I Like It! Baton Rouge-based Denicola’s Foods

Denicola’s Foods creators Kim and David Denicola have given a lot of thought to the emblematic Cajun dish, dirty rice. Kim grew up in Houma, where her grandmother made dirty rice frequently with a recipe handed down from her own grandmother. But preparing it took time, and Kim, who was once a single, working mother, wanted to shorten the process for busy families. After trial and error – and lots of dirty rice - the couple launched a line of instant food mixes in January 2010. “We spent months making and testing different versions of dirty rice,” recalls Kim. “I’d make notes about what was wrong, adjust the dry seasonings, and make it all over again. Our kids were some of our main tasters, because children’s responses are always so honest.” On the nights Kim and David finally found the right formulas for their dirty rice and other products, Kim scribbled notes furiously. Then she made the recipe again to be sure.

A year later, Baton Rouge-based Denicola’s Foods is on shelves in two dozen regional stores, including the Bet-R Store and Side of the Road Seafood in the Capital City, the IGA and Feliciana Supermarket in St. Francisville and several Rouse’s Markets throughout South Louisiana. Their product line-up includes mixes for dirty rice, jambalaya, pastalaya, gumbo, etouffee and bisque, and they plan to roll out four new products this spring. Consumers can also order on-line.

Creating a cook’s shortcut might have been the original impetus for the venture, but Denicola says what keeps it going is the desire to create a family business for the couple’s five children, especially 11-year-old son, Matthew, who has cerebral palsy. “We want him to have something that’s his, a business where he can work and contribute,” says Kim. Matthew and his siblings already help sort, label and deliver products around the dining room table from their home in Baton Rouge’s Tara neighborhood.

“It’s definitely a family affair,” says Kim. “It’s a lot of work, but incredibly satisfying.”

For more information, visit www.denicolasfoods.com .