“BAM!”
The signature catchphrase of beloved celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse could be heard up and down the many aisles of Seafood Expo North America on Monday, 12 March, when the culinary master arrived in Boston, Massachusetts to support his wife Alden Lagasse’s growing caviar business.
Louisiana Caviar Co., which was purchased by Alden Lagasse and her business partners, Amy Hollister Wilson and Alison Vega-Knoll, almost two years ago, specializes in wholesale caviar products made using eggs from bowfin harvested in Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana. The company introduced its Cajun Caviar product almost 30 years ago, when John Burke founded the business. Coincidentally, several chefs, including Station 6's Vega-Knoll and Alden’s accomplished husband, have been using Louisiana Caviar’s offerings on their menus for years.
“I’ve been using this stuff since 1982…it’s unbelievable. Wait 'til you taste it,” Emeril Lagasse said.
Louisiana Caviar was stationed at Inland Seafood’s booth during SENA18, a testament to the budding partnership between the two companies.
“We’re just starting to partner with people like Inland Seafood, who are not only great friends, but great business people…and they’re our vehicle to kind of get it out to the rest of the world,” explained Chris Wilson, the culinary director of Emeril’s Homebase and spouse of Louisiana Caviar Co. co-owner Amy Hollister Wilson.
Both Wilson and Alden Lagasse praised the company’s products, which possess several differentiating qualities, including a salt content level of under five percent, and attractive pricing.
“My wife calls it an affordable luxury,” Wilson said.
Among the products sold by Louisiana Caviar Co. are Cajun Caviar, Spicy Cajun Caviar, Paddlefish, and custom Mother of Pearl Caviar spoons. The company’s owners remain as enthusastic about the company's future as they were when they bought it two years ago, Alden Lagasse said.
“The girls, we’re all caviar freaks, and we thought that this was something we might want to look into,” she said.
