‘225 Dine’: Pot & Paddle rises from the ashes of Jambalaya Shoppe

Nearly a year after fire destroyed The Jambalaya Shoppe on Old Hammond Highway, the owners of that franchise location have opened up their own jambalaya restaurant in a new shopping center on Jefferson Highway.

225 Dine reports the Pot & Paddle Jambalaya Kitchen opened this week in the Jefferson Pointe Shopping Center at 9844 Jefferson Highway. The restaurant serves chicken and sausage gumbo and jambalaya—made fresh every day—a pork roast special on Mondays and Wednesdays, pastalaya and more.

Chuck and Cynthia Lavigne are the minds behind Pot & Paddle. Chuck says after splitting from the Jambalaya Shoppe franchise, he wanted to continue in the food business.

“We had been a part of that location and built it up for seven-and-a-half years,” he says. “We had a strong clientele and wanted to keep doing the same thing. However, we didn’t want to rush into any decisions. We wanted the right spot in the right place.”

During that transitional period, the Lavignes took catering orders and got phone calls from customers wondering when they would be back. When Pot & Paddle finally opened, Chuck says, it was a great feeling seeing all the familiar faces.

“Everybody is congratulating us,” he says. “They’re happy we’re back up and running.”

Lavigne says that he’s testing out hours and will ramp up menu specials in the future. For now, Pot & Paddle is open Monday through Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. By January, the Lavigne’s plan to have a second location of Pot & Paddle, near Cabela’s in Gonzales.

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