It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch ItsAcadiana.com

Why sell a product when you can sell an adventure?
Experiences are a hot commodity in today’s marketplace. They make memories. The kids love them. And they come in packages that don’t need a warehouse. And when you sell an experience, you’re usually selling expertise. 
Let’s say you want to go scuba diving. It’s not as simple as throwing on an oxygen mask and riding a dolphin. You need training, equipment and certifications. It’s an ordeal, but for adrenaline junkies and lovers of marine life — it’s totally worth it.
Greg Hidalgo got hooked on scuba at the age of 15. He worked his way through college teaching scuba classes and was recruited to teach diving at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Instead, Greg opened Divers Destination in 1986. Space would have to wait.
Divers Destination teaches scuba classes and sells all the stuff you need to go diving. Their clients range from hobbyists to commercial divers and law enforcement. They also arrange international diving trips. A big attraction is a marine biology camp based in Rotan, Honduras, where young divers learn about fish, coral and dolphins. And Divers Destination also offers year round swim lessons in a heated, indoor pool. 
We live in a globalized economy, in case you haven’t heard. That means travel isn’t just a matter of leisure for big companies — it’s a necessity. And if you’re dealing with executives or large groups, booking trips isn’t as simple as an internet search.
Travel agencies still have a lot to offer corporate travel. Steven Landry served as regional head of business development for Wings Global Travel from 2019 to 2024. Wings is itself an international firm, founded in Johannesburg, South Africa. 
Wings helps companies put together comprehensive travel packages that move their clientele from door to door, managing every stop on the trip. Spread across time zones, Wings’ operates around the clock, meaning they can respond to client emergencies and stay on top of changes in itineraries. Their clientele ranges from companies that spend millions on travel and logistics to small businesses with modest travel budgets. 
Steven grew up in Lafayette and is also the founder and managing artistic director of the Acadiana Repertory Theater.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Lea Urdiales at itsacadiana.com. 
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We tend to think of entrepreneurs as people with an obsessive vision. They have an idea that will change the world or at least make them lots of money. They take it to the workshop and hack away for days, hours, years until they bring their genius to market and find success. 
Sometimes, a business idea just sort of happens. Maybe it’s a stroke of luck. And that could be a stroke of bad luck. Savvy entrepreneurs can make whatever hand their dealt — work. 
Ari Dolegowski found his calling after he got hurt. He had been a phys ed teacher in New York and played in an adult soccer league. A physical therapist was on his team, so he asked for help. What he got was a new career.
Ari became interested in the combination of eastern medicine and physical therapy practiced by his teammate. So he set out to do that himself. He set up shop in Lafayette in 2020 after he and his wife relocated to be closer to her family during the pandemic. That shop is called Ari D Therapy & Training. He practices massage therapy, prenatal massage, cupping and more. The idea is to combine Eastern and Western practices to help clients manage pain and injuries holistically. 
Ari books session at his studio and makes house calls. Ari grew up in Colorado and spent time as a professional soccer players in leagues in Israel, Chile and the U.S. 
Disasters are a fact of life in Louisiana. It’s not so much luck as it is a changing climate. Dealing with the aftermath is a real pain. Especially when you get walloped by back to back hurricanes. 
Imagine spending a month without power and then having to wrangle someone to fix your roof. And once that’s done, you’ve got to haggle with your insurance company to pay for it. Well, there could be another way. You could call Colorwheel. A disaster recovery company founded by Beau Killingsworth. 
Colorwheel is essentially a construction company with a twist. They don’t just help you fix your roof, they help you with the insurance claims process, too. 
Beau grew up in Lake Charles and had been through enough floods and hurricanes to know how much of a headache that was. He started colorwheel after working as an attorney in Lafayette and getting more familiar with the insurance claims process. He started the company in 2023. Beau is still a practicing attorney and contractor. He’s also a podcaster. He hosts a show called One Big Headgame.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lafayette’s restaurant scene is famously difficult. There are more restaurants per person in the Hub City than there are in New Orleans, Austin and even New York City. Plus, you’re not just competing with the restaurant down the block. This is a place where everyone cooks. People set the standard in their own kitchens. 
So what do you do if you move to Louisiana from a culinary capital like New York? How do you get ahead? Well, to start, you don’t open a Cajun restaurant.
Peter Cooke made that decision early on, when he opened Park Bistro, a fine dining concept grounded in Italian cuisine that’s tucked into Lafyette’s Saint Streets neighborhood. 
Peter cut his teeth in high end cuisine in New York. At 25, he became the executive chef at Krupa Grocery near Prospect Park in Brooklyn and earned the restaurant a Michelin Star recommendation. He guided the restaurant through the pandemic and burned out. Plus, he married a girl from Louisiana. So he and his family relocated to Lafayette in 2022. Within a few months, he opened a restaurant and called it Park Bistro — a nod to his old New York neighborhood. 
Chances are, if you’re making a sandwich in Acadiana, you’re using Evangeline Maid bread. It’s a childhood staple known for its soft texture and surgary flavor. It’s white bread. The processed stuff that’s great for a grilled cheese sandwich or a dollop of barbecue sauce. Country bread it is not. For all its French heritage, artisan bread making has not really been a big thing in this neck of Louisiana. 
But that’s changing. One of the bakers behind a movement of craft bakeries is Chris Frazier of Boscoyo Baking Company. 
Chris got into baking while working in the construction industry in Austin. He and his partner Haley met, and then ran bakeries in Portland, Oregon but moved to Lafayette to be closer to family. They opened Boscoyo in 2023. 
Boscoyo zigs where white bread zags. They use stone milled whole grain flours and slow fermentation sourdough to make staples like Focaccia, Baguette, Ciabatta and their in-demand pan de campagne — the traditional french country loaf. They also offer pizza nights and cakes to fill out their business line. All of their baked goods are made with the same approach. No white flour and as much local sourcing as possible. 
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan at itsacadiana.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quality isn’t enough to sell a product. Consumers need to connect with what you’re selling. And the first way they do that, usually, is by connecting with your brand. 
What is a brand? Well, for one thing, it starts with a name. But any marketing agency will tell you it’s more than that. It’s your company’s values. It’s what makes your product stand out. It’s the warm fuzzy feeling loyal customers get when they see your product on the shelves of their grocery store. 
Of course, a name is important. Plenty of great products have been tanked by a lousy name. Sure, a cookie by any other name would taste as sweet. But that doesn’t matter if no one buys it. And when we’re buying products, we’re often buying them on faith, and the promise of a brand. 
So if you believe in your product, but it’s not selling, maybe try shaking up the name. Think of it this way: Richard Starkey is an accountant. Ringo Starr is a Beatle. 
Danielle Reggio’s allergen-free baking company began life as Dani Cakes in 2016. Her gluten-, egg-, soy-, dairy- and nut-free cupcakes did pretty well at farmer’s markets, but she felt like her expanding product line had outgrown the company name. 
In 2022, she took on a new name: Whiskful Baking Company. Until then, Dani had been a home baker inspired by her own struggle with food allergies. Not long after the rebrand, Dani was able to quit her job to bake full time. 
Today, Whiskful Baking Company makes a wide variety of allergen-free baked goods. Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies, donuts, beignets, baguettes, dinner rolls and even pop tops. 
Dani is originally from Carencro. Her bakery is located in Broussard. 
Terrence Jones was in law school when decided to start a candy company. He created a brand — CBurns Tech and Confections — and a Facebook page to get started. 
At first, the idea was to do business consulting and sell candy. When he tried to make a logo, he realized the concept was a little confusing. Some deft Googling led him to a branding opportunity: No one had claimed the name Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy. And Pecan Candies are Creole through and through. Terrence grew up making his family’s pecan pralines, a tradition handed down from his grandmother. 
Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy has two product lines. Creole-ish includes the Jones family pralines and a BBQ sauce. While Cajun-ish offers a white chocolate spin as well as an allergen free pecan candy. 
The company now has three offices - in Lafayette, New Orleans and in Atlanta - and has received support from Beyonce’s BeyGood foundation.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Giada Morgan and Liliana Morgan at itsacadiana.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us think about business in terms of the point of sale. I’ve got a product. You’ve got money. You give me money for the product and boom: we have an economy. 
But Adam Smith’s invisible hand didn’t put that product on my shelf. It likely came on a truck. And that truck was built with parts sourced from places near and far. Which in turn were manufactured with raw materials extracted from all four corners of the globe. 
That’s a supply chain. Ball it all up, and it’s the backbone of the American economy. 
Logistics are an important part of every business. Getting the items that you need when you need them has a big impact on your productivity and bottom line. And that’s true if you’re running a restaurant or building a rocketship. Time is money. So is distance. When companies need something jonny on the spot, many of them use GOPHR, an on-demand delivery app developed by Lake Charles native and resident, Warren Vandever. 
GOPHR is sort of like Priceline for logistics. It connects businesses and consumers to a fleet of 650,000 networked vehicles operated by independent contractors. The app can scan an object to produce a cost estimate, and links up the delivery with the right-sized vehicle. They ship just about everything. Paper clips, building supplies and industrial equipment. 
Warren founded the company in 2019 after a decade in the military. 
Louisiana has a long history in the logistics business, thanks to its industrial history and the offshore oil and gas industry. And many firms with legacies offshore have diversified their portfolios along with the state. 
Complete Logistical Services is a company out of the Northshore area that helps offshore and maritime firms with staffing and recruiting. The person in charge of selling those services is James Brown. 
James is the sales manager at CLS and has a background in marketing. And that has him working in a brand new world for the Gulf of Mexico: SPACE. In recent years, CLS has carved out a niche working with space tourism firms and companies developing offshore wind platforms. 
James handles day-to-day client outreach, farming new prospects and making sure current CLS clients have what they need. He grew up in Metairie and lives on the northshore. 
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some things are better left to the professionals. If you’re a VIP with a target on your back, security is one of those things.
Protection
Personal security is a highly specialized business. It takes discipline, preparation and the willingness to put your life on the line for your client. Risking life and limb isn’t for everyone. And that’s why few people get into personal security. 
Those who do, like Myron Fonseca, often come from backgrounds in the military or law enforcement. Myron comes from both. Myron spent 31 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as Colonel. He served as a commander in Iraq and received a Gold Star. 
In the 1970s, Myron began a career in policing. He worked in SWAT and as a bailiff for a judge. The experience sparked an idea to go into personal security. In 2022, he started Top Brass Protection.
Top Brass offers security services for individuals, families, businesses, homes and valuables. He also helps clients develop response plans for emergencies and disasters, including active shooter preparation. But the bread and butter of Top Brass is executive protection — personal security for VIPs.
Pole Dance
If you need protection, you’ll need a body man. If you want to work on your body and your body image, you might try pole dancing. And yes, you’ll need some training. Just ask Magnolia Love. 
Magnolia is the owner of Magnolia’s Playground, a pole fitness and yoga studio.
Magnolia struggled with body image issues and self-esteem in her 20s. And in 2012, she discovered pole dancing on Youtube. She liked the idea, bought a pole and tried to teach herself. It took years to learn but took off when she moved to Texas and started taking classes. 
When she moved home to Scott, Magnolia decided to open a pole fitness studio herself. She bought four poles and installed them in a mother-in-law suite in her backyard. Something clicked. She gathered students, and in 2023 Magnolia opened a brick and mortar studio in Downtown Lafayette. 
The studio attracts 60 students each week and has 25 studio members. Magnolia employs seven teachers and hosts 15 classes per week. 
Magnolia is also a certified yoga instructor and a certified funeral director and embalmer.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.