Last Saturday was the 5th annual Fête des Bouchers at John Folse’s White Oak Estate and Gardens in Baton Rouge. It was a good excuse for us to visit out there. He’s had it since the Eighties, but we’ve never seen it.
It is definitely tucked away off O'Neal Lane, mildly challenging even for the GPS. We arrived in time for the buffet lunch. We deliberately missed the butchering of the animals, which started with a ritual procession at 8 am. There were seminars all day as different participants explained how they make the things they made: hogshead cheese, boudin black and white, raccoon and rooster stew, and everything in-between.
There were over a hundred people there and the buffet lines were long. Getting to the line we were presented with a large paper tray with nice plastic “china” and utensils. The first thing was pork tamales with tomatillo sauce and goat Fresca. There was jambalaya, and very large but really good andouille with the kind of density I prefer. There was boudin and blood boudin, White beans with sausage, fricassee, sauce patate, raccoon and rooster stew, and corn Maque Choux The finale of the line was piles of meat, ending with the cochon de lait. There was Italian sausage with red sauce, also with the exact density. There were chunks of ham and piles of cracklins dusted in a creole seasoning.
The cochon de lait was unusually good, with crispy skin. Even taking just a tiny bit of even some things there was too much to eat. But the pulled pork was the best I have ever had. Cracklins have never been my thing, but these little orange nuggets covered in creole seasoning were delectable. Dense with a great crunch the creole seasoning masked the meat flavor but that wasn’t a bad thing. It came together in a very appealing way. These were dangerous. Before realizing it you could eat a huge pile.
Tom thought the raccoon and rooster stew was pretty good, and I was underwhelmed by the fricassee and also the sauce patate. The hogshead cheese was exactly right, chunky and spicy with the right mix of gelatin and pork bits, which were pretty substantial. Exactly the right proportions of everything. The andouille was sliced into disks of about ¼ inches and this was very tasty. Smoky and spicy at the same time, this was good stuff.
The jambalaya was more of a creole than cajun variety, and it was good but pretty ordinary. The Maque Choux was very good - spicy. The pork tamale was disappointing. I was looking forward to this, as a huge fan of tamales. These were a little dry, but the tomatillo sauce had a great spice level to it. Tom had a nice bread pudding for dessert.
We saw John as we were finishing eating, and he offered a tour, which we welcomed. He explained his acquisition of the property over thirty years ago, and the “easy” terms by which he acquired it. He explained all the additions he made to it, including three outdoor smokers with rotisseries. And a smokehouse. And a distillery. After running into the chef from R’evolution at the distillery, we made our way to the tiny little house which houses a mill that grinds wheat and corn to the tune of many tons a week. John mills for the Cracker Barrels stores.
The grounds are beautiful, with the many little houses fashioned after slave quarters, to pay homage to the people who worked the land. And there are exotic turkeys and roosters, and a collection of antique John Deere tractors, starting with the first one he acquired, which shares his birthday. (Pictures on IG this evening.)
This is a fantastic wedding venue and stage for corporate events. A worthwhile trip next year for the 6th annual Fete des Bouchers.
White Oak Estate and Gardens
17660 George O’Neal Rd Baton Rouge
225-751-1882
whiteoakestateandgardens.com
