(Abbeville, LA) Hi 80 Lo 62 – Today we drove about a half hour to Avery Island to see the Tabasco factory. Dee isn’t much for hot and spicy foods, but I love it! Although I’m a Texas Pete man myself, I sometimes use Tabasco sauce on my food. And one thing we found out at the factory is, they have a whole lot of different flavors of Tabasco sauce, some you don’t usually see in grocery stores.
Before getting to Avery Island we followed the recommendation of Betty and went to lunch at Bon Creole Lunch Counter in New Iberia. Boy, talk about a plain, run-down looking place!
We drove right past it and had to circle back to hunt for it. It’s marginally nicer looking inside. :) They’re known for their po’ boy sandwiches. Dee got a half catfish po’ boy and I got a half fried oyster po’ boy, and they were delicious and very filling!
With our tummies full we headed to Avery Island, which isn’t really an island. It’s merely the name of the large property owned by the MacIlhenny Corp. (makers of Tabasco sauce). They have several pepper fields on the property, along with the main factory and visitors center.
We got an initial introduction to Tabasco from a nice young lady, then we watched a short movie. After that we were turned loose for a self-guided tour along a long corridor with large glass windows looking out on the bottling plant.
The main points they emphasized were, they’re very picky about the quality of their peppers (some are grown on Avery Island, but most of them are grown in Central and South America), and all of the Tabasco sauces are made and bottled on Avery Island and shipped to well over a hundred countries.
Next to the factory is the Tabasco Country Store.
Inside was everything you could think of with a Tabasco emblem on it.
I sampled several of their different sauces, and they also had Jalapeno flavored ice cream. (It actually tasted pretty good.)
The whole tour and store visit took only about an hour. On the way back to Abbeville we passed through the town of Delcambre, which is a shrimping town.
It reminded me of back home on the coast of North Carolina, where many members of my family are shrimpers.
We got back home around 3:30 and got ready for happy hour. Betty had a special treat for us this evening. She’s good friends with Judy Bailey, a local singer/songwriter. In 1981 Judy was nominated as a top-5 finalist for New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. She and another local musician, Dave Baudoin, sang and played for us for about an hour and a half.
They sang some country classics like Coal Miner’s Daughter, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Harper Valley PTA, and many others. Judy also sang some songs that she wrote, including a cute little ditty called Betty’s RV Park. She has a beautiful voice, and Dave plays a mean guitar. It was a pleasure to hear them both.
Another fun day. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for tomorrow.
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I'm not sure I would've stopped to eat at that lunch place without a good recommendation either.
George is a big hotsauce fan. I like Tobasco in my bloody marys :) We will definitely tour the plant..
Excellent! We will have to get to Betty's and that area one of these days!
Betty's and the Tobasco Factory were already on my list. One of these days we'll make it down there. Sounds like you two are still having a great time. :)
You are in Dave Robicheaux territory, a James Lee Burke character set in New Iberia.
I learned to love hot sauce in the service. It was the only thing that made the food edible...
Hi Guys, Please tell Betty hello for us. We heard she has cancer and wanted to check up on her. While you are there, you MUST eat at Suires and also the Riverfront or Riverview restaurants. Great food. You might also take a swamp tour with Bryan Champaigne. I'm not sure of the spelling of his last name but Betty can fix you up with directions, etc. Have fun!
Dee,
Just got an email from your email address indicating that you are in Spain and had been robbed. The email asked for money to be sent. I knew it was a scam because I know you aren't in Spain. Just wanted to let you know
Jim Maddox
Yep, I got the same email. Not sure how that happens but you might want to change your password for your email and check a few other things? Jeannie
At one point in my life,I almost got the tabasco emblem tattooed on my arm. I'm still tattoo-less today but they should be happy to know that's as close as I got to getting one. Great on corn-beef hash!
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