Noble employs setup technicians, quality technicians, maintenance personnel, production workers, warehouse employees, shipping and receiving staff, along with professionals in sales, accounting and other support roles. Missy is particularly proud of the opportunity Noble provides people who may never have imagined themselves working in advanced manufacturing. “We’re finding people who with very basic education are discovering they have some natural gifts, and we do what we can to further their education, certifications, to increase their earning power for themselves and their families.” How Katrina Led Noble Plastics to Grand Coteau Noble’s arrival in Grand Coteau came through an unexpected turn of events following Hurricane Katrina. The company had ordered a large molding machine that would not fit into its existing Lafayette facility. Missy had signed a performance contract and needed a larger building quickly. Noble made a full-price offer on a Lafayette property that would accommodate the new equipment. Then Katrina struck. Rather than receiving an acceptance, Missy says the real estate agreement was torn up and the property was relisted for five times its previous asking price. With a machine on the way and a contract to fulfill, she began searching desperately for another option. While regularly driving the I-49 corridor to visit her in-laws, she noticed a building along the frontage road in Grand Coteau. It wasn’t for sale. Missy approached the owner anyway, explaining who Noble Plastics was and the type of company she hoped to build: clean, safe manufacturing that could have a positive impact on a small community. The owner shared that vision, and they made a deal. Noble Plastics has been part of the Grand Coteau community ever since. Creating Opportunity Without Artificial Barriers Missy speaks passionately about workforce development and giving people an opportunity to discover talents they may not know they possess. Noble Plastics has a significant number of women in leadership, including in human resources, operations, quality control and production. Missy says the company doesn’t approach manufacturing jobs through assumptions about gender, formal education or previous experience. The trait that matters most is care. “If we get a person who is conscientious about their work, we’re going to find a way for them.” Because Noble Plastics serves customers whose products often have important safety and performance requirements, employees must be meticulous, thorough and proud of the quality of their work. “There’s opportunity for everybody,” Missy says. Robots Don’t Have to Take Human Jobs Robotics has been embedded in Noble’s manufacturing philosophy almost from the beginning. The company’s robots remove parts from molding machines, inspect them and perform repetitive processes with extraordinary consistency. Noble has self-integrated FANUC robotics for more than two decades and has also designed automation systems for other manufacturers for roughly 15 years. Missy challenges the familiar

  4. Sep 11

    Dr. Charles Boustany – Journey to Ukraine to Witness Human Toll of War

    Dr. Charles Boustany, retired cardiovascular surgeon and former six-term member of Congress representing South Louisiana from 2005 to 2017, joins Discover Lafayette to recount an extraordinary and deeply personal journey to Ukraine, where he traveled with his longtime friend and former Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis to witness firsthand the human toll of Russia’s war upon Ukraine. The two former congressmen made the trip at their own expense. They went not as elected officials or representatives of the United States government, but as concerned Americans determined to listen, learn and better understand a conflict that Charles believes has profound implications far beyond Ukraine. Their journey culminated in a terrifying night in Kyiv on May 23, 2026, when Charles found himself sheltering in the basement of his hotel with Ukrainian families as missiles and drones pounded the capital for hours. It was an experience that changed him. A Friendship Forged in Congress Leads to Ukraine Charles and Geoff Davis became close friends while serving together in Congress. Their backgrounds were very different. Charles came to public service after a career as a cardiovascular surgeon. Geoff is a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger who served with the 82nd Airborne Division. Ukraine became particularly personal for Geoff after a West Point classmate, a retired U.S. Army colonel of Ukrainian ancestry, went to Ukraine and volunteered to fight after Russia’s invasion. Although the Ukrainians wanted to commission him as a senior officer because of his experience, he chose to enter the fight as a private. He was killed in combat. Charles had his own longstanding concerns about Russian aggression. While serving in Congress, he watched Russia’s actions in Georgia and the 2014 seizure of Crimea and territory in eastern Ukraine. He had traveled to Georgia as a member of Congress and visited within roughly 30 miles of the front line, seeing the consequences of Russian military action there. Over time, Charles and Geoff became increasingly concerned that Americans were losing sight of what was happening in Ukraine. “We felt like you have to go see what’s going on to really understand what’s going on in the world,” Charles says. “And if you’re a policymaker, it’s really important to do that.” They decided to go themselves. Their objective was first to gather information: to speak not only with government and military officials, but with ordinary Ukrainians living through the war. Their second goal was to return home and share what they had witnessed. The Long Road Into Ukraine Rather than entering through Poland, as many American visitors do, Charles traveled from Louisiana through Atlanta, Amsterdam and Bucharest, Romania. From there, he took a commuter flight toward the Romanian-Ukrainian border, where a humanitarian contact arranged for a van to take the group into Ukraine. The drive to Kyiv took approximately ten and a half hours. That route gave Charles an unexpected view of the country. They traveled through the agricultural heartland of southwestern Ukraine, passing farms and countryside that in some ways reminded Charles of home. The landscape was beautiful and peaceful, until reminders of war suddenly appeared: a bombed truck, a destroyed barn or a damaged home. Even those rural areas bore the scars of the conflict. What struck Charles throughout the trip was how familiar much of Ukraine felt. Gas stations offered snacks much like those in America. Stores and restaurants were open. People went about their lives. He laughed as he recalled that the restrooms they encountered along the journey were among “the cleanest bathrooms I’ve seen anywhere.” “The people are so nice,” he says. That sense of normalcy made the destruction they encountered even more jarring. “These Are People Just Like Us” Charles and Geoff deliberately sought out Ukrainians who could tell them what they had experienced. Some of the stories were almost unbearable. Charles met people who had survived Russian occupation and heard accounts of civilians tortured and killed. He spoke of a woman with a Ph.D. in sociology whose husband serves in the Ukrainian military. During Russia’s initial advance toward Kyiv, she hid with her children for two weeks, surviving on whatever water and food she could find until Ukrainian forces reached them. They visited an Orthodox seminary that had been damaged during the early days of the war. The priest who led the seminary described atrocities so horrific, Charles says, that the experience had nearly shaken his Christian faith. “It brought tears to my eyes to hear these things,” Charles recalls. He also met the mother of a young Ukrainian who had been killed during the early days of the war while serving with the Azov forces defending Mariupol. For Charles, these encounters stripped away the distance created by maps, political arguments and television coverage. “These human stories are powerful,” he says. “These are people just like us.” Air raid sirens are part of everyday life. They happen at night, designed to keep Ukrainians from getting adequate rest. People seek shelter. When the all-clear sounds, they emerge and return to work, school and family life. Charles saw in Ukrainians what he described as a unmistakable look of determination. “It’s the look of a people that have been striving for their independence for years, and they’ve had a taste of it, and they’re not about to let it go.” A student of history, Charles found himself thinking about Londoners enduring the Blitz during World War II and about America’s own struggle for independence against the British Empire. He sees that same resolve in Ukraine. A Surgeon’s View of War Charles’s medical background also shaped what he saw. In Kyiv, he spent considerable time with an American surgeon whose wife is Ukrainian and who has devoted himself to helping both civilians and the Ukrainian military. The surgeon has worked to bring modern trauma techniques and donated hospital equipment into the country and has traveled repeatedly toward the front to assist with casualties. Charles learned about devastating injuries created by modern drone and explosive warfare, including severe head trauma and wounds unlike those traditionally associated with gunfire. He also saw a country rapidly reinventing warfare. Ukraine has developed a sophisticated domestic drone industry. Drones are being used for surveillance and attack, but also for logistics, moving supplies and even evacuating wounded soldiers. Unmanned maritime systems have changed naval warfare as well. “This is 21st century war,” Charles says. “It’s innovative. It’s completely different.” He says American and European military personnel are studying Ukraine closely because the battlefield is teaching lessons that will shape warfare for decades. The Warning: “Tonight, It’s Going to Be a Very Bad Night in Kyiv” Nothing, however, prepared Charles for his final night in the Ukrainian capital. Earlier that day, Charles and Geoff had received an approximately two-hour intelligence briefing about Russian tactics, Ukrainian strategy and how the conflict might unfold. “I wish every member of Congress could get the briefing,” Charles says. As they left, Geoff received a call from a senior Ukrainian special forces officer who wanted to meet with them that evening. They met at a hotel at 9 p.m. Before beginning the discussion, the officer issued a warning. “Gentlemen, before we get started on what I want to talk about, I just want to warn you that tonight it’s going to be a very bad night in Kyiv.” A massive missile and drone attack was expected. They were told to take precautions and find somewhere safe. Back at their small hotel near Kyiv’s central square, Charles and Geoff inspected the basement. Geoff’s military instincts told him it might not be particularly safe. Exposed pipes, electrical lines and other hazards could leave anyone sheltering there trapped if the building took a direct hit. Charles returned to his room. Knowing he was supposed to leave Ukraine the next day, he packed his belongings and placed his passport, wallet and room key together so that he could grab them quickly. Then he got into bed. He couldn’t sleep. At approximately 12:50 a.m., the explosions began. At first Charles remained in his room listening. The blasts grew progressively closer. After about an hour, there was a short lull. Then the attack intensified. “The building was shaking,” Charles recalls. He could hear breaking glass and explosions nearby. He finally went downstairs. The hotel manager grabbed him by the arm and directed him toward the basement. There, Charles encountered a scene he will never forget. An American in a Basement With Ukrainian Families Ukrainian families were sheltering below the hotel. Most spoke no English. One family particularly stayed with Charles: a grandmother, two young parents and their seven-year-old son. The little boy was frightened. His father tried to distract him by showing him soccer videos while his mother comforted him. Charles could not speak to them. But they knew he was American. “They kept looking at me,” he remembers. “I wish I could have communicated with them.” So Charles did the one thing he could. He put his hand over his heart. “I have to hope it gave them some confidence that an American cared enough to be there with them during that hellacious night.” The bombardment continued from approximately 1 a.m. until 7:30 that morning. When daylight finally came, Charles looked outside and saw smoke and fires across Kyiv. A large hotel only a few blocks away had been badly damaged.  He was relieved simply to be alive. What Charles Believes America Should Understand Charles returned from Ukraine convinced that the conflict c

  5. Sep 4

    Alyson Habetz – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Coach

    Alyson Habetz: Coming Home to Lead Louisiana Softball with Faith, Purpose and Heart Alyson Habetz, head coach of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball, joins Discover Lafayette to share the remarkable journey that brought her from the baseball fields of Crowley to collegiate and professional competition, a 25-year coaching career at the University of Alabama, and ultimately back home to lead the program where her softball story began. We were honored to have legendary coach Yvette Girouard join us for this conversation. Girouard founded the Ragin’ Cajuns softball program and coached Alyson during her years as a student-athlete at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Their affection for one another, their competitive spirit, and their deep love for Louisiana softball shone throughout the interview. A Childhood Built Around Baseball Alyson grew up in Crowley as the youngest of eight children. With four older brothers who played baseball and a father who coached the sport, the ballpark felt like home from her earliest years. “It was the sport in the house. I just fell in love with it at a very early age.” She began playing T-ball at age seven as the only girl on an otherwise all-boys team. Because she had grown up playing alongside the same boys, Alyson recalls that her teammates accepted her based on the things that mattered to them: “Can she hit? Can she throw? All right, let’s go.” At age ten, Alyson met Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda at Blackham Coliseum. She asked him to autograph her glove, and despite members of the media pressing him to move along, Lasorda stayed, signed the glove, spoke with her, and gave her his business card. Alyson wrote to him, and he answered every letter. The two became lifelong friends, with Lasorda signing his letters, “Love, your adopted uncle Tom Lasorda.” He also saw something in Alyson that she did not yet see in herself. “He told me a long time ago I was going to be a coach,” she recalls. “I’m like, no, I’m going to law school. I’ll be an attorney.” Fighting for the Right to Play When Alyson entered Notre Dame High School in Crowley, the school did not have a softball team. She expected to continue playing baseball with the boys she had competed alongside for years, but she was told Louisiana rules did not permit girls to play on boys’ teams. Her coach and principal sought an exception, but the request was denied. On the ride home from Baton Rouge, Alyson’s father told her the family would support her if she wanted to challenge the rule in court. She agreed, beginning a legal battle that lasted roughly two years. The original ruling went against her, but her attorneys appealed. Alyson was sitting in class near the end of her sophomore year when her coach received the news: “Aly, by the way, they changed the rule. You can play.” Alyson went on to play baseball during her junior and senior years, becoming the first female in Louisiana to play high school baseball and earning all-district honors as a pitcher and first baseman. She was also an all-state basketball player and the salutatorian of Notre Dame’s 1990 graduating class. Discovering Softball at USL Alyson came to USL on a basketball scholarship and eventually became a member of the 1,000-point club. One day, while walking across campus, she noticed what looked to her like “this miniature baseball field” and learned that walk-on tryouts were being held for fast-pitch softball. With her basketball coach’s permission, she showed up and met head coach Yvette Girouard and assistant coach Patrick Murphy. Alyson told them she played first base, then positioned herself behind the bag as she would have in baseball. Girouard quickly corrected her: “This isn’t baseball, girl. You’ve got to play way up here for the slappers.” The larger ball, underhand delivery, different release point, and defensive positioning required an adjustment. Still, Girouard immediately recognized Alyson’s ability. “She was a natural,” Girouard says. “We knew she was making the team.” Alyson competed in both basketball and softball, at times traveling extraordinary distances to meet the obligations of both teams. She also excelled academically, earning Academic All-America recognition while majoring in communications. Her softball career included third-team All-America honors and a place on the 1993 team that made the program’s first appearance in the Women’s College World Series. Alyson vividly remembers walking onto the field in Oklahoma City and seeing a sea of Ragin’ Cajuns fans. “There are no fans like the Ragin’ Cajun fans.” As other teams were eliminated, many of their supporters became Cajun fans, drawn to the warmth of the Louisiana contingent, the food shared in the parking lot, and the Mardi Gras beads handed out by supporters. Girouard remembers that first World Series appearance just as clearly: “Till the day I die, even if I have Alzheimer’s, I think I will remember that.” For Alyson, reaching the World Series also meant helping Girouard realize the dream she had built from the ground up. “You just wanted it for her because she was a Louisiana girl. She’s a Cajun and she built the program.” Professional Baseball and 25 Years at Alabama After college, Alyson returned to baseball. She pitched for the Colorado Silver Bullets, an all-women’s professional baseball team managed by Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. Alyson spent three years with the Silver Bullets, barnstorming across the country and playing in major league parks, before joining the Long Beach Aces as a pitcher and first baseman, for which Tommy Lasorda helped open the door for her tryout. When Patrick Murphy became head coach at the University of Alabama, he called Alyson and asked her to help build the young softball program. She planned to stay only a couple of years before returning home for law school. Instead, she remained for 25 years. “I never thought coaching would fill me so much. They’re away from home for the first time, you’re just a part of their journey. And I love the game. Having an impact on college athletes, it was special.” Alabama had no softball stadium when Alyson arrived. The team played at a city park, set up portable outfield fences, and even sprayed ant piles before games. Alyson and Murphy helped build the program into a national power. Their Alabama teams won six SEC regular-season titles, five SEC Tournament championships, advanced to 14 Women’s College World Series, and captured the 2012 national championship, the first in SEC history. The Call to Come Home Alyson stepped away from coaching after the 2023 season following her father’s death. Her parents had been married for 65 years, and she felt called to return home and care for her mother. Although leaving Alabama was difficult, she found purpose in spending that time with her mom. When the Louisiana head coaching position opened in 2024 with the departure of Coach Gerry Glasco, her phone starting ringing. Alyson’s answer was repeatedl ‘no.’ She had retired for a reason, and she had never aspired to become a head coach. While driving across the Atchafalaya Basin one day, however, she began to wonder whether the job might actually be good for her mother, giving her games to attend and something joyful to anticipate. Still anxious about the decision, Alyson drove directly to the Adoration Chapel at St. Michael’s in Crowley to pray. She ultimately felt that God was making the answer unmistakable. “I realized that faith is whenever you go out into the deep, into the scary stuff that you don’t really think you can do, that you really trust Him.” Once she accepted, the anxiety gave way to peace. Louisiana officially named Alyson the fifth head coach in program history on June 25, 2024. Her return also created a beautiful gift for her family. The University opened a viewing panel in a suite at Lamson Park so Alyson’s mother could sit in her recliner and watch her daughter coach. Building a Team with Equal Value and Equal Love Alyson is fiercely competitive and deeply aware of the standard established by Coach Girouard and sustained by generations of Cajun players and fans. Yet she does not want winning to come at the expense of the people entrusted to her. “I didn’t want being a head coach to change me.” Her players are her “why.” She wants each young woman to leave the program as a better version of herself, whether she becomes an All-American or serves the team in other ways. With only nine athletes on the field, every team has more players waiting than playing. Alyson calls the willingness of those role players to put the team first a “death to self.” Their energy, observation, encouragement, and ability to help from the dugout can determine whether a team wins. “I will love and value and appreciate you, whether you’re the pinch runner or you’re the four-time All-American. It’s equal value, equal love.” She begins with each player’s fingerprint, a reminder that no one else who has ever lived has precisely the same one. If God is that intentional about a fingerprint, Alyson tells them, He is equally intentional about their gifts, talents, and opportunities. “If you’re not here, guess what? The world misses out on a purpose and a greatness that only you can have.” That belief also helps young women resist the destructive comparison encouraged by social media. “Compare leads to despair,” Alyson says. When players become secure in their own gifts, they can experience genuine joy in a teammate’s success. “That’s when the magic happens.” Character is also central to recruiting. “If I make a mistake on a kid, I always want it to be on talent and not character,” Alyson says. She looks for versatile athletes, strong pitching, speed that c

  6. Aug 27

    Leonard Louvierre – Zea Rotisserie & Bar

    For nearly 25 years, Leonard Louviere has been one of the most familiar faces in Lafayette’s restaurant community, serving as general manager and an investor in Zea Rotisserie & Bar. But Leonard’s story in hospitality began long before Zea opened its doors in Lafayette. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, Leonard joins Jan Swift to share his journey from working in restaurants, bars and hotels while attending USL, to spending 15 years overseeing food and beverage operations at the Cajundome, and ultimately taking a leap of faith that would shape the next chapter of his life. This is a special edition of Discover Lafayette in partnership with Lafayette Travel and Eat Lafayette. We thank them for their support! “I ended up loving working in restaurants,” Leonard recalled of his college years. “The people I worked with, we worked hard. We were paying our way through everything, including school, and it was always in me to do that.” From the Cajundome to Zea After graduating from USL, Leonard briefly went into construction, building a few spec houses, but he knew food and beverage was where he belonged. The newly built Cajundome offered that opportunity. Leonard initially applied for an assistant food and beverage position and was invited to work one night as something of an audition. Several people were being considered. By the end of the week, management told him, “Nobody worked like you. We want you to come and do this.” That one-night opportunity turned into a 15-year career at the Cajundome, where Leonard eventually became food and beverage director. His next chapter began at a restaurant industry show in Chicago, where Bryan McLain, owner of Louisiana Market, introduced Leonard to the men behind the Taste Buds: Gary Darling, Greg Reggio and Hans Limburg. The longtime friends and business partners had created Semolina and were developing a newer concept, Zea. McLain had a Lafayette building. The Taste Buds had the restaurant concept. Leonard had deep roots in Lafayette, restaurant experience, and the desire to invest and work. Within about a week, they decided to make it happen. Leonard didn’t just take a management position. He invested his life savings in the Lafayette restaurant. “I was scared,” he admits. But nearly 25 years later, that leap of faith has more than paid off. The “Magic” of the Zea Menu So how does Leonard describe Zea’s food? It isn’t easily placed into one category. The menu reflects influences from around the world, but Leonard says there are Southern flavors and seasonings woven throughout, whether it’s the Thai ribs, Asian almond shrimp or corn grits. And four dishes stand above the rest. “The magic. It’s Thai ribs, corn grits, Asian almond shrimp, spinach salad.” “We can’t make recipes that incredible again,” Leonard says. “We’ll never lose those four.” Consistency is critical to Zea’s success. Recipes are followed precisely, from the ingredients and proportions in the spinach salad to the preparation of every entrée. Kitchen employees are trained to meet exact specifications because a guest should receive the same dish each time they visit. Interestingly, Leonard readily admits that he doesn’t cook. What he does know how to do is hire people who are better than he is at what they do. He points to longtime kitchen manager Heath Lemoine, who has been with him for 24 years, and a management team whose members have worked together for more than two decades. “I hire people better than me,” Leonard says. “It is the reason I have succeeded.” Building a Culture Where People Stay Long-term employees can be unusual in the restaurant industry, but at Zea Lafayette, Leonard’s management team has remained remarkably stable. “We truly do love each other, without a doubt,” he says. That doesn’t mean a busy restaurant isn’t intense. It is. But Leonard draws a clear distinction between the urgency surrounding food and service and the way employees treat one another. Respect remains paramount. When hiring, Leonard says character and personality often matter more than experience. “You have to be a nice person. You have to want to deal with the public.” Employees need a sense of urgency, an understanding of teamwork, and a genuine desire to serve others. When something goes wrong with a guest, Leonard doesn’t want employees explaining or making excuses. He wants them asking a simple question: “How can I fix this?” Leonard believes everyone would benefit from working as a restaurant server for six months. Why? Because serving teaches you how demanding it can be to work with the public, how to put someone else’s needs first, and what hospitality really means. “I’m a servant. I invested my life savings, I’ve done well, but that’s all I am. I serve people. That’s it.” A Long-Awaited Transformation For nearly a decade, Leonard pushed his partners to make a major investment in the Lafayette Zea. He wanted a larger, more functional bar and a restaurant that felt fresh, comfortable and exciting. Eventually, his partners agreed, and architect Kirby Pécot helped create the dramatic renovation and expansion that guests see today. The bar was moved to the front and greatly expanded, additional seating and private dining areas were created, and acoustic panels were installed to reduce noise and make conversation easier. Leonard says the multimillion-dollar investment has delivered exactly what he believed it would: sales have increased by approximately 25 percent since the expansion. The Lafayette restaurant now employs about 150 people, up from approximately 95 before the expansion, and receives roughly 70 employment applications each week. The expansion also gives Zea more flexibility for gatherings and private events. Leonard says the restaurant has spaces capable of accommodating everything from small groups of 12 to larger events of 50 or 60 people. Creating Good Employees What is the most difficult part of running a restaurant today? Leonard didn’t say finding employees. He said, “Helping employees develop self-esteem.” His goal is to help people become proud of their work, recognize their own value and learn to do the right thing even when no one is watching. “Our one and only job is to create self-esteem for our employees.” Leonard uses a simple example in employee orientation. If he walks through the parking lot at midnight and sees trash, he picks it up because it will still be there tomorrow if he doesn’t. “Do the right thing even when no one is looking,” he tells his team. He encourages employees to learn additional positions, work harder and become more valuable so they can advance to shift leader, part-time manager and beyond. It is a philosophy that turns the conventional restaurant-industry complaint about finding good employees on its head. Leonard is focused on creating good employees by giving them an environment in which they can grow. Hospitality Extends Beyond the Restaurant Leonard’s commitment to serving others doesn’t end when he leaves Zea. For approximately 24 years, he has supported Hospice of Acadiana, including hosting a Good Friday crawfish boil at his home that most recently drew about 225 people and raised approximately $8,000 for Hospice. He also volunteers each Tuesday in Hospice of Acadiana’s Food with Love kitchen, working alongside Kent Zeringue and other volunteers to prepare approximately 750 meals for hospice patients. Delivery volunteers then bring those meals directly to patients. “I like to gather people together and do things,” Leonard says. That is true in his personal life as well. He loves entertaining at his home, eating out at local restaurants, listening to live music, dancing and especially zydeco. “I love a good zydeco band and I love a place to go and dance, without a doubt.” His love for gathering people together may be the thread connecting everything Leonard Louviere does, from his backyard to his volunteer work to a bustling dining room at Zea. “You Have to Love Every Aspect of It” For anyone dreaming of opening a restaurant, Leonard offers a dose of reality. Loving to cook isn’t enough. “You have to love every aspect of it,” he says. That means schedules, employees, long nights, teamwork, criticism, financial pressures and the intense first months of a new restaurant. Adequate capital is essential, as is experience actually working in hospitality. Most importantly, Leonard says, you need a team. “You have to hire people better than you that can do a lot of things because you can’t do it all.” After decades in the hospitality business, Leonard Louvierre still works nights and weekends, still eats Zea’s food, still walks the dining room checking on guests, and still sees himself first and foremost as someone there to serve. (Photo by Robin May.) And perhaps that explains why Zea has become more than simply a successful Lafayette restaurant. Under Leonard’s leadership, it has become a gathering place where generations of Acadiana families return, employees build careers, and hospitality is rooted in something remarkably simple: “Be kind. Treat people with respect. Do the right thing when no one is looking. And take care of the people who walk through your door.” For more information and to order their delicious food, visit https://zearestaurants.com/location/lafayette/.

  7. Aug 20

    Dr. Thomas Sammons – Dental Artistry

    Dr. Thomas Sammons – Bringing Technology, Compassion and a Preventive Approach to Dentistry Dr. Thomas “Tom” Sammons of Dental Artistry joins Discover Lafayette to discuss his path into dentistry, his commitment to continuing education and advanced technology, and his philosophy that good dental care is about far more than simply fixing teeth. A Youngsville native and UL Lafayette graduate, Dr. Sammons grew up in Acadiana after his family moved here in 1995. His father, Tom Sammons, taught architecture at UL Lafayette, and education was strongly emphasized in the Sammons household. Dr. Sammons graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UL Lafayette before earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery from LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans. His connection to UL Lafayette runs deep. As a student, Dr. Sammons was active in the pre-professional society, student government and honor society, and participated in Up ’til Dawn, which supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He says UL is where he truly found his community in Lafayette. Today, that sense of community remains important. Dr. Sammons and his wife, Abby, both grew up here and even attended the same church, where Abby’s father once taught him in Sunday school. Their parents live nearby, and Dr. Sammons and Abby are raising two energetic young sons, Gabriel and Everett. “I love being with them. I love being with my family.” A Childhood Spent in the Dental Chair Led to a Career Dr. Sammon’s decision to become a dentist was shaped in part by his own difficult dental history. His permanent teeth erupted with enamel hypoplasia, leaving them soft and yellow and requiring extensive dental work. He also admits he did not take particularly good care of his teeth as a teenager. Fortunately, he had dentists he genuinely liked, Drs. Thomas and Harmon in Youngsville. “I actually loved my dentist. I didn’t like being in the dental chair, but I liked him,” Tom recalled. For years, Tom thought he would become an engineer. Then he attended orientation at UL Lafayette, toured the engineering program and abruptly announced to his parents that he was going to become a dentist. The more he learned about dentistry, the more certain he became that he had found the right profession. That personal history also helps explain the empathy Dr. Sammons brings to patients who fear dental treatment. He discovered early in his career that many people had experienced frightening or painful dental care as children. For some patients, he says, simply opening the front door of a dental office can feel like “a very heavy weight.” When Dr. Sammons joined the practice of longtime Lafayette dentist Dr. Ann Laurent, he found a mentor whose philosophy closely matched his own. Dr. Laurent had built a practice around caring for patients with dental anxiety and treating their fears with empathy. “It’s not the most fun place to be. I understand that,” Dr. Sammons said of the dental chair. “It doesn’t have to be the worst place to be. We can make it comfortable. We can make it fun.” That philosophy is reflected throughout Lafayette Dental Artistry. Patients who need additional help with anxiety can receive nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, at no additional charge. The practice also offers oral sedation and, when appropriate, IV sedation administered with a nurse anesthetist. Your Mouth Is Connected to the Rest of Your Body One of Dr. Sammon’s strongest messages is that oral health should never be viewed in isolation. “The mouth is also connected to the whole body. It is systemic health. It is not just oral health.” Dr. Sammons and his team spend considerable time educating patients about brushing, flossing, diet and the habits that contribute to dental disease. Chronic infection and inflammation in the mouth can have consequences beyond the teeth and gums, and periodontal disease can progress without causing significant pain. One of the biggest misconceptions Dr. Sammons sees today involves sugar-free beverages. Eliminating sugar does not necessarily make a drink tooth-friendly because acidity can damage enamel. “Acid is worse,” he explained. Energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee and other acidic beverages can create an environment that promotes enamel erosion and decay. Dr. Sammons explained that when bacteria consume sugar, they produce acid, but drinking an already acidic beverage exposes teeth directly to that damaging environment. He sees the consequences particularly among younger patients. Someone can leave high school with few or no cavities, head to college, develop a habit of consuming energy drinks throughout the day, and return with significant decay. The problem is compounded when a person sips the beverage over several hours. After each exposure, saliva needs time to buffer the acidic environment. Dr. Sammons’ advice includes limiting acidic drinks, drinking water and, for some patients, using an alkaline mouth rinse. He also discussed products containing xylitol as another tool for fighting cavity-causing bacteria. Lafayette Dental Artistry provides comprehensive care ranging from preventive dentistry to full-mouth rehabilitation, cosmetic dentistry, crowns, veneers, bonding, implants, bridges and clear aligner therapy. Dr. Sammons particularly enjoys cosmetic dentistry and clear aligners. In some complex cases, moving the teeth into a better position before restorative work can dramatically reduce the number of crowns or veneers a patient needs. “The less I do is more in a lot of ways. The best dentistry is no dentistry. The second best dentistry is preventative dentistry.” His goal is to perform dentistry today that prevents larger problems tomorrow. That philosophy becomes especially meaningful when patients arrive after years of avoiding dental care because of fear, embarrassment, finances or difficult life circumstances. Dr. Sammons has watched patients regain not only their oral health but their confidence. After restoring a person’s smile, he may see them six months later having made other changes: exercising, losing weight, quitting smoking or simply taking better care of themselves. “It changes their whole life. It changes their whole trajectory.” Dentistry’s Role in Sleep Health Dentists are playing a growing role in recognizing potential sleep disorders. Because dentists routinely examine the mouth, jaw and airway, they may see signs that suggest a patient should be evaluated for sleep apnea. Lafayette Dental Artistry has equipment patients can take home for a sleep study, although Dr. Sammons emphasized that a medical doctor reads the study and makes the diagnosis. For appropriate patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea, a dental appliance may help keep the airway open by positioning the jaw forward. More severe cases generally require CPAP therapy. Implantable airway-stimulation devices are an option for some patients who cannot tolerate either CPAP or a dental appliance; those devices are placed by specialists. Dr. Sammons also uses Botox primarily as a therapeutic treatment for patients suffering from TMD, often called TMJ, including people who clench their jaws and develop muscle pain and headaches. While he occasionally uses Botox cosmetically, his primary interest is relieving pain and muscle tension. More Than 100 Hours a Year of Continuing Education Louisiana dentists are required to complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years. Dr. Sammons regularly pursues more than 100 hours annually. Why? “I’m just a huge nerd. I love it. I love to learn.” That appetite for learning has helped him incorporate rapidly changing technology into his practice, including digital scanning, same-day crowns, 3D printing and digitally created surgical guides for implant procedures. Approximately 99 % of the impressions in his practice are now digital. A tooth can be scanned, the crown designed virtually, milled in the office and placed in the patient’s mouth the same day. For anxious patients, avoiding a temporary crown, a second appointment and another injection can make an enormous difference. Artificial intelligence is also becoming part of the practice. Dr. Sammons uses AI with digital X-rays to help identify possible cavities, bone loss and calculus. He views it as an additional set of eyes rather than a replacement for professional judgment. The technology is also a powerful educational tool. Instead of asking patients to decipher shades of gray on an X-ray, the software can highlight areas of concern, making it easier for patients to understand what the team members of Dental Artistry are seeing. “It’s kind of like a second set of eyes,” he explained, noting that the technology can occasionally flag a tiny area that deserves a closer look. Lafayette Dental Artistry Is Growing Lafayette Dental Artistry is preparing for a major renovation and expansion of its longtime office. Dr. Sammons discussed the reality that modern digital dentistry requires different spaces for equipment, laboratories and treatment areas than were needed when the original office was built. During construction, the practice will temporarily relocate about five minutes away while the existing office is rebuilt. The temporary move is expected to last approximately nine months. The goal is to create a more modern environment while preserving what patients already value about the practice: comfort, relaxation and personal attention. And Dr. Ann Laurent remains very much a part of the practice. “She’s been an amazing mentor to me, both as a clinician and also just as a leader.” Dr. Laurent continues to see patients while enjoying a little more time to travel. Dentist, Business Owner, Husband and Dad Running a dental practice also means running a small business, something Dr. Sammons jokes can be difficult “when you got your fingers i

  8. Aug 14

    Justin Centanni – Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor

    Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor Justin Centanni joins Discover Lafayette to explain the duties of his office, how property values are determined, and what property owners need to know about the upcoming 15-day assessment review period. Justin is Lafayette Parish’s 26th Tax Assessor, but his professional path to the office was anything but traditional. With a background in technology and data management, he previously worked in Washington, D.C., for the Department of Defense, helping develop software behind the military’s smart identification cards. He later worked at IberiaBank, where he managed a team responsible for backend data integration, including platforms used to detect fraud and illicit banking activity in real time. Before becoming assessor, Justin served nine years as the District 6 representative on the Lafayette Parish School Board. Justin says public service was never something he envisioned for himself. He moved to Lafayette at 18 to attend USL and ultimately found that serving the community gave him an unexpected sense of purpose. “What I learned about myself and public service is that I do take a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction from helping solve problems, helping make decisions. I care a tremendous amount about Lafayette.” What Does the Tax Assessor Actually Do? One of the biggest misconceptions about the assessor’s office is that it collects property taxes. It does not. The assessor’s responsibility is to identify and value all property in Lafayette Parish. That seemingly simple mission involves an enormous amount of information. The office begins each year with the previous year’s tax roll and continually updates it with information from municipalities, the Clerk of Court and other sources. Building permits reveal new construction and renovations. Conveyance records identify properties that have been sold or transferred. Appraisers visit properties where construction has been completed and determine when values need to be updated. And Lafayette gives them plenty to keep up with. Justin says approximately 15,000 properties transfer each year, including residential and commercial property, and more than 1,000 new buildings were constructed in the parish during the past year. Lafayette Parish currently has an approximately $3.3 billion assessed-value tax roll, representing a little more than $30 billion in market value. As Justin put it, those numbers tell an encouraging story about Lafayette’s economy. He jokingly offered one particularly visible example: “We’re building an $80 million gas station at Louisiana Avenue,” referring, of course, to Buc-ee’s. How Your Property Value Is Determined For homeowners who have not substantially changed their property, assessments generally move according to what comparable homes in the neighborhood are selling for. The assessor’s office examines neighborhood sales and establishes a price per square foot. Larger homes will therefore have a higher value than smaller homes, but comparable properties within the neighborhood are valued using a consistent methodology. Parishwide reassessments occur every four years. The last reassessment was in 2024, and the next will take place in 2028. Of course, Justin understands the eternal property owner’s dilemma: everybody wants a high appraisal when they are selling or refinancing their home and a low valuation when the property tax bill arrives. “Don’t we all,” he laughed. “I’m no different.” August 17 Through 31, 2026: Assessment Review Period An important focus of our conversation was Lafayette Parish’s 2026 Assessment Review Period, August 17 through August 31. Property owners whose assessments increased by 15 percent or more should have received notice from the assessor’s office. But the review period is also an important opportunity for anyone who believes the assessor’s office has incorrect information about their property. Justin explained that the most common type of error might be something as straightforward as incorrect square footage. If the assessor’s records show a 6,000-square-foot home when the home is actually 4,000 square feet, that error can significantly affect the tax bill. “If we have the square footage of your house incorrect…you should come in and you should tell us,” Justin said. The assessor’s office can measure the property, correct its records and adjust the valuation accordingly. This first step is important. A taxpayer who wants to challenge an assessment must first meet with the assessor’s office. The taxpayer and assessor attempt to reach agreement on the property’s proper assessed value. Evidence matters, and simply disagreeing with the valuation does not guarantee that it will be changed. If an agreement cannot be reached, the taxpayer can proceed to the next level of appeal before the Lafayette Parish Council, sitting as the Board of Review. But to preserve that right, Justin explained that the taxpayer must first have an in-person meeting with the assessor’s office during the review period. Appointments can be made through the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s website, https://lafayetteassessor.com/, and taxpayers can request the appropriate specialist depending upon whether their issue involves an appraisal, personal property, a property transfer or another matter. They may be contacted by phone at (337) 291-7080. Senior Freezes, Veterans and Homestead Exemptions The assessor’s office interacts frequently with senior citizens, veterans, real estate professionals and families dealing with inherited property. Justin explained that qualifying homeowners over age 65 may obtain a special assessment level, commonly called the “senior freeze.” For 2026, he said the income threshold is less than $102,000 in adjusted gross income. An important distinction: the senior freeze freezes the property’s assessed value, not the amount of taxes owed. Millage rates can still affect the ultimate tax bill. Justin also explained that once a taxpayer qualifies, the income qualification does not have to be revalidated annually. Veterans may also qualify for special property tax exemptions, and the office regularly assists families after the death of a property owner. Justin shared that the office monitors obituaries and other data sources so ownership and homestead exemption records can be kept current. He also spoke candidly about the sensitivity required when contacting families shortly after a death. “We’re trying to interpret the law in the most compassionate way possible,” he said, while acknowledging that the office still has a legal duty to maintain accurate records. A Warning for Estate Planning Attorneys: Trusts and Homestead Exemptions Our conversation also ventured into an issue especially important for Louisiana attorneys and their clients: transferring a primary residence into a trust. Justin explained that a trust must be structured properly if the homeowner intends to retain the homestead exemption. Losing that exemption can have a cascading effect because special assessment levels, including a senior freeze, depend upon the existence of the homestead exemption. If a longtime homeowner inadvertently loses both the homestead exemption and senior freeze, the consequences can be substantial. Justin gave the example of a home whose value had been frozen since the 1990s suddenly having to be reassessed at its 2026 value. His office would much rather catch the problem before that happens. “We try to catch them and say, ‘Go back and redo this so that we don’t have to do this to your client, because I don’t think that’s what the client was looking to do.’” Justin encourages attorneys who have questions about how estate planning transactions may affect property tax exemptions to contact the assessor’s office. The Mystery of Properties Nobody Can Find One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation involved something Justin never expected to encounter as assessor: properties on the tax roll that his office cannot definitively locate. Some parcels date back more than a century, when property descriptions might reference a road, a neighboring landowner or hand-drawn boundaries rather than today’s precise legal descriptions. Justin described one document dating to 1905 that identified surrounding tracts essentially by references to other family members’ property, with no modern landmarks to pinpoint its location. Nevertheless, the property made it onto the tax roll, and someone continued paying the taxes for generations. “I never in a million years thought there would be property we didn’t know where it was,” Justin said. The problem becomes especially complicated when property has passed through generations without a succession and may now have a multitude of co-owners. Some rural timberland parcels generate only a tiny annual tax bill, so one family member may simply continue paying it year after year. Bringing the Assessor’s Office to the Public Justin is also looking for ways to make his office more accessible. The assessor’s office is located at 213 West Vermilion Street in downtown Lafayette, in the former Capital One/Hub City Bank building. But Justin heard repeatedly from residents outside the city that driving downtown, finding parking and visiting the office could be inconvenient. That led to the creation of Parish Pop-Ups, where assessor’s office employees spend time in municipalities around Lafayette Parish helping residents with assessments, senior freezes and other property matters. One woman arrived at a recent pop-up before the staff had even officially begun for the day. She had been putting off applying for her senior freeze for years simply because she didn’t want to make the trip downtown. She arrived with her paperwork ready and was able to take care of it. For Justin, that is exactly the point. “We are really

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    Jan Swift
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Discover Lafayette©
  • Show Website
    Discover Lafayette

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