Edna Stewart
March 15, 2011
Is Our Seafood Safe?
March 17, 2011
Debbie Heard didn’t start out in the cafe business. She was a stay-at-home mom with a passion for refinishing antiques.
In 1994, she and husband Dave went into business for themselves opening an antique and refinishing shop in Kraemer. A year or so later, they split the antique business off and moved it to downtown Thibodaux.
In 2000, the couple was offered the building that would become Debbie’s Antiques on St. Mary Street. Demitasse Coffee and Tea House Cafe opened next door with the idea that it would bring customers into the antique store.
Heard had no experience in the restaurant business and said she made a lot of mistakes in the beginning, but she enjoyed the challenge and stuck with it.
“I’m one of these people who likes to jump into a project and suffer the consequences later. My husband is the opposite; he’s reserved and has to plan. I’m the jumper-inner,” she laughed.
Heard decided the star of her menu would be the panini sandwich.
“We knew there was a panini sandwich out there, but it had hard bread and little bitty meats and cheeses. People around here like to eat, so we decided to make it big, stuff it with meat, cheeses and vegetables. It just took off. It’s our signature dish,” Heard said.
When fire destroyed the cafe along with the attached antique store last December, it wasn’t easy for the Heards to come back from such a loss, but they did.
Demitasse Cafe Express opened March 1 on Highway 311 in Schriever.
“We were offered this place just a few days after the fire. About a week later, my husband and I sat down and said, ‘You know, we really need a place. We need to wake up to a purpose instead of going over there and shoveling ash every day. Let’s do it. Let’s make it work,'” Heard said.
Located next door to The Old Green Store at the foot of Bull Run Road, Demitasse Cafe Express resides in what Heard described as former plantation workers’ quarters. The cafe offers seating for 18 to 20 customers and a drive-through for folks in a bit of a rush. Plans are in the works for umbrella tables outside.
“It’s very quaint; very laid back. The fact that there aren’t a lot of places to eat out here has been an advantage. We find that we have more of a constant flow coming in where the other place had down time. It’s been very successful and very busy,” Heard said.
“I love this place,” said employee Sarah Granier. “It’s farther out of the way, but it feels good to have a new start. We have a new customer base; people who have never been to the other Demitasse. In this area, they come in and are just tickled that we’re here.”
Demitasse kept much of the menu regulars of the Thibodaux restaurant have come to enjoy. Heard picked her top panini sellers for the cafe and continues to offer breakfast, fresh brewed coffee, tea, smoothies, desserts, salads and soups.
“Our coffees are very unique. We use a roaster in New Orleans and our beans are roasted the day before we get them so they’re very fresh. Everything is made fresh; we don’t pre-make anything. I think we have something for everybody,” Heard said.
Even though she doesn’t have the heart to get back into the antique business just yet, Heard is helping David Lopez get his business (located in The Old Green Store) next door under way.
“I have a whole bunch of antique vendors with no place to go. They’re all so excited that he’s going to open and they’re ready to move in. It’s going to be similar to what we had in Thibodaux. I think it will satisfy my customers and my dealers,” Heard said.
The Old Green Store was built in 1882 and was used as the general store for Ellendale and Ordoyne plantations. Lopez hopes to re-open it as an antique store in a month or so.
“I’m working with the tourist commission to have a tourist information center here and I’m also working on having a historical marker put up,” Lopez said.
Heard has plans of her own. The foundation of the ruined Thibodaux Demitasse is almost completely cleared and she’s looking to rebuild. She hopes to be back up and running in Thibodaux in a year.
“We plan on having a drive- through in the new place. We’re also planning an outdoor kitchen for cooking beignets. There was a big demand for it before, but we just couldn’t do it with a closed dining room. We’re going to be back in Thibodaux stronger than ever,” Heard said.
The plans include a small gift store and room for an antique building, but she’s holding off on antiques for now.
“I’m sure my passion for antiques will come back, but right now, it hurts the heart a little bit. I need to concentrate on the cafe right now because this is what people want,” Heard said.
When the Thibodaux restaurant reopens, Houma won’t be left behind. Heard plans on keeping Demitasse Cafe Express.
“It’s our dream. Our dream continued. Like they have on the dollar bill over there, we call our workers the Demitasse Dream Team and the bill says, ‘The Demitasse Dream Team back in business.’ I have the best team ever.”
Demitasse Cafe Express staffers Kristen Plaisance and Sarah Granier wait on customers Michele Patton and Linday Dykstra, both of San Antonio, Texas. After Demitasse Cafe’s Thibodaux site burned earlier this year, the express location on Highway 311 in Houma was launched. JENNIE CHILDS
