‘Feast on the Levee’ to be held Sunday at church in Brusly

• By CHET FOLKES
• Advocate food writer
• Published: Oct 23, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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BRUSLY — Jambalaya, Seafood Pies and Chicken Gumbo will be among the Cajun delights available at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church’s 28th annual “Feast on the Levee” Sunday.

Held each year as a fund-raiser for the 101-year-old church, the daylong, family-style food fest will offer such classic Cajun fare as Boudin Balls, Fried Catfish, Pulled Pork, Fried Turkey, Shrimp Stew, Meat Pies, Shrimp Fettuccine, Hamburgers, Barbecued Brisket and Barbecued Chicken, plus a variety of casserole and side dishes prepared and served by church members. Chairs and tables are set up beneath tents on the church grounds for dining.

Another culinary feature at the food-oriented festival is the sweet shop offering homemade cakes, cookies, pies and candy, such as divinity and pralines, throughout the day.

The fair, held on the church grounds, 402 S. Kirkland Drive off River Road, also features a Euro Jump for the kids and other games, and a country store with a large selection of gift items. A horseshoe competition, bingo and raffles for such items as a plasma television or jambalaya pot will be held throughout the day. 

Music will be provided by two bands, Penalty Box and Foret Tradition.

Breakfast items, such as coffee, café au lait and cinnamon rolls freshly baked by volunteers at the church activity center will be served starting at 8 a.m. Fair festivities begin at 11 a.m. following the 10 a.m. Mass at the church. The fair ends at 7 p.m.

One of the highlights each year is the silent auction which includes a multicourse dinner for six prepared and served by the Rev. Matthew Dupré, pastor of St. John the Baptist, known for his culinary skills. Each year, Dupré prepares a meal complete with wine at the church rectory at a date selected by the winner sometime during the year.

Another popular fundraiser is the Dessert-a-Month silent auction item in which the winner receives a freshly made dessert, usually a cake or a pie, delivered to his or her home each month for a year.

In addition, some 30 gift items ranging from an LSU purple-and-gold rocking chair to artwork by Jack Jaubert will be offered through the silent auction, which starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

Gale Thibodeaux, who coordinates the silent auctions each year, said, “We do have some of the best food available in the area at our fair. We have a big choice of food, plus our great sweet shop with homemade cookies, cakes and pies prepared by some of the best bakers in the parish.

“We start the day with wonderful homemade cinnamon rolls being baked in the activity center kitchen. You can come to the fair, eat the good food, sit at a table and listen to the music,” she said.

The white frame church, constructed in 1907, faces River Road in Brusly. Funds from the “Feast on the Levee” go to the church building fund.

To reach the church from Baton Rouge, turn left on East Main at the Brusly traffic light on La. 1 and go to the levee, take a right on River Road. Brusly is about six miles south of Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish.