Editors Note

Café Josephine in Sunset is a place we return to again and again — and we’re not alone. This year, we’re celebrating it as our Best Restaurant. It isn’t the first time, and it likely won’t be the last.

The smell of certain foods can elicit some of our strongest sensory memories. For example, the heady combination of apples cooking in cinnamon instantly transports me to my granny’s kitchen, late evening in the fall when she would spend a few hours after dinner making a batch of her much-heralded apple butter, using fresh apples from her orchard. I would sneak downstairs in my pajamas — masterfully avoiding creaky floorboards so as not to awaken my brother and cousins — creep into the kitchen where Granny would be standing by the stove, stirring the bubbling concoction with a well-worn wooden spoon. Of course she knew this moment would come, because of all of six grandchildren, I was the only one who — even on the precipice of sleep — couldn’t resist the smell of hot cinnamon apples. For at this stage, the apples hadn’t yet broken down into the creamy spread they would ultimately morph into as they thickened and cooked down. Granny would scoop a few spoonfuls into a small bowl for me and I would sit at the kitchen table and enjoy my favorite warm, seasonal treat and a few quiet moments with my grandmother. These are such wholesome, vivid and cherished memories for me and I’m grateful that something as simple as apples and cinnamon can trigger them into being.

Then there are the restaurant memories. Celebrations, romance, travel and adventure are just a few of the things that come to mind when I consider some of the experiences I’ve had while dining out. Adventure is at the top of the list, especially when dining in Acadiana. Where else can you get both the finest, most elegant, traditional French cuisine and also alligator, sometimes on the same menu?

The self-taught cooks and highly trained chefs in the region relish feeding us their best and in this issue, we’re sharing our favorites from throughout Acadiana. If you are anything like me, you anticipate this issue year after year and save a copy for reference when you are looking for a new (or old favorite) place to dine. We hope you enjoy the issue and that it becomes an essential reference. Bon appétit!

Melanie Warner Spencer
Managing Editor
Melanie@AcadianaProfile.com

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Awards

International and Regional Magazine Association

2022
Winner Magazine of the Year
Gold Overall Art Direction
Gold Art Direction of a Single Story
Gold Portrait Series
Silver Food Feature
Bronze Reader Service Article
Bronze Special Focus

2021
Gold Art Direction of a Single Story
Silver Covid Related Story
Silver Food Feature
Bronze Overall Art Direction

2020
Gold Overall Art Direction
Silver Art and Culture Feature
Silver Recreation Feature
Bronze Food Feature
Bronze Profiles
Bronze Art Direction of a Single Story

2019
Winner Magazine of the Year
Gold Overall Art Direction
Gold Art Direction Single Story
Gold Photo Series
Silver Photographer of the Year

2018
Gold Overall Art Direction
Gold Magazine Photographer
Gold Art Direction of a Single Story
Gold Food Feature
Gold Department
Silver Magazine Writer of the Year
Silver Hed & Dek
Silver Photo Series

2017
Gold Overall Art Direction
Gold Magazine Photographer of the Year
Gold Art Direction of a Single Story
Gold Food Feature
Silver Cover

2016
Gold Overall Art Direction
Gold Magazine Photographer of the Year
Gold Art Direction of a Single Story
Silver Photo Series