The last time Mary LeBlanc thought of herself as an entrepreneur, she was playing restaurant as a little girl. Today she and her husband Lance LeBlanc are the owners La Divina Italian Café. As Business Report details in its new Entrepreneur feature on the couple, their journey to entrepreneurship started around 2011 when they both felt stagnant in their professional lives, and as a result, started researching possible business ventures to pursue.
Together, they identified a void in the Baton Rouge market for authentic Italian gelato and partnered with the founders of the original New Orleans-based La Divina Gelateria, Katrina and Carmelo Turillo, to bring the concept to Baton Rouge. With a lot of support from the Turillos and some good fortune, the LeBlancs stumbled upon their current location in the Acadian Village shopping center supported by a steady flow of foot traffic, as well as its proximity to LSU and other neighborhoods.
A typical workday for Lance LeBlanc is utterly unpredictable. Whether it be repairing kitchen equipment, or serving an unexpected busload of tourists or abnormally heavy lunch crowd, each day presents new challenges as part of the ongoing learning process of a new business owner.
“Early on, I said I knew I was going to spend the rest of myself inside these four walls,” Lance says.
Even so, he admits he underestimated the commitment. As the face of the business, he feels a deep sense of pride in what the couple have made and therefore spends the majority of each day working in the café.
“There is a sense of community that I never expected,” which he explains is his favorite part of his job. “I know all of these personal life’s goings on that I never really anticipated.”
While La Divina stands alone in the Baton Rouge market with its fused concept of café and gelateria, Mary says it is also wedged in a “trifecta of some really good competitors” in terms of its espresso offerings. Therefore, the LeBlancs must set themselves apart by capitalizing on their ambiance and ability to implement creative ideas.
Read the full Entrepreneur feature on the LeBlancs. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
