For over a century, the Schriever butcher shop and South Louisiana culinary staple known as Bourgeois Meat Market has made a name for itself with its beef jerky, summer sausage, and other cajun specialties along Bayou Terrebonne at 543 West Main St. in Schriever, Louisiana. This popularity has resulted in Bourgeois Meat Market, which was founded in 1891, planning on opening a second location in Gray, Louisiana in early 2023, according to this article from HoumaToday.
Bourgeois Meat Market was founded by Valery Jean Baptiste Bourgeois, and it was started in his front yard in 1891. Fourth-generation owner Beau Bourgeois detailed the market’s origins by saying, “he started off by slaughtering a cow or a pig and going by horse and carriage house-to-house. That was the days before refrigeration. Later on, he eventually built a little smokehouse. The whole reason they started doing that was so that you could keep the fresh sausage for a couple of extra days.”
Eventually, that tenacious spirit snowballed and resulted in the construction of the market’s first building being erected on the opposite side of the street from its Schriever location. When Valery Bourgeois returned from serving in World War II, he moved the market into its current location bayouside, but today, Beau Bourgeois says that the current site is inefficient due to its layout, despite additions made to the location numerous times over the years.
Simply put, the current location doesn’t offer enough space to stuff sausage and boudin, two of the market’s top sellers, and so a solution was born. While the current location will continue to operate in its current spot, a second location is set to open in early 2023 at 3700 West Park Ave., where construction is already underway. The new location, which will be approximately twice the size of the current shop (at 9,000 square feet), was originally planned to be completed two years ago, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida.
The new shop will allow for more services to be offered by Bourgeois Meat Market, including a pick-up station where customers can quickly pick up specialty items such as daily plate lunches and stuffed meats. Also, while the current site employs 30 workers who will be spread between the two locations, approximately 30 new employees will be hired to help man the demand of a second location. One employee, Connor Finn of Gretna, Louisiana, reflected on the prospect of what a second location will hold by saying, “I’m actually really excited about it. You’ve got the production kitchen, then the service kitchen, and you also have the slicing room.”
Bourgeois Meat Market’s beef jerky, customer service, and brand name are all associated with high quality all across Louisiana but also the county at large. Some of Bourgeois Meat Market’s accolades and honors include being named among the “100 Southern Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die” by Garden and Gun magazine.
Additionally, the industry-famous “ultimate destination for all things food,” website Mashed named Bourgeois on its list of “The Absolute Best Meat Markets in the US,” saying, “ The original Cajun jerky offered at this shop is legendary. In addition to the jerky, this local treasure also sells other snacking meats such as beef styx, crackling, and summer sausages. If you’re in the mood for a culinary adventure, try the boudin. Bourgeois Meat Market also offers services such as deer processing. This butchery has both classic and unique options available. Whatever you feel like, one thing’s for sure, this butcher shop is beloved among locals.”
For more Louisiana-related articles, click here.