History of Bearded Boilers
How It Started
Growing up in the suburbs of New Orleans, I was always surrounded by great food and a love for seafood especially. From the day I was born I grew up watching my dad and Uncle Pat boil crawfish. I went to a little catholic school named Our Lady of Prompt Succor, in the heart of St. Bernard Parish. My dad helped run the Tomato Festival for our school and I believe this is where it all began. Where I was bit by the hospitality bug. So by the time I was in kindergarten, I already knew how to make 5-gallon batches of White Russian daiquiris, cook food for the masses, and loved helping my dad and the team put on these weekend-long festivals. My dad also helped coordinate other festivals like the Crawfish Festival and Jazz Fest! So, at this point, I think it is just in my blood! Every weekend during crawfish season my family would get together at my aunt and uncle's house for a crawfish boil. My uncle was the mastermind behind the boils he knew the perfect temperature, seasoning to crawfish ratio, and all the other tips and tricks that were passed down to me over the years. Not only do I hold these memories dear to my heart but they are the backbone and foundation to what I aspire Bearded Boilers to be. When we boil for you, your family, and friends we want you to feel like you are a part of our family. The only way we Cajuns know how to do that is to feed you till you can't move anymore.
Fastfword a few years and I ended up in Houston, Texas in 2005. Once I graduated high school, I immediately started working in the food and restaurant industry. I started waiting tables at a family friend's restaurant called Willies Grill and Icehouse. From there I made my way into the city working at a few other restaurants in Houston. Then found a new love, which was bartending. Over the next few years, I had the chance of helping design and create cocktail menus at some of Houston's finest bars and restaurants such as Roots Bistro, Mongoose vs. Cobra and Bisou. I even went on to work for a wine distribution company that specialized in selling rare and vintage wines. Throughout this time, I would still boil crawfish for friends and family for their own parties and events. This eventually turned into people asking if they could hire me to cook crawfish for their parties. So, in my head, I guess I figured there was no turning back now.
The first couple of years Bearded Boilers started to grow nice and slow, we never advertised and only operated by word of mouth. Then we hooked up with a co-company that put on Crawfish and Music Festivals we would travel around Houston, Dallas, and Austin sometimes cooking up to several thousand pounds of crawfish in a single day. I was having the time of my life meeting all kinds of new friends and making great connections across Texas. After a few years of throwing these events, the Crawfish & Brews team decided it was time to split ways. Everyone was starting to have their own babies and families to focus on along with their real full-time job.
I wasn't done cooking crawfish and decided to see where Bearded Boilers' journey would take us. At last, here we are! It's been a long journey coming but we made it. Even after shutting the doors for a season from the pandemic, we were able to come back the following season stronger than ever and eager to start boiling crawfish again. Doing what we love best. That's where we are now, for only 4-5 months out of the year Bearded Boilers opens their doors to the public and usually ended up getting booked every weekend from Mid February till the end of May.
Thank you all that have helped us grow Bearded Boilers over the years to what it is now. If it wasn't for our supportive family, friends, and customers who continue to support us year after year we would not have been able to reach the success that we have today.
Lots of Love,
The Bearded Boiler