Feast on Cajun Cuisine

Want something delicious, flavorful and a little different for your holiday meals? Cajun Ed’s Hebert’s Specialty Meats has you covered.

Every Cajun meal is a celebration in itself. And there’s only one place in Tulsa to get the best Cajun food made by real Cajuns – that’s Cajun Ed’s Hebert’s Specialty Meats at 2101 E. 71st St.

    “Cajun Ed” Richard never planned on owning a meat ­market, much less a restaurant. His grandfather owned several restaurants and a catering ­company in Lafayette, Louisiana, and he worked there in high school. He left Lafeyette after ­college to work for an office product company and made Tulsa his family’s home. Over the years, Cajun Ed thought more and more about getting into the food business. “It was just in the blood. My family was involved in it. I’ve always cooked, just not professionally, but I always ­wanted to.”

    In 1998, the original market opened at 81st and Lewis. Ed’s idea was to make products under Federal USDA inspection and legally ship them all over the United States. Cajun Ed’s Hebert’s is one of only two ­federally inspected facilities in Tulsa and has a full time ­inspector on site daily overseeing production.

    The production facility in the back of the restaurant ­produces a wide range of ­products, including nearly 50 varieties of sausages, gumbo, maque choux, and etouffee. Eighteen varieties of stuffing can be ordered inside a large selection of meats, including the ­turducken (a chicken stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey). You can stop by for your favorite cuts of beef and pork, rabbit, crawfish (seasonally), ­alligator, chicken, game hens, ­oysters and quail.

    The largest Cajun market in Tulsa offers many retail items from all over Louisiana. Cajun Ed says many Louisiana natives come in to pick up products from “home” that they can’t find anywhere else. When the current location opened six years ago, they added a cafeteria-style lunch service that features live music daily. Two years ago they began seated dinner service. A rotating list of specials is offered each day of the week. One of Ed’s favorites is “Cajun-Mex Tuesday,” with red bean burritos, a variety of Cajun tacos, and his grandfather’s crawfish tamales. The tamales are a longtime ­family favorite from the catering service and were nearly lost after “Paw Paw” passed. When they could not decipher the bits and pieces of the recipe scribbled down on a scrap of paper, the family decided to get together to try to recreate it.

    “My wife loved the tamales. They were her favorite thing to eat in the world, so she helped us recreate it. I had parts of the recipe from my cousin, whose brother used to make them for the catering company. My brother in Florida came to town and for a week we got together and made tamales. We’d make a batch and give them to my wife, and she’d tell us ‘that wasn’t it,’ so we’d make another batch and she’d say no. I don’t know how many batches we made, but ­finally she said we got it right. And we all knew when we tasted them – they were super good.” Paw Paw’s tamales are served open faced with crawfish ­etouffee and homemade pico.

    Cajun Ed is pleased to ­introduce the creations of his new chef, Aubrey Brune. The OSU Culinary Arts graduate has nearly 20 years of experience in various restaurants, but Cajun food is his new passion. “Aubrey adds his special touch to make some of the best food we have ever offered,” says Cajun Ed. This year you can choose your favorite from three types of ­cornbread dressing.

    Christmas morning in Louisiana means beignets are in the kitchen. Cajun Ed’s has the beignet mix and chickory coffee to go with it, or beignets and café au lait are offered from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.

    Place your holiday order online at www.cajuned.com or stop by the big red house just west of 71st and Lewis

For more information, contact

Cajun Ed’s Hebert’s Specialty Meats

2101 E. 71st St.

Tulsa, OK 74136

(918) 298-8400

www.cajuned.com