Bourgeois Meat Market to Expand with an Additional Location

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Family-run Bourgeois Meat Market will expand their market with a new location in Gray, which is expected to open summer 2022.

Owner Beau Bourgeois said the location, which is near Highway 90 in Gray, will be more efficient and larger. It will feature the same famous items that locals love, but will also bring some things the business has been working on since the new location will have more space. The location will be an additional location, and the original location will still remain in operation.


His father, Donald Bourgeois, has been acquiring bayouside land for an eventual expansion to the business. This is the first time Bourgeois Meat Market will be expanding. “This has been a dream of mine for many years, and it’s exciting to finally get it done,” Beau said.

Bourgeois Meat Market began more than 120 years ago in 1891 when Valerie Jean-Batiste Bourgeois began slaughtering one pig or cow at a time then selling the resulting fresh cuts by horse and carriage to bayou hamlets. He did not return home until the entire animal had been sold.

Refrigeration then allowed Valerie to open a permanent storefront on West Main Street, which was next door to the family’s home in the 1920s. He smoked sausage, made hog’s head cheese, and boudin, among other local delicacies. Over the years, the meat market attracted a loyal following.


When Valerie’s son Lester returned home from serving in World War II, he took over the family business. Soon after, Lester made the decision to move the meat market and slaughterhouse to land across the street on Bayou Terrebonne. His children ended up working in the market too.

Donald, one of Lester and Rita’s seven children, took over the family business. Donald has put in years of hard work and has passed the family business to his son, Beau Bourgeois.