Meet the Makers: Trailblazers 2025

Tiffany Lowery
The Nature’s Clay, Moss Bluff

As a freshman working toward a journalism degree at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Tiffany Lowery was talked into taking an elective pottery class. “I was against it,” says Lowery, a Moss Bluff native, who at first told her friend no, citing that she didn’t want to get dirty, especially in the middle of the day. “But once we got into the class, I fell in love with it. I was proud to have my overalls caked in clay after [class].” Lowery enjoyed the class so much that she ultimately added a minor in ceramics to her journalism degree.

Over time, Lowery’s friends and family became customers, buying her nature-inspired work as she finished her coursework. This coincided with the COVID-19 lockdowns, prompting Lowery to share her work and processes on social media, where she gained an engaged following. A few months after graduation in October 2021, with few journalism opportunities available locally and the support of her network, Lowery started her business, The Nature’s Clay.

To bolster her knowledge, Lowery pursued an internship with Shelby Roberie at her studio, Jacques’ Pottery Shop in Welsh, where she learned the business and customer service side of ceramics. It didn’t take long for Lowery to realize how beneficial her journalism classes were for her budding ceramics business. “If you’re talking to the public, you need to connect with people and learn how to read different social cues,” says Lowery. Soon, requests for workshops began pouring in, so Lowery started holding pop-up workshops at the now-shuttered brick-and-mortar studio Olive & Indigo.

As Lowery continued to grow The Nature’s Clay, she realized it put a lot of pressure on her creativity to rely on it as a sole means of making a living. To ease that pressure, she accepted a position at the DeQuincy Library as an instructor in the newly launched Create and Make Space. “It’s going to be a space for people to have access to different types of crafts like button and card making, jewelry and wire wrapping and scrapbooking,” says Lowery. The library provides the space, equipment, instruction and assistance, and Lowery gets to share her skills and creativity with the public. “Connecting with people through art is powerful,” she says.

Lowery is now able to focus on creating beautiful and functional pieces, offering workshops and producing her popular process videos on her YouTube channel without the financial pressures inhibiting her creativity. “Life’s a journey,” says Lowery. “And every piece of pottery I make is a testament to that adventure.” —MWS

Mike Frugé
JT Meleck, Branch

When Mike Frugé inherited his family’s rice farm in Branch, the land needed a good bit of restoration. He and his brother, Mark, turned to crawfish farming during an opportune time and eventually opened Frugé Seafood, a wholesale seafood provider.

“That was financially successful, and I had time on my hands,” Mike Frugé said.

On the other hand, the rice side of the business wasn’t pulling its weight. When the price of rice fell from $27 to $17 one year, it was time to reconsider the crop.

“Someone asked me if I could make vodka out of the stuff,” Frugé said. “It was kind of a joke.”

He discovered he could. Frugé opened a distillery on the family farm, using its rice to produce a vodka under the label of JT Meleck, a nod to his great-great Uncle John Meleck who started the farm in 1896. The first vodka made from 100% of rice grown on the farm came out in 2018.

But a thought niggled in Frugé’s mind: Could they make a whiskey out of rice? He searched for other rice whiskeys and found none and assumed that it couldn’t be done.

“I had a hunch they might be wrong,” he explained. “I think people never tried it because whiskey is made out of corn.”

A JT Meleck rice whiskey, aged for years in American oak barrels, was released in 2022.

“It’s like the best bourbon you’ve ever had but it’s sweeter,” he explained of the whiskey’s taste. “It soaks up more in the barrel. You get complex flavors that you’re really not expecting.”

Frugé’s daughter, Mia Albaugh, promotes what Frugé calls a new spirits category —rice whiskey — on social media and through marketing, creating a “micro-phenomenon.”

“We’ve arguably created a world-class product and a new category,” he boasted. “People have noticed and now we’re trying to bring it to more markets.”

The distillery also produces a single barrel cask-strength rice whiskey aged for four to five years, a small batch rice whiskey at 118 proof and a Founder’s Edition whiskey, which is aged in 30-gallon barrels for four years.

What started as a 20-acre farm now supports a crawfish business and a “farm to bottle” distillery.

“My family’s been here for four generations. Now five or six with grandkids,” he said. “The whole business was to make a long-term effort to build a legacy that future generations benefit from.”

JT Meleck spirits may be purchased throughout Louisiana and in some parts of Texas. Frugé hopes to expand its reach into other states. — CC

Sam Wróbel
Sparrow Papercraft, Chicago

The Polish art of wycinanki, or folk art papercutting, traditionally captures images of daily life. This worked perfectly as an art form for Sam Wróbel, a Chicago native with Polish ancestry who moved to Acadiana and relished in its unique cultures and traditions.

It all began when in childhood, a dear family friend skilled in the art asked if he could apprentice with her. Doris Sikorsky had received a folk art grant from the Illinois Arts Council and taught Wróbel the two major styles of wycinanki — one from the Kurpie region, which typically involves a design cut from a single sheet of paper, and the other from the Łowicz region which incorporates bright-colored paper in layers. Both art forms began centuries ago by peasants creating art of their daily lives.

“She [Sikorsky] encouraged me to depict what was in my life,” Wróbel said. “One thing about this area, it’s so colorful.”

Much of Wróbel’s work includes South Louisiana scenes: dancing to Cajun and zydeco music, crawfish fishing, Mardi Gras courirs and alligators, among others. He captures many elements of nature, such as pelicans, magnolias and wetlands.

“I love being in this area,” he said. “It really resonated with me for someone who learned wycinanki.”

Wróbel created handmade signs for Trader Joe’s for years but at age 28 decided to see the rest of the United States. He was drawn to South Louisiana for its music and culture and immersed himself in the Cajun Mardi Gras and visits to landmarks such as Floyd’s in Ville Platte and Fred’s in Mamou. After years of visits, he moved here in 2017.

Wróbel is also a musician, so naturally Acadiana fit that bill as well. He performs bass in two bands.

He creates wycinanki cards, prints and commission pieces with only paper and scissors. 

“It’s historically done with sheep shears actually,” Wróbel explained. “I do have sheep shears but it’s hard on my hands.”

His work, under Sparrow Papercraft (Wróbel is Polish for sparrow), is available on his website at sparrowpapercraft.com. He also sells items at special events and teaches classes at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. He hopes to have more items in stores soon.

Most of his work these days is commission, he said, and includes everything from album covers and logos to pet portraits. Folks can view his work and learn of his upcoming events on Wróbel’s Instagram page.  — CC

Matthew Latiolais
Cajun Salvage Company, Lafayette

At age 15, Matthew Latiolais took a job that would spark a lifelong passion. “I started working with Robert Hebert, who was from Parks, Louisiana and lived along the Bayou Teche,” says Latiolais, who was born and raised in Lafayette. “Robert taught me how to build aluminum boats, wrought iron fences and several different projects, passing down valuable craftsmanship and attention to detail. Growing up in such a unique setting, with the Bayou Teche as his backdrop, Robert’s work was influenced by the natural environment, and he instilled in me a deep respect for Louisiana and the materials I worked with.” Eventually, this experience of learning to work with his hands would lead Latiolais to woodworking, specifically using reclaimed cypress, under the auspice of Cajun Salvage Company.

But first, Latiolais made a living in the oil and gas industry in logging and evaluation and well placement. This career took Latiolais to far-flung locales in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and the North Slope of Alaska, as well as all around the Gulf of Mexico. But no place could compete with the rich Cajun culture, food, fests and outdoors life at his fingertips at home, where Latiolais started his woodworking business in his driveway. “It wasn’t an overnight success story,” says Latiolais. “Most of the things I learn were self-taught. Building and growing the business has taken over 10 years. There were many nights where I asked myself, ‘Why do I put myself through this?’ But overall its been a wonderful career choice.”

Latiolais, who was accepted into the Louisiana Crafts Guild in 2015, and in 2024, was accepted into the Louisiana Crafts Guild of Master Craftsmen, says he built his business on the premises of on hands-on craftsmanship, sustainability, functionality and maintaining a connection to the past. “By respecting the materials and their history, I ensure each design completes its environment and tells a unique story,” says Latiolais, who also strives to consistently build new skills into his craft and had a strong work ethic instilled in him by his mother, whom he also cites as his biggest inspiration.

Latiolais has worked on projects ranging from kitchen cabinets and islands to a desk from a 1956 Buick special trunk lid that was on display in the Louisiana Crafts Guild in New Orleans for a time before finding a home with a buyer. “I tend to take on projects that push me way outside of my comfort zone and skill range because that’s where growth happens,” says Latiolais. “Every time I stretch myself, I learn something new, whether it’s mastering a new technique, solving a problem or gaining a deeper understanding of my craft. I enjoy the challenge, and it drives me to be resourceful and creative.” —MWS

Dan’elle and Jack Clark
Bespoke Hat Co., Lake Charles

Browse the social media or Bespoke Hat Co in Lake Charles, and you will find a range of people — various ages, expressions, styles. Yet they share something in common — a  confident grin and distinctive headwear.

Dan’elle and Jack Clark, the hatmaking couple who own Bespoke, say they delight in guiding visitors to their shop in finding and finessing just the right fedora, flat cap, beret and more to reflect their individual stories and styles.

Dan’elle was initially a regular customer at Bespoke Hat Co, established in 2017 in downtown Lake Charles. Then, the Clarks bought Bespoke in February 2024, expanding the shop to fit their vision and becoming a beloved spot for choosing and creating hats — and memories.

Since taking over, the Clarks have grown the hat inventory from 20 to 50 styles to roughly 300, including headwear by designers like Stetson, Gigi Pip and Bailey, among others. The store also carries apparel and accessories by designers like STS Ranchwear.

“We’re constantly getting new and different hats,” Jack said.

Customers are also drawn to the Clarks’ unique custom-made hats, crafted from start to finish using materials ranging from felt and feathers to beaver and nutria fur.

The couple also reshapes and revitalizes hats, giving new life to family heirlooms and creating stylish keepsakes and fashion pieces.

One woman had her father’s badly worn Stetson cowboy hat reshaped into a fashion fedora. A bride requested a hat with a band fashioned from her mother’s wedding dress.

An especially memorable hat was “the roadkill hat,” commemorating a trip to Colorado with souvenirs collected along the way — porcupine quills and bird feathers.

Bespoke can laser messages and drawings onto hats, adding another unique touch. A customer had “you are my sunshine” lasered onto a hat in her late father’s handwriting. A grandfather fighting cancer received a hat decorated with encouragement from his grandchildren in their handwriting.

Along with hat styles, the Clarks have expanded the shop’s offerings to include popular after-hours hat bar parties, which give groups the opportunity to enjoy a fun night of customizing hats.

Dan’elle, who began learning hatmaking from a self-taught relative, started to host hat bar parties years ago to support a friend battling breast cancer. Groups of friends would gather at a home and spend hours together creating hats.

The previous owner had the hat bar set up, but the Clarks expanded its use from individual customers to after-hours hat-making parties. The shop holds a cozy and inviting ambience, with brick walls and leather candles, that adds to the memorable events.

“Some people leave crying,” Dan’elle said. “They thank us all the time for the experience.”

Almost every hat sold gets the hat bar treatment, a process in which the Clarks guide the buyer through customizing their new piece. People often spend hours choosing just the right colors, textures and flair. The Clarks help them shape the hat to a flattering fit.

Both making and customizing hats “makes it more intimate and more fitting with our name, Bespoke,” said Jack.

The right hat can work wonders, said Dan’elle, who wears a hat nearly every day and said, “It gives you a little boost of confidence.” —LM